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Showing posts from June, 2015

Whiplash Review

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Hey guys! It has been a while since I’ve done a movie post so I guess it’s time for a movie review! I finally had the chance to see Whiplash , A critically acclaimed movie from last year staring Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons. The movie follows Miles Teller’s character, a drummer who joins a tough band class lead by J. K. Simmons. J. K. Simmons is an extremely tough and honestly just cruel teacher— he screams in students faces and even throws a chair at them. But as the movie goes on you see Miles Teller’s perseverance and his need to prove to himself that he can do this and show everyone else that he can too. It was a great movie and I’m glad I had the chance to see it! Part of the reason I love Whiplash so much is because it’s so relatable. I am in band so the whole time all I was thinking about was ‘what if my band director did this?’ ‘What if my band director threw chairs at people?’ luckily my band director is much nicer that. I can also relate to wanting to the need to

Goodreads Monday! Graceling

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Hello and welcome to Goodreads Monday! A weekly meme hosted by Forever Reading where we feature books that we added to our TBR thinking we’d read them, but we never did. Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... –goodreads.com summery. Graceling by Kristin Cashore Published on October 1 st 2008 Was added on May 31 st 2013 Check it out on Goodreads!

Under-Hyped Book of the Week, Week 11

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Hey guys welcome to Under-Hyped Book of The Week, Week 11... This week I'm here to talk about… The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes! Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer s

Book Beginnings

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Hey guys welcome to Book Beginnings a meme hosted by Rose City Reader where you post the first sentence of your current read and your thoughts on that sentence. “You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,’ but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain and he told the truth, mainly.” I have to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for summer reading this year and at first I was very skeptical since I was not a fan of Mark Twain’s The Prince and The Pauper , but these first few lines made me excited to read Huck Finn! I love Mark Twain’s use of breaking the forth wall— it’s very creative and I don’t see it don’t very often in books the way that he did it here! Keep Reading… Meagan!

The Naturals Review

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Hello! So I’ve been busy with my summer reading for next year which can sometimes lead to discovering new books! That’s why I’m here today— to review The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals

Top 5 Wednesday... 6/24

Hey guys, welcome to Top 5 Wednesday! If you don’t know what Top 5 Wednesday is then click HERE , if not stay! This week’s topic is Top 5 characters that we’d like to drown… so this should be fun! The Darkling ( Shadow and Bone ) This fandom loves this character but I JUST DON’T GET IT! He’s EVIL and MANIPULATIVE! I guess we’re all entitled to our own opinions… Amy ( Across the Universe ) I can’t say much about this one because I only read Across the Universe and it was so long ago but I remember barely being able to get through it due to the way Amy was written. To me, she talked like she was six; then she would just make stupid decisions making me dread her POVs… All of the characters in the Shatter Me Series (excluding Kenji) I’m gonna get hate for this but these characters need to get a life other than just fighting over Juliet and being butt-faces. And Juliette, YOU ARE AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN WHO DON’T NEED NO MAN! Ugh, I have very strong thoughts about this ser

Broadway!

I’ve been a little (or a lot) Broadway obsessed since I got back from New York. While in New York I got to see Wicked and Something Rotten — Wicked blew me away with its scale and story while Something Rotten was very funny and original. I’ve already said that if I ever get the chance to go back to New York, I’m seeing Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera (which I was across the street from but sadly couldn’t see…). Now I spend my time listening to Broadway music on Spotify (I’m listening to American Idiot as we speak) and dreaming about seeing different shows! This new love of theatre has also inspired me to want to read Les Misérables and maybe some other books that these plays are based on! Have you been able to see any Broadway shows? Keep Reading… Meagan!

Goodreads Monday! Partials

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Hello and welcome to Goodreads Monday! A weekly meme hosted by Forever Reading where we feature books that we added to our TBR thinking we’d read them, but we never did. Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war's origin that she never knew to ask. Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both

Under-Hyped Book of the Week, Week 10

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Hey guys welcome to Under-Hyped Book of The Week, Week 10... This week I'm here to talk about… We Were Liars by E. Lockhart A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE. - goodreads.com summery This book got mildly popular after its release so you might have heard of it, but you don’t understand how mind-blowing this book is unless you’ve read it! But that’s all I’m going to say about this book since part of the mind-blowingness is surprises in the plot! Just read it… :) Check it out on Goodreads! Keep Reading… Meagan!

Book Beginnings

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Hey guys welcome to Book Beginnings a meme hosted by Rose CityReader where you post the first sentence of your current read and your thoughts on that sentence. “There are places you can go,” Ariana tells him, “and a guy as smart as you has a decent chance of surviving to eighteen.” This first sentence tells the reader a lot about the character that they will be reading about. It introduces the reader to a character who is desperate enough to run away from home but also smart enough that his friend thinks he has a chance of making it. This sparks questions such as, why is this character so desperate that he would run away? Keep Reading… Meagan!

The Book Thief Review

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Hello guys! So a lot of you have probably heard of the popular Historical Fiction book, The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak. I recently had to reread this book for school and that rereading reminded me why I and so many others love this book! First, it has such a unique POV! For anyone who doesn’t know, The Book Thief is narrated from the Point of View of Death. This allows the author to jump around from character to character and even flash forward and backward in time. The flashing forward and backwards in time is something that confused me on my first read but after rereading it, I understood it and appreciated it much more. Throughout The Book Thief Markus Zuzak creates realistic and relatable characters that you can’t help but become invested in. You always want the best for these characters that are just living in the worst time. Now I’m going to divert for a second and talk about the movie. If you have read The Book Thief but not seen the movie, I definitely recommend s

Top 5 Wednesday... 6/17

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Hey guys, welcome to Top 5 Wednesday! If you don’t know what Top 5 Wednesday is then click HERE , if not stay! This week’s topic is Top 5 books that we read in one sitting (or for me, books that I remember not wanting to put down). Most of these books started the same way for me, with me being reluctant to start a new book (ironic, I know). But eventually I did start these books and I got hooked immediately then I couldn’t put the books down! (And yes I know that I listed six books) Have you read any of the books mentioned above? What did you think of them? Keep Reading… Meagan!

My First Books

Everyone has those first books that really get them into reading! And everyone remembers the first book that they binge read. For most people I talk to, those books are Harry Potter , but not for me… I first read the Percy Jackson series back in sixth grade (it was a really popular series in my grade at the time). I took my time with both the first and second book but I flew through the last three books! I loved them so much that immediately after I finished the series I had a huge book hangover and reread the last three books again. This got me excited to read more books. Then in seventh grade, The Hunger Games became popular. I read those books fairly quickly. Then after I finished The Hunger Games series, I looked for similar books on Amazon and that’s how I found the Legend series! At the time only Legend had been published but I sped through that book in two days then waited not so patiently for Prodigy to come out. Binge reading Legend is what launched my love for

Goodreads Monday! Delirium

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Hello and welcome to Goodreads Monday! A weekly meme hosted by Forever Reading where we feature books that we added to our TBR thinking we’d read them, but we never did. Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't. –goodreads.com summery Delirium by Lauren Oliver Published on February 7 th 2012 Was added on May 22 nd 2013 Check out Delirium on Goodreads! Keep Reading… Meagan!

Seconds Before Sunrise Review

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Hey guys, it’s been a while since my last book review but that’s because I’ve been saving a good one for you! Today I’m here to review Seconds before Sunrise by Shannon A. Thompson! THIS BOOK IS PART OF A SERIES! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MY REVIEW FOR THE FIRST BOOK YOU CAN CLICK HERE ! Two nightmares. One memory. “Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.” Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war. Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity. – goodreads.com summary Rating The author gave me this book in exchange for an honest review… And good thing she did because this book is AMAZING! And I reco

Under-hyped Book of the Week, Week 9

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Hey guys welcome to Under-Hyped Book of The Week, Week 9... This week I'm here to talk about… The Archived by Victoria Schwab! Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living

Book Beginnings

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Hey guys welcome to Book Beginnings a meme hosted by Rose CityReader where you post the first sentence of your current read and your thoughts on that sentence. “It was a humid night in August, and the river trickled past us as if most of the water had disintegrated during the previous months. It skimmed over the rocks, and I hesitated to add to the collection by tossing pebbles across the already waning surface. The darkness was enough.” These first few sentences don’t tell much about the story but they show off Shannon Thompson’s amazing and descriptive writing style. Her writing style is so descriptive and it just makes me excited to get into the story! As of now, I’m almost done with Seconds before Sunrise so expect a review of that soon! Keep Reading… Meagan!

Top 5 Wednesday... 6/10

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Hey guys, welcome to Top 5 Wednesday! If you don’t know what Top 5 Wednesday is then click HERE , if not stay! This week’s topic is Top 5 books with multiple POVs, and I went with books with more than two POVs. I chose all the books for the same reason— they all used the switching POVs to develop characters and plot. All of the books above have strong characters and POVs and I recommend them! Keep Reading… Meagan!

Summer TBR

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So everyone has their Summer TBR; today I’m here to tell you five books on my Summer TBR! This is one of my favorite books and I actually have to reread it for school. I’m really excited to reread this book! I got this book at a convention last year and now I have to read it for school. I’m excited to finally get to this book and see how I like it. I got this book in October and I’ve been meaning to read it since; I’m excited to finally have a chance to read it soon! I want to read this book because it seems like a quick and fun read and I’ ve been meaning to get into it for a while. I’m a huge Scott Westerfeld fan so I can’t wait to get into this book. It has an interesting premise so I can’t wait to get into it! Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What books are on your summer TBR? Keep Reading… Meagan!