Friday Reviews 4: September 23rd- 29th

Friday Reviews Week 4: September 23rd- 29th 

💀 Book 1: Mort by Terry Pratchett ⏳

Read September 23rd- 25th

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This is the fourth book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and the first in the Death subseries. If you have not read this series before or my other review on the books, here is a link to it on my blog: http://whattoreadwithcag.blogspot.com/2017/09/friday-reviews-1-september-1st-8th-2017.html

🍂 A short plot synopsis: 🍂

Mort is a book that can stand on its own. This is about a young man named Mort, whose father brings him to a job fair so he can get an apprenticeship with someone there. While there no one seems to be interested in taking on Mort. Around midnight, a man dressed in a black cloak comes and decides to have Mort as his apprentice. This man is Death, Mort's father thinks that Death is an undertaker, not really seeing what Death truly is. Mort, on the other hand, can see him very well. 

Death takes Mort to his domain, where he has his elderly servant Albert and his adopted daughter Ysabell. Mort accompanies Death when he goes to collect the soul of a king, where Mort tries to stop the assassination from happening. Death makes a point of telling him that deaths are predetermined and that it is his job to collect the souls, not to care about the taking of the life. After Death lets Mort go off on his own to collect souls, so Death can try and find another job, Mort goes against the warning and messes up everything.

🍂 The Character of Death in the Discworld Series: 🍂

Death has a great love for cats and curry.

This would not be a review of this book without talking about one of the most famous characters on the Discworld, Death. First, I'll give you a little bit of information about him as a character.

"I? KILL? said Death obviously offended. CERTAINLY NOT. PEOPLE GET KILLED BUT THAT'S THEIR BUSINESS. I JUST TAKE OVER FROM THEN ON. AFTER ALL, IT'D BE A BLOODY STUPID WORLD IF PEOPLE GOT KILLED WITHOUT DYING, WOULDN'T IT?" - Terry Pratchett, Mort (this would actually be in small caps)

Death is a parody of the many different incarnations of death especially the Grimm Reaper. Like many of them, he is a black-cloaked skeleton that usually carries a scythe (that's for the common folk though, the kings get a sword). His peculiar voice is represented in the books in small caps without quotations, which is meant to signify his speech from others. 

Another interesting aspect about him is that people cannot always see him. This is not because he is invisible, but because they just don't want to. They do see him if he wants them to though. Those who can do magic (witches and wizards), children, and cats can see him. 

A lot of his motivation in the novel is because of one key fact about his character: he is utterly fascinated with humans. Throughout the course of the story, he is trying to understand many human emotions which he does not comprehend. This is something that he is trying to understand throughout many of his scenes in the other books too. So there are many scenes where he is doing things that humans do just to see what it's like. 

One of the best scenes in this novel is when he tries to get drunk and somewhat lets himself for a while. Also, him getting a job other than being Death is something you have to read. 

My favorite part of this novel is the character of Death, another new favorite character of mine. He is in almost every single one of the Discworld novels because he comes when someone dies. Every scene he's in is made so much better just because of him. His blunt way of talking drips with humor and I cannot help but laugh out loud with everything he says. The other books in his subseries are the ones that I look forward to the most. 

🍂 Other Important Elements: 🍂

Another interesting part of this book is Death's home, Death's Domain. This is a place that Death has made through imitations of what he has seen before. Death, as his daughter mentions throughout, cannot create anything himself. For instance, the color of the whole place is black but different shades of black. The descriptions help show how this world is merely made in imitations and I really found the whole concept of it to be interesting. 

One last point to talk about is the book's namesake, Mort. I will say at first I was not really as interested in Mort as a character as I was with Death, hence the rest of this review. Especially since I already loved Death in the previous three books. Mort did grow on me throughout the course of the novel. It was interesting seeing him take on the role of Death, a job that Death had for so long. I will not spoil what happens with Mort, but it was entertaining to see what happened to his character as the novel progressed. 

🍂 My Overall Feelings: 🍂

I really love this series as a whole so far, I mean I'm only through four of the books, but still, I love this world. Really one of the most interesting aspects of it is that these books, for the most part, can stand on their own. Yes, I did get some in-jokes, like the librarian because I read the first two books, but that does not mean I would have not enjoyed this book. This is a genius series that can seem intimidating at first but is totally worth your time as a whole. I'm excited to continue on next month and to see what comes next. 

🐖 Book 2: The Pigman by Paul Zindel 🐖
Read September 28th -29th
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The first time I read this book was back in eighth grade. We had to read it for my English class and for some reason I just fell in love with it. That year I remember reading the book three or four times and then I went on to read the second and third book. I don't remember those so much, but this one left an impact. 

This is the story of two high school students, John and Lorraine who at first play a prank on an older man named Mr. Pignati. It is the story of their strange friendship with this man, that really impacts their lives. 

From the beginning of this book, you learn what happens with Mr. Pignati. I will not spoil that for you if you have not read this book, but it's quite heartbreaking to read. 

Both John and Lorraine introduce themselves at the beginning and you really learn about their home lives throughout. They both have pretty horrible lives at home. 

This time around reading this book was interesting because I remembered bits and pieces of the plot. It has been almost ten years since I read this book. I loved this book back then and I still enjoyed it. John and Lorraine switch back and forth telling their tale throughout the novel. John tells the odd chapters and Lorraine the even. They are trying to write an epic as John says. 

It was a great book that I enjoyed reading again, but it very sad. 

Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Blogging/etc. - Top Five Wednesday

Books You've Read Because of Booktube/ Blogging/etc. 

(Top Five Wednesday)- September 27th, 2017

These are some of my favorite books that I found because of Booktube, Blogs, and Goodreads.

Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube. It is now hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in joining:

5.) The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan: I picked up this book because I heard Peter Monn highly recommend it multiple times. It's a great book and I am so glad that I decided to read it. 

4.) The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: I heard about this book on Epic Reads from an interview with the author. She interested me herself and I knew I wanted to read the books that she had written. So I read this book and adored it. I will be picking up her other book This Monstrous Thing next month for Halloween. It's based on Frankenstein and I am thrilled to read it.  I can't wait. 

3.) The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo: I don't remember whose BookTube channel I first saw a review of this duology, but I'm glad I did. This quickly became one of my favorite series and I really love Leigh's writing. I was hesitant to go into this series because of the hype but I can say that hype is well deserved. I read each book in a day each last year and was thoroughly engrossed. Also, the books are stunningly designed. I will be picking up the rest of Leigh's books soon.

I have heard that there are similar elements in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. That will be a series I'm going to read in December.

2.) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: Last year I was doing a search on Goodreads List option: Listopia for Greek Mythology retellings and came across many different books that looked good. One of those books was The Song of Achilles. This was not the first time that I had heard about this book but after reading the synopsis again, I decided that I wanted to read the book. It has become one of my favorite retellings of all time. She has another book coming out next year about another Greek Mythology character Circe, which is my most anticipated read of next year. 

I love this cover. 

1.) The Insanity Series by Cameron Jace: Three years ago I began to actively look up Alice in Wonderland retellings and again I went on Goodreads' Listopia option. This is when I found Cameron Jace's Insanity (book 1)  and Figment (book 2). At the time two of the books in the series were out and I bought them both. I read them in about a day and now the rest is history. I'm glad that I found this series because it is definitely in my top five series. It will be great when the rest of the series comes out, but I know I'll miss new books coming out. Also, the author is really great. 

The Book Blogger TMI Tag

🍂 Tag Tuesday: The Book Blogger TMI Tag- September 26th 🍂

Created by Lindsey on her blog, https://bringmybooks.com/2016/07/14/jg/

How old are you?
🍁 23

What book are you reading?
🍁 Mort by Terry Pratchett and Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

What are you wearing?
🍁 Jeans and a t-shirt

OTP?
🍁 Pacey and Joey from Dawson's Creek

Blogger or WordPress?
🍁 Blogger

Going outside being active or staying in and reading a book?
🍁 Reading a book, though I really love going for walks.

What is the last book you read?
🍁 The Library of Souls by Richard Denney

What is the book you're going to read next?
🍁 Either The Pigman by Paul Zindell or Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

Ebooks- yes or not?
🍁 Yes, but I do prefer to have a physical book.

Where do you prefer to read?
🍁 My bed or a comfy chair in my living room.

Who is the last person you tweeted?
🍁 Rhett and Link

Whose blog did you look at last?
🍁 Erratic Project Junkie: I looked at her fancasting for Top 5 Wednesday

Who is your favorite blogger?
🍁 Cameron Jace

Who is your favorite book-tuber?
🍁 Richard's Book Nook, I love Richard so much.

What do you do when someone tells you reading is boring?
🍁 Mostly I don't really hear this comment because most of the people that I am around like to read at least something. I would ask them what they are interested in. I've gotten students to read just by asking that question and then suggesting books.

Who is the last author you spoke to?
🍁 In person, the last author I spoke to was Nick Flynn who came to my university to speak to our creative writing class. He was a great person and I enjoyed my experience with him.

Who is the last person you texted?
🍁 My friend Lauren.

Who is your all-time favorite book character?
🍁 There's just too many to choose from: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ponyboy, Claire and Henry from The Time Traveler's Wife, Jay Gatsby, Achilles, Charlie Brown, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Granny Weatherwax and Death from the Discworld series, Mother Goose from The Land of Stories series, the Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, The Pillar from the Insanity series, Percy Jackson, Simon from Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I could continue on for awhile.

UKYA or USYA?
🍁 I would pick US because I live there and that is what I mostly read but I have loved UKYA also. Obviously, one of my favorite series is from the UK (The Harry Potter series)

What is your preferred drink while reading? 
🍁 Water or tea

If you hated reading, what would you be doing instead?
🍁 Watching movies or tv

How many bookshelves/ bookcases do you have?
🍁 6 bookcases plus a few extra selves

If you had the choice to meet all of your favorite book bloggers or all of your favorite authors, which would you pick? You can only pick one.
🍁 Favorite authors. Gosh, it would be awesome to meet them all.

Insta-love: yes or no?
🍁 This really depends on the book but mostly no.

Favorite author?
🍁 Too many: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Chris Colfer, J.K. Rowling, Cameron Jace, Rick Riordan, Douglas Adams, Rainbow Rowell, Madeline Miller, Carrie Fisher, William Shakespeare, S. E. Hinton, C. S. Lewis, John Green and many more.

What is the number-one book on your wishlist?
🍁 From a Certain Point of View, which is by many different authors. It's a book of short stories from different perspectives of Star Wars characters.

Do you prefer books with female or male protagonists?
🍁 I actually like both.

What is the last song you listened to?
🍁 "Since You've Been Gone" the version from Pitch Perfect

Which do you enjoy reading more – negative reviews or positive reviews?
🍁 Positive reviews, but I do love watching negative movie reviews.

Banned Books Week September 24th- 30th

Banned Books Week 2017: September 24th- 30th

Top 15 Banned/ Challenged Books I Have Read

Below I have listed some of my favorite books that I have read that were banned or challenged for many different reasons.  Most of these books I read for the first time while in school, whether that be elementary, middle, or high school. I will give a brief explanation of why the book was banned or challenged and also why I like the book. 

I am a firm believer that books should not be banned in schools or in some cases, censored.

Key:

Elementary school: 📕

Middle school: 📙

High School: 📗

College or afterward: 📘

These are in no particular order. 

📗 15.)  Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: This book has been banned in schools for its story of a girl who stays silent the whole school year because she was sexually assaulted at a party. Many schools have banned it for being considered, as they say, soft porn. This book is far from anything of the sort. It deals with issues that many teens deal with whether that be sexuality, drugs, or alcohol. Laurie Halse Anderson does not condone this type of behavior and sure does not glamorize what has happened to her main character Melinda. If anything, this book is teaching its readers a lesson on speaking out and letting people know what is going on in their lives.  

I remember reading this book when I was in ninth grade. I was the same age as the protagonist Melinda and I could never have imagined something like this happening to me. It is a hard book to read in the fact that we are reading from the perspective of a young girl who has been broken by a horrific experience. The reader learns about speaking up for themselves. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage will inspire her readers.

📗 14.) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky: Perks... has been banned in many schools for the use of sex, homosexuality, "the glorification of drugs and alcohol", suicide, etc. This is another book banned because of many situations that teenagers do deal with. 

The author has also spoken out about his book being banned in schools and I feel that his quote explains this so well, "It creates dialogue about issues that young people face," he said "...The classroom legitimizes these issues and by taking it out of the classroom we denote these things to 'dirty little secrets' and they're not dirty little secrets; these are things young people face every day." I find what he says here important to think about. This books and books similar to this are meant to help young people not harm them. He does also state before this that a parent has every right to choose if their child should be able to read a book, but that another parent should be able to choose too. 

If you would like to read more about this case here is the article: http://cbldf.org/2015/04/author-responds-to-connecticut-ban-of/

Perks is another book that I read in ninth grade when I was the same age as Charlie the protagonist of the novel. I remember at that age reading this book and being similar to Charlie. I was shy and did not really express my opinions too much. I had a small group of friends that I was close with and I was happy with that. Charlie learns a lot about himself during his freshman year of high school. He learns not only to participate, enjoy life, but also to speak out. Reading a book like this is not going to make students go out and do these things if they are able to learn from mistakes of others. I know I never did any of these things and I read this book young. 

📕 13.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: When I saw that this book has been banned in previous years I was surprised. I could not imagine why this would be on the list and the reason surprised me just as much as it being on the list. One of the reasons it has been banned was because many have said that it promotes a bad philosophy of life and that Charlie has no positive traits just has an absence of negative qualities. This is not the only book of Roald Dahl's that was banned. Matilda and James and the Giant Peach have also made this list.

I have loved the story of Charlie since I was a child. It's a story of this boy, who is living a terrible, awful life. Charlie and his family are not only hungry and poor, they are destitute. This little boy is literally starving to death, but he still is kind and polite to those around him. He's a well-behaved boy that gets a once in a lifetime opportunity when he goes to Wonka's factory. Yes, he doesn't have bad qualities, but that's sort of the point of the book. It might be a little over exaggerated to have a perfect child, but really it's meant to teach children about behaving. It's enjoyable. 

📙 12.) The Giver by Lois Lowry: Banned for sexual situations and death. The first reason this book has been banned does not make any sense to me because there are no sexual scenes in this book. The main character has a crush on a girl and that's the extent to that. 

This was an important book for me in school and I just really enjoyed reading it. It is considered one of the first dystopian novels and is showing how this perfect world that was created has gone wrong. 

📙 11.) Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: Banned for disrespect for authority and language that some people have found offensive, especially blasphemous dialogue (it uses Oh Lord and Lord) This is one book that has become a classic over the years and really I can see why. I remember fully enjoying reading it and loving the book. Children can learn a lot from this book.

📕 10.) Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein: Shel Silverstein is known for his poems and has become a classic over the years. This book was banned because many parents were afraid that it promoted violence and disrespect. Also that it's Satanic. 

I have not read this book since elementary school, probably second or third grade. From what I remember of this book, it was funny, humorous, and first got me into poetry. Most likely it was probably one of the first poetry books that I ever read and loved. 

📙 9.)  A Separate Peace by John Knowles: One of my favorite books that I ever read in school. I still remember to this day acting out scenes from this book in English class. Now, I will say that I have not read it since, but I still remember it fondly. This will be a book that I pick up sometime soon.  

This has been challenged and banned in schools because of the graphic language used. 

📕 8.) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle: Similarly, to another book on this list, this has been banned because of the use of witchcraft, crystal balls, and demons. 

I remember loving this book when I was a child. The main protagonist of this book is a girl named Meg, who is such an empowering character. She's a character that I could very much relate to. She's smart and the book deals with the importance of family and working together. 

📙  7.) The Pigman by Paul Zindel: Banned for offensive language and sexual themes.

This was actually one of the first books that I fell in love with that I read in school. I read each of the sequels and probably read this one, three or four times in the same year. I do not remember everything about the book and plan on reading it this week for my Banned book. 

📗  6.) The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien: Banned because of the dark and descriptive depictions of war. This book was written to show how dark and horrible war can be, so obviously, there would be graphic scenes. I read this book in my senior year of high school and it is very descriptive of what Tim O'Brien witnessed while he was in the Vietnam war. This is not a book I would recommend for younger readers that are not mature enough for the read. It was a powerful book that I will never forget. 

📗  5.) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: A major reason that this book has been banned is because of the use of the n-word. Now this one really frustrates me. This book was created to learn from and it is being edited and changed in schools to not include hurtful content. Historical fiction books should be used to learn from the past and to grow as people. I'm sorry to say it but we cannot change the fact that many people in America had slaves and this is the way they talked. We cannot erase our history and pretend that it does not exist. This is a book that students should read in schools. 

I have had both a love and hate relationship with this book over the years. When I was in tenth grade I could not stand Huck or his narration. Then in my junior year of college, I read the book again and found a new appreciation for it. Not only is this an important book, but it also is a well-written book. 

📗 4.) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Similarly to number five, this book has been banned because of language, slurs, and other racial themes, also for pornography because of mentions of rape. This is another amazing book that young people should be learning from and should not be banned. It represents an important part of our history as a country. We should learn from it and not forget it. 

📙  3.) The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton: Banned for the use of drugs, violence, and unchristian values

This is a book that I actually got the opportunity to teach last year with three classes of seventh graders. One of the ways that my co-op and I taught the material was to introduce the time period of the 60s to the students. The time period is an important aspect of the story. Ponyboy deals with struggles that today's students might not understand. I have loved this book since I was in eighth grade and I believe it is an important book that should be taught. 

📕📙  2.) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling: This book has been banned for viewpoints that call it Satanic and occult because of the use of magic. Many have believed that this goes against religious beliefs and is encouraging the use of magic. All I can say to this is that this is fiction.

The Harry Potter series is one of the most important series for my time as a reader. It is the reason that I love reading the way I do. This series has been a major part of my life for almost fifteen years and I don't know what I would do without it. These books represent values that are important to us as people.   J. K. Rowling did not decide when she wrote these books to spread values that were not religious. This series shows the value of friendship, family, love, loyalty, etc. We grew up with Harry and learned along with him. These books clearly show that the values that Voldemort holds so dear are not something we should want. 

📘  1.) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Banned for language, sexual references, violence, drinking, partying, etc. 

So, this book had to make this list for me because it is in my top three favorite books of all time. I love this book. It is again not a glorification of any of the aspects I have mentioned above. If anything, this book shows the problems with living in such a society. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote this book as a commentary on the society that he lived in. This is another example of a historical fiction book that is taught in schools to learn from. Teaching this book is not condoning the actions of the characters. 

These are not all of the banned books that I have read in my lifetime. There are many more that I have read and enjoyed, these are just my top fifteen. A major thing to think about with these books is that they are fiction and are meant to teach their readers. Yes, parents have the right to tell their children what they can and cannot read, but this should not take away the books from other children. If children are taught the right way to behave these books will not be harmful for them to read. They actually can be very helpful. Also, many of these books have been banned for reasons they should not be banned for. J.K. Rowling is not trying to form a colt of wizards, Mark Twain was representing a specific time period (and guess what, that's the way they talked.), and that's just a couple of examples. 

I don't believe that books should be banned. If we take the time to teach students through these books and about these topics, they will learn about life. There are many topics used in these books that make parents, educators, and others feel uncomfortable, but they represent life. It is so much better for these young people to learn about these topics from a book than not at all. Or in some other place but in an unsafe way. 

If you want to see a full list of books that have either been banned or challenged, here's a link: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks

Have a good week and read some banned books. 

In honor of Banned Books week, I will be picking up an old favorite The Pigman by Paul Zindel. It will be the first time in about ten years that I have read this book.

Favorites of the Summer

☀️  Ten Favorites Things from Summer 2017 ☀️

1.)  DuckTales 2017 Reboot: "DuckTales... Woo-oo!" was a great reboot to the classic Disney tv show from the 80s. I was very excited to watch this show and I am so happy that it was good. So far there has only been one episode. The second comes out tomorrow and I can't wait. I hope they continue to put them on YouTube so I can watch them. Also, the animation is so great. I love the style. 

"Life is like a hurricane

Here in Duckburg" - Sorry if I got it stuck in your head.

2.) Brandon Stansell: This summer, I found Brandon Stansell. I believe in June or July. His music was a great addition to the summer. My favorite song of his is "Slow Down". His full album will be coming out next month. 

3.) America's Got Talent Season 12: This season of America's Got Talent has been incredible and there have been so many great acts. The finale yesterday was great with all of the performances. I'm glad that Darci Lynne won. What an incredible, talented, little girl. Such a sweetheart. 

4.) My Funkos that I got this Summer: This summer, I got three of the Star Wars: The Last Jedi pops: Leia, Luke, and Poe Dameron. They go great with the rest of my Star Wars pops. I also got the Leia Mystery Mini. She's adorable. 

5.)  My New Journal: I got a new journal from Walmart in August to write notes for my second book in my series that I am writing. It's really a great journal that I am getting a lot of use out of. Perfect size and it's beautiful. Also, I put some great stickers in it to add more to it.

6.) The Nostalgia Critic: I have been watching the Nostalgia Critic for about five years but recently I have been making it a weekly thing to watch the new reviews when they come on YouTube on Wednesdays. The Nostalgia Critic is one of my favorite YouTubers and also my favorite movie critic. 

7.) Will & Grace: This is another new love of mine. I have started to watch clips from the show on YouTube and would like to watch the whole series when I finish the show I am watching now. 

8.) "Symphony" by Clean Bandit: The music video is not only beautiful for this song but it is also heartbreaking. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it and could not get enough. I have listened to it constantly ever since. The idea of someone being the music in your life is so relatable. This breaks my heart a bit each time I listen to it. Beautiful. 

9.) "Praying" by Kesha: Earlier this summer, my friend introduced me to this song. I have liked Kesha since I was a senior in high school, but this song is different than what she has ever written before. It's very personal and touching. I love it. 

10.) Reba TV Show: I first watched this show years ago. It was on the Family channel (now Freeform) every day during the summer and I would watch every single episode. I'm pretty sure I watched most of them if not all of them that summer. I fell in love with this show. A few days ago, I decided that I am going to start from the beginning and watch them all again. They are just as good as I remember them. So funny. Also, the cast might be bringing it back and I will watch it if they do.

I love this dysfunctional family so much. 

Friday Reviews 3: September 16th- 22nd

🍁 Friday Reviews Week 3: September 16th- 22nd, 2017 🍁

🍂 Book 1: The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner 🍂

Read September 16th-18th

📚📚📚📚

This is the story of a sixteen-year-old named Kyle Donohue, who on September 11th, 2001, watches from his high school the first twin towers come down. On his way home after the students are evacuated, he comes across a girl covered in ash wearing costume wings. He decides to take the girl home. Both of his parents are not there, his mother is in California with his younger sister and his father is part of the Joint Terrorist Task Force and is helping at the disaster. Kyle finds out that the girl does not remember who she is and he decides to try and help her. This is their story as they deal with the disaster happening around them.

First, I want to mention how incredible this novel was. It pulled on my heartstrings countless times and had me wondering what was going to happen next for this family. Kyle is a young man having to deal with a lot of stress and tragedy in a short amount of time in the novel. He does not know what is going to happen to his dad, his mother, sister, or himself. Gae Polisner does an incredible job creating this atmosphere that carries throughout the whole novel. I really related to Kyle even though I have never experienced something quite like this. Many of us can say where we were on September 11th. I was in second grade at the time and I have vague memories of it all. I could never imagine what it felt like to actually be there.

It was hard to read this book at times because of how heartbreaking it really was. 

Another aspect of this book that I would like to talk about, is the style Polisner wrote in. This book is told in prose and also in verse. It was interesting to get the two different perspectives, Kyle's and the girl's, in such a way. This could get jarring though at times. I loved seeing this story in such a way and learning little bits and pieces from both of their lives. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book as a whole. It was a hard-hitting story that touched me and I really felt for both of the characters. Their story is definitely one that I would recommend. 

Also, the memory technique used in the book was really awesome. I wish I would have known about it when I was still in school myself. It would have come in handy. I still remember all ten of the items. This is one that I'll have to let students know about. 

🍂 Book 2: Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: 🍂

Special Collector's Manga by Jun Asuka

Read September 19th

📚📚📚

This is a manga version of the 1993 movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Jack Skellington, the ruler of a Halloween centric world, called Halloween Town, comes across a door that leads him into a new world. A world that shows him the joys of Christmas, Christmas Town. Jack wants to replicate this world in his own world because he is becoming bored of the constant repetition. He has all of his citizens work together to create the holiday and this is when problems ensue.  

I liked the overall premise of the story. When I was a child, I saw this movie but did not remember most of it when I read this book. I do remember that it creeped me out though. This was an interesting manga. 

I love the Pumpkin King. Jack's innocence when he found out about Christmas and how he wanted to recreate the joyful feelings of it was enduring. The way he goes about accomplishing this is not the best idea but he just wanted to spread the Christmas feeling. 

The artwork was nice to look at. It was reminiscent of the style of the movie, just in black and white. The style was nice but it loses some of the magic without the stop-motion animation and the music.

 I'll have to watch the movie again to compare it to this. If you are interested in this manga I would pick it up. I don't feel that it would disappoint a fan of the movie. 

This is definitely an interesting concept and I think that it would be cool to see the other doorways in the forest that Jack comes across. I would watch those movies. Let's have Jack go into another door and become obsessed with St. Patrick's Day or Easter. 

Also, I'm going to be watching the movie this weekend and doing a review on that. 

* I received a copy of this from Netgalley for an honest review. *

🍂 Book 3: The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid by Geronimo Stilton 🍂
Read September 21st, 2017
Release Date: October 19th, 2017
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I first read this book back when I was around eleven or twelve. This was when I was still in elementary school. I remember signing out many of the Geronimo Stilton books from the library that year and I adored them. I thought that Geronimo's job at the paper was cool and I was so interested in exploring the world someday. 

Now this book is being re-released in October for a new generation. 

I will say that yes, I am feeling nostalgic when I read this book. It was very cute and funny. I enjoyed the characters especially the ridiculous grandfather of Geronimo, who would give Scrooge a run for his money. Also, the mouse-related puns were adorably cute. I wanted to pick up this book for the nostalgia and I'm happy that I did. 

This is a perfect book for middle-grade students. They will get a great story and also learn about ancient Egypt. I recommend it. I know that my younger self would be happy to know that there are still books coming out from this series. 

*I received a copy of this from Netgalley for an honest review. *

🍂 Book 4: The Library of Souls by Richard Denney 🍂

Read September 22nd, 2017
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I first found Richard on Youtube about a year and a half ago. His Booktube channel interested me. I have always loved reading so many different genres and middle-grade novels are some of my favorites. Richard has been promoting his book on his channel throughout the year and I was excited to pick it up. I'm glad I did. 

The main character of the novel is Simon Santiago, a thirteen-year-old boy who lost his parents in a train accident when he was nine. He is sent to live with his uncle Monty, who uses Simon. Simon can see and speak to the dead. So his uncle has created an agency, where Simon expells the ghosts and his uncle gets all of the credit. His uncle gets them a job at an old library that is known to be haunted. The library has had many people die throughout the years and Simon's job is to go in and get rid of the ghosts. Simon meets a young library assistant that helps him in his quest to help the library. Little does Simon know of the mysteries hiding in the library. 

This was a quick read that I enjoyed reading. I don't think I have ever read a middle-grade novel that has spooked me before. There is one scene in this novel that creeped me out a bit, bathtubs anyone. 

The pictures were also a great feature in this novel. I have read other books that have "creepy" pictures in them, but I feel like Richard utilized the pictures in an interesting way for the story. They are not just used here to get people to read this book. They are actually another aspect of the story and help tell it. I love that Richard created these pictures himself and that he showed how he did this on his Booktube channel. 

Overall, I fully enjoyed this novel. It was a quick read that had me questioning what was going to happen next. I would have never expected that ending. Great storytelling. I will be picking up the second novel.

If you like a great mix of creepiness and a mystery pick this book up. I believe you'll enjoy it. 

🍁 Happy Fall everyone. I hope you have a great weekend and have a great time reading. 🍁

Oh, and happy Hobbit day! 

Favorite Fancasts/ Top Five Wednesday

🎞️ Favorite Fancasts (Top Five Wednesday)- September 20th, 2017 📚

Here are the top five actors that I would like to play some of my favorite characters. These are in no particular order.

Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube. It is now hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in checking it out.

5.)  David Tennant as every character ever. Okay in all seriousness, I would want him to play Death in an adaptation of any of the books in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I think that he would play the character perfectly and it would be interesting to see him do this role.

It's funny because before I heard that they were actually making Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman into a mini-series, I actually thought David would be perfect for Crowley. So I guess I got one right. I cannot wait for this show. 

David Tennant as Crowley and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale

4.) Hailee Steinfeld as Sammie from The Memory Book by Lara Avery: I just think Hailee would play the role of Sammie well.

 

3.) Ezra Miller as Baz from Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: If there ever a movie made of this book I really would love Ezra to play this part. He, I believe would make the perfect Baz. He is actually who I thought of when I read the book and I never really think of fancasting when I read books.  

2.) Chris Colfer as Froggy from The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer: This is a series that I have mentioned countless times on this blog and that is because I just adore it. I first got introduced to Chris from the tv series Glee. His character was my favorite on the show from the beginning and he is also one of my favorite actors from the show. Then I started reading his books the day that the first book came out and loved his writing even more than the show. It was just the perfect series for me. I believe that Chris would play the character of Froggy well and I am not alone in this idea. Many who love the series feel this way. Now that we know that we are getting a movie series I wish that he would play the part but I know that he doesn't want to. He would be my pick though.

1.)  Mark Hamill as The Pillar from the Insanity series by Cameron Jace: This is one of my favorite series. It's self-published on Amazon and I fell in love with it so much. Cameron is a great writer and I love his twist on Alice in Wonderland. This is a creepy series with menacing characters, especially Carter Pillar. Mark Hamill, I believe would be the perfect choice for this character. His menacing voice that he has with his voice acting is incredible and it would just make my day to see him play this part. He could go between the humorous scenes of Professor Pillar and the more brutal scenes well. Also, he's one of my favorite actors of all time so he had to make this list.