Room by Emma Donoghue ~ Book Review

Title:  Room

Author:  Emma Donoghue

Genre:  Adult Contemporary

Published:  September 13, 2010

Hardcover:  321 pages 

Brief Synopsis:

Jack is a five year old boy who lives in a small work shed with his mother. He was born in the shed and has never left or had any interaction with the outside world. His mother was taken by a man named Old Nick seven years ago. Jack has never seen the outside world except what he sees on TV and through the skylight in his Room. 

Thoughts:

One thing that makes this story very impactful is the way that this book is written. It is written only from the perspective of Jack. Jack has a very unique voice because of his circumstances. It makes a very horrific story bearable, because of his innocent perspective. The story would have not been the same if Jack was not the narrator. With that being said, at times, it was hard to read at his perspective. The writing took me a while to get into. Jack refers to everything as a proper noun in the book, which I actually learned to love. It gives such value to the few things that he has in his "world". 

"I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra."  

Things I LOVED About This Book

- I loved the relationship between Jack and his mom. She does an amazing job raising him in these terrifying circumstances. 

- I loved the unique voice of this story. I thought it would not have been the same if the story was told from the mom's point of view. 

- I loved the use of stories and books. For example, if you have ever read Goodnight Moon, you know the story is about saying goodnight to everything in the room. Jack and his mom do this every night and I LOVED it!

- I love that this story shines light on things that we take advantage of in our everyday lives. 

- The perspective was so unique and powerful. Jack's world (to him) seems so normal even though you as a reader find it scary and unbearable. 

Things I Did Not Like About This Book

- I am going to be contradicting myself a little. Even though I loved seeing the story through Jack's perspective, at times, it was one-dimensional and a little repetitive. 

- In stories, I love details and I just wanted more. The author leaves a little too much to the imagination and I just wanted more insight. 

- The pacing is a little slow, but it does pick up.

My Favorite Quotes 

A LOT of my favorite quotes included spoilers and I don't want to give anything away. So these quotes do not contain any spoilers. 

"People don't always want to be with people. It gets tiring."

"It's called mind over matter. If we don't mind, it doesn't matter."

"Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing."

"When I was a little kid I thought like a little kid, but now I'm five I know everything."

The Movie

The movie  comes out October 16, 2015. I am so excited to see this movie. When I saw the trailer I knew I had to read the book! If you have not watched the trailer- you need to watch it! 

Goodreads Rating

Have you read this book??

Are you planning to read it before the movie releases??

I would love to hear your thoughts!! 

Happy Reading!! 

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Creative Writing 101

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by 

The Broke and The Bookish.

Today's Topic: Creative Writing 101

Hi Everyone! 

I am very excited about this Top-Ten Tuesday topic because it allows you to pick a book theme to teach to a class. My theme for this class would have to be creative writing. I love an author that can blow my mind and get me to question everything I just read. I love it when they can blow me away with their details in their setting and make me feel like I am standing right next to these characters. I like an author that can write a sentence that changes my perspective. I love it when writing is so beautiful it makes me want to remember that quote forever. Creative writing can look very different and I love writing with originality and beauty.

Here are some of books that I would definitely discuss in my creative writing class! 

Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon writes with such importance. You feel like you are reading something very important and so much bigger than yourself and the characters. I love his world building and I think he is in the king of blowing your mind. He is a genius. 

"There is always another secret."

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Andieh

Renee did an amazing job creating this beautiful book. She is a debut author! She writes with such great intensity. I love all the details in this beautiful world.

"When she wound her fingers in his hair to draw her body against his, he stilled for breath, and she knew, as he knew, that they were lost. Lost forever. In this kiss. This kiss that would change everything."

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It is crafted so beautifully and her writing is amazing. It makes you laugh. It make you cry. It makes you want to go places and see new things. It changes your outlook about mental disorders. Just read it. It's amazing!!

"When we're in the act of wandering, we need to be present, not watching it through the lens."

"You are all the colors in one, at full brightness."

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

If you have read any of my TTT it probably has this book listed. Laini has such a whimsical writing style. She is amazing at world building and creating such creative and unique characters. 

"Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic."

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I loved the first two books in the series.They were fantastic, but this one was INCREDIBLE! It is amazing to see authors grow and start to expand their world and their characters. She became one of my favorites after reading this book. This story went from great to epic! I can't get enough of this world and the characters. I am so invested into this story. 

"It would not take a monster to destroy a monster- but light, light to drive out the darkness." 

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This book has such a unique writing style. You are either going to love it or hate it. I LOVE it! The writing is so suspenseful, unique and lyrical.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow's writing is flawless. It is so perfectly simple and so impactful. I think her writing is so soulful and I just love it!

"I choose you over everyone."

The Enchanted by Rene Denefeld

The Enchanted is such a unique and poetically written story. It takes places in a prison that is also enchanted. It is amazing how an author can take something so sad and horrific and make it beautiful. I loved this one, especially the ending. 

"Your worst dungeon might be the room with the most windows."

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I could not talk about creative writing without mentioning this amazing book. If you want a book with powerful characters, impactful messages or you just want to cry your eyes out, this book is for you. It is my favorite book. I love it all. It is not a fast story. It is extremely slow and beautiful. The narrator of the book is death. I have never read any book with a more unique narrator. 

"I have to say that although it broke my heart, I was, and still am, glad I was there."

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

This book has a very unique writing style. I was not sold on the writing style in the beginning of the book. But, it stole my heart and this book would not be the same without this lyrical writing. The connections that are created in this book are so amazing. Love It!

"His soul might be the sun. I've never met anyone who had the sun for a soul."

Who do you think has the most amazing writing?

 It was hard to even narrow this down to a top ten. 

I would love to hear who are your favorite creative writers!

Happy Reading!! 

Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway ~ Book Review

Title: Emmy and Oliver 

Author:  Robin Benway

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction 

Published:  June 23, 2015

Hardcover:  352 pages 

Brief Synopsis:

Emmy and Oliver have been good friends their entire life. They live next door to each other, their mothers are best friends, and they were even born on the same day. In second grade, tragedy strikes when Oliver is kidnapped by his father and is never heard from again. Ten years later, Oliver is found! This book explores the journey of Oliver returning home. It shines an interesting perspective on kidnapping and shows the challenges of rebuilding a friendship that was lost and now found. 

My Thoughts

I am not including the Goodreads Summary in this review for a good reason. I think it gives you a little too much information. So stay away from the summary on the book! 

I really, really enjoyed this book! I felt it was a little slow to begin. This has been a thing lately in my reading. ALL the books I have read lately have started out slow. So it may just be me and my reading mood. I fell in love with the characters right away, especially Oliver and Emmy. I thought they were both so sweet. I loved to see how their relationship developed and how they learned to build back their friendship. 

Things I LOVED About This Book

- I loved the family dynamics in this book. Family was a huge theme in this book. The parents were very present in the book and it was very refreshing. 

-One theme that is very central to the story is communication. The characters all struggle with communication barriers and it was frustrating to read about at times, but it made the story very real. 

-I loved the interesting perspective that this story presented. It allows you to see a side of kidnapping that was unexpected and intriguing. 

- The ending was beautiful! I was worried that I was not going to like the ending. I really enjoyed the direction the author went with the characters and I was extremely satisfied with the ending. 

Things I Did NOT Love

- Nothing really stood out as bad to me in this book.

 If I had to pick something it would be that the book started out a little slow. 

My Favorite Quotes:

"The more you start to love someone, the more you ache when they're gone, and maybe it's that middle ground that hurts the most, when you can see them and still not feel like you're near enough."

"Sometimes loves isn't something say, it's something you do."

"An earthquake would have been better. At least during an earthquake, you understand why you're shaking."

Goodreads Rating

Thanks for visiting today!! 

I hope you check out this great book. Have you read it yet? Are you planning to add it to your TBR? 

Happy Reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Auto-Buy Authors

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by 

The Broke and The Bookish.

Today's Topic: Auto-Buy Authors

Hi Everyone! 

Today I am sharing with you some of my all-time favorite authors. I am not a huge book buyer. I mostly check out from my library but I do have auto-buy authors. These are the best of the best in my eyes. If you have not checked out these authors you need to really give them a try!

1. Sarah J. Maas

I absolutely love The Throne of Glass series. It is so epic and the story keeps getting more and more amazing. The story has just captured my heart and I am a forever fan. I cannot wait for Queen of Shadows. I need it RIGHT NOW!!

2.  Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow's writing is simple and beautiful. It is a work of art. I love her dialogue and her amazing character development. Her stories stick with me so much and I just want her to write MORE! I need more!

3.  Jandy Nelson

I recently read I'll Give You The Sun and fell in love with the book. She is an instant favorite! If you have not read this book- you HAVE to read it. I need to pick up the Sky is Everywhere very soon!

4. Veronica Roth

I love dystopian books and I used to read a lot of them. I love the Divergent world so much. Veronica did an amazing job creating a unique and interesting world. I love all the details that went into this amazing world. I miss that element in dystopian books. I want her to write another series. PLEASE!

5.  Alexandra Bracken 

I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I love it! I will read anything she writes. I think she does an amazing job of writing interesting and complex characters. Even though this series is not perfect, I don't care. These characters stick with me and I am cannot get the stories out of my head. They are so action-packed and your heart is just in the hands of these amazing characters. I cannot wait for her new book called Passengers! It is supposed to be released in January 2016. 

6. Laini Taylor

Perfection. Laini Taylor is my perfect author. This book series is fantastic! She has the most whimsical writing style and I LOVE her world building. It is amazing! I need more from this author!!! She is a genius. 

7. Stephanie Perkins

I love Stephanie Perkins writing style too. I think she does a great job of making you feel like your part of the story. She make her settings come to life and I feel like I need to travel and experience these places for myself. I need her to write another book!!

Thanks for visiting today!! :) 

Who are some of your auto-buy authors?

Happy Reading, Everyone!!! 

The Invasion of the Tearling ~ Non-Spoiler Book Review

Title: The Invasion of the Tearling, Book #2

Author: Erika Johansen

Published: June 9, 2015

Hardcover:  515 pages 

There will be no spoilers for this book or the first book in the series. 

Brief Synopsis: 

The first book The Queen of the Tearling follows a young girl named Kelsea. Kelsea is a young princess that is hidden after the death of her mother. At the age of nineteen, she is taken back to her kingdom to claim her throne. She is on a quest to save her kingdom and discover her destiny. This is an adult high-fantasy book that is supposed to be turned into a movie starring Emma Watson. 

My Thoughts:

It took me such a long time to read this book. I have been so incredibly busy and I feel like it took me forever to finish this one. The first book intrigued me from the very beginning. This one took me about 100 pages to actually get really invested in the story. It was a little slower than I expected it to be. It was all very interesting and kept me reading but I felt that it was a little slow, especially in the beginning. I would recommend this book and I look forward to the next book in the series. It still does not have a release date but I am guessing it is going to be next year. 

Things I LOVED about this book: 

- I fell in love with the new characters and new perspectives that were introduced. At first, I was not happy that we were following a whole new character and timeline. But, this character's story was just incredible.

- I love the relationship that Kelsea has with her guards. They have such amazing chemistry and I love the honesty and respect that they have for each other. 

- I liked that we learned more about the world and some of the mysteries and questions were answered. I still wanted more but I was satisfied with the reveals. 

- The ending was fantastic! It was so fast and intense!

- I loved the connection that Kelsea had with the new character Lily. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Things I Did NOT Love:

- The romance. It just did not add anything to the story and it was just a distraction.

- I struggled with the dark tone in the story. It was hard to read a beloved character turning darker and making bad decisions. 

- The beginning was really slow. It took around 100 pages for it really spark my interest and become invested into the story and characters, especially the new characters. 

My Favorite Quote:

"When it fails, they do call it madness, Lazarus. But when it succeeds, they call it genius."

Good Reads Rating: 

Thanks for visiting today!! 

Have you read this series yet?? Are you planning to read it in the future? I would love to hear your thoughts! 

Happy Reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Most Read Authors

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by 

The Broke and The Bookish.

Today's Topic: Top Ten Most Read Authors

I have not been able to post anything lately and I apologize. I have been so busy lately. I am currently doing my first Whole 30 and I have been doing a lot of planning and researching for it lately. I am also getting my older son ready to go back to school. He starts school next Monday. I am a little behind in my reading this month but hopefully I can get back on track soon. 

This week I am going to do my top 5 most read authors. I had a lot of authors that I have read 4 or 5 of their books. I narrowed it down to ones that were a little larger. Here are some of my most read authors!

1. Cassandra Clare:

9 books

The Mortal Instruments Series/The Infernal Devices

I absolutely love Cassandra Clare! She is definitely one of my favorite authors. I adore her world and all her characters. Is she the best writer? No. But I find her world building and fast-pace books so addicting. I cannot wait for the new series to start! So excited!!

2. JK Rowling 

7 books

The Harry Potter Series

JK Rowling is absolutely extraordinary! I cannot describe how much I adore these characters and this fantastic world. I consider them a must-read for everyone. I love all the themes that run so deep and true in these books. I have read this series about seven times. The Harry Potter will never grow old for me. 

3. Nicholas Sparks

7 Books

A Walk To Remember/The Last Song/ Dear John/ Safe Haven/ The Rescue/ Nights in Rodanthe/ A Bend In The Road

Even though I have not read anything by Sparks in a while. I really enjoy his books. They are a little bit predictable but they usually make me cry and I need a good, emotional read every once in a while. My favorites are The Last Song, Safe Haven and A Walk To Remember.  

4. Richelle Mead

6 Books

The Vampire Academy

I have to admit...Richelle Mead has some of the worst cover art. Ever. Do not judge these books by their covers. They are so much fun! I love the world building and the characters. Especially Adrian. There is tons of drama and the writing is not greatest. The characters can sometimes be annoying. But I love them! They are so entertaining and I think they are super creative and fast-pace. I do intend to read the Bloodlines series one day. 

5. George RR Martin

5 Books

A Song of Ice and Fire Series 

I cannot wait for the next book in this series. I have been itching to reread this series soon too. I feel like the more you read them the more you learn. I think he is genius writer. I would love to meet him! He actually lives in a town near me. I hope when he releases his sixth book that he has a book signing and I can finally meet him. 

What are some of your most read authors? Have you read any of these books? Do you plan to? What are your thoughts about them?

Have a great day, everyone!

Happy Reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Fairytale Retellings

Hello, Everyone! 

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. I hope you all are having an amazing day! 

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly bookish feature hosted by 

The Broke and The Bookish.

Today's Topic: Ten Fairytale Retellings That I've Read/Want To Read

When I first saw this topic I was thinking "oh yeah! I love fairytale retellings!", and then I realized I have not read very many fairy tale retellings at all. In fact, my 'fairytale read list' is pretty sad and I am going to make a huge effort to change that. I do have a lot of them on my TBR. 

So let's get started!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh- 

This book is absolutely amazing! It is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. This book is so detailed and the characters are amazing. Highly, highly recommend this one!!

The Lunar Chronicles-

I have only read Cinder and Scarlet in this series. I plan to read Cress and Fairest before the release of Winter in November. I really love this series. It has very loose connections with popular fairytale characters. This series is definitely worth reading. They are extremely captivating and fun!

A Thousand Nights by EK Johnston 

This book is set to release in October. This cover is absolutely stunning! It is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights as well. Since I loved The Wrath and the Dawn I really want to check this one out too. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

This is the only book that I have not read by Sarah J Maas. I did purchase it recently and I hope to read it this month! It is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with the presence of fairies. 

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

This book sounds so good! I want to read this one very soon. This book is based on the Grimm fairy tale, "The Handless Maiden", which I am not familiar with at all. I have heard a lot of great things about this book! It seems so unique and interesting.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Again! Another fantastic cover! This edition is beautiful! This book has been getting so much buzz lately. Uprooted is inspired by folk and fairy tales. I know there are dragons and wizards! Sign me up, please!

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I have seen so many great reviews for this book. I know it has been out for a few years but I still need to get to it! Tiger Lily is a retelling of the Peter Pan story. This is supposed to be the untold story of Tiger Lily. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! Please let me know if you have read any of these books! I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for visiting!

Happy Reading!!!