tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75288426313146740292023-11-17T00:31:48.944+11:00Words on PaperCasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.comBlogger595125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-7332883835374367872021-02-08T21:06:00.003+11:002021-02-08T22:44:43.472+11:00Review | Saint Anything: Of pizza, first loves & delinquent brothers ❀<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23009402-saint-anything?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=QOXGWryWLq&rank=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAjrrZOxFl27oy8UYtSB7ZJGx3FgGS_8vaZtGW-dRvxMGa3Rm6xHzc3zpO1r4Ow2G1WuEpcQnN7nqL7P4k4VrAjMn3O-xRbSyLOUHt9CrEGQ5nQyucGHcHdeSU6OjDjD-qSOMS57M2KuE/w133-h200/23009402.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23009402-saint-anything?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=QOXGWryWLq&rank=1" target="_blank"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b>05/05/2015</div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publisher: </b>Penguin</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pages: </b>417</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Genre:</b> YA | Contemporary</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>My Rating: </b>4/5</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>First line:</b> "Would the defendant please rise."</div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">♪<b> </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMeZCPbM6bA">Velvet Underground - I'll Be Your Mirror</a> ♪</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sarahdessen.com/">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sdessen/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Anything-Sarah-Dessen/dp/014751603X">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23009402-saint-anything?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=QOXGWryWLq&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6f4ZHv9kXnAXolhw46jjIJE6UG4UXoh10teJE9AhdwL9fK91QqWHmeH0mnV8vhzUCKtvdlDfzm1fX07Qth44BJacBOtxaOPVuNEurElM9cGGYLJjHvKRxLOJZbJVutHaH0K-bGQGMNd-/s1600/page-divider-035.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6f4ZHv9kXnAXolhw46jjIJE6UG4UXoh10teJE9AhdwL9fK91QqWHmeH0mnV8vhzUCKtvdlDfzm1fX07Qth44BJacBOtxaOPVuNEurElM9cGGYLJjHvKRxLOJZbJVutHaH0K-bGQGMNd-/s200/page-divider-035.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>If you frequent the YA section at the bookshop, there is almost zero per cent chance you haven't heard of Sarah Dessen. I'd pin her novels as the YA equivalent of adult contemporary literary giants like Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult - formulaic, but <i>oh-so fuzzy and warming, sprinkled with a dusting of real-life lessons and wisdom on top</i>. <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dessen has this brilliant ability to create characters that invoke empathy in her readers, and for me, <i>Saint Anything</i> was no exception.</span></b><div><br /></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span>Our main character, Sydney, has always lived behind the shadow of her superstar brother Peyton, whose charisma and daring nature captivates everyone he meets. To her parents, her brother can do no wrong. Bookish, "good girl" Sydney never even had a chance. But when Peyton's behaviour lands him in jail for a drunk driving incident that leaves a beloved local boy permanently handicapped, Sydney is suddenly given the spotlight ... and she discovers that being seen is not always a good thing.<br /><br />It was easy for me to relate to Sydney (as a quiet bookworm having grown up with three opinionated siblings and two stubborn parents). Sydney has gotten used to living in the shadow of her brother, and when the veil is lifted, it's like her parents are seeing her for the first time. Though she is the epitome of the "good girl", her parents - particularly her mother - projects deep-seated fears that she will also end up a delinquent like Peyton. Sydney was a saint by comparison, and she was careful not to come across as anything but (which frustrated me a bit!).<br /><br />Even though Peyton is physically out of the house, his living ghost continues to roam the hallways, haunting Sydney. The feelings of resentment and confusion towards her brother are understandable, especially when no one else seems to care about the kid now in a wheelchair. The staggered conversations shared between the two of them on the phone, and the progression of their relationship is raw and uncomfortably honest.<br /><br />I liked the "full circle"-ness of the plot. Sydney had to go through everything in the middle of the book to finally be able to confront the thing she had been struggling with from the first page. This gives way to a satisfying and neat ending.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Complex, troubling family dynamics</span></b> is one of my favourite things to read about. <u>Their mother is completely crazy.</u> Sadly, I didn't feel like this was over-dramatised - there are actually mothers out there who are like this, completely unaware of how toxic it is to be so controlling and overbearing. It would have been nice to learn more about their mother and why she is the way that she is.<br /><br />In the wake of Peyton's incarceration, Sydney decides to change schools, where she can start anew. <u>I adored her new friends</u>: Layla, Mac and the rest of the gang. The dialogue really grabbed me; there was a wittiness about their speech that captured my attention, kept me invested. There was an air of kindness and respect, love and caring. Even when they bantered and argued.<br /><br />I love reading about <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>first loves</b></span>, too. Sometimes pairings can feel a bit lacklustre or forced, but if there's one thing Dessen gets right it's romance. The <u>development of Sydney's relationship was sweet</u>, and it felt natural. This one is a <u>slow-burner</u>, guys! There's nothing overly dramatic that happens (other than awkward family encounters, and the tension it causes with her friendship with Layla), but <i>I actually liked the ordinariness and friendship-vibey-ness of their love</i>.<br /><br /><blockquote><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Saint Anything is perfect for when you're in the mood for something light-hearted and fun, while still touching on some sensitive and heavy topics. In this book, Dessen's talent for writing authentic characters and engaging dialogue shines. This YA contemporary novel about life, love, and pizza is a beautiful portrayal of the aftermath following a crime committed by a sibling. A stellar addition to the collection!</span></i></b></blockquote><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s1600/sig.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s320/sig.gif" /></a></span><br /></div></div><span><!--more--></span></div>Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-1416718710219010212017-11-27T15:30:00.001+11:002021-02-08T22:26:19.691+11:00[Review] Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9725419-amy-roger-s-epic-detour">Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">28</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">/10/2008</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pages: </b>343</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #38761d;">Violence</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> | </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #b45f06;">Sexual Content</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> | </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #38761d;">Profanity</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMsmtsQYkMc">U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name</a></i> ♪</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOAlaACuv4">Tracy Chapman - Fast Car</a></i> ♪</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSFj1jWZ_3A">Michelle Branch - Carry Me Home</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 19.2px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><i>5/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">Loved this so much! </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Why did it take me so long to finally read this book?</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"> If it weren't for decluttering and purging my book collection I might NEVER have gotten around to it, and what a waste that would have been.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I have always loved the idea of reading more <b><span style="color: red;">road trip books</span></b>, and while I admit to not having read many in the past, if many more that are to pass through me are as enjoyable as <i>Amy & Roger's Epic Detour</i> I must pursue more of them in future. This book really honed in on the idea that <i><u>it is not in the destination, but the journey itself, and the people with whom you travel</u></i>. Amy and Roger were not on a road trip for fun, but rather as a means of transporting her mum's car to their new home on the other side of the country . . . but <b><span style="color: red;">what starts as a little detour from her mum's carefully plotted itinerary, calculated by mileage and fuel efficiency, ends up being the trip of a lifetime</span></b>.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My favourite part of the book would definitely have been the road trip portion itself. <i>I adored the incorporation of photos and receipts that Amy accumulates and curates into her travel journal</i> (a gift from her mum), and felt that it added to the whole experience. <b><span style="color: red;">I could not help but smile to myself many times whilst reading this book, it was just so fun, wholly engrossing, and allowed me to travel to America without even leaving my room.</span></b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="color: red;">Amy</span></b> isn't anything too special. I didn't personally find anything spectacular about her, and to be honest, I think that's okay. Not every character has to be super talented or passionate; Amy is <i>just trying to get by, trying to grieve over the loss of her father and the guilt associated with that loss</i>. It is a big weight to carry on one's shoulders, especially if there isn't anyone around to be there for her emotionally. So yeah, she does come across as whiny and selfish at times for complaining about the whole ordeal, being left in their old home for a month and then having to do this road trip thing with what is basically a stranger to her, but I felt that she was entirely justified for doing so. <i>And she becomes accountable for her actions, she has a conscience and a good heart, and I adored her for that.</i></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And <b><span style="color: red;">Roger</span></b>. I liked his character arc too, and I can sort of understand that blind devotion one can have to a certain person. <i>His own internal journey was satisfying to watch unfold, and I enjoyed seeing where the two were going to end up.</i></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The <b><span style="color: red;">writing was easy to read</span></b>, and there were <i>flashbacks interspersed throughout the narrative</i> that provided the reader with more insight into Amy's memories of her family history. Matson succeeded in really bringing in <u><i>emotional impact</i></u> that forces the reader to sympathise with Amy, and maybe understand a little bit more why she has become so stilted and closed off.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is also quite a lot of <b><span style="color: red;">music</span></b>, as you might expect when a road trip is involved! I still have yet to go through every playlist (because I prefer to read in silence), but I will do so in my own time. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"T</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">here were no other cars on the road. Just the sound of the wind and the motor idling, and through his open window, the faint clicking sounds of Roger making another mix. I closed my eyes, and let the wind whip my hair around my face, letting out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. (86)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"'T</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">omorrow will be better.'</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">'But what if it’s not?' I asked.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">'Then you say it again tomorrow. Because it might be. You never know, right? At some point, tomorrow will be better.'</span></blockquote>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Buy</span></span></div>
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/amy-and-rogers-epic-detour-morgan-matson/p/9781416990666?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/amy-roger-s-epic-detour-morgan-matson/prod9781471124709.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmRLkX5ewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Amy-Rogers-Epic-Detour-Morgan-Matson/9781416990666?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a></span></span><br />
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-79851094463949111352017-11-22T15:30:00.002+11:002021-02-08T22:27:47.193+11:00[Review] Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">28</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">/10/2008</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pages: </b>288</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i>x</i> ♪</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 19.2px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><i>4/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I'm not sure if there was any particular reason why I finally decided to pick this book up, I think I just came to the conclusion that it was time. I didn't know too much about </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything Beautiful</i><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> other than that it was an Aussie YA book set in a religious summer camp, and therefore would be a good summer read.<span><a name='more'></a></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Sixteen-year-old <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Riley Rose</span></b> is out of control, getting into all sorts of trouble with her best friend and best worst influence, Chloe. Her dad's girlfriend, Norma, suggests that she attends a spiritual Christian camp. Forced against her will and doomed to miss meeting her crush Ben at an upcoming party, Riley is desperate to escape. But much to her surprise, amongst all the suckage she may actually find something worth believing in, and it isn't God.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I loved Riley</span></b>, I love how in under 300 pages Howell manages to peel back layer after layer of her character and <u>I liked seeing every different side to her</u>. So she lost her mum to cancer, is <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">overweight but "loud and proud"</span></b>, gets constantly bullied and reprimanded for who she is, and will basically tumble (as in, have sex with) any guy who shows an interest in her. <u>I loved her vulnerabilities, she shows this tough exterior but inside you can see that she just wants to be accepted.</u> I loved her bold and fearless she could be; the crazy stuff that she gets up to and without even seeming to think of the consequences is pretty admirable! I do wish that there had been more of a focus on grieving her mum's death, though.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is a <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">myriad of colourful characters</span></b> that Riley meets at Spirit Camp. I found <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Dylan</span></b> to be profoundly interesting, I thought the <u>exploration of his accident and its aftermath to be sensitively and authentically approached</u>; more so, <u>I relished his interactions with Riley</u>, they worked together so well! <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Bird</span></b> - yes, that's a boy's name - <u>was cute</u>. I liked <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Sarita's</span></b> (Riley's cabin-mate)<u> transformation and minute rebellions</u>, her friendship with Riley was so sweet and lovely I was left feeling warm at times. Even some of the Camp's staff members and authority figures had some level of <u>quirkiness </u>to them.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The <u>narrative is sectioned off into Days</u>. The 'intro' begins on Day Five, but then we are transported to the beginning so we see everything that happens during Riley's stay at Spirit Camp. I liked the writing style, Riley's frank tone, expression and thoughts. <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I found it easy to become absorbed into the narrative</span></b>, I cared about what happened to Riley and whether she was going to be able to escape the camp.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is a bit of <i>sexual content</i> - nothing explicitly written, but the act of it is implied. I think <u>Howell explored sexuality in a way that is realistic for teenage readers to relate to</u>. There is even a gay couple and while it is slightly made taboo and this big deal by Riley, the rest of the campers don't seem to care too much about it at all.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b style="color: #a64d79;">Everything Beautiful<i> was an engaging and quick summer read, laden with surprising hidden depths. Riley is a superbly written protagonist, refreshing in her boldness and sharp wit. I enjoyed reading about the many misadventures and mischief that occurs during Riley's time at Spirit Camp, and seeing the character development as her world and mindset changes was satisfying. Certainly a worthwhile read!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"F</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">leur suddenly asked, 'How much do you weigh?'<br />... Mum used to say that anyone who used your appearance as ammo was the worst kind of bully - weak and unimaginative. She would have had Fleur pegged. '<i>If that's the best she can do, then you've already won.'</i>'I need air,' I decided. 'Please - don't go through my things. Certain items may offend.' I stood up and flung my bag over my shoulder, and gave Fleur a hard stare. 'And FYI, I weigh eighty-two kilos and I don't give a fuck.' (27)</span></blockquote>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/everything-beautiful-simmone-howell/p/9780330424639?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/everything-beautiful-simmone-howell/prod9780330424639.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmRLQzlewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=VTSAMSKAUJSFDBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/a/b/book_9780330424639.htm?utm_source=booko&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=deeplink">Boomerang Books</a></span></span><br />
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-87273765943597843042017-11-13T15:30:00.001+11:002021-02-08T22:25:51.228+11:00[Review] When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">30</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">/05/2017</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publisher: </b>Simon Pulse</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erywPdFfORE">Landon Pigg - Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 19.2px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><i>5/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">2017 has been a glorious melting pot of POC (People of Colour) and #ownvoices YA releases and I am so okay with that!</span></i></b> One of the more iconic books of the year is <i>When Dimple Met Rishi </i>- it seemed as though <i>everyone</i> <i>and their cats</i> were reading it! And I knew I would adore it too, but I'll admit I felt reluctant to delve into it at first: after all, you can only ever experience a book for the first time once. It took me HALF A YEAR to finally pick this one up. Insanity! <b><span style="color: #e69138;"><i>I don't think I could have loved </i>When Dimple Met Rishi<i> any more than I did! This one is definitely a keeper!</i></span></b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">First, can I just talk about the <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">book cover</span></i></b>? The front is nice enough, I like the general composition of it: the title placement really does it for me. But the back? <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">The back is absolute perfection!</span></i></b> <a href="http://rivetedlit.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Dimple-FullJacket-Large.jpg">One look.</a> That's all it took for me to know for sure that I knew I wanted the hardcover of this book, and not the paperback. Because it is just about the best thing ever! I still to this day fantasise about throwing my drink at a guy, which might be a weird </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">and slightly twisted</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">fantasy to have, but yeah. And this image <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">just fills me with pure glee</span></i></b>! Haha! Let's move on, shall we?</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When Dimple Met Rishi</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-style: italic;"> is what the title implies: an Indian-teenage twist on the classic hit romantic-comedy film </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When Harry Met Sally</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-style: italic;"> (I'm not sure if there are many similarities, never watched that movie)</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-style: italic;">. Written in third person dual-perspective. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-style: italic;">Dimple is pretty plain, preferring instead to use her brain. Coding is her passion, and despite her mother's protests, she would much rather follow her dream career in Jenny Lindt's footsteps than be matched up with her I.I.H. (Ideal Indian Husband). So imagine her surprise when her parents allow her to enrol for Insomnia Con, a summer program for programmers in San Francisco! And there she meets Rishi . . . </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="color: #e69138;"><i>I adored Dimple and Rishi in all their nerdiness</i></span></b>, it was so enjoyable to read their interactions with one another and see how they grow and change throughout the story. The characters are in this <u>just-after-high-school period</u>, which is perhaps my <i>sweet spot</i> for YA, and I don't think there is nearly enough of it out there. <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Menon perfectly captures those feelings of restlessness and uncertainty that arises after high school.</span></i></b> All the characters in this book, particularly our Dimple and Rishi, struggle with choosing their own paths. I'm sure <u>many readers will be able to relate to their experiences</u> here, as I certainly did. I'm glad that not only did Dimple and Rishi have passions, but <u>Menon made me <i>believe</i> in their passions</u>. <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">She has written her characters with so much realism I would not be surprised if she had actually heavily based them on people she had known.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">What made When Dimple Met Rishi a shining success for me was the balance of cuteness, memorable/funny moments, attraction, chemistry and clever dialogue during the progression of their relationship.</span></i></b> But not only that: <u>I found myself enjoying and caring for the secondary characters as well!</u> I adored Rishi's little brother, Ashish, and I just wanted to be friends with Celia, Dimple's more adventurous and outspoken room mate! I also appreciated the strong undercurrent parental presence for the narrative.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yay for POC/#ownvoices stories! It all just worked for me. I normally favour stories written in first person perspective, but in this case I think the third person writing style helped to add more perspective and a different feel to it. And <b><span style="color: #e69138;"><i>this book was </i>beautiful<i>!</i></span></b> So many gorgeous passages and expressive, descriptive writing. <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Menon has quickly become a must-read author for me in the future</span></i></b> and <u>I will be anxiously awaiting the release of </u><i><u>When Ashish Met Sweetie</u> </i>(a companion novel following Ashish)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"D</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">imple couldn't stop smiling. It was like two invisible puppeteers, standing stage left and stage right, were yanking on strings to lift up the corners of her mouth.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"D</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">imple groaned and clutched her head, feeling like that ancient pressure cooker Mamma still used when she made </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">idli</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> cakes. She was sure there was an actual chance she would explode. There was no way she and Mamma were related: they may as well have been two entirely different species. 'Seriously? That's what you think I should be relegating my brain space to? Looking nice? Like, if I don't make the effort to look beautiful, my entire </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">existence</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> is nullified? Nothing else matters - not my intellect, not my personality or my accomplishments; my hopes and dreams mean nothing if I'm not wearing </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">eyeliner</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">?' (6)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">e was different from what she'd expected. Rich but not showy about it. Goofy and easygoing, but with a backbone. Utterly sure of himself in a really comfortable way. There was something about people who were that secure; they made you feel better about yourself, like they accepted you for everything you were, imperfections and all. (121)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"'I</span> <span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">don't know how I can explain it . . . it's just this need inside me. I guess I just feel it stronger than most people our age. I feel like I need to speak out, because if no one speaks out, if no one says, <i>This is me, this is what I believe in, and this is why I'm different, and this is why that's okay</i>, then what's the point? What's the point of living in this beautiful, great melting pot where everyone can dare to be anything they want to be?' (143)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">e became someone else, stripped down, unself-conscious, unaware. She'd seen what his soul was made of. And she'd liked it. (167)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"S</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">he looked . . . peaceful there, the sunset making her black hair grow with red, like she was holding lava inside her instead of blood. Rishi smiled to himself. The fire she had, that passion? Yeah, he could definitely see her being born with lava in her veins. (216) </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">e leaned in and kissed her temple. '<i>Tujme rab dikhta hai</i>,' he whispered, an over-the-top line from the movie their song came from. It meant <i>I see God in you.</i> He watched her smile and roll her eyes. And then he said, 'I love you.' (308) </span></blockquote>
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/when-dimple-met-rishi-sandhya-menon/p/9781473667402?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/when-dimple-met-rishi-sandhya-menon/prod9781473667402.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmUFFXJewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=VTSAMSKAUJSFDBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/When-Dimple-Met-Rishi-Sandhya-Menon/9781473667402?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22598476678&clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkmUFFWdewb4Ts0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-259877-_-77416&ref=imprad259877&afn_sr=impact">Abe Books</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/When-Dimple-Met-Rishi-Sandhya-Menon/9781481478687?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9781481478687&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=When-Dimple-Met-Rishi">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/when-dimple-met-rishi-sandhya-menon-9781481478687#oid=1003">Wordery</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-59577249617663155022017-11-10T15:30:00.002+11:002021-02-08T22:25:36.619+11:00[Review] Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8922184-want-to-go-private">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">01</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">/08/2011</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publisher: </b>Scholastic Press</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pages: </b>330</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Source</b>: Borrowed</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #38761d;">Violence</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> | </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: red;">Sexual Content</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> | </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #b45f06;">Profanity</span></span></div>
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<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twix375Me4Q">BANKS - Beggin for Thread</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The world is not a safe place.</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"> Books like this are vitally important to help prevent minors from falling victim to sexual predators from the Internet. I know what it's like, I used to prowl online chatrooms, Habbo Hotel and the like as a high school student, and trust me, there was an abundance of creeps out there. Luckily I never did come across any creeps who had the opportunity to exploit me in person in my naivete, but I suppose I know more than anyone else just how easy it might be, how real and scary this issue is. </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>We NEED books like </i>Want to Go Private?<i> in the world.</i></span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">We <u>need</u> these books to be shared and discussed.</span></i></b><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Want to Go Private?</i> follows 14-year-old Abby, a slightly shy and studious girl who is nervous about starting her first day at high school. Over the summer holidays, she and her best friend Faith, while on their favourite online social media/chat room platform, one where you create your own avatar and explore a world (sort of like Habbo Hotel), they meet some guy who shares the same musical taste as Abby, her "musical soulie". What starts off with a WTGP? (Want to Go Private) catapults Abby into a dizzying spiral of LukeWorld, in which she gets wrapped up in the sweet guy who listens to her, calls her beautiful and sexy and understands her like no one else. Her grades start slipping, her best friend is too busy with her new boyfriend and drama club, and she starts to blow off her cute science lab partner after one date. And then after her parents ground her for getting a D on a maths test - her best subject - she gets a chance to run away from home with (and finally meet) her boyfriend Luke who loves her, which is a dream come true! Right?</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This book was just <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">so scary and upsetting</span></i></b>. It chills me to think it's been 10 years since I was 14, but I still remember how I was like back then. I actually met my first boyfriend on the Internet, a fan message board, at 13/14, and he was 25, and luckily I played it safe because we first met up with a group of fellow fans of the musician. But reading this made me think of how things could have turned out, and that thought chills me to the bone.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I appreciated the way Littman tells this story, through multiple perspectives so we get to see how this event affects her family and friends, too.</span></i></b> It definitely makes the underlying message much stronger. <u>The way her family breaks down and is slowly built up again moved me to tears!</u></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I empathised with Abby</span></i></b>, and I think what helped was that I was able to see a little of myself in her, particularly my awkward high school self. <u>I was anxious to know what was going to happen to her</u>, and I inwardly pleaded with her not to meet up with Luke. In general I quite <u>liked all of the characters</u> and somehow didn't mind if we didn't get to know everything about them - in this kind of book I don't think it's necessary to know everyone's backstories and the like. I adored <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Faith</i></span></b>, she is an <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">awesome best friend</span></i></b>. And <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Billy</span></i></b>, who is just <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the sweetest ever, though I'm not sure how many high school boys there are like him out there in the world</span></i></b>.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The writing is crisp and easy to breeze through, despite the troubling and unsettling subject matter. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>I did not enjoy this book, nor is this the kind of book that can be enjoyed. The immensely important underlying message marks </i>Want to Go Private?<i> as a highly recommended read for young adults, especially those who think "</i>This could never be me"<i>. I'm sure that many victims out there thought the exact same thing, it's not like they woke up one day and decided to meet up with a sex offender. A real eye-opener. Will definitely pick up more from this author in the future.</i></span></b></span></blockquote>
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/want-to-go-private-sarah-littman/p/9780545151474?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/want-to-go-private--sarah-littman/prod9780545151474.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmy85Tdewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=VTSAMSKAUJSFDBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/a/b/book_9780545151474.htm?utm_source=booko&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=deeplink">Boomerang Books</a> | <a href="https://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Want-to-Go-Private-Sarah-Darer-Littman/9780545151474?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a> | <a href="https://www.thenile.com.au/books/sarah-darer-littman/want-to-go-private/9780545151474?utm_source=Affiliate&utm_medium=RakutenAffiliateNetwork&utm_campaign=fuMJI933hQc&utm_content=10&utm_term=UKNetwork&ranMID=40889&ranEAID=fuMJI933hQc&ranSiteID=fuMJI933hQc-N7lIfyVgoV.kBcf_967eFQ">The Nile</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://wordery.com/want-to-go-private-sarah-littman-9780545151474#oid=1003">Wordery</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></span></div>
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<span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span></div>Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-4607321447432581072017-11-06T15:30:00.001+11:002021-02-08T22:25:04.992+11:00[Review] My Favourite Manson Girl by Alison Umminger<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">07</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">/06/2016</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Publisher: </b>Atom</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pages: </b>304</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKVBLu1zkog">Lil Wayne & Charlie Puth - Nothing But Trouble</a></i> ♪</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0MT8SwNa_U">Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls</a> </i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪ </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKNcuTWzTVw">Marina and the Diamond - How to Be A Heartbreaker</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj5L9SYhoSE">Primadonna</a></i> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">♪</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 19.2px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><i>3.5/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I actually didn't know what I was getting into when I won this book in a giveaway (thank you @DateaBook!). A bit of time had passed and I figured that it was finally time that I should read it. All that I knew was that it should be a pretty good summer read, the cover is so aesthetically pleasing. :) My favourite is definitely the hipster-y photograph one shown above.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>My Favourite Manson Girl</i> follows 15-year-old Anna who 'borrows' some money from her new step-mother Lynette's wallet to buy the next plane ticket to LA. As she learns to navigate the enormous consequences of her decision to run away, she meets some of the people who revolve around her sister Delia's life as she tries to grasp fame. Like Delia's ex-boyfriend, Roger, who hires her to research the disturbing lives of the Manson girls to help imbue his latest flick with realism . . . </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><span style="color: red;">This book surprised me, and I truly did like it, but it just missed the mark for me.</span></i></b> I found this book <u>profoundly interesting</u>, and as the novel progressed I did start to feel a bit more of a connection to the main character, but there was still this <u>emotional disconnect </u>for me. <b><i><span style="color: red;">I enjoyed the setting of LA, and I enjoyed following the development of her tremulous relationship with her sister.</span></i></b> <u>I would actually have loved to have delved more into Delia's life</u>, her perspective, what she thought and felt, because I thought she was just <i>so</i> interesting and I just <i>knew</i> there was way more there, just waiting to be explored further. But maybe the fact that we don't really get insight into her true self is the point of it all - we <i>are</i> seeing everything through Anna's eyes - and <u>I totally related to this sisterly relationship.</u></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is a bit of <b><i><span style="color: red;">romance </span></i></b>too! I liked the love interest from the start, but we didn't really get to know much about him? I liked the <u>inherent goodness in him</u> that we see, and he just seemed good for her. It was a <b><i><span style="color: red;">slow burn</span></i></b>, and it was <b><i><span style="color: red;">sweet and cute and innocent and I liked that it never felt too intense</span></i></b>. I would like to think that after the last page, in the future Anna would come back to LA in the future to pick up where she left off. :)</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I did really enjoy <i>My Favourite Manson Girl</i>. I<u> loved the focus of the narrative</u>, I just kind of wish it was explored further and went a bit deeper than it did. There were <u>gritty snippets</u>, and <b><i><span style="color: red;">I really liked reading about the Manson cases</span></i></b>, however unnerving they were. <u>This book really flew by</u>, the pages just seemed to go by so quickly - and before I knew it, the story was over. I actually wouldn't mind a sequel, if only just so I could feel more of a sense of... resolution? I don't know, <b><i><span style="color: red;">I just wanted more</span></i></b>, but this book had all the makings of something <i>really</i> good. This is one of those cases where I <i>liked it</i>, and it had all the foundations there, but I couldn't quite love it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"M</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">y first Manson girl was Leslie Van Houten, the homecoming princess with the movie-star smile. She was on death row at nineteen for putting a knife into the already-dead body of some poor, random woman for the lamest reason that anyone gives for doing anything: all the other kids were doing it.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"T</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">he feeling was terrible, the kind I used to get at the end of summer camp, like I was losing the thing I was experiencing even while I was still in it, like life was beautiful and there and passing me by. I knew then that I was going to cry, and I didn't want to do it in front of Jeremy. I didn't want him to think that it was about his sister, and I didn't know how to explain what I was really feeling (257)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"P</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">art of me was sad, the kind of sad you get at the end of a really beautiful and tragic book. <i>Gatsby</i> sad. My evening with Jeremy was one night and it was messy and perfect, and it was probably best just to leave it alone, to accept that anything that freakishly awesome should probably just be sealed in the amber of memory and left undisturbed. That was poor Jay Gatsby's mistake--he had one great night with Daisy and tried to turn it into a whole lifetime. Then again, how could he not? (282)</span></blockquote>
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/my-favourite-manson-girl-alison-umminger/p/9781472150868?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/my-favourite-manson-girl-alison-umminger/prod9781472150868.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmy8aU9ewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=VTSAMSKAUJSFDBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/a/b/book_9781472150868.htm?utm_source=booko&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=deeplink">Boomerang Books</a> | <a href="https://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/My-Favourite-Manson-Girl-Alison-Umminger/9781472150868?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22444633577&clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkmy8ay9ewb4Ts0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-259877-_-77416&ref=imprad259877&afn_sr=impact">Abe Books</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/My-Favourite-Manson-Girl-Alison-Umminger/9781472150868?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9781472150868&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=My-Favourite-Manson-Girl">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.kennys.ie/my-favourite-manson-girl-5.html?refer_id=1">Kennys</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/my-favourite-manson-girl-alison-umminger-9781472150868#oid=1003">Wordery</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-11675723562319173632017-11-01T15:30:00.000+11:002017-11-01T20:04:37.904+11:00[Review] Past Perfect by Leila Sales<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13116049-past-perfect"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add to Goodreads</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publication</b><b>: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">04</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/10/2011</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>Simon Pulse</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>336</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHWQ9-OJH5E">Ingrid Michaelson - Soldier</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My Rating</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>4/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After having read two tiresome/dreary/heavy literary/classic novels, I was </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in the mood for <b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">a cute, swoony summer read</span></i></b>! As I scanned my bookshelves, my eyes fell on </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Past Perfect</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, which I think first hit my radar when Nomes (<a href="http://inkcrush.blogspot.com.au/search?q=past+perfect">inkcrush</a>) raved about it in full, and I thought, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it's finally time to lay this bad boy out!</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> And it was everything, absolutely everything! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">❤</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book was so cute! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Chelsea and her summer at Essex. I've never been to a <b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">reenactment historical village</span></i></b> before so it was fascinating to read a book set in one.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I liked Chelsea and <u>could relate to her difficulty in moving on with the past</u>. I liked her friendship with Fiona. Reading about her family and life growing up was engaging and fun. And the whole whole war thing that went on with Essex and Reenactment Land, and especially with Dan... all of it was just <u>the best escape away from reality</u>, it was sort of like I had gone on vacation myself! </span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Past Perfect<i> was adorable, swoony, fun and the absolute best to kick me into gear for summer. Highly recommended for a quick and enjoyable read. :)</i></b></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">**(Sorry for the short review, I don't have too much to say about this one. I really did enjoy it though! Read <a href="http://inkcrush.blogspot.com.au/search?q=past+perfect">Nomes' review</a> for a more thorough scoop!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Favourites:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"D</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an looked furious. 'No, when I ask you what you're thinking, it's because I want to <i>know what you're thinking.</i>'<br />
And with that sentence, I loved him. I sat on the ground, bruised and muddy and spat-upon and I just loved him. In a weird way, that was one of the nicest things that anyone had ever said to me. (295)</span></blockquote>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> x</span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=19504691708&clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkmy8KwVewb4Ts0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-259877-_-77416&ref=imprad259877&afn_sr=impact">Abe Books</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Past-Perfect-Leila-Sales/9781442406834?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9781442406834&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=Past-Perfect">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/past-perfect-leila-sales-9781442406834#oid=1003">Wordery</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-20776632712480535792017-10-18T23:15:00.004+11:002017-10-19T08:55:01.276+11:00[Review + Giveaway] Untidy Towns by Kate O'Donnell<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33296134-untidy-towns">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">02</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/10/2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>UQP</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>312</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Publisher for review</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTIB10eQnA0">Tracy Chapman - Fast Car</a></i> ♪</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT2_F-1esPk">The Chainsmokers - Closer</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/loveozya">#LoveOzYA</a></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My Rating</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well that took way longer than expected. To be fair, I've been doing lots of tidying and assessments for my post-graduate certificate so I haven't been prioritising reading as much lately. But. <u style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">This book was S.L.O.W.</span></u><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> I was expecting some grand adventure or scheme, something, ANYTHING to happen, but it never really came</span></i> and I can't help but feel a wee bit disappointed by it all.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you, thank you, thank you to UQP and Sally for kindly sending me a copy of this book for review! Included with the book was a postcard - with a lovely message from Sally and a great quote from the book - and the book was WRAPPED UP IN NEWSPAPER! Not just any newspaper, it's made to look like an old newspaper from Emyvale, a small town in Victoria, Australia in which this book is set. My excitement levels were through-the-roof crazy high. <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I adored that cover SO much, it is gorgeous.</span></b> The problem is that there aren't really that many bike adventures as I was expecting. Darn it, book cover deception! (Like that's ever happened before... *eye roll*)</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Untidy Towns follows Adelaide, who ditches life at her prestigious private school in Melbourne and buys a train ticket back to small town Emyvale. Unable to deal with the pressures of year 12 and the education system where creativity is discouraged, Adelaide struggles with choosing what she wants to do with her life. She reluctantly accepts to finish year 12 by correspondence, and also finds herself working at the local historical museum with her grandfather. As she fits back into her old life in Emyvale, Adelaide re-connects with old friends and she may even be falling in love . . .</i></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I loved the first chapter, I thought it was punchy and very exciting and it urges you to read on.</span></b> 'I'd accidentally fled.' I know that as a teenager I used to dream of getting away from it all, do something spontaneous and crazy and end up in the middle of nowhere. Adelaide sort of did that, but that middle-of-nowhere is her hometown. So my initial impression of her was that she was smart, a bit impulsive and pretty cool. Bold.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Throughout the novel I discovered time and time again just <u><span style="color: #3d85c6;">how LOST Adelaide is</span></u>, she really doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, other than this vague travelling around the world, busk for extra cash thing. And I get it, and don't. So many kids have no idea what they want to do with their life. Infinite possibility. So <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I empathised with Ady</span></b>, it's a really hard choice to make, it feels like THE BIG THING to figure it all out, but there really is no hurry, and I like that O'Donnell says that. It's okay not to have it all sorted yet, you'll get there. I'm sure that if I were in the same situation I would feel more of a connection to the story.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that's the point. <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I didn't feel much of a connection to the story</span></b>. It may have been the writing style, it may have been the meandering plot, or a combination of the two. <i>Untidy Towns</i> is written in first-person past-tense. <i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I think that a lot of the emotional responses were skimmed over too much</span></i>, I like when there is more focus on that side of things so we get a full sense of how the character is thinking and feeling, and we are more inclined to see their development as the plot progresses. Also, some of the chapters felt choppy, like it would just end, the flow felt a bit unbalanced? Maybe it was intentional, I'm not sure, I suppose it follows a sort of diary-format...?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The characters were okay, but I don't feel like any of them were particularly memorable.</span></b> I liked Mia, who is Adelaide's friend from her private school in Melbourne. Probably written to serve as a contrast to Adelaide, actually, now that I think about it. Mia is going to be a doctor, but she's also fun, cool and so unashamedly her. I just wish that we could have tapped into all the characters more, <i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I feel like we only saw the surface</span></i>. I did like how prominent her family was though, and how supportive her mum is.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I like reading about small towns. But things have to actually happen!</span></b> It just seemed to drag on and on. There were glimmers of really sweet and lovely moments, nostalgic moments, but they were interspersed amongst the mundane. I did like when Adelaide starts taking more of an interest in the history of her town and becomes more involved in her job at the historical museum.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There IS <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">romance </span></b>in this book, too! It was sort of sweet, and there were <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">some cute moments with the two of them that made me smile to myself</span></b>. Jarrod and Adelaide make sense - they're both lost underachievers who have no clue what they want to do with their lives. It's a bit sad, actually. To me it doesn't matter whether they're going to make it in the long term or not, if Adelaide actually does travel or if Jarrod joins the army - what they have right now is enough. I liked the fight that they have too, I felt like that was realistic, but I also wish it had been developed further. <u><span style="color: #3d85c6;">They also explored sexuality in a healthy way and it was kind of sweet. :)</span></u></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>'Untidy Towns' is a lovely Australian YA debut novel about change, growing up and small town life. Adelaide struggles with finding out what she wants to do with her life, which readers will relate to. The romance was adorable, her interactions with her family even more so. I would have liked more focus on her emotions as I struggled to connect with her character. Overall, this was a promising debut and although it wasn't the groundbreaking book I was expecting, I do look forward to reading more from this author in the future.</i></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1x copy of <i>Untidy Towns</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus heaps of bookish swag!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Australia only!</u></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ends 15th November 2017</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To enter, just leave a meaningful comment below. :) (If unable to comment, you can message me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/cc9309"><span id="goog_2006295102"></span>@cc9309<span id="goog_2006295103"></span></a>)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-56833801912684654352017-10-04T15:30:00.000+11:002017-10-04T21:40:38.894+11:00[Review] Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood ♥<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33281117-take-three-girls">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">29/08/2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>Pan Macmillan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>439</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Bought</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYa1eI1hpDE">Taylor Swift - Mean</a></i> ♪</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWcvcfpqs08">Zolita - Fight Like A Girl</a></i> ♪</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0MT8SwNa_U">Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/loveozya">#LoveOzYA</a></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My Rating</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>5/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><u>Note:</u> Sorry for the short review! I really don't have much to say, even though I loved it to bits. :) Read it for yourself!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't think I've had a 5 star read in a while, but this one deserved it without a doubt. <b><span style="color: #e06666;"><i>Take Three Girls</i> is brutally honest, bold and navigates a plethora of extremely important and relevant issues that teenagers face today</span></b>: online (and offline) bullying, peer pressure, struggling families, toxic friends, love and heartbreak, sexuality ... just to name a few. This book was <b><span style="color: #e06666;">absolutely everything I could have asked for</span></b>! I was just so hooked! My fragile little Feminist inner self was jumping up and down with glee by the end of it. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Take Three Girls</i> is<b><span style="color: #e06666;"> written in the perspectives of three girls</span></b> at a prestigious <b><span style="color: #e06666;">all-girls private school in Melbourne</span></b>: Clem, the sporty twin, the swimming prodigy; Kate, the quiet and studious cellist with hidden dreams; and Ady, the 'It' girl, who might not have it all together as she would have others believe. I adored them so much! And I love the randomness of their coming together and eventual friendship!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wellness class came about as a way to combat the level of bullying that occurs in private schools, particularly the <b><span style="color: #e06666;">toxic <i>PSST</i> website which is a disturbing hot spot of misogyny and hate posts</span></b>. I'll admit that when I read the <i>PSST</i> posts that were sprinkled throughout the book, I felt angry and frustrated. <i>Why do some people have to be so mean?</i> I'm glad that these posts <i>were</i> included though - cruel as they were, they helped to really drive home the troubling nature of online bullying, the anonymity of it all. I was waving my arms in anticipation when the girls pledged to take <i>PSST</i> down - they may only be words, but words (and rumours) can be the most harmful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I loved that the authors did not hold back. At all. Like, even a little bit. There was a bit of everything in it. Now, I'm starting to get to that age where I stay away from books that have a heavy focus on high school life, but this book was just brilliant, I don't even know what to say!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Favourites:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"'I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> would like, very much, to kiss you,' I say, imitating Oliver's formal tone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oliver is, as always, really good at what he sets his mind to. Later, I will remember this as my first real kiss, with someone I respect, like, need. I will remember Bowie playing in the background as Oliver's hands find their way. I will remember falling asleep, records spinning. (283)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"W</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hen I told Ady ... she didn't say, 'I told you so.' She just hugged me and told me about this thing the Japanese do: if they break a pot or a cup they don't try to make it perfect, instead they fill the cracks with gold-dusted lacquer. She said, 'They believe when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful. Like, it is more beautiful for being broken. Maybe all our heartbreaks will be like that and when we're old we'll look crazed with experience. In both senses of the word.' (327)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>"H</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>ow do you know if a boy likes you?</i><br />Maybe because they act interested in you. Or they ask you questions and when you answer they actually listen. Because they smile at you shyly and duck their head and there's no edge in their voice. Ben's looking at me like he's just given something of himself away. He pulls the oars back and we move with a sudden surge. I close my eyes for a few seconds and feel the trees, the sky, the clouds - all of it gently waving us back to the bank. (337)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Buy</span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/take-three-girls-cath-crowley-fiona-wood-simmone-howell/p/9781742612744?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/take-three-girls-cath-crowley/prod9781742612744.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmwZPwxewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/a/b/book_9781742612744.htm?utm_source=booko&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=deeplink">Boomerang Books</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b>x<a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-13323050808715129912017-09-27T15:30:00.001+10:002017-09-27T15:30:10.756+10:00[Review] They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385229-they-both-die-at-the-end">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(dd/mm/yyyy)</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">07/09/2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>Simon & Schuster</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>304</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Netgalley</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a> | <a href="http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/glbt">GLBT</a>}</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW-sTxkCxDY">Ke$ha - Die Young (Patrick Lentz Cover)</a></i> ♪</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>4/5 stars</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With a title like <i>They Both Die at the End</i>, are you surprised to hear that they both die at the end? Me neither. That's not a spoiler, it's an irrevocable fact, a truth irreversible and unchangeable, predetermined by fate or destiny or maybe it's just some cruel psychic with a gargantuan crystal ball, doling out doomed lists of people who will meet their end within 24 hours of that dreaded phone call from a member of Death-Cast. And that's basically <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">all you should need to know about this book, going in: they are going to die</span></i></b>. Somehow, it doesn't make their deaths any less upsetting, I suppose, in the same way that it doesn't make a palliative patient's death any less than it was. Knowing doesn't exactly translate to acceptance of the inevitable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, story time. It must have been last year that the US cover was revealed for this book. I loved the colour scheme, with its thousand shades of blues contrasted against slivers of white. I loved that there were silhouettes of two teenagers, with the ominous long shadow of Death following their seemingly leisurely stroll across a bridge in NYC. And the title, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">that title</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is so perfect. It was instantly placed at the top of my wishlist. Last week I was perusing Netgalley and stumbled upon </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">this book</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Like a reflex, my mouse scrambled for the "Request" button and my fate was sealed: after all these years, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">They Both Die at the End</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> would be the first book I got to read before its publication date.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">They Both Die at the End<i> is written in multiple POVs</i></span></b>: primarily 18-year-old Mateo and 17-year-old Rufus, who are the <i>'they'</i> mentioned in the title, and each of their stories begins with the call from Death-Cast. <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">I grew to like both guys and sympathise with their situations.</span></i></b> Silvera did a <i>great job at establishing unique and memorable voices, and the writing style was perfect</i>. <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Mateo is the biggest sweetheart ever</span></i></b>: he spent much of his life holed up in his room, <i>afraid to take risks</i>, and now that his End Day is finally here he is slow to get out of that room and finally live. Following his thought processes was just so comical, how he kept making excuses to stay at home, like <i>Oh, I don't want my dad to come to a messy home</i> and then having a meltdown, and lurking through the Internet for other "Decker" stories (something he loves to keep updated). It is only when he installs "Last Friend", an app where you can connect with people to spend time with on your Last Day, that he meets Rufus. That is, after a few hours of messaging trolls, as you might expect of the Internet.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's kind of a double-edged sword, it seems, this <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Death-Cast system</span></i></b> they have in this alternate (?) reality. On the one hand, it's nice to have a warning that your time is up: most people don't seem to get that (cue: Rufus throwing a funeral for himself). But on the other, it can also just paralyse you and bring up even more issues, like it might make people off themselves (but then there's this weird Catch-22 - maybe if they didn't get that call they wouldn't have done this or that? But then, maybe it would have happened anyway? I'm just confusing myself now). <u>This world is a strange one indeed, and there isn't much explanation about <i>why</i> or <i>how</i> this system came about.</u> I kind of hope that Silvera is going to write some sort of origin story about how this world came to be.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">The two guys become friends soon enough</span></i></b>, and then some, and I was left feeling a bit sad that they didn't even get 24 hours to spend together. It does bring up a <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">strong message that it isn't always about the quantity of time that you spend with someone, but the quality, and all things considered they made those hours together count</span></i></b>. <i>They helped each other live.</i> I appreciate that the author writes gay characters in his books, but I wish that they had just been friends? I don't feel like it was necessary, nor did it feel organic to me, but 1) I am a straight female so I can't possibly understand homo/bi-sexual teenage males in the way that homo/bi-sexual teenage males can, and 2) They had <24 hours to get to know each other, so the progression of their romance was super sped-up, which I know makes sense given the little amount of time they have left, but still.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>I </i>did <i>like reading their adventures together, and how things turned out for their loved ones. </i></span></b>Mateo's friendship with Lidia is sweet and heartbreaking. Rufus has a tight-knit circle from the others at his foster home, the Plutos, and I also liked reading about them. They're so loyal towards one another, and the amount of trouble that they get into so that Rufus can spend his Last Day <i>not</i> in jail is really amazing. Loyal to the end, these guys. Not to mention the devastating fact that Mateo's dad is in hospital and unable to <i>see </i>Mateo before dying.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>They Both Die at the End<i> is a sobering exploration of death, and living, as we follow two teenage boys who are going to die today. Told with wit and humour, Silvera reminds us of the importance of living life to the fullest - after all, </i>we <i>don't get a warning in this world when we're going to die.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Favourites:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"I </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">approach the elevator and peek over my shoulder at Rufus, this stranger who's following me. I don't feel uneasy, but I am guarded. He talks like we've been friends for a while, but I'm still suspicious. Which is fair, since the only things I know about him are that his name is Rufus, he rides a bike, he survived a tragedy, and he wants to be the Mario to my Luigi. And that he's also dying today. (25%)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"'Y</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ou're right. You're totally right. It's all going away, everyone and everything is dying. Humans suck, man. We think we're so damn indestructible and infinite because we can think and take care of ourselves, unlike pay phones or books, but I bet the dinosaurs thought they'd rule forever too.'</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'We never act,' Mateo says. 'Only react once we realize the clock is ticking.' He gestures to himself. 'Exhibit A.' (56%)</span></blockquote>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/they-both-die-at-the-end-adam-silvera/p/9781471166204?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="http://www.booktopia.com.au/they-both-die-at-the-end-adam-silvera/prod9781471166204.html?clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkhVWd09ewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/They-Both-Die-at-End-Adam-Silvera/9781471166204?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/They-Both-Die-at-End-Adam-Silvera/9781471166204?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9781471166204&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=They-Both-Die-at-the-End">Book Depository</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.adamsilvera.com/">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AdamSilveraAuthor/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSilvera">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adamsilvera">Instagram</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://mashable.com/2017/02/10/adam-silvera-they-both-die-at-the-end-cover-interview/#KX8nh7KpqPqF">Mashable Interview with Adam Silvera</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/adam-silvera/they-both-die-at-the-end/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kirkus Review</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/72536-four-questions-for-adam-silvera.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Publishers Weekly: Four Questions</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.germmagazine.com/adam-silvera-talks-about-his-latest-novels-more-happy-than-not-and-history-is-all-you-left-me/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">GERM Magazine: Interview</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</span></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-12325195793723370702017-09-24T15:30:00.000+10:002017-09-24T15:30:27.463+10:00[Review] Shoebox Funeral: Stories from Wolf Creek by Elizabeth Voltz<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA_3GMR37o_FwZKcnZwB3z-zVJhZkLENBdAChC4L89d1C2aPSwdvQOBggQpWO2LG_HWX2TFnhX1scjjL7JetCoBnU9iA4_rprE3bdkXrMIJbr9RV9obFcp-XhtCRsr-hUTRT2t54a7enQ/s1600/31944854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA_3GMR37o_FwZKcnZwB3z-zVJhZkLENBdAChC4L89d1C2aPSwdvQOBggQpWO2LG_HWX2TFnhX1scjjL7JetCoBnU9iA4_rprE3bdkXrMIJbr9RV9obFcp-XhtCRsr-hUTRT2t54a7enQ/s320/31944854.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31944854-shoebox-funeral"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add to Goodreads</span></a></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">27/06/2017</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Animal Media Group</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>265</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Publisher for review</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> Non-fiction / memoir</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>Sexual Content</strike></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>Profanity</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbjIH5pvT5A">Disney - You've Got a Friend in Me</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;"><i>Shoebox Funeral</i> is a carefully crafted compendium filled with precious memories and anecdotes of a childhood spent on a farm.</span></b> The experiences of Elizabeth Voltz and her ten siblings and parents are shared with delicate eloquence, making this memoir an <u>absolute gem</u>. I loved reading about the myriad many animals that lived on the farm over the years; while their deaths brought about much distress, it was heartwarming to know how well-loved they had been, and the resounding influence that they had on Elizabeth's upbringing is inspiring. </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Published through Animal Media Group, <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">this memoir is painfully gorgeous</span></b>. Cloth-bound hardcover, perfectly bound, with ribbon marker. Gold-foiling around the cover and spine. And the illustrations! There is even a 'photo album' at the back. <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">There has undoubtedly been so much love put into this book, my heart aches.</span></b> Many, many thanks go to Brianne for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Little did I know just how much I would love it - <u>I can already see this in my future bookshelves, perhaps reading it with my children one day, peppering them with magical stories of a childhood made full, perpetually surrounded by animals and siblings on a farm.</u></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">The language used is relatively simple</span></b>, and it is easy to believe that you are reading a children's book. The book is broken up into chapters, each telling a story about another animal or creature that deeply affected Elizabeth as a child. For an animal lover like me, this was such a treat, though it was a bit depressing at times.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During my earlier years, I would spend hours glued to the television screen, playing a simulation game about farming: Harvest Moon. I would fantasise about life on a farm, and imagine just how lovely it would be to live off the land, where hard work is rewarded.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reading this collection has made my childhood self super happy! I loved it, loved it, loved it! <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Highly recommended if you love animals, farms and short story collections/memoirs that are sure to lift your spirits and warm your heart.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> would sit in the grass on the hillside, gaze fixed on the plots for what felt like hours, saddened by the effect of time both on my memory and on the graves themselves. Each animal I got to know on the farm had their own personality quirks; in fact, they weren't that different from people, just less appreciated. Less respected. I felt they needed an advocate or at least someone to mourn them when they were gone. Every creature deserved acknowledgement, I thought, and to not even receive that was the saddest thing I could imagine. (3)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he land was like another family member that knew everything that had happened there and could understand and comfort like no one else. The farm was in us, and Wolf Creek ran through our veins like blood. (9)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-82058150347780812522017-09-21T15:30:00.000+10:002017-09-21T22:46:08.613+10:00[Review] Flying Through Clouds by Michelle Morgan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTALAD1FEWu3CzD1AzveyMuGRJOz3ylIQapKbaVBLtoNQbtNW_6v14RNAChgRdnJn5RX11lsSJib-G5e_B0oMDwqCqks9oDwkd7NkSH-xf_ux4tNqZzGZmZ22xM-BmKJl9jZPB6mlJ-bO/s1600/34649248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTALAD1FEWu3CzD1AzveyMuGRJOz3ylIQapKbaVBLtoNQbtNW_6v14RNAChgRdnJn5RX11lsSJib-G5e_B0oMDwqCqks9oDwkd7NkSH-xf_ux4tNqZzGZmZ22xM-BmKJl9jZPB6mlJ-bO/s320/34649248.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34649248-flying-through-clouds">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">02/04/2017</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Self-published</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>246</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Author for review</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> Middle Grade</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">3/5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly, I should express my gratitude to Michelle Morgan for graciously sending me a copy of <i>Flying Through Clouds</i> for review. I was initially drawn in by the cover, historical aspects, male POV and the fact that it is Aussie YA. Sadly, however, it never fully clicked with me and it was only my sense of obligation that had me see this through to the end. Despite my saying that, I do think that with the right demographic, this book could be a winner; it certainly did have lovely moments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Flying Through Clouds</i> is set in 1930s Sydney where we follow 13-year-old Joe's actualisation and pursuit of his newfound dream - to fly. Inspired by an impressive demonstration by famed pilot Smithy at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Joe writes a plan, to make his dream a reality.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think this book would be better suited for middle-grade readers, the writing style was quite juvenile; there was an abundance of short sentences and telling rather than showing. I also felt like the slower pacing let the story drag, and I'll admit it, I was bored. Even during the 'exciting' parts, I just couldn't bring myself to care.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joe is possibly a regular kid growing up in that time period, but I had trouble connecting with him, or any of the other characters. The only one I found slightly interesting was his older sister; if this book were about her I'm sure I would have liked it far better. And I suppose that's the crux of the matter: this book was not a book written for me. He seemed very single-minded and quite foolish at times, too. And very upfront with his thoughts, like he would say everything outright, even the secret stuff. Never seen a teenage boy act that way before, personally.. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He also enters a relationship with the girl he follows home from school every day. It's kind of creepy, and something I don't care to discuss more about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I do believe that the historical aspects were portrayed well, and I did like that we were able to see what Sydney life was like back in those days. I liked seeing all the location name drops, and even the plane jargon seemed to be well-researched.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/flying-through-clouds-michelle-morgan/prod9780995386501.html?clickid=yRQSe8WoHyGHybe2sBSP8VLQUkmwtwSlewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Flying-Through-Clouds-Michelle-Morgan/9780995386501?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9780995386501&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=Flying-Through-Clouds">Book Depository</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s1600/sig.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s320/sig.gif" /></a></span><br />
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-67923783355937962912017-09-16T15:30:00.000+10:002017-09-16T15:30:09.293+10:00[Review] Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7305RD5Doy5MrLOTN8UOnQRZ8WjXDjbKMtkse-fEI81PgQvYit1TUFbwFG72EoGa21UPVi0FtnhaE4EbsLL6BgCVShMBFXAYswYI3rsCZoXcpbjH9PeUO24EhfWDng5DNXPM8x7GRF6hk/s1600/31331865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7305RD5Doy5MrLOTN8UOnQRZ8WjXDjbKMtkse-fEI81PgQvYit1TUFbwFG72EoGa21UPVi0FtnhaE4EbsLL6BgCVShMBFXAYswYI3rsCZoXcpbjH9PeUO24EhfWDng5DNXPM8x7GRF6hk/s320/31331865.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31331865-alex-approximately">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">01/04/2017</span><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simon & Schuster UK</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>388</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Library</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7j0POfoQUo">Paloma Faith - Impossible Love</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5qU7p7yOY8">Ariana Grande - Love Me Harder</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYP-Ctg-jGLHWhwuAVRsn6ouHcMzNFAIBmWhRou-TdiObvt9JNPFBvUvrhsZQdQkX0Be06bmVRZg_WllZtlb6noLcGthTJmcd72NhLligkrfxXIBIYGTByW0Tm_5jCmac0J7fx0W9h6yBO/s1600/2halfstars.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">2.5/5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes, talking about a book that you just read is simply the best thing ever, leaving you with a smile on your face and sighing constantly, relishing and reliving the epic reading adventure you had just breathed in. Unfortunately, sometimes it's more like getting a filling at the dentist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Alex, Approximately</i> had so much going for it: <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">wicked California vibes</span></b> (awesome setting - tick!), cutesy summer hate-to-love romance with smarmy surfer guy, classic film fanaticism, good fashion and meeting an online friend for the first time. I liked the concept of it, and <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I was so ready to read a fluffy contemporary that would give me all the fuzzy feelings</span></b>. But I could not stop comparing this book to <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i>, just with like 90% less sex, and like yeah, it's good to see YA books that address sexuality since it <i>is</i> a big part of growing up, but on the other hand, it was kind of like, ew, gross, TMI.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, this story starts with tragedy, estrangement and divorce in the Rydell household. Bailey's dad moves out to California while she and her divorce-lawyer mum (ha) move to Washington with the new husband. When things go awry with that marriage, Bailey is quick to jump on the next plane out of there, to California (where her mutual film-geek online friend Alex lives). A self-proclaimed "Artful Dodger", Bailey decides to <i>not</i> tell Alex that she's in town. Instead, she's going to do some sleuthing and find him, you know, just so she can figure out if they would work out, maybe as a couple? (It's not stalking if it's for good intentions, she reasons.) But when she gets a summer job at a local cave-museum joint, the plans change when she just can't get the security guard, Porter, out of her head or out from under her skin...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, I enjoyed the first 200 pages of this book, which if you think about it is a good chunk of the novel. I adored the setting, and I liked following Bailey around town. She eats a <i>lot</i> of <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">churros</span></b>, apparently there's a churro cart along like every corner along the pier? And <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the museum job was pretty funky</span></b>, I liked the characters that she meets at the job, and just the whole thing in all. I love reading when characters have a job and it's like a big part of their life during the narrative. Some of the moments she shares with her co-workers were funny and memorable. Newsflash: working in ticket booths sucks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I also enjoyed all the film references.</span></b> Every chapter is paired with a memorable quote from a famous movie. Bailey also frequents the local DVD shop and dresses like her favourite classic movie stars, and she strikes up a conversation with a guy she thinks could be Alex because he looks like a film geek too, maybe, which was hilarious and all kinds of awkward. <u>One thing I didn't like was the fact that <i>Breakfast at Tiffany's </i>gets slammed</u> - guys, it is a classic for a reason, and the racism just shows a sign of the times. Ugh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing that really grated on me was the fact that <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">this book could have been like 100 pages shorter if Bailey had just been upfront about everything</span></b>. It is not such a bad thing to tell a guy you're seeing that you have an online friend who also lives in town, and you maybe tried to find him once so you went to some pretty crazy extremes involving a map and textas. I know that she's an "Artful Dodger" (and a child of divorced parents to boot), but it is frustrating to see unhealthy patterns in a relationship . . . and just in general how she didn't really try to open up to anyone about what was going on in her life. <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I wish that I could have connected with her a little more, but I just found her frustrating and clumsy, over-dramatic and awkward.</span></b> You would hope that a 17-year-old might have it a bit more together, but then again, she is her father's daughter. And yeah, there is a <i>super</i> traumatic past, which I sympathised with, but I kind of can't be stuffed to even go into that here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When a book is 300+ pages</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you need to like the writing otherwise you feel the length, which I definitely did. The <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">writing style and voice of Bailey was just not for me</span></b>, it felt kind of young for a 17-year-old, I think? It was very <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">casual and simple</span></b>, I guess I just like my writing to be a bit more well-crafted, and I know that this is YA but I expect more from what would be considered an older-YA title.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's talk about the <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">romance</span></b> now. I will be honest and say that I am extremely picky when it comes to romance. In fact, I prefer books that have no romance at all, at least there's no chance of messing it up. I just find that too often are romances cheesy, rife with cliche and cringe-worthy moments and lines. I heard that <i>Alex, Approximately</i> was super swoon-worthy, but <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I was not swept away like I was hoping</span></b>. <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">There <i>were</i> some cute moments, but I felt frustrated by their miscommunication and I got the feeling that their attraction for each other was just that: attraction. Lust.</span></b> It didn't seem like love to me, I don't know, it just didn't work. The middle was such a slog, it felt like in every page Bailey would think about Porter's sexy body and how just his touch makes her skin tingle, etc, etc. And yes, I know that feeling, but can a girl get her head on right and focus on something else every now and then? And also, the fight? Bailey is kind of simultaneously turned on and scared that he became like an animal, and I was just like, no, he's a guy. Guys <i>can</i> fight, doesn't mean they're animals.... <u>I guess I like my girls with a touch more independence and drive in them.</u> <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I did like Porter though</span></b>, and I found his weather-geekery and layers quite endearing. I also liked his family, and how they rose above their tragedy and feel so cohesive.</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How did Bailey not get who Alex was? Seriously? She must have a potato for a brain. I guessed it from page one. Feelings of anticlimax were through the roof when that <i>aha</i> moment <u>finally</u> came. *yawn*</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why even Davey? I felt like his whole story arc was a waste of space. Ick.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sorry. <u>Maybe the hype was the biggest letdown.</u> I was so sure this would blow me away and it just... didn't. Once again I get to be a black sheep. Don't get me wrong, there were some good things, it just didn't mesh well with me overall. Not when everyone else has been giving it 4/5 star rave reviews, saying this is a MUST READ. Luckily this was another borrow from the library, so this copy is going back where it belongs: among the shelves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e could be any one of these people.<br />After all, I don't know what Alex looks like. I don't even know his real name. I mean, we've been talking online for months now, so I know things that matter. He's smart and sweet and funny, and we've both just finished our junior year. We share the same obsession - old movies. We both like being alone.<br />If these were the only things we had in common, I wouldn't be freaking out right now. But Alex lives in the same town as my dad, and that makes things . . . complicated.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"J</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ust because I'm quiet doesn't mean I'm aloof. Maybe I just want to be alone. Maybe I'm not good at conversation. We all can't be cool and gregarious and </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey, bro, what up?</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> like he apparently is. Some of us aren't wired for that. (66)</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2038251146?book_show_action=true"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another review</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-1397563747384775532017-09-13T18:59:00.000+10:002017-09-13T18:59:25.159+10:00[Review] The Agony of Bun O'Keefe by Heather Smith<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDHLWFEjnd1NWkSM7wL_-YyNJkBNf-d1GxBwQ4I6jKQp0xtmlAWZ-QttovudlCGQZR9VBrxP2qV84hK7zaznN232i30Di5K3Ma06X8V_Vyqotw4ZsGBPAh87UEuGBqneG8HkHN3MV6Lls/s1600/35698989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDHLWFEjnd1NWkSM7wL_-YyNJkBNf-d1GxBwQ4I6jKQp0xtmlAWZ-QttovudlCGQZR9VBrxP2qV84hK7zaznN232i30Di5K3Ma06X8V_Vyqotw4ZsGBPAh87UEuGBqneG8HkHN3MV6Lls/s320/35698989.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33381295-the-agony-of-bun-o-keefe">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(dd/mm/yyyy)</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">05</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/09/2017</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>Razorbill Canada</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>224</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Netgalley</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a> | <a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/historical">Historical</a>}</span></div>
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</span> <span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5taFiXT5J90">Kimya Dawson - So Nice, So Smart</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG4oXPxUIGs"><i>Ingrid Michaelson - Home</i></a> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Warning: </b>suicide, sexual abuse, parental abuse/neglect, swearing, fighting, racism, prostitution and homophobia. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You know that euphoric, lovely feeling you get deep inside when you meet someone incredibly special, and you know that you will do anything to keep them in your life because life has suddenly been split into two, before and after? <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c; font-size: large;">Meet Bun O'Keefe. </span></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>If I could choose to bring a literary character to life so that we could be BFFs, she would be one of the top contenders - <i><b><span style="color: #a8433c;">she's smart, witty, quirky, sweet and loving (to a fault), forgiving, adorable and incredibly, endearingly weird</span></b></i>.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bun has been brought up in one of the absolute worst environments ever, and it shows in her behaviour. She was just 5 years old when her father left, ever since then it's just been <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">her and her obese mother who <strike>likes</strike> <strike>loves</strike> lives to shop</span></i></b> (see: obsessive hoarder). <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">Living in a dirty, dusty and cluttered home</span></i></b>, random knick-knacks and junk form piles alongside the walls. When her mum tells her to "Go on! Get out!", <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">she steps outside and soon finds "Busker Boy" on the street, who takes her in and out of the cold</span></i></b>. He brings her home, where she meets many interesting twenty-somethings, <i><b><span style="color: #a8433c;">and so begins a heartwarming slice-of-life story about finding where you truly belong in the world.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Agony of Bun O'Keefe</i> is <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">set in 1980s Newfoundland</span></i></b>, a province off the east coast of <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">Canada</span></i></b>. <u>But you wouldn't really be able to tell because there isn't any description or cultural references</u>. I was hesitant to even classify this book as historical fiction because it reads exactly like a contemporary for me. I feel like there was a missed opportunity there, but this didn't deter me, not when there was such an amazing cast of characters to fall in love with!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the temporary accommodation, Busker Boy lives with an ex-Christian School-girl whose parents wanted her to be a nun, 'Big Eyes'; an aspiring cook with a heart of gold, 'Chef'; a drag queen by night, 'Cher', normal guy by day, 'Chris'. My heart! <u>I love how warm, supportive and loving they are to each other. Each of them have their own story,</u> their own reasons for coming to live at "six, yellow, blue". <span style="color: #a8433c;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Getting to know each of them was such a delight! And their struggles were so palpable, I just wanted them to find true happiness. I adored them all and wish I could have spent even more time with them!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Agony of Bun O'Keefe</i> is <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">written in first-person</span></i></b>; the <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">voice of Bun O'Keefe is distinct and unique</span></i></b>. It is strange being thrown into the mind of an alien-girl who has undergone great childhood trauma and was deprived of a healthy upbringing: she is shamelessly blunt and socially inept, finding great difficulty at times to think before she says something inappropriate or insensitive. It is hard to say if she is on the autism-spectrum, or if it is social conditioning, having been stuck inside a house with only a negligent mother as company. <u>Despite <i>everything</i>, she has an open mind and heart</u>, and allows others in as no one ever let her in. She opens herself to love, to a new family. <u>I loved that she maintained a strong spirit and rarely ever expressed a hateful thought, she was like a child, you know how blunt and black-and-white they are?</u> I could go on and on, but I'll let you find out the rest for yourself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">The writing itself is absolute gold.</span></i></b> While the descriptions are lacking, which I already mentioned previously, I didn't feel like the story was missing out on much. We are invited into the brain of a teenage girl who has survived and escaped an unimaginable home life, her observations and somewhat primitive way of describing and reading others is <b><i><span style="color: #a8433c;">cleverly written and an accurate representation of the effects of childhood trauma</span></i></b>. Smith implores you to read on - this is the kind of book I could easily have finished in one sitting if I had had the time!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #a8433c; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Agony of Bun O'Keefe was more than anything I could have expected! I adored the characters and wanted them to find their own slice of happiness. Bun O'Keefe is an amazing protagonist whose strong will and delicate naiveté is endearing and incredibly sweet. Readers will cherish her profound observations on life, belonging and love, and the lessons she learns from living with Busker Boy and the rest of the crew. Most of all, she learns what family looks like. A truly memorable read!</i></b></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>First lines:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"S</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he yelled, 'Go on! Get out!' So I did. It wasn't easy. The path to the door was filled in again. I tried to keep it clear. But it was like shoveling in a snowstorm. There was only so much I could pile up on either side before it started caving in again. Not that I left the house much.</span></blockquote>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Favourites:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"O</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n the long way home I talked about space: how Venus is the hottest planet and footprints on the moon will never disappear 'cause there's no wind to blow them away. I talked out loud till I got out of breath, then I talked in my head instead. I said six, yellow, blue to the rhythm of my feet till the house came into view. (12%)</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e passed me a towel. It smelled like a rainbow. I know 'cause I climbed one once in a dream. (13%)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"'N</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o, my darling, what I mean is, they think we're different, like strange alien beings.'</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
'And being different is enough to not like someone?'</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
'Sadly, yes.'</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
'If strange alien beings <i>did</i> exist, they might have something to teach us humans. But then we'd never know, would we? Not if people didn't bother to get to know them. Is that sad?' I asked 'cause I wasn't sure. But Chris didn't answer. I guess he was too speechless to say he was speechless. (22%)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"B</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eing human was hard. (37%)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"A</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nd just like that the lost book feeling was gone. The missing pieces were filling in and I felt as whole as I'd ever been in my whole life, so I said good night, closed my eyes and waited for the spark to burst. (44%)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e took the tin out of my hand and said, 'We're all damaged, in a way. But it's nothing that can't be fixed. You just have to kick out the dents from the inside.' (80%)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Buy</span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/the-agony-of-bun-okeefe-heather-smith/p/9780143198659?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/agony-of-bun-o-keefe-the-heather-smith/prod9780143198659.html?clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkhS5TW5ewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Agony-of-Bun-OKeefe-Heather-T-Smith/9780143198659?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a></span></span><br />
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</b> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Agony-Bun-OKeefe-Heather-Smith/dp/0143198653?SubscriptionId=19W23ZDBHQSV3SCGJE82&amp;tag=bookie09-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=2025&amp;creative=165953&amp;creativeASIN=0143198653" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Agony-of-Bun-OKeefe-Heather-T-Smith/9780143198659" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Book Depository</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><a href="https://wordery.com/the-agony-of-bun-okeefe-heather-t-smith-9780143198659#oid=1003" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Wordery</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-59412938792897724202017-09-03T15:30:00.000+10:002017-09-03T15:30:06.469+10:00[Review] The Dream Walker by Victoria Carless<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv7FbCsklgOhM5i5dD_txtynfDHlaSIK-242wjC9YQHnNqQBBd0hQazVUuE0M0IyIn63W2FCfI-U7991ohsP8n4cAcJpFJ4aZlPpBbjVR1kwXPiM8uMtDXR_9Cugeqji0_xG93VkyoXlr/s1600/34610673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv7FbCsklgOhM5i5dD_txtynfDHlaSIK-242wjC9YQHnNqQBBd0hQazVUuE0M0IyIn63W2FCfI-U7991ohsP8n4cAcJpFJ4aZlPpBbjVR1kwXPiM8uMtDXR_9Cugeqji0_xG93VkyoXlr/s320/34610673.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34610673-the-dream-walker">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">27/06/2017</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hachette Australia</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>265</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Library/Bought</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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</span></b> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/loveozya">#LoveOzYA</a></b><br />
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</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmhOVonuOcU"><i>Taylor Swift - Sad Beautiful Tragic</i></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2VcTcb74JY"><i>John Mayer - Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Cover)</i></a> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">4/5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Dream Walker</i> was <b><span style="color: #073763;">dreamy, atmospheric and wholly engrossing</span></b>. Carless' lilting prose wrapped me up and pulled me under; I became helplessly attached to the story and its characters, as if in a spell, or a dream. While the <b><span style="color: #073763;">depiction of small-town Queensland life, writing style and all its quirks were pitch-perfect</span></b> <u>I felt emotionally disconnected</u> from Lucy's struggles, disappointments and familial tragedies. Overall, <b><span style="color: #073763;"><i>The Dream Walker</i> was a mesmerising and beautifully written story about the complicated nature of family, dreams and friendship.</span></b></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Dream Walker</i> follows Lucy, a sixteen-year-old teenage girl who lives in <b><span style="color: #073763;">Digger's Landing, a tiny fishing town in North Queensland</span></b>, housing about 15 families in all. There are the dogs, named after country singers, all the tinnies out in the water hopeful for a good catch to stay in the money, and Alfie the local croc.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The heat swelters as every slow day plods along, and Lucy is sticking it out for the rest of the year so she can graduate and go to the city, get the hell out of here. <b><span style="color: #073763;">She and her best friend Polly have been planning this dream escape</span></b> ever since they can remember . . . but when the fish start disappearing - just like it did years ago when Lucy's mum's body was found in the waters - and Lucy starts entering other peoples' dreams, things might be a bit more complicated.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #073763;">I loved the depiction of Digger's Landing.</span></b> In fact, I may as well say that I love reading about small towns. This may or may not be due to the fact that I live in Sydney. Albeit, not in the heart, but the suburbs, but still, the idea of living in a small town where everyone knows each other, fascinates me to no end. Carless writes that lifestyle so well, and imbues her own experiences deep within the voice of Lucy so that she feels genuine, real. Lucy feels trapped in this place. It probably doesn't help that she and her father have this awkward, stilted relationship, and it seems that there are more secrets in the family than she knows.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #073763;">Family is such a big theme in this book.</span></b> I liked the <u>exploration of this father-daughter relationship</u>, where they spend most of their time together in the tinny, trying to chase down the fish as they travel along the waters. <b><span style="color: #073763;">Her father is a man of few words. The opening lines shows a lot about how the town seems to think of him</span></b>, which plays a bigger role as we get stuck deeper in the narrative. It was also great to see how Lucy responds to knowing more and more about her mother, and the special bond that they share. Lucy's other friends, Polly and Tom, also deal with problems with their families.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So there's Tom. Tom, Tom, Tom. I feel like I will need to reread this book one day, I'm sure that Carless had subtly hinted things, things you would only really understand fully when you know how it ended. <b><span style="color: #073763;">Lucy has this love for Tom that is complicated and then not, and it's beautiful and confusing and it felt so true to life.</span></b> As it stands, I still don't know how I feel about him, like I feel like I should feel more about him, you know?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #073763;">The characters in Digger's Landing were great.</span></b> I liked drunken Syd Lawler and the complicated relationship he bears with his family, namely his children who were punks, except for maybe Sadie, the youngest. I liked Mrs Parker, the kind elderly lady who runs the corner shop that is nowhere near a corner. Even Mr Sinclair, the bus driver, who seems to be more connected to Lucy's family than she ever thought possible. And then there are all the dogs, particularly Glen, who is like the chief assistant of the Hart family, always accompanying them in the tinny, hopeful for a big catch.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lastly, the <b><span style="color: #073763;">narrative built up towards a bittersweet ending.</span></b> Everything has come full circle, but Lucy is not the same girl she was at the beginning, and neither is her dad. I feel like I should have learnt more, or that maybe I missed something, it just seemed like there were such big changes but I didn't see it coming?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>The Dream Walker</i> is about the dogs and the fish. Readers will enjoy meeting all of the lively and memorable characters of small-town Digger's Landing in Queensland, Australia. Carless breathes life into her narrative with lilting prose, as atmospheric and dreamy as the dreams in which Lucy, the main character, walks into. Timeless and brilliantly written, readers will relate to Lucy's story of growing up and finding truth in a world built up by secrets.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"P</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eople around here say my father killed my mum. Not in a murdering sort of way, with a gun or anything. But in a leaving a dog on the chain too long kind of way. Not for the first time I wonder, does he know what they say about him? Does he care?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My father looks past me, hunkered down in the nose of our battered tinnie, as he eases the boat up a corridor of the creek. Glen is wedged with me in the prow, an excitable wet lump. He slurps at his privates and then my face. The water is his favourite place to be. He wouldn't have life any other way. These days, the rest of us can take it or leave it.</span></blockquote>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Favourite lines:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e sees me looking, searches my face too and then instead of a school disco we hold our own dance in the bush, just the two of us. The bulldust is our smoke effects and the full moon is our mirror ball. (122)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"O</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n the way home I walk by the creek, in the relative shelter of its scrubby bank. This waterway is our lifeblood, where we live and die and eke out miserable lives that mean nothing to those who live in town, but everything to those at Diggers. The creek holds our memories.It is where we go to shed tears and to laugh. To sneak out to smoke or to love. I think the creep keeps our secrets. It is awash with the confidences of the whole town. (146)</span></blockquote>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/the-dream-walker-victoria-carless/p/9780734417473?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-dream-walker-victoria-carless/prod9780734417473.html?clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkmxu5wBewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/a/b/book_9780734417473.htm?utm_source=booko&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=deeplink">Boomerang Books</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22460441839&clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkmxu5w1ewb4Ts0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-259877-_-77416&ref=imprad259877&afn_sr=impact">Abe Books</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[Video] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFgPrUvIrgE">Get to know Victoria Carless</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[Video] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vigGR8HlfTw&t=118s">Talking <i>The Dream Walker</i> with Victoria Carless</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-76186816006982964682017-08-30T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-30T15:30:16.291+10:00Waiting on Wednesday (56)<div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbufCuUqNPE3iniQ9y7wlyuZ0Ke229aULJ01cBJuk_JcMrE8GtkMd0NUEjFB0pqb30UWUInqGulie1b6nkipW3E0BRVz7NpI3wDhCulfI3wTvTrZiuGgeQlFvqJkn9cPurN91Hm3js_tw/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="188" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491001470942598834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbufCuUqNPE3iniQ9y7wlyuZ0Ke229aULJ01cBJuk_JcMrE8GtkMd0NUEjFB0pqb30UWUInqGulie1b6nkipW3E0BRVz7NpI3wDhCulfI3wTvTrZiuGgeQlFvqJkn9cPurN91Hm3js_tw/s200/New+WoW.JPG" style="padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill @ <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33306347-tower-of-dawn" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497987643l/33306347.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas</b></span></div>
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September 5 2017<i> | </i>Bloomsbury Childrens</div>
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{<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33306347-tower-of-dawn">Goodreads</a>}<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.</span></i></b><br />
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<u>Why am I waiting on this?</u></div>
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We're almost there, almost end of the series! I have high hopes for this one, I'm hoping we really get into Chaol. Maybe some love will be restored to this once-revered character.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32969999-a-semi-definitive-list-of-worst-nightmares" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493649310l/32969999.jpg" width="205" /></a><b><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland</span></b></b></div>
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Septemer 5 2017<i> | </i>Penguin Australia</div>
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{<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32969999-a-semi-definitive-list-of-worst-nightmares">Goodreads</a>}<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobvWCKMT7g5eVaiO6POR0esA2_EMPe1QIpjvQNT-H4e8qFV29IE8u0HQ64iCLZAUYoiCztdLE6crmyFZZm6EtXuutaR7zSweCviY14f2clrzSOnVz_-pfjKGtpabYTThfZVGt_BovrHwm/s1600/Australia_Icon.jpg" /><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...the hilarious, reality-bending tale of two outsiders facing their greatest fears about life and love one debilitating phobia at a time.</span></b></i><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">
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This sounds like such a fun book, plus - hello! - more #LoveOzYA! Sad that I won't be attending her book event!</div>
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<b>Comment and let me know what upcoming releases you're waiting on!</b></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-11551179083378375072017-08-24T15:30:00.001+10:002017-08-24T15:30:04.252+10:00[Review] The Whole Stupid Way We Are by N. Griffin<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTw4LOQBJPu-XMxZkmeT2u5Dcr4dY5L8p5zSlbT2xx4O1YxCMN1r75o78RcglWUDrgpxUahWZjjI2W22iSo5W5B8ynRiw8hyphenhyphenO_NZ0P-qVohLIEuC8Chl9vkt5nU0DYZcuTaBTOLKYYdxdq/s1600/18051151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTw4LOQBJPu-XMxZkmeT2u5Dcr4dY5L8p5zSlbT2xx4O1YxCMN1r75o78RcglWUDrgpxUahWZjjI2W22iSo5W5B8ynRiw8hyphenhyphenO_NZ0P-qVohLIEuC8Chl9vkt5nU0DYZcuTaBTOLKYYdxdq/s320/18051151.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18051151-the-whole-stupid-way-we-are">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(dd/mm/yyyy)</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">04</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/02/2014</span><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atheneum Books</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>368</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Library</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span></div>
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</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>Sexual Content</strike></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ">Ed Sheeran - The A Team</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9iBmP-Jpsk">Pink - I'm Not Dead</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh dear. I had to force myself to finish reading this one, and I only wanted to push through so that I could dust off my hands and start on something that might be more palatable. Since this one was borrowed from the library, and not a book that I feel I need to do justice by my review, I'm just going to rant and talk about it informally.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Whole Stupid Way We Are</i> follows two teenagers, Dinah and Skint. They have been friends for as long as anyone can remember, and they are inseparable. There's a barely-there plot, focusing more on the day-to-day lives and happenings of the two and some other characters. Determined to help the needy, they plot and scheme ways to <i>help help help</i>. Meanwhile, Skint's family is crumbling apart: Mr Gilbert, Skint's dad's dementia is getting worse and worse.</b></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At first, <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">I liked the subdued tone and chilly atmosphere and mood set in the book</span></b>. Griffin does </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">not</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> let you forget about the freezing temperatures, and the fact that Skint always goes out without a coat is shocking and confronting. <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">I liked the setting of Maine</span></b>, and I think that Griffin did a nice job of placing the reader within the location, making this one a <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">great winter read</span></b>.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">written in present-tense third-person perspective</span></b>. We mainly read from Dinah's perspective, but there were also bits where we gain further insight into Skint's life, separate from Dinah. The parts that Dinah doesn't know about until much later. <u>The writing unfortunately fell flat for me.</u> <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">I felt so much disconnect from the plot and the characters, and I found myself not really caring what happened to them.</span></b> I feel like in this instance, first-person would have allowed us to gain more of an understanding as to <i>why</i> Skint was acting out in a certain way. Instead, I found him to be erratic, rash and extremely angry, but I couldn't get a feel for what was in his heart, so instead of being able to empathise with him I began to cast him off as being overly reactive and rebellious, rather than try to see things from his perspective. Same with Dinah.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Dinah and Skint were apparently fifteen years old but they acted much, much younger than that.</u> I'm not sure if the author was trying to convey a grand point here, something about how their home situations stunted their emotional intelligence and thus made them act out in immature ways. In either case, it just made me feel tired trying to follow their thought processes (see above: I did not understand how/why they thought what they thought). I just didn't care. Oh, and Skint swore. A lot. Which is fine, since they're fifteen, whatever. But when he acted like a ten-year-old and swore like a fifteen-year-old, it just didn't sit right with me. Eh...</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">This book is SLOW. Not much really happens.</span></b> While that doesn't normally automatically constitute a <i>boring</i> book, in my opinion, unfortunately in this case I almost fell asleep way too many times to count. I did like some of the things that Skint and Dinah get up to, and I liked their concept of finding FoEs around the sleepy town. But. It meanders.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>dementia </b></span>aspect was okay, I guess. I think parts of it were really spot-on. There are lots of families who struggle immensely and are stuck in that denial phase, trying to care for that person and pretending that things are fine--<i>we don't need a carer or to put him/her in a home, thanks</i>. <u>It was quite sad to see how much help they needed, this shows an example of what happens when the system fails to adequately support a family in need.</u> You can see that the mother has completely <i>lost the plot</i>, and Skint is unable to live a normal life, determined to keep his father at home rather than in a carer facility.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">it felt <i>so</i> overly dramatic at times</span></b>. I was left feeling like I was reading a soap opera, it was just too much. And it was only over the last, like, 80 pages.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of the last 80 pages, the ending? Ugh. Sorry, the <i>deeper meaning</i> was lost on me. I'm sure it was meant to be super deep and meaningful, but I felt so much anticlimax.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So yay for me for not DNFing this one! Now I can return this one to the library and never ever again wonder <i>what if</i>. For the longest time I had been wanting to read this one, unfortunately it was a complete flop for me. <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Read this one if you're having trouble sleeping at night. Or if you want to read a book about friendship (one win: NO ROMANCE!).</span></b></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>First lines:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"S</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">kint's in the pit because of Dinah. So she figures she better get cracking and effect his speedy release.</span></span></blockquote>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/the-whole-stupid-way-we-are-n-griffin/p/9781442431560?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-whole-stupid-way-we-are-n-griffin/prod9781442431560.html?clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkm0gIWFewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/a/b/book_9781442431560.htm?utm_source=booko&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=deeplink">Boomerang Books</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22423507926&clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkm0gIRtewb4Ts0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-259877-_-77416&ref=imprad259877&afn_sr=impact">Abe Books</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Whole-Stupid-Way-We-Are-Griffin/9781442431560?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9781442431560&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=Whole-Stupid-Way-We-Are">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/whole-stupid-way-we-are-n-griffin-9781442431560#oid=1003">Wordery</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-27398444356163550212017-08-23T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-23T15:30:12.919+10:00Waiting on Wednesday (55)<div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbufCuUqNPE3iniQ9y7wlyuZ0Ke229aULJ01cBJuk_JcMrE8GtkMd0NUEjFB0pqb30UWUInqGulie1b6nkipW3E0BRVz7NpI3wDhCulfI3wTvTrZiuGgeQlFvqJkn9cPurN91Hm3js_tw/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="188" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491001470942598834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbufCuUqNPE3iniQ9y7wlyuZ0Ke229aULJ01cBJuk_JcMrE8GtkMd0NUEjFB0pqb30UWUInqGulie1b6nkipW3E0BRVz7NpI3wDhCulfI3wTvTrZiuGgeQlFvqJkn9cPurN91Hm3js_tw/s200/New+WoW.JPG" style="padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill @ <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35698989-the-agony-of-bun-o-keefe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500376236l/35698989.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood</b></span></div>
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September 5 2017<i> | </i>Penguin Teen Canada</div>
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{<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35698989-the-agony-of-bun-o-keefe">Goodreads</a>}<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Little Miss Sunshine<i> meets </i>Room <i>in this quirky, heartwarming story of friendship, loyalty and discovery.</i></b></span><br />
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<u>Why am I waiting on this?</u></div>
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So I've already read this book. And it was honestly the best thing ever! Totally buying my own copy, I'm so grateful for the publisher for approving me on Netgalley! <3</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33918882-behind-the-song" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1489677421l/33918882.jpg" width="205" /></a><b><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Behind the Song: An Anthology</span></b></b></div>
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Septemer 5 2017<i> | </i>HarperCollins</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>In </i>Behind the Song<i>, fourteen acclaimed young adult authors and musicians share short stories and personal essays inspired by the songs, the albums, the musicians who move them.</i></b></span><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<u>Why am I waiting on this?</u></div>
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Honestly, there's aren't many authors I know of featured on this anthology, but I'm curious. I love music so I think this anthology might be interesting, and hopefully moving.</div>
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<b>Comment and let me know what upcoming releases you're waiting on!</b></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-25631754294860139272017-08-22T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-22T15:30:01.997+10:00Top Ten Tuesday: Required Reading for High School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at </i><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com.au/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a new topic is chosen, and I love answering questions so I'm going to try and post regularly. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Books I would include as Required Reading for High School</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cheated (again). Here are 12 books I would include in the curriculum if I had <i>le</i> power as a high school teacher. I've broken it up into categories - let me know if there are any others you would include in your list! :D</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>For the love of books</b></span><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="642" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NQYJV0dsWufCEK00LLXcWcBoglIzxjIfhO9uy8cCDoUXUY92BgVOfUESokEoUpjgJael6FMnge7vn1-p2VC2i-FxKQpxBlunwq7Z2GI-OPLSoInvL9VKs2dZMXRCd9top94bPFO7nj4p/s400/outof.png" width="400" /></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17726232-out-of-the-easy">Out of the Easy</a> || Ruta Sepetys</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/843126.A_Tree_Grows_in_Brooklyn">A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</a> || Betty Smith</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1118668.The_Book_Thief">The Book Thief</a> || Markus Zusak</b></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All three of these books feature young girls in less-than-ideal circumstances, but through the power of books they manage to keep their heads up above it all. Highly recommended for reluctant readers, maybe these will make them <i>believe</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>For the history nerds</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="641" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkquWNpZuSSpzm7xEkp1UiFrPxKPni7adUynmBHbUXiifqnvjzNOmLUht1Gl8CXSnCnYqZ1t5vEmxbd7-VvofJGrtZCJB6KuJyEujknuMQ3CLIpl9CIKe_VKo9Yzq677hyYlwwK5alhFB8/s400/outof2.png" width="400" /></div>
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<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33123250-the-things-we-promise">The Things We Promise</a></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33123250-the-things-we-promise"> || J.C. Burke</a></b><br />Set in Sydney, Australia during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 90s, very important for school kids who would know </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nothing</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> about all of that stuff.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35698989-the-agony-of-bun-o-keefe">The Agony of Bun O'Keefe || Heather Smith</a></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This isn't too history-heavy, but it's got a great vibe and voice, set in 1980s Newfoundland, Canada.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10306821-between-shades-of-gray">Between Shades of Gray</a></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10306821-between-shades-of-gray"> <b>|| Ruta Sepetys</b></a><br />Set in 1941, Lithuania, during WWII and fills in an unknown piece of history. It is simply beautiful and heart-wrenching and super accessible.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bullying/social media PSA</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="641" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2odVqo8TDdgfMqDlFxhnW1XC7VjFHdbqkrqCjiodKtf-yyG5meYHWd8unif9aNBrxs73QVsww6WdDE6QA89ZIxqFWagwcczNOI8P1IEt5h1MPvXjTj8qpIGE5l9VCFbK8JSc9xXxo1JRQ/s400/outof3.png" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1217100.Thirteen_Reasons_Why"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thirteen Reasons Why || Jay Asher</span></a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33311867-my-life-as-a-hashtag"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Life as a Hashtag || Gabrielle Williams</span></a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6482838-before-i-fall"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I Fall || Lauren Oliver</span></a></b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I like about these books is it didn't feel preachy to <i>me</i>, the characters learn important lessons along the way and they have resonated deeply with countless amounts of readers. There are so many more books I could include, but these are possibly the most accessible due to their popularity? (Also, yay Aussie pride for Gabrielle!)</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life essentials</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCopGccDdC7lJ46moDLjim5p0gpIcj98Y4yKKKJVt_ii2QsAyVFSBm-Pe7hSRmTqG__sJ52ksFNUMSMDIj-JNpSWXhij3ebDiBhTGESJGZYhmM9RDxr1a6cTllUrTC2Cc9yBgEZY0gFY3/s1600/outof4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="642" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCopGccDdC7lJ46moDLjim5p0gpIcj98Y4yKKKJVt_ii2QsAyVFSBm-Pe7hSRmTqG__sJ52ksFNUMSMDIj-JNpSWXhij3ebDiBhTGESJGZYhmM9RDxr1a6cTllUrTC2Cc9yBgEZY0gFY3/s400/outof4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8621462-a-monster-calls"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Monster Calls || Patrick Ness</span></b></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642916-quiet"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking || Susan Cain</span></b></a></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34233318-they-both-die-at-the-end">They Both Die at the End || Adam Silvera</a></span></b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It almost goes without saying that I adore these books, each for different reasons. I <i>do</i> think that <i>Quiet</i> (probably <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398681-quiet-power">the teenager equivalent title</a> is better, but I haven't read it yet!) is one of the most important books that an introverted teen could read during their high school years. I always felt so odd and awkward and like I didn't belong as much as I wanted. This book basically celebrates the merits of introverts the world over, the underlying message: "Introverts like being alone sometimes, and that's okay." It's incredibly validating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s1600/sig.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s320/sig.gif" /></a></span>Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-66143289003342439562017-08-21T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-21T15:30:16.530+10:00[Review] Ballad for a Mad Girl by Vikki Wakefield<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2exz_2FrMf-UoPwRzJS_Oi_8Tk8rGIkiqPVjbogjUpVYpxpuD8DYj6zmafBsTAs4nqSBP_fQnjuDyTbR2RURmVNe3e2Ei9EQrRcKtCrC6vPUEQwB7uPIM72RN8z_PF5rmc9MlZQBgDFF/s1600/34691691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2exz_2FrMf-UoPwRzJS_Oi_8Tk8rGIkiqPVjbogjUpVYpxpuD8DYj6zmafBsTAs4nqSBP_fQnjuDyTbR2RURmVNe3e2Ei9EQrRcKtCrC6vPUEQwB7uPIM72RN8z_PF5rmc9MlZQBgDFF/s320/34691691.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33281816-ballad-for-a-mad-girl">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">29/05/2017</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Text Publishing</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>368</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Library</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span></div>
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</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twix375Me4Q">BANKS - Beggin For Thread</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/loveozya">#LoveOzYA</a></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">3/5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>I read Vikki Wakefield's debut novel and really enjoyed it</u>, and found myself connecting with the characters and story, it was lovely. This one? Not quite as much. In fact, <b><span style="color: red;">I'm still so confused as to what actually happened</span></b> that I fear my review will just be a completely incomprehensible mess. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Ballad for a Mad Girl</i> involves grief, death, fear, prank wars and rivalry between schools in a small Aussie town, a dog that won't go upstairs, pizza, friendship amongst misfits, and the voices and visions that may be all in Grace's head. Is she losing her mind or is there really a ghost, come with messages and secrets that can help solve a 20-year-old unsolved murder mystery?</b></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I really liked the concept of this book, and the writing had real gems interspersed throughout the narrative.</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> I liked all the little </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Aussie quirks</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, and the </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;">dialogue and progression of Grace's character</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and her descent were astonishingly </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;">realistic</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. The thing that got me was that I had no bloody clue what the heck was going on! Because this book is written in Grace's perspective (can you say </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;">unreliable narrator</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">?), we can only go by what she says, but a lot of what she says happens makes no sense at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>As the narrative progresses, Grace falls further and further down the spiral into madness. </b></span>She doesn't eat, she doesn't sleep. She's not the funny little prankster her friends know her to be - in fact, no one believes her anymore, <i>the girl who cried wolf</i>. She scares little kids on the bus because she has rashes and cuts all over, her eyes gaunt, hair a mess, etc. What really amazes me is the possibilities: <u>she <i>could</i> have a mental illness (like schizophrenia), or maybe she really is being visited by ghosts</u>. She withdraws from school, her friends and family; getting stuck inside Grace's head was really engrossing and disturbing. <u>I did feel a bit of disconnect with her character, but I appreciate Wakefield's writing because it was fascinating to be thrown in with this protagonist who is just so unstable.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As for the other characters, no one stuck out to me in particular. They were just okay. <u>I <i>did </i>like that there was no romance, however.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also <b><span style="color: red;">the ending must have gone right over my head</span></b>. It felt like a pipe dream (at the farm), and I don't understand why or how it happened. Was it just to show just how their family dynamics had changed, and how Grace is starting to come to terms with her grief, or is it something more sinister?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Ultimately, Ballad For A Mad Girl left me with more questions than answers and it's got me feeling very unsettled.</span></b> The mysteries were also solved in the strangest of ways, I really don't know how Grace connected all the dots, it just seems like it all fell into place in the end. However, <u>Vikki Wakefield has written another compelling and absorbing mystery novel, its main character Grace is unforgettable.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Quotes</span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>First lines:</b></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">"I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'ve been having hateful thoughts again.<br />
I wish I could cast them out like an airborne curse or summon a superpower through sheer will. I'd choose telekinesis over flying any day - slam some saucepans, smash a few ornaments, shatter a window. I'd drag my dad across the floor, slide him up a wall, pin him to the ceiling, and laugh like a maniac as I stroll out the front door.</span></blockquote>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Favourite lines:</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">"'I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'m fine.' <i>I'm scared. I'm not feeling like myself. I have this awful sense that I'm suddenly carrying the weight of a thousand terrible histories and my hands are not my hands; they're shaking and the veins are moving like worms under my skin.</i> 'How are you?' (36)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"'D</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o you remember what you said?'<br />
He shakes his head. 'Shitbiscuits, or some such? I don't know. It was a long time ago.<br />
'You said you thought your heart was going to beat its way out of your chest and the first thing that came into your head was some prayer about dying in your sleep. You said you were a goddamned believer, until you realised it was me.'<br />
'Wow. I was a verbose little turd, wasn't I? Shitbiscuits would've covered it.' (130)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-68363943122665751552017-08-18T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-18T15:30:08.351+10:00[Review] Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNzLzpjH0IqCST7qGeCOeSiaevlfeyhH9-hjcFr3DR3Hz4gEVkUnbq0u9MSUoKefKrQiHdHChDafFlb9p6wNLbWDQRdcfyZXRI-HkCulOX0gPjt8dIBrCCchRNeXpv8qPlNWbG-g_jLLq/s1600/33871765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNzLzpjH0IqCST7qGeCOeSiaevlfeyhH9-hjcFr3DR3Hz4gEVkUnbq0u9MSUoKefKrQiHdHChDafFlb9p6wNLbWDQRdcfyZXRI-HkCulOX0gPjt8dIBrCCchRNeXpv8qPlNWbG-g_jLLq/s320/33871765.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33871765-juniper-lemon-s-happiness-index">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">30/05/2017</span><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Penguin</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>308</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Giveaway</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sexual Content</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div>
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</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TVramXDRqQ">Michelle Branch - All You Wanted</a> </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJAPrrbLMIQ">Delta Goodrem - Wish You Were Here</a> </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪</span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index</i> came highly anticipated for me. <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I love books that explore the grieving process after someone has lost a loved one.</span></b> I also saw the US cover appear <i>everywhere</i> around release day, which only boosted my excitement for it. I'm still not all that fond of the US cover, and while the UK cover gives nothing away I prefer it for the pretty colour palette used. :) This book is just gorgeous! Now enjoy my ramblings, because my feelings for this one are a tad mixed.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Ever since Juniper Lemon's older sister died, the index cards marking her Happiness Index - the positives and negatives of every day, amounting to a measure of her overall happiness - have counted the days since. Every individual card marks another day. On day 65 she starts her first day back at school, and on that same day she loses her index card. On it, she's written her deepest, most shameful secret, so she will do anything and everything to find it. Meanwhile, her family is still not talking, about anything, buried under the heavy burdens of grief, and neither is her best friend.</b></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First off, let me mention that <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I liked the idea of the index cards</span></b>, and I liked the hilarity that ensues as a result of Juniper losing her Day 65 card. (I had a blast scouring through the school dumpster with her!) The whole thing was Juniper's big sister, Camie's, idea: to try and stave off Juniper's persistent pessimism. To try and look on the bright side of things. Now that she's gone, Juniper continues with the index cards, sort of as a way to remember her and honour her memory. <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Her parents also have their own ways of dealing with the massive hole that Camie left, and it was quite emotionally-draining to watch how broken this once-vibrant family had become.</span></b> I think that Israel portrayed that feeling of emptiness and helplessness very realistically, but it was hard to read at times.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index</i> manages to be a <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">fairly light-hearted read despite the heavy subject content</span></b>: death, domestic abuse, suicidal ideation, grief. I sped through this book and found it to be easy to get stuck into. There was a mystery aspect to it when Juniper discovers a breakup letter that her sister had written to a secret lover, undelivered before her death. I was aching to know who this guy was; Juniper becomes a girl obsessed, in more ways than one.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's talk about the characters.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I liked Juniper Lemon</span></b>, though her ways of coping with her sister's death seemed quite unhealthy. But <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">she has a good heart, which leads her to reach out and make some new friends at school</span></b>. Her creative writing was brilliant; its inclusion into the narrative was welcomed.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lauren, Juniper's best friend, does not know how to talk about what happened, so she avoids her. I'm sure that many friends do withdraw under these circumstances, but it was really unfair. Especially as a best friend. All that is left is this stilted awkwardness whenever they see each other, which had me squirming in my seat.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there's <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">all of the new friends that Juniper makes: Kody, Angela, Sponge and Nate. I liked them, but they never jumped out at the page to me.</span></b> I couldn't get much of a reading on them, didn't feel like we got to know them enough; <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I felt that the characterisation was lacking, so the characters aren't particularly memorable for me</span></b>. But I did enjoy the interactions and dialogues that evolved into friendships and the like.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then there's <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Brandon Sayers. I have such mixed feelings about him</span></b>, like I kind of liked him, but then I also thought he was kind of weird? I couldn't shake the initial impression I had of him: <i>he likes to burn things</i>. But his destructive behaviour serves as a sort of shield so that no one ever really gets to know the guarded and sensitive person within. <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">It was hard to fully understand him as a character, but I felt sympathetic to his situation.</span></b> Some of the things he did were highly volatile and definitely a result of his unhealthy upbringing. <i>I'm curious to know what would have happened to him afterwards.</i></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Love is a central theme in this book</span></b>: familial/sibling love, platonic love, and romantic love. The romance in this book was sweet at times, and some of their scenes were so cute that I couldn't help but smile, but I didn't manage to believe in the whole of it. I can't even fully place my finger on exactly why. I think I just didn't feel that romantic spark or chemistry between them? That said, I like that it developed slowly and it was definitely <i>not</i> a case of insta-love or love-at-first sight.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lastly, the ending. All wrapped up neatly in a pretty bow. <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">I felt like everything was resolved too easily, but I did like the lessons that Juniper learns</span></b>: that she can't fix everything, and she has to be okay with letting some things go. I do like that her family start to open up and actually talk about Camie's death. Conversation is good.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">All up, I finished reading this book feeling a little bit underwhelmed. I think I expected to <i>feel </i>more strongly</span></b>: I only got teary once! <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">However, I did enjoy reading this book</span></b> and would recommend it if you're looking for a book that centres on sisterly bonds and dealing with grief.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>First lines:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he girl in the picture doesn't look any different.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things you see: brown eyes. Honey hair to the shoulders. Natural eyeliner.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things you don't: stitches. A neck brace.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The sleep rings hidden beneath her makeup.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I lower my new student ID card. My throat is tight with all the changes I carry, but don't find there. Still, I'm grateful not to wear them like a flag on my forehead: <i>Ask me about my tragedy!</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's enough talk without advertising.</span></span></blockquote>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Favourite lines:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"'I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f you had the chance . . . If you could see Camilla again, what would you say to her?'</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'I would say . . .' The rain beats around us like a thousand hands; children laugh as they splash along trick-or-treat routes below. '<i>I love you.</i>'</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I closed my eyes again.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'I would tell her I'm sorry.'</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, so sorry. (173)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"'P</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ain,' he says, squaring me to look him in the eye, and my bloodstream sparks and spins at his warm touch, 'is like the good times: something that comes and goes. There's nothing you can do about that. The important thing'--he draws a breath, and it's almost like he took it from me--'is to live each moment for what it is.' (243)</span></blockquote>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/juniper-lemons-happiness-index-julie-israel/p/9780141376424?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/juniper-lemon-s-happiness-index-julie-israel/prod9780141376424.html?clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkm0go15ewb4Ts0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a> | <a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Juniper-Lemons-Happiness-Index-Julie-Israel/9780141376424?ref=261&affiliate_banner_id=1">Fishpond</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22481084402&clickid=yRQS9S1UbSSB1Tv0WwWGLT2AUkm0go11ewb4Ts0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-259877-_-77416&ref=imprad259877&afn_sr=impact">Abe Books</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Juniper-Lemons-Happiness-Index-Julie-Israel/9780141376424?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9780141376424&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=Juniper-Lemons-Happiness-Index">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/juniper-lemons-happiness-index-julie-israel-9780141376424#oid=1003">Wordery</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-49413651422677701982017-08-16T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-16T15:30:06.621+10:00Waiting on Wednesday (54)<div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbufCuUqNPE3iniQ9y7wlyuZ0Ke229aULJ01cBJuk_JcMrE8GtkMd0NUEjFB0pqb30UWUInqGulie1b6nkipW3E0BRVz7NpI3wDhCulfI3wTvTrZiuGgeQlFvqJkn9cPurN91Hm3js_tw/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="188" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491001470942598834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbufCuUqNPE3iniQ9y7wlyuZ0Ke229aULJ01cBJuk_JcMrE8GtkMd0NUEjFB0pqb30UWUInqGulie1b6nkipW3E0BRVz7NpI3wDhCulfI3wTvTrZiuGgeQlFvqJkn9cPurN91Hm3js_tw/s200/New+WoW.JPG" style="padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill @ <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33281117-take-three-girls" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496128835l/33281117.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood</b></span></div>
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August 29 2017<i> | </i>Pan Macmillan</div>
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{<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33281117-take-three-girls">Goodreads</a>}<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>One thing they have in common: each is targeted by PSST, a site devoted to gossip and slander that must have a source within St Hilda’s.<br />
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Who can you trust when rumour is the new truth?</b></i></span><br />
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<u>Why am I waiting on this?</u></div>
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#LoveOzYA! Three awesome Aussie authors. <3 Hyped!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385230-even-the-darkest-stars" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486069847l/33385230.jpg" width="205" /></a><b><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett</span></b></b></div>
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Septemer 5 2017<i> | </i>HarperCollins</div>
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{<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385230-even-the-darkest-stars">Goodreads</a>}<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Set in a fictional Himalayan kingdom, this is the story of a girl enlisted by a legendary explorer to help him climb the kingdom’s deadliest mountain – only to discover that his true mission may threaten her whole world.</b></i></span><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">
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This. Sounds. Epic! Also, how beautiful is the cover???</div>
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<b>Comment and let me know what upcoming releases you're waiting on!</b></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-75730301460607375332017-08-15T22:15:00.001+10:002017-08-15T22:15:02.670+10:00Top Ten Tuesday: Book Recommendations for the Verse Novel-Averse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at </i><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com.au/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a new topic is chosen, and I love answering questions so I'm going to try and post regularly. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Top Ten Book Recommendations for the Verse Novel-Averse</span></b></u></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>This week marks the first week back from the <i>The Broke and the Bookish</i> break away from Top Ten! In solidarity, I myself took a little break from it too. (That, and I'm too lazy to think of my own topics!)</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this one, it's sort of a free-for-all. I chose to recommend some amazing verse novels that I would throw into the unsuspecting arms of those who are hesitant to read verse novels. Moar verse novels, I say! Moar!!!!!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tough subject content</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Under the Mesquite || Guadalupe Garcia McCall <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8423931-under-the-mesquite">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We Come Apart || Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25310356-we-come-apart">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crank || Ellen Hopkins <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270730.Crank">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because I Am Furniture || Thalia Chaltas <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7091164-because-i-am-furniture">[x]</a></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From cancer and family, to racism, to drug abuse, to domestic abuse. These four books managed to deliver such tough subject content in poignant and meaningful verse, beautiful yet powerful at the same time. Not always easy to read, but deeply important stories!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>For the feels</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Day Before || Lisa Schroeder <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8922087-the-day-before">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #674ea7;">Chasing Brooklyn || Lisa Schroeder <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7805706-chasing-brooklyn">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #a64d79;">One || Sarah Crossan <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25895171-one">[x]</a></span></li>
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My heart breaks when I see these book covers, even. Especially <i>One</i>. I still don't think I'm over that one.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poetic books</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">The Lover's Dictionary || David Levithan</span> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10459537-the-lover-s-dictionary">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Sky is Everywhere || Jandy Nelson</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7953077-the-sky-is-everywhere">[x]</a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wintergirls || Laurie Halse Anderson</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5152478-wintergirls">[x]</a></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These ones aren't technically verse novels, but they all have poems, or are poetic on their own, each were largely powerful and affecting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Q: Have you read any of these books? Have you read many verse novels? Are there any you would recommend? Or, if you're verse-averse, why exactly do you avoid verse novels?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s1600/sig.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s320/sig.gif" /></a></span>Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-9048171275858824822017-08-14T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-16T23:18:17.912+10:00[Review] Laurinda by Alice Pung<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGO7fWjkqwj8PaKyRzi6sl5xekeB2kABIeuOv3kFA9Jjs6hAeAJZV2GtzU3wOiZaO3Yd_k81wQkQboTtZIsBJoW4ru1vWRbxMUqdcC2Iw89nkX2YyYSU9mWbMJQdNuAqyCdkxsST1TrWx/s1600/23514363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGO7fWjkqwj8PaKyRzi6sl5xekeB2kABIeuOv3kFA9Jjs6hAeAJZV2GtzU3wOiZaO3Yd_k81wQkQboTtZIsBJoW4ru1vWRbxMUqdcC2Iw89nkX2YyYSU9mWbMJQdNuAqyCdkxsST1TrWx/s320/23514363.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22603951-laurinda">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(dd/mm/yyyy)</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">22/10/2014</span><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Black Inc. Books</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>352</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: Library</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/contemporary">Contemporary</a>}</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>Violence</strike></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | <strike>Sexual Content</strike></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Profanity</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/loveozya">#LoveOzYA</a></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAQXg0IdfI">Joan Jett - Bad Reputation</a> </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsD4t4_W_YBB6yZFfS3sLzqSogWM5e1i_IrmN9OQAaSd0A7k5saVbX89GrapPxILlnuHsoovnKB5CceUQuRH8KVcmIDB2NvWZEl5VdEsjHEe71AFYe5MEEySVhht539KyMZVlghDl8Kdj/s320/4stars.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">4/5</span><br />
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</tbody></table></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: #6fa8dc; color: white; padding: 5px; width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I understand now. I understand why <i>Laurinda </i>is so well-known in Aussie YA, why it has been mentioned time and again as <u>one of the most prolific high school novels</u>. After having read Alice Pung's short story <i>In A Heartbeat</i> in the #LoveOzYA anthology <i>Begin, End, Begin</i>, and revelling in the unique format in which it was written, I knew with absolute certainty that it was finally time for me to read <i>this</i> book. And I <strike>enjoyed</strike> liked it, but it was a bit tough at times to stomach.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Laurinda</i> follows Lucy Lam, who has earned a scholarship to prestigious Laurinda, an elite private girl's high school in Melbourne, and all the struggles that come with adapting to a new school. Not only does she struggle with keeping on top of the more demanding workload - she is also subject and witness to bullying at the hands of the Cabinet, a powerful trio of girls who run the school.</b></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pung's debut novel is <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">written in the form of letters</span></b>, in past-tense first-perspective. This was an incredibly interesting way to tell the story, since I was constantly asking myself "<i>Who is Linh?" </i>I was quite awed by the level of ingenuity in this. <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">At its core, <i>Laurinda</i> is about Lucy's discovery of self and her own identity</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and I feel like this would be a really interesting character study.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Lucy was a fairly easy character to like.</span></b> <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>She is a hard-working teenage girl with a good head on her shoulders.</b></span> I empathised with her situation, particularly with regards to her difficult home life (like looking after her baby brother "Lamb"!) and how that impacts on her high school experience. It must also have been so tiresome to be singled out as like this "charity case", as the only "povvo" (and Asian), a scholarship kid in this prestigious high school. When the Cabinet takes more of an interest in her, you can already tell that things are going to go badly - I cringed when her parents, particularly her dad, saw any of them. Embarrassment! But more than that, <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">she stays true to her beliefs and morals, and does not <i>allow</i> that school to destroy her - her strength, determination and tenacity infinitely admirable.</span></b></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were some interesting characters at her school, but I don't feel like we got to know them well enough for me to form much of an opinion. I particularly liked Mr Sinclair, Ms Vanderwerp and Trisha.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There isn't much romance, which I liked. There was a boy that Lucy liked, and there are hints that they may get together in the future, but I like that there wasn't any focus placed on it. One of her classmates also has a crush on one of the male teachers.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Laurinda <i>could very easily have been written off as a </i>Mean Girls<i> rip-off or some such, but it is so much more than that. It explores social status and how power can lead to toxic behaviour. It explores identity and finding oneself in the face of adversity. It's about friendship, family and hardship. Lucy's year at Laurinda is memorable and shines a spotlight on some of the behaviours we can see at all-girls high schools.</i></b></span></div></div><div><br />
<div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: #6fa8dc; color: white; padding: 5px; width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Quotes</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>First lines:</b></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"D</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ear Linh, Remember how we used to catch the 406 bus after school, past the Victory Carpet Factory and the main hub of Sunray, through to Stanley? What an adventure, we used to think then. What a waste of time, looking back now. It was a waste of time because the bus would always worm its way back t Stanley, following exactly the same route, stopping at the same places and collecting the same people, who did the same things every same day.</span></blockquote><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Favourite lines:</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"A</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wounded ego and a wounded heart are the same thing when your love is unrequited. (109)</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"H</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ow strange high school is, that our reputations are in the hands of people we barely know, people we see every day and even sit close enough to that we can smell their sweat and see the bra straps falling from their short-sleeved summer uniforms . . . Popularity - and power - was based on things that could not be seen or felt - on ideas planted in other people's minds. (119)</span></blockquote></div></div><div><div style="background-color: #6fa8dc; color: white; padding: 5px; width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Buy</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AUSTRALIA:</b> <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/laurinda-alice-pung/p/9781863956925?voucherCode=ARBBKOSMOCBH&utm_medium=36408&utm_source=APD-Affiliate">A&R</a> | <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/laurinda-alice-pung/prod9781863956925.html?clickid=yKbwhnRMvXGfRDSUUzxYJ3aKUkm0z4zp7SVw1E0&utm_campaign=Booko&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&promoCode=QKTNCSYXGJVRKSMBKO">Booktopia</a></span></span><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>INTERNATIONAL: </b><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Laurinda-Alice-Pung/9781863956925?utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=usbooko&a_aid=booko&utm_term=9781863956925&utm_source=book_link&utm_content=Laurinda">Book Depository</a><a href="http://www.kennys.ie/lair-of-dreams-a-diviners-novel.html?refer_id=1"></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6f4ZHv9kXnAXolhw46jjIJE6UG4UXoh10teJE9AhdwL9fK91QqWHmeH0mnV8vhzUCKtvdlDfzm1fX07Qth44BJacBOtxaOPVuNEurElM9cGGYLJjHvKRxLOJZbJVutHaH0K-bGQGMNd-/s1600/page-divider-035.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6f4ZHv9kXnAXolhw46jjIJE6UG4UXoh10teJE9AhdwL9fK91QqWHmeH0mnV8vhzUCKtvdlDfzm1fX07Qth44BJacBOtxaOPVuNEurElM9cGGYLJjHvKRxLOJZbJVutHaH0K-bGQGMNd-/s200/page-divider-035.gif" width="200" /></a></span></div></div><div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><strike>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</strike></i></span></div></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s1600/sig.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfJZWdw0IqXlg6Dj8gQZb9ehAh8P4yT75c4IuYPBBx0ysCMiLpyWPc0tVFE1qgWO2jR5S2vOPNvUTpVXtEqIwACdyd8bXHiE3I38_5rnNrbdEV2pR-AnUdStkyXENtE-svLEKpmI1ECyX/s320/sig.gif" /></a></span><br />
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<div></div></div></div></div>Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528842631314674029.post-29932161854641658222017-08-10T15:30:00.000+10:002017-08-10T15:30:27.044+10:00[Review] The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQm0P75F1y_1_sAETpYjCzif07MEYX4SqEag7qBNuwKF9Vg7-95l9snPI_VAU93S2jQ-qNyojd__S-n5qGeWgmCaMzRlSX4Kp-HqqVif14K9Lg4wxexCaDz0uSrj1rLX88NGpdRbPFSasJ/s1600/34775591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQm0P75F1y_1_sAETpYjCzif07MEYX4SqEag7qBNuwKF9Vg7-95l9snPI_VAU93S2jQ-qNyojd__S-n5qGeWgmCaMzRlSX4Kp-HqqVif14K9Lg4wxexCaDz0uSrj1rLX88NGpdRbPFSasJ/s320/34775591.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34775591-the-crowns-of-croswald">Add to Goodreads</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">21</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/07/2017</span><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stories Untold</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>310 (ARC)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: For review</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> <a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/middle%20grade">Middle Grade</a> {<a href="https://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com.au/search/label/fantasy">Fantasy</a>}</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Violence</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>Sexual Content</strike></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>Profanity</strike></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Tunes</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♪ <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8LoxTeo4lM">Taylor Swift - Enchanted</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ♪</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Rating</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kRra0vlhr9wNx-DyqdS-zVeGqjM2Pzbu99H71SBMhU3nNh_RgNxQ32dA5l_KTQsCsvYHWnPInByOc7lt9jzz3WCHnj_Wrpr_y0R0QAwUZofDTDUJLb53OaOw-bnJb1KM-1RK6qPGQVkt/s1600/3halfstars.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">3.5/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My thoughts</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to preface this by expressing deep gratitude to D.E. Night for kindly sending me a physical ARC, in a special box of Croswald-related goodies, all the way across the ocean for me to read and review. The experience was <b><span style="color: #e06666;">positively lovely</span></b>, but I must admit that <i>The Crowns of Croswald</i> did have me scratching my head in confusion at times.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Crowns of Croswald</i> follows <b><span style="color: #e06666;">16-year-old scaldrony maid, Ivy Lovely, who resides at the Plum Castle by the Slurry fields, her only friend a dwarf</span></b>. After an unfortunate accident at the kitchen she is thrown out of the castle and stripped of her position, left to wander the fields aimlessly with only a rejected scaldron (dragon) as company . . . until she is discovered: <b><span style="color: #e06666;">she harnesses great magic within her and has been invited to study at the prestigious boarding school for Royals and Sqwinches--The Halls of Ivy!</span></b> Swept away from the only 'home' she has ever known, she learns more and more about magic, the world of Croswald, why strange things seem to happen to her, and most importantly who she really is.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">the first in what I would call a middle-grade fantasy series</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. While the main character is 16 years old, the writing style and many of the quirks, themes and </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">overall feel of the novel feels more catered towards a younger audience</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. That is not necessarily a bad thing, however. I enjoyed exploring the Halls of Ivy, meeting the professors and the crazy things that happen during classes. I liked all the puns and wacky terms used in this magical world. It did read </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">a bit like a Harry Potter/Cinderella crossover</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, however it was still quite enjoyable.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Ivy Lovely is a great protagonist</b></span>. <u>She is kind, brave and curious</u>, the latter two qualities leading her to many disastrous and hazardous situations! <b><span style="color: #e06666;">The friends that she makes at The Halls of Ivy are loyal and supportive of her efforts</span></b>, for maybe even they can sense there is something special residing within her, something far beyond the capabilities of a mere first-year Sqwinch. I liked <u>her roommate Rebecca</u>, whose 'crown' enables her to shape-shift into other creatures. And <u>Fyn</u>, who seems to always show up at just the right time, aiding in Ivy's adventure-seeking. Oh, and then there's the <u>elderly Winsome</u> who teaches Ivy more about magic than even her professors do! Although, I did have issues with how easily everyone else seemed to yield to every one of Ivy's requests. Even if it made absolutely no sense to them, they just went along with it?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The world building was interesting, and hopefully as the series progresses it will all make more and more sense.</span></b> I desperately want to know the origin of the Hairies, and whether they LIKE being in captivity and basically used as lanterns. I also want to know more of the specifics about the glenagerie bottles/worlds, and what disasters have occurred in the past. I also want to know more about the Crowns. And the Dark Queen! I'm pumped to learn more of her past!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As mentioned earlier, <u>I found myself confused with some of the plot, and some of the problems seemed too easily resolved?</u> Like, the whole scene in the ballroom near the end was kind of ridiculous to me. I also don't get how the rules just didn't seem to apply to Ivy, she seemed to get into trouble a lot and kind of just get away with it without so much as a smack on the bum. Sound like someone you know, perhaps another magical orphan with a scar on his forehead, hm? I'm also not entirely clear on the Royals/Sqwinches thing, like, what do the Royals become when they graduate?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">The story plodded along kind of slowly at times, only really picking up near the end.</span></b> Mystery after mystery lined up ahead and I rushed through the last hundred pages, eager to figure everything out. I liked finally learning about Derwin Edgar Night, who we meet in the prologue.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Overall, <i>The Crowns of Croswald</i> is a fun and enchanting introduction to the mystifying world of Croswald, full of lively characters, pies, magic and quirkiness. I will definitely be continuing this series as I am dying to know what happens next!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">"T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he village, well, it had a lot of secrets. And its secrets need to be kept safe. So, the town's name was like a key - those who knew the name could find the village. Let's call it The Town.</span></span></blockquote>
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</i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://denight.com/">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/authordenight">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authordenight/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/author.denight/">Instagram</a></span><br />
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</i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.</i></span></div>
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Casshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07568646164849243366noreply@blogger.com0