Lord of the Flies by William Golding Review: GEEEEEEZ!

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Publication: October 1, 1954, by Penguin Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Classics, Death
Pages: 182
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first, it seems as though it's all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behavior collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them—the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories—and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible. Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was 1st published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature. Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a classic.

Yeah, I can surely tell you that I've never read a book like this. This was eerie, absurd but super-symbolic and written beautifully. Thank goodness I didn't read this on my own or else I would've gotten so confused and absolutely lost in my own mind. Everything would've been a blur and I wouldn't understand what the conch actually represented symbolically.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a book that I feel has always been there. It's a classic that's constantly spoken about, whether the person is young or old, and many read it at school since teachers "adore the complications of it." It's also a novel that's imperfect, where the movies were horrible and I feel that nothing is able to showcase it back to its original form. I have mixed feelings with the outcome, but I feel in an overall matter, it's mostly positive, especially looking at the facts that I've never read anything else like it.

Crash-landed on a mysterious island, Ralph, Piggy, Simon and Jack and the choir boys were on a plane heading away from the war when an atom bomb struck the plane and got it to crash. They don't know where they are or who are their acquaintances, but all they know is that they have to survive. At first, things are going pretty smooth compared to later, where animals are killed and the boys go against each other at their own personal war.

The emotion that I felt throughout wasn't like any other that I felt in other books. Some of my friends from school feel that this wasn't a book that's very emotional, but I did shed tears here and there and I wanted to run to some of the boys, and help them and let them know that things eventually would turn out for the better. Golding got us to understand the dark side of humanity, the savage side that every person who has walked the face of the earth has somewhere inside of them, where some can bring it out quicker than others.

"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."

Can you understand that quote if you haven't read the book already? I would predict that you cannot, and I'm secretly high-fiveing you there, my friend. This is such a difficult book to read, and although it's short, I felt that when you read it, you'll need tons of time to analyze it and go through it all with complete understanding. I bet that if I go back and re-read it all over again, I would spot some things that I hadn't the first time. Shocking, right?

I have to say that when I began this, I wasn't all too happy with me having to read it. Until about the sixth chapter, this was pretty boring and I felt that it was just a simple story about many boys trying to survive on a stranded island with hallucinations and paranoia. That's it. Until the sixth chapter, the plot was horrible but the writing was fantastic, and I knew that things would eventually get better but I didn't have high hopes at the same time. After that, HOLY SHIZ. 

Yeah, then all of the religious allegorical shit came and we were all left with tears and my teacher even cried and the war-party between Ralph, Jack and Roger came along and I died. I was addicted after that, and I forgot about all of the theoretical symbolic stuff and went on with the storyline and plot because I just couldn't believe what the hell was happening. APOCALYPSE? I do seriously think that that's what Golding was trying to stuff into our minds, people. But in the end, I believe that everyone can have a different opinion on what this book meant to them. To me, it was something like the Stanford University experiment that was taken place in 1971 where people went mental after being put into the situation of authority all around them. It just took a matter of days for the prisoners to begin going mad. 

And that's what happened to the boys on the island. They began killing and seeing things. A pig for godssake spoke to them. This isn't fantasy, people, it was a mental illness that everyone seemed to get and they slowly turned barbaric. I believe that if you're put into a situation where your whole life is actually taken away from you before your eyes, your whole sense of civilization is actually able to dissipate in a matter of moments when you don't expect it. 

My favourite character? Piggy. Most would say Simon, as he was represented as a Jesus-like figure, and I surely loved him too. But Piggy was someone who actually had his head on his shoulders. Yes, he was unconfident because of Jack, but he knew what he was doing, and I admired him for that. He was hilarious and brought some fun and a sense of humour into the book. Although Ralph hadn't known it by the end, but Piggy was the only one who'd provide him with a real friendship and a connection. Without him, Ralph would've never survived and since Piggy was intelligence and the conch was law, you can't have a government (Ralph) without intelligence and law, right?

Next off, the ending. Yes, I did love it, but it surely was too predictable and cliché. We obviously knew that Ralph and the others would get into a war-like situation and have their lives at stake, but then that happened and they all lived happily ever after. I can't tell you the exact situation, but I expected Golding to add in something more symbolic and suspenseful, though we actually should've known more about the conditions of the war and what their lives turned out to be later. A companion would surely be appreciated by yours truly. Jack and Roger went to an asylum, I'm sure, though.

All in all, although I despited Jack and Roger and had problems with connecting to the plot in the beginning, I was really impressed with the outcome of this classic. You can seriously have a discussion on the themes and meaning with just about anyone, even if they haven't read the book. The message hit me hard, and now I'm really considering to look into more psychological learning stuff, because hey, studying the effects of a ruined civilization and its effects on humans is pretty wicked if you ask me. GEEZ, I'm saying, because this book was messed up, but awesome at the same time. It's really cool to look at stories that authors can come up with, just with a snap of their fingers. Is there more to this than what we see at eye-level? Hah, I'm not sure, but then you'd have to meet up with the Lord of the Flies then, and risk the paranoia.

Being Audrey Hepburn by Mitchell Kriegman Review

Being Audrey Hepburn, by Mitchell Kriegman
Publication: September 16, 2014, by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover Finished Copy
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

In Being Audrey Hepburn, Clarissa Explains It All-creator, Mitchell Kriegman, tells the story of a 19-year-old girl from Jersey who finds herself thrust into the world of socialites after being seen in Audrey Hepburn’s dress from the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Lisbeth comes from a broken home in the land of tube tops, heavy eyeliner, frosted lip-gloss, juiceheads, hoop earrings and “the shore.” She has a circle of friends who have dedicated their teenage lives to relieve the world of all its alcohol one drink at a time.
Obsessed with everything Audrey Hepburn, Lisbeth is transformed when she secretly tries on Audrey’s iconic Givenchy. She becomes who she wants to be by pretending to be somebody she’s not and living among the young and privileged Manhattan elite. Soon she’s faced with choices that she would never imagine making – between who she’s become and who she once was.
In the tradition of The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, this is a coming of age story that all begins with that little black dress… 

If someone asks me to choose over Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn, I'd definitely choose Audrey, who's for the win. She's changed fashion and acting history, and although I haven't watched any of her movies, everyone knows her and Kriegman has written a novel personally addressed to those who don't know who she is and those are obsessed with her. It doesn't really matter, as we'll all end up loving her and searching her up on Google the moment after they finish the book.

Says Audrey... I can imagine her actually saying it, though.

I guess you can say that this one's summary and storyline was very predictable, but real at the same time. It came out of a "real girl's" mind, and she just wanted to have a different role in the world and live on with fashion taste and popularity. Lisabeth is a Jersey girl, and doesn't feel that she fits in with her family. Her dad left when she was young, her mom is an alcoholic, and her brother and sister are complete wastes, as they always find a way to get into trouble. She works in a diner and is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, whose movies are her remedy and the only way to save her at times. Then one day, her best friend tells her to use Audrey's Givenchy dress that she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and to go into a party. Little does she know that there will be fear of getting caught, and an instant ticket into popularity and being in famous celebrity magazines. 

Here, Kriegman has gotten readers to wonder what their ticket to being an A-lister would be. I won't even tell you mine, as it's completely unreal. But I guess that the unrealism worked in this case because I was looking for cuteness and a story that can only get a girl to dream. In some cases, the author got Lisabeth to act like a normal girl who just found her way around to being someone different. She owns a blog, cries when she's upset, helps people when they're vomiting in the bathroom because they took too many drugs... you get the story.

The fact that Lisabeth had such an obsession really got me to wonder what my remedy is. No, I don't idolize anyone so much to that point, but books are things that send chills down my spine and are things that I'm able to look back to. I guess people don't understand your opinion unless they share it, too, and that surely was the case for Lisabeth. I think that her best friend, Jess, and her grandmother only "got her," and that's even better. The less people know, the more mysterious and self-conscience you become.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's was the one-hour-and-fifty-five-minute version of my hopes and dreams and all the lurking dangers in-between. I'll never forget the first time I ever heard Holly Golightly talk about the mean reds. I immediately realized that there were mean reds around me all the time."

Lisabeth's character and her thoughts were the real point of this book. Yes, she did have ten minutes of fame, but I believe that she kept running back to whom she really is. I believe that she didn't have to go back to the plans that her mother made for her, but to what she really wanted to do in life. And hey, that's a lesson for everyone. 

In a way, I picture this being a book that Audrey herself would actually read. Everything about it was almost-wonderful, though the romance wasn't too good. You see, the boy-band-guy who works at a diner with Lisabeth isn't my type, and I don't find Jake to be the right girl for her. Sure, he's a teenage heartthrob who she'll squeal about since he woke her up at 5 AM, about to throw a rock at her window... and yes, they ended up together, but I didn't approve of this. AND THAT OTHER KISS? WHAT WAS THAT!? I guess that Kriegman wanted Lisabeth to have a few rebellious streaks inside of her and to do things that she normally wouldn't, but I was shocked.

Mmm, hmmm, the plot was interesting, but I was shocked myself to see how some of it wasn't needed. I guess that about 50 pages could've been cut out from the beginning-of-the-middle, and nothing would be missed. *laughs* That's another negative.

What we actually got from this was a small-town girl who's sick of where she lives. Jersey isn't the place for her, and she has big dreams. There was people in her world who love her, and who always support her decisions and what crazy things she up to do. Yeah, she isn't sure with what she's going to do in her life, but she has time. My favourite character was her grandmother and her rosé champagne, hah.

"Flipping through Nan's scrapbook was one of my favorite things to do. Nan's photos were like a drug to me; they made all the darkness go away—all the ingenues and dashing young men, their faces golden with hope and possibility. I didn't know anyone in my family who believed in hope besides Nan."

I must say, Kriegman is a talented author who's absolutely knowing what he's doing here. We have a dreamy young girl exploring the world in a New York setting. We have a sucky romance and some boring points in the plot, but most of all, we learned how to be Audrey Hepburn and her legacy which she has on many people, young and old. You don't have to be a fan to read this, just go for it if you'd like a light fluffy novel with realism.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
Publication: May 6, 2014, by Scribner
Genre: Adult Fiction, Historical
Pages: 531
Format: Paperback
Source: Gifted
Rating: 

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When Marie-Laure is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris, and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

I can say that I finally understand why this book is so raved about. With its captivating message, and a romance that is unlike any other, Doerr has written about that everyone will remember for ages. All the Light We Cannot See was utterly fabulous, and it was definitely one of the best war-stories I've read to this date, taken place from the point-of-view of both a blind young woman trying to find her place in the world and a dashing young soldier who's trying to save everyone from the flaws in their world.

Last year in 2014, everyone was talking about this. THERE WERE 5 STAR REVIEWS EVERYWHERE, and I felt so lost as I barely even knew what the book was about. Then for Christmas, I asked for this on my wish-list, and I thankfully got it and brought it with me on vacation. Little did I know that it would be this depressing and beautiful. What do you expect from a story taken place in World War II?

"Don't you want to be alive before you die?"

 Here we have quiet but mysterious Marie-Laure, who feels that all she has is her father, who works hard and tries his best to help her out, as she's blind and misses the sight of seeing the beauty in her city of Paris. When she is twelve, her and her father have to leave their city and walk for weeks to a small-town where her great-uncle lives. He's the sweetest person and would love to begin to care for Marie-Laure and the friendship that they have is unlike any other. At the same time, we learn about Werner's story, who lives with his younger sister in an orphanage. As he grows older, he becomes an expert at all things electrical and building, and then gets an opportunity to use his talent for the war. Together, somehow, their stories eventually connect and readers are left shocked.

When we started off, I expected for us to see Werner and Marie-Laure together in a few chapters. I thought that this would be an everlasting love story that continues on and off until the war ends and they finally end up together. This isn't the case. Doerr gets this to be a very slow (but beautiful) story where we zoom in and out of their pasts and into the present, jumping in between years. We find about Werner's tough childhood, and Marie-Laure's jump into blindness and the struggles that she had to go through in order to be understood by those around her. Of course, they do get together, but my, does it take a while, and then they're left apart again, unable to stop thinking about each other and each other's beauty.

This does absolutely show how a catastrophic situation can bring something good in the end. You may feel like you're forced to be in a situation, but in the end your whole opinion changes because of something that happened or because of a person that you met and whom inspired you. I can tell you that some things have happened like that, but definitely nothing that special. And I believe it—there had to have been many stories like this one that changed people's lives.

After this, I have to admit that I was thoroughly depressed. My heart started pumping less and less, and I felt that I've just gone through a loss. No, I didn't go into a reading-slump, but it was absolutely close. The impact that a book like this can have on you is so absurd but cool at the same time. The characters weren't like any other, and they left me shedding tears at times. Every time that I hear a love song about losing one another, I keep thinking about Werner and Marie-Laure. *throws hearts into the air*

You'll need peace and quiet to go through this, as it is very addicting and you won't be able to stop reading. You need to catch all of the special details that the author added in to totally understand the love story that is about to come. *grins* Though it was a little slow at times, especially in the beginning, I will remember the adult novel that warmed my heart to its fullest extent.

Imagine this like an older version of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Here's Liesel and Rudy, Marie-Laure and Werner, though they sadly didn't have too much time to spend together, but I can tell you that they connected instantly and the way that they described each other was better than gold. They had hearts of gold. 

“When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?” 

Next off, this really shows how someone can have an impact on you. Both Marie-Laure's father and great-uncle had such influences on her and helped her to learn so much. I loved their characters so much that when something happened to them I would shed a tear and feel it completely, and feel the loss for Marie-Laure. But Marie-Laure herself was a character who needed to still learn more at her age. She's very monotone and I didn't see much emotion coming from her side. I guess she was always frustrated that she couldn't see people... and I felt her, but wished that she was more confident?

Yes, the ending of this one was heartbreaking and mind-shattering. I loved how Doerr added in an epilogue, where we found out what happened in the future to the characters. (*twitches* Won't spoil book...) Overall, this was an inspiring to many, and I totally see why. The concept was gorgeous, and so was the romance, although it left my heart aching in the end. Yes, the plot was a little weak at times, and Marie-Laure's character needed some work. but this is surely a read that I will remember for a long time, and it gave me a view that we all cannot always see.

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky Review

Awaken (Awaken #1), by Katie Kacvinsky
Publication: May 23, 2011, by HMH Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 309
Format: Paperback
Source: Gifted
Rating: ½

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her. 
Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking. 
In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

The thing is, I've tried to hold off writing this review for a while, keep on rescheduling it and moving it along, but it's time to let my thoughts overtake everything that I've ever known about dystopia and throw it away. Jokes, jokes, it was April Fool's Day, and I'm only kidding about wanting to let go dystopian novels. That's just a part of it, and the genre is made up of so many better novels that are able to capture readers' hearts and spin them into a world where the impossible happens in the future. In this case, Katie Kacvinsky has given us a complete other situation that no other author has done before... at least from what I've seen and read of.

Yes, using damn computers to do everything. And isn't it already ironic at the moment that everyone's classified as lazy because of the time we spend on the internet doing random things and playing virtual video games? How did the future evolute to something like this? *wonders* Okay, but I'm honestly not trying to go theoretical here, as it's a novel that's not too believable, either. Don't expect yourself to be dreaming about Maddie and Justin falling in love tonight. It's not going to happen, at least, it won't ever happen to me. 

That's the main subject point here: everything is done virtually with computers and technology. The funny thing is that Maddie's dad is super rich and he had invented virtual school where children are supposedly learning better from computers and e-lessons and interacting socially with people, all in the course of the online thing. And now, he's complaining about Maddie doing too much and exposing his information out to the general public. It's HIS FAULT. *feels like can argue for centuries on this matter* So now, Maddie's trying to be rebellious and goes out and meets Justin, a guy who she's planning to study with, actually in the real world. She lies that she's going to soccer practice when she's actually going to see him... and well, you get the story. They fall in love.

"Online we were all equal. Social status wasn't important. Money and looks and jobs and clothes almost become obsolete. So who cares what my real name is? It's just a label, like a particular brand of person. Who cares who sits behind it when we only meet in waves of space?"

You see, Maddie was definitely unlike her father. She was kick-ass and awesome, though her insecurity and stupidity (when she's trying to make decisions) was weak and strange compared to that of other protagonists in a manipulative dystopian-world novel. And really, you don't want me to get to the subject of Justin. Let's just say that I hated their connection and didn't support them together... I felt that he only used Maddie and that there were some weak feelings because HE JUST FELT like he had to kiss her because it seemed right. MANIPULATIVE? Yes, just like her father.

"You're a spectator. People are becoming spectators of their own lives instead of living them. But the best part is getting the game. That's when it's all worth it."

And hey, I'd absolutely recommend to take an extra precaution before reading, as you'll need time to get through this. The plot is very slow-paced and I must say that although Kacvinsky is a great and strong author, her message wasn't as clear and I didn't like her characters. The only great thing was the concept and some of the action scenes that took Maddie against her own will. That was unexpected, I kept telling myself. *gives a round of applause*

This book truly has awaken me into seeing the true side of diverse dystopia and something that no author has ever done. I haven't seen something like this, though there were such weak characters in the plot that I almost DNF-ed this, but I felt bad since there were already a few that I have lately. Will this awaken you? Hopefully, but this will be better for you than for me.

Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian Review

Same Difference, by Siobhan Vivian
Publication: November 25, 2014, by Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

Sometimes a girl just needs a change . . .
The last thing Emily wants is another summer of tanning and pool hopping in Cherry Grove. Now that her best friend has a boyfriend, everything feels different in a way she doesn't quite understand. So when offered a spot at a prestigious art program in Philadelphia, Emily jumps at the chance to leave her hometown for a few hours a day.
But it takes more than a change of scenery and a new group of friends to discover yourself. As Emily bounces between a suburb where everyone tries to fit in and a city where everyone wants to be unique, she struggles to find her own identity. And while the rules may change, the pressures remain the same. Friendships can be hard to navigate. Boys can be both mysterious and predictable. And the line between right and wrong can be a little blurry. . . . 

Siobhan Vivian is literally the master of writing a perfect relatable contemporary novel for teenagers willing to look for something fresh and different. Same Difference was a novel that really touched my heart. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty great, and it changed the view that I had on books with a different protagonist than whom I’m used for, someone who’s free to say what she’d like and doesn’t care what people thinks of her. Emily may have seemed to create a Plain Jane role, but she was an artsy person who might have not known what life she had planned out, but once she met people who respected her and fit her personality, she realized that she was a person to be respected and honoured for her talent. *smiles of cheesiness*

But no, this book wasn’t cheesy at all. Yeah, she did ‘fall in love with her teacher,’ but don’t other magnificent stories feature that kind of romance? Just take a look at PLL by Sara Shepard. Ezra and Aria? Teacher-student romance? But that novel honestly made it all look hideous, while this was okay, and he saw Emily and Fiona drinking alcohol, (which does compare to other teen issues found today which Vivian is fantastic at sharing), which kind of made it even more okay since he was into their kinds of stuff, too. And hey, they both enjoy art and the feeling of it. But the thing is, Vivian’s characters weren’t memorable. It’s been a little over a week since I finished this book, and I can’t seem to remember the guy’s name.

Ummm… *awkward silence* You see, I still don’t remember. But that’s not the point here. Yeah, the love interest kind of sucked, but the best thing was that this book hadn’t relied on the romance. If it did, then this certainly would’ve gotten a lower rating since there wasn’t too much of a connection between the two other than their talents and hobbies. The main point of this book was that Emily was trying to find who she was as an artist, and who her real friends are, as all she’s ever had was Meg, her best friend.

Emily signs up for an art program during the summer in Philadelphia, the nearest big city to her small town. She’s passionate with painting, but she doesn't feel like she’s that big of a professional compared to the other people in her class. There she makes a few enemies who then turn into friends and explore her life while she changes and moves on to the person who she really is deep inside, at the same time as falling in love and being happy.

Yeah, the concept was pretty awesome if you ask me, and only certain authors can actually do it right. Some would've made this into a cliché disaster where we actually begin to question who we are ourselves and laugh at the stupidity. I love the feeling that Emily had to art and how passionate she was to succeed and be unique. That was diverse compared to most contemporary-romances, just like The List was when I read it a few years back. How does this woman honestly come up with these ideas?

Emily was a successful character, as was Fiona. Not to be judgmental, but I felt that some romance between them would come up when they met, as the way Emily described Fiona was kind of too-perfect and addictive if you ask me. But in the end, I realized that she was just desperate to find a person like her who understands her love of art, since Meg could never have.

Next off, the plot. That was another tweak that I had a tiny problem with. I guess I can explain to you that this was a very slow book. You'll need some time to get into it though it's pretty short if you ask me. Vivian here has created a protagonist who's trying to speak to readers, to let us know her story so we can fully understand the main concept and point of her decision to go into art and proceed with her talent. I fully respected her but I do wish that since this was a contemporary, for the pace to go faster as even her and her teacher didn't even get to a big jump in their relationship until somehow the end when they... kissed, you guessed it. *rolls eyes*

The funny thing is, Emily's from a small town in New Jersey. You'd never expect her to be so narrow-minded as Meg, her best friend was because she's never been into a city situation or found a hobby in her life where she is able to succeed. Cherry Grove is an awesome place, but I guess that it's not for someone like Emily who dreams big and wants out of everything and to rebel. Hey, you guessed it—she did eventually rebel against her parents because of the influence of Fiona as to change her clothing and her room and do "shadow art." Every teenager goes through that scene and spark in their lives, no? At least, that's how I feel it is, and I've been through that as well so I can understand.

With a story that's very easy to relate to and with a shocking finale to the choices that she made, Emily, our protagonist, was one of the favourites that I've read about in a while. She took a stand, led her talents into something bigger, and Vivian, our author, was truly magnificent with the way she had presented Emily's thoughts into readers' minds and left it there. Though there were some mishaps with the supporting side characters, I can truly say that I'm happy with the way this one ended up, just like her previous novels that I've read. I'll definitely go for more, and we won't need the same difference next.

Top Ten Tuesday #34: Top Books I Recently Added to My TBR List

-Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme created by Broke and Bookish,

where readers can feature bookish lists.-

Top Books I Recently Added to My TBR List

If you're friends with me on Goodreads, then you'll know that I'm constantly on it, adding a million books into my TBR list and reviewing and liking statuses and all of that. I'm a maniac and it's one of my favourite and most-used websites. Here are the most recent ones I added!

1. The Martian by Andy Weir

THIS LOOKS SO GOOD. And I feel that everyone's been talking about it, and well my insides are shaking of happiness and excitement.

2. A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery

MMMM YUMMY. This cover is so beautiful I'm dying on the inside! Avery is a really great author and I'm curious to see how this will end up.

3. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I better sneak this one into my hands at BEA or else I'll literally freak! It's such a unique concept and I've never read anything else like it.

4. After We Collided by Anna Todd

I adored After, and I WANT THIS ONE ASAP. Like really, throw me into a bookstore and this will be the first book I'll look for. ;)

5. Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Road-trip awesomeness. I love road-trip books and this will give me a jump to the summer!

6. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

I've read everything this magnificent author has ever written... except this book. I NEED IT. AGH.

7. 21 Stolen Kisses by Lauren Blakely

S-O-C-U-T-E. MWAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. I want it, I want it, I love it!

8. Resonance by Erica O'Rourke

As you may know, Dissonance was my favourite book of 2014, AND THIS BEAUTY IS COMING OUT! WOOT. Though I wish that it had a nicer cover.

9. Zeroes by Scott Westerfield, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti

Scott Westerfield is awesome. This is going to be astonishing, as always.

10. How to Win at High School by Owen Matthews 

A story about high school... YAY.

What books have you recently added into your TBR list?