Book review etiquette

Okay, so this is a bit of a rant so it'll probably entail me using a lot of caps and doing a lot of rambling. You can just look the other way if you don't like it.

When writing a bad review there is particular etiquette to follow. I find it's pretty unspoken although I did actually recently see a post about it, I didn't actually read it but it caught my eye. I haven't actually had to write a bad bad review yet because when it comes to books, I am easy to please. Although, there are quite a few things to remember when writing a bad book review.

One being that it is just your opinion. Purely your opinion on the book and whatever you find wrong with it. You may hate a book that I love and it because of we interpret things differently and build different opinions. It makes us unique and interesting. I actually like to read reviews from people who've felt differently about a book because they usually mention things I hadn't even thought about. I think it's intriguing. We all think differently and different things bother us or stand out to us and so we form our own opinion.

Two, there are people who will like the book your talking about. No matter how crappy or rubbish you think a book is, sure enough, someone out there will like it, even love it. Keep that in mind because you don't want to offend those people. There is a fine line between an opinion and being plain rude for example, saying something along the lines of 'this books seems to be written for those with a more simple mind or a younger audience' is sharing an opinion, something you noticed. While saying something along the lines of 'only stupid people will like this book' is rude. Opinions are all well and good as long as they are executed with manners. Book reviewers aren't here to offend.

Thirdly, and probably the thing I have the most to say about, don't author bash. Authors work very hard, I want you to try to write an actual novel the next time you find yourself bashing an author. That crap is so hard. They have so many drafts, they do such much editing, so much writing. It really is a lot and it is so much more than I can ever fathom. Don't bash an author just because you don't like a book. It's probably good in terms of writing quality plus with the amount of time whichever author probably spent working on it before it got published, their book is probably like their baby. I just hate author bashing so much because they work so hard and liking a book has a lot to do with matter of opinion more than literally anything else. Just don't do it, WRITING IS HARD, we should be congratulating authors for being able to write that much plus it being good enough to make the publishing stage.

Basically, be mindful of the type of things you say when reviewing.

A letter to Magnus Bane

Dear Magnus,

How are you doing? How's Alec and little Max? I hope you're all well. Tell Alec and Max I give them my love. I always wondered if you'd ever settle down, you've always been a bit of a wild one. Although, I can't say I don't enjoy your stories. I'm glad you've found love again, Magnus and I hope Alec stays with you long after he is no longer physically with you.

What is it like to live forever? Do you ever get bored of it? How do you keep busy? I know you've had more loves than you can count. I know you always have clients. But, Magnus, how do you keep your life interesting? God knows, you keep it interesting but how? I wonder if you get sick of your warlock friends after a while, it's okay if you do, I'll keep a secret. It intrigues me, you see, immortality. Surely, life would lose it's intrigue and interest after you realise you'll have it forever. I've always thought the excitement was in the fact that we only have certain amount of time on this Earth. Excuse me, Magnus, if I get too personal. I've always been too curious for my own good.

Is it devastating to see friends and lovers die? Knowing one day you may well forget the way their eyes sparkled. I couldn't imagine that. I admire you, Magnus, what bravery it must take to live forever. All the things you must deal with. I don't feel sorry for you though, Magnus, because I know you wouldn't want that. I can tell you love your life and wouldn't have it any other way. I'm simply curious.

I bet you've seen a lot of things, Magnus. Maybe you could help me ace my history exam. I'm only joking, I know you're a busy man. I wonder what it would have been like to be alive in the 1800's, or when the Gold Rush was happening. You must have an immense amount of life experience Magnus, I can see you're a wise man.

I wish you all the happiness I can give you for your full life. I wish you and your family well. And, most of all, I hope you're life is always interesting because I know how much you'd hate to live a dull life.

This Is Where The World Ends by Amy Zhang

3 Stars

"We are the stars and the purple-red-blue sky is the background."

I honestly am at a loss for words at this. I typically like to write my reviews pretty soon after reading a book so every things fresh in my head but I'm not entirely sure what I can say about it. I can say its one of those book you'll either like or you won't. I think I liked it, I definitely wouldn't say I didn't like it so I guess that means I did, in fact, like it. I just don't really have many thoughts on it.

I remember having a lot of thoughts on Falling into Place which after reading this I really want to reread so I might do that next and compare the two. I just wasn't a fan of Janie and I wasn't a fan of Micah, I didn't love reading about them. I did really like Janies fairytale-esque journal entries. I thought they were different and interesting little analogies for what was happening in Janies life.

I like the split time, I know I've read books like that before and I've loved them, I can't put my finger on which ones they were but the names will come back to me later. I liked the mystery aspect of the before and after thing. You obviously knew something big was going to happen because of the after but you were just waiting for the before to build up to it and for the before and after to tie in together. So there was that.

I also really want to know why Micah and Janie couldn't let anyone know they were friends. Their friendship was really strange to me and it felt to me like Janie was in her own little world and it felt like she just didn't really connect with any of the characters even Micah.

I just really don't know about this book, maybe when my thoughts are a bit clearer I'll tidy this review up but maybe I'll leave it since these are my freshest of fresh thoughts. I can't really recommend or not recommend this book so you might have to flip a coin or read a better review.

3 Stars "We are the stars and the purple-red-blue sky is the background." I honestly am at a loss for words at this. I typically like to write my reviews pretty soon after reading a book so every things fresh in my head but I'm not entirely sure what I can say about it. I can say its one of those book you'll either like or you won't. I think I liked it, I definitely wouldn't say I didn't like it so I guess that means I did, in fact, like it. I just don't really have many thoughts on it. I remember

Day and Night Tag

D: Do you read more in the morning or at night?
I usually find time where I can but if I had to choose one over the other I'd say night because night is so cosy and easy.
A: Are there any books that changed the way you thought about things?
There's a few. My Sisters Keeper changed the way I thought of a few things like death and illness and choices.
Y: YA or Not?
YA for sure. No doubt, I love other genres but YA will always be my main genre.

A: Are there characters that you honestly believe are real?
Not really, I'd like to believe Harry Potter is real but somehow I don't think it's likely.
N: Nobody touches my books or I don't mind loaning my books out?
Depends who it is and which books they want. I trust a small circle of people but only with certain books. Most of my paperbacks I'd lend out to that small circle but only if they asked to borrow one. My mum is allowed to borrow whichever one she wants since she lives in the same house as me and I think she deserves at least that.
D: Do you ever smell your books?
All the time. It's part of the book experience.

N: Not everyone loves books...is this a positive or a negative?
They can't be every ones cup of tea. I personally see it as a positive thing because it makes the bookish committee just a little more exclusive, I'm a little selfish like that.
I: I keep my books in the best condition or maybe not? Which are you?
I crack the spines of my paper backs because I kind of like the worn look plus it's more comfortable to read that way but my hardcovers, I try to keep impeccable.
G: Gosh I have to many books! True or False?
Is there ever too many? I say false but if you were to ask my parents they would tell you true.
H: Have you ever spilled or stained your books before with something, and if so how?
Once I was carrying my Insurgent and Allegiant books in my school bag and my water bottle leaked all over them. Thankfully, they weren't too badly damaged, they just look a little funny now.
T: Toned or untoned while reading? . . or in other words. . .Do you read and workout at the same time?
God, no. Aren't I supposed to enjoy myself while I read? Working out is not my idea of a good time. Definitely not my cup of tea.

My Favourite Bookish Friendships

The Golden Trio

Obviously, the first one is the golden trio. Harry, Ron and Hermione are just everything I want in friends. They're so supportive of each other. Ron and Hermione literally voluntarily risked their lives and many other things quite a few times throughout the series for Harry. To be quite honest, I would've just turned myself right back around and said 'that's cool mate, but no thanks'. No way I would've been getting myself involved in that but Ron and Hermione knew that Harry carried some pretty heavy baggage and stuck around regardless. I think it is so sweet that they've stuck by each other since their first year all the way to the last and then some. They obviously have such a strong relationship and I just can't get over it sometimes. They are so precious.

Jem and Will

Jem and Will from the Infernal Devices are honestly everything. They're parabatai so they're obviously close but I haven't seen any other parabatai pairings that close. They care so deeply for each other and it's freaking beautiful. They'd do anything for each other, it is so gorgeous. Jem and Will are so different in personality but they need each other to neutralise the other. The ease and comfort they have with each other is something I think anyone would be lucky to experience.

Rudy and Liesel

Rudy and Liesel had such a precious (I will use this word way to often throughout this post, you've been warned) friendship. It was so childlike and sincere just like the golden trio. It was so genuine and pure, there was so much going on around them yet they still managed to keep that sincerity of friendship. It was so wonderful, I tear up a little bit just thinking about them. You could tell they both cared for each other so deeply and genuinely and I loved the way they could easily insult and make fun of one another yet you could still tell they adored each other. I would not have expected such a pure friendship in such a dark book. I think it's what really made The Book Thief for me.

Let's Discuss

Who are your favourite bookish friendships? Who reminds you of you and your friends? Do you share some of my favourites?

Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

4 stars "She did not realise that the equal and opposite reaction was this: every terrible, horrible, bitchy thing Liz had ever done had bounced back to her." I decided this deserved a reread after not really enjoying This is Where the World Ends and I wanted to see if I still loved this one. Turns out I do. They have a lot of similarities which I'll discuss in a blog post soon (I'll link it when I post it) but for some reason I just clicked with this one more. Liz is a destructive person, not only is she self destructive but she's destructive to those around her. To be honest, she's a bitch. If she went to my school, I'd absolutely hate her. But she doesn't and she's not real so it's a bit different. Liz has compassion and she knows what she's doing is wrong but I think she falls into the trap of peer pressure to easily. She knows she is a destructive person but she just doesn't know what to do about it. I don't agree with most if not all of the things Liz has done but I'm still really intrigued by her. Shes an interesting character and theres not a doubt about that. She isn't particularly likable but I don't think she's supposed to be. I'm not sure how I felt about the spilt time it this one, it was a lot of back and forths. I typically like a good split time book and it was well done. I'm just not sure how I felt about it in this scenario. It reminded me of If I Stay a lot and if you've read both of these books you'll understand what I'm talking about. Car crash, going back into the past, waiting to see if victim lives. Very similar. These book is also very dark, It tackles some very dark topics such as suicide, abortion and drug use. If you're not comfortable with that, I wouldn't go for this book but I don't have a problem with it because it's just generally what happens and it sucks. I think reading about it is interesting and eye opening. It's the sort of things I like to read about, I would never personally touch drugs or consider suicide but some do. It adds a sense of realism to books, in my opinion. This book was very real. It's also very blunt, it doesn't hide the bitter truth in metaphors or anything. You probably won't see many quotes from this book in the Instagram bio of a teenager because it's not sugarcoated. This book gives me some many feelings which typically a good book always will do. It makes me think about how it would be if that were my best friend in hospital dying. It makes me think about a lot. I can't really define this book as good or bad but what I can say it's well written and you'll absolutely tear through it if you like it. I read it in only one day (and still had time to watch two episodes of GoT) which I haven't been able to do with a book in so long. I like it a lot. "She did not realise that the equal and opposite reaction was this: every terrible, horrible, bitchy thing Liz had ever done had bounced back to her." 4 stars I decided this deserved a reread after not really enjoying This is Where the World Ends and I wanted to see if I still loved this one. Turns out I do. They have a lot of similarities which I'll discuss in a blog post soon (I'll link it when I post it) but for some reason I just clicked with this one more. Liz is a destructive person, not onl

2016 Favourites So Far

I've been loving so many new things this year which is awesome and I'm so happy to expand myself and find new things to love. I've included a few bookish things and a few unbookish things. This is simply a list compromised of things I've been obsessing over this year.

1. The 1975. I discovered them last year, I think. I loved Chocolate and Sex but didn't really listen to any of their other music and I just liked those two songs. This year when I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet Unaware came out and everyone was obsessing over Somebody Else (which makes me feel like I'm in love when I am absolutely not) I was going to listen to it until Dodie Clark posted a cover and as I love her (she will be included in my list) I watched it and it was beautiful so I listened to the original and it was beautiful. I still am amazed by it's beauty. I proceeded to listen to the rest of the album and it is everything. So I then listened to their first album and became literally obsessed. I'm listening to them as I write this. I wouldn't know where to even start with my favourite songs but I've most recently been loving Settle Down and You. Also their music videos are so good. I can't stop watching them.

2. Game of Thrones. I'm still only up to season three. Please don't hate me, I am horrible at tv show watching but I bought season three and four on dvd yesterday so I plan to get back on track with that. Nevertheless, I'm obsessed. I read the first book in July and I'm half way through the second at the moment but I put it on hold for a while. I started watching it when my mum binged the whole thing and recommended it, I was going to try to avoid it but eventually curiosity got me. I already have a Jon Snow mug (thanks Dad) and today I treated myself to a GoT shirt from the mens section that I couldn't resist.
3. The Beatles. Believe it or not, I'd never heard a Beatles song before this year (or last Christmas). For Chirstmas, my Dad gifted my Mum and I a Beatles album in the name of our cat, Louis. I remember when I saw the gift addressed to us from Louis under the tree and I was just so confused. My Dad also tried to play the Jon Snow mug off on Louis so. It was the 1 album with all the singles and such. Dad downloaded it onto a USB for the car since they're awesome sing a long songs. He's started a bad thing really, I've been obsessing over The Beatles ever since. My favourite songs would have to be Something and She Loves you but honestly, just like with The 1975, my favourites change about every week. They're such great songs. I'm considering buying my Dad another of their albums for Fathers Day but I'm not sure which one yet so if you have any reccomendations, it would be muchly appreciated.
4. The Book Thief. This is a fairly new one since I finished the book last week and watched the movie yesterday. But it's so damn good. How did I stay away so long? No one knows. When I finished it, all I wanted to do was read it again. I didn't even want a break, just straight back to the first page. I didn't indulge myself because there's plenty of other things I needed to read but I plan on doing all rereads in September so I may very well reread it. I've never experienced the desire to read a book again straight after finishing. I've experienced the desire to keep reading the same characters and places before countless times but this was kind of surreal. I can't stop thinking about it and I just want to read it again and again.
5. Socks. This is kind of an odd one but I never used to like socks but this year for some unknown reason I love them. I am constantly buying the softest, fluffiest, cosiest socks I can find. As soon as I get home, I put on a pair. They're just so nice, I don't think people appreciate socks enough. I hope my sock collection continues to grow. Also, with more thought about where my abrupt love of socks comes from, I realise it stems from when I slipped in the shower having my legs and got a razor blade stuck in my foot for three weeks and I was too scared to wear bare feet. You're learning so much about me.
6. John Hughes movies and Molly Ringwald. Okay this kind of counts for last year as well but I never really got over it. I watched The Breakfast Club for the first time late last year which began my obsession, later I got Sixteen Candles and loved it so I was on the hunt for Pretty in Pink, my favourite, for a long time. Whenever I'm in the mood for a good movie, they're my go tos. I watched them all several times since the first time last year. They're just so my kind of thing, they're kind of trashy but I love kind of trashy. I'm obsessed with Molly Ringwald and her hair and everything about her. The characters are so fun and I love Duckie and I love Alison.
7. Dodie Clark. I discovered her youtube channel this year while looking for a song and I saw she did a cover of it and I fell in love immediately. I adore her. Her originals songs are so beautiful and meaningful (high recommend) I swear I listen to them constantly. She has such a soft and lovely voice. I am truly obsessed with it, and I think she is such a gorgeous person. I usually don't like youtubers that much but I love Dodie.

Andddd, that's about it.

Lets Discuss

What are your 2016 favs? Have you been loving anything off my list?

Bookish Boyfriends

Hello all, today I wanted to talk about something I'm sure we all have multiple of which is, of course, bookish boyfriends. I have quite a few so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about them and why I love them.

Will Herondale

Okay, Will Herondale will always be my top bookish boyfriend. Everything about him is so beautiful. I think we're quite similar and I would laugh at all of his jokes and sarcastic comments and I would hope he'd laugh at mine. We'd be a great pairing. He is so passionate in the way he cares for Jem and Tessa. It is so attractive, speaking of attractive, the sarcasm just gets me in a way that I can't explain. I don't know what I love so much about sarcasm but god damn, Will Herondale is like the king of it.  I don't think I'll ever get enough of him. Since the moment he was introduced in Clockwork Angel, I was in love.

Rhysand

Does Rhysand have a surname? If he does I don't know it. For almost the same reasons as Will, I love Rhys. He has sucha sexy and confident air about him. He and Will are very similar, Rhys could almost be a contender for top stop but I've pretty much already sold my soul to Will so. He is cocky which should be annoying but isn't. He is sarcastic and I know I'd find myself laughing at everything he said. Again, I think we'd get on wonderfully.

Levi

Levi is such a sweet angel boy. How do you not read Fangirl without literally swooning over Levi? He is just so swoon worthy and gorgeous. He is so nice and wonderful and lovely. I feel like he's a really safe pick but he is just such a sweet person. So genuine, as well. I feel like it would be impossible for him to lie to me. He only wants to do good by Cath, he is so pure. It is so gorgeous that he wants to impress Cath all the time. I feel like I could go on about the all the little endearing things about Levi forever but I won't because I have a huge list of other bookish boyfriends to talk about.

Kile

Kile from The Heir just has something about him that makes me irresistibly attracted to him. Is it all that kissing? I mean, probably but he's also really nice and sweet and he cares about Eadlyn even though she's a brat. Which is awesome because I won't lie, I can be a bit of a brat. Also, he reminds me a lot of me. Nose always in a book, knowledge is power attitude, he basically is me. I can only hope he's as great in The Crown because I'll be really upset if my boy Kile lets me down. This post will be a lie then

Willem

Willem from Just One Year is so gorgeous, I love the air of confidence thing and Willem has it. He is so spontaneous and spur of the moment which I think would get annoying after a while but he isn't actually real so it doesn't matter to me. He is very interesting, I feel like he would have endless stories to tell and endless stories to make.

Lets discuss

Who are your bookish boyfriends? Do you share any with me? What traits do you look for in a bookish boyfriend?

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

3 stars

"When I turn on Kilorn, I have sparks in my hands and determination in my heart"

Woah, that was a lot of feelings at once. I'm going to have to try my best to include them all in this review. I feel a bit overwhelmed and also disappointed that I'll have to wait so long for the next book, I did not imagine feeling this way after finishing this.

I did not connect with Mare in Red Queen but everyone absolutely raved about this one so of course, I bought it because I love Cal and even though I didn't connect with Mare, I wasn't done with Cal yet. The first few chapters had me feeling iffy and it took me a while to get through the sludgy sort of beginning, although it could be because I'd forgotten a lot of what happened and I was too lazy to reread Red Queen. That being said, once I got through that stage, I started to really enjoy it.

I don't like Mare at all but I do feel more of a connection in this book. I think she is selfish and reckless and hungry for war. She isn't a likable character for me, I'm not sure if she's supposed to be though. I also find her very frustrating, she doesn't know what she wants or is too blind to see it. Take her relationship with Cal for example, you could tell the two of them wanted it but Mare is so damn stubborn that nothing really happened there. Although towards the end I didn't think she was worthy of Cal's love anyway. I did want them to pash throughout the most book though until the end.

It was certainly a page turner, it was so full of action. Something was always happening and I think for me, that's what made up for Mare being so unbearable. I do love a good page turner. Although I wouldn't go as far to say it was a quick read. It's a decently sized book and it also depends on how much patience you have for Mare.

I found the ending was predictable but predictable doesn't equal bad and I still thought the ending was pretty good, a lot happened and I don't know that if you asked me I'd be able to give you an accurate summary of what happened but it did get my heart beating. I was still really excited for it and I have to say I am a lot more excited for the next book than I could've predicted.

I ended up enjoying it more than I thought so I'm going to take that as a win for this book. It kind of reminded me of Mockingjay but I mean, who doesn't love Mockingjay so I count that as another win. I will also have to add Cal to my list of book boyfriends, so welcome Cal. I'm not sure what else I can say about this without completely spoiling the book so I think I'll have to leave it there.

Is reading social?

I would know a lot of people who would argue with me on this, I know a few who have. I have points on either side so lets have a chat.

Through my interest in reading, I've found a lot of people who share the same interest. This enables me to discuss books and my thoughts and opinions with them. I've begun many conversations with people who I've seen reading a book I love or in a book store or library which I would not have without. It allows me to connect with a whole range of people both young and old that I would not have been able to connect with without the common ground of reading. It gives me something I can share with others, which is the social part of reading.

The non social, though, is something that not all bookworms are guilty of but I know I am. Being a reader, I tend to avoid social settings so I can spend more time reading, with my book. I spend a lot of my time reading (and strongly discourage anyone speaking to me while I'm reading) so I don't always reply back to text messages or go out to see friends or meet new people. This though, can be made up for with the fact that I meet a lot of people while scouring a bookish tag on twitter or writing a bookish blog or going to a bookstore.

I don't think it is or isn't. I think it is what you make it, you can make reading social and I try my best to make it social for myself because it enhances my reading experience but you can also make it as non social as you want. My reading used to be non social, I didn't like discussing books and it was almost my secret little refuge. It still is my refuge but I just talk to more people about it.

Lets Discuss

What do you think? Is reading a social experience for you? Do you agree or disagree?

The Ultimate Book Tag

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?
Yes! Which sucks big time seeing as I travel via car so much. It feels like such wasted time if I'm not using it to read.

2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?
Hmm, I'd have to say Sarah Ayoub has a pretty unique writing style, I've only read one of her books but her storytelling was different and quite interesting. She's not that unique but I just thought the way she told stories was really cool and I haven't seen it before.

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
Harry Potter all the way!
- I love the characters
- Umm, magic?!?
- Hogwarts wins everything

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?
Not a book bag but I do usually put a book in my bag if I'm going out for an extended period and I know I'll have time for it. I usually have whatever I'm reading in my school bag but that can be nerve racking because once my water leaked all over my Insurgent and Allegiant copies and now they're all funny but they weren't too badly damaged which is a major plus.

 5. Do you smell your books?
Oh, Absolutely. They smell so good, and has anyone else noticed some smell stronger than others? Why is that? If anyone knows please tell me.

 6. Books with or without little illustrations?
I mean, I don't have anything against either of them but it really depends for me. Sometimes I think it can be a little tacky but sometimes it helps add to the story so it depends.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing? (Ex. I read Twilight before I read HP and thought the writing was amazing but read HP and now think Twilight is a little bit of a joke.)
Hmm, there's a lot. Probably the biggest for me were John Greens books, don't think I'm bashing him here, he's done more than I could dream of. Nonetheless, when I first got into reading I adored his books and through rereading and just general thinking about it, I've kind of realised they aren't as great as I used to think they were. I guess I just grew out of them. Still entertaining reads though.

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
That's hard. Thinking about it, I remember when I was about 8 or 9 I had a bit of a resentment for novels (if only 8 or 9 year old Brooklyn could see me now) but my mum told me all the other kids were reading novels and I was going to seem silly if I kept reading picture books my whole life. So, I found somewhat of a compromise and began illustrating my novels *collective gasp*. Now, looking back on it, I almost shudder at the though of drawing on a book.

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
The thinnest book on my shelf is either The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Nick and Norahs Infinite Playlist. It's hard to tell which one is thinner. Although, page count wise, they aren't that small. Interesting how size works like that.

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
I don't even have to look to know it's A Game of Thrones. It's a huge freaking book.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?
I write here and then, nothing special, just for the sake of it. Sometimes I just get so overwhelmed by the desire to write. I'd like to at least publish a book one day but I am only a teenager so I mean, it could be a while off. I wouldn't expecting my name on the 2017 new releases list at least.

12. When did you get into reading?
Well, I've always been a reader on and off but when I was 13 I started reading and never stopped. You can see my whole reading journey more in depth here.

13. What is your favorite classic book?
Well, I absolutely adore both Little Women and Jane Eyre. I honestly don't know if I could choose between the two. I remember when I was about 11 my mum recommended Jane Eyre to me but I didn't really read past the first couple of chapters, I read it again last year. Properly and I loved it. I got the purple leather bound edition  of Little Women for Christmas in 2014 so I think I read it last year too in the early months and loved it as well.

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?
Oh yes, I've always just been a natural at it. I've always had a wider vocabulary than a lot of the other kids in my classes too which teachers have commented on a lot. I used to find myself dumbing down my vocab when I spoke to peers but I've since learned to love my vocab and now I have a bit of a love for odd words and things.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?
That's thankfully never happened to me but I'd probably pass it on to someone else or donate it to a library or second hand store.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?
I actually don't know of that many lesser known series' and even less that are similar to Harry Potter of The Hunger Games. I don't really have an answer for this question, shame.

17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while filming?
Well, I don't film but I blog and I'd say my worst blogging habit is going completely off topic. Thankfully, if I've gone too far off topic I can just take it out, easy as pie but I find myself doing it all the time.

18. What is your favourite word?
I swear I have a different favourite word every day. It used to be lovely for a long time but right now I think my favourite word is adore. I've used it various times in just this times. I also love adorable and adoring. There's a lot of magnificent words out there.

19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?
God, all of the above!

20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?
I like fairies. I feel like vampires are a bit over used (although, I won't turn one down). I love the whole magic and beauty and all that surrounding fairies. There's just something that draws me to them.

21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?
I like shapeshifters, I think they're really interesting and I'm kind of intrigued by them. I haven't read that many books with either of them but I do have a really cool book about a shapeshifter on my shelf which I've read a good couple of times, it's called Shift by Em Bailey and I would recommend. It was a super cool book.

22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?
Werewolves for the simple reason being I haven't read a book with a spirit in it before.

23. Zombies or Vampires?
I'd have to say vampires here, I've never seen the appeal of zombies. I don't know why, they've just never taken my fancy.

24. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love?
Hmm, I want to say both. I must be the only reader on earth to like a good love triangle. It has to be written well though, if it is a sloppy love triangle then I could do without. They're way over done but it doesn't exactly stop me from liking them so.

25. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
Depends on my mood but right now I'm going action packed with a few love scenes. Although, that changes every other day.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler with art by Maira Kalman

4 stars

"I had such, you would not believe the such feeling I had"

This book gives me so many feelings and for that I would call it a good book because it made me feel something. I fell in love alongside Min and I got my heartbroken alongside Min and I love that. I love that I feel one with Min, I well and truly can connect with her. I felt what she felt and that's almost an experience on its own.

I love the artwork throughout the book, I feel like it really enhanced the reading process so much for me, a book like this needs the artwork. It got me thinking about the fact that this book would've have been nearly as greatly executed without the art. I felt like that's important to mention since so many people focus on the writing, which obviously is what makes the book but I think we all know what I mean.

I love the letter thing, I love love love it. It feels so empowering to me that Min is writing this letter to the boy who broke her heart along with all the mementos of their love. I feel as though I can relate with it, while I wouldn't go as far to write a letter to someone who had hurt me and give it to them, I like to keep stupid little things. The fact that I do that to makes the book a little closer to home for me. Getting back onto the letter type format, the letter makes me feel as though Min has gained back her control and I really like that.

I love Min and her friends, as obnoxious and pretentious as they are. They remind me of myself, I am very much one of those pretentious assholes who will rub it in your face that they liked this band before it was popular (did I mention I had two boston terriers before they were popular?). Anyway, they're really fun characters and I love Al, I think he is hilarious. I love Min and Al's sense of humour, the sarcasm and teasing is so easy and casual between them. It's fun to read.

I'm glad I chose to reread this one because there were thing I missed and things I can understand better (because I grew so much wiser in a year). It's a sad book but I love it because it makes me feel, I think that's my favourite thing about contemporary. I think that if you like the sad kind of contemporary story then you'll love it but if you don't then you probably won't. That's okay though because I don't think books are written so every person on earth will love them, books are written to cater towards every ones different preferences. This books caters to my preferences and I adore it.