Review: Giovanni Meets a Coven

★★★★☆

Giovanni has had some bad luck, indeed. Losing his job and getting attacked by a floor buffer is just the beginning.

Giovanni Meets a Coven is the second addition to the Med School Series in which an Italian Med School student tries to survive through everyday life. Everything he tries do is ruined, though in an extremely comical way, by a some cosmic power. As a man of science, Giovanni refuses to believe in any kind of magic, even though he has just survived a night with a living-dead voodoo mamba. 

I really enjoyed  this one. Following Giovanni through all the mishaps and accidents made me feel a little bad since I sometimes couldn't stop laughing. With the little twist at the end made me wish it would've continued a bit further!

Rereading reread reads

A couple of days ago I felt like reading, but didn't want read anything new. So I took a stock of what I had read the past year and picked one of them. Which turned out to be the first of a trilogy, and now I've read the entire trilogy, again. It made me think that if it's a good or bad thing to reread books.

A quick search on the Internet brought me to this awesome article by Bustle and the joys of rereading books. Inspired by it I decided to make my own list.



Why rereading (reread) books is great?

1. Visiting places and meeting old acquaintances

Remember the first train ride to Hogwarts? I do too. Remember when Elizabeth met Mr. Darcy the first time? I do too. Those turns in books, or should I say in history, mark something to us. The turning point to something new, the beginning of something, or ending.

2. You have changed, the book hasn't

The book you read when you were 15 doesn't feel the same now. Why is that? Well, maybe you've grown up. Your perspective has changed and reading the same book you read years back may have something more to offer you. You might find an entirely new dimension in it.

3. The anticipation, the details you missed the first time

You know what's going to happen, but still it comes out of the blue. Rereading is not the same as reading for the first time, but one of it's advantages is that you can take your time when reading it since you already know what's going to happen. You can focus on the details it gives you. Oh, it was three streets over from where they first met?

4. Visiting old memories - finding out the clues

That's where they first met/kissed/broke up/solved the mystery! Visiting those old scenes bring up memories from the time originally read it. Where you were then and what happened at the time. And finding the clues that lead up to the main turning point in the book. That is the best thing!

5. Because you can

Why not? Because not always you want to explore the world. Because sometimes reliving the old memories is better than facing the present.

Some say that rereading the same books keep us stuck in the past, but how I see it, it's just walking down the best memory lane one can ever have.

Review: Bully

''Yesterday lasts forever, Tomorrow comes never.''

★★★★★

Not the easiest read this year. The themes are dark and the story teaches a lot. I had to take breaks from reading, before continuing, since this is not a light, happy love story.

After spending an entire year studying in France, Tatum returns home to begin her senior year. She hopes that things have changed, that she wouldn't be bullied again this year. She realises quickly that things have not changed and decides to face the bully. Upping her own game to revenge the past years she balances on the fine line of self-defence and bullying. The thing that makes it all so hurting is that her bully is her childhood friend Jared. The boy she thought she might spend the rest of her life with.

Not a bed-time story. You really get to step into Tate's head and in some parts it's not pretty. The line between bullying and defending herself becomes blurred page by page and it's not something easy to follow close by. I really enjoyed the authenticity of the situations and emotions portrayed.

Though the story-line seems fairly innocent, when you really dive in, it's anything but. Containing the bullying itself and sexual content this is not for young readers. Truly a remarkable book about how bullying can change people's lives.

Review: the Patriots of Mars

''Curiosity really might kill you.''

★★★☆☆

Confused is a word that comes to mind when thinking back to my experience of reading the Patriots of Mars. There were the Patriots, there was politics and scientific gadgets and all those other sci-fi bizarre things. The thing that I can't wrap my mind around is that when did the actual action start? Page 200 or was it 300?

The story is told from multiple point of views and introducing new characters without actually introducing them. That element was what I actually learned to like afterwards, not during reading. You don't get to know much of the characters, but still get enough information to know what's going on. The story spins around politics and artificial intelligence ''MOM''. MOM knows everything and controls it according to her calculations of what is for the best for mankind. She is much more than just a computer, she is a being of sorts that no one can control. 

Now you're probably wondering 'Hey, what about the Martians?' Uhhuh, they're there. Natural resources have run out on Earth and are mined from Mars. Running the operations are big companies, and doing the actual mining are immigrants from Earth. There also is a boy called Josh, can I say, the protagonist of the story and the first person ever born on Mars. What's his role in the whole book, that's is what you're going to find out way after the middle of the book.

In my first paragraph I wondered when did the action start in the book. I should warn you, you need patience for this book. You need to be able to read about 100 pages before anything even remotely makes sense and then another hundred to start to enjoy the story. For you sci-fi fans out there, I know that you might disagree with me on this, and feel free to do it! 

I really liked the fact that the Patriots of Mars didn't fall into a the usual pattern of Problem-Problem-Arguing-Back Together-Let's Conquer the World - caste. The words flowed and descriptions felt real. I really do recommend this book, even though if you are not a huge science-fiction fan, go, pick it up and try it!

Review: Destiny Binds

'' Did you wake up on the stupid side of the bed this morning?''

★★☆☆☆

This is one of those moments when the words run dry. I don't know how to explain the thoughts running through my mind. Did I like Destiny Binds? Um, yeah. Then what went wrong?

I'd say nothing went wrong, there just were things that to me didn't seem like thoughts thought through. Besides these mishaps, I think the plot was fairly original.

Harper ''Scout'' Donovan's family is nothing but ordinary, though she doesn't know it yet. Overhearing weird things from her brother and the mysterious brothers moving to the area. What she didn't know was that her half brother and half cousin were not exactly what they said they were. As the truth unveils, and the love triangle deepens, it all comes to a abrupt flat wall. And I'm talking about a figurative wall, not an actual one.

The ending was disappointing, though the cliff-hanger made it a bit better. Without the cliff-hanger, I don't know how this book would've make anyone to continue tot he second part of the trilogy.

Scout as a character is the only one who seemed to be fully developed. The others felt a bit like half filled balloons, there but not at their full potential. 

I'm not going to read the rest of the trilogy, since to me this wasn't a great book. I'd recommend this to a bit younger audience, around ages 12-17, I'd say. But there are times when a mindless paranormal romance is the thing you need never mind your age!

Photographing Books Should Be an Olympic Sport

Try to get your pet in the picture! If he/she isn't a fan of cameras,
you might end up with something like this.

Ever wonder how those bookstagrammers and pinners, and the lot, take those wonderful pictures? Are they just naturally talented or do they hire a professional? Or what?

I'm not a professional myself, and my Instagram tends to be a bit messy, but I can tell you a few tips and tricks when it comes to taking fabulous pictures!

STEP 1:

What and where. Pick the book and put it in place. When considering the place, take note of light: is there enough or too much. Too little light can affect the quality of the picture and too much light makes objects shine. Consider also that are you taking it for or against the source of light. Pictures taken against light tend to have the halo and silhouette elements.

I tried to get my cat's front-paws to the left side of the picture,
but Jamie had a different opinion...

STEP 2:

Knick and knack. Want to add little objects, like Autumn leaves or a cup of coffee? Those can be seen almost on every book-photo channel, right? Makes sure that the object you choose compliment the main object, in this case the book, and preferably relate to the book. For example, a wand for Harry Potter books.

STEP 3:

Perspective. High above or close-up? Depending of the other features of the picture. If you have a lot of light and objects then a close-up might get too crowded. Take from several angles, and then decide which one looks the best. The end result will be different in each picture since the light will be coming from a different direction and different sides of everything will be shown.

STEP 4:

Filters and other photoshopping features. Adding filters change the mood of the photo. Changing the balance of light and contrast or increasing the colour saturation will make it more or less dramatic than the original.

STEP 5:

Make it yours. Be a trendsetter. Or just do it your way. Have a blast!

Review: Need

I've been through the woods with this one, and not in a nice little city forest. In the beginning the hike was hard and I struggled to continue. In the middle the branches hit me in the face and hard. In the end I couldn't find my way out. When I finally did find out, all that was left of me was an annoyed feeling because of all those clichés had hit me in the face.

★★☆☆☆

So if you already didn't catch my meaning, I did not enjoy this book very much. Okay, there were elements that I liked, but as a whole, waste of time. That's harsh, I know, but what can you do.

What annoyed me the most was the similarity to the Twilight series and the plot holes. Like, the road had so many wholes that sometimes I forgot I even was reading book, because I had to find my way out or around them. What comes to the Twilight side, the main character and the setting in the beginning are so close that only the name of the town and the protagonist was changed. Thank heavens Need took a bit different path from that. What also didn't make any sense to me, was Zara's, the main character's, obsession with phobias. If there's someone wiser out there, please, do explain it in the comments below!

What I actually liked was that there was the love interest hanging around and the story didn't evolve around him, like in most books it does.

This was the first book in a series of four. Unfortunately, I won't be reading the next one. Still, I don't regret reading this. It always gives more perspective to other books, if you've read some book that you haven't liked so much in between great ones. And a change out of my usual genre really felt great despite Need not being the best book ever.

Reading challenges - the Ultimate Guides of Life

It's been a while since I've done something else than review. And now that my finals are over I'm going to review and do more things here. From now on I'm going to read furiously and write more reviews and posts here!

My newest feature on my site is the ''Reading Challenge'' page. It contains three challenges: The BBC - list, The 50 Before You Die, and 100 and 1 Books of YA.

Those challenges are the most common and feel free to copy them to yourself!

As you can see, if you already checked the page out, I did horribly on the first two. The YA list isn't with the best score either... Shame on me.

Most of us, myself included, do not take reading challenge lists too seriously. They're more like guidebooks to what to read next or what we should be reading. The only challenge most of us take seriously is the Goodreads' Reading Challenge. I stress that one more than my finals... Again, shame on me.

Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

''Like I said... the prologue is the best part.''

★★★☆☆

Just like a bittersweet memory from your childhood, this book makes you do the sad smile. There's no helping it. Aidan and Clare's story makes you think of your first crush or relationship. The sweet times, when we thought that life was perfect.

If you're looking for character development, you won't find it in Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between. The characters are good, if you're wondering, but they are not made to fit into a certain mold. The reader can/must fill many gaps. Which was one of favourite things in this book.

Since we're talking about Jennifer E. Smith's book it's obvious, to those who have read more of her books, how this books is going to end. I wouldn't say that the predictability lowers the quality of the book too much.

You get to follow the story from the first hello to the last goodbye. All the stops in between, the things that matter. The things that made Aidan and Clare's relationship theirs.

A perfect read for Fall and Winter. A book to curl up with, with a hot beverage and warm fuzzy socks. ☕

Review: Melody's Key

I'm having a really, really bad habit of finishing books during classes. Someday I might embarrass myself really badly, if I don't get out of this habit.

In books, there are two kind of clichés: The good ones and the awful ones. They're sorted into those classes by the plot, and what works in one book may just be the doom of a another. These sweet 'good' clichés were the best thing in Melody's Key. A summer romance, English countryside, handsome, world-known popstar, and love letters from a hundred years back. These made it perfect.

★★★★★

Tegan Lockwood's story is about love and loss. About trusting yourself and that everything happens for a reason. And when there's no reasonable explanation for something, you're going to realise it later on. Tegan is sweet, hardworking, and definitely a dreamer. Spending her evenings reading old love letters in their attic, and tending the gardens of her family's holiday estate during days in the idyllic English countryside. But then, a popstar literally pops in to spend the summer at their place. What neither Tegan or Mason, the pop star, knows is, that they might just find what they're both looking for in the backwoods of England. 

All the characters are well developed and the plot was well tied. I couldn't find any obvious loose ends or cutting the corners. The letters were missing in some point, and I really missed them being a bit more tied to the plot, but in the end it may not have made any difference if they were mentioned three more times in the middle. 

Definitely if you haven't already started reading Melody's Key or you have, but didn't know, go check out the songs written in the book. They can be found on Dallas Coryell's Youtube page! They give an extra kick to the story. I found them after reading and now everything that was crystal clear and made sense, makes even more sense.

Definitely worth reading, and even though it's a summer romance, it can be read all year around, since the book is just so lovable.

Review: Anew

Cliche of the cliches. Two over six feet tall strangers, who just happen to be dark haired twin brothers who just happen to be gorgeous looking. Oh, and the female lead just happen to be the love-interest of both the boys.

★☆☆☆☆

Not to only stomp over Anew I must confess that there were a few decent points to this book. I thought the plot to be fairly original and the main points and attractions well placed.

Buuut, everything else. Ugh. No, no über negative thoughts. 

Following the story of Scarlet, who wakes up in a forest alone with no recollection of her whereabouts or memories of how she got there. The story skips to two years later, when she's seventeen, into a local Kissing festival, where she notices a dark handsome stranger. The stranger introduces himself as Gabriel Archer. There's something familiar about Gabriel Scarlet can't figure out, but no memories surface. There's another one too, who looks exactly like Gabriel, but no one seems to know who he is. Scarlet feels a physical pull towards this another male, which she can't explain. Her relationship with Gabriel deepens, but with it comes also the feeling that Gabriel is keeping something from her. The truth is about to reveal and change her life, again...

In some books, cliches are good. In some, they kill the whole thing. Unfortunately, that's what happened with Anew. Originality reached so far as the main idea, but the end-result left me on the brink of absolute annoyment. I definitely recommend to read this, since I think this one is either absolute love or hate. Maybe for younger readers, under 16 or so. All in all, I don't say I hated this from the bottom of my heart, but I strongly disliked it, because of good writing which was concealed under over-flowing cliches.

Review: Touch of Power

I am ashtonished that I have never heard of this book before yesterday. And I must say that I am really glad that I decided to pick it up instantly. 

★★★★★

Let's move on. Holy mother of the gene that allows people yo write such amazing books. Now, let's do one of those 'imagine' things. Imagine a meadow, sunshine, birds and sunny weather. Imagine romantic background music. Imagine someone running slow-motion and the loved one waiting on the other end of the meadow. Now imagine me doing the running and the next book of the series as the loved one. I hardly could contain myself to write this review before starting the next book. So, Touch of Power was that amazing.

Following the story of a twenty-year-old Avry of Kazan, a healer who is hunted for execution just because she is a healer. Avry gets caught and is sent to the prison, with the promise of short visit, since the guillotine was waiting. And the visit is short, but doesn't end with her head separate from body, because of a band of rogues who save her. But, there always is a but. She must heal a prince. A prince who the rogues claim to be the only one capable to stop the other kingdoms of hunting down the healers. Reluctant to heal the prince, Avry is forced to follow the band on the journey to the prince's hiding place, even though the healing might be the last one she's going to do. If she decides to do it at all.

Avry of Kazan was real. Like, not over confident, fearless or stupid. Which is a bit unusual for a strong female lead. Because she was a strong leading character. Not only did she heal the bodies and hearts of the other characters, she also took their scars. And that's something else. Her, can I say charm?, reached each and every one in the book and even me. 

You're probably wondering that if there is a love triangle, or even just the reluctant, sassy, grumbling man, whose heart Avry must defrost. The answer is yes, but it certainly is not the point in the book. Not even close. Just an extra piece of swoon, to spice the story. 

If you haven't already read this one, go pick it up and add it to your TBR! 

Review: Kings or Pawns

★★★★☆

I had no idea that a bunch of old guys could be so entertaining.... No, seriously.

When you start a book, you begin to look for the ending. Does the boy get the girl? Will the world be saved? And so on. And to me that was the hardest part. I couldn't get into the story properly until I stopped looking for the ending. And oh my sweet morning latte with extra espresso, did it get good. And when I talk about good, I mean good.

The story is told from multiple point of views, which in the beginning might be slightly confusing, but after a few chapters you'll get used to it. It actually only compliments the story, since the book is about politics and war of elven kingdom, there never is only one side to the happenings. And usually there were a bit more than three fingers in the pot. Which made Kings or Pawns awesome.

I'm not into politics at all, but this, wow. After the first few chapters I felt so captivated that I didn't want to stop. The plans to destroy others, while gaining personal profit were great. They even got me, even though I knew they were going to happen. This book kept me on my toes until the very last word. And a bit beyond.

As for characters I have to say that none of them were left unfinished, which usually is the problem while handling such a huge group. Also the differences between character's personalities and differences in their social statuses could be found clear as a day on the page. The relations between all of them was The Thing. When one wanted to win a war, the next wanted to control the king, while the next one wanted to take over the kingdom.

I still don't think I've found the right words to describe this book. Just raw emotions, politics, and absolute brilliance.

Thank you J.J. Sherwood for giving this book for reading and reviewing! I am hugely excited for the next one!!

Review: Me Before You

"Hey, Clark,' he said. 'Tell me something good."

★★★★★

I turned the last page over two days ago. And before this moment my head has been empty of ideas to write. Now I'm ready to move on.

Many say, that you don't know what losing someone is like until you actually experience it. After reading Me Before You I think I can say that I know a fraction of the real pain. 

Following the story from the point of view of Louisa Clark, a young woman who is so far in her comfort zone that there's no sign of danger. Until she loses her job. Her comfort is shattered in seconds and she's left to scrape the pieces. Her saviour is not the knight in a shining armour but Will Traynor. A man whose interest in life escaped with his ability to move after a traffic accident. 

Lou is determined to get the old Will back, but it's not so easy. Will too is determined, unfortunately his determination is aimed to forgetting everything he used to be. Lou is not having any of it and the battle of wills has begun. 

This book is packed with a heavy load of emotions. And while you read it, you see the book as a movie, you can actually step into the story. With so life-like writing, it comes to life and all the decisions made feel like your own making. Sounds a bit frightening, but in a way it's amazing.
Those of you, who are looking for books with character development, this is the book for you.

And yes, the rumours are true. Looking for a book to cry over? The winner definitely is Me Before You. 

Review: The Summer that Melted Everything

★★★☆☆

''Pain is our most intimate encounter. It lives on the very inside of us, touching everything that makes us. It claims your bones, it masters your muscles, it reels in your strength, and you never see it again. The artistry of pain is its contact. The horror of it is the same.''

An ordinary family encounters the most extraordinary year, when the father, Autopsy Bliss, invites the devil over. And when the devil does show up, the small town doesn't know what to believe in anymore. And most of the reason is because the devil is not red and has no horns, but a little dark skinned boy wearing overalls. 

The story follows Fielding Bliss, the son of Autopsy Bliss. Fielding takes the devil to his home to meet the one who invited him. Introducing himself as Sal, the devil has come to stay. Over the course of the summer the little Breathed town starts bit by bit go crazy. Accidents happen, and who else to blame but the visiting devil?

The Summer that Melted Everything is something else. I first thought it was a young adult book with not so dark themes. It turned up to be something else. With rough topics to go over from sins to forgiving to leaving and killing, it's no funny bed time story to be read. 

What amazed me was that how much a human being can experince in one life span: Births, deaths, happiness, sadness, changing, and leaving. And how they could be felt and experinced from the pages. The themes were dark, yes, but. But there were light slithering in between them. Little strands of light between the sins, creating happiness to those who needed them. Even if it was through something not good. 

Things melt. They drip down your wrist like melted ice cream cone. They run on the streets like melted box of ice cream fallen from someone. They melt like relationships, like life, like love. Things melt, but life goes on. And that's what The Summer that Melted Everything was about. At least to me.