January 6, 2015

Book Review | Better Off Friends

1
Posted by in Book Reviews
better off friends

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg stars Levi and Macallan, longtime best friends who secretly begin to develop feeling for each other, but hide it from the other in order to preserve their friendship. Told from a dual perspective, the story follows Levi and Macallan from their meeting on the first day of seventh grade until their junior year of high school, along the way experiencing heartbreak and tests of their friendship, and learning that home isn’t always a place: it’s a person.

I kept hearing this described as the YA equivalent to ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ and I was not disappointed. This was one of those books that had you hooked from the beginning, and made you wish you had a Levi in your life.

I thought that Better Off Friends was one of those stories where it’s obvious to everyone that these characters were going to end up together eventually, but the bigger focus of the story was on their friendship. We were given a view into how tightly knit their friendship was from the beginning and how much they helped each other grow as people, with Macallan opening up about the loss of her mother and Levi’s struggles fitting in at school.

The thing I personally loved the most was how passionate Macallan was when it can to her family, especially her uncle who had a slight disability. I could totally relate to Macallan in how she stood up for the people she cared about. Having a few family members with mental disabilities, I hated when people picked on others who needed a little more assistance than we did. I applaud Elizabeth Eulberg for incorporating this into her story.

My only problem was how invested I got in the characters and it was so disappointing the closer I got to the finish. I tried to prolong it as long as I could because I wasn’t ready to let go, but like all good things it has to come to an end.

Better Off Friends deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a light, cute book.

January 6, 2015

Classic Corner | Little Women

0
Posted by in Classic Corner

Hey there Literature Lovers!

Since it’s been about a week since the new year began, everyone has started up with their resolutions. Now, I’ve never been big on the whole resolutions thing. Yes, it’s a new year and a new start, but you had 364 other days to start exercising and getting healthy in the previous year. Why does January the first have to mean something different?

That being said, this isn’t so much a resolution for the year as it is a goal for myself. I used to love reading classic books (well, some more than others) because they give you an idea of what the time period was like.

I have so many classics stacked in my TBR pile, and I really would like that number to dwindle down this year. While I’m doing that, I figured, “Hey, why not share it?” So I’ve decided to do a monthly mention of a classic novel. I may read more than one per month in order to get the number down, but this way it could be fun mentioning some of my favorites.

This month I wanted to turn the spotlight on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

little women        little women back cover

I had to read Little Women for summer reading back in middle school, and from what I remember I thought it was pretty good. I wasn’t completely obsessed with it, but I thought the characters were interesting and the story wasn’t too dull, but I haven’t picked it up since. However, I found this gorgeous edition back in December while out with my mom, and decided I wanted to reread it.

For those of you unaware of what Little Women is about, I’ll give you a brief premise. The story revolves around the four March Sisters: Amy, Beth, Meg, and Jo. The March family is next to destitute, which the girls are less than pleased about. Their father sends them a letter telling his daughters to not complain about the situation and bear their burdens in a cheerful manner. The sisters experience lots of little adventures, like attending fancy parties and meeting a handsome neighbor called Laurie, along with typical sisterly squabbles.

I’m looking forward to starting this again. I might watch the movie with Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon before I start just to refresh my memory of the plot a bit more.

I’m curious to know what classics you like. Feel free to leave a comment below!

Love always,

Lauren

January 1, 2015

Most Anticipated Releases of 2015

0
Posted by in Blog

2015 is finally upon us, giving us a whole year of new opportunities, new adventures, and, of course, lots of new books, and believe me, there are a lot of goodies coming out this year. These are the ones I am personally looking forward to the most.

 

Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles: Levana’s Story (January 27, 2015)

This is a spin-off novel in The Lunar Chronicles series that documents the untold story of Queen Levana. I love fairy tale retellings, especially those that give a glimpse into the villain’s past. It’s always interesting to see what made a person choose the path they did. I’m so glad this is coming out later in the month because I’m eager to pick it up.

The Selection Stories: The Queen and The Favorite – Kiera Cass (March 3, 2015)

This is the second novella compilation in The Selection Series. The Queen stars a young Queen Amberly as she competes for the hand of the prince. The Favorite follows America Singer’s best friend Marlee who came to palace in hopes of becoming Prince Maxon’s wife, but instead finds herself falling for another. I’m looking forward to these novellas because it’ll give us some other sides of the story that weren’t as detailed in the three main books.

The Wicked Will Rise – Danielle Paige (March 31, 2015)

This is the sequel to Dorothy Must Die, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz that shows the events after Dorothy returns to Oz and how her dictatorial rein over the land leads to destruction. Narrated by Amy Gumm, “the other girl from Kansas,” we will see who is who is good and who is wicked.

Miss Mayhem – Rachel Hawkins (April 7, 2015)

This is the sequel to Rebel Belle, which follows Harper Price, a Southern Belle who becomes a Paladin, an ancient type of guardian with super strength, agility and highly lethal fighting capabilities, and she is charged with protecting David Stark, her least favorite person in the world. Miss Mayhem will continue Harper’s story as she fights to protect David, learn more about her capabilities, and compete in a prestigious pageant (Ya know, typical girl stuff).

Saint Anything – Sarah Dessen (May 5, 2015)

I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favorite summer reads! Sarah Dessen’s books are the perfect poolside companions. This is her twelfth novel, which stars Sydney, a teenager whose world has been shaken up and finds comfort with a family who accept her no matter what. She also meets Mac, a boy who makes Sydney feel like she is finally being seen for who she truly is.

The Heir – Kiera Cass (May 5, 2015)

This new addition to The Selection series follows America’s daughter as she goes through her own selection process.

Royal Wedding: Princess Diaries Volume XI – Meg Cabot (June 2, 2015)

Another summer read I am highly looking forward! Meg Cabot is one of my absolutely favorite authors. Her writing style is very witty and it’s easy to get in the mindset of her characters. I started reading The Princess Diaries series back in 2002 and could not put them down. I was so sad when the final volume of Mia’s diaries was published. I could not contain my excitement when I learned that Meg Cabot was releasing a new story all about Mia’s wedding! It’ll be so nice revisit these characters and see how they have progressed over the past few years.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer – Rock Riordan (October 6, 2015)

I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series and am currently working my way through the Heroes of Olympus. Rick Riordan has such a great sense of bringing these characters to life, and incorporating all the different mythological elements. I’m excited to see how he portrays Norse mythology in this new series, and there have been a few rumors that Percy may make an appearance in there somewhere. I don’t really know about that, but I would love to see some mentions of (or a guest appearance by) Thor. Anyway it goes, this is sure to be a promising read.

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles – November 10, 2015)

Winter is the forth and final book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer that will feature Snow White.

 

Melissa Meyer is also releasing the first book in a new series featuring the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland entitled Heartless, which is set for a Fall 2015 release, but no exact date has been released.

 

The final book I am anticipating is the forth and final book in the “All The Wrong Questions” series by Lemony Snicket. No actual release date has been set yet, but I would venture a guess of it coming out around the end of September just like the first three stories in the series.

 

I can already tell this is going to be a great year for all the bookworms out there!

 

Love always,

Lauren

 

December 31, 2014

Hello world!

0
Posted by in Blog

I’ve been wanting to start my own blog for quite a while now, and I finally decided it was time to set up a place to call my own.

This small slice of the Internet is dedicated to literature and those who love it. A place to review books, discuss writing, and share a collective appreciation for the written word, as well as various other creative outlets, like photography and music.

So welcome, Literature Lovers!

 

Love always,

Lauren