Quote of the Day

"The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need."

 Robertson Davies 

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/reading_5.html#J1BJOVV7uaqGAzem.99

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/reading_5.html#J1BJOVV7uaqGAzem.99

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/reading_5.html#J1BJOVV7uaqGAzem.99

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/reading_5.html#J1BJOVV7uaqGAzem.99

The great book for you is the book that has the most to say to you at the moment when you are reading. I do not mean the book that is most instructive, but the book that feeds your spirit. And that depends on your age, your experience, your psychological and spiritual need.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/reading_5.html#J1BJOVV7uaqGAzem.99

Sapphire Blue (Ruby Red #2)

Goodreads Summary 

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

 At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

My Thoughts
I loved this just as much as the first. I usually find giant novels too long, but I think this trilogy might have been better as one book. This way some of the repetitive narrative that sequels tend to have could have been eliminated.

Nonetheless.

This book takes off where the last one left off. Poor Gwyneth is confused as to who she can trust, but continues to have strong feeling towards the gorgeous Gideon. I fear if I say too much I will give too much away, but I will say that I trust Gideon despite Gwen's aunt Maddy's curious vision. That was a mouthfull.

***Spoiler if you haven't read Ruby Red*** This book starts after Gwen and Gideon's first and then Gwen is quickly introduced to a new friend. Xemerius quickly becomes one of my favourite characters! He speaks his mind and does so in a fearless way. Plus the fact that no one else can see or hear him leads to a lot of humorous moments.

If you enjoyed the first boon then I believe you will enjoy the second. 

Quote of the Day

"From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it."

Groucho Marx

Ruby Red (Ruby Red #1)

Goodreads Summary
Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

 My Thoughts

I adored this book. Gwyneth is an average 16 year old with a weird family who is suddenly thrown into a different time. She does what a typical teenager would do in that situation...she went to her best friend for advice. I loved that about her! It's so often that main characters just keep everything in that I was excited when she told her friend about her new life. Was Gwyneth the strongest female character I have read about? No, but I think she fared well all things considering. She is your average teenager and I think that's what I liked most about her.  

Without giving too much away, Gwyneth quickly realizes that she doesn't know who to trust. She is given so much information in such a small period of time and she isn't sure what to do. She relies solely on her instincts. Can she trust her family? Can she trust these new people in her life? Can she trust Gideon? Why is she different? We still don't know, but I can't wait to find out.

I liked this book so much that I wished it was longer. It's not a small book, but I felt like more could have happened in it. That is why I gave it only 4 hearts. I felt like the author knew that they wanted to make sequels, so they intentionally left us wanting more. That isn't always a good thing. I hope the second books gives us more answers than questions.

The Night Circus

Goodreads Summary
 The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

 But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

What did I think?

This book came highly recommended and I was so excited to dive right in. The plot of this story was so good!  The circus is the backdrop of this magic challenge that takes the characters on a crazy ride. Celia has to deal with her difficult father, Marco has the man in the grey suit who is illusive at best, and the circus performers have their own charm and challenges.

I loved the characters. Widget and Poppet were the adorable twins born the day the circus was opened. They brought a whimsical and charming aspect to the story.  Meanwhile the love story between Celia and Marco was sweet and heartbreaking.  Sometimes I had a difficult time understanding which character was which and that confusion frustrated me a little.

In the end I thought the book was really good.

Quote of the Day

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." 

Francis Bacon

Quote of the Day

"Don't ever apologize to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library). Don't apologize to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to me is that people read the books and enjoy them, and that, at some point in there, the book was bought by someone. And that people who like things, tell other people. The most important thing is that people read... "

-Neil Gaiman

 

Quote of the Day

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

-Groucho Marx

Quote of the Day

"Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness."

-Helen Keller

The History of Us

Goodreads summary

In The History of Us, the newest novel by the celebrated author of The Myth of You and Me, three grown 

siblings return to their childhood home and face a family secret that forces them to reexamine their relationships to each other—and to the aunt who took them in as children.

Eloise Hempel is on her way to teach a class at Harvard when she receives devastating news. Her sister and her husband have been killed in a tragic accident, and Eloise must return home to Cincinnati to take her sister’s three children, Theodora, Josh, and Claire, out of the hands of her own incapable mother. She moves back into her mother’s ancient house and, after her mother leaves, pours her own money into its upkeep.

Nearly two decades later, Eloise is still in that house, still thinking about what she left behind. With Claire leaving for New York City for a promising ballet career, Eloise has plans to finally embark on a life that’s hers alone. But when her mother makes a competition out of who inherits the house, and Claire reveals a life-changing secret, their makeshift family begins to fall apart.

A “perceptive writer with a keen grasp of contemporary culture and domestic life” (Booklist), Leah Stewart creates a deeply moving story of love, loss, sibling relationships, and the paths not taken.

Here's what I have to say
This became boring after 30 pages. The prologue was good and then it was just a middle aged woman whining about an old house. I'm sorry, but I am abandoning this one.

That's my problem with adult books in general...they tend to be boring. "Young adult" books are entertaining. They have intrigue and all the great things you want in a book. I hate the term "young adult books" because it makes it seem like only teenagers could enjoy them. I am sure I will attempt another adult book, but it will not be this one and it will not be today.

The Lovely Bones

Goodreads Summary
The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder -- a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family's need for peace and closure.

The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

Sebold creates a heaven that's calm and comforting, a place whose residents can have whatever they enjoyed when they were alive -- and then some. But Susie isn't ready to release her hold on life just yet, and she intensely watches her family and friends as they struggle to cope with a reality in which she is no longer a part. To her great credit, Sebold has shaped one of the most loving and sympathetic fathers in contemporary literature.

Here's what I thought
This is a gut wrenching story about a young girl who is raped and then murdered at the hands of a neighbour. It follows the events after her death through her eyes as she watches her family struggle to survive.  We see how the death of a young girl impacted not only her family, but her neighbours, her peers, and surprisingly the victim herself.

It's not often that I read a book that I feel could change people. This is definitely one of those rare books.

Books to read in 2014

 This is basically my Booket List which is an idea that came from TheReadables over on youtube. It's basically a list of books that I want to read in the year 2014. I will be adding to it as time goes on and probably deleting from it if a a book disinterests me.

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan
This book does not have a cover or a release date (according to Goodreads) quite yet.

Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Breakable by Tammara Webber

Be With Me by J. Lynn

Crash and Burn by Michael Hussan

Everybody See the Ants  by A.S. King

Unsouled by Neal Shusterman

Undivided by Neal Shusterman

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The One by Kiera Cass

On The Fence by Kasie West

Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Don't Close Your Eyes: Wake, Fade, Gone (Dream Catcher series) 

 The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

The images all came from Goodreads except for the Four stories with came from the Divergent facebook page.

My New Book Blog

Hi I'm Renee and I'm a book addict. The process has been a slow one, but over the last two years I have read over 200 books and I can't seem to stop. This blog will basically be the books I am reading, my thoughts on them, and books I plan to read in the future. I am more confident in print than in video so here we go.