Paperback Diaries

Just a college student trying to find more time to read and review the books that I love. Aspriring author & literary editor. #amwriting

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“To Felicity and Ann, I’m a means into the realms. To Grandmama, I am something to be molded into shape. To Tom, I am a sister to be endured. To Father I am a good girl. To Simon I’m a mystery. To Kartik, I am a task he must master. My reflection stares back at me, waiting for an introduction. Hello, girl in the mirror. You are Gemma Doyle. And I’ve no idea who you really are. * * * So I’ve decided on how I want to do my book ratings! Rather than ramble on and on with no clue where to stop, I’m going to break it down by category (quality of writing, characters, overall engagement, & how heavy/light of a read it is). Each category will be rated 1-5; 1 being eh and 5 being phenomenal. Format: hardback Quality: 3.5 Characters: 4 Engagement: 3.5 (until it picked up at the end) Speaking truthfully, I had a hard time getting into this one. I really had to force myself to get through the first half, and it took weeks. I picked it back up the other night and just finished it. Needless to say, it’s a LOT more exciting the farther in you get, which kind of sucks but it happens. At times it got a bit annoying especially when the girls had all the facts and simply couldn’t deduce who the villain really is 😂 But on the other hand, I live and die for the character development in this book! Just as I was starting to get fed up with some attitudes, some horrible happening made me realize why they are the way they are. It was such a sickeningly well written revelation. And the plot twists, oh the plot twists 🤭 honestly, the ending was great. It was just the beginning I was having trouble with. Then again, I’m transitioning from only listening to audiobooks to sitting down and straight reading a book. It’s a completely different experience for sure 😊 What are your thoughts on this book, current reads? I’m not sure what’s up next for me, we’ll see! #rebelangels #gemmadoyle #libbabray #ya #yafantasy #victorianera #bookstagram #amreading #review https://www.instagram.com/p/BmhOzCvFkyr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=g4yypcyl4e92

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(2/2) What I liked the most about “A Great and Terrible Beauty,” I think, was the character development. While Gemma herself does learn and change a bit, I feel like the slow reveal of Ann, Felicity, and Pippa was even more wonderful. All three of them were so much more than the poor girl, the rich girl, and the dreamer. They’re ambitious and so cunning, going completely against the grain of everything that a proper Victorian debutante should be. They have real feelings and real struggles besides etiquette classes and maintaining appearances, and I adore each and every one of their punk asses for it. If you enjoy a little bit of proper Victorian angst and coming of age stories that involve magic, I highly recommend this book. Also, I know it’s been out for over a decade, but I’ve just discovered it and I’m hoping this will lead other bookworms to a book they would have likely overlooked in favor of the glossy hardbacks in the New Arrivals section.

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“No one asks how or what I am doing. They could not care less. We’re all looking glasses, we girls, existing only to reflect their images back to them as they’d like to be seen. Hollow vessels of girls to be rinsed of our own ambitions, wants, and opinions, just waiting to be filled with the cool, tepid water of gracious compliance. A fissure forms in the vessel. I’m cracking open.” * * * As a fantasy reader, I usually go to Urban Fantasy first, but the late Victorian England setting of A Great and Terrible Beaty really stood out to me since it’s out of my zone. It instantly reminded me of The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, although AGaTB is far less steampunk Shadowhunters, and more secret magical ancestry while boxed away at boarding school. In the late 1800s. It doesn’t sound particularly fascinating to some, but I’m down to give anything with magic a shot. And I am soooo glad I did! This story follows Gemma Doyle, who has been wrought with nightmarish visions following her mother’s traumatic death, which lead her to discover a whole new part of herself. At Spence Academy, Gemma meets three girls who she would’ve probably otherwise not befriended had they not stumbled upon their problem together. Ann, Spence’s poor scholarship student, is meek and often bullied by the reigning inseparable duo, Felicity and Pippa. Felicity comes from a privileged background, but struggles with her own familial problems and happiness while trying to maintain her reputation. Pippa wants nothing more than to meet her Prince Charming and fall in love, but a hidden secret balances her on the edge of an unhappy arranged marriage and becoming a lonely old spinster. Together, the four of them stumble upon an ancient magic that could open a rift between the worlds. But to the girls, the magic might be too beautiful to resist. (I’m splitting this post up bc instagram has a character limit apparently? I had no clue 😂) #YAFantasy #bookstagram #libbabray #books #victorianengland #magic #friendship #agreatandterriblebeauty

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📚 (I don’t really know what to say, I’m just tryna do a cute theme thing okay sorry) . . . #bookstagram #bookworm #amreading #childrensliterature #charlottesweb #stuartlittle #ebwhite #books #imjusttryingtobeaesthetic

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Found some of my old children’s books while going through some stuff at my dads house 💕 . . . #bookstagram #bookworm #amreading #childrensliterature #charlottesweb #stuartlittle #ebwhite #books #imjusttryingtobeaesthetic

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This is the cutest thing ever!! @betterworldbooks #bookhaul #bookstagram #betterworldbooks #YAFantasy #books #YA #haul #bookworm

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So I’m currently a chapter or so away from finishing the first book in the #gemmadoyletrilogy A Great and Terrible Beauty! I’ve been reading it in ebook, but I have a haul coming in in about a week with the physical editions of all three books! A little review to come soon. I’m so excited to post some pics of my haul and try my hand at these artsy #bookstagram photos I’m always seeing. Any tips for a noob? #bookstagramnoob #YAFantasy #books #amreadingya #amreading #GemmaDoyle #LibbaBray #fantasy #magic #bookworm #bookreview

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Hey all! So I thought this would be a good starting point for this page, seeing as how it’s #ThrowbackThursday . I’m new to this whole bookstagram/book blogging/reviewing thing, but I’ve been reading for as long as I’ve known how to read. This is a picture of me, about 14/15 recently after being diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyositis. It’s an incurable autoimmune disease that effects my muscles and skin. I can’t be in the sun for long, and I spent hours doing IV treatments and reading was what I used to escape. Escapism in reading, to me, is not only to simply escape the world around you or your current situation, but to enrich it. To learn from the experiences of the characters and try to apply it to your life to make it better. During this time, The Mortal Instruments were very prominent in my life. I read them like they were a lifeline, I couldn’t put them down and I reread and reread and read all the fan fiction about them. Clary and Jace and the gang are what helped me get through weeks of treatment, missed school, bad disease days. They helped me take a step back from my situation and look at it differently, and I’m ever so grateful for that. The Mortal Instruments started a new era of reading for me, introduced me to fan fiction and other similar series that I love and cherish as well. This is me, this is who I am and who I hope I can always be. If you find a book or series or author that makes you feel an inkling if the way that I do, DONT LET GO of it. Hold it tight and enjoy it, let yourself feel all the feels and rise out all the highs and lows. You won’t regret it. I know I don’t! (And I know these pictures suck, they’re all super old and I’m gonna try my hand at those aesthetic af bookstagram pics when I get home to my books 💕) #bookstagram #amreading #amwriting #bookblogger #tmi #themortalinstruments #cassandraclare #juveniledermatomyositis🎈 #escapism #love #books #YA #YAFantasy #tbt