Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz- Review

Posted June 9, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 9 Comments

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz My rating: 3.5/5 Stars Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 2012) Length: 359 pgs Format: Paperback, purchased from Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And […]

Sunday Funday: Week in Review [3]

Posted June 8, 2014 in Sunday Funday, Weekly Features/Memes / 3 Comments

Sunday Funday is a weekly(ish) post I’ve started to recap the bookish (and sometimes not-so-bookish) happenings in my life the past week! Feel free to participate, just link back! June 2-June 8, 2014 This week has really brought with it the summer weather, with temperatures being 100+ all weekend. I’ve been trying to take advantage of my local pool to get some reading/tanning done simultaneously (which generally ends up with me glaring at small children who jump into the pool at a proximity which threatens to splash my books). This was my last week of settling in for the summer […]

The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis- Mini Review

Posted June 4, 2014 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 1 Comment

The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis My Rating: 5/5 Stars Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 2013) Length: 274 pgs Format: Hardcover, purchased from Target Synopsis: The Shadownhunter’s Codex is a companion text to The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series written by Cassandra Clare and set in the fantasy universe of the Shadowhunters’. The Codex itself is referenced in these series as the guide by which all Shadowhunters must abide by, containing the rules and regulations as written by the Clave. Throughout the book, notations made by primary characters Clary Fairchild, Jace Herondale/Wayland/Lightwood, and Simon Lewis. My […]

Top Ten Books That WILL Be in My Beach Bag This Summer

Posted June 2, 2014 in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 25 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic was “Top Ten Books That Will Be in My Beach Bag This Summer,” and I realized that the list quickly ended up being a round up of my most anticipated books sitting on my TBR list! Too bad I only own four of these titles as of now- the rest may be tricky to get my hands on via the library! (Let’s be honest, one reason I’ve always had a summer job is to buy books!) My list is in […]

Maleficent Thoughts: The Queen of Disney Villains Reclaims Her Throne

Posted June 1, 2014 in Fairy Tales, Film Reviews / 2 Comments

Being the huge Disney fanatic that I am, I made it a point to see Maleficent in theaters this weekend the day after it opened. While the movie wasn’t quite what I was expecting, Disney made a really interesting interpretation of their animated film released almost sixty years ago. Maleficent remains the most glamorous member in the Disney villain arsenal. The Film: (DISCLAIMER: I’m attempting to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but if you don’t want any overarching plot points ruined, skip this section) The film was a really interesting interpretation of Disney’s 1959 film Sleeping Beauty, and fleshed […]

The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard- ARC Review

Posted May 29, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard My rating: 1/5 Stars Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 2014) Length: 320 pgs Format: E-book, courtesy of NetGalley Goodreads Synopsis: Ruby Jewell knows flowers. In her twenty years as a florist she has stood behind the counter at the Flower Shoppe with her faithful dog, Clementine, resting at her feet. A customer can walk in, and with just a glance or a few words, Ruby can throw together the perfect arrangement for any occasion. Whether intended to rekindle a romance, mark a celebration, offer sympathy, or heal a broken heart, her expressive floral […]

Sunday Funday: Week in Review [2]

Posted May 26, 2014 in Sunday Funday, Weekly Features/Memes / 3 Comments

Sunday Funday is a weekly(ish) post I’ve started to recap the bookish (and sometimes not-so-bookish) happenings in my life the past week! Feel free to participate, just link back! (I know it’s technically Monday today, but this week has been crazy!) Graduation! I did it! I graduated with a double-major B.A. and now am facing the vast world of opportunities that post-grad life has to offer. Moving Along with graduation I’ve moved several hours away from where I’ve been going to school the past four years to start post-grad life, so I’ve been behind on my reading and posting. I’d […]

Top Ten Books that Taught Me About Friendship

Posted May 20, 2014 in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the wonderful blog The Broke and The Bookish! This week’s topic is “Top Ten Books About Friendship” and I decided to break my list down into books that taught me about friendship throughout the various stages of growing up. Early Childhood: 1) Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans- Madeline teaches class, tenacity, and most of all how to make and keep friends, whether it be her classmates or Pepito the bad hat next door, and does it all with poise and grace. 2) Corduroy by Don Freeman- Because was there ever such […]

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson- Review

Posted May 15, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 5 Comments

I’ve heard so much about Matson over the past few weeks due to her upcoming release of Since You’ve Been Gone, so I was determined to get my hands on one of her books and try out her contemporary style myself! And I was pleasantly surprised, because not only was the book charming, but it’s the best road trip book I’ve ever read. Matson does an incredible job making you really feel like you’re on the road with Amy and Roger, and gives incredible purpose to each stop they make, whether it’s Yosemite or a tiny gas station on highway […]

Discussion: Buy Vs. Borrow

Posted May 13, 2014 in Discussions / 8 Comments

As most voracious readers and book bloggers probably encounter, I’ve recently had to put a lot of thought into how to budget for books the past few years. As much as I’d love to purchase every book on my TBR list, the reality is that textbooks have had to come first for the last few years, and I honestly am starting to run out of room for storage and display of my beloved books despite several book purges over the past few months. So my fellow readers, how do you deal with this dilemma? I’ve definitely been utilizing my local […]