For One More Day Review

For One More Day

Written by Mitch Albom
# of pages: 208

Average Rating: 4.02/5
My Rating: 4/5

Read in September 2013

Summary according to goodreads

As a child, Charley "Chick" Benetto was told by his father, "You can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy, but you can't be both." So he chooses his father, only to see the man disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence. 

Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding. And he decides to take his own life.

He makes a midnight ride to his small hometown, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing even to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother who died eight years earlier is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing ever happened.

What follows is the one "ordinary" day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain the family secrets, and to seek forgiveness. Somewhere between this life and the next, Charley learns the astonishing things he never knew about his mother and her sacrifices. And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together.

My Thoughts

"People figured I crossed the line...The truth is, there is no line. There's only your life, how you mess it up, and who is there to save you."

I am a huge fan of Mitch Albom, as The Timekeeper might be my favourite book that I have ever read. He did not disappoint with this novel, because I actually cried. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but this novel is so well written and anyone can relate to this. Personally I can't imagine living without my mom, so this book helped me realize how crucial every minute of life is. I felt such a connection to Chick because I have felt the same way about things, and he went through a lot of character development in this novel, making it a book to be cherished. The only reason that I could not give it five stars was because it wasn't as great as The Timekeeper, but I would give this four and a half stars if I could. 

School Spirits Review - GUEST BLOGGER

Review by Alyssa from acreads

School Spirits

Written by Rachel Hawkins
# of pages: 297

Average Rating: 3.93/5
Alyssa's Rating: 3/5

Read in September 2013

Summary according to goodreads

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Alyssa's Thoughts

School Spirits is the first novel that exists as a spin-off to Hawkins' very popular and well loved (well, at least by me) Hex Hall series. In an attempt to avoid spoilers like the plague, I'm not going to get into how our main character, Izzy, and Hex Hall's MC, Sophie, are connected... because, seriously, that would give away a lot. Just suffice it to say that School Spirits exists in the same universe, after the evens of Hex Hall. 

Hawkins gives us insight into a different aspect of her universe - enter Izzy Brannick... one of the last members of the all female kick ass Prodigium fighting family. After a near fatal encounter with a vampire, Izzy's mom decides that she needs to uproot her daughter to a very, very small town named Ideal... There, Izzy can take a breather from intense monster hunting and try to re-group over a seemingly boring ghost case. Along the way, Izzy learns a lot about her self, her family, and the super natural happenings in Ideal. 

I enjoyed Izzy's character because she was a nice change of pace. She was kick ass, unapologetic, and while she did get a little swoony over the male MC, she didn't go completely boy crazy and allow her romantic interests to distract her from the task at hand. It was also interesting to see the universe from a non-Prodigium point of view. If you've read the Hex Hall series, you know that the Brannicks are very anti-magical folk. 

However, it's the plot that kind of got to me. I felt as though Hawkins could have easily extended the story line into another book or two.... but instead, it was wrapped up in a fashion that felt too easy for me. 

All in all, I did enjoy the story... but not nearly as much as I enjoyed the original series. If Hawkins decided to create another story from Izzy's POV, I will definitely pick it up - no questions asked... but I'm not going to expect to be blown away by it.

Did you enjoy School Spirits? What did you think was up with Dex?!

-Alyssa 

http://acreads.blogspot.ca
http://www.youtube.com/user/acreadsblog
https://twitter.com/AlyssaLunz

Boy21 Review

Boy21

Written by Matthew Quick
# of pages: 250

Average Rating: 4.10/5
My Rating: 4/5

Read in September 2013

Summary according to goodreads

Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in gray, broken Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish Mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, he takes care of his disabled grandfather, and at school he’s called “White Rabbit”, the only white kid on the varsity basketball team. He’s always dreamed of getting out somehow with his girlfriend, Erin. But until then, when he puts on his number 21, everything seems to make sense.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. A former teen basketball phenom from a privileged home, his life has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he now answers only to the name Boy21—his former jersey number—and has an unusual obsession with outer space.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, “Boy21” may turn out to be the answer they both need.

My Thoughts

I wasn't very interested at the beginning of this novel because I couldn't seem to get into the plot. There is much character and setting building so you get a good feel for the characters, as well as talking a lot about basketball. I am very glad that I continued with this story because I really enjoyed it.

Not a lot of people talk about this book, so I think it is very underrated. This novel portrays a very realistic lifestyle, that can teach a lesson to people living in situations such as this. Not only that, but the message of this story can invoke hope in different readers on different levels, making it a perfect read for anyone. 

Top 5 Books I Bought in DC I'm Excited to Read!

So today I came back from my trip to Washington/Virginia, and I bought a lot of books while I was down there. Soon there will be many hauls, but today I wanted to show you guys which five I am the most excited about!

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Summary according to goodreads
In Baum's land of Oz, animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. Green-skinned Elphaba, future Wicked Witch of the West, is smart, prickly and misunderstood; she challenges our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

My friend Phil from Stack of Hardbacks has only good things to say about this book, so I can't wait to get into it!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Summary according to goodreads

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Summary according to goodreads

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Summary according to goodreads

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Cujo by Stephen King

Summary according to goodreads

A big, friendly dog chases a rabbit into a hidden underground cave--and stirs a sleeping evil crueler than death itself. A terrified four-year-old boy sees his bedroom closet door swing open untouched by human hands, and screams at the unholy red eyes gleaming in the darkness. The little Maine town of Castle Rock is about to be invaded by the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind.

Recently Read - Short Story & Graphic Novel

So recently I read another graphic novel, but also a short story. I had some opinions on these two books, but not enough to write a full review on both so here they are together in one post!

The Dark by Lemony Snicket
# of pages: 40
Average Rating: 4.06/5 vs My Rating: 4/5

Summary according to goodreads

Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark is not afraid of Laszlo. 
Laszlo lives in a house. The dark lives in the basement. 
One night, the dark comes upstairs to Laszlo's room, and Laszlo goes down to the basement.
This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark.

My Thoughts

I got this book as an ebook from the library, and I was able to read it in about 15 minutes. The pictures in this short story were amazing, beautiful, and added a lot to this story. The author did a great job of writing a story that was kind of creepy, but had a relatable underlining meaning. 

Blankets by Craig Thompson
# of pages: 582
Average Rating: 4.08/5 vs My Rating: 2/5

Summary according to goodreads

Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith.

My Thoughts

I did not enjoy this graphic novel as much as I have enjoyed others. I had heard good things about this one, and it was actually recommended to me by a viewer. I can see where the author was coming from with this book, but it just got kind of weird at times for my tastes. I am not opposed to religion, but I thought all of the references took away from everything else that was going on in the story. This was a very interesting coming-of-age story between brothers and lovers, but I was not blown away.

Recently Bought - Amazon Bargain Books

Hey all! So since I've started my YouTube channel, I've bought a lot of books which has led me to do unboxing videos. Sadly, I don't usually know what the book is about when I get it so by posting this on my blog, I can also give a description!

I found some cheap books on Amazon, and I just had to get them while I had the free-trial of Amazon Prime! This is what I got:

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her hacking skills to stay anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.




Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

When sixteen-year-old Luke's book, Hallelujah, becomes a national bestseller, his publishing house sends him on a cross-country book tour with his older brother, Matt, as chauffeur. But when irresponsible Matt offers to drive Luke's ex–soul mate, Fran, across the country too, things get a little crazy. On the trip, Luke must loosen up, discover what it truly means to have faith, and do what it takes to get the girl he loves.

Told with Antony John's signature wit and authenticity, and featuring smart, singular characters who jump off the page and into your heart, this story is a spiritual awakening and rockin' road trip in one.

Foiled Book Review

Foiled

Written by: Jane Yolen
Art by: Mike Cavallaro
# of pages: 160

Average Rating: 3.44/5
My Rating: 3/5

Read in September 2013

Summary according to goodreads

Aliera Carstairs just doesn't fit in. She's invisible at high school. She's too visible at the fencing gym. Aliera's starting to wonder...where does she belong?



My Thoughts

I thought that this graphic novel was cute and interesting. I was able to read it in one sitting, and this was very quick to get through as it was quite entertaining. This graphic novel is sort of a coming-of-age story, but with a magicial, and imaginative twist. Although I enjoyed this, I don't think I will be purchasing it, or reading the rest of the books in the series.