Book in Review: Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry




Title: Waiting for the Storm
Author: Marie Landry
Publisher: Self- published
Published: April 9, 2013 
Paperback: 204 pages
Rating: 5/5

 It is really hard for me to express how much I love this book. To be creative and also for a change I will list down an A-Z list of adjectives that best describe this book, and beside it, I will be writing a brief explanation of why I think the book is to be described as such.

A-mazing - I guess this is pretty much self-explanatory, very few books could achieve such an amazing content. Since I gave this book a 5-star rating, it seems like it's speaking by itself. "Read me, you'll be amazed."
 
B-eautiful - When I finished reading this book, all I can think about is how beautiful it is. This is actually the first word that came to my mind when I hit the last word.

C-aptivating - This book did not get me hooked when I started reading it, but when I finished reading it I was attached and captivated with such a beautiful story.

D-imensional - I felt that I was inside the book and watching everyone and everything from a near distance. There were just a few characters in the story, but all of them felt real.

E-motional - There were really times when I got teary-eyed by reading this. To be honest, that is very rare for me since I don't cry a lot when I read books or watch movies. This book just makes me emotional.

F-lawless - Again it is very unusual that there is nothing wrong with a book, but I promise this book was flawless for me. From the title to acknowledgements, I can't find anything wrong.

G-enuine -  I have read some books where I feel that relationships move too fast, and you won't feel how genuine the two character's love for each other is. In this book, Ezra and Charlotte did not rush into anything. They just enjoyed themselves.

H-eartfelt -  The story went right into my heart!

I-maginative - Marie created a book that was a bit cliche but you can definitely see the creativity in Waiting for the Storm. Maybe it was her writing style that I liked, it was written in Charlotte's POV, and  I can feel the depth of the words while I was reading it.

J-oy - Even though, I was very emotional  while reading this book, it gave me joy and made me smile as if I was the one in the happy ending.

K-iller - The book is a killer! It is incredibly powerful, and it will really stick to you. Might not be on the very beginning, but it slowly clings to you.

L-ove - Just as I said in Genuine, both Ezra and Charlotte did not rush into things. They waited for the perfect time when they were absolutely sure that they do not just like each other but love each other.

M-oving - I love stories like this when both main characters aren't perfect. They might look gorgeous on the outside, but on the inside they are full of sadness and their lives aren't perfect. They were able to work it all out because they were both able to easily relate their feelings. That is what made this book moving.

N-oteworthy - There is so much wisdom in every page Marie made, and I believe that this is her talent she needs to continue.

O-ne - This book was the first book I've read of Marie's and I would definitely read more of her works.

P-erfect - Since I said that the book is flawless, then that means it's perfect!

Q-uotable - There were so many lines from the book that I wanted to grab and quote, but here's some that I really love:
"What a cool name. Where'd you get it?"
"I've always had it."

"If this is a break-up speech, stop right there. I know you have to leave next week,  but I told you we'd  find a way. I'm not letting you-"
 
R-are - Waiting for the Storm contains a very rare love story and rare situations to put characters in. This is one of the main reasons why I love and enjoyed this book.

S-ad - The first word that came to my mind after reading this book was beautiful, but it was a sad kind of beautiful. The good thing is I was contented with how the book ended. The ending have worked out, and everyone was happy. They all know that there is a lot more in store for them.

T-ouching - If I could summarize the whole book in one word, it would be 'touching'.

U-nforgettable - I don't think I will ever forget this book.

V-ivid - Everything that happened was clear and made perfect sense. There was never a part where I doubted something.

W-orthy - There were totally no regrets reading this book. It was totally worth it. Who wouldn't want to read a story that is very inspirational and will break your heart but will soon leave a smile on your face. That is what literally happened to me.

X-enodochial - I looked up the meaning of this word and it's definition is 'friendly to strangers'. I would definitely recommend this book to all those who just started giving YA a try. This book can make you love YA, and definitely love reading more books.

Y-oung - The book started off with Charlotte's mother death, and basically her family is falling apart. On the other hand, Ezra is a boy who is full of secrets. Both of them have a lot of similarities and as their relationship grow, it's not just a young puppy love but something a lot more.

Z-esty - Since I can't think of any more adjectives starting with Z. I thought of one that partly describes the book. The book isn't lively, but it's very pleasing.

That's it! Those are 26 adjectives that I think best describes the book and what I feel about it. 

OOOOH, and by the way thanks again for the awesome swag Marie!


Have you read Waiting for the Storm? What do you think? Leave a comment!

Book in Review: The Art of Secrets by James Klise

Hi guys! It's me Andrea, Beryl's friend and I am here to write a guest post in the form of a book review. For those of you who are old readers of this blog, you may remember me as the one who helped Beryl a long time ago to do a DIY bow and bracelet. :) You can read that here.


Title: The Art of Secrets
Author: James Klise
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Format: ARC
Hardcover; 272 pages
Rating: 3.5/5

Saba Khan and her family’s apartment burned down. That’s how it all started. It could have been a hate threat from somebody else, but it could be their own fault too. With friends helping them, they lived in a luxury apartment and Saba studied in a prestigious high school in Chicago. The school started a fund-raising for Saba’s family but then one artwork was revealed to be the work of a famous artist which went missing. Does Saba’s family deserve to have the money after this? James Klise reveals secrets that each character has; and splendid twists that will capture us.

I actually liked this book, contrary to what I expected. At first I was really hesitant about this book since I didn’t like the narration, but it turned out pretty well. The narration wasn’t really my type since I found it hard to understand who was narrating in the first few pages. Throughout the next pages, I understood what the author was trying to do; to have each family member have their own point of view, not just Saba and other people. Even though the narration was new to me since I haven’t read a lot of books that have multiple point of views, it just didn't work for me. I had a hard time understanding the book, because of this writing style.

Book Blogger Love-a-Thon // Mini Challenge #3: Mad Libs


For our third mini challenge, here is a mad lib! We really had fun doing this, and we were laughing the whole time. 

One day, I was eating with Sam Henry. Out of the blue, a sloth came out of nowhere! It was slow, green and huge. At first, we were afraid, we were petrified but we survived. We hopped on a hovercraft to make our getaway. 

As we escaped, we turned up the radio because Timber by Ke$ha came on and made me fall. Everything was extremely smooth sailing until a frog appeared in the middle of the road. We swerved to avoid it, but while Sam Henry stayed on the hovercraft, I got thrown unto my side in the woods. 

I couldn't get up, and felt drunk as I lay there staring up at the trees. What was I going to do? I heard a quack among the leaves and felt terrified. Surely, this was going to be my end. As my eyes fluttered shut, the last thing I saw was a head of brown hair and blue eyes. 

When I woke up again, I was on a refrigerator. My body hurt a whole lot less and I could sit up. There was a meerkat and orangutan in the room, along with pizza and beer. The door suddenly opened to reveal Augustus Waters, a concerned look on his face. I blushed and averted my gaze, but he danced and said, "Don't be shy. It's okay." 

He came over to sit by me, and we started talking after I told him my name. We chatted about eating, sleeping and blogging and realized we had a ton in common! I thought he was crazy and couldn't help feeling a little swoony. 

Just as he reached out for my hand, the door crashed open and in came Peeta Mellark. "Don't let him charm you away, my love!" He yelled, running at Augustus. They each had spoons and spatulas in their hands and began to fight. "Stop!", I yelled, feeling so bored. They didn't listen to me. Before I could intervene, Augustus fell to the floor and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 

"What was that?" I asked, staring at the empty space. Peeta dropped his weapons, and came over to me. "Magic, but you are safe now, butter." He hugged me close, and I suddenly knew that this was the real deal and not just a dream. 

Just as Want U Back by Cher Lloyd started playing in my head, I woke up. I cursed my awesome luck. Why had it only been just a dream? 



BOOK IN REVIEW: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe



Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 21st 2012
Hardcover: 359 pages
Rating: 5/5 stars

It's funny how after I finished reading Tell the Wolves I'm Home (will review this next time) I told myself "I don't think I'll ever find a book that will measure up to this perfection", and then a month later stumble upon this impeccable, engrossing, coming-of-age tale of two friends as they go through self-discovery and their exploration of identity and sexuality. Guess I proved myself wrong. I don't even know what to say anymore, except that this story is simply divine, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it two days ago.


I have cried over books for as long as I can remember, but never have I cried for more than half the time reading one. Let me just say that with other books, I had to stop reading, let out my feelings, then read again. But with Ari & Dante, I couldn't put the book down. I was probably an amusing sight (if you could've only seen me) - crying while reading from my iPad. I wonder what it would've been like if I was reading from an actual hardcopy book - it probably would have been drenched with my tears.


The Untold Story of How Christmas Songs Ruined My Childhood

I have never been a great fan of Santa Claus, even if during my childhood years I was being led to believe by several adults that this nice fat man with a beard apparently gives out gifts to children who behaved and were nice throughout the year. I didn't really buy this so I made trouble everywhere I went, without the thought of landing in Santa's naughty list crossing my mind.

I honestly didn't care about all this Santa crap, nor did I believe he was real. And I think I owe it to several Christmas songs for ruining the image of Santa and my childhood at that.

Come on, I wish I were a little more innocent that I had believed in Santa or in something that magical, even. But thanks to these Christmas songs I've listened to as a kid, I've gotten quite suspicious. Though I didn't really understand what they truly meant when I was a kid, I still felt a bit peeved while listening to them. It just gave me this feeling of distrust. It wasn't even just about Santa anymore, because plenty of these supposedly festive songs just gave me this sinking feeling inside. 

Now that I'm older, I took the liberty to research the lyrics and make my own analysis.

And boy, I wish I hadn't.

1. Santa Baby

I first heard Madonna's version of this and I didn't quite understand the lyrics as a child but it surely disturbed me. When I got older, I realized that the song was about this woman flirting with Santa and asking him to sleep with her and give her cars, money, a yacht, and other fancy stuff. Not sure if said woman is a prostitute, but the thought of an old nice man who's usually likened to a grandfather figure sleeping with this younger woman is certainly not that nice of an image. Believe me.

I also don't know if I have a dirty mind or these lyrics really are euphemisms for something else a bit more sensual:

"Hurry down the chimney tonight" "Come and trim my Christmas tree" 

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