A while ago I read two books that I think call to the same audience and I liked them both so much that I want to talk about them more, so that calls for a Read Alike! If you liked Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, get ready for On the Spectrum by Jennifer Gold! SYNOPSIS: Growing up in the shadow of a famous mother, Clara has never felt good about her body. Now, at sixteen, she has an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. After a social media disaster, she decides to escape for the summer to Paris to stay with her estranged dad and her six-year-old brother, Alastair, who is on the autism spectrum. Charged with his care, Clara and Alastair set out to explore the city. Paris teaches Clara about first love and gives her a new love of food. And Alastair teaches Clara about patience, trust and the beauty of loving without judgment. Link to full review of On the Spectrum here!
Just like Finding Audrey, On the Spectrum gives a raw and honest view of mental illness and how other people handle it. Both books follow a girl on her journey to fight her disorder and finding love along the way. On the Spectrum also has an autistic character who is sweet and funny, and I appreciate that representation as well. It is an adorable coming of age story with a cute romantic sideplot, all set in Paris! This book is finally coming out tomorrow! I'm so excited for its release as I read it a few months ago for Netgalley and I've been dying every since to recommend it to you guys!! Please pick up a copy if you can, I promise it's worth it! Let me know what you think of On the Spectrum and Finding Audrey! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/34415919-on-the-spectrum Amazon: www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Jennifer-Gold/dp/1772600423
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SYNOPSIS: Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak―but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life―and her future―forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed? Rating: 4/5
[SPOILER FREE REVIEW] For Crown of Midnight I said that the first half or so of the book was quite boring, but after that it got captivating. About the same goes for this book, except there were storylines from the start that intrigued me, like Dorian and Chaol's, and the witches'. I was just not as interested in Celaena's story, as it was just dragging on, like it did in the previous book. I do like Rowan though, and I look forward to seeing more of him later in the series. So after a slow start, this book didn't go out with a bang, but it was consistently quite good. There was some good action and I enjoyed it a lot. We got a lot of new characters (like Rowan and his friends and Manon and Aedion) and I am so excited to learn more about them as they were all interesting characters with a lot of potential. Chaol's story with the rebels was the most interesting storyline in this book, in my opinion, as it was thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat. Manon's storyline was also good, but for different reasons. It gave me an insight into the other side of the fight, and put a friendlier face to what should be an enemy. For the next book I do hope there's more action and less of a slow start than the previous two books, as it makes me take a long time to read a book when I can't be bothered to pick it up. I read Heir of Fire on holiday so I didn't have much else to do than read, which is the only reason I managed to finish it so fast. Altogether a pretty good read and I look forward to reading more from this series. Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613470-heir-of-fire Amazon: www.amazon.com/Heir-Fire-Throne-Glass-Sarah/dp/1619630672 I'm making up my own Wednesday topic today, as this is something I'd like to talk about! Here are some of my favourite book titles (in no particular order): Looking for Alaska - John GreenThe title 'looking for Alaska' makes me think about a trip of some sort to go find the state Alaska, but the Alaska from the title is actually a girl's name, which I think is a nice little trick to confuse, but also attract readers. I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy NelsonThis is another title I like because it's not what it seems at first glance. It sounds pretentious to 'give someone the sun', but when you read the book it suddenly makes sense and it's pretentious, but actually meaningful! Fortunately, the Milk - Neil GaimanFrom reading the title of this book, you wouldn't have a clue what it's about. Then when you read the back cover, it actually turns out to be about milk! I love this title because it makes me think it's going to be one of those clever titles like mentioned above, but nope. It's really about milk. The Hate U Give - Angie ThomasThis title is technically taken from a song, but it fits the book so well that I'll excuse it. Before you read this book, the title doesn't really mean much yet but it still fits the synopsis. After you've read it, this title suddenly means everything. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse AndrewsThis title is catchy and makes the book sound both casual and dramatic at the same time. Which is exactly what it is, so I think it's brilliant how the author took the vibe from the book and portrayed it accurately with the title. That's my Top 5 favourite titles! What are your favourite book titles? Let me know!
Today I went back to university again for the first time after Summer. I missed the structure and normalcy of it, but definitely not the homework and the lectures! To cheer myself up I made a list of Back to School themed books that make it all seem a lot nicer! Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie PerkinsSYNOPSIS: Anna is sent to a boarding school in Paris and falls in love with a boy who is taken. This book makes going back to school feel less gloomy, because who can be sad to go to school when that school is in the middle of Paris?! Fangirl - Rainbow RowellSYNOPSIS: Simon Snow obsessed Cath has to say goodbye to her comfortable life to go to university. This book always makes me feel warm inside because it tells us that we can move on to the next stage of our lives without losing what makes us us. Eleanor & Park - Rainbow RowellSYNOPSIS: Two shy kids find each other through their shared love of music. Eleanor and Park's bond begins on the schoolbus, which makes this a perfect back to school book. School ain't so bad if that's when you meet the person who makes you feel all giddy inside. Looking for Alaska - John GreenSYNOPSIS: Miles Halter tries to understand life as he goes to boarding school, but everything is turned upside down by a girl called Alaska. This book exemplifies everything cool about boarding school, like living with your friends and sneaking around campus. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between - Jennifer E. SmithSYNOPSIS: Clare and Aidan spent their last night before they both go off to different colleges together, and have to decide whether to stay together or break up. For many people this is the start of their first year at college, and they have to leave a lot of people behind, like friends, family, and maybe even boyfriends or girlfriends. I'm lucky enough to have my university quite close to the town where I'm from, but many are not as lucky. This book is definitely relatable. That's it for the Back to School books! Hope everyone's had a good Back to School time!!
It's my last day of Summer as tomorrow I will be taking a train back to the city and starting my second year of university. I have a busy year ahead of me, with uni, work, and studying for my entrance exam for BA Mathematics, which I want to do after I get my degree in English. I found a tag with some Back-To-School-Themed questions, so here they are! English/Language Arts – Name your favorite author’s (or books) writing styleI don't think I have a favourite author, but Rainbow Rowell is definitely high up on my list. She doesn't have a lot of action in her books, but they are all quite evenly paced. I appreciate this, as I easily lose focus when a book starts very slow but then becomes faster in the second half. Rainbow Rowell is good at keeping my attention throughout the whole book. Math – A book that made you frustratedThis book itself frustrated me because I wanted so much more for Violet, but mostly the reception for it frustrated me, as everyone seems to like this as a heartbreaking love story, which disgusts me. This is a tale of mental illness, which made Finch manipulative and made him drag Violet down with him. Science – A book that really made you think or question thingsThere are a lot of books that made me think, like The Hate U Give for example, but I'll Give You the Sun did the most for me personally. It made me refind my love for art. Social Studies/History – Your favorite book from a different time periodThe Book Thief puts you, as a booklover, in the shoes of a little girl in WWII. It's brilliant how Markus Zusak lets us get attached to her by making us relate to her so much, as it makes the story - and the war - just that bit more real for people who are too young to have any direct experience with it. Art – Your favorite book with picturesI've read some books from the I Capolavori series to improve my Italian, and these books seriously have the prettiest pictures. If you want a taste of them, check out this post or this one, where I posted some pictures from Big Hero 6 and The Good Dinosaur respectively. Drama – A book you would love to see turned into a movieThis would make such a lovely film. And think of the scenery!! A love story in the heart of Paris!! Music/Band – Name a character you think (or know) would have the same musical taste as youI feel like Nick and Norah are pop punk kids, as they go to underground shows which kind of have a rock/punk vibe. I'm not much of an underground band lover (my favourite band is All Time Low, pretty much one of the biggest ones on the scene) but I get the appeal. Lunch – A food from a book you would love to tryHonestly every time Harry went to the dining hall for a meal I was so jealous of all the options. If I went to Hogwarts I would be so fat. Extra Credit – A book someone else told you to read and you ended up enjoying itTo be fair, I think I'm usually the one to recommend books to others, as I read the most of like everyone I know. The only book I can think of that I read because of someone else (excluding the Bookstagram community) is Divergent, which one of my Secondary School friends read before it got super popular, which made me curious and led to me reading it too. That's it for the Back to School Book Tag! Good luck to everyone who's going back tomorrow, like I am, and to everyone who's already started! If you do this tag too, please link me to your answers as I'd love to read them!
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AuthorHi! I'm Marcella. As you might have guessed, I quite like YA books.. Archives
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