The 100 Questions Tag

Hey guys! I’m super sorry that there wasn’t a Friday post last week but a lot happened last week and I couldn’t really put up anything. If you follow me on Snapchat (@camilliadeborah) you would probably know all the details of last week so you know. Follow me.

Anyway, I really didn’t know what to post today but I found this tag that I had done last year and I  had actually saved it for my birthday post but I guess I forgot it existed so I decided to update it and post it for you now.

Hope you enjoy it!

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

 

Closed. Even though my bed faces away from it, I will still feel weird if it’s open.

 

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?

 

Sometimes if they’re fancy

 

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

 

Tucked out. Oh god always tucked out all the way round.

 

4. Have you stolen a street sign before?

 

I think you could go to jail for that here so no.

 

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?

 

I do but my handwriting sucks so it never turns out looking nice anyway.

 

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

 

Nope. 

 

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?

 

Big bear. At least you might be able to outrun it or something. Bees are just everywhere and you pretty much can’t run away from them

 

8. Do you have freckles?

 

Nope

 

9. Do you always smile for pictures?

 

Yes unless I’m doing a photo shoot that requires me not to smile.

 

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?

 

People who are lazy and irresponsible

 

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

 

Sometimes.

 

12. Have you peed in the woods?

 

I actually have.

 

13. Have you ever pooped in the woods?

 

Okay no. That’s too gross.

 

14. Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing?

 

Yes haha. All the time. The music’s in my head.

 

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils?

 

Not really chew. More like suck when I’m thinking.

 

16. How many people have you slept with this week?

 

HA HA HA HA zero.

 

17. What size is your bed?

 

I think it’s a single.

 

18. What is your song of the week?

 

Couldn’t Believe by Broods.

 

19. Is it OK for guys to wear pink?

 

Sure if they can pull it off.

 

20. Do you still watch cartoons?

 

Nope.

 

21. What is your least favorite movie?

 

Probably Rango 

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

 

I’ll just put it at the back of my cupboard honestly. No one will find it there will they?

 

23. What do you drink with dinner?

 

Water. Always water. It’s healthy guys.

 

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

 

I actually don’t like chicken nuggets but since you asked, chill sauce.

 

25. What is your favorite food?

 

PASTA!

 

26. What movies could you watch over and over again and still love?

 

This is embarrassing but I think it would be Titanic or any of the Nicholas Sparks movies (except The Notebook. God I hate that movie)

 

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?

 

Does my mom count?

 

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

 

I was a girl guide which is similar I think.

 

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

 

This answer used to be a flat out no. But now I think about it,  I would say that it depends what it’s for. If it’s for a good cause and I get to cover the important bits, then perhaps I’ll consider it. But otherwise, never ever.

 

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

 

Hmm…2 years ago I think.

 

31. Can you change the oil on a car?

 

My parents have tried to teach me but I’m quite frankly hopeless.

 

32. What’s your favourite Yankee Candle scent?

 

Apple Cider.

 

33. Favourite author?

 

Jodi Picot and Rainbow Rowell (You can’t ask me to pick one! That’s like making me choose between two of my own non-existent children!)

 

34. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich?

 

Without the crusts and full of veggies and either tuna or egg mayo.

 

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?

 

Breakfast is my most hated meal of the day honestly. But if I had to choose I would say the Jones English Breakfast from Jones The Grocer. 

 

36. What is your usual bedtime?

 

10.30pm-11.30pm

 

37. Are you lazy?

 

I can be lazy but I know how to switch when the situation calls for it.

 

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

 

In Singapore, Halloween is unfortunately not as big as it is in America or the UK. So I didn’t dress up or celebrate. I once went for a halloween party when I was 15 though and I went as a witch.

 

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign?

 

The rat (I know. I hate it too)

 

40. How many languages can you speak?

 

One.

 

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

 

I don’t particularly enjoy magazines so no.

 

42. Coke or Pepsi?

 

Coke.

 

43. Are you stubborn?

 

Kind of.

 

44. Who is better: Leno or Letterman?

 

Letterman.

 

45. Favorite TV show/s

 

I have so many! Grey’s Anatomy, New Girl, Sherlock, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and Friends.

 

46. Are you afraid of heights?

 

No way! I love being challenged and doing things that people are usually nervous to try.

 

47. Do you sing in the car?

 

When I’m alone I do.

 

48. Do you sing in the shower?

 

Only when I’m alone at home.

 

49. Do you dance in the car?

 

A little. But mostly I’m just trying not to die.

 

50. Ever used a gun?

 

Guns aren’t allowed in Singapore. Though we once had an army showcase thing and I got to hold and fire an army rifle at a piece of paper. So I guess I have used a gun before.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

 

Last year. Four of us from the Seattle trip got asked to do an interview for our school’s TV, CTV. After that we had a photoshoot for their intro.

 

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?

 

Of course not. I actually enjoy them immensely.

 

53. Is Christmas stressful?

 

Very very very very stressful. There’s too much shopping and cleaning and all that. The actual Christmas day is usually nicer but still pretty stressful because we have a house party every year in the morning.

 

54. Favorite Ben & Jerry flavour?

 

Chocolate therapy.

 

55. Favorite type of fruit tart?

 

Peaches and strawberries.

 

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

 

When I was in kindergarden I wanted to be an octopus. But other then that I have always known that I wanted to be a writer.

 

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

 

Not the kind that you’re thinking of. 

 

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

 

All the freaking time.

 

59. Do you take a vitamin daily?

 

When my mom makes me, I take a vitamin C, a multi vitamin and fish oil.

 

60. Do you wear slippers?

 

Only the outdoor type.

 

61. Do you wear a bath robe?

 

Sometimes. I have an adorable one from Cotton On and it’s so soft.

 

62. What do you wear to bed?

 

A big t-shirt and oversized, long pyjama pants

 

63. What was your first concert?

 

Ellie Goulding’s Halcyon Days tour.

 

64. Walmart, Target, or Kmart?

 

We have none of that in Singapore but when I’m in Australia or America, my favourite is Target.

 

65. Nike or Adidas?

 

Nike. I’ve been to the Nike World Headquarters in Portland and the Vice President and the guy that works on the Nike advertisements talked to us so I can’t really say Adidas can I? By the way, in the headquarters, every single person has at least one Nike item on them. I’m not kidding. It’s crazy.

 

66. Cheetos or Fritos?

 

Cheetos!

 

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

 

Peanuts. 

 

68. Favorite band?

 

Does the Youtube Boy Band count? If it doesn’t then I guess Maroon 5.

 

69. Ever take dance lessons?

 

Yup. Hip Hop when I was a kid.

 

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

Hopefully he will be a journalist or someone in the media industry so that we can think on similar wavelengths and we will be able to understand each other’s demanding schedules. I don’t ever want to marry someone who can’t understand that being a journalist requires weird hours and things like that. I think when you have that kind of difference, the chances of you falling out is very high because then you have all kinds of fights.

 

71. Can you curl your tongue?

 

Yes.

 

72. Ever won a spelling bee?

 

Nope. I suck at spelling anyway.

 

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

 

Oh yes I have. I cried when I got my O’level results.

 

74. Own any record albums?

 

Nope.

 

75. Own a record player?

 

Nope but I wish I did.

 

76. Do you regularly burn incense?

 

Not incense but scented candles.

 

77. Ever been in love?

 

Do really bad crushes count?

 

78. Who would you like to see in concert?

 

Taylor Swift, Kodaline and David Guetta.

 

79. What was the last concert you saw?

 

Pharrell Williams.

 

80. Hot tea or cold tea?

 

Hot.

 

81. Tea or coffee?

 

Decaffeinated tea. I don’t drink coffee. I’m already hyper enough. Plus I think coffee tastes absolutely horrid.

 

82. Sugar cookies or snicker doodles?

 

I’ve never tried a snicker doodle and I don’t like sugar cookies. Goodness I sound so boring. I swear I’m not. I like other types of cookies (kinda).

 

83. Can you swim well?

 

Yes I can. I was going for swimming lessons from when I was 3 or 4 I think. I got my Gold award when I was 12 then I stopped lessons to focus on my studies and never picked it back up again.

 

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

 

Can’t everyone?

 

85. Are you patient?

 

Haha no. I’m always on time then I count every minute that the other person is late.

 

86. DJ or band at a wedding?

 

DJ for sure! I want to have a dance floor at my wedding. It’s going to be so much fun!

 

87. Ever won a contest?

 

Yup. 

 

88. Have you ever had plastic surgery?

 

God no. And I never will.

 

89. Which are better: black or green olives?

 

I don’t like olives so.

 

90. Can you knit or crochet?

 

No but when I have two sticks I like to pretend I can.

 

91. Best room for a fireplace?

 

Living room

 

92. Do you want to get married?

 

I honestly don’t know. Part of me wants to settle down with a man who loves me but there is another part of me who has grown up watching how my parents marriage systematically fell apart and so I’m afraid of that I think. But deep down I think I want to experience marriage and love. I want to try.

 

93. Do you like to read?

 

Yes yes yes!!

 

94. Who was your high school crush?

 

I went to an all-girls school from when I was 6 to 16. So no one. I had a crush in poly last year though and I have the worst crush on someone right now and a medium crush on someone else (I don’t know how that happened but they are both going pretty well if you know what I mean).

 

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?

 

Never. Goodness. Even when I was a kid I wouldn’t do that. I simply go on and on until I either get my way or compromise. I’m civilised.

 

96. Clothes or Makeup?

 

Who do you think you are making me choose?? I want to say clothes but also makeup and UGH.

 

97. Do you want kids?

 

Maybe. I want one daughter.

 

98. What is your favorite colour?

 

Purple

 

99. Do you miss anyone right now?

 

Yup but I can’t really say his name so.

 

100. Who are you going to tag to do this post next?

 

Mel, Aria, Erica and Tina

Unboxing: Carpe Librum’s May Book Box

Hey guys! Guess what arrived on Saturday! Carpe Librum‘s May book box!!

So if you didn’t know, Carpe Librum is a local book subscription box that comes once every two months. It costs $35 (including local shipping) and it comes with a book and a bunch of other bookish items.

This month, Carpe Librum’s theme is Books & Tea and today, I’m going to be unboxing and reviewing the box for you.

Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beasley (Signed and Personalised)

Sisters Cassie and Sid Sunday have not done a bang-up job of keeping in touch. In their defense, it hasn’t been easy: life veered in sharply different directions for the once-close sisters. Today, beautiful and big-hearted Sid lives an expat’s life of leisure in far-off Singapore, while harried, iPhone-clutching Cassie can’t seem to make it work as a wife and a mom to twin toddlers in Manhattan.

It doesn’t help that Sid spurns all social media while Cassie is addicted to Facebook. So when Sid issues a challenge to reconnect the old-fashioned way—through real, handwritten letters—Cassie figures, why not?

The experiment exceeds both of their expectations, and the letters become a kind of mutual confessional that have real and soul-satisfying effects. And they just might have the power to help Cassie save her marriage, and give Sid the strength to get her life back on track.

But first, one of Cassie’s infamous lapses in judgment comes back to bite her, and all of the letters wind up the one place you’d never, ever want to see them: the Internet…

Goodreads

This was the book that was featured in this month’s book. I’ve never heard of it before but apparently it’s partially based in Singapore so that’s really cool. I can’t wait to read it!

Also, I opened the book and found a little surprise. Carpe Librum had actually got the author to not only sign but also personalise each book! I mean seriously! How amazing are they?

A Mug

This was my absolute favourite item in the box. It was a cute little bookish mug that said, ‘Drink good tea. Read good books’. How adorable! I loved it and fun fact, I actually have been looking for a nice bookish mug so this came at the perfect time.

Tea

Of course the Books & Tea box would not be complete without some lovely tea. This is from Literary Tea Co. and it’s a relaxing black tea with loads of little fruits and stuff. I brewed some yesterday and it was heavenly!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can’t have tea without some good old chocolate chip cookies can you? These little yummies come from De Cookies Lab and they are incredible! My aunt who is an awesome baker actually made some chocolate chip cookies last Christmas and these cookies taste so similar to them it’s unreal.

Socks

I don’t wear socks very often because of the horribly hot weather here but these socks from Sock Avenue are incredible. They are really soft and long so they are perfect for Bookstagram (look at me getting that promo in there). So I’m really happy with these funky socks.

So there you have it! Everything that was in Carpe Librum’s May book box. I’m so excited to curl up in my socks with my tea and cookies and A Court Of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas because that’s what I’m currently reading and it’s amazing.

Thank you once again to the Carpe Librum team for putting together this wonderful book subscription service. If you have yet to try it, follow them on Instagram and keep an eye out because I’m sure they will be announcing their next box really soon!

Review: The Rose & The Dagger (The Wrath and The Dawn #2) by Renée Ahdieh

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid’s empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn’t yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

Goodreads

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day for absolutely eons. Ever since I read The Wrath and The Dawn, I’ve been eagerly anticipating it’s sequel, The Rose and The Dagger. I couldn’t get my hands on this baby fast enough and even though I took a while to devour it, I enjoyed every second of it and that’s all that matters.

So here’s my spoiler-free review of The Rose and The Dagger.

Plot

The Rose and The Dagger picked up right where The Wrath and The Dawn left us. There was no slowly easing back into the world or any of that fluff. Nope. We were dragged right back into the heart of the story and it was freaking amazing!

There was a lot more action in this book as compared to the first book which was really amazing.I loved the flying carpets and serpents and fire swords and arrows. I really loved it.

In this book, Shazi was much more of a badaass warrior as compared to the first book. She was able to do everything that the men did and she made sure everyone around her knew that. The book just promoted such strong female positive images and I really liked that because I know that especially in India, women are rarely taken seriously. So this was an awesome step in the right direction.

As a result of more fighting, we did see less of a love story. While it was present, I did feel at times that I wanted more. I thought that it felt very much like Romeo and Juliet which was good in that it kept me wanting more but also bad because I fell in love with The Wrath and The Dawn for Khalid and Shazi’s love and I felt like that aspect was buried a bit in the sequel. That said though, the forbidden aspect of their love was so much fun to be a part of and if anything, their love was just even more inspiring.

I also loved just how much happened in this book. There was so many times that I started to cry or laugh or just stopped reading in shock. Like this book really took things to new levels and Renee really allowed herself the freedom to do things that most writers would be afraid to tackle.

One of the best parts of the book however was the fact that Irsa got a much bigger role and a love interest. I really enjoyed getting to see Irsa develop from being a sidekick to a warrior. I mean as a reader, Irsa did feel like this little one that needed to be protected but it was pretty fascinating to see her break out of that and fall in love and stand up to Khalid and just become her own person.

Now on to what I felt was the only flaw in the story. Now I enjoyed this series. But I did feel like this book dragged a bit. There were parts that I felt could be cut short and some that didn’t really seem to fit right.

I guess for me I felt like The Wrath and The Dawn would have been good as a stand alone and that expanding the series just didn’t really do justice to how amazing the first book was.

Overall

Overall I really liked The Rose and The Dagger. There were parts that I felt were overdone and parts that I felt were little long but other then that, it was an amazing sequel to a magnificent first book.

I am sad that is is over though. I mean I went into this book not knowing that the series was only made of two books. I mean you know nowadays every single series is being stretched into four or five books. So it was a little bit of a shock when I got to the end and saw an epilogue and then it was just over.

But I liked it. I felt like the book really couldn’t go anywhere from where it ended and I’m glad that Renee ended it with this book.

So there you go! I can’t wait for her next book!

*A copy of this book was provided by Penguin for me to read and review however all opinions are my own*

 

An Interview With The Founder of Litsy

Hey guys! So today I have a little something different for you. So Litsy recently got in touch with me and offered to let me interview one of the app’s founders, Todd Lawton who started Out Of Print in 2010.

So Litsy is basically an app that allows readers to track what they are reading as well as review and rate them. It brings the book community together with a feature that allows users to upload photos of themselves or their books or anything really. Basically Bookstagram.

It’s pretty amazing and today I’m going to chat with Todd about the creation of the app and what it’s all about.

Todd Lawton (left) and Matt LeBlanc (right) are the founders of Litsy

1) What inspired you to start Litsy?

Initially, we were inspired by shelf talkers and staff picks found at our favorite bookstores.  We wanted to make a digital experience that could be as fun and personal.  On Litsy, the user decides who to follow, so every post comes from a credible source—in the same way you appreciate the opinion of your local bookseller.

2) Moving from making apparel to a social app is quite a jump. How did you decide to do it?

Shortly after launching Out of Print in 2010, we realized our primary reason for being was to help readers start conversations.  Connecting readers is our mission.  Adding a social community app to our offering seemed like a natural extension to what we were already doing.  Our products help readers share their love for books in the physical world, Litsy helps them when they have something bookish to say and no one is around.

3) Many people have compared Litsy to Goodreads. How is Litsy different from it?

We’re 100% focused on being social.  Litsy conversations capture all reading moments, not just reviews.  It’s been exciting to see that so far 2/3 of the posts have been non-review, and they have received the most reaction.  Being mobile first, we have thought about the experience in a way that helps readers easily share their book thoughts whenever and wherever they have them.  It’s a much more spontaneous platform.  Discovery is also different.  We offer a stream of posts that lead readers down a rabbit hole in which saving books to a reading list is effortless.

4) If I was already on Goodreads, what would be the draw for me to join Litsy?

Litsy is a super positive community.  Everyone is excited to share what they are reading.  It’s incredible—once you build a community, and make some posts, the support you receive makes you want to read more.  There’s also the excitement to help shape a community that has already reached 96 countries.

5) What was the main idea behind Litsy?

To truly be “where books make friends.”

6) What’s your favorite article of clothing that you have designed for Out Of Print?

I’m a big fan of our foreign cover art.  I love seeing how other cultures interpret books and visualize the classics.  As a category, it’s a favorite.  I wear my Sherlock Holmes and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” shirts quite a lot, too.

7) Where do you see Litsy in the next few months?

With a lot more users! We’re working on adding Android devices and features focused on improved sharing and discovery.  We have a couple new post types we think are going to be fast favorites.  Basically, what it is today at its core with more joy and magic.

8) How did you come up with the name Litsy?

We like the way it sounded.  It’s anchored in “Lit,” sounds like glitzy and tipsy.  Like, “Everybody in the bookclub, gettin Litsy!”  It’s fun and friendly, the way we believe book talk should be.

–

I personally love Litsy. It’s a great way to communicate with people and to share book stuff. I mean it’s basically two of my favourite things in one. Instagram and Goodreads.

If you are interested, you can download the app and you can follow me. I’m Twentythreepages on there.

Much love to Litsy for setting this up!

Review: Summerlost by Ally Condie

It’s the first real summer since the devastating accident that killed Cedar’s father and younger brother, Ben. But now Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

Goodreads

Plot

I really liked this book. I thought that it was such a fun read that had a lot of heart. You know, this is why I am a firm advocate for reading middle grade books no matter how old you are. Every middle grade book I’ve read at this age has impacted me so much. It’s amazing.

This book really forced emotions that I’ve buried to surface. Things like grief. Like pure and innocent curiosity and rebelliousness. I just felt everything that Cedar was feeling and it was powerful.

Characters

Leo

Leo was an excellent charachter but in a lot of ways, I felt like he was underdeveloped and lacking something. Like I know the crux of the story centered around him and his need to raise money and I did appreciate that but I just felt like there was something missing.

I guess it largely was due to the fact that we were not in his head at any point that made me feel sort of disconnected from him.

Cedar

Cedar on the other hand was the complete opposite. She had a lot of depth and her character had a lot of layers and it was really fun to explore that and her grief.

I think in a lot of ways Cedar helped me process a lot of feelings. I mean this week has been one of the most emotionally draining ones of my life.

In fact just two days ago I saw a dead man being embalmed right in front of me. I walked into a the room my grandfather was embalmed in and possibly interviewed his embalmer. I then attended a Buddhist encoffining. All this was for a series of articles I’m doing on Youth.SG.

I didn’t expect it to take it’s toll on me but it really did and I think it helped that I was reading this book alongside all this because it really helped me to bring a lot of unresolved grief to the surface and forced me to deal with it if that makes sense because in the book, Cedar is still very rawly grieving for her brother and father.

Overall

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to read at certain points because it is a highly emotional book but it’s so worth it. I completely recommend taking a few hours out of your day to read this short little book.

*A copy of this book was provided to me by Penguin but all opinions are my own*

 

April Wrap Up

Guess what guess what! I read seven books this month!

Yes that’s right! I am getting my reading back! I am finally settling down and reading more. Now if only my Goodreads Reading Challenge would agree with that statement, we should be good.

Every Heart A Doorway Seanan McGuire

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publishers and I honestly wasn’t too sure about it. I mean I liked it. But it also reminded me a lot of Miss Peregrines’s Home For Peculiar Children and unpopular opinion here but I hated that book.

Read my full review here.

The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom

In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time.

The inventor of the world’s first clock is punished for trying to measure God’s greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world – now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began – and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

This book was actually spoiled for me by someone and that’s why I rushed to read it so that I didn’t end up convincing myself not to read it. I am so glad that I decided to push through with it. This is an amazing book with so much depth and I loved it.

Read my full review here.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.If you haven’t got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair.I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

I listened to this on audiobook and I have to say that I really struggled to enjoy it mainly because I hated Lemony Snicket as a narrator. His voice just wasn’t as good as Tim Curry and I also found it to be very soft for some reason. Like I would be in a quiet car with the volume maxed out in my headphones and I would still have to strain to hear it. It was crazy.

That said though, the story was still really good as usual.

Sixty Seven Salamanders by Jeff Joseph

Adin Anderson lives in a small town where the stagnant flow of time is considered peace and quiet, but that isn’t good enough for him. He may not be a big believer in fate, but something bigger has to be out there for him. And the day he receives a random letter from an unlikely source may be it.

This was a book that was completely out of my genre and I didn’t hate it but let’s just say that I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

I did a full review here.

When We Collided by Emery Lord

We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know…

Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.

Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world.

Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures.

In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.

This was a book that started out horrifically and ended amazingly. It deals with a mental illness and love and it was very cringey and insta-lovey in the beginning but once the book went into gear, it got so good.

I did a full review of it here.

The Start Of Me And You by Emery Lord

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

This was the Rainbow Bookclub’s BOTM and I have to say that I truly enjoyed it. It was such a positive book with no insta-love and no cliches and I thought it was excellent. The love story was very believable and overall it was just a very realistic book which I loved.

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.

What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.

Okay this was a very strange little book. I mean it’s quite easily the strangest book I’ve ever read. Now I enjoy flowery language and unstable narrators as much as the next person but this book just overdid it to the point that I was actually so confused. I mean there was a lot of symbolism but some things just didn’t add up especially at the end where everything was ‘revealed’. I say ‘revealed’ because I don’t feel like a lot of the story was solved. Like the ending was just so unrealistic and it made no sense. Also the reactions of the characters to the big reveal was quite silly in my opinion. This was a very overly hyped book.

Yay! I read seven books! I’m honestly so happy with myself. Hopefully in May I’ll be able to do eight books!