tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85481210116514113722024-03-06T00:14:33.775+01:00Diary of a PapergirlNinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-58354679320729826092014-08-09T12:00:00.000+02:002014-08-09T12:00:01.181+02:00Book Review: Ready Player One <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Author: </b>Ernest Cline<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Broadway Books<br />
<b>Release date: </b>August 6th 2011<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Dystopian/Science Fiction<br />
<b>Pages: </b>372<br />
<b>My rating: </b>4.5/5<br />
<b>Standalone</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines--puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win--and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.</span></span></div>
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If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be cool. Although I’m not the biggest fan of videogames I do love the idea of OASIS. It could be like going into your favorite book. I was really intrigued by the world, both the real one and the OASIS one. The real world is a mess, but it’s not a typical dystopian where there is a controlling government. It’s just a mess and no one knows how to solve it. No wonder people escape in OASIS where you can be and do anything. I would. Chances are you would too. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, there’s a giant robot battle. If that doesn’t scream cool I don’t know what will.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This book is filled with 80’s references; movies, music, books and most of all video games. I’m a teenager and didn’t live through the 80’s. I’m also not really familiar with anything from the 80’s. If you are, this book is perfect for you. But still, if you’re like me, you won’t be left out of things. Of course, there’s a bunch of references that you’ll miss but anything that is important is explained very well. And when you do recognize something, you’ll feel incredibly proud. Either way, it definitely didn’t take away from how enjoyable this book was. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The characters are very imperfect and because of that realistic. Wade is an overweight teenager who prefers to lock himself in his room than go outside. He’s very good at being a geek and does some very cool stuff inside OASIS, still his life isn’t glorified. Ernest Cline makes it very clear that the way Wade lives his life isn’t a good thing and one of the themes in this book is that real life will always be better than a virtual one. We follow Wade as he grows throughout the story and learns this lesson. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But Wade wasn’t the character I related to the most, strangely enough that was a character that died in the very beginning of the book: James Halliday. He doesn’t appear in the novel himself (because he’s dead, duh) but I did feel as if we got to know him throughout the competition he had set up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">“Jim always wanted everyone to share his obsessions, to love the same things he loved. I think this contest is his way of giving the entire world an incentive to do just that.” </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Halliday is the creator of OASIS and is portrayed as a slightly crazy, isolated an obsessive person. But this quote made me realize that he just wanted people to be like him. In a way I’m the same when I want people to read and love the same books as me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My favorite part about this book was the plot, It was exciting and fast paced. The world is used to its full potential and I finished it in two sittings. My only problem with it is the part after Wade finds the first key and before anyone knows what’s going on with the second one. I know it’s only realistic that it takes them so long to figure it out (after all no one knew anything about the first key for five years). But it still seemed to drag on and the romance between Wade and Art3mis took up a lot of pages, more than needed in my opinion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. If it hadn’t been for that one slow part it would definitely be five stars. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for an exciting book that will have you turning pages like crazy. And of course to anyone who loves the 80’s. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-20160518401054129212014-08-05T12:00:00.000+02:002014-08-05T12:00:02.822+02:00Book Review: The Darkest Minds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10576365-the-darkest-minds?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343178841l/10576365.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Author: </b>Alexandra Bracken<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Disney Hyperion<br />
<b>Release date: </b>December 18th 2012<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Dystopian<br />
<b>Pages: </b>488<br />
<b>My rating: </b>4/5<br />
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<div style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 2em;">
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.<br />
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<b>Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.</b><br />
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When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.<br />
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When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am a sucker for any story about superpowers. If I had one wish I
would wish to have superpowers. Aside from that I also like dystopian, it might
be my favorite genre. So when I heard about a dystopian book in which the main
characters have superpowers, I was intrigued. Along with all the hype this book
got I was almost setting myself up for disappointment. Surprisingly that didn't
happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You are immediately thrown into the world
in this book. There is no info dump and you continue to be a little hazy on a
lot of the details until later in the book. The children with powers are
identified by colors and it is never actually said what each color means. There
are, however, enough little hints for you to figure out what each color is. The
same goes for what Ruby did to her parents years ago. For half of the book
there are speculations so you can get some kind of idea of what happened. But
it doesn't take away off the big reveal. I really liked the way Alexandra
Bracken doesn't treat the readers like little kids and assumes they are smart
enough to figure out the details without them being expressively
mentioned. A great example of show, don’t tell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The characters in this book were so
lovable and realistic. Our main character, Ruby, is more scared of herself than
of the world around her. As the reader we can see she isn't a monster, but if
you think about what she went through and what she saw and did, it isn't too
weird she thinks this way. Liam is probably one of the sweetest guys ever and I
have a weak spots for guys who want nothing more than to be able to be a hero
for other people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Another thing I liked about the characters
were that the villains were heroes in their own minds. You could understand why
they did what they did. I hate it when villains are just evil for the sake of
being evil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The only bad thing I have to say about
this story is that it started out a little slow. It took a while for it to
fully grab my attention. But when it had it... I'm really glad I read this when
Never Fade was already out and in my possession because there was an open
ending. So I will be reading the sequel hopefully soon and finding out what
happens to the characters I have grown to care for. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-8205645138348698202014-08-02T12:00:00.000+02:002014-08-03T13:11:02.226+02:00Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Author: </span></b><span itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.799999237060547px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Benjamin Alire Sáenz</span></span><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background: white;">Publisher: </span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers</span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Release date: </b>February 21st 2012</span> <br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Genre: </b>Contemporary</span> <br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Pages: </b>359<b> </b></span> <br />
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My rating: </b>5+/5</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Standalone</b></span></span></span><br />
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Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This book had been on my to be read list for a while, so
long that I had kind of forgotten about it. That is until my friend showed me
the book he received as a gift. He’s not a huge reader and when I asked if I could
borrow it he said of course. I gave it back to him two days later. If it hadn’t
been for school I probably would have finished it in one sitting. Instead of
doing that I read it during and in between classes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The characters are definitely the most important part of
this story. While I was reading it I really was living Ari’s life with him. I
loved getting to know more and more about his life in little bits. Not everything
about his past gets dumped on you in the first couple of chapters. We gradually
get to know him as he gets to know himself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Dante was just lovely. We see him grow just as much as
Ari even though the story isn’t told from his perspective. Even when he’s not
actually with Ari he develops so much through the letters he writes. By the end
of the book they are both different, and better, people then they were in the
beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a lot of books that deal with LGBT issues parents are one
of the obstacles the character coming out has to face. Whether they are actually
unsupportive or the character is just worried they will be. The parents in this
story are the opposite and it was so nice to read about it. They knew their
children sometimes even better then they knew himself. I don’t think I’ve ever
read about better parents. And it’s not like they were perfect either, they had
their flaws and struggles. That didn’t stop them from being great parents. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The writing style in this book is different from most
books. It’s so lyrical and beautiful without ever getting pretentious. I am
definitely going to reread this book and highlight all the wonderful quotes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The short chapters makes it feel like you’re getting to
see the important moments in Ari’s life, the ones that changed him. I absolutely
love short chapters, they make the content feel so much more important. And
this author manages to say so much with so little. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Even though I don’t struggle with the same things Ari
deals with he was so relatable. Because he isn’t always fighting against the
world, although he doesn’t know it, but against himself. And to me that was the
big message in this story. Accepting yourself is always so much more important
than getting accepted by the world. <o:p></o:p><br />
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I think it's great that this book exists, because there are a lot of books about gay teens getting bullied about their sexuality already. That doesn't make it easier for teenagers who are scared to come out. This book, on the other hand, is encouraging and shows that it doesn't always have to be difficult and that there will be people to support you too. </div>
Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-38433758958158903882014-07-31T12:00:00.001+02:002014-07-31T13:27:52.919+02:00July Wrap Up/August TBR<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Books I've read</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This month I've read twelve books in total and I'm very happy with that number. I've never read this many books in a month before and hope this is going to become a habit and doesn't turn out to be a one time thing. A few of these books I read for the BookTubeAThon and <i>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</i> was a reread. </div>
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<b>Books I've reviewed</b></div>
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My blog only exists for a little over a week now so there aren't that many reviews up so far. But so far I've done three. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKYMGxa23IP1iaDRBewLLZ_5ENLfAFwo1UOfHblq7u8o-GeAw0gpasUFoTlzofEQ92gW80OCnqXp0-ffijF1R_loDRcpyHOcqcIAidtRqSc94lC5QFFnjIQhWkT_VHMpY-KRMaNQnAgcb/s1600/july+books+review.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKYMGxa23IP1iaDRBewLLZ_5ENLfAFwo1UOfHblq7u8o-GeAw0gpasUFoTlzofEQ92gW80OCnqXp0-ffijF1R_loDRcpyHOcqcIAidtRqSc94lC5QFFnjIQhWkT_VHMpY-KRMaNQnAgcb/s1600/july+books+review.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://diaryofapapergirl.blogspot.nl/2014/07/book-review-miss-peregrines-home-for.html" target="_blank">Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</a></div>
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<a href="http://diaryofapapergirl.blogspot.nl/2014/07/book-review-i-am-messenger.html" target="_blank">Book Review: I am the Messenger</a></div>
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<a href="http://diaryofapapergirl.blogspot.nl/2014/07/book-review-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer.html" target="_blank">Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer</a></div>
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<b>August TBR</b></div>
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I don't think I'll read as much in August as I did in July (but I can hope right) because school will start again in late August. So weird... it feels like vacation just started a week ago... <i>Ready Player One </i>is the book for August for the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/136419-little-book-club" target="_blank">Little Book Club</a>. But anyway these are the book I hope I'll get to in August. </div>
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Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-9453822610257393012014-07-30T17:27:00.000+02:002014-07-30T17:27:26.523+02:00Bout of Books!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eW7whBxHEeYPb_Wfc5urg41lwRcyzllKlqVpEBCprBcFLkgNp5WxWx3tlfMMn-AskoQhY8aOZdOt8_825C7oPme6991s0kslf7w69qm27WIBdy0He11I-kgt7uLjmjbOTQM8nUUWcnlT/s200-no/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the <a href="http://boutofbooks.blogspot.nl/" target="_blank">Bout of Books</a> blog. - From the Bout of Books team</div>
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I don't know exactly what books I'll be reading for this read-a-thon but I plan on starting the <i>His Dark Materials </i>Trilogy because I've had that boxset forever and haven't read it yet.</div>
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<br />Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-81880514904195041702014-07-29T12:00:00.000+02:002014-08-03T13:42:53.678+02:00Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11408650-the-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336655755l/11408650.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Author: </b>Michelle Hodkin <b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
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<span style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.michellehodkin.com/">http://www.michellehodkin.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Publisher: </b>Simon & Schuster </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; orphans: 4;">Children’s Publishing</span><span style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto;"><span style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto;"><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Release date: </b>September 27th 2011<b> </b></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Genre: </b>Paranormal </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>Pages: </b>466<b> </b></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>My rating: </b>2/5</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto;"><span style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>First book in a series </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<i>Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.</i><br />
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</i> <i>It can.</i><br />
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</i> <i>She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.</i><br />
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</i> <i>There is.</i><br />
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</i> <i>She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.</i><br />
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<i>She’s wrong.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm going</span> to say it right now, I had some major problems with this book. This book has gotten amazing reviews and is praised for its creepy atmosphere and unreliable narrator. These things are true, to a certain extent, but in my opinion in no way good enough to make up for its faults.<br />
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What I did like about this book was the premise and the first few chapters. The idea of not being sure whether or not a character is crazy really appealed to me and the most interesting part of this book by far were all the strange things happening to Mara. I also liked the mysterious atmosphere throughout the story although it wasn't as creepy as I hoped it would be.<br />
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Now let's talk about the love interest Noah Shaw... Noah is a British, arrogant, rich, hot boy who, according to Jaime (Mara's best friend) has slept with literally every single girl at school. Excuse me if I am not fawning over him. He has treated all of these girls horrible and let's just say I was ready to hate Noah after this:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><i>"</i><span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I heard that a senior from Walden tried to commit suicide after he—well. After he got what he came for, pun intended, and didn’t call again."</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">What... WHAT. How can the author just casually brush over this? A girl tried to kill herself after Noah treated her like crap. I just couldn't wrap my head around it and I lost all respect for Noah, and at a certain point Mara because she didn't seem to care. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Aside from the fact that Noah doesn't seem to have a conscience, he also doesn't seem like a realistic character. He has litterally everything a typical teenage girl would find attractive. He randomly has a British accent, he is a bad boy who is extremely protective (to the point where it gets controlling) of Mara, he is rich but for some reason hides that and of course he is extremely good looking. He just didn't feel like a real person at all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I also had some issues with Mara, although not as much as with Noah. She caught on very slow with what was happening to her and this started getting a little repetitive at a certain point. I did appreciate that she reacted at least semi-appropriate to what was happening to her. A lot of characters in YA seem to have no trouble accepting paranormal things when they have never experienced anything like that. Mara freaked out and in all honesty, that's what most of us would do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It is such a shame that this book is what it is because there truly was a lot of potential and I really think it could have been great. I am not sure yet if I want to read the sequel. A part of me is curious because we still don't know what was real and what was Mara being crazy, but I have a feeling things may get worse and it will just frustrate me... I guess time will tell. </span></div>
Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-36793797258450592882014-07-28T23:33:00.000+02:002014-07-28T23:33:01.571+02:00Stacking the Shelves #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2014/07/stacking-the-shelves-117.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/STSmall_thumb2.png" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> and it's all about bloggers showing what books they are adding to their collection, whether they're physical copies or e-books. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-t7JlszMf0b_XzB50FC2r7oZvxz18MsnbNTmYAbqZeYXoj72xveHZcdElyoFUg1PDj-SJACt4yw4Kp9T06iCqiqamdmWfrY-OaYxWPMq3C8AXOjNIQapQA5K8Q3QtCZwFLXr0Zm2SOwmR/s1600/IMG_3664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-t7JlszMf0b_XzB50FC2r7oZvxz18MsnbNTmYAbqZeYXoj72xveHZcdElyoFUg1PDj-SJACt4yw4Kp9T06iCqiqamdmWfrY-OaYxWPMq3C8AXOjNIQapQA5K8Q3QtCZwFLXr0Zm2SOwmR/s1600/IMG_3664.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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These are the books I got over the past couple of weeks. Most of them were welcome back presents from my friends (I'd been gone for ten months) and three of them I bought to add to a series I already owned. Because if I own one book in a series I have to own the rest too. </div>
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<b>Gifts</b></div>
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<b>Bought</b></div>
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By now I've already read seven of these books and pretty much enjoyed all of them. If you've read any of these books let me know what you thought! </div>
<br />Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-87314627025808391052014-07-26T12:00:00.000+02:002014-07-28T22:31:32.600+02:00Book Review: I Am the Messenger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19057.I_Am_the_Messenger?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398483261l/19057.jpg" width="207" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19057.I_Am_the_Messenger?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><strong><i><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Author: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Markus Zusak </span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Alfred A. Knopf Borzoi Books<b> </b></span><span style="background: white; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Release date: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">May 9 2006</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Genre: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Mystery/suspense</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Pages: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">360</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">My rating: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">5/5 stars</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Stand Alone</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></strong></span><br />
<div style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 2em;">
<b>protect the diamonds</b><br />
<b>survive the clubs</b><br />
<b>dig deep through the spades</b><br />
<b>feel the hearts</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That's when the first ace arrives in the mail.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That's when Ed becomes the messenger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;">It has to be said, this book has a great first
chapter, one that is both exciting and very funny. You enter the story in the
middle of a bankrobbery, hence the excitement. The bankrobber however is not
that good at being a bankrobber, and Ed, our main character, and his friends
are not very good at being bankrobbery victims. They are incapable of shutting
up and end up getting almost shot. But in the end Ed is the one with the gun in
his hand and saves the day. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br />
Stopping the bankrobber is the first notable thing Ed has ever done. He
describes himself as less than ordinary and I have to agree with him, although
it's not a bad thing. In the beginning of the story, Ed is not a hero, not even
close. Even his own mother thinks he's worthless. It isn't until he receives a
card in the mail and is almost forced to be a hero. This change isn't abrupt
but takes place gradually throughout the novel. It is one of the best cases of
character development that I have ever seen. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br />
Ed is also one of my new favorite characters. He is so down to earth and knows
exactly who he is and what he's worth. He doesn't pretend to be anything that
he isn't. Although he isn't extroadinary in any way he manages to help people
by really looking at them and seeing what they need, being extremely selfless
when giving them that. Ed is ordinary yet heroic. And if he can be a hero,
everyone can. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;">I however couldn't
bring myself to like Audrey, the girl Ed is hopelessly in love with. Maybe
because I was feeling a little protective of Ed and Audrey just wasn't treating
him well. Ed even describes it as her killing him slowly. I did however enjoy
their friendship and the way they seamlessly knew each other. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;">There were also a lot
of side characters that you grow to care off in the few pages that Ed interacts
with them. Sophie, the Tatupu family and of course the Doorman (although he
appears througout the whole novel) were some of my favorites. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br />
Markus Zusak has a very unique writing style that I just love. It's lyrical but
not pretentious at all. He has a great way of describing certain things that
makes them so much more powerful. At one point he describes a bright light to
be deafening. In a way it doesn't make sense but yet you know what he means and
it conveys a feeling more than a observation and that makes it powerful. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;">The book is also
divided up in a cool way, every chapter is a card. It starts with the ace of
diamonds and makes its way through the suits. I know it's just a small thing
but it's so creative and it suits the style of the book. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br />
There were also a few things that I didn't like about this book. Nothing major,
but still. After the first chapter and before Ed takes action there was a part
where the book couldn't really keep my attention. Luckily this wasn't a problem
anymore after that. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The ending and the
resolution seemed to go really quickly compared to the rest of the book. I
won't spoil anything but I still don't think I completely understand how and
why everything happened. It wasn't bad, it just seemed a little sloppy and I
think it could have been done better. But by that point I was so engrossed
in the book and the big themes that started to surface that it couldn't ruin my
love for this book. </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-54430006534827584142014-07-24T15:03:00.001+02:002014-07-24T15:04:16.222+02:002014 LGBT Reading Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nijiclovers.blogspot.nl/2014/01/lgbt-challenge-2014-sign-up.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q561/cayce006/back0410_zps8e88e67d.jpg" /></a></div>
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I know I'm starting this challenge a little late, considering more than half of 2014 has already passed, but I still want to participate in this challenge. First of all because challenges motivate me to read and secondly because I enjoy LGBT books a lot. They're usually a lot more interesting than 'normal' love stories. </div>
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The challenge is to read and review at least 3 LGBT books. I've already read <i>Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe </i>by Benjamin Alire S<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">áenz and loved it, so a review of that will follow. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12000020-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328320260l/12000020.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Other books I plan to read are <i>Ask the Passengers </i>by A.S. King and <i>Boy Meets Boy </i>by David Levithan. Hopefully I'll also be able to read <i>Everything Leads to You </i>by Nina LaCour, but I don't own that yet. (click on images to go to their Goodreads page)</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13069935-ask-the-passengers?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371850438l/13069935.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23228.Boy_Meets_Boy?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356335082l/23228.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356335082l/23228.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667779-everything-leads-to-you?from_search=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389744233l/18667779.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-44121470419245451342014-07-24T13:00:00.000+02:002014-07-24T13:44:13.332+02:00Quotes #1One of my favorite things in this world are quotes. I just love how scribbles form letter, letters form words and words form sentences that can make you feel things. Here I will share some of my favorite quotes. Either from books I've read recently or movies, shows or people.<br />
<br />
<b>The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_yyDd5XUmjtHVKS2tTGAL2byETEa9ZHLM4pi2zO_3-Rhd3lWuIE-cKqeC_HFIKEZ2mPzPhNHDGuM5PhSu38Gnfb8ArL0_u0JZMZ-1H6Ns4V3HL_JfOIA5a-HvJ9o0ah1pxiZ3GNTGJfu/s1600/IMG_3645%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_yyDd5XUmjtHVKS2tTGAL2byETEa9ZHLM4pi2zO_3-Rhd3lWuIE-cKqeC_HFIKEZ2mPzPhNHDGuM5PhSu38Gnfb8ArL0_u0JZMZ-1H6Ns4V3HL_JfOIA5a-HvJ9o0ah1pxiZ3GNTGJfu/s1600/IMG_3645%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<b>Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire <span style="font-family: inherit;">S</span></b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 30px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">á</span></b></span><b>enz:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand."</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJf3JXVZ9UIPF4k7wj5j-9dBaVprit-bvfUgFyE1Bq3HWD9toxWmE8_HulvsI-5Cxv5CfMow5ATcT9rp_KXx2JNe3JR4guiDDIjOJR17-fB00EMHaq9oZ5hro6u3zdEAdrsRVT5IEEjUSP/s1600/IMG_3652%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJf3JXVZ9UIPF4k7wj5j-9dBaVprit-bvfUgFyE1Bq3HWD9toxWmE8_HulvsI-5Cxv5CfMow5ATcT9rp_KXx2JNe3JR4guiDDIjOJR17-fB00EMHaq9oZ5hro6u3zdEAdrsRVT5IEEjUSP/s1600/IMG_3652%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"The problem with my life is that it was someone else's idea."</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qdC2Nv1_ewN50H255HA-ktDtt5dY13BZW4lD7Ohrhj_TzRNamCdr1yRKaNDe3R_ZpyaNRsbCs_PvcrJsAdgU9BqYFcL65-E-hPQR_smelLb6tWeqHV2g0AqGFfCMD2hHCwUmkxQ4mYXG/s1600/IMG_3651%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qdC2Nv1_ewN50H255HA-ktDtt5dY13BZW4lD7Ohrhj_TzRNamCdr1yRKaNDe3R_ZpyaNRsbCs_PvcrJsAdgU9BqYFcL65-E-hPQR_smelLb6tWeqHV2g0AqGFfCMD2hHCwUmkxQ4mYXG/s1600/IMG_3651%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<i><br /></i>
<b>The Book Thief by Markus Zusak:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"If they killed him tonight at least he would die alive."</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQp5U2YrktL2wzSp2SIJPKJ8gY7cZrPrRmTr8TdNbRIrr6-lC4wCoPPFUyL02GRA8OzBnW6GX4v6AUk9oZmQtIwhdd6UfC_7IrwXm2wxqgLc5m5tjGRTwOgtyKzjkcAmdJz5ZZyawehdxG/s1600/IMG_3647%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQp5U2YrktL2wzSp2SIJPKJ8gY7cZrPrRmTr8TdNbRIrr6-lC4wCoPPFUyL02GRA8OzBnW6GX4v6AUk9oZmQtIwhdd6UfC_7IrwXm2wxqgLc5m5tjGRTwOgtyKzjkcAmdJz5ZZyawehdxG/s1600/IMG_3647%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><i>"I have hated the words and I have loved them and I hope I made them right." </i></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYI3TTpR1FFq9UgTbnv2OBCAeHe1bUNdj02F0p5GSbl5wd9DA8JUet3hJIOV3HGMknCRrIfRZuexmYdRrNKQ1IcZOSUzRf-M4aqisSKXgr2JU7sI66AZiOHTmzoaHlPMamtUwK9BvO8-9Y/s1600/IMG_3648%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYI3TTpR1FFq9UgTbnv2OBCAeHe1bUNdj02F0p5GSbl5wd9DA8JUet3hJIOV3HGMknCRrIfRZuexmYdRrNKQ1IcZOSUzRf-M4aqisSKXgr2JU7sI66AZiOHTmzoaHlPMamtUwK9BvO8-9Y/s1600/IMG_3648%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people." </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRPMTW7Wz9QefqIl2lc6IN0fbJvr6HFz2OlRCEjoC3rgPvZULqPHOQeiNEVQRQ_m4Frq-l4HmPROsZLUi4SeJTqr9xDrjKPk9bjvpct6xMhE9Rhr0t3x6ym7KvqdfzYOSSBE0GaDNmU5f/s1600/IMG_3646%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRPMTW7Wz9QefqIl2lc6IN0fbJvr6HFz2OlRCEjoC3rgPvZULqPHOQeiNEVQRQ_m4Frq-l4HmPROsZLUi4SeJTqr9xDrjKPk9bjvpct6xMhE9Rhr0t3x6ym7KvqdfzYOSSBE0GaDNmU5f/s1600/IMG_3646%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b>Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8548121011651411372.post-57252521278829635072014-07-22T12:00:00.000+02:002014-07-27T15:02:37.668+02:00Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9460487-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391229642l/9460487.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
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<b>Author:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Ransom
Riggs<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Publisher:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Quirk<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Release date:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>June 7 2011<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>Genre:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>fantasy<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Pages:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>352<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>My rating:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>4/5 stars</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b>First book in a series</b></div>
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<div style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 2em;">
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.<br />
<br />
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.<br />
<br />
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">First of all, I went into this book with a very different
idea of what this book was going to be about. This is my fault because I didn't
realize I'd never actually read a summary of the book. I'd heard so much about
it, everything about the pictures of course, and thought I knew what to expect.
In my mind this book was a creepy, sort of horror book that was set in the
past. This resulted in me being a little confused for the first couple of pages
because the books starts out in modern Florida. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Something that has to be said about this book is that the design is beautiful.
I own the paperback version and it's such a sturdy book. The paper feels a lot
nicer and is less likely to rip than that of most other books I own. The cover
fits the book perfectly and gives it the creepy vibes that attracted me to this
book in the first place. Then the book is filled with antique pictures that
sometimes give you an image of what a character looks like, and sometimes are
just plain creepy. </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U7TiFG7fcMXX9tAy5U_eQmsst8uahaHW5htyU178lDru5p365Qcaq789jn2bNwpBurKNNqWIb7d-TXl4JVLpGJUKWjTxWfSyyOzJkiuv8akEpfvJLOE75QIIXHC09J2KJKlv73Zhtp5l/s1600/IMG_3638%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U7TiFG7fcMXX9tAy5U_eQmsst8uahaHW5htyU178lDru5p365Qcaq789jn2bNwpBurKNNqWIb7d-TXl4JVLpGJUKWjTxWfSyyOzJkiuv8akEpfvJLOE75QIIXHC09J2KJKlv73Zhtp5l/s1600/IMG_3638%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="148" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTnjOqCPckZj-T8EB0eb-C6kHwtCKBVueqe8e8zIvMPRLecnD4q8ZRb3cU9CXpTHz85xDZMpsrAK2hGonf-PhYaC5urALY9M1TgN5Sf49QYrdR4dkMpEn3ZWr3FRBHJ-MVPE2nHZ9lRWU/s1600/IMG_3637%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTnjOqCPckZj-T8EB0eb-C6kHwtCKBVueqe8e8zIvMPRLecnD4q8ZRb3cU9CXpTHz85xDZMpsrAK2hGonf-PhYaC5urALY9M1TgN5Sf49QYrdR4dkMpEn3ZWr3FRBHJ-MVPE2nHZ9lRWU/s1600/IMG_3637%5B1%5D.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There's a
lot of different characters in this novel. From Jacob's best, and only, friend
who has green hair to his snobby mother to a kid who is invisible. Jacob
himself comes over like a real person and react to the situations in a way
that's reasonable and realistic. My favorite characters were definitely the
peculiar children because of how they really acted like children. They asked
lots of question when they weren't supposed to and used their abilities in ways
that weren't always responsible. Sadly we didn't get to know most of them that
well so I hope we'll learn more about them in the sequel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Although the main focus of this book is definitely on the plot
and the setting it did make me think. These kids are in a loop where they
repeat the same day over and over again. Jacob has to decide whether or not he
wants to stay. It made me think what I would do in his position. Would I be
able to handle going through the same day in the same place again and again,
even if I would be happy there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There were two things I didn't really like about the book.
The first one isn't that important, but the chapters are huge. There's 352
pages and only 11 chapters. This way I can't be like: "I'll just read one
chapter before doing this or that". The other thing that made me feel a
little awkward was the beginning romance between Jacob and Emma. Everything is
all fine until you remember that Emma used to be the girlfriend of Jacob's
grandfather...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am pretty sure this book classifies as young adult but to
me it felt a lot more like a middle grade book. There's nothing wrong with that
because there are tons of middle grade books I love, but if you don't like
those kind of books these may not be for you. Because apart from some
gruesomely described scenes I don't think there's anything in the book that I
would say is too mature for younger readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">All in all I really enjoyed this book and am really curious
about what will happen to Jacob and his friends in Hollow City. I gave it 4 out
of 5 stars and would definitely recommend it. Even if it's just to find out
what everyone's been talking about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Side note: I found a reference to John Green's papertowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Left at the multiethnic roof Santas!" (page
32) </i><br />
<br />Ninahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674409198197845298noreply@blogger.com0