Saturday, June 25, 2011

Maybe?

So... I've been thinking... I might also make video reviews... in case you don't want to read my whole superrr long reviews... maybe you'd like to watch a video instead? Don't worry though, because I'll still be writing these reviews. What do you think? Yes? Maybe? Or HELL NO? Please circle one of the above... haha I'm joking... just leave a comment :)

xox
-Alyse

Review: Willow by Julia Hoban

This is a book I've read months ago, but I only JUST got to reviewing it... because I was busy. No, not really :) I'm just a procrastinator, I swear... its a problem. haha
Disclaimer: Spoiler Alert... don't say I didn't warn you ;)


The front cover is the face of a girl, and there's text that reads "It's hard to keep a secret, when it's written all over your body..." Ohh.... sound interesting?


The back says: "Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, Willow's parents drank too much at dinner and asked her to drive them home. But they never made it- Willow lost control of the car, and both of her parents were killed. Now the only way she knows how to survive and control the pain is by secretly cutting herself. But when Willow meets Guy, a boy as secretive and complicated as she is, she finds it hard to keep the secret that's written all over her body."

My two cents: Willow becomes a very... paranoid person after the accident. She thinks that everyone is suspicious of her cutting and she is always overly afraid that people will find out. She is not social, and doesn't have many friends, mainly because even though people try to make friends with her, in her paranoia, she thinks that everyone thinks of her as the girl who killed her parents. But they don't. It's all just in her head. She thinks that her brother, David, who is now married with a baby girl, hates her for "killing" their parents, and she believes that he doesn't love her. Which... again, is NOT  true. 

Guy is the very sensitive guy who tries to understand why she does what she does and tries to get her to stop. Honestly, he's wayyy better of a person than me, I would get soo frustrated. :P

Willow honestly kind of does irritate and annoy me at times in the book just because of how freaking paranoid she is. She just really makes Guy's life difficult sometimes. 

Hey, I'm not mean... but it's just my opinion ;) 

Rating: I rate this book a... 7/10. It's good... but not the best book I've ever read. But, hey, who knows, you might disagree with me! It might just end up being your favorite book!

Price: paperback- $8.99 US, $10.99 CAD

Length: 329 pages

Last thing... I felt the need to say. Yes, it's a happy ending. I thought you might want to know. :) It's also kind of predictable. But's an easy, fast read. I'd say... borrow it from the library, then if you REALLY like it, THEN buy it. :)

Anyways, that's it for now, sorry for the whole loonngg babbling. 

xox
-Alyse


Friday, June 17, 2011

And so I've noticed...

Dear Diary, 

And so I've noticed...one of my favorite ways to spend a day is to sit in a book store, and read. And yes, I do think Chapters qualifies as my favorite place ever. Top 10 at LEAST. Somehow, the process of choosing a book to read and buy is... therapeutic. I will gladly spend an afternoon cuddled up on a comfy bean bag in the teens section of Chapters with a novel in my lap. Marvelous. Lately, I blame my wallet's undernourishment on my love of Chapters. Why does that place have to be so darn addictive? I can confidently say that I have read at least 50% of the books in the teens section at chapters and I own about 25% percent of them. Guilty. 

Yes, I do love all of my books, some more than others, but I try to be fair in showing no favoritism... No... not really... I definitely have my favorites. Haha. :) Some books I just absolutely could not live without. 

But my love of books has made me at least a pretty fair judge of teen novels. You name it, I've probably read it! And if I haven't, well, you can probably guess what I'll be picking up on my next trip to Chapters! ;)

This, being my first post, I thought, would be appropriate. I'm still not sure I'm going to go about with this because I can't really review a book without spoiling it... so I guess I'll say this as a warning. DO NOT READ  THE REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. spoiler alert! Did the capitals warn you enough? :) Now don't come complaining to me that I completely ruined a book for you... I warned you already. I guess my reviews will just be a "my thoughts on the book" kind of thing... 

Alright, well, see ya.
xox
-Alyse