Review: The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas

Rate:

10/5

Goodreads Description:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, Khalil’s death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Starr’s best friend at school suggests he may have had it coming. When it becomes clear the police have little interest in investigating the incident, protesters take to the streets and Starr’s neighborhood becomes a war zone. What everyone wants to know is: What really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could destroy her community. It could also endanger her life.

Review:

JESUSSSSS

This book... This book leaves me speechless, I wanna throw this book at everyone's face aimlessly wave my arms around until they read it.

The book is real as fuck. I just.. I seriously can not bring up a solid thought to sum up this book besides IT IS THE COLD HARD TRUTH!

I am not part of the community affected in the book, but as a Latina, I feel similarly oppressed due to my ethnicity. I don't want to get into what affects Latinos because the topic of this book is about the Black Community. So I will talk as an outsider, since for Latinos, it is a different path.

I had a huge rant planned but I have decided against it after a friend of mine said okay, the political talk is good but youre not really talking about the book... So lets tone it down 1000 words or so.

Starr talks about how since she was a child, her parents would have to warn her about the police and how to act if she was ever caught, to keep her nose out of trouble and her head down. A grand portion of readers possibly can't relate to this, but Starr makes sure you feel just as stretched as she does, that the reader feels the fear. 

Thomas wrote some amazing characters. Starr becomes a different person from the one she initially was, and you can see this by the friends she surrounded herself with. As the book goes on, she realizes that one of her best friends is honestly not the greatest person on earth. Hailey (I went audiobook route, not sure how its spelled) is the kind of girl that we have all met at some point, maybe we are that person. The kind that claims to be a non racist yet turns a blind eye to oppression and has compassion for the oppressors. Hailey HAS been us when we make stereotypical assumptions about minorities, making them as a joke and sure, people laugh but that is just the thing, Hailey takes and makes it as a joke and when she gets called out for it, she gets offended, just as offended as the receiver of the joke is. 

Here we see how much Khalils' murder affects not just those that knew him but his whole community. The officer that shot Khalil starts to excuse his behavior and making up reasons for having shot him and holding Starr at gun point. Starr knows the truth though. And that scared her for the first half of the book. The fact that she didn't know to what lengths the police would go to keep her quiet. Now, the book wasn't an us vs them story. Starr knew and admitted that not all police officers where bad, she herself had an Uncle who was a cop. She was scared and angry at those that admired and the actual officer that shot Khalil.

In the book we also see another thing that personally I have been no stranger to. Protesting just because everyone is. Personally I have never been one to go out and protest and march. I don't know if you guys know what im talking about but a few years ago there was a whole outrage about Kony and the invisible children students were outraged beyond words and did all sorts of protest... For about a month at best. And then no one mentioned it again. People did it just because everyone was doing it, because they could get out of class in the name of doing something good. In the book, most of the students in the school get out of class in order to march for Khalil, which would seem like a good thing, but from the very beginning, it is clear that the students just didn't care, Hailey is the one that shines the light on this, mentioning how grateful she was for the protest, meaning that she could get out of her English class and skip the test she was not ready for. 

The book is full of things we have all seen at one point or another, whether its in real life or in the news. The book real, this book doesnt SPEAK the truth, it SCREAMS the truth. A truth that we all need to keep in mind, that we all need to be aware of. 

Recommend it?

FUCKING

YES

YES

YES

STOP READING

GO BUY IT, BORROW IT, CHECK IT OUT. 

Jesus, anything, everything. 

Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Rate:

5/5

Goodreads Descriptions:

Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, and drugs with excruciating side effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of "normal" life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, are all painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time runs out.

Review:

Jesus.  This one has been on my TBR for YEARS but had totally forgotten what it was about. As soon as I started I remembered Now is Good, with Dakota Fanning when I watched it on Netflix YEARS ago. I fucking BAWLED when I saw the movie and the book was no different. 

It is not sugar coated as many other books can be with this topic. 

To me, they bring an unrealistic view of the nastiness of the disease, how absolutely deteriorating it is. But this one brings the harsh truth to not just the main character but those around. Tessa is also not selfless like so many fucking characters out there where they simply seem perfect and shit. But Tessa isnt selfish either. She isn't annoying like that. She is a teen, she acts as any teen in her position would be acting and thats why I appreciate this book. I am the total opposite of her but she sure as hell acts the way I know I would.

Recommend it?

Very.

Review: Democracy in Black by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Rate:

5/5

Goodreads Description:

A powerful polemic on the state of black America that savages the idea of a post-racial society

 

America’s great promise of equality has always rung hollow in the ears of African Americans. But today the situation has grown even more dire. From the murders of black youth by the police, to the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, to the disaster visited upon poor and middle-class black families by the Great Recession, it is clear that black America faces an emergency—at the very moment the election of the first black president has prompted many to believe we’ve solved America’s race problem.

 

Democracy in Black is Eddie S. Glaude Jr.'s impassioned response. Part manifesto, part history, part memoir, it argues that we live in a country founded on a “value gap”—with white lives valued more than others—that still distorts our politics today. Whether discussing why all Americans have racial habits that reinforce inequality, why black politics based on the civil-rights era have reached a dead end, or why only remaking democracy from the ground up can bring real change, Glaude crystallizes the untenable position of black America--and offers thoughts on a better way forward. Forceful in ideas and unsettling in its candor, Democracy In Black is a landmark book on race in America, one that promises to spark wide discussion as we move toward the end of our first black presidency. 

Review:

It is relevant with the times, or rather has been relevant since the inception of America but until recent years has been getting the attention has again that does not just deserve but NEEDS. Yet so many people are in the dark of what is really going on. Freedom is not a thing that is available to everyone. Yes ladies and gentlemen, freedom is not widely available for people IN THE UNITED STATES even today. It might not be as plainly obvious as it was over 150 years ago but it is all still very much there. This book touches and nails describing all the problems in todays society. This book needs to be in the hands of everyone.

Recommend it?

Yes

Review: #famous by Jilly Gagnon

Rate:

5/5

Goodreads Description:

In this modern-day love story, Girl likes Boy, Girl takes photo of Boy and posts it online, Boy becomes accidentally insta-famous. And what starts out as an innocent joke spirals into a whirlwind adventure that could change both their lives—and their hearts—forever. But are fame and love worth the price?

Told in alternating points of view, #famous captures the out-of-control thrill ride of falling for someone in front of everyone.

Review:

I LOVED this book from the very beginning.

Throughout the whole book I couldn't help but think of this guy

Alex from Target anyone? 

Rachel and Kyle are charming and cute and goals.

In the book we also see Twitter as "Flit" and Ellen and Laura.

Rachel and Kyle live in a small town in Minnesota when Rachel posted a picture of Kyle at work with #idlikefrieswiththat directed to her best friend Mo but little did she know it was going to be blown out of proportion, leading to Kyle becoming crazy stupid famous overnight.

Which lets face it, is not far fetched at all.

I still don't understand how someone like that became famous, I mean.. trully now do many people become famous now a days.

There isn't, much to say on the characters besides the fact that they were likable and fun and that Jilly Gagnon made an incredible book and a super relatable character in Rachel.

Rachel was not the stereotypical perfect girl with perfect good looks. She had big curly hair, was curvy and wasnt secretly liked by all the boys around her. She was normal. Not popular and not unpopular.. just.. there. Which is what made me like her so much, I saw myself in her except .. Im taller and we have different hair colors xD

Recommend it?

I do. I really do.

Flaming Aces and Arrows Anthology

Announcing the latest project from the twitterverse, TS, Ceillie and Brianna are three aces trying to bring together one exciting aro spectrum and ace spectrum anthology.

 The Flaming Aces and Arrows blog is now up and seeking #ownvoices writers to contribute to the anthology.

The Flaming Aces and Arrows anthology is seeking both fiction and non-fiction in any genre, poetry included, but we encourage you to check out the website (which can be found here) for more information.

The writers who are picked to star in the anthology will be paid through a Kickstarter campaign and the remaining proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project with the intention of expanding aromantic and asexual spectrum awareness, visibility and education. The deadline is June 15th! If you have any questions, feel free to email flamingacesandarrows@gmail.com

Its my 21st Birthday!

So I aint going to lie to you, I actually hate my birthday xD

But I'm turning 21 so I figured I might do something special.

And thanks to google, I have found this and decided to go ahead and do it and added a few more questions just so the post wouldnt be so short.

1.Count your birth day along your bookshelf and then subtract your birth month. What book does it land on? 

So... 9

I have 3 bookshelves so that is.

1. Tales of Beedle the Bard- J.K. Rowling.

2. The House of Hades- Rick Riordan

3. Clockwork Princess- Cassandra Clare *Cries*

2. If you could spend your birthday with any fictional character who would it be and why?

Either Hermione Granger or Katniss Everdeen. Its weird but I would really want to interview them. Like look at all the things they got to do, such bad asses. Particularly Hermione. How it must've felt when she got her letter. Her passion for learning. Her proudest moment. Do like a biographical interview of sorts. For Katniss there are so many questions one could ask as well but I feel like based on her character history and such, she simply wouldn't answer them.

3. Find a book that takes place in the season you were born in.

Uy, I honestly can't think of any that takes place in March. I mean, most books take the place over the course of months or have flashbacks Most. Some might not even state time. If you guys know of any, I would appreciate a list.

4. Find a book that is the colour of your birth stone.

Ugh, Aquamarine... I think only The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is close to that color... I have other blue covers but Aquamarine is like a what... Greenish blue?

5. Is their a series with the same number of books as your age? If so what is it?

21?! Seriously! Google this is your time to shine!!

...

Google has failed me. There doesn;t appear to be a series that consist of 21 books.

6. Pick a book set in a time period, world or country you would like to have been born in.

I feel like Harry Potter would be repetitive so lets seee.. So many of my favorite books have disasters in them so I wanna steer clear of that and go with a safe one sooo... Twilight! But only if I get to be a little like Alice.

7. What is your favourite kind of Birthday cake?

Tres Leches Cake. Nothing beats Mexican Tres Leches Cake.

8. Which celebrities/famous people share your birth date?
Google to the rescue
Christina Grimmie
Malina Weissman
Mitt Romney
Liza Minelli
Jaimie Alexander

9. What would be your ideal Birthday present?
That is a hard on, I mean, it's always books but I feel like that is 100% cliches at this point SO I will go with something else I want this year. I want colourpop eyeshadows and a Twilight Woods bath and body works set. BAM

10. if you could invite anyone famous to your Birthday party, who would it be?
Lets see I will pick 5 authors, 5 actors and 5 actresses because why not right? TBH it's because I simply can't pick just one

Authors:
Marissa Meyer
Isaac Marion
George R. R. Martin
J.K. Rowling
Rick Riordan

Actors:
Henry Cavill
Nicholas Hoult
Josh Hutcherson
Rupert Grint
Armie Hammer

Actresses:
Emma Watson
Amy Poehler
Jennifer Lawrence
Kristen Stewart
Emilia Clark

11.If you could choose a different period in history to be born, when would it be?
Uy, that is a really hard one. If I HAD to choose something different than my actual time, it would be the 50s, simply because of the fashion. But I'm happy with the 90s.

Review: Life and Death by Stephanie Meyer 2.0

Rate:

4/5

Goodreads Description:

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Twilight! This special double-feature book includes the classic novel, Twilight, and a bold and surprising reimagining, Life and Death, by Stephenie Meyer.

Packaged as an oversize, jacketed hardcover “flip book,” this edition features nearly 400 pages of new content as well as exquisite new back cover art. Readers will relish experiencing the deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful love story of Bella and Edward through fresh eyes.

Twilight has enraptured millions of readers since its first publication in 2005 and has become a modern classic, redefining genres within young adult literature and inspiring a phenomenon that has had readers yearning for more. The novel was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 USA Today bestseller, a Time magazine Best Young Adult Book of All Time, an NPR Best-Ever Teen Novel, and a New York Times Editor’s Choice. The Twilight Saga, which also includes New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella, and The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, has sold nearly 155 million copies worldwide.

Review:
So I read and reviewed this book over a year ago for the first time but the review was barely posted.
That review is here
I decided to give the book a second chance in early February and discovered that I didn't hate the book as much as I did the first time.

The ending still seems cruel and the differences between the characters started to become more apparent and reasonable as to why the author did them. I am still disappointed that the series won't be continued in this new way but at the same time understand why it can't be done that way. But hey, it would be a whole new series, I mean, because the original script would need to be adapted to the changes in Life and Death, it would become slightly more original.

I am still massively disappointed that Life and Death was no Midnight Sun but hey,... No, nevermind, I have no silver lining, what the hell Stephanie!

 I remember the amount of surprise that I got when the book was suddenly released, the excitement that I felt. I wont lie, Twilight was the first series that got me into reading. Yeah, you heard that right. Twilight is the book that made me get into books xD
It, along with Harry Potter are the 2 series that have stuck with me throughout the years.
Sure more have been added slowly but they have to be the bigger ones.
The whole book in itself did feel a bit like fanfiction though, it is still hard to remember how it was actually Stephanie that wrote this and not some anonymous person on fanfiction.net

Recommend it?
Eh yeah. It was better the second time around when you try to see the characters by themselves and not really compare them to the original Edward and Bella.

Review: Things we lost in the fire by Mariana Enriquez

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

An arresting collection of short stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortazar, by an exciting new international talent.

Macabre, disturbing and exhilarating, Things We Lost in the Fire is a collection of twelve short stories that use fear and horror to explore multiple dimensions of life in contemporary Argentina. From women who set themselves on fire in protest of domestic violence to angst-ridden teenage girls, friends until death do they part, to street kids and social workers, young women bored of their husbands or boyfriends, to a nine-year-old serial killer of babies and a girl who pulls out her nails and eyelids in the classroom, to hikikomori, abandoned houses, black magic, northern Argentinean superstition, disappearances, crushes, heartbreak, regret and compassion. This is a strange, surreal and unforgettable collection by an astonishing new talent asking vital questions of the world as we know it.

Review:

Madre de dios!

Thanks to blogging for books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not going to lie, I was attracted to this book because of the cover and THEN because of the  description!

The book consists of 12 different stories that are 12 shades of eerie. I am not one to read this type of genre, it is as a matter of fact probably the first book that I have read within this genre. And I was not disappointed. Then why the 3/5 because although I was not disappointed, the book was also not book of the year. Some of the stories seemed crazy stupid slow to me and I swear I simply wanted to skip them altogether. About half of the stories were binge worthy to me, the rest where skip worthy.

Recommend it?

uy... Yes?