WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesdays is a meme hosted by Should be Reading and it consists of answering three little questions every wednesday. So here it is...

1. What are you currrently reading?

I got this on the mail the other day and I had to read, mostly because I wanna go see the movie. I have been avoiding the trailer since forever, but today I saw it at the cinema... Couldn't run from it there.

2. What did you recently finished reading?

I read this book because my TBR jar said so (ah ah) but unfortunately I really didn't like it all that much... Oh well I will review it soon though.

3.What do you think you'll read next?

So far I am really enjoying If I stay by Gayle Forman, so it only makes sense that I read the second book in this duology. Hopefully I will love it.

Series Highlight - The Spiderwick Chronicles

Title: The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Completely Fantastical Edition
Authors: Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Book#: 1 - 5
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

My Rating (Overall):

Brownies, phookas, and sprites are just a few of the creatures that the Grace children, thirteen-year-old Mallory and nine-year-old twins Jared and Simon, discover in their dilapidated old house. The mysterious goings-on at the Spiderwick Estates are documented in the wonderfully gothic tales known collectively as The Spiderwick Chronicles.

The five volumes in the series, written by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, have all hit the New York Times children's best-seller list, and have sold a total of more than one million books to date.

My Thoughts

After seeing this amazing edition, filled with extras, like concept drawings, drawings from other authors and 'lost' chapters, I knew I had to have it.

I found this series to be incredibly lovely, especially since they are aimed at a younger crowd. I liked the writing very much, you could really not tell that two people were doing it, and I enjoyed the illustrations a whole lot more.

When it comes to the plot and characters, they were simple enough, made to catch your attention and draw you into this world of fantasy where monsters and fairies exist.

Even though I feel like I would have enjoyed this series much more if I was younger, this was quite an adventure for me. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a light fantasy read.

Review - Forgive me, Leonard Peacock

Title: Forgive me, Leonard Peacock
Author: Matthew Quick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 13th 2013

My Rating: 

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was--that I couldn't stick around--and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault. Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart--obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches. In this riveting book, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made--and the light in us all that never goes out.

My Thoughts

I haven't read this author's other book, "The Silver Linings Playbook" but after reading "Forgive me, Leonard Peacock" I really want too.

I got attached to Leonard, in a way I didn't know possible, all I wanted to do was be his friend. He has this thing about him, that, as you go through the book, you can't help but sympathize with him. You cannot blame him for what he plans to do, and that kind of upsets me, because his plans are not what you would call healthy or even legal.

There was this part of the book that got me really hooked, on which he decides to follow adults and see if he could live the life they live. And he keeps wondering why are they so unhappy and if that's what happens to a person when you grow up. I must admit I have questioned myself about this over and over again, and it felt really nice to not be the only one to do it.

I feel like if I go into more detail about this book I will end up spoiling it big time, so I'm just gonna say that "Forgive me, Leonard Peacock" is a wonderful book and it touched me. It portrays a type of teenager that actually exists (unfortunately). Lonely, friendless, broken, depressed, with family issues and with homicidal/suicidal thoughts.

When it comes to the writing, I really enjoyed it since it was quite simple and easy to understand, the plot was nice, and the chapters' structure (between present and "letters from the future") was very good. One thing I didn't enjoy was the ending because HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME MATTHEW QUICK?? I NEED ANSWERS! I NEED MORE LEONARD AND I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING WILL BE OK!!

All in all, it was a wonderful book.

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesdays is a meme hosted by Should be Reading and it consists of answering three little questions every wednesday. So here it is...

1. What are you currrently reading?

Finally I got around to reding 'Alice in Zombieland' and it is not at all what I was expecting... This is not a bad thing though. Review will be coming soon I hope.

2. What did you recently finished reading?

This book caught my attention because I have always been interested in mental illnesses and how people deal with them. This book portraits, in a very good way, how adults can ignore specific signs when it comes to teenagers, for fear of it being just a phase.

3.What do you think you'll read next?

Unfortunately I cannot yet answer this question because it is up to my TBR Jar... and let me tell that jar is filled up. Dear God...

Review - Monument 14

Title: Monument 14
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14
Book#: 1
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: May 28th 2013 (First published in 2012)

My Rating:

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel Monument 14, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

My Thoughts

Where to begin... This book is freaking addictive I could not put it down. I think I had a cold when I got around to read it and it was so AWESOME that I read like half the book in a day.

Monument 14 is packed with action. I am not kidding it starts after a couple of pages and I was so involved in making it into a movie in my head that I was not paying attention to anything my sister was telling me - she tried to engage me into conversating while I was reading... WHILE I WAS READING.
Anyway, after I managed to put it down I actually gave her some attention and began to tell her the first chapter or so of the book and she thought I was talking about actual news. That's how good this book is.

When it comes to the plot, it is very well constructed in a way that will keep you from jumping ahead and find out what's happening next because you will be too involved in absorving the information you're presented with.

The characters are just lovely and so very mature for their young age but at the same time they do show traces of vulnerability which makes every situation way more interesting because you are always guessing which route will they take. Will they take the situation seriously or will they assume the 'I'm a teenager and I should not be dealing with this' approach?

There have been some rumours that this book will be turned into a movie... Well I freaking hope so because these books have quickly become my favorite of all time.

I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys 'post apocalyptic' kind of books.

Oh I almost forgot... I suggest you get the entire trilogy before start reading this because the endings are killer and you will weep for not having the next book.

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and it asks you to muse about one question each week.

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

This week I decided to answer the following:

I just felt like sharing a pick of my recent purchases, so here they are.

Review - The Creeps

Title: The Creeps
Author: John Connolly
Series: Samuel Johnson vs. the Devil
Book #: 3
Publisher:  Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Release Date:  October 22nd 2013

My Rating: 

Samuel Johnson is not in a happy place.

 He is dating the wrong girl, demons are occupying his spare room, and the town in which he lives appears to be cursed.

But there is some good news on the horizon. After years of neglect, the grand old building that once housed Wreckit & Sons is about to reopen as the greatest toy shop that Biddlecombe has ever seen, and Samuel and his faithful dachshund Boswell are to be the guests of honour at the big event. A splendid time will be had by all, as long as they can ignore the sinister statue that keeps moving around the town, the Shadows that are slowly blocking out the stars, the murderous Christmas elves, and the fact that somewhere in Biddlecombe a rotten black heart is beating a rhythm of revenge.

A trap has been set. The Earth is doomed. The last hope for humanity lies with one young boy and the girl who is secretly in love with him. Oh, and a dog, two demons, four dwarfs, and a very polite monster.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and a Happy End of the World.

My Thoughts

Wow, I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a very long time. Once again, John Connolly did not disappoint.

I have been putting this book off for quite some time now because I love love love this series and I did not want them to end - yes, I'm weird like that. But I couldn't resist forever so I got around and read it. I'm still grieving though...

'The Creeps' was a lovely book. Funny, enticing and even sad - Oh God that end. The plot was amazing, and in my opinion even better than 'The Infernals' which is my least favorite book in this series - don't get scared I still rated it 4 stars, which means it was only a little different from what I expected. 

The freaking dwarfs were my favorite this time. They are freaking hilarious and cannot be ignored in this final installement of 'Samuel Johnson vs the Devil', I mean how can you ignore the fact that one of them at some point in the book stole a pocket, yes a pocket, not the contents of it but the actual pocket. I laughed so hard reading this that I ended up tearing up.

Samuel was especially sweet during this book. Struggling to break up with his horrible girlfriend and still trying not to be mean to her.

And freaking Mrs. Abernathy... That old demon was damn persistent! Her hatred for Samuel was so big that she even managed to come up with a plan which would ultimately destroy her too.

The ending though... Oh my feels. It was so so sweet that it got me saying 'aww' out loud for a moment. It kinda reminded me of 'The Book of lost Things' with its sweetness - by the way that book broke me beyond repair.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a little fun mixed with fantasy.

Book To Movie: The Hunger Games & Catching Fire

Source: Google Images

My Thoughts

As per usual I read the books before seeing the movies. And I can say that these movies did not disappoint. From the cast to the actual plot, these were quite truthful to the books, at least as much as they could be.

When it comes to the hunger games, I absolutely loved it, the movie was intense, and it almost made me forget about the differences it had from the book (and I say almost because I would eventually say aloud things like 'On this part, in the book, they did it like this...'), but Jennifer Lawrence did such a good work portraying Katniss, that I immediately became her fan.
I must admit that I was a little reticent when it came to Josh portraying Peeta but at the end of the movie I could not imagine it being in any other way.

Now, Catching Fire was a different experience. I didn't really enjoy the beginning of the book because I thought it was a bit slow for my taste, but the movie, made it way better. Again the cast choice for this movie was very good, and I loved how they tried to stay true to the book.

All in all these adaptations do justice to the books and I really enjoyed watching them.