Hello From The Deep

Hello,

You maybe wondering for my sudden disappearance. Well here is to a little life update.

I am currently busy learning a new language and it is actually not the easiest language to learn. In fact it is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world and one of the most demanding languages.

Have you guessed what it is yet?

I am currently taking the time to learn Chinese and sometimes learning a new language can be really overwhelming,  especially if you have no way of relating it to much. But I am having a blast learning something new and it certainly has been taking lots of time.

Also I have been taking time to enjoy life a little bit which is something I need to learn to do and since I am not on here as much as I would like. I would love to leave this blog for someone to take over it.

I am seeking for some writers to join me in making this blog something bigger and better.

If anyone is interested please message me here or on my twitter page @MsIreview.

Ta-ta for now!

Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grownup

I had no clue how to start this review only because I have been a long time fan/ follower of Grace Helbig YouTube channel. Also this is a bit of a different review, not only are we reviewing her book but we are taking the time explore a little bit of Grace’s YouTube fans and her rising popularity.

Since I’ve become a little busy I actually went to my favorite discount book store and found  an audio version of her book. It was a very happy day for me! I had found some wicked finds including Grace’s audio book. (I should honestly do a book haul…hmm maybe.) So I listened to all five Cd’s back to back in my car as I drove to places I needed to be. (Yeah I have a life! But that is besides the point.)

Some of you may know of Grace through her, as I mentioned before, YouTube Channel and or may have first discovered of her live TV show The Grace Helbig show on E!.Unfortunately for the TV  show it did not do so well in transcending Grace’s quirky personality and humor lasting a total of one season…Eeek! The show by many fans was not received well and more preferred the Grace they saw on YouTube, which seemed more herself and at her own element.

One of the funny things that I did find with the show comparing to her YouTube channel, also a point she often emphasized in her book is how awkward she was growing up and as an adult now and how it was okay to be your awkward ridiculous self. You really see it in her videos and more so on her TV show. It is this very awkwardness that has may people attracted to Grace’s channel since she is herself. This is something I always appreciated from any YouTuber or in a person in general when they are fine being a little on the crazy, zany, quirky, out of this world because they are just so cool being themselves. So take a listen kids, teens… and adults it’s OKAY to be YOU!

One thing I do regret with this book is not getting an actual hard copy of the book because apparently they’re some really cool activities that you can do and plus the book has many beautiful colors and overall visually appealing! How could you not want a hard copy!?! (I missed out on so much!:( )

So you are probably wondering, how is this guide divided up? Well there are about 5-7 major sections (Forgive me it has been awhile since I last listen to the book!…*Clears throat* about 2 months ago .) She talks about social life , professional life, love life, and style and some good ol’ fashioned advice.

I love how Grace was not afraid to get real with certain matters and tackle maters with good humor and wit. What I also loved most was that she was not afraid to admit that she did not have all the answers but if in some way her experiences could benefit her readers then good on them. It was this openness and honesty that I loved most in her book.

Like I mentioned before,  I listened to the audio version of the book  which was read by none other then Grace,  but I feel if I were to have gone the route of reading the book  it would have felt as if I was reading through Grace voice herself. A lot of times it honestly felt as if Grace was just talking to you personally or as if in front of her camera.(Pardon the pun there.)  I LOVED THIS! You pick up so many “guides” or “self help” books and many times it feels as if the author is talking down to you. Not in the case in Grace’s guide it was like having a regular conversation with a best friend you had not seen in a long time.

I truly enjoyed listening to her book and if I get the chance I will be going to my local book store in buying a copy of her hardcover for the activities and visual design. I recently heard that she released a second book Grace & Style: The Art of Pretending You Have It. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and maybe possibly do another review.

My Rating for her book:

This is a audio book/book that I would read or listen to over and over again.

Please if you haven’t already please check her out on Youtube.

Grace Helbig Youtube Channel

You can also find her here:

Grace’s Twitter

Grace Helbig

 

 

 

Have You Ever

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are listening to music that it reminds you of something in your past, or a situation that is currently happening or even a book that you are currently reading.

I have this thing that I do when listening to music but my music player is full of playlist. Whether it has to do with love and relationships or with music that inspires me, and also music that I would like to learn and play one day but I also have a playlist that reminds me of books that I’ve read or the contents of a book.

Growing up I had an overactive imagination. I would and maybe still in my own world at times allowing my imagination to run wild. To be perfectly honest, I find the mind to be one of the most amazing part of a person. I like seeing and viewing how people think and why they do the things people general or not so generally do but back to may main point…Were was I?

Oh yes…When I hit my preteen years I started to be more aware of the kind of music I wanted to listen to instead of living under my sisters music taste and in a way I influenced her on the choice of music she listens to today.

Music has been a second passion besides book and thus comes in my playlist today. I relate  to music in my life, my writing and in the stories in books and I am sure many of you feel this way as well. With regards to my overactive imagination,  music was a facility that let my imagination come to life and especially when I read or if I am writing a story or even expressing how I felt in that moment. It is a constant in my life and it forever will be. I love hearing artist, musicians just doing there thing. Good on them because the more they inspire me the more I will add them to different parts of my playlists.

Funny thing about the playlist that I created for when I am listening to books or whenever I hear a song that reminds me of an idea that should be a book. I feel as the title itself should be a story or maybe a title of a song. “You Are The Story I Did Not Know.” Maybe someday I will write a song with that title or many ask someone to take the name for there own band. I think it would or could work. Maybe, just maybe I could write a book with that title. Ahh…To let ones imaginations run wild and free.

Thank you The 1975 for your latest music. If it wasn’t for your latest music this blog probably would not happen. You are a great band and your stuff is just awesome!

ROOM

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS 

Room By

Emma Donoghue

---

Usually I don’t go about picking up books like Room but I found the story intrigued me since a couple years back I remembered seeing something on the news about a few women who were kidnaped and hidden away in a basement in a man’s house. Some of you may recall this news story I am talking about. It became something huge and even a famous youtuber made a song out of the news story. Out of all the girls that came out the basement there was one, her name was Natascha Kampusch. She gave birth to a child and as years passed she wrote a book based on those events but this is no secret that the author took some of her ideas from this case and a few others. As many of you may know Emma Donoghue was nominated and made it into the Short List.

Room By Emma Donoghue reminded me of this young woman’s story in a lot of ways, but the interesting and most fascinating part of Donoghue book is she takes the story in the perspective of Jack the young boy who all he knows is the room in whom his mother has lived in since his birth.

I will be honest this book took me a long time to get through and I will get to that. The plot was well written but at times I felt like it took about halfway through the book for the plot to develop and to get to the meat of the story. I do understand why the author did that and the reason for it is for the reader to understand the life that Jack and his mother were living/conditions they had to go through everyday until they found freedom.

You are probably wondering what Room is all about,  so here is a brief description for you before I get into the nitty gritty.

Room

by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it’s where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it’s not enough…not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son’s bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

There has been a lot of books that take on the perspective of a child but I’ve got to say this one is quite unique in the sense that this child had to hear the abuse that his mother had to go through and at times he does not understand why there captor/his father was doing this. At times you can tell in the book how Jack reactions to Old Nick when he sees his mother is depressed some days and not wanting to interact with Jack.

“I don’t do Scream because of disturbing Ma…I go very close, half her face is showing and her neck. The marks are purple now. I’m going to kick Old Nick till I break his butt. I’ll Zap Door open with Remote and whiz into Outside Space and get everything at the real stores and bring it back to Ma.”

Room By Emma Donoghue, pg. 79

I really appreciate how the author took a real take on this book and as my above comment mentioned she took inspiration from other cases and throughout the book you see what context those cases took on in Donoghue’s book. In a lot of ways this story was done well and written tastefully.Jack tears at your heartstrings at times and you can’t help feel bad for him for all the things that he sees and not fully comprehending what is really going around,  since all he knows is the room he has grown up in for the last five years but despite this you see him grow towards the end of the book  and get a grasp on the realness of the situation only as a child can in situation like he went through or similar.

“No one’s in Room Now, just things, everything lying extra still with dust falling, because Ma and me are at the Clinic and Old Nick is in the jail. He has to stay forever in locked in.”

Room by Emma Donoghue, Pg. 244

As much as I was looking forward to giving praise to this book I feel like it was a miss for me. I don’t know I felt at times in the book it got boring. I was expecting the story to be more edgy and thrilling. For my readers out there I will be honest I got a hold of audio version of the book part way through reading the book in order to get through it but even than I felt the struggle to listen to the rest of Room. I wanted to like it…so very much but I found it at times to be a chore and I hate saying that because it’s not a bad book it just lacked the excitement that I was hoping that it would have. I felt at times that there was too much explanation and it took a long time for the plot to develop. At times this book is frustrating to read but I understand the frustration as a reader you feel because it is probably the same frustration the mother feels when she wishes she could provide a better life for Jack or when they are finally free from the room and Jack is not really adjusting to having their new found freedom the mother can’t seem to understand why he is feeling the way Jack does.

“Ma?”

“What?”

“Are we locked in here?”

“No.” She nearly barks it. “Of course not. Why, are you not liking it here?”

“I mean but do we have to stay?”

“No, no, we’re free as a bird.”

Room by Emma Donoghue, pg. 246

Of course any mother like that would find it to be frustrating, challenging, and extremely difficult to deal with and especially with a child.

I did get a chance to watch this movie after reading the book and I found the movie to be okay. I feel like they could have added more but overall it was a good adaption of the book. The actor in the movie did a pretty good job but I did feel a times she could have been a little bit kinder to Jack and then at other points when needed to be harsher.

My final thoughts

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I don’t love it and I don’t hate it. I don’t want to say pass on the book because it is worth the read. If you like books with a lot of detail and that goes in depth than definitely read it.

I would like to make mention there is another book that falls under the same literary genre as Room and it’s called Still Alice by Lisa Genova. I did enjoy that book more but if you enjoyed reading Room and are looking at picking up something to read next I do recommend Still Alice.

My rating for Room

For More on Emma Donoghue:

http://www.emmadonoghue.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EmmaDonoghueWriter/

Tweets by EDonoghueWriter

 

 

 

Just So You Know

I have grappled for many months whether I would share my long away hiatus and why my sudden return.  I don’t know where to begin to explain what has happened to me and for one I am quiet person and I prefer to have my life private. For me to choose to share this bit of information on my life is extremely difficult to do.

So there is nothing more for me to do but to start at the beginning back when I had just finished my last year of college.  Not to sound cliche or anything but my future at the time was looking bright. I had fought my way to get an education and to finish a course that I had started. It had been a hard few years and I had recently moved back to my home city but that little blimp (I say this now because of what was to come) did not compare to what the next few months would turn out to be. It some ways it was the beginning of a nightmare and to this day I am still deal with most of it.

(I will not get into much detail of the accidents since I am still dealing with the situation and I know my law so I rather not get in trouble by discussing it thoroughly.)  I will start here back in 2014 when  I had just recently finished out of college and I was feeling pretty awesome and maybe a bit accomplished. The world was my oyster or so people say in the movies,  but anyhow, I had planned a weekend to go see a friend. That weekend I was all set and ready to go and I was really pumped to see my friends.  At the time I had moved back to my home town since finishing school.

I hopped on the highway that day and the traffic was congested but it picked so I picked up my speed and the person in front of me decide to put on the breaks. Long story short seeing them from a distance I put on my breaks but it was either swerve to the other lane and get really hit by a bunch of cars going fast or hit the car in front or rear to the side and hit a cement block and really have a bad collision. My choice was clear I hit the person in front of me. I don’t know why the person stopped because the traffic had picked up but a police was suddenly there, so I think that explains why.

I had to deal with it and I was left in shock and still to this day I find it hard to drive on the highway and I was seeking for work but I wish that dealing with one accident was the end of it.

This here is so hard for me to talk about. A few months after my first car accident my best friend past away. I’ve heard all the unsentimental  and the cemental “I’m sorry for your loss.” But those are just words and they won’t bring her back here and I miss her so much.It was difficult to say goodbye because she was family.

She was the type of person who could make you feel on top of the world and make you feel so great and her smile honestly would make you just smile. I’m honoured to have known someone who was so calm and at ease with themselves and was so laid back. She was an amazing person and I think of her everyday and wish she was here with us…I miss her so.

On top of grieving for the loss I got into my second accident a few weeks after her funeral and I have not felt well since.

Some days are good days and some I just want to be in bed. In a matter of a year I was feeling awesome, on top of the world even, but now I don’t feel the same. I have nightmares of the accident, also anxiety when I drive and I am still missing my best friend.

So my long hiatus was well needed and I choose to come back because writing is what I do and I need it,  maybe I want occupy my mind from everything around me and I promised way back I would do my best to bring you all amazing book reviews and that is what intend to do and continue to do and my hope that in time I will provide more than one blog a month and be consistent as I can. I can’t make a 100 percent guarantee but I will do my best.

I’m also happy to say and hope that in time to open my own shop on Etsy and instagram page. More details will follow.

Ever hoping each  day to become stronger, better, and forever doing my best!

Thank you for the ones who have stayed and followed me from the start and are sticking around with this crazy journey!

**New Review for Feb/2016 up soon!

 

 

My Book Wish For 2016

Hello my fellow book nerds and welcome back to this little book heaven where we are counting down to another year. (Can you just hear the fireworks ringing in your head?)

It has been a hard couple of years and I’m so looking forward to the fresh new start. Most of all I am looking forward to all the new books that will be released coming to shelves everywhere in 2016!  So I bid you ad0 dear readers until 2016. I leave you with this last post for the year and be saying hello to you in another year!

So enjoy it nerds!

1. Heartless – Marissa Meyer

I thought I would add my two sense here before I go on about the description of the book. In my list I have include many books that are spinoffs to many classical books or stories like for example Heartless is a spinoff or a take if you may on the Alice in Wonderland. I just really enjoy when writers have there own take on a story and I am fastly growing to like this type of style of writing. Anyway you may notice that in my list there will be quit of few books that are spinoffs or there own take on some very classical stories or even ideas that disney may have influenced over the years. Well enjoy  my list!

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

Set to be Released November 8th 2016

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king’s marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

  2.  Blackhearts – Nicole Castroman

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward “Teach” Drummond, son of one of Bristol’s richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There’s just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Set to be Released February 9, 2016

Following her parents’ deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she’s stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

3.  The Obsession – Nora Roberts

Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous.

Set to be Released April 12, 2016

Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.

Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.

4. The Great Hunt (#1) – Wendy Higgins

Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Set to be Released March 8th 2016

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

5. The Fever Code (0.6) – James Dashner

This series isn’t over yet and James Dashner has more give to his fans of the Maze runner.

We get to see a before the maze happen we are shown how the plague/virus started and how it spread. Also why WICKED  started to look for the cure and the boy who held all the answers.

Once again we meet Thomas, the boy that would create the maze.

There will be secrets and there will be lies and it will all be revealed here coming to you in September 27, 2016.

A prequel to the worldwide Maze Runner phenomenon, The Fever Code is the book that holds all the answers. How did WICKED find the Gladers? Who are Group B? And what side are Thomas and Teresa really on? Lies will be exposed. Secrets will be uncovered. Loyalties will be proven. Us fans will never see the truth coming.

6.  Never Ever – Sara Saedi

When Wylie encounters Phinn—confident, mature, and devastatingly handsome—at a party the night before her brother goes to juvie, she can’t believe how fast she falls for him. And that’s before he shows her how to fly.

Set to be Released June 21, 2016

Soon Wylie and her brothers find themselves whisked away to a mysterious tropical island off the coast of New York City where nobody ages beyond seventeen and life is a constant party. Wylie’s in heaven: now her brother won’t go to jail and she can escape her over-scheduled life with all its woes and responsibilities—permanently.

But the deeper Wylie falls for Phinn, the more she begins to discover has been kept from her and her brothers. Somebody on the island has been lying to her, but the truth can’t stay hidden forever.

7. Passenger (#1) – Alexandra Bracken

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever.

Set to be Released January 5, 2016

8. Furthermore – Tahereh Mafi

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it’s been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she’ll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit—and with a liar by her side in land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice’s wits (and every limb she’s got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

Set to be Released August 30, 2016

9. Where You’ll Find Me – Natasha Friend

Set to be Released March 8, 2016

The beginning of the eighth grade is not what Anna thought it would be. Her lifelong best friend has ditched her for the cool kids, and her mom is in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Anna finds herself where she least expects to: living with her dad, his young new wife, and their baby, and starting a new year at school without a best friend. With help from some unlikely sources, including a crazy girl-band talent show act, Anna learns that sometimes you find what you need to pull you through in the most unlikely places.

10. The Last Time We Were Us – Leah Konen

A passionate summer love story about a girl, her childhood best friend, and the small town lies that have kept them apart. Leah Konen’s The Last Time We Were Us is perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Sara Zarr, and Gayle Forman.

Liz Grant is about to have the summer of her life. She and her friend MacKenzie are finally getting invited to all the best parties, and, with any luck, Innis Taylor, the most gorgeous guy in Bonneville, will be her boyfriend before the Fourth of July.

Set to be Released May 10, 2016

Then Jason Sullivan comes back to town. A million years ago, he was her best friend, but that was before he ditched her for a different crowd . . . and before he attacked Innis’s older brother and got sent away to juvie. All of Bonneville still thinks he’s dangerous, but Liz finds it hard to believe what people say about her childhood friend. If word gets out she’s seeing him, she could lose everything.

But what if there’s more to that horrible night than she knows? And how many more people will get hurt when the truth finally comes out? Liz will have to decide if she can trust herself—and her heart—before it’s too late.

11. The Forbidden Wish – Jessica Khoury

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world…

When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years — a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

 

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

12.  The First Time She Drowned – Kerry Kletter

The beautiful struggle of a girl desperate for the one relationship that has caused her the most pain

Cassie O’Malley has spent the past two and a half years in a mental institution—dumped there by her mother, against her will. Now, at 18, Cassie emancipates herself, determined to start over. She attends college, forms new friendships, and even attempts to start fresh with her mother. But before long, their unhealthy relationship threatens to pull Cassie under once again. As Cassie struggles to reclaim her life, childhood memories persist and confuse, and Cassie must consider whose version of history is real, and more important, whose life she must save.

13.  Nelly Dean: A Return to Wuthering Heights –  Alison Case

Young Nelly Dean has been Hindley’s closest companion for as long as she can remember, living freely at the great house, Wuthering Heights. But when the benevolence of the master brings a wild child into the house, Nelly learns she must follow in her mother’s footsteps, be called “servant” and give herself over completely to the demands of the Earnshaw family.

Set to be Released February 8, 2016

But Nelly is not the only one who finds her life disrupted by this strange newcomer. As death, illness, and passion sweep through the house, Nelly suffers heartache and betrayals at the hands of those she cherishes most, tempting her to leave it all behind. But when a new heir is born, a reign of violence begins that will test even Nelly’s formidable spirit as she finds out what it is to know true sacrifice.

Nelly Dean is a wonderment of storytelling and an inspired accompaniment to Emily Bronte’s adored work. It is the story of a woman who is fated to bear the pain of a family she is unable to leave, and unable to save.

14.  Doctor Who Coloring Book – Price Stern Sloan (Set to be Released February 23, 2016)

This year we have seen a lot of things and one of those have been the adult coloring books that have become so widely popular.

I for one am not afraid to say that I bought into the craze and I’m not afraid to admit that I have enjoyed coloring in my books immensely!  I am more than happy to say that I am a Whovian fan and I am absolutely looking forward to this Doctor Who Coloring book.

So come on 2016  oh wait,  it will be here in less than an hour. Well let’s bring it on!

Back to Classic

If you are thinking on starting a winter reading list why not try making a classic reading list. Winter time is the best time to dive into reading some great classics books. Maybe it is all the long days but why not try brewing some hot tea or coffee and grab one of the greatest classics such a Jane Austen or Charles Dickens.

Well let’s not wait no further and I shall show you my Winterlious Classically Winter Reading List.

Here are my top choices as in terms of classic books not just for adults but for also young adults.

 

1. Jane Austen-I love Jane Austen. You do not want to get me started on how much I love reading her books and how I’ve treasured every word. Oh and her style of writing is just so incredible and her thoughts were just so very modern for her time. I have read everything there is to read on her. (This includes spinoffs of her books and books based on her.) Just in case you have not noticed and you need someone to spell it out for you. I am a huge fan. Pick up any one of her books and you will discover a whole word of its own. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and in recent times one of my least favorites Emma has grown on to be one of my favorite books from her. I have reread her books over and over again and maybe it has to do with the time period and the strong characters or the main male characters that make you wish you could find a man like that in the real world but there is something so very special about her books that you just want to treasure each and every one of them.

2. J.M Barrie- Growing up I was obsessed with J.M Barrie’s book Peter Pan. I wished I could be Wendy running around with Peter and the Lost Boys. Also I felt in a lot of ways and even to this day that I was Peter always feeling a little lost, always wanting to play pretend and most of all never wanting to grow up. J.M Barrie brought a wonderful truth in his book that every adult feels at least once in their life they never want to grow up and be an adult because who are we kidding being an adult can kind of stink! We all wish it to go back to youth, to childhood, and to innocence without a care in the world and having no knowledge of what it would be like being an adult. Well done J.M Barrie! Well done!

3. Charles Dickens- I am starting to check out more of his works. A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and Our Mutual Friend, to name a few of his works that Charles Dickens has written. I have read Great Expectations and it is a good read. The plot is so thoughtfully written and just so perfectly tragic and yet at the end you are okay with what happens to the main character but you know what I will leave it to Dickens to say how he felt about Great Expectations. In his own words Dickens described the plot when it first appeared in his mind as “a very fine, new and grotesque idea.”

I recently got a hold of A Tale of Two Cities and I honestly can’t wait until I read it!

4. The Bronte Sisters- Let me just say these sister now how to spin very sad and extremely tragic stories. I don’t know much in terms of their history but I have recently learned that is a 1979 movie based on the events of their life. (If anyone knows where I can watch this film or even buy it please let me know. I would love to see it!)

Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights. A book that has brought so many tears of sorrow and gut wrenching pain that you just feel so very bad for the two lovers and I mean tears! I never cried so hard for any book, not even for John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. I guess that says a lot. Honestly, this book is just full of tragedies and you just feel so bad for these characters and all these emotions are just rolling out of you as you read each chapter that you wish that they would just end up with each other and just stop fighting it and make it work.

Interesting fact of Wuthering Heights is back in the day it was quiet controversial for its time. It maybe due to the fact of some of the subject matter mental and physical cruelty displayed throughout the book and it also challenged a lot of strict Victorian ideas back in the day.

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre reminded me much of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abby but much in the sense that Jane reminded of Catherine in the sense that both characters had a lot of growing up to do. Jane being sent to be a governor for Mr. Rochester’s son but there is a secret being or kept in his home of his history. It is just such a great and powerful read. Just like Jane Austen who was ahead of her time when it came to pro-feminism, sexuality and criticism of the social norms so was Charlotte.

I never had a chance to read Anne Bronte’s book The Tenant of Wildfell Halland and if given the chance to I would like the opportunity. Anne’s book you could say was the first of its kind in feminist novels and truly scandalous for its time and one of the more shocking books written between the Bronte sisters.

5. Lewis Carroll Through the Looking Glass. Shock! I know it is not Alice and Wonderful but I found it to be extremely boring then again I read this book when I was fourteen so maybe if I were to go back and read it again I would find it to be more interesting. I have though reread Through the Looking Glass more than once the more action packed between the two books. I can remember it now when I first picked up Through the Looking Glass and finishing the very last page and finding out that it was written by Lewis Carroll and for some reason at the time I was thinking that it was one of those spinoff books and the only reason I thought that way was because it was just so full of action packed and it just gripped me in the first page. 

   Well my dear readers out there,  this is my top list of classical writers that I have enjoyed reading and rereading over the years, and especially when winter rolls around it is just the perfect time to pick up a very long book.

   I use to be so intimidated by reading the classics but I started with the ones that peeked my interest and soon my interest grew into love and passion by going back and just looking at the progression of change in writing to what it has evolved to today!

What are your favorite classical books that you have enjoyed reading? I would love to hear from you!

Here Is A Little Something Extra

I am freaking out with excitement! My two favorite authors have come out with new books. Simone Elkeles and Katie McGarry have both come out with new series! I am so looking forwarding to reading them, but also because they are part of my guilty pleasure list of authors I love to read.

I have been a long time fan of Simone Elkeles after I read her Perfect Chemistry series, which if you have not read already I highly recommend you do, this series is so amazing and the love story is hot hot hot! In my honest opinion this series would do well in a movie format or even a tv show, it would and could work well in that type of format. Another thing that about this series is it has to do with some real interesting issues that I have not seen too many authors take the time to delve into. Just like Anna Banks who tastefully spoke about Mexican immigration Elkeles broaches the subject about gangs and the feelings, situations as to how someone can be involved in a gang and even becoming an unlikely hero. I love Elkeles way of writing because it is so natural and her stories never seem forced. You can tell that Elkeles really takes the time to research her characters and their backgrounds, and this is what makes it such a smooth reading. This is part of the reason why I went ahead and looked for other books to read from her, such as Leaving Paradise series and How to ruin series. She is an incredible writer and very talented in making her characters come to life and you know that she is an author who takes her time. That brings me to her latest series Wild Cards.

Wild Cards was released back in 2013. I practically ran to the bookstore to buy the book. Okay well not ran but let’s say had my eye on the release until I could buy a copy on my tablet. What made this book worth all the wait you may ask? Well Simone Elkeles made a mini prequel reality tv series. So if you have not read the Wild Cards books yet I recommend checking out the website, which I will place just for you below, and also youtube has the series. I thought this was such a brilliant move on behalf of Elkeles to do because it just made the series worth all the wait but it gave you a visual of all the characters that you would meet in the book and gave a good strong base for the characters. Not only that but it help to make the reader have a bigger connection with the characters. Elkeles proves once again what a great author she is and really giving consideration to her fans as to what they want. Many Fans wanted to see a Perfect Chemistry movie or at least a tv show so for Elkeles to create a TV show for the Wild Cards series was really smart. (So for the purpose of this blog I will not give way to much description of the Wild Cards book 1 and 2. I will be making another post with a review and more in depth description of the books as one post.)

 Wild cards revolves around two characters Derek Fitzpatrick  and Ashtyn Parker both wanting  ways out but it requires trusting each other. Against everything that Ashtyn wants and the last thing she thought would happen, well happens,  the betrayal of a team member on the football team.( Yes ladies and gents I said football. As a side note I knew a girl in my high school that played football and might I add she was pretty awesome!) Now they need a new team member and the answer relies on the last person Ashtyn thought she would ever need. Derek.

Book one of the series helps readers to be introduced to some of the football team that we are next reintroduced to in Wild Crush. Ah Yes! This time around the story is based on Vic Salazar and Monica Fox. I am looking forward to delving into Wild Crush (Release Year September 22, 2015) . I will be reading again Wild Cards since it has been awhile since the last time I read it and also my mind need a refresher.

Now onto my next guilty pleasure and that is Katie McGarry. If you haven’t already checked out her series Pushing the Limits they are really good.  This series is a bit longer than Simone Elkeles series so far there are about 7 books including inbetweeners. (Just in case you are wondering what I mean by inbetweeners. I call books that are marked 1.0 and 1.5 to be as inbetweeners still part of the series but may veer off about other characters or follow same characters but maybe be before or after but not really a part of the main story.)  If you want to go on an emotionally good roller coaster try this series. It hits you right in the feels.

Katie has written a new series called Nowhere But Here and it has to do with a motorcycle club and I love this idea and concept of this series already! This book was published this year and I could not believe that I missed the release date so that will be a new book that I need to add to my long list of must reads. I honestly cannot wait until I start reading this book.  (For Descriptoin of the book check here Goodreads_Nowhere But Here ) What makes me even more happy is the next book for the series is coming out next year March 29, 2016. I look forward to it and leaving my review of it here.

I really have enjoyed Katie’s style of writing. A lot of her books are really great reads and I am hoping that her new series will be good. I’m really happy that she has started a new series I’m the type of reader that will stay with a series if there is 3 books in  it and maybe even 4 if I like it. I know that sounds really bad but it’s because my attention span may not last that long and I will start to feel the story is dragging. Sorry to be painfully honest but I’m sure many readers feel that way but what helps is when the characters are switched up. You’re reading the same series but then there is a different character for the next and I love that McGarry and Elkeles have been able to do this.

I have one more thing to say before signing out for the night. Thanks for the wonderful reads ladies and I look forward to more books and more stories to come!

For more information on Simone Elkeles check out her website http://simoneelkeles.com/

You can also her on facebook, Instagram , and Twitter

Also for the Wild Cards Series check out the website here http://wildcards.com/

For more information on Katie McGarry check out her website here http://www.katielmcgarry.com/

You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

The Unlikely Accomplices (Joyride By Anna Banks) Review

 

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

JOYRIDE

BY ANNA BANKS

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I did not think that I would like it that much but I connected so much with Carly Vega and I just found the story between Cary and Arden to be so beautiful and believable. Mind you this book is a standalone although I wish there was more.

The first chapter you are introduce to Carly Vega the girl who likes to stay in the background because it is easier that way and do what her family expects of her. Mind you that means working hard in the convenience store to help her brother to smuggle back her deported family from Mexico.

Then comes in Arden Moss who ruins her plans. He use to be the star quarterback who dated all the popular blonde girls and just had a blast with his older sister, Amber. But now that has changed since the death of his sister, which Arden blames his father for refusing to acknowledge that she was suffering from mental illness.  Out of spite and anger Arden refuses to do what his father expects of him or his family.

One night everything changes when Arden Moss decides to pull a prank on his uncle but instead everything awry. Arden from then on decides to recruit Carly as his accomplice for his midnight prankings but soon they find themselves  over heads, with law and with themselves.

Like I said I really loved this book. I really connected with the characters and it was all around amazing. I read this book in a matter of days.

What I found to be extremely frustrating was Arden’s dad. He made me so mad sometimes I just could not believe what a complete jerk he was but then there was Arden’s Uncle. First let’s talk about Arden’s dad. Arden dad is so set against against immigrants and mind you it does not help Carly and Arden’s relationship when he is known as a notorious sheriff. Some of the things he said to Carly are really racist and downright deeming. What makes it worst is the way he uses his career or being a sheriff as a power over Arden and Carly. Arden’s Uncle on the other hand is kind and sweet. He is just so supportive of Arden’s and Carly’s relationship. He just really melts your heart with his sweetness and kindness.

What I liked most about this book is the fact that even though their is a love story it touches on some very touchy subject such as the one subject mentioned above. I really liked how the book approached Mexican immigration  since it is a hard topic to speak about. I got to say there are not to many books that really touch on this Subject and to find one that is written so tastefully done such as Anna Banks has done are a dime a dozen.  I really liked her writing style and I loved how after I was done reading Joyride I felt like it stuck with me long after the last page.

I am also happy to find out that Anna Banks is the author Syrena Legacy which a series that I have been longing to read and knowing that now I am excited to delve into the series.

I liked this book and I love Carly and Arden together and I liked the fact that it touched on Mexican immigration and also it broke down many stereotypes that are found in many books today. So I am happy to give this book 5/5 stars.

NOTE TO READERS

First of all I would like to thank those who are following this blog and taking the time read my post thank you. Thank you for following and I know my post take a while to come out. But it takes time and September and October are  hard months for me. I know I took a long break away from posting reviews but I’ve had a rough couple of years which include the death of a dearly close friend of mine. I also had two car accidents within one year but I don’t want to dwell on those things but get back where I use to be.

Whoever you all are thank you for your patience.

For more information and updates on Anna Banks check out her website here:

http://annabanksbooks.com/ and  Anne’s Blog Here

Also you can find Anna Banks on Facebook and Twitter too!

Also Follow Ms.Ireview on Path and Bloglovin

 

If The People Don’t Get You First The Messages Will

Hello all!

Boy am I glad to be back! Sorry I have been gone far far too long!

Well than let’s get this review going.

Welcome to the world of Candor! If the people don’t get you the messages certainly will. Step into a place where stepford wives meets a fresh new updated look except with a twist. Candor written by Pam Bachorz is by far one of the best reads.

As soon as the children move into the area with there parents they are given a cd of music…but be warned that this is no ordinary music. Laced in that music is subliminal messages that causes kids to obey the rules and pretty much become perfect little soldiers stripped away from there identity but there is one little soldier who is more aware as to what is going on and simple does not want to obey the Candor rules and struggles to keep his identity.

Oscar on the outside may seem like the perfect Candor teen and everybody strives to be just like him him but there is just one problem. Oscar has a secret he is not the perfect Candor teen that he makes himself out to be. Oscar has created a side business that could bring down the very foundation that his father has built his business on. Oscar has created his very own messages that allow his clients to leave the Candor before they are turned to obedient little soldiers. Nobody would suspect him not even his father and that is what makes it the perfect crime.

But then Oscar meets Nia the very girl who could bring down his very secret and expose him. By keeping Nia in Candor he could risk losing her forever but by also saving Nia he runs the risk of exposing his secret. What will Oscar choose and will Oscar ever find his way out?  FIND OUT IN CANDOR!

This book starts out slow but as you read it and the deeper you get into this book it just all so good and full of goodness. This story stays with you long after you’ve read the last page and it sticks on your mind days after. It is a must read for anyone who is a Hunger Games, Maze runner and Insurgent fan or even a good introductory book if you have not read any dystopian books. Once I have started reading this book I could not put it down. The only thing that I do wish about this book is there is no sequel I feel as though we should  email, tweet and facebook message Pam Bachorz until she makes another sequel of this book.  I can’t stop praising this book enough that it deserves the story to continue. That is my one complaint of this book it makes me feel as though Oscar’s story is not quite finished yet.

My Review of This Book

For more information and updates on Pam Bachorz check out her website here:

http://www.pambachorz.com/ and  https://twitter.com/pambachorz

Also check me out at Bloglovin’ and Path as Ms.Ireview