The Moon and More Book Review/Sarah Dessen Book Signing

Title: The Moon and More
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 435 (hardcover)
Publication: June 2013
Summary: Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby. Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby? Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

The Signing: This is the second book signing I've gone to for Sarah Dessen (which took place a couple weeks ago), and it was even better than the last. I was near the front of the signing line, I won a bit of swag (a necklace with a key on it), and everyone was no where near as pushy as they were at the last signing, therefore making it an all around better experience, not to mention my sister and I got to talk to her more than last time.  She was funny, nice, down to earth, and very relatable, and she seemed genuinely happy to be there doing this signing for her fans and readers.

She gave us some inside perspective as to her writing process, where the fictional town of Colby, which is the setting of this book and appears in many of her other novels, is based (Emerald Isle, NC), and revealed that she's working on her twelfth novel right now. I was having an awful day the day of the signing, and when I walked into that bookstore and felt the energy of my fellow fans around me, I instantly felt better. I loved it. Everyone was so nice and excited, and there was even free cake (I'm all about the free food), so in other words, yes I definitely plan on attending more of her book signings and I'll probably always treasure her books. I started reading them in high school and they're now as much a part of my learning and growing up experience as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book series.

My Review: Okay so this wasn't my all-time favorite Dessen novel (that would be Along for the Ride), but it definitely wasn't my least favorite. I felt like it dragged in some areas, yet didn't fully explain what was happening in others. Like for example Clyde's back story or more of Theo's back story.  But I never felt like I didn't know who Emaline was as a person or where her development was headed. My favorite part about this book, however, was that it was less about a love triangle and more about Emaline figuring out what she wanted out of life and how change can come in all kinds of packages whether they be good or bad.

It took me forever to read this one (because of summer class finals and life in general) but I found this novel to be very much a beach read. In other words this book included a lot of what I like to call "fluff;" it didn't make you think too much and was very light (no dystopian gore or murder victims) while also packing a pretty deep moral to the story. What did I derive this moral to be? For the most part, I felt like this story conveyed how a girl when moving on in life doesn't need to stray too far from the familiar in order to experience personal growth. If you stray away from who you are and what you know completely, then you lose yourself completely.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Booktube-A-Thon

Although I'm not really a contributor to the booktube community, I do watch a lot of booktube related videos.  It's my way of seeing how much people love or hate a book and what they loved/hated about that book. If you're looking for alternatives to book blogging and reading reviews, I suggest looking into following a booktuber or two.

With all of that said, this week (from July 15th to July 21st), there will be a read-a-thon called Booktube-A-Thon held just for those who vlog about books or book reviews. Made by a couple of my favorite booktubers, Raeleen and Ariel, this read-a-thon made especially for booktubers (but anyone can participate). A read-a-thon is pretty much a reading marathon where you try to read as much as you can in the allotted amount of time. And this read-a-thon consists of seven challenges, just to spice things up. The challenge list is as follows:

1. Read an average of 300 pages a day
2. Read a book with over 500 pages
3. Reread one book
4. Finish a series/trilogy
5. Read a book that's been on your shelf forever (that you haven't read yet)
6. Listen to an audiobook
7. Read a classic

Here's the link to one of the Booktube-A-Thon announcement videos by Raeleen (a similar video can be found here on Ariel's youtube channel) if you want a better idea of this event.

You don't have to complete all of the challenges because, like I said, it's just for fun. You can even knock out two birds with one stone by reading, for instance, Emma by Jane Austen, which is over 500 pages long and is also considered a classic.

If you want to follow some other booktubers' progress while they try their hand at this read-a-thon challenge, then here's a list of some fellow avid readers/booktubers that I'm subscribed to who are participating along with their links:

Raeleen at PadfootandProngs07
Ariel at ArielBissett
Jesse at JessetheReader
Catriona at TheLittleBookOwl
Jacob at TheEighthPotter
Elizabeth at ElizzieBooks

Sadly, I will be jumping in late in the game due to a final exam in one of my summer classes being this week, but it will still be fun to try and accomplish at least a few of these challenges by July 21st (I've been busy studying for my final for the past couple of days which is why I'm almost a day late in making a post about it). But you know what they say, better late than never! And maybe with this class out of the way, I'll have more time to read and write reviews since I've been slacking so much lately.

I hope y'all will be joining in on the reading extravaganza with me this week and happy reading!

July Beach-Ready Book Haul

The time is drawing near for me when my family takes their big yearly vacation, and this year we're going to Florida for a week. Therefore, I must stock up on reading material for the 12 hour long drive and for possible pool-side reading, right? At least that's my excuse for buying even more books in the past month, even though I was kind of on a self-imposed book buying ban. Oops! But hey, at least I tried right? Anyway, here are the books I bought in the past month to read on vacation (click on the titles to see full summaries on Goodreads):


The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World - by Nancy Jo Sales
I now consider my obsession with this story in general to be my current guilty pleasure. What I mean is, I can't get enough of it! I'm completely intrigued by how these fame-obsessed teenagers became the first ever successful burglary ring in Hollywood. And after seeing the Sofia Coppola movie, The Bling Ring, based on a Vanity Fair article by Sales, I had to buy the book and learn more about the story. I'm not one for non-fiction books usually, but I've already started this book and the amount of research and detail that went into Sales' account of the "Bling Ring" is mind boggling. Like I said, I can't seem to get enough of it! You can definitely expect a review on the movie and book sometime this month.

Unearthly - by Cynthia Hand
I read this novel about fallen angels (more or less) about a year ago after renting it from the library pretty much because it had a pretty cover. Yes, I admit to picking up books based on their covers (although this photo of it doesn't to the real thing justice). But I'm so glad I did because I ended up loving it. It become one of my favorite novels I read last year (among The Fault in Our Stars, The Book Thief, Divergent, The Maze Runner, and a few others). However, this is the only book of the series I've had the chance to read. I hope to pick up the next installment, Hallowed, soon, because I definitely consider this to be a great beach read.

Shadow and Bone - by Leigh Bardugo
I've heard mostly good things about this book in the book blogosphere, and I've been eyeing it for a while now. But recently they released it in paperback, thus making it more affordable for me, and I couldn't refuse (I'm somewhat of an impulse book buyer, can you tell?). Also, the only books I've read that were based in Russia, like this one, are Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky and they were all for school, thus boring the living daylights out of me. This novel is different because a.) it was written in this century, b.) it's a dystopian thriller, and c.) it's not a required reading for any of my classes next semester, so I'm bound to enjoy it a lot more than Crime and Punishment (here's hoping).

Emma - by Jane Austen
I wanted to pick up this Austen classic after watching one of my favorite movies, Clueless (based on this novel), and I already own all of her novels in one giant bind up. However, I didn't want to be toting a huge leatherbound bind up just to read one book from it to the beach. So I went to a used bookstore and found a slightly battered edition to call my own. I think this might be one of Austen's longest novels she'd written, so it will be very interesting to see how far I get and how long it takes me to finish it.


The Summer I Turned Pretty - by Jenny Han
I bought this book for my younger sister as part of her graduation gift earlier this month, but I've heard mixed reviews on it. Some say it's the perfect fluffy beach read, and others say it jumps around too much and it's boring. My sister leaned towards the more negative side saying she didn't like the flashbacks and that she probably wasn't going to read the rest of the trilogy. Seeing as how we now own it, though, I thought I'd at least give it a try. It can't hurt to give it go, you know? The premise seems tame enough, too. It doesn't seem to require a lot of comprehensive reading, it's set at the beach, involves a coming of age story as well a teen love triangle. What else could you want in a beachy read?

That pretty much does it on my recent beach book purchases. Hope y'all have a great summer and relaxing vacations, whether they're poolside, porchside, or beach side.
Happy Reading!

July TBR Pile

June wasn't a good reading month for me, in terms of how much reading I actually got done. With summer classes, I've been swamped with homework and assignments lately, but that will all be over at the end of July! However, I may be spending quite a bit of time studying for my finals, but after this month, I will hopefully have a lot more time to do some summer reading. So without further ado, here's my July to-be-read list! (Maybe I'll actually get to all of them this time haha!)

The Selection - by Keira Cass
I'm playing catch-up here! My younger sister graduated earlier in June and I gave her the sequel to this book, The Elite, as part of her graduation gift (along with a few other books). She loves the first book and couldn't wait to dive into the second, so I thought hey why not give it a go. Also, I don't think I've heard any bad reviews about this book in the book-vlogosphere, and that's always a good thing to look for in a novel.

A Jane Austen novel
Any one will do. I just want some regency-era romance in my life. I think I'm going to go for either Northanger Abbey, as stated in my previous TBR, or maybe Persuasion, since that one takes place at the beach at one point. I mean, perfect for a summer beach read TBR, am I right?

The Death Cure - by James Dashner
I have to confess to something... I have a problem finishing book series'. I KNOW! FOR SHAME! But that's one of my reading resolutions recently: to finish some of the book series I've already started. That includes the Maze Runner series (among many more. I think this might have something to do with some sort of deep-seeded commitment issues I have or something). That's not the only motivation I have for finishing this series though. The first book, The Maze Runner, is being made into a film (starring the crazy cute Dylan O'Brien and the beautiful Kaya Scodelario) and I'm extremely excited since this was one of my favorite books I read last year.

I've pretty much shortened my TBR list significantly from how many books were on the list last month mostly because I don't want to set too high of expectations for myself since I'll be having finals later this month (booooo) and my family and I don't have any vacation trips planned until August, so no beach reading either. It'll be more like I'm-bored-and-waiting-for-class-to-start reading or everyone-is-on-vacation-and-I'm-stuck-at-home reading. In other words, the amoung of reading I get done will be dependent on how much of a social life I end up having between studying and my increasingly frequent naps. On another note, summer classes take a lot out of you.

If I read three or more books this month, that will be an accomplishment. I'm that swamped. By the way, I apologize if I sound overly sassy. My levels of stress usually match my levels of sarcasm and I've been quite stressed lately, what with the swamping. Well, I hope y'all have better reading month than me (that's not saying much but you get what I mean). Happy Reading!

Hex Hall

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall trilogy (#1)
Pages: 323 (paperback)
Publication: March 2010
Summary: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

My Thoughts: This young adult book was so easy to dive right into. It completely sucked me in and right off the bat I thought to myself, "why has it taken me so long to read this series?" (by the way, how cool is that cover?).

Rachel Hawkins effortlessly builds a supernatural world where her characters thrive. This novel is based at a boarding school for prodigium in the deep south, a world that our protagonist, Sophie, is pretty much new to. Being raised by a human and never having met her warlock father, Sophie is new to the whole mythology and the ways of the prodigium she accompanies at Hecate Hall (Hex Hall for short). I don't think this novel could have been written any other way. This was the best approach to creating and introducing a new world to the reader, and it felt so effortless. The dialogue felt real, the actions of the characters felt real, and yet it wasn't a hard read at all.

Very light, Hex Hall was the perfect book for me to get out of my reading slump that I was slowly sinking into. The dialogue felt real and loved jumping into the world that surrounded Hex Hall. No, it didn't address any hard-hitting issues, but that's what I liked about it. It was simple, but not simple-minded. Effortlessly written without talking down to you while staying entertaining with twists and turns in the plot line throughout the book. I honestly thought it was a perfect summer read for me, and I can't wait to pick up the sequel, Demonglass. I need to know what happens to next! It's addictive!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

Impulse

Title: Impulse
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Series: Impulse series (#1)
Pages: 666
Publication: January 2007
Summary: Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide. Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade. Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills. And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

My Thoughts: First going into this book, I had such high expectations because I loved the style rawness with which Ellen Hopkins wrote Crank, but I was kind of let down by this book, sadly.  I expected an emotional, roller coaster of a repeat of Crank when I started this book, but the best parts didn't even come until the last 150 pages.

It dragged in the middle for the most part and didn't pick up until the wilderness challenge part. Also, it was quite cheesy in some parts. Especially when they would not shut up about how so-and-so made them "feel again" or how they "never knew love until they met la-di-da." If it came up only a few times, fine, whatever, that's cool. But it felt never ending. It was in these part, too, where the dialogue felt the most forced, too. However I really did like the ending. It made you feel. Think. Appreciate.  I just wished that was the case about the whole of this book.

Although this book wasn't an easy read for me, considering how dark the themes were, I do hope to read the next installment to this series, Perfect, soon. I want to see where life takes these characters and the changes they must face in order to live a more well-adjusted life. They've been through so much, and it'll be nice to see them make it out okay after all the trials and tribulations that life threw at them. It gives you hope.

On another note to my readers: This can very much be considered a trigger book. I only recommend this book to those who can handle themes such as depression, suicide, sex, drugs, cutting, and mental illness. It's not exactly a light, beachy read by any means and if you aren't comfortable with any of these themes, I don't suggest you read it (especially suicide and depression. It is very heavy and graphic in those areas.)
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Program

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Pages: 408 (hardcover)
Series: The Program (#1)
Publication: April 2013
Summary: In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

My Thoughts: First things first, despite the mini-rant that is about to follow, I did really enjoy this book. It's not an instant favorite of mine, though, but I did enjoy reading it and I appreciate the world that Young has built. However I do have a bone or two to pick. When I was reading Part I of this novel, I have to say, I thought Sloane and James were a bit too codependent. I understand that they were in love and all, but it was as if she couldn't function even semi-normally when she wasn't around him, which I'm assuming was a part of the disease. It got a little annoying at first and I found myself skimming the "he's my everything" parts, but once I got to Part II the story picked up in pace. This is when I was sucked in. You learn more about The Program and how it works from the inside out. Not only that, but this is when my favorite part comes into play: the character development. And god I love me some good character development.

My favorite part about this books would probably be how attached you become to Suzanne Young's characters not through the set up, but through Sloane's memories. I'm also a really big fan of dystopian books, but this one felt a little different. It wasn't like the government was trying to control everyone and keep the people under it's ever-watching thumb (does that even make any sense?). The people in the book were free to go where they wanted, eat what they wanted (I mean Coke and McDonalds still exists in this world), and they can even go on vacations. You don't feel that kind of freedom when it comes to other dystopian novels, and I like that change.

Another thing I noticed that sets this dystopian-esque book from the others is that most of the other dystopian societies you read about are ones that are long gone, yet in The Program you can tell that it's only the beginning of the end. It's a theme that you don't really get to see in many dystopians. Usually they might tell you how a society ended up this way, but you don't actually see it happen within the book.

The reason why this novel doesn't get five stars is mostly because of this theme of stubbornness being the female protagonist's fatal flaw.  Kind of like Clary, from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series, Sloane is loyal and stubborn to the point of illogical recklessness. When you reach the ending, you understand why a little bit more, but it's a theme that's getting a little overused in YA literature. It's less prominent toward the end, but I started to grow tired of how Sloane would rebel for the sake of rebellion and act out for selfish reasons about halfway through reading this book. She doesn't really think of the consequences of her actions much until the end, but that's a problem with most teens so I guess it was quite accurate on that level.

All that aside, I did really enjoy this book. Young brings up a very thought provoking subject: if such an epidemic of suicidal teens were to happen, would it be best to get rid of the thoughts, painful memories, and darkness completely? Or is it best to let it happen, sacrificing the mental well-being of a few but in turn giving teens the freedom to feel a full range of emotion? In the end, it comes down to whether or not you can you really appreciate the highs of life without the lows. 
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars