Category Is: Book Review Realness!

"'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."

 

Naty, 19, Brazilian reader. Here to steal all the recommendations I can from you guys!

 

Name of the blog is a reference to the documentary Paris Is Burning.

Bad dog, good dog.

Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog - John Grogan

". . . owning a dog always ended with this sadness because dogs just don't live as long as people do."

 

I don't know why I never wrote a review about this book. In the past 5 or so years that I owned a copy of it, I read it several times. I guess you can call it a comfort book. Grogan has a very recognizable writing style, his tone warm and funny even when he's tackling serious issues. 

 

The interesting thing about this book was that I picked it up hoping to read about a dog controlled by demons. And while I definitely got that, I also got an entire tale about the story of a man trying his damn best to fit into adulthood, to support his wife, to love his children. Not only did I care about the very great and crazy dog, I cared about John and his family. And John, I might never meet you. But I really hope you're doing okay. And I hope you learned how to dress your kids without putting their clothes upside down. 

 

And to you Marley, you were really the best and worst dog of the world. If I loved this family so much, it was in no small part thanks to you.

 

Sentence: Marley broke a lot of things but mostly my heart.

Petition to ban the Goodreads formatting system because it belongs to 10 years ago. 

 

<img src="https://www.goodreads.com/image..." width="40" height="100" alt="description"/>

 

ALL THIS TO ADD AN IMAGE?!

 

WHAT IS THIS???

 

 

Books about books about books about books...

The Ghostwriter - Alessandra Torre

So this lived up to the hype. Alexandra Torre is a great writer and I could feel her characters coming to life in every page. Isn't that always fun? Being in the mind of a writer is interesting, specially when said writer is a character that is hard to relate, and even unlikable at times. There could have been a romance forced in here and that didn't happen either. There were more important things going on, and I appreciated that being acknowledged. 

 

Sentence: Very engaging story if you're willing to wait for the truth of the plot and willing to be in the mind of an interesting, but complicated character. 

 

Simon VS The College Girl Who Can't Relate to High School Books Anymore

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli

Whew, I'm old.

 

Well, not really. I'm not gonna retire anytime soon. Probably won't be telling kids to get off my lawn either. But still, that's all I could think about while I read this. There comes a time when you realize that the high school reality in your favorite Young Adult books isn't your reality anymore. And damn, that's sad. 

 

Still, it's good to know good YA is and always will be enjoyable to me. And I love Simon. Sassy, theater kid trying to find the right moment to come out of the closet? If that doesn't hit close to home, I don't know what will. And sometimes even I, oh mighty destroyer of all that is fluffy, want a warm romance to bury myself in. 

 

Me too Simon, me too.

 

A matter of National Security.

 

I also wanna thank Simon for introducing me to Elliot Smith. Don't ask me why I never heard any of his songs before. Yes, it's unforgivable. Yes, I'm paying my sins by listening to everything this man has produced. 

 

If this book had a soundtrack it would be awesome. The movie was great. I love the characters. I love the diversity.

 

Okay, maybe I'm really still into YA after all.

 

Sentence: this meme except it's me talking about LGBT Young Adult Books. 

 

They're good books Brent.

 

Reading progress update: I've read 77%.

The Ghostwriter - Alessandra Torre

Shame I caught the twist but I can't wait to see how this story closes.

Reading progress update: I've read 51%.

The Ghostwriter - Alessandra Torre

Reading progress update: I've read 24%.

The Ghostwriter - Alessandra Torre

Really intriguing mystery so far!

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan, Joshua Swanson

I always have a lot of fun with Rick Riordan's books, and this was not different. I'm make a full review of the entire series when I'm done, but for now just know that I'm loving this!

Reading progress update: I've read 206 out of 439 pages.

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan, Joshua Swanson

I know I'm really liking a story when I start searching fanart of the characters.

 

Reading progress update: I've read 70 out of 439 pages.

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan, Joshua Swanson

I loved the original Percy Jackson series when I was a kid. Getting back into the sequel series now is exciting, I hope I still enjoy it.

Reading progress update: I've read 1%.

Harry Potter - The Complete Collection - J.K. Rowling

I don't usually re-read long series but I'm on the Harry Potter mood and I noticed I never actually read these books in English. I can feel my TBR pile judging me but I can't help it! 

 

This will stay in my currently reading for a while since it's the complete kindle edition with all 7 books. I'm excited!

The Abyss Surrounds Us

The Abyss Surrounds Us - Emily Skrutskie

"I don’t just raise monsters. I am one."

 

 

The Abyss Surrounds Us had a lot of potential. Seriously, what can be better than lesbian pirates fighting for their lives while training monster puppies to destroy other ships? If we're going just by the premise, this book would be perfect for me. 

 

But we need to look at the execution as well, and I did feel like I was left with literary blue balls during this one. All the characters, except for Cass and Swift, could use some development in the next book. The setting itself could also use for more exciting events. A lot of the time I felt like I was sailing through a very still sea, looking at a whole lotta nothing.

 

 

 

I'm still wondering if the fact that I *did* like it is enough for me to come back for a sequel. It didn't blow me away like I wanted to, but I do have hope that next time I'll get everything I want from my gay pirates.

 

Sentence: Just okay, but the reptilian pups were cute.

Psy Changeling #3

Caressed By Ice  - Nalini Singh

“Judd figured he must have done something right along the way. How else could a rebel arrow have earned the right to call this amazing woman his own? Even if it was a mistake, too damn bad. He was never giving her up.”

 

 

Exclusive footage of me as I finished Caressed by Ice:

 

 

I'm not sure if at this point I can keep calling this series a "guilt pleasure". The guilt died 2 books ago. The guilt died in the arms of strong men and the lips of brave women. I can even feel my Kindle silently judging me, but at this point I'm not embarrassed anymore. 

 

Judd and Brenna are my new favorite couple on this series! I LOVE THEM!

 

*Ahem*

 

Sentence: I may or may not have a problem.

Reading progress update: I've read 109 out of 358 pages.

Caressed By Ice  - Nalini Singh

Goldfish boy on his little tank...

The Goldfish Boy - Lisa Thompson

"12:55 p.m. That time was important. I don't know why it stuck in my mind but it did, even without writing down.

 

At some point after 12:55 p.m. on that bright, scorching day, Teddy Dawson went missing."

 

I got a thing for good Middle grade books, despite the fact that my professors and probably a few family members would tell me I am too old for them. I don't care. There's something fascinating about books that manage to entertain children, but still hold a message that can reach up to an adult.

 

 

The Goldfish Boy is definitely one of those books. While we have a mystery disappearance going on and a main character with OCD, both of those are represented well. Matthew never gets in the way of the police while running his own little investigation, and his problems with cleanliness don't suddenly disappears after his secret gets out. If you choose to write about children with disorders, Lisa Thompson has a lot to teach about it. 

 

Sentence: Really good! So far my challenge readings have been hits.

 

 

Book read as part of the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards challenge.

Blue, Pink, White, Pink, Blue.

This Is How It Always Is: A Novel - Laurie  Frankel

"I'm your grandma. That's what grandmas are for."

 

"Loving you no matter what you wear?"

 

"Loving you no matter what."

 

 

This Is How It Always Is is a lovely story that is more than just a story. From the begging chapter we learn about Rosie and Penn, their five lovely children, and got an intimate look at their dreams and hopes. Rosie wanted a daughter, but after her 5th son Claude was born, that seemed like an impossible dream.

 

But soon enough, Claude showed herself to be a different kid. And soon enough, Claude became Poppy.

 

 

What really interested me on this story is the way it was handled. There isn't an exact formula to dealing with LGBT+ children besides love. t's hard to know whether to shelter them or let the world know the truth. Even great parenting and acceptance could have a negative impact if the children never learn the truth about the world: Not everyone will be nice. Not everyone will be accepting. And it's okay to be afraid. 

 

"Parent time is magic: downtempo and supersonic all at once, witch's time, sorcerer hours. Suddenly, while you aren't playing attention, everything's changed."

 

The happy middle reached in the ending was really satisfying to me. Things might take this road, or that one, or end up in the middle of a lake instead. And it's okay. Poppy and her family have the now, and that's a long time.

 

Sentence: About as good as everyone is saying. If I have to offer one criticism, and it is enough to remove a star, it's that the author's writing got weird sometimes. Her sentences in special seemed to go on forever. By the time I was finished with a phrase I couldn't remember what the beginning was about. This is the nightmare of a non native English speaker, but I enjoyed everything else.

 

 

 

Book read as part of the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards challenge.

Currently reading

Harry Potter - The Complete Collection by J.K. Rowling
Progress: 1%
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Progress: 100/376pages