Hush - Stacey R. Campbell

Hush - Stacey R. Campbell

First off, I'd like to express my gratitude towards the publisher for giving this copy to me on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did find myself enjoying this book. The writing was done well, and the characters were flat but likable in their own respects, and ohmylanta, the setting was beautiful. However, despite these nice things, there were also some things that felt a bit too rushed and unrealistic.

Blakely Henry knows that she was adopted and is comfortable with not knowing who her real parents are. It's doesn't seem so important when she has wonderful adoptive parents who love her as if she were truly theirs, in fact, she feels like she's got everything she could ever need. That is, until Max shows up at her prestigious boarding school and seemingly turns her world upside down for the better. What she doesn't know is that Max is really there to investigate her apparent link to the recently deceased Tamura family. With a semester full of friendship, love and a bit of danger, it's difficult not to root for Blakely there in the end.

I've seen this book be compared to The Princess Diaries so many times. Personally, I don't see it that way. Sure, one of the names is a bit close (Renaldo / Renaldi) but even that isn't too big of an issue. I thought that the writing was well done and descriptive. I only had two small problems with it. The first was the fact that things seemed to progress too quickly and without warning. For instance, whenever Max comes to the boarding school, he seems to instantly become best friends with Blakely. We don't get to see very much as to how this friendship developed, and it really confused me. There were also a few other awkward time jumps throughout the book, but they weren't as deterring as this one.

Secondly, the way that it was written let on that we knew everybody's mindset. Not only did we know our main characters when it was their chapter point of views, but we knew what their friends were thinking as well. For the chapter headings to state that it was from a specific person's point of view, it just felt odd that she knew what her friends were thinking.

As far as the pacing went, I didn't have any problems with it. Things progressed well, besides the little time jumps.

Character-wise I found everybody to be sufficient. They all seemed to be flat and a bit too perfect, but still likable. We don't really get to delve very deep into anybody's life, besides Blakely, but perhaps that was for a specific reason.

Our lead; Blakely was popular and beautiful and everybody knew and at one point has wanted to date her. That's fine, because sometimes it does happen, but kindly don't rub it in my face. Her intelligence and grace made up for this in my mind. 

Next, our lead male; Max was a bit too cocky for my liking. I dunno, he just seemed to rush and jump to so many conclusions that I was still trying to figure out. Truthfully, he just really didn't impress me that much.

The big violence scene towards the end just kind of seemed sprung on us. Also, why didn't anybody think to call the police? (view spoiler)

Also, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to read much about her life being a princess. This will come in future books?

Overall, Hush was a light read. The setting was amazing, as was the overall story, and the characters were likable. Even though some things felt a bit rushed, it was still a nice story overall. For those of you going into this believing that it's going to be like The Princess Diaries, this isn't true. Blakely is nothing like Mia, and vice versa. This was a fun, short read and I feel like I might recommend it to some people.

☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you're searching for a light read. 

Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book.

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Dystopian
Currently these tend to be the 'in' thing to read, but I don't find myself drawn to them because they're hip and pouring out of publishing houses. I like them because they're different and are able to write about characters in our world without having to drag many paranormal beings into the mix. It's not to say that I don't like these paranormal beings, because I do, it's just that I like reading about these future worlds with a twinge of realism. Seriously, the gritty and realistic dystopian topics that are able to scare the pants off of me usually end up being my favorites.

2. Historical Fiction
If I hear good things about them, then I'm more likely to pick them up. Especially if I hear that it's written properly. I am a sucker for well-done historical fiction. Something about going back in time just really strikes something in me. Ha. I like to read about the past and future, what does that say about me?

3. Fantasy
I'm willing to try and read just about any book, but if it has a fantasy-esque setting, then I'll more than likely be in for it. Especially if I hear wonderful things about them, or they're from a series or author that I've already read.

4. Forbidden/ Difficult topics
I think that they appeal to me so much because I like to see how different authors write about these difficult times. I don't enjoy reading about these suffering or different people particularly because I like the subject matter persay, but just because I like getting in people's heads and seeing how they work. I like to understand why things happen, so I usually pick up these books to do just that. Also, because I like to see what all of the hype or fuss is about.

5. Kickbutt characters
It's not really a topic, but if the description leads me to believe that the characters are going to be kickass, then I'll most definitely pick up the book. I love a book with brave and courageous people who stand up for themselves and fight for what they want.

6. Gritty/realistic
I love love love realistic books, because I find them to be more easy to relate to and they usually have characters that I really enjoy. As far as grittiness, I just find it really interesting. Again, it goes with the learning and conditioning thing. I like to read about people and see how they react and do things, even in the worst of circumstances. Hm. That sounds really weird, doesn't it?

7. Magic 
Truly, I love just about everything that has to do with magic. Whether it's very Harry Potter-esque or deals with magic in some other way, then I'm usually up for trying it.

8. Mythology
I adore mythology, so any books that can incorporate it into their storylines are usually on my radar.

Such A Rush - Jennifer Echols

Such A Rush - Jennifer Echols

It took me awhile to figure out a rating for this one. It had parts that I really really enjoyed and parts that I didn't like at all. Quite obviously the good parts won out. I was really excited to read this book, because it sounded like a book with a strong female lead who was a go-getter and fought for what she believed in. While this is exactly what Leah was, I still couldn't get over other aspects of the book. I'll get to those later. The airplanes were wonderful to read about, as well as the rough journey that everybody went through in the duration of this story. It was fantastic but not perfect. 

For as long as she can remember, Leah has constantly been dragged around by her flighty mother to live in the cheap parts of town that always seemed to be near airports. Never staying for long because the money always ran out. However, now in Heaven Beach, they seemed to have settled down for a bit. Leah meanders over to the airstrip in search of a job and hence finds herself one step closer to the airplanes that she's fallen in love with. After accumulating some of the money from her job that she wasn't giving her mother towards rent, she confronts the owner of a banner advertising business and asks for just one trip in the airplane. He sees the awe in her eyes and a type of determination and offers her discounted flying lessons. Fast forward a few years and Leah is a swell enough pilot for Mr. Hall to offer her a job flying banners for his company. Unfortunately, Mr. Hall passes away and Leah figures that her chance of flying banners is gone, until the Hall twins step up and become determined to keep the business going. While her part in the company is forged with blackmail, Leah can't complain about being able to do what she loves, even if it entails some awkward and confusing moments.

I don't have many problems with the writing so much as certain bits of the story. I feel like the author did a fine job with the writing and story, but just meshed in some irking things that I didn't quite get into. 

For starters, the whole fact that somehow Leah is just written off as a slut just because she lives in a trailer and can't afford multiple clothes. At first I was severely confused as to where all of this was coming from, as we didn't really get an instance as to why this was cemented in everyone's brains. Well, other than the fact apparently so many guys came onto her because of her good looks and spread untrue rumors. Maybe this is all that it really takes, but it still seemed to come out of nowhere to me. For the most part I liked how she dealt with these people, but sometimes she really gave into them and didn't tell anybody differently, which kind of diminished it all in my opinion. I dunno, that's just a personal feeling. 

Next, certain things that happened in the book did not seem like everything was just taking place in a week's time. For me it felt so much longer, and I was constantly wondering when they were going to go back to school because everything else just seemed so unrealistic to me. 

One thing that I absolutely loved about this book were the airplanes. All of the in-plane and flight descriptions were cool to read about and showed the the author truly did their research. Really, it was all so much fun and I'm not even that big a fan of airplanes at all. Also, Mr. Hall was wonderful and I'm sad that he had to go for the story to take some kind of turn.

The characters were perhaps the most irritating part of this book. Let me just go through all of the characters. First, we have Leah, who was a very strong female lead but always had an incredibly big chip on her shoulder. She was all hung up on being poor and called a slut, that she just gave in to all of these things and let people treat her terribly. Truthfully, I know what it's like to be poor and live in a trailer, which means absolutely nothing when it comes down to you as a person. She lets these people tell her who she's supposed to be and dresses according to their accusations(which may be the only clothes that she owns, but still) and I constantly found myself getting frustrated with her. Sure, when it came down to it, she was strong and appeared to know who she was, but she kept letting these other people drag her down instead of telling the truth and setting things straight. Sure, these people were awful to her and treated her like trash, but that didn't mean that she had to treat the people who were kind to her in the way that she did. 

Otherwise, Leah was unbelievably tough and headstrong and it impressed me that she pushed so hard to fly. She was going through some really rough times, what with her flighty mother and crazy ex, if we can even call him that. I sympathized with her a lot for these things, even rooted for her in the end for planning her future life. I liked that Echols didn't make it so easy that Leah could have just moved in with Grayson. I dunno, I feel that it boosted her character in my mind for planning on doing things for herself. It was really impressive and kept her in my good books. 

However, she might be the only decent character, besides Mr. Hall that came out of this book. I had serious frustrations with Grayson, Alec and Molly. The most frustrating character though, was definitely Grayson. Sure, he was handsome and an adrenaline junkie, but he also tried controlling too many people's lives, and I thought that it was a bit ridiculous. First, that of his twin brother's, as if he weren't old enough to make his own decisions, and then Leah's because she was conveniently available and easy to blackmail. I don't know who made him king of everybody's lives, but I certainly didn't like it. 

And then, as he's telling Leah that she has to become involved with his brother, he keeps 'accidentally' allowing himself to kiss and touch her and the whole thing was just frustrating. I get that you're in love with her, but don't tell her to date your brother and then continue kind of having relations with her at the same time. It's confusing for you both and just doesn't work. 

Then there was Alec, who didn't really seem to have much personality or development at all. I didn't really dislike him, I just didn't get him at all because were weren't given enough of him. For the main character's supposed to be love interest, you'd think that they'd play a bigger role in the story. But, alas, they don't. 

Finally, Molly, oh Molly. She was all over the place and emotional and just too much for my personal taste. Leah always described her differently, so we didn't know for sure if the real her was stuck up and bitchy or understanding. Half of the things that she did just didn't make sense to me, and her reactions were always at different ends of the spectrum that I kind of gave up on trying to like her after a short time.

Overall, Such A Rush left me confused and a tad bit frustrated. The overall storyline and flight descriptions were superb, but became quickly overshadowed by the irritating characters. While the main character Leah did show some redeeming qualities and was certainly a strong individual, a lot of the other characters kind of brought her down, in my opinion. 

I did enjoy the book, but not to the extent that I imagined that I would. Perhaps you'll have better luck with it?

☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you want a strong female lead.

If you want some wonderful flight descriptions and enjoy contemporary fiction.

Partials - Dan Wells

Partials - Dan Wells

This book was fascinating and also pretty terrifying in multiple aspects. This was probably why it appealed to me as much as it did. Honestly, going into it, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it, but after the first hundred pages or so, I was completely engulfed in the story. Sure, some parts read a bit slow and were difficult for me to get through, but I felt that the overall story was enough to make up for these minor inconveniences. I don't know what it is about dystopian titles that always make me pause and debate over whether or not it'll be any good, but I do know that most of them always end up impressing me. Maybe I should lower my standards?

Anywho, this book is packed with badassery, (one of my favorite things to read in a book) from the characters to the setting, this story just wreaks of it. Not to mention how intense and jaw-droppingly harsh the setting is. Seriously, it was one of the things that terrified me that most. Truly, I didn't think that this story disappointed, and I believe that any dystopian fanatic will devour it.

The government created Partials to be the ultimate human beings. Nearly invincible, strong and the ultimate fighters, however what they didn't expect was for them to change sides and start a war. Because of this, the human population becomes decimated by a deadly virus called RM, and leaves only a small fraction of the human population alive. These lucky survivors are somehow immune to the virus and settle themselves into Long Island to regroup and work out how to deal with their enemy. 

Eleven years pass, and a lot of the "plague babies" have grown up. No babies have been born to resist the virus, and thus no new life has braced this ugly world and lived for longer than a few days. Unjustly, mandatory pregnancy laws are established in the hopes that some of the babies somehow survive. Sixteen year old Kira is a medic and has seen the first-hand effects of he virus on the newborns. She knows that she can cure them if she's only given a chance, and that chance involves bridging the connection between human and Partial. Somewhere in this connection is the cure that they've been looking for, and Kira is the only one willing enough to find it.

The author certainly knows how to right an intricate and intense book that easily sucks you in. Everything, from the the crazy intense shooting and fighting to the meticulously detailed medical analyses, drew me in completely. I was overly eager to keep reading and figure out the ending and if she found the cure, that I was pretty much cursing work and other things that kept me away from it. I must also give props to Mr. Wells for creating such wonderfully badass and great characters. No matter how important of a role they played, they were all phenomenal and realistic, which is nice and refreshing to read.

The pace of this book kind of flip flopped for me. There were some parts that went exceptionally slow like most of the medical talk, and then things picked back up and I found myself reading at normal speed again. I think that these parts slowed me down so much because I'm not very knowledgeable about things like that, so I was constantly trying to make it all work somehow in my brain. Basically, I was trying to understand it in a way that was a bit too much for my brain, but that's not to say that I hated these parts, because I didn't. They were interesting, and helped the story to make sense. In it's own special way, that is. I can understand that they were vital to the plot, and thus didn't let them hinder me too badly. However, don't be fooled, this isn't just a book about comparing Partial and human DNA, there is plenty of kick-butt action and small bits of humor that keep the story lively. 

Now to delve deeper into the terrifying aspects of this book. I'm not saying that it reads like a horror novel, per say, just that some things were pretty frightening to think about. For starters, the fact that there were mandatory pregnancies as soon as you turn eighteen. Now, being a female of nineteen, this thought really scared me. I couldn't imagine being told that I had to have a baby. Also, just knowing it would probably die would be crushing and life shattering. I think that I'd be a basket case. At this point in my life, I don't even want children yet, so having it be mandated that I had to is just a very scary thought. 

Not to mention the fact that the age then gets dropped to sixteen. Just imagine how scary that would be. Being sixteen and told that you have to get pregnant and give birth to a child that isn't going to live. You're expected to deliver a child when you're still a child. The whole thing just gets under my skin and freaks me out. Thankfully it was just a story and this world isn't the actual world.

Next, just the whole virus thing. It wiped out more than 3/4 of the US. That's crazy scary. It would just be a matter of luck as to your survival. CRAZY.

As for the characters, I believe that I already mentioned how badass and wonderful the characters were. Kira, our main character, was really courageous and kickbutt, that she's definite role model material. Seriously, she was brave and stood up for what she believed in. She was willing to give her life for the cause and nearly did many times. I don't know if I could have done half of the things that she did. Seriously, she was wonderful and brave and a blast to read about.

Then we had her friends, who were a very diverse group of people, who all had their little quirks and added much to the story. 

Overall, Partials is a kickbutt book that every avid dystopian reader should pick up immediately. It isn't all about romance, in fact, there are very few instances of romance in the entire book. This one is more about saving the human race and keeping the government in line. There is plenty of intense action and fighting to capture that aspect of your literary heart, but also contains many scientific aspects to make the whole thing come full circle. All of this plus great characters, why it seems like the perfect book! Honestly, it does read a bit slowly, but if you're willing to work past that then you're in for a wonderful read. 

☆☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: For all of the action dystopia fans out there.

Book Haul {3}

I had a nice browse through Amazon's bargain priced books and managed to swipe these hardcover editions for half price. The Book Thief is still around four dollars, I believe, so if you haven't got a copy of it, I seriously suggest that you pick it up from here. Even though it's only paperback, it's still a really good deal. Also, I really really adored Everybody Sees the Ants and was pleasantly surprised to come by this cheap hardback copy. Oh, and my copy of  Lola and the Boy Next Door is apparently signed. What a pleasant surprise. Truly, I'm very eager to read these ones.

Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Everybody Sees the Ants - A.S. King

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

Total Cost: 

34.97

Five television shows that I go gaga over.

Hosted by Myself.

Seeing as I've only limited my Fridays to five things, I'm finding it very difficult to include all of my favorites. I have so many television favorites that just listing five is kind of a nightmare and not fun. However, I'll try to contain myself.

1. Doctor Who

2. Firefly

3. Psych

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

5. Sherlock

Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

I don't know why, but I just figured that I would find it a tad more interesting like I did 1984. 

2. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

It has been awhile since I last read this one, but there are still things in it that I didn't particularly care for. I think that next year I'm going to skip making a book total and reread a lot of things, including this one. I hope that my aging might help me appreciate this one a bit more.

3. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

It's been a few years since I read this one, as well, but I do remember going into it with very high expectations. I remember that the story kind of bored me, and then the whole body swapping thing kind of repulsed me. I felt terribly for the poor girl who was used and abused so that Susie could get what she wanted. It was terrible, and looking back, I don't remember why I even gave it three stars.

4. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

Truthfully, I saw the movie first and then scooped this book up from a thrist store. Now, I'm not saying that The Notebook was the greatest love story that I've ever seen, but it was a cute movie. Cute enough to make me wonder how the book was, only to be a tad bit disappointed. I believe it was the narration that really threw me off, because it was all looking back on the events instead of telling them from present time, and I was just too confused. Yes, the book was a bit cute, but not as cute as I thought it would be.

5. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

I'd heard many good things about this book, so I went out and bought it. I don't remember what exactly about it put me off, only that it wasn't my particular cup of tea.

6. The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney

The premise was interesting, but I just didn't find myself agreeing with the story at all. The fact that the girl was raped and she didn't go to the police or anybody else besides The Mockingbirds really annoyed me. Rape is serious and it should be treated seriously. I don't feel that it should be tried in a student court rather then I real court. 

7. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

I'd seen this one everywhere and was constantly having it recommended to me by my best friend. Truly, I don't know what happened. It was an interesting story, the characters were interesting, but I just wasn't getting into the story like I hoped that I would. Perhaps this will warrant a reread?

8. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

The concept was definitely interesting, in fact, I only kept reading because I wanted to know how a story like this could possibly end. Interestingly, if you haven't read. For some reason I just didn't get as much out of this book as others have. Honestly, I think I was wondering the entire time how the heck Henry managed to keep his job at the library.

9. Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma {My review}

Truly, I wanted to like this book, because it was different and approached a difficult topic. I can admire anyone who can tackle a hefty topic, especially one like incest, and still make it a fanastic book, but this one just didn't do it for me. The characters, especially our lead female, really bothered me and kept me feeling very much for her. I don't know what I was expecting, but I didn't get it from this book.

10. The Crucible - Arthur Miller

Truly not a favorite of mine. In school I thought that it would be interesting and great, but it really didn't turn out that way in my mind. 

Croak - Gina Damico

Croak - Gina Damico

Clever and enticing.

What a funny and interesting book. Truly, I'm still mesmerized by what I just finished reading. It was quirky and funny and very very different. There really isn't another way to describe it. The characters with their strange names were extremely interesting as was the town of Croak and its inhabitants. Honestly, the whole thing was written very well and detailed, but with just enough sass to make an otherwise depressing topic fun. 

Wild and violent behavior is what leads Lex's parents to ship her off for a summer with her Uncle Mort. Little do they know is that this sudden behavior is usually a tip-off for people who possess the gift. The gift is reaping, and is completely unbeknownst to Lex until her uncle lets her in on his line of business. With her new scythe and partner, she is in charge of Killing people and making sure that their souls become extracted. Basically, she makes sure that the recently dead's soul find a place in the afterlife. However, it's not always easy to see so much of death and killers and knowing that she can't do anything about it. Already she has a knack for breaking rules, so is this just the next stop for her rebellious train? 

Wow. Going into this book I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I mean, I was hoping for an interesting story, which I got, but other than that I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Clearly I need to start vehemently reading paranormal/fantasy fiction like I used to, instead of so much contemporary. Anyhow, any book that is written in a snarky tone and is able to make me smile or flat out guffaw is usually one that I end up enjoyed very much. This was very much the case with Croak. The writing was fun but also really informative. The author gets really in-depth about certain aspects of the reaping world, and it really helped me to get more into the mindset and believe what they were doing. I mean, freaking jellyfish help detect when people are going to die, AND IT MAKES SENSE. Honestly, it was all just very impressive and imaginative. Also, the way that she described the town of Croak made it into a place that I'd be interested in visiting. Oh, and all of the unique creations that Uncle Mort made. So imaginative.

I had no problems with the pace of this book. Everything flowed in a nice and smooth way, which was quite nice, because I was overly eager about figuring out the ending. 

There were some things that were too silly and others that were completely unrealistic. For instance, the many terrible things that Lex does to her fellow classmates. From small descriptions, we can determine that she's done some really scary and violent things to her classmates. This being, how the hell is she still in school? I don't believe that she'd still be any other school in the country for everything that she's done. 
Truly, it's ridiculously unrealistic, but if you can look past them, then they don't take much away from the book. Just let its quirkiness draw you in and forget the uncalled for violent outbursts, and I find that it becomes just a tad easier to fall in like with.

My oh my, the characters. They were all very unique and hilarious. I only wish that we'd gotten to delve a bit farther into some of the rest of their pasts, However, I do understand that this isn't always possible. To go into more detail about our main character: Lex, I must admit that she had her ups and downs. Most of the time she annoyed the crap out of me, and was too hasty to resort to violence. She was very rude and a potty mouth and honestly, there were definite points where I didn't like her at all. But, then she would go and say something brilliant or hilarious and I would find myself smiling and pulling her back into my good graces. Really, our book relationship was a bit rocky, but I always found myself finding small things that I admired. I think that you'll probably feel the same if you read or have already read it. 
However, it's not to say that I wasn't impressed with her and all that she accomplished. If I were her, I don't know how well I would have handled all of the death and weird happenstances. Therefore, I applaud her for being so brave and headstrong. Though, I suspect that this is due a lot to the fact of this mysterious behavior. 

Overall, Croak was a highly imaginative and hilarious book. The whole idea of reaping was well thought out and described fantastically in a way that makes complete sense. Seriously. If a book can tell you that jellyfish can predict when people are going to die and have it make sense, then that book is probably going to be awesome and fun. Which is exactly what this book turned out to be. With just the right amount of snarkiness in the writing and just as snarky characters, it is truly a series that needs to be watched.
I would definitely like to pick up the rest of the books in this series. 

☆☆☆☆/5
Recommend?: If you want a Reaper series that will leave you smiling.
If you want a silly yet serious story.

Another Kind of Cowboy - Susan Juby

Another Kind of Cowboy - Susan Juby

I did enjoy this book, but perhaps it just wasn't the sort of book for me. The characters were interesting enough, especially our lead male. I enjoyed reading about the horses and the training bits, because they were knowledgable and interesting to learn about. In fact, they made me want to get on a horse and try to learn something. However, I just wasn't getting as invested in the story line as I hoped that I'd be, and this had nothing to do with the writing. 

Ever since he was a small child, Alex Ford knew that he liked horses. So, when his father finally bought him one, he was a little beside himself. Even though his parent's went through a rough patch and eventually separated, it was his horse that kept him going. When he was on that horse, he didn't have to worry about anything else in the world. It was just him and the horse. Nobody could judge him, and it was best this way. 

From a young age Alex had always been fascinated with dressage. He finally works up the courage to seek out lessons, and eventually meets the spoiled and bratty Cleo O'Shea. Cleo's life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park either. Sure, her parents spoil her plenty. but they're never around. They just foot the bill and ship her off to places that are meant to fix her bad decision making. Little does anyone know, that this last place might actually help her gain some perspective. 

The writing was nice. It was informative, especially the bits dealing with the horses, and it was very descriptive. The characters were described well enough and they did develop, but not in a mind-blowing realizational kind of way. That's not a strike against the writing, but I'll delve farther into that later. Honestly, I didn't find myself feeling attached to any of the characters, as much as I really wanted to. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the story was a bit blah, and I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. I mean, obviously things happened, but it just wasn't what I was expecting and there wasn't very much pizzazz. 

Pacing-wise, things weren't bad. It wasn't that things were written slowly or all wonky, it was just that I wasn't feeling anything. 

The characters were also nice and interesting enough. Their lives and backstories were described and detailed very nicely. Truly, we knew a lot about them, but even with all of this knowledge I still wasn't in overwhelming love with either of them. I don't know exactly what it was, but I just wasn't feeling either of them. They both also didn't seem to develop very much either. I found Alex, our lead male, interesting for his love and knowledge of horses, but also kind of boring. While he did come to terms with who he truly was and others found out about it, but it wasn't really because he told them. From the writing we could feel that he was a bit socially anxious and unknowledgable of what to say to most people, but even still, he didn't seem to do very much. It was a bit sad for me. I wanted him to do something, to say something, and he didn't. I was happy for him there in the final pages, but my mind still wasn't blown, you know?

Then, our lead female Cleo was a bit annoying. She was so jumpy and all over the place, that I never knew what the hell she was going to do next. Also, she was very spoiled and very bratty, and it really put me off of her character. Surely her character was supposed to come off as the uppity brat who was supposed to come into herself with being surrounded by hard workers and horses, but even there at the end, she was still uppity and annoying. While she did have a small realization, I still don't believe that she was really changed. I can't bring myself to believe it. 

The synopsis makes this book sound like their meeting each other was vital and that they leaned on each other for support and everything. I didn't take this from the story at all. Sure, they did talk every now and again, and Alex's secret was revealed, but none of it seemed like integral character growth to me. They hung out, yes, but it didn't lead to any phenomenal realizations or confessions. To me they were more acquaintances than real friends as they're described as being in the book synopsis.. 

Overall, Another Kind of Cowboy was a decent read. The horses were fantastic, and the writing was nice. Sadly, the characters were a bit lackluster and didn't make me feel anything for them. Truly, this book was too blah and understimulating for my taste. There wasn't anything mind-blowingly awesome or any phenomenal realizations. Maybe that was the point. To illustrate that phenomenal things do not happen to everybody. I don't know, but it just didn't do very much for me. 

☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you're a big fan of horses.

Book lending.

I love recommending books to people and I especially love knowing how people liked my recommendations, but one thing that I don't particularly care for is actually lending my copies out to people. Sure, there are a select few people that I will loan my copies to, but otherwise I must awkwardly refuse or change the subject. Now, it might seem a bit selfish, my not sharing my books with others, but let me tell you about why I'm so protective of my books.

First, I like keeping my books in perfect condition. This meaning that the spines don't have any creases if I can help it, there are no dogeared pages, no spots or stains on pages, etc. Really, I like to keep them in the condition that I purchased them in. Now, my trust issues when it comes to these things began quite a few years ago when I lent my copy of Twilight to a dear friend.

At this point, I wasn't even a little hesitant in lending out my copy, because it was something that I was interested in at the time. I wanted my friend to read it, so I lent it to her expecting nothing bad to come of it. However, sadly I got my book back in pieces. It turns out that her dog had tried eating it, and it also managed to fall into a bathtub. How either of these happened I don't recall, but it was from then on that I stopped lending out my books for awhile. It was only truly devastating because it was a copy that my friend had signed and given to me before she moved away, and now all I have is a miserable copy of the book with a torn out title page. Despite the book choice, it was a true blow to my book confidence.

Honestly, could you really blame me? To have a book become so mutilated and ruined, and still lend out books, it seemed almost impossible. However, about a year or so ago, I lent my copy of Looking For Alaska to a different good friend. This one somehow managed to lose the book jacket. I just, agh. It was frustrating, oh so frustrating, that I think it was this point that I was pretty much done lending out my books. These two instances were enough for me to want to vehemently guard my collection. Now, I'll only lend my books to my mother and my best friend. A VERY select few.

As I like to keep my books in perfect condition, I tend to avoid situations in which I'd feel obligated to lend out my copies. I don't feel that this makes me a bad person. I want my books to remain nice and whole, so that maybe someday I'll have children or close family members who will like reading and treasure books as much as I do and I'll be able to show them my copies. Perhaps we'll even be able to chat about them and cry about them, and it'll be a lot of fun.

Truly, I like giving out recommendations best and seeing if people are interested enough to seek them out on their own.

So, how do you feel about lending out books? Do you get a bit stingy like me or are you ever generous and loaning them all of the time?

Five of the coolest books that I own.

Hosted by Myself.

It's not to say that I don't own several other cool books, but these are ones that I've come across or were gifted to me that were instant favorites and so much fun to read.

1. Castle: Medieval Days and Knights - Kyle Olmon

This one I found in a thrift shop for about two bucks. It's a pop-up book that details many things about castle life and other intriguing things that happened back then. I still get excited about pop-up books, and this one is also educational, so it's even more fun!

2. Vampyre: The Terrifying Lost Journal of Dr. Cornelius Van Helsing - Cornelius Van Helsing

My Aunt bought this book for me a few years back, and I fawned all over it. It's like those fancy ology  books, you know, the Dragonology and Pirateology. It has a lot of intriguing vampire studies and also little pull-outs and small letters. Truly, it was so much fun to read and look through.

3. The Crimes of Dr. Watson - Duane Swierczynski

The entire thing is a mystery that you get to solve. Every page has an envelope with a clue inside and as you read the story and sift through the clues, you get to deduct along with the author and help save Watson. Personally, I'm a HUGE fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, so this one was even better because you get to actually see and hold the clues and it was like a dream come true. 

4. The Beatrice Letters - Lemony Snicket

Being a massive fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was overly eager when my Aunt also gifted this book to me. Inside it includes many letters between Lemony Snicket and Beatrice, and it's very quirky and strange. Truly, if you don't understand the oddness that is Lemony Snicket or VFD, then you might not understand this one entirely. It includes little extra pictures and small things that were made into notes. 

5. Dear Mr. Potter - Lily Zalon

Now this book, this one leaves me in tears whenever I read through it. It was special book whose proceeds were all donated to the HP Alliance. There are many touching and heart-felt stories about how the Harry Potter books have touched people's lives. Also, there are many fan-made and actual photos that showcase many Potterheads' addiction and loyalty to the series. Really, it's so very very cool and it always makes me feel hundreds of different emotions. I like to pick it up whenever I get sad about Harry Potter's end. It helps me to feel not so alone.

Okay, so if you haven't noticed I really like interactive books. 

They're loads of fun.

Library Haul {4}

Another Kind of Cowboy - Susan Juby

This one came up in my Goodreads recommendations and it looked really interesting and cute.

Croak - Gina Damico

The whole concept of reaping being a family business really fascinates me. It's intriguing and I'm eager to see how it turns out.

Criss Cross - Lynne Rae Perkins

I've seen this book everywhere, and I think that I actually have my own copy somewhere, but I haven't managed to read it yet. There are many good reviews about it, so I'm reading it now to see for myself.

Such A Rush - Jennifer Echols

A girl who appears to be a go-getter and flies planes, how much cooler could it get? I've been waiting to read this one for awhile now.

Partials - Dan Wells

Another interesting looking dystopian title that I'm quite anxious to read.

Millions - Cottrell Boyce

A small children's book that struck my interesting. I think that I may have seen the movie YEARS ago.

Valor - Taylor Longford

Valor - Taylor Longford

I had to let this book set in. Truly, it was very interesting and I actually found myself quite curious as to how the whole thing would unfold. This was my first gargoyle book, so in essence it was pretty nice. Seeing as we got plenty of interesting characters to focus on and an interesting plot to read about, I tried not to be too negative. It really surprised me.

Gargoyles are not what you'd imagine. Instead of huge, ugly and hulking pillars of stone that were used to prevent rainwater from eroding mortar, these are a beautifully winged yet dangerous race that have been gone for eight hundred years. That is, until curious MacKenzie decides to open her stepfather's crates from England and finds herself intertwined with a pack of gargoyles. She helps them adapt to everyday life and finds herself just as protective of them as they are of her. This loyalty finds itself tested when a vicious harpie is thrown into the mix and shakes things up.

Honestly, I found the writing to be a bit flat. Most of the book was MacKenzie describing everything in a very dull manner, making it very difficult to feel anything for her. We didn't really see much emotion, besides when she fawned all over Valor and even then it was still flat. This made the book feel a lot longer then it actually was. However, when it came time to describing the gargoyles and their history, I was impressed with all of the information that we were given. It was a relief after so much dullness.

The pacing was alright. Everything progressed in a decent manner, and I didn't find myself getting any serious whiplash from day changes. 

The characters in this book were the best part. Actually, the gargoyles were the best part. I didn't find myself caring much for the main character; MacKenzie, most probably because we don't get to learn much about her besides the fact that she has red hair and a Jeep Cheroke. Frankly, she kind of annoyed me as well. Not only do we not see her express many feelings, besides those of burning love towards Valor, but she just doesn't seem very wise. 

For instance, {semi spoiler, though not really} when she's trapped under the toolbox, she doesn't even emote. All she does is think, "Oh, I really shouldn't have opened all of those drawers. Look, this thing is probably going to break my ankle if I don't move it soon." She doesn't even try to call for help. She just didn't seem realistic to me. Then, as soon as Valor throws the toolbox off of her, she doesn't even wonder how he could have gotten there. She lives in the middle of nowhere and didn't even try yelling for help, so how could she even figure that this stranger was just waltzing by and knew that she was in the garage? How?

There were more instances that made me facepalm, but that was that major one. I just. How do you not think about it? I would be freaking out. There's no way that I'd a stranger, even one who saved my life, sleep in my house. No way in hell. I just, oi the frustrations.

However, as much as I didn't care for MacKenzie, I did find myself falling in severe like with all of the gargoyles. Their history was fleshed out nicely and their personalities were all very distinct and just as detailed. They were funny and serious and protective, and it was hilarious witnessing their adaptation to modern society. Truly, they made the story, and boosted the rating in my eyes. 

Overall, Valor was an okay book. The gargoyle storyline was new and refreshing to read about, especially because it was described so well. Even though the writing was pretty dull, I'd still suggest that you give it a chance just for the gargoyles alone. They make the story, I swear. 

☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If the whole gargoyle thing intrigues you.

Top Ten Bookish People I'd Like To Meet.

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Do they have to be living people? Because I could just as easily name ten deceased authors that I would LOVE to meet.

1. J.K. Rowling

She wrote my favorite series, and I'd love to be able to sit down and have a conversation with her. Actually, I'd love to just sit down with her. Even if we didn't speak, I'd be completely happy.

2. John Green

I've read all of his books and I watch him on YouTube, and he just appears to be a completely wonderful and pleasant person. All of the stuff that he and Hank have done with Nerdfighters is amazing. He's truly changed my life for the better and I'd love the chance to tell him this.

3. Stephen King

The man is a genius. He's written so many wonderfully terrifying stories, and I'd just really love to speak with him about writing. I feel like I could learn so much.

4. Darren Shan

This man is the author of some of my favorite YA Horror fiction, and I'm a fan of all of his works. I feel like he'd be an interesting person to meet in person. 

5. Chuck Palahniuk

Oh my, this man. He's written some of the strangest and most disgusting books that I've ever read in my life, and yet I'm always eagerly awaiting his latest book. I don't know how he does what he does. Seriously, I'd love to pick his brain.

6. J.R.R. Tolkien

He added so much to the world of fantasy literature, that we all owe him so much. He was a humble man and so very imaginative, and I feel like I'd learn a lot from him with just a single conversation.

7. Lewis Carroll / Charles Dodgson

He was an interesting man whom I feel I could hold an interesting conversation with.

8. Roald Dahl

He's the author of many of my favorite children's books, and he's another whom I feel I could hold an interesting conversation with.

9. C.S. Lewis

He created Narnia and was a brilliant man. He was also friends with Tolkien, so maybe we could all have just gotten together for some tea and talked about literature and linguistics? 

10. F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'd like to compliment him on Gatsby and also other things.

Just One Day - Gayle Forman

Just One Day - Gayle Forman

What a great book.

I fell completely in love with Forman's other series If I Stay, so I was completely eager to devour this book. Her characters are phenomenally realistic and do wonderful job at drawing you into their magical worlds. Also, just the way that she describes these foreign (to me) places was well done and made me want to travel there more so then I've already wanted. Truly, it was just so enticing, and now I want so badly to read the companion novel set in Willem's POV. In fact, I think that I need it. Now. 

Allyson didn't hardly want to travel abroad. In fact, if it weren't for her parents' prodding and generous gift, and the fact that her best friend would be there with her, then she would never have gone in the first place. Risky things like throwing herself into foreign countries and situations is not something that Allyson Healey does. She prefers to play things safe and maintain her boring 'good girl' status. However, a sudden whim and slight desire to challenge herself result in her meeting of a Dutch actor named Willem. He convinces her to accompany him to Paris, where they then spend a wonderfully memorable day together. Sparks seem to fly between them, and Allyson or as deemed by Willem; Lulu, truly starts to believe in love at first sight. However, when she wakes up the next day, expecting him to be still at her side, he's gone. Confused and upset, she makes her way back home to begin her first year of college. A year passes and Allyson tries her best to come to terms with her life and who she wants to be. She seeks answers to difficult questions and begins to follow her heart, rather then what her parents tell her to do.

Wow. Just wow. What a powerful book. The writing was beautiful and honest. Her characters were realistic and developed well, but my absolute favorite part of her writing is that of developing a magical setting. I think that she could make any place sound appealing. The way that she described Paris and the other places was well done and made it extremely easy to visualize. Also, she writes romance in a light yet heartrending way that makes it easy to care for her characters and their situations. In fact, it's so easy to get swept up in her stories that it becomes increasingly difficult to put them down after so long.

The pacing was fine and dandy. Things progressed smoothly and I don't recall having any problems with anything. I didn't come across any exceedingly slow parts either.

Character-wise, you're not going to be disappointed. Just like in If I Stay, we have two main characters to fall absolutely in love with. Allyson was real and what I would expect a person might be to come from two assertive and pressuring parents. I was really pleased with her growth throughout the book. She went from a meek, submissive good girl to someone who finally sought out and did things that she actually enjoyed. While there were some aspects about her that I severely questioned, I did love her overall character.

Then we have Willem the mysterious yet lovable Dutch actor. He captured my heart just as he did Ally's and then seemingly broke it when he did hers. He was charming and delightful, which I believe made up for not knowing too much about him. Willem had his own thoughts on everything, especially the difference between falling in love and being in love. This was one of the things that I really enjoyed about his character. Besides the fact that he was a wanderer, he had his own thoughts about things and how truly wonderful accidents were. Truly he intrigued me very much, and I am extremely eager to read his POV in Just One Year. 

Not only were there endearing main characters, but there were also some minor characters with interesting personalities to fawn over. First, we have Ally's best friend Melanie. She seems to be Ally's polar opposite and is always up for doing the fun and exciting things in life. She also grows into her own person by the end of this book, even though she doesn't appear as often. She knows what she wants and goes for it, which is something that I can admire in any character.

Then, we have the friend that Ally meets in her Shakespeare class; Dee. He's fun and intriguing and just what Ally needs in her life. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. 

Overall, Just One Day was a delightful read. The characters were endearing, the setting was enchanting and the overall premise was interesting. Gayle Forman is slowly turning into one of my top contemporary writers for all of these reasons. That being said, I wish that it were October so that I could read the companion novel and figure out what happens next. I believe that you'd feel the same way after having read it.

☆☆☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If endearing characters and fun settings are something you dig.

If you like to read about characters who come into themselves.

Other thoughts:

* My one semi-issue with this story: SPOILER! ->

[Just the fact that she had sex with him after she'd only know him for a day. As she surmises later, she didn't even know his last name or his favorite color. Sure, he was plenty charming and endearing, and getting all caught up in the moment happens and everything, but I don't think that that elicited sex. 

Oh well. It didn't both me too badly, I still just wonder why. 

Love at first sight? Okay. (hide spoiler)] End of spoiler.