Bookish-Worm

This is a blog dedicated to the review of books of all shapes and sizes. Every book I read will be reviewed on this blog. This includes books for school and books for fun. If you would like to request a book to be reviewed just drop it in the ask and I will do my best to get to it!

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Joss Whedon: This Biography

Title: Joss Whedon: The Biography

Author: Amy Pascale

The Reason I Had To Read: Because it's Joss Whedon

Plot: It tells the story of his life

My Thoughts: I normally don't like biographies, but I really enjoyed this one. I'm a huge fan of Joss Whedon and I've followed most of his work since I was young, but even I was on edge reading about whether or not a show was going to get picked up or if a deal was going to go through. A biography had me quickly turning pages to see what happens next even though I already knew that outcome. That says something about this book.

Rating: 5/5

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Mr. Kiss and Tell

Title:Mr. Kiss and Tell

Author: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Reason I had to Read: It's Veronica Mars.

Plot: A young girl is found brutally beat up and raped and it's Veronica's job to find out who did it. However, the girl can't remember anything about the attack or how she ended up in the middle of a field when she was attacked in the best hotel in Neptune.

My Thoughts: As always, I want more Veronica Mars. Once again her quick wit and quips are back full force and our favorite little PI just doesn't stop. I'm already eagerly awaiting the next book. My only criticism of this book is that the climax wasn't as exciting as the last. I realize that not every climax can be a life or death situation, but in this one it just fell flat. But other than that I loved it and I love that with each book characters from Veronica's past keep popping up!

Rating: 4/5

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Gathering Blue

Title: Gathering Blue

Author: Lois Lowry

Reason I had to Read: Liked The Giver and wanted to read the next book.

Plot: An orphaned girl gets a chance to be an important figure to her community, but she quickly realizes that it's not what it seems

My Thoughts: This is a lot like The Giver in the way that the morals are the same, but it is still a very interesting book. I really liked the characters. Even though they are a lot younger than I am I still found them extremely interesting and relateable. I liked that each character had a major flaw, but also something that made them special. Most people saw their talent and not their flaw. 

Rating: 4/5

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The Little Prince

Title: The Little Prince

Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Reason I had to Read: I read it awhile ago, but couldn't remember anything about it.

Plot: A man meets a very interesting young prince from another planet who tells him all about the world.

My Thoughts:This was a really cute book and very interesting to read. I loved all of the little drawings in it and loved the unique stories that each chapter brought. I would definitely recommend.

Rating: 4/5

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Carmilla

Title:Carmilla

Author:J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Reason I had to Read: It sounded like a good novella

Plot: Carmilla is a mysterious stranger who enters a young girl's life and quickly grows closer to her, but could it be for a malevolent reason?

My Thoughts: I really liked this novella. I'm trying to read more older books and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It's a simple story that's easy to follow and very engaging. definitely recommend for a short read.

Rating: 4/5

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Virgin

Title:Virgin

Author: Radhika Sanghani

Reason I had to Read: So I read the back of the book and it just spoke to me.

Plot: A twenty-one year old is sick of being a virgin and vows to loose her virginity before she graduates university.

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I'm not afraid to admit that when it comes to sexual experience, I have none and at the age of twenty three that comes as a shock to many. So many books deal with losing virginity, but many of the protagonists are still in high school or debating about moral issues. It's nice to read a book that deals with a twenty one year old that just hasn't lost her virginity simply because she hasn't had the opportunity to do so. 

Another great thing about this book is that the language doesn't try to cover the anatomical names of bodies. When Ellie, our lovely protagonist is talking about a penis, she calls it a penis. She doesn't skirt around the word like some erotic books, she proudly calls it what it is and it makes the book feel more honest and relatable. 

No matter your sexual experience you will love this book. It answers questions that many of us our scared to ask in a humorous and fun way. I seriously can't wait to lend this book to my friend and then lend it to another friend and another so that we can all talk about this book and realize that our bodies and our sexual experiences aren't things that we need to be afraid to talk about. It's something that we should never be ashamed of.

Rating: 5/5

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A Song of Ice and Fire (Series)

Title: A Song of Ice and Fire

Author: George R.R. Martin

Reason I had to Read: My friend kept pestering me to read it.

Plot: All hell breaks loose when I hire up dies in the kingdom of Westeros and everyone begins to fight over the throne.

My Thoughts: I normally don't review series as a whole, but my friend wanted me to read this series so bad I marathoned like it was a TV show on Netflix and I don't regret it.

Each book brings exciting and wow moments. The dynamics and relationships between the characters are so mysterious you never know who is truly on whose side, which keeps the stories interesting.

I'm not going to lie, there are a lot of characters and plot lines to keep up with, but once you start making the connections it really helps you immerse yourself into the world of Westeros. 

There are so many theories formed while reading the books and many go unanswered. The series isn't complete yet and I personally cannot wait for the next book to come out.

I definitely recommend this series. However, it is a lot to take on. Be prepared to read a lot and dedicate your weekends to these books and then spend the next couple of years anxiously waiting for the final two books.

Rating: 4/5

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Go Ask Alice

Title:Go Ask Alice

Author: Anonymous

Reason I had to Read: My sister had it on her bookshelf and I needed something to read.

Plot: A girl gets hooked on drugs and this is her journey down the rabbit hole as she tries to figure out her life.

My Thoughts: This book was okay. There were times when the narrator got on my nerves and there were times when I wasn't sure what her feelings were an there were times when I had no idea how she got from point A to point B. I guess the only thing that's known is what was written in her diary, but there are some gaps in time that I wish were filled.

Rating: 3/5

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Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Title: Geektastic

Author:Edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

Reason I had to Read: looked interesting

Plot: A bunch of geeky short stories

My Thoughts: I really liked this book even though I'm not huge of short story collections. Even though I only related and had interest in a few of the geeky things that were the main topics of the stories, I still enjoyed the whole book. There is a story for every nerd in this book and I definitely recommend it.

Rating: 4/5

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Landline

Title: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Reason I Had To Read: I liked her other books.

Plot: Georgie and Neal have been having problems in the marriage and the heated tension seems to rise when Georgie can't go to Omaha with him and their two girl for Christmas. Busy at work and a cellphone that doesn't work, Georgie has to wait until she is back in her childhood bedroom at her mother's house before she can try to call Neal. But when she uses the landline it's Neal from the past that answers.

My Thoughts: Not my favorite Rainbow Rowell novel, but definitely good. There were times when I thought that the character of Georgie over thought some things it her thought process didn't really make sense, but I still really enjoyed the novel.  I liked that it focused on reflecting on your past to change your future because a lot of people say to forget the past, but the past makes us who we are today and makes us who we are going to be.  I liked that there were "supernatural" elements but that it didn't feel like a supernatural novel. Definitely recommend this book!

Rating: 4/5

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Twelfth Night

Title: Twelfth Night

Author: William Shakespeare

Reason I Had To Read: I was on a Shakespeare kick.

Plot: Set around separated twins and the comedy that ensues when the female dresses up as a male.

My Thoughts: One of my least favorite Shakespeare comedies. I had a hard time really getting into this play and I found myself not really wanting to read it. Not sure if that was because I had been reading a lot of Shakespeare lately and my mind wanted a break or if I just really didn't like it. There were a lot of characters and I had trouble remember who was who and who knew what. If someone asked me if they should read this one or not I would probably say no and give them a different comedy recommendation

Rating: 2/5

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Cymbeline

Title: Cymbeline

Author: William Shakespeare

Reason I Had To Read: It sounded good.

Plot: Combines all of the great aspects of Shakespeare into one play.

My Thoughts: I liked this play because it was all of Shakespeare's plays in one. There was tragedy with death, merriment with love, laughter with cross-dressing, and comeuppance to the villains. I liked the strong will of Imogene as she set out to find her beloved in a world and time where women were not supposed to do so. Although she dressed herself as a man for her safety and disguise, she still followed her own path instead of that of her father's.

Rating: 4/5

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Every Little Thing in the World

Title: Every Little Thing in the World

Author: Nine de Gramont

Reason I Had To Read: The author was one of my professors in college and my sister just happened to have it on her bookcase.

Plot: Sydney finds out she's pregnant and that's not the only trouble she's gotten in. Her parents are sick of her trouble making and send her and her best friend to a wilderness camp before Sydney can get up enough courage to tell them the truth about the pregnancy. While at camp Sydney debates what she wants to do with her life and with her body.

My Thoughts: I'm very familiar with Nina's work seeing as I actually had her as a professor during college. I even did an in depth look at Gossip of the Starlings in one of my English classes. I think I enjoyed this book more than Gossip. I don't know if it was because I was finally able to distance myself from knowing the person who wrote it and just enjoying the story or if it's because I just really liked the story.  To me it's the perfect summer book to read and makes me very envious of Sydney's adventurous summer even though she does it all pregnant. I think Nina does a really good job of letting Sydney be a teenager as well as deal with her predicament. She doesn't let the pregnancy run the book and I think that's what makes this such a successful story.

Rating: 4/5

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Gold River

Title: Gold River

Author: Suellen Ocean

Reason I Had To Read:  I won this in a give away on goodreads.

Plot: Natasha moves in the man of her dreams, Casey, and then realizes her paradise might not be paradise.

My Thoughts: I won this book in one of the giveaways on goodreads and I'm so thankful I didn't have to pay for it. Let's just ignore all the typos of the novel and just get down to what was wrong with the book.  The main character of Casey is supposed to be this guy that people trust the moment they see him, but I was more creeped out by the guy than anything else. I never felt like he was a good guy even when he was doing good things. I think Natasha, his lover, is crazy for getting with him as fast as she does especially because she seemed like a pretty smart girl.  Another thing that bothered me was that the dialogue was a little awkward and unauthentic in many parts. It just didn't feel real. The translations were too quick and there was focus on characters that didn't need to be focused on. The end of the novel was abrupt and too fast for all that happened.  I read the novel pretty quickly because I was waiting for something exciting to happen, but it never did. Everything that happened I saw coming from a mile away except for the abrupt ending of one of the characters.  The moral and lesson of the story is great. It's all about preserving history an respecting each other, but I wish that there was some more details about the Native Americans. I don't even think it is mentioned what type of Native Americans they are. There is hardly anything about their history or culture, yet the story is about being educated and respectful of a different way of life.  Overall, this book just was not my cup of tea. I think it needed to be more focused and detailed with the characters and cultures.

Rating: 1/5

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Emma

Title: Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Reason I Had To Read: I thought I would enjoy it.

Plot: Matchmaker Emma Woodhouse loves sticking her nose into other people's business, until she gets in a little too deep and makes her friend's lives worse.

My Thoughts: This book is hard to pay attention to when you are reading it quickly. I wanted to get through it so I could compare it to the webseries Emma Approved on Youtube. However, by reading quickly, I often forgot who everyone was an their relations to each other. I think if I read it a second time down the road I might enjoy it more than I did, but half the time 20 pages would pass and I would realize that I had no recollection of what was actually going on. Jane Austen takes some focus and I guess I was just looking for a quick and easy read. I will probably attempt this book again once I become more acquainted with the story. Until then, I will just continue to watch Emma Approved on Youtube.

Rating: 3/5

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How I Live Now

Title: How I Live Now

Author: Meg Rosoff

Reason I Had To Read: I really liked the movie.

Plot: Daisy goes to live with her cousins in the English country side. While she is there war breaks out and her and her young female cousin are separated from the male cousins and the family vows to find their way back to the beloved country home.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the movie and that's why I picked up this book. I like being in Daisy's head more and understand her actions, but I felt like there was room for more explanations. I didn't quiet understand why she did some of the things she did.

I liked that even though Daisy was often described as thin and frail, she showed her strength and persistence. 

The writing was a little funky. There weren't any quotation marks only randomly capitalized words and that kind of annoyed me. There is a time jump at the end that really disoriented and confused me.

Overall, however, it was pretty good. It's rare that I say this, but I might have enjoyed the movie a little better than the book. Either way the story is a good one and should definitely be explored however you prefer it.

Rating: 4/5

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Love Letters to the Dead

Title: Love Letters to the Dead

Author:  Ava Dellaira

Reason I Had To Read: It looked interesting

Plot: As an English assignment Laurel has to write a letter to someone dead. She begins with her sister's favorite musician and continues the assignment on her own writing letters to famous people who she thinks will understand what she is going through.

My Thoughts: This novel reminded me a lot of Perks of Being a Wallflower. The author even acknowledges Stephen Chebosky in the acknowledgements. I really liked the idea of writing letters to the dead, but I sometimes felt the reasonings were stretched as to why she was writing to each person. There was nothing wrong with the book; I could just tell that it was heavily influenced by Perks even when it came to small details and that annoyed me. A lot of stories are similar to others but their details differ or their themes differer, but these two books hardly differ. I just wish that I could distance it a little more from Perks but I can't.

With that said it was still a pretty good book and one that I might recommend to the right person.

Rating: 3/5