We Should Hang Out Sometime | Book Review

Title: We Should Hang Out Sometime

Author: Josh Sundquist

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Non Fiction, Humor

Pages: 336 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.87/5

My Rating: 3/5

Josh realizes at the age of 25 that he has never had a girlfriend. To figure out the reason behind this, he looks back on his past relationships and tracks down the girls he previously liked.

This was the Booksplosion book of the month.

So I'll start with what I liked:
1. The tone of the book and the way it was written. It was very lighthearted and funny. It read just like fiction and it had a great conversational tone. It was quite sweet and awkward as well. The writing was well done and Sundquist's personality and humor really showed through.

2. The premise of the book. I thought it was a really interesting and unique idea.

3. The way Sunquist views his disability. He has a very positive outlook on life and didn't really view his disability as a bad thing.

4. The graphics. While they didn't add a whole lot to the story, they were fun and entertaining to read.

5. The sense of catharsis at the end. It was a mostly satisfying ending. I thought it could've been a bit longer but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Now what I didn't like:
1. The low-key sexism and misogynistic views hidden under humor. At times it seemed like Sunquist was very bitter and thought all girls should like him (although he sort of goes over that in the end). He also mentioned the "friend zone" a few times which threw me off and made me really uncomfortable.

2. "Notice: not a yes-or-no question. So she couldn't reject it." He tries to force girls to be with him by telling/asking them something that they can't say no to without seeming stuck-up and rude. Instead of just letting them decide if they want to hang out with him, he gives them no choice.

3. The stalking. It was just creepy. He does acknowledge the creepiness at one point, but it wasn't enough. He essentially stalked all the girls he had liked over the years just so he could get unsatisfying answers from them, which leads me to my next point.

4. The investigations. I felt most of them lacked any real value and offered slight satisfaction at best.

I'm not completely sure what to think about this book. I did enjoy it while I read it, but the more I think about it, the stranger it gets. Overall, I'll say it's a decent book. It's not horrible, but it's not great. I liked it on the surface level but when I really thought about it I saw all the problems with it.

Thanks for reading!
Hana

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Hopeless | Series Review

From Goodreads: Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies... That's what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in he she's never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and sometimes about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Hopeless was incredibly intense and nothing like what I expected. The story was so intriguing and unique. It was nothing like I've read before. I loved how the story progressed and it flowed very well. Character development is a very important part of a book for me and Sky successfully grows as a character. The book was so emotional and gripping, I couldn't stop reading. At some points I had to take a break so I could stop crying. My only problem was that I couldn't really connect with Sky. 4.75/5 stars.

In Losing Hope,  really enjoyed reading from Holder's point of view. It was interesting seeing everything he felt in Hopeless. I did think, however, that it was a bit rushed. Some parts of Hopeless were skipped in Losing Hope and while I understand that Hoover probably didn't want the book to get too repetitive, I felt it would flow better had those parts been included. I also wish Holden went through a little more character growth. Throughout the book he just went on and on about how much he loved Sky and nothing else. This book wasn't particularly special but I did enjoy it a lot (I mean, I did spend the last 20 pages sobbing). 4/5 stars.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It was a quick read and just what I was in the mood for.

Books I'd Save in a Fire | Top 5 Wednesday

This weeks topic is "Books You Would Save in a Fire".

The first book I would save is Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. This book is my number one favorite book in the entire universe. I love is so so so much and I need it in my life.

The next book I would save is Darkwood by M.E. Breen. This is another favorite of mine. I read this book when I was 10 (11? 12?) and I've loved it ever since. It's not one most people know about (and I like it that way) but it's wonderful.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is another childhood favorite. Love love love.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is...amazing. I found this gem while in an airport bookstore a couple years back and I'm so glad I made the choice to buy it. It's an amazing, heart wrenching book that is also a fantastic movie and I can't live without it.

I can't think of a fifth book to put on this list and since, hypothetically, there's a fire in my house, and because I'm extremely indecisive person, I would just take these four books and run rather than die choosing a fifth book.

Thanks for reading!
Hana

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February Wrap Up

This month I read 5 books and 1 novella.

The first book I read last month was Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. This was my first Colleen Hoover book and I was very pleased. The story was incredibly intense and nothing like what I expected. My only problem was that I couldn't really connect with Sky so I gave it 4.75/5 stars.

Next I read This Night So Dark and This Shattered World, #1.5 and #2 of the Starbound series by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I gave them both 4/5 stars. The novella was very interesting and provided a connection between the first and second books. This Shattered World wasn't as good as These Broken Stars but it was still enjoyable.

The next book I read was Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I haven't read nonfiction in a very long time so this was a bit new to me. In the beginning I got a little bored but overall the book was interesting, well written, and comedic. 4/5 stars

I had to read Hamlet for school and I didn't really like it. It definitely wasn't horrible, but I found the plot to be boring at times and the characters annoyed me. 3/5 stars.

The last book I read in February was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Technically I finished this March 1st but since I read the majority of it in February, I'm going to include it in this wrap up. Ready Player One is the first legitimate science fiction novel I've read and I loved it. It was fast-paced, action-packed, intriguing, and funny. The plot was and world building was incredibly and I loved the characters. 4.5/5 stars. Full review here.

Until Next Time,
Hana

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Ready Player One | Book Review

Title: Ready Player One

Author: Ernest Cline

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Random House NY

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Pages: 374 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.31/5

My Rating: 4.5/5

It's 2044 and the world has gone to shit. All the environmental problems we ignore today have gotten worse and there is an energy crisis going on. In this world, everyone uses OASIS, an online virtual reality where people can escape from their boring lives without ever having to leave their home. When the creator of OASIS dies, he creates a contest in which the winner will win his entire fortune. For 5 years after his death, no one has been able to figure out his puzzle, until Wade Watts does. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was action-packed, fast paced, and unique. Ready Player One is the first legitimate sci-fi books I've read, the others being mostly dystopian. 

What I liked most was the world in which the story takes place. The OASIS is such an interesting, boundless place. It's a world where anything and everything happens. Cline did a great job with the world building. It was a little hard to understand at first and having the first 70 pages be only world building didn't help. I think it would have been better to space those 70 pages between plot, but I eventually understood it. 

The "Hunt" was a great plot device that allowed the story to keep progressing. There was always something happening, some problem to be solved. There was never a dull moment.

The characters were all very unique and I loved the unconventionality of them. They're not the typical young adult characters and I really enjoyed that. They kept the book from becoming too dark and added light-hearted humor.

I was fascinated by the social conscience of this book. Normally when technology is an important factor, books romanticize it and ignore all the bad qualities. However, Cline repeatedly talks about the degradation of society and reality through the use of the internet and online world. He doesn't fail to acknowledge that while the OASIS is a spectacular place, it also forces people away from human interaction, something very relevant in today's world.

My only problem was the romance. I felt the two characters had no real chemistry. Yes, Wade has had a crush on Art3mis for many years, but they never had any real conversations that were explored in the book. There were many "montages" in the book stating that they talked a lot and went on dates, but it failed to provide the connection one feels when two characters are in love.

Despite, the romance I really enjoyed this book. It's a bit difficult to get into but definitely give it a try!

Thanks for reading!

Hana

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Bookish Academy Awards

Hello!

Last weekend was the Oscars so I decided to take part in the tag circulating Booktube and list my Bookish Academy Award winners for the books I read in 2014.

Best Actor - Best Male Protagonist

Liam from The Darkest Minds: The finale was released last year and holy cow did I love it. The Darkest Minds is one of my favorite series and Liam is such a comedic, sarcastic, badass, wonderful protagonist.

Best Actress - Best Female Protagonist

I'm tempted to say Ruby from The Darkest Minds but since I already listed Liam, I'm going with Karou from Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Karou is a kickass female protagonist who doesn't let anyone stand in her way and I want to be her best friend.

Best Cinematography - Best Plot Twist

I can't remember any plot twists so...

Best Costume Design - Best Book Cover

Just look at it. Need I say more?

Best Supporting Actor - Best Male Sidekick

Kenji Kishimoto <3. I love his and Juliette's relationship in this series. He's badass, sarcastic, funny, and I want more of him.

Best Supporting Actress - Best Female Sidekick

Zuzana is seriously the best friend ever. She's adorable, she has a great relationship with Karou, and she lightens up the intense story as well as furthers it.

Best Original Screenplay - Most Unique Plot/World

I have never read anything like If I Stay. If you don't already know, the book follows Mia, a girl who recently was involved in a car crash and lost her parents and her brother. Throughout the book she is in a coma and debating whether or not to wake up. I thought the story was incredibly unique and  loved it.

Best Adapted Screenplay - Best Book-to-Movie Adaptation

I reread TFiOS for the movie and it was fantastic. I've only seen the movie once but I thought it was a brilliant adaptation. It stayed very true to the book while also creating an understandable and well made movie.

Best Animated Feature - A Book That Would Work Well in Animated Format

Amulet is such a fun, creative graphic novel and I think it would be an amazing animated movie.

Best Director - A Writer You Discovered For the First Time

To All the Boys I've Loved Before was the first book written by Jenny Han I read. I've since read her Summer series and I love all her books. They're sweet, unique contemporary romances that don't include all the cliches normally found in romance. The characters are wonderful as is the writing.

Best Visual Effects - Best Action in a Book

I'm going to cheat a little and choose a manga series for this one. Attack on Titan has beautiful art with outstanding action scenes.

Best Musical Score - Best Music in a Book-to-Movie Adaptation

The score in Mockingjay was amazing. It perfectly complemented the film.

Best Short Film - Best Novella

Night of Cake & Puppets, the novella to Daughter of Smoke & Bone was adorable. It followed the first date of Zuzana and Mik and was magical.

Best Picture - Best Stand-Alone

I'm not one for paranormal books, every one I've read just wasn't a good experience, but The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was great. Vampirism is such an overdone topic but this book gives it a fresh spin. I was captivated by the plot and the characters and I wish there was more.

Best Documentary - Best Historical Fiction/Non Fiction

I had to read this for school and I really enjoyed it. The writing is wonderful and it's a very interesting perspective of the Vietnam War. This book is historical fiction but it feels a lot more like non fiction (in a good way).

That's the last one! Thanks for reading :)
Hana

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Yucca Valley | My Experience

This past week I spent 8 days in Yucca Valley in Southern California.

the gorgeous house we stayed at

My school district gives students and teachers a break in the middle of February so my family and I drove down to spend our week in the desert.

the view from our house

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It was a beautiful house and a beautiful place. If you're looking for somewhere to relax in solitude and just chill, I recommend Yucca Valley. If you're looking for a racially diverse place with lots of activities...I'd search elsewhere.

an incredibly artistic photo of my shadow

About 20 minutes from Yucca Valley is the Joshua National Park (photos below). We planned to go there every day for hikes. We went once. It was beautiful, hot, tiring, and fun.

We didn't do much else there. It was a work-vacation for my parents, so my sister and I mostly stayed in the house and watched Netflix.

food from BBQ

One of the things we did do was eat. One of the places we went to was Papa's Barbecue. The food was pretty good, not the best but good enough. However, the service wasn't satisfactory. Our server was clearly racist towards us. To my family and I, she was very grumpy and rude but to other people (specifically white people), she was very friendly and conversational.

amazing pizza place

A restaurant with good food and good service was Pie for the People. If you're near Yucca Valley or Joshua Tree, this place is a must. They have incredibly delicious pizza (I forgot to take pictures) and the people working there are very friendly and clearly love their job.

photo credit

Another thing we did was go to the Palm Springs VillageFest: a weekly open-air market. There vendors sell all sorts of things from jewelry to bath bombs to toys. The food was a bit disappointing for a fair and I had a lot of anxiety because of all the people, so I couldn't enjoy the market to its fullest. Nevertheless, it's a nice place to hang out (and there's pretty jewelry).

the necklace I bought at VillageFest

While I won't be going back there again, I had a wonderful vacation in Yucca Valley!

Until Next Time,

Hana