Some much needed order is on it's way

New Year's Eve is already knocking on the  front door and it's time to make my New Year's resolutions. We all know what happens to those resolutions. They are forgotten after a few weeks and the toughest of us might just make it through March. But this resolution is much needed here on Books Told Me So.

Review: Rules of Survival

★★★★☆

“Well, if it comes down to it, you can just crush the bad guys with your enormous ego.”  

 Mikayla, or Kayla, knows how to survive. How to avoid the bounty hunters and kilers who are after her. She has rules. And these rules should not ever be broken. But. The game changes after she gets caught by a pair of bounty hunters and she is whisked away, handcuffed to one of them.

Well, Rules of Survival did not lack speed or anything. Fast paced and eventful, it takes you on a chase across cities. Even if this isn't your genre, the plot will grasp you with.

Althoug the characters are a bit black and white, I think they suit this kind of story the best.

Though the end gives you the satisfaction and finality, I felt that I needed something more. Just something. Still, I recommend this one to be read.

Review: Poet of the Wrong Generation

★★★★☆

''The complete heart-wrenching experience was cathartic,but entirely draining, leaving him exhausted beyond words.''

Leaving me exhausted beyond words. Robbing me of any coherent thought. 

Poet of the Wrong Generation should be thought as nothing more as a whole. Its magnificence becomes clear in the end. You might see glimpses of it in the beginning or in the middle, but the true glory strikes when you return the Poet to your bookshelf.

The story follows Johnny Elias through his rise and fall in his life. His rise to stardom over night as a singer-songwriter and his fall in both his career and personal life. Seasoned with twists and turns, Johnny's life could be easier.

Poet isn't action packed. Advancing with slow pace, it gives you time to actually experience the feels rather than just ploughing through. What I appreciated a lot was that due to the slow pace you can actually put it down and read it in small portions.

As for characters, there are quite a lot of them, but not too many. The main group is well developed and the lower on the importance ladder the less refined the characters were.

All in all, Poet was entertaining read. The themes it covers are a for a bit older audience, over 20-year-olds or something like that. I'm not saying that younger than twenty-somethings won't get anything out of it or it's not suited for them, but it could be a more understandable.

I really enjoyed Poet of the Wrong Generation. Truly recommend this!

What's going on?

That time of the year when you check your Goodreads Reading Challenge and realise you should read two books every day to meet it.

That time of the year when it's so dark outside you want to go into hibernation and wake up in the Spring, but you realise your To Do - list won't allow it.

That time of the year when your motivation has plummeted to subzero and not even Starbuck's Christmas Blend Latte with an extra shot can lift it up.

I'm moving to a new apartment next week with my sister from the Rhythm of the Rush (She writes in Finnish, don't be fooled by the name).

Hi, sis! ☺

The only problem now is the bookshelves.... Voi elämänkevät, as we Finns say. (Oh dear God, remember to add the sigh! or something like that.)

I've now packed all my books to boxes and can happily announce that they fill six large boxes.

Even the packing is not the problem, but the reshelving. Most of you must have reorganised your shelves even once, so you know the torture. I need to buy a new shelf and new books to fill that up.

Too stressful. I just want to get it over with.

Lucky me Jamie's always helping with the cushioning by shedding fur everywhere. Thanks Jamie, you're the best.

Currently reading books:
Lonnie Ostrow, Poet of the Wrong Generation    page 265
Erin Watt, Twisted Palace                                     page 125
Charles Yu, Sorry Please Thank You                    page 39

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

★★★★★

I finished reading two and a half weeks ago. Now I think I'm ready to actually write the review.

From the first word to the last this one held me in its grip, relentlessly. Though I kept a break in the middle, it wasn't because I didn't like the book, quite the opposite, I didn't want it to end. The only thing I could think of while reading was ''Holy Crap. How will I survive the reading slump following the finishing of ACOMAF?''

The answer to that: I'm still suffering. I haven't finished a full book since. I feel horrible.

Maybe I'd always been broken and dark inside.

Feyre is back. Back in the Spring Court, back under Tamlin's watchful eye, back in the life of every girl's dream, but she doesn't feel like she is living the dream. Suddenly her life meets even more dramatic change than in The Court of Thorns and Roses. If you haven't already read what happens, go read it first and then come back to read my review! 🌝

Possible spoilers from here on!

To the dreams that are answered

Yes. ACOMAF was even better than ACOTAR. Feyre's character development was fast and I think that she has almost reached her full potential.

''I have known many High Lords,'' -- ''Cruel ones, cunning ones, weak ones, powerful ones. But never one that dreamed. Not as he does.''

I can't say that I never liked Tamlin. I can't say that I never disliked Rhysand. Reading ACOTAR made me love Tamlin, just like Feyre loved him too. But during ACOMAF I realised what he is inside, what he's really like. And just like Feyre did, I learned, bit by bit, to love Rhys. I looking back, I have no clue why ever loved Tamlin. It might be because he is the first love, the security blanked. He was the one Ms. Maas made us love, then turned the story upside down. Like she always does.

And now - now I didn't know where that put me.
Knee-deep in trouble seemed like a good place to start.

I could feed you hundreds of quotes. One for each day while waiting the next book to come out. But instead I go back to nursing my worst reading slump ever. Thank you Sarah J. Maas for, again, writing an amazing book.

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.