2 in 1: Book Review Edition

A few days ago I finished two books! One of my best friends recommended (and forced) these books for me to read and so I did!

 

I thought to myself, why can't I write two posts when I can just combine them into one?

So here are brief summaries and my opinions for each of the books.

+++First of all, Nantucket Blue is definitely an older teen book, about the struggles and romances of a 17/18 year old girl, Cricket Thompson, who follows her best friend Jules to the island of Nantucket for the summer.  There are a few heart throbs of the male variety included *wink wink* 

It's for a more mature audience, and I wish my friend warned me before I read it. It's not too bad, I just wish I knew what I was getting into, if you know what I mean. 

Other than that stuff, it was a very compelling read with lots of twists, turns and emotions. The characters were very relatable as well. If you're cool with teen romance novels, then you would most definitely love it.  I'm not really that kind of girl, but it was still a pretty good book. Not tooooo cheesey ;) (((Sorry Rowan and Phoebe!))) 

There is a sequel to it, called Nantucket Red. I would read it if someone gave it to me, but I don't really feel like I need to read it right this very minute, and that may simply be because of the romantic side of it. +++

+++The Maze Runner was more my speed. Adventure and logical thinking. Granted, it is post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction instead of twenty first century romance, so I guess that explains my liking for it. None of that kissy kissy fluff!

 Unfortunately I saw the movie a couple of months ago so I sort of knew what was going on, but the book was different, in a much better way. 

The main character, Thomas, finds himself in a box that has only one exit, to a place called the Glade, filled with smart teenage boys. They all live their together next to an ominous maze that is chock-full of BIG SCARY MAN EATING ROBOT SPIDERS! RAWWR! All of the boys have come from the Box, one every month and all they remember is their name. Thomas is a little different than the rest of the boys, and strange things begin to happen soon after he arrives, and he plays a major role in changing all of their lives.

"I go on many thrilling adventures and wonderful escapades through books"

It is also quite a page turner, and I really enjoyed watching the characters grow brotherly bonds, and building rivalries too. I plan on reading the rest of the series as well!+++

I liked both of the books, however in all honesty, Maze Runner was much more my style and I would recommend it to more people. Now go read some books!

This is basically my summer right now...I'm a princess I guess

Have you read either of these? What is your favorite book genre? Let me know in the comments!

Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire

Hello readers, it's time for another book review!

I just picked up this book at the library because the picture was intriguing, and I think I quite correctly judged the book by it's cover!

Author: Gregory Maguire also wrote the Wicked series, that inspired the fantastic musical starring Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth, so going into it, I had big expectations. I was not disappointed at all!

Plot: Egg and Spoon is the story of mainly two little Russian girls, Elena living as a starving peasant and the other, Ekaterina, being sent to the Tsar (ruler of Russia) to be presented to his godson as a possible bride.
Both change and they are removed from their previous track.

Ekaterina meets a witch in the middle of the forest and gives her the Faberge egg as a gift, though it was meant to go to the Tsar. Elena is left with a Firebird's egg to give to him. So much  happens and they meet many interesting new characters as well. I never thought a person could imagine up so many stories.

Opinion: Hopefully I didn't give too much away from the story, but I really think you guys should read it! Egg and Spoon is beautifully written and has layer upon layer of emotions and Russian folk tales, which was really why I loved it so much. I think people of any age would enjoy reading it, especially if you like experiencing different cultures. 5 Stars! 

Have you all read any good books lately? What is your favorite genre? Tell me in the comments!

-Bree ♥

Twilight: Why I'm Not a Fan

Yes. I admit it. I read Twilight.

Everyone warned me, and I still read it. Not the whole series, just the first one. My reasoning was that in order to truly hate something you should see what it is for real, and not just mindlessly hate it.

I enjoyed it at first, don't judge me! It's a very compelling read, and plus it takes place in my home state. 

I was actually confused as to why almost the whole internet hates the Twilight series until I watched the movie. 

But now, I don't mindlessly hate it, it makes me sad and a little upset. 

Bella is a sad, slightly pathetic character and the actress portrayed that. But not in a very good way, she didn't have any emotions. And neither did Edward. Don't get me wrong, I love Robert Pattinson but the character of Edward was terrible. He didn't have any emotion or love or warmth, it was a creepy obsession. In the book he was described as warm and cold at the same time, and very loving. But I think I might have imagined that or something because that is definitley not the message I recieved from the film. 

That was my main problem with it, though I haven't read all of them.

Also, Bella was paler than Edward in the movie and that scares me a little. I'm a fairly pale (get it, lol) person from Washington. I spent hours in the sun last week and my family says I got whiter. But Edward never goes in the sun, ever and BELLA IS A TONE LIGHTER. What was that about? The poor, obsessive, naiive, emotionless girl needs a doctor or two. 

So, I'm sorry to the Twilight fans out there, we are both entitled to opinions, and I have decided not to pursue reading the rest of the series. Which makes me sad because Pattinson was a very pretty vampire.

What are your opinions on this book? Good? Bad? Love-hate? Let me know in the comments!
Love,
Brenna Mae :)

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

I read this book a while back, but I forgot to write about it, and the book was so good, I figured I should still share it :)

 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is about a girl named Lara Jean who lives with her 3 sisters, and is a bit of a romantic. For every boy she ever liked, she writes them a love letter, kind of as an outlet for her feelings and also for closure. She keeps all her letters in a hatbox her mother gave her before she died. 

One day, a friend of hers asks her why they got a love letter from her in the mail. WHAT? All of her letters were mailed out! And her special hatbox is missing! All of the boys got their letters and ask her about it, and she is extremely embarrassed, I know I would be!

PLUS, she has things going on with her sister's ex-boyfriend and that makes the whole situation worse. I can't do this book justice, it sounds like a high school musical but it is so much better than that. All I can say is, please read it. It is written toward teen girls, so if you like girly books, I'd recommend! I think it was tumblr, if you know what I mean ;) Very sweet book.

Paper Towns by John Green

I just finished Paper Towns today, and I must advise, if you read this book, at least read some of it in a coffee shop on a warm day. That just made it a little better than it already was. Anyway, the book is amazing.
 I'm beginning to get confused on John Green's style of writing because so far of his books, I've read TFIOS (who hasn't these days), An Abundance of Katherines and this one, and they are all about ridiculously well-read high-schoolers. Which I really like and kind of aspire to, but it astonishes me that each genius teenager can be so differently quirky and have life stories that are nothing alike at all. He has a knack for writing exceptional teenage love stories, this one included. I love how metaphorical he is.

The story is about a boy named Quentin who is a normal-ish senior in high school who has a weird acquaintance type relationship with a girl named Margo Roth Spiegleman. One night they go on a crazy 11 part adventure and then the next day, she disappears, sending Q on a crazy search to find her and follow clues.


ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE ENDING PLEASE READ THIS. I mentally cried a lot during this but I wasn't always sad, you know? It was just beautiful and poetic and so John Green you don't even know.
Nerdfighters FTW and DFTBA 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

John Green is an altogether spectacular writer and darn-near genius if I do say so myself. And An Abundance of Katherines proves it. It's kind of weird but once you get used to the base of the story, it's great!

A child-prodigy named Colin, has just graduated high school and been dumped by Katherine for the nineteenth time. Literally. Well, different Katherines. Since elementary, he's only dated girls named Katherine and none of the relationships have worked out. They all dump him ;)
 So the on nineteenth time, his best friend Hassan takes him on a road trip to the middle of nowhere (Tennessee) where Colin decides he doesn't want to be a prodigy, he wants to be a genius.
He attempts to create a theorem where he can accurately predict the outcome of relationships. You'll see how it turns out :D
It's a pretty interesting idea. I would highly recommend this to anyone 13 and over. Thank you John Green for writing so well!!!!

Please remember to check out my contest :) It's not hard, just click here
How do you like John Green's writing (assuming you've read some) and has it influenced you at all?

Popular by Maya van Wagenen (vintage wisdom for a modern geek)

One of my friends let me borrow this spectacular memoir by Maya van Wagenen, who was reeeeeaaally young when she wrote it! Like 15 or something. Anyways, it's about her doing a social experiment of sorts. The summer before eighth grade she finds the book Betty Cornell's Teenage Popularity Guide. Written in the 1950's by a teen model, she gives tips on becoming more socially acceptable and things like that. Though some of it is out-dated and you'll hardly find a 14 year old girl wearing a girdle, straw hat and pearl necklace at the same time anymore, Ms. Cornell also gives tips on simple dieting, tasteful makeup and how to talk to people around you. Maya decides to dedicate each month of eighth grade to a chapter of her book. The response she gets at first is not what she wanted, but she powers through, and at the end, her results are amazing! 

I hear you thinking. Being popular is overrated! They are all terrible people! She's fine just how she is! But in this book, Maya learns very valuable lessons and shows some serious gutsiness. I would never have been able to do what she did. And it really worked for her. Following the book pushed Maya out of her shell and her school's atmosphere was enormously improved by her, just one person! I also really loved the fact that the "vintage wisdom" is still mostly applicable today.

I'd recommend this for any teen girl, popular or shy, rich or poor. It was a great eye opener on how you don't have to look like a  paper doll to make friends. If you read it, please let me know what you thought of it!

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