Book Haul

Book haul
Hi guys! Today, we decided that we would be doing a book haul. We went into our room full of random junk and picked out a few books that we wanted to include here. There were so many books in there we were actually quite scared that if we touched it, it would all fall over and bury us under and nobody would find us until 50 years later. But, anyway, we're not here to talk about death by books. We're here to show you guys some of the books that we have. Or, you know, the books that weren't bought when we were 7 and are totally embarrassing to have. So here's a picture of all of those books that we wanted to show you!



1. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 You have heard a lot about this book from us and you probably don't wanna hear more about it but we just couldn't stop ourselves from including it in our book haul. This is the first book that we read by Rainbow Rowell and it was the book that got us addicted to her writing and she hasn't once disappointed us with her books.

 


2. Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 You probably know that we have met Stephanie Perkins a few months ago. She was AMAZING. And her books are so sweet and feel-good and great that we just want to thank Stephanie for existing and making those books because seriously, what would life be without them?

 


 3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

 So this isn't the kind of book that we would normally read but we decided to give it a try since the synopsis was so interesting. Audrey is ashamed to say that she has only read page one and looked at the various pictures there. This doesn't have anything to do with the greatness of the book though. She merely did not have time to read them because she has been a bit busy lately and  when she isn't doing anything, she is usually sleeping because she is a lazy bum.

 


 4. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

 So, I don' think any one of us has read this. It was actually still wrapped before we decided to unwrap it to take the picture. It has been so long and we feel super bad but, you know, schoolwork, extracurricular activities, other things...




 5. Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

 This is actually an ARC. Well, we mean, it's published now so it's not advanced  anymore except it still kind of  is because we got it earlier. Uhh, I think I just broke my brain. We're not gonna think about that anymore. Audrey was the one who read this book and she posted a review a while back. LINK

 


6. Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey

 This is another book that has been read and reviewed by Audrey. LINK It was a light, cute, short read. It also has an adorable cover so we placed it her for nice-cover purposes. :)



 7. The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

 Audrey started reading this a while back but she isn't sure if she finished it. Even if she did, she doesn't really remember what happened. Kimi and Beryl probably haven't read this either so we can't really say anything. Um, well, if you've read it, feel free to tell us what it's all about!

8. Mary Jane by Judith O'Brien

 This was a gift to Audrey on her 7th birthday. She read it in one sitting. I don't think anyone can dislike this book- it's Spiderman!
 


So, that's all we have for today, though you guys deserve so much more. We're pretty sure evryone's noticed that we haven't been blogging a lot lately. In fact, there are some times when we haven't blogged at all. We've been really busy. Kimi, as some of you may already know, has been doing her thesis, and that's been taking up most of her time. Audrey and Beryl have been really busy since school is so much harder now and they have extracurricular activities too. That hasn't left them with much time to blog. We're really, really, really, really, really, sorry. We'll try to post more than we have recently. We can't promise that we will be posting everyday or even on a certain every week but we will be posting whenever we have the time. First priority. Promise.

Book in Review: Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

4.5/5
Torn Away  
Title: Torn Away
Author: Jennifer Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Kindle Edition: 288 pages
Rating: 4.5/5

Jersey Cameron lost everything when a tornado devastated
her town. She lost the only home she ever knew. She lost her mother and sister, the only family she is familiar with. During the aftermath of the tornado, she is sent away by her stepfather to go live with her biological father and then sent away again to live with her estranged grandparents.

Jersey realizes that her mother was not perfect. She finds out about the lies her mother told her and the truth about her real father and grandparents. Jersey and her grandparents slowly become family while learning that family isn't defined by your blood but by who is in your heart.

For me, Jersey was a very real character. Her reactions were realistic in every way.She did things that I would have done if faced with the same situation. Her actions weren't always correct but she knew when it was her turn to apologize. There were some points when I may not have liked her at all but most of the time, I was nodding my head in understanding. I could see where she was coming from. Jersey stood out, for me, as a character. There wasn't really anything particularly special about her but you'd still remember her long after you've read the book. I believe that she had a reason to have done all the things that she did do. She refused to believe that her mother was less than perfect and was reluctant to be nice to  those that her mother hated because she felt like it would be betrayal especially since her mother was dead and she wanted to honor her mother's name. All in all, Jersey was a strong, realistic character that we can all relate to.

I believe that Jennifer Brown is a very talented writer. She has managed to write this book in such a way that you would be able to put yourself in Jersey's shoes, feel what she's feeling, see things in the same way she does, know the things that she knows. It's quite amazing. This book was an emotional roller coaster. I, myself, who have never cried while reading a book or watching a movie, found myself tearing up as I read Jersey's story. I realized how hard it  must be to have lost everything and still be  losing. I can see how strong Jersey must have been to have gotten through that tragedy. Even if I was just reading the book, I  could feel myself wanting to cry in despair for her. Torn Away made me want to tell my whole family and everyone else that I love that I appreciate them and that I love them. It makes you realize  that even the little things you had matters so much more when you don't have anything at all. The tornado isn't even the most devastating part of this book. In fact, the tornado was just the cherry on top of the depressing lack of sundae. It was like a hole opened up under Jersey's feet when the tornado hit and she  just kept on falling and falling and falling. Of course, you can't keep on falling forever so eventually, Jersey does get her happy ending. And her happy ending is our happy ending too. After all that emotion, you get the happy ending that you know you wanted as much as Jersey did.

Torn Away shows you how terrible natural disasters must be. Not only has Jersey lost her material possessions but she also lost her family, her home. You can feel all her frustration, her anger, her heartache. Her pain becomes your pain. Her sadness becomes your sadness. Thus, her happy ending is your happy ending.

Torn Away was beautifully written and captivating. This story makes you think about everything you love. This story makes you think about the things you've lost and appreciate everything you have. It's a very simple story and it's not even very long but this book has a lifetime of emotions built in. I love how there was no heroic figure rushing in and miraculously healing Jersey and freeing her from her pain. No. This was a long and painful journey but the reward was well worth it.

Have you read Torn Away? What did you think about it? Leave a comment!






It's Monday! What are you reading?

audrey

ITS MONDAY!! We are going to tell y'all about the books we've read and other stuff. You know, the name of the meme says it all! 

LAST WEEK'S READS:



Grim (Audrey)
The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry ( Beryl )
The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer ( Audrey )
The Ghost Box by Catherine Fisher ( Audrey )
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell ( Beryl )
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (Kimi)

CURRENT READS:


Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry ( Beryl )
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige ( Audrey )
The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (Kimi)

NEXT WEEK'S READS:

 

After the Storm by Marie Landry ( Beryl )
Northwood by Brian Falkner ( Audrey )
Torn Away by Jennifer Brown (Kimi)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

and we stay
It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.
It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

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We realized that the 3 of us haven't done any joint blogs in a while, and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do so! Last week was the 2nd week of classes and all 3 of us already had so much schoolwork assigned to us in school. Beryl and Audrey with their Chinese exams, and Kimi with her thesis (which shows zero progress, as mentor does not seem enthusiastic about letting them defend on time, but whatevs! Who cares!)

 Nevertheless, it was a productive week for us all, with our book blogging journey.
LAST WEEK'S READS