Month in Review: February

Hello everyone, and happy leap year! I feel sorry for all the babies being born today, but I guess they can say that they're unique! Here is my month in review:

What I Read: 

This month was the month of re-reads, as I have now started to re-read the entire Harry Potter series!

1. Dangerous Lies by: Becca Fitzpatrick: 4/5 stars
2. Dumplin' by: Julie Murphy by: J.K. Rowling: 3/5 stars
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by: J.K. Rowling: 5/5 stars
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by: J.K. Rowling: 5/5 stars
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by: J.K. Rowling: 4/5 stars
6. Village of the Small Houses by: Ian Ferguson: 2/5 stars
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by: J.K. Rowling: 5/5 stars
8. Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by: Becky Abertelli: 5/5 stars

Favourite book of the month: Definitely Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! It reminded me why this book was my favourite of the series, and I think it was a pinnacle point of Harry's life at Hogwarts.

What I Blogged: 

10 posts went up this month! My favourite was my collab posts with my sister: The Reader Vs. the Non-Reader. It was great to collab with her and I think she really enjoyed it!

Favourite Blog Posts of the Month: 

Jillian @ Jillian's Books shares what she does when she's not reading: When I'm Not Reading

Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales reveals the insecurities of book bloggers: The Insecurities of Book Bloggers

Geraldine @ Corralling Books spreads some blogging love: I Love You. Bloggers

Jess @ Princessica of Books shares why bloggers love blogging: I Love Blogging Because...

Blogger of the Month: 

The February award to dedicated to a lovely blogger who never fails to comment on a post, as well as has amazingly unique posts herself: Cee Arr of Diary of a Reading Addict! 

Thank you Cee for constantly sharing lovely thoughtful comments and for being openly honest in your posts :)

Personally of this Month: 

I REACHED 100 TWITTER FOLLOWERS! Thank you to all of my twitter buddies for being so lovely and always up for a chat.

I started my second semester of school. This semester I have pretty hard subjects such as math (ugh) but hopefully I can tackle it before summer.

I have become shamelessly obsessed with the tv show Gilmore Girls. Seriously though, this show is so adorable and hilarious and gives you ALL THE FEELS.

I started utilizing my library more. I've never really went to the library before, but recently I've realized how much of a convenient gem it is and I hope to get more use out of it in the future.

I'm so upset that award season is over :( But I saw some great movies and LEO FINALLY WON AN OSCAR!!

That was my month! How was your February?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

One by: Sarah Crossan

Genre: Young Adult fiction, Contemporary
Published: September 15,2015 by: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 400
Rating: 5/5 stars

Tippi and Grace have always been together. That is, because they are conjoined twins. Life has been a struggle for the two girls, but they have lasted 16 years, and get by. But when a growing financial problem in their home forces them into public school for the first times in their lives, Grace and Tippi face the dilemma of fitting in, when they were born to stand out. Then the unthinkable happens, which forces Grace and Tippi to possibly make the hardest decision of their lives.

For those of you who don't know, I have a twin. Over the years, we have constantly gotten curious remarks, compliments, and have just gained general interest by our classmates. However one year, a boy in our class, a very ignorant boy, told us that he wished we were Siamese twins because that would be "cool". He was a teenager, and fully knew better. After reading this book, I gained a full understanding that conjoined twins are not animals to be locked up and gawked at. They are not "cool". They are human beings, and although I have complained many times over the years about the annoying remarks my sister and I go through, I cannot even imagine what Grace and Tippi had to go through. Why are people so ignorant?

This entire book is told from Grace's point of view. I think of her as kind of the shyer one of the bunch, she is reserved while Tippi has great interest in dramatic arts and is more outgoing. I thought that it was smart in a sense to give us a look into the mind of the quieter one, as she is sometimes overshadowed by her sister. I loved Grace and her sister's personalities, and their bond was undeniable. They relied on each other.

The entire book is written in free-verse poem. This was an incredibly unique experience that is not easy to do, and I applaud Crossan for captivating that emotion. The poems made everything sound even more beautiful, and I think the emotion came through tremendously when using this technique. It also makes the book extremely easy to get through.

I loved how this book explored various effects of Grace and Tippi's life. It's not only about their bond, but it's about romance, about financial troubles, illness, and even about their relationship with their other sister, whom they call Dragon. It was amazing to see everyone's points of views shine through even if Grace was essentially telling the story.

I finished this book in one sitting. Maybe it was because the free verse was easy to get through. Or maybe it was because I was simply captivated by the entire thing. This book tore on my heartstrings, it left me wanting more and I could not bring myself to stop. Some may say it was predictable, but I found it to be much more. Even though the ending was sad, I found it to be a triumphant honour to two sisters. These girls were not "cool". They were beautiful.

Have you read One? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Paperback's Pondering's: I Don't Like People On My Covers!

Paperback's Pondering's is a weekly discussion when I take a topic and well, ponder about it! This week's topic is all about why I never liked real people on my book covers.

I have to admit something: I'm a bit of a hypocrite. I've always taken pride in the fact that I do not care about what's on my bookcover's, and that they don't really affect what I buy. However recently I discovered that there is a common thing on many bookcovers that I loath. I've never liked real people, or models on bookcovers.

This hate sort of started in Grade 8, when I read Delirium by: Lauren Oliver. Now don't get me wrong, this was an amazing book that I will stand by, however the cover of the book featured a very close up image of a teenage girl. I don't know why, but this made me feel really awkward and even turn the book onto the other side when it was on my desk.

Models on contemporary novels are not uncommon. Many books feature the romance of two teens in love, or a really sultry close-up. These do not play well in my book, as I find it to be very cheesy and overbearing, and sometimes a bit creepy.

There's something so awkward about picking up a book and having the main character stare back at you. This is a problem I've noticed a lot of people are having with The Crown by: Kiera Cass. The look on the model's face almost stares into someones soul, and it doesn't leave a very nice impression. Facial expression is important people!

I also feel like more often than not, the model on the cover is nothing like how I imagined the character in my head. Giving you the character in real form, kind of forces an image on you, and throughout the entire book you are now visualising the character to look like the model. It kind of takes away the creativity of being able to craft your own character.

Another important thing: poses. A lot of contemporary romances show these teens in these cheesy poses that look more like a stock photo than a book cover. It completely turns me off of a book because I immediately associate the book with being predictable and having no substance.

So, what can authors do? I personally love simple covers, keeping a clean crisp background with a few focal points that stand out, and these are things, not people.

So what do you think? Do you care about models on bookcovers, or could you care either way?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

The Deserted Island Book Tag!

Thanks to Geraldine @ Corralling Books for tagging me! Here are my answers:

Water- A book you simply can't live without 

Obviously Paper Towns by: John Green! That book never fails to leave me happy.

Food- A book that is a close second on your favourite's list 

Most recently became One by: Sarah Crossan. This book was a work of art.

Shelter- A book that makes you feel at home and safe 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I specifically picked this one because it reiterates everything that we love about Harry Potter.

Flare Gun- saZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (At this point, my dog decided to step on my laptop and write something. Not sure what she was trying to say, but it was too funny to erase. Anyways, let's continue.) -A book that you would recommend to someone who doesn't like reading 

Wonder by: R.J. Palacio! It's such a heartwarming and easy to follow book.

Matchsticks- A book that warms your heart 

The Selection by: Kiera Cass! It's so sweet and cute and girly and great!

Compass- A book that directed you towards your love of reading 

If we're talking about YA, then it would have to be Divergent by: Veronica Roth. It was the first YA book I read, and it was all uphill from there ;)

I'd like to nominate anyone interested! Thanks Geraldine :)

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Everything, Everything by: Nicola Yoon

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Published: September 1, 2015 by: Delacorte Books

Pages: 320

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Madeleine has always lived in a bubble. Her rare immune disorder leaves her practically allergic to the world, and forbids her from leaving the confines of her home. The only person who understands her, is her spunky and caring nurse Carla, who defends her against her mother’s over-protectiveness. But when charming and comical Olly moves in next door, Maddie will do anything to be close to him. Even if that means endangering herself.

Everything, Everything was a difficult book to review. That is because I have read and loved similar books in the past, but this book just fell flat and unoriginal for me. While I loved the concept and theme of the book, I think a lot more could have been delivered on plot.

Maddie’s disease is extremely rare and was extremely fascinating to read about. I think the author did a great job at covering a unique topic that is not widely known. I can’t imagine what anyone living with the disease would have to go through. I think that the author provided a great breath of fresh air from the disease that is usually portrayed in YA, as well as the topic was extremely interesting and made me want to read more about it.

I liked some of the characters, but not all. I loved Maddie’s nurse Carla. She was a great maternal/big sister force in Maddie’s life and I felt as if she was the only one who truly understood her. That being said, Maddie’s character for me was flat. I loved her love for reading, I think that was a great touch that I could relate to, but she was just too cookie-cutter for me. Olly was the same.

Here’s something that really surprised me: the ending. You kind of get this sense in YA contemporaries portraying disease that there will be a predictable ending. However this ending shocked me and left me wanting more. It was extremely different and something that I was totally not expecting, which I thought was a great way to end.

I just couldn’t connect with the main characters as a whole. Maddie was extremely impulsive and dull. She thought with her heart before her mind, which can work in some instances, but didn’t work for her. Olly was your typical male lead, he didn’t strike out at me at all and he didn’t affect me one bit.

Even though the ending to this book was amazing, the leading up to it was pretty predictable and boring. I could get a full sense what was going to happen in the beginning and middle, and the chemistry between characters was nothing to cry about. They were just your typical YA couple, which bored me.

So overall, this book was good, but not great. I was mostly swayed by the cover, which is gorgeous by the way, but I didn’t think that there was anything besides the end that sets it apart from all the others.

Have you read Everything, Everything? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Paperback's Pondering's: To Hype or to not Hype?

Paperback's Pondering's is a weekly discussion when I take a topic and well, ponder about it! This week's topic is about whether or not to follow hyped books.

I did a Paperback's Pondering's post on hype about a year ago, but I wanted to bring the topic back because it seems as if my opinions have kind of changed on the subject. So here we go:

We've all been there: looking at Twitter and gawking over a book that gets shared over and over on our timeline. Now of course we trust our fellow blogger's opinions, so if EVERYONE is saying that this book is fabulous, then it must be. Right?

I am guilty of following hype. I'm one of those people that just assumes that if everyone loves a book, then I must love it too. I feel as if there is sort of a bookish pressure that is put on people when a hyped book comes along. They feel sort of obligated to give the book a try, or so they can join in on all the fangirling discussions and not feel left out. However hyped books cannot always work in your favour, and sometimes you may get more than what you bargained for when it comes to trying that seemingly "perfect" book.

On the positive side of things first, hyped books can be a great way to bring new fans in. Imagine the look on an author's face when they see millions of people gushing over how great their book is. It makes it seem like all of their hardwork paid off. Hyped books are great ways of making new friends, new fandoms, and making maybe little known authors receive new opportunities.

Also, hyped books can, of course, make you discover your new favourite book! Think of it this way, you're in a reading slump, nothing seems to be interesting to you, and all of the sudden this glorious book comes down from the heavens and grasps your heart and never let's go! And now, you are whole again. Maybe following the hype was a good idea.

Or maybe it wasn't. On the negative side, hyped books can generate a bookish bias amongst people, People might feel like they just have to rate a book higher than they wanted to because of the hype surrounding it. I mean, it couldn't be as bad as I thought it was... can it?

There's also the opportunity for crazed bookworms of the book to sometimes attack those who didn't like it. Now this is obviously just a handful of the bunch, but some people just get too protective over books that they feel as if nobody could ever not like it. Not true, because here I am, giving it a one star.

Now, I would say that I do not like following hype. It has failed me too often in the past couple of months, that I like to actually stay away now and just go for the things that I have researched more. However there is always that slight urge I get when a book starts floating around the community.

To go along with this topic, I've compiled a list of my favourite/non-favourite hyped books, to give you a representation on where I stand with hype:

Favourites:

The Fault in Our Stars by: John Green
A lot of people love it, and a lot of people hate it, but I found it to be so beautiful.

The Selection series by: Kiera Cass
This series seems so cheesy to some but honestly they are so addicting!

The Divergent series by: Veronica Roth
Got me first hooked on dystopia, and to be honest, I really liked the movie adaptions as well.

The Harry Potter series by: J.K. Rowling
I'm not even going to explain myself with this one.

Non-Favourites:

Throne of Glass series by: Sarah J. Maas
This series escalated into something terrible for me.

After by: Anna Todd
The last time I read a One Direction fanfiction.

The Maze Runner by: James Dashner
I kind of liked the movies better than the books... oops.

Cinder: by: Marissa Meyer
Oh was this book ever so boring for me! Ugh I could not stand it!

There you have it! I guess hype could go either ways, and it's up to you and your willpower to decide whether or not you want to follow it.

Do you follow hype? Why/Why Not?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Happily Ever After (The Selection Series Novella's) by: Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Romance
Published: October 13, 2015 by: HarperTeen
Pages: 416
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

We've heard America's story. Now the kingdom of Illea is back with 4 new stories from beloved character's point's of view's. We have The Prince: Maxon's point of view on his Selection, The Guard: The life of  Aspen when he becomes a palace guard, The Favourite: Marlee's life on hiding her secret love from the other ladies, and The Queen: Amberley's Selection and how she won over the king's heart.

The Prince: 5/5 stars

This was by far, my favourite novella of the series. Maxon was always one of my favourite characters; he was charismatic but still kind and caring to the ladies. I loved how he was unbiased throughout the novella, and it didn't feel like he was in love with America from the very beginning. The novella was so adorable, and Maxon is hilariously cute.

The Guard: 3/5 stars

On the opposite side of things, this was my least favourite. I, like most people, never really felt connected to Aspen. I thought that he was just a waste of space, there was no rhyme or reason to him being there. I didn't really care about his point of view because I don't think that it added anything to the plot whatsoever. That being said, it was an easy read.

The Favourite: 5/5 stars

I loved Marlee since the beginning, so reading about her was a blast! I loved the plot twist that she added to the story, and I really fought for her love. Marlee was one of those cool characters who just does what she wants to do, and I admire her for that. She's incredible.

The Queen: 4/5 stars

This novella was ok, but it didn't strike at me like the other ones. I don't really care for Maxon's parent's, and the king annoys me to no end. I really like Amberley, and I thought that her POV was interesting, but I hated her love interest and didn't really feel the chemistry between them.

Overall Thoughts:

I did enjoy the novella's. They're great pick me ups if you're stuck waiting patiently for The Crown, and the book was a very easy read. However I don't think that The Guard and The Queen were as strong.

Have you read Happily Ever After? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess