I have been seeing this all over Bookstagram for months! Anyways, I took this picture awhile ago and I was scrolling through my photos and decoded now is a great time to post this.
Pinky: (A book I promise to read) “The Priory of the Orange Tree” this book has been on my shelf for months and I look at it longingly but then I pick it up and before I can even read it the size of this book makes me put it back on the shelf. I promise I will read you one day…but that day is not today!
Ring Finger: (A Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend) “The Love Hypothesis” I really love Olive and Adams relationship and I just think from all the book boyfriends I have read about I think I like him the most.
Middle Finger: (A book I hate) “Anxious People” ugh I hated this book! So boring! I have it one star… I have no clue why its still on my shelf
Index Finger: (A book I recommend) “One Last Stop” I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who will listen! One if my most favorite books ever! If you haven’t read it read it now!
Thumb: (A book I like) “It Ends With Us” I love this book so much I git a tattoo for it! I really related to this book and so if will hold a place in my heart forever!
QOTD: Have you read any of these books? Do you agree with any of my picks?
I am a long time fan of the TV show “Gilmore Girls”. This is actually one of me and my boyfriends favorite shows! I love all the characters and I feel like it is a show you can just sit back and just laugh and forget about your day to. I am not someone who typically reads non fiction and memoirs but when I saw that this book existed I had no choice but to grab a copy and dive in!
“Because here’s the thing: I was fine on my own, and so are you. But it can be hard when you feel ready for Happy Couplehood and you seem to have missed the train.”
Direct quote from the book
About The Book
Author: Lauren Graham
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published Date: November 29th, 2016
Page Count: 224 Pages
Main Genres: Non-Fiction, Autobiography, Memoir
GoodReads Rating: 3.95
“To me, Lorelai was equal parts Gal About Town and The Mom, plus a magical mix of smarts and humor that made her totally unique.”
Direct quote from the book
Synopsis
Lauren Graham is everything you expect her to be and more. In this memoir she breaks down her life from where she lived when she was little to her struggle to break into the world of acting all the way to the end where she is asked back for “Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life”. Unlike most memoirs I can guarantee you will be laughing and crying from the turn of a page!
“An important tool against self-doubt is just to ignore it. Forge ahead anyway. Just keep going, keep going, keep going.”
Direct quote from the book
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
“You know how before a party you clean up your house so that everyone thinks you live that way all the time? That’s meeting someone at an awards show.”
Direct quote from the book
Review
All I can say is that Lauren Graham is so much like Lorelai it is uncanny! You can tell that in real life she talks just as fast as she does on the show! The writing in the book was pretty fast paced just as you would have imagined.
I loved everything about this book. Especially reading what it took to get into acting and becoming the star she is now. I remember one part where she was asked to show her naked butt in a scene and she talked about how in that moment she had to decide what kind of actor she wanted to be. She could get her first big break by doing this part but is that how she really wanted to get into show business? In the end she chose to decline the part and she thanked herself later on in life. I love that even when she was about to excel in her career she wasn’t willing to damage her values.
Another part that really stood out to me was at the end of the book and I really don’t want to give too much away here but there is a part where she explains this person inside her that she calls Mrs. Jackson, she is the one who is always putting other best interest at heart such as do you really want that tattoo? Maybe think about it for a year and if you still like the idea get it then. She liked being able to say oh no that was just Mrs. Jackson talking you do whatever your heart decides.
Overall this was a book you did not want to miss and it really did talk a lot about her time on the “Gilmore Girls” set and what it was like knowing each actor and some of her favorite and even least favorite scenes. It was fun to get a background look into what it took to make the show come to life! I think if you like “Gilmore Girls” you should really read this one!
“Because who wants to Fast Forward anyway? You might miss some of the good parts.”
Direct quote from the book
QOTD: If you have seen “Gilmore Girls” who is your favorite character?
This book has been listed as a banned book based on vulgar language and police brutality. It was banned in schools and when it did come back kids were required to have a permission slip signed by their parents in order to check it out from the school libraries.
I had recently joined a banned book club where we read a banned book every month and this book was picked for April and I was really excited to see why parents and school leaders were so against this book. Continue reading to see my thoughts.
“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
Direct quote from the book
About The Book
Author: Angie Thomas
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published Date: February 28th, 2017
Page Count: 454 Pages
Main Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary
GoodReads Rating: 4.50
“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.”
Direct quote from book
Synopsis
Starr is a sixteen year old girl that lives in a poor neighborhood but attends school in the suburbs. Living two separate lives proves to be a big challenge but only gets worse when she witnesses her childhood friend get shot and killed by a police officer. Being the only witness to the murder, it quickly becomes Starr’s word against the officer’s.
The officer thought Kahlil had a gun: he didn’t. People believe Kahlil is a drug dealer: he had nothing on him. The officer thought Starr was a threat and kept his gun on her: she was compliant.
It is up to Starr to break the misconceptions and bring justice to her friend.
“People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time though, that one time when it ends right.”
Direct quote from the book
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
“Don’t let them put words in your mouth. God gave you a brain. You don’t need theirs.”
Direct quote from the book
Review
I knew this book was going to deep dive into the Black Lives Matter movement and I knew it was going to be an emotional and tough read; I wasn’t wrong.
My heart broke every other chapter in this book and I quickly fell in love with Starr’s brave character. I have no clue how she was strong enough to stand up for not only herself, but her friend who could no longer speak for himself. I am not sure I personally could have recovered from something this traumatic and gone on to find the same courage Starr did. I will forever remember this book and the strength real people find when coming face to face with these tragic and horrific events.
I truly believe that this is a book everyone needs to read at some point in their life. I personally can’t see why it was a banned book, but because it was banned it brought awareness to Starr’s story; a story that needs to be heard! This book really brings awareness to an issue that sadly is far too common these days and one that more people need to be educated on. It will break your heart but I promise that you won’t regret the time spent reading this amazing story.
“Your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be the roses that grow in the concrete.”
I went to Target on Sunday just to grab some essential household items and of course I stopped in the book section because they have an amazing selection. Well, you guessed it, I found a book that’s cover was too beautiful to pass up and walked out with more than what I came for. How can you say no to a cover that looks like this? Did I even bother to read the back of the book? The answer is no you can’t pass up a beautiful book cover and no of course I didn’t read the back of the book!
“The world’s like that. What matters in one moment, it doesn’t matter the next. Things that fall apart eventually come back together again. Everything passes. You can be sure of that.”
Direct Quote From The Book
About The Book
Author: Marissa Stapley
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published Date: December 7th, 2021
Page Count: 232 Pages
Main Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller
GoodReads Rating: 3.70
“No problem. People deserve second chances. And third chances. All people do is make mistakes. If we never forgave, we’d all be alone.”
Direct Quote From The Book
Synopsis
Lucky has lived a life on the run. Having a con-artist as a father, Lucky never got to experience an ordinary life, just one of crime and fake Identities. All Lucky ever wanted was a shot at some normalcy: a house, a stable job, some kids and a dog. She thought she would finally get this life when she and her boyfriend decide to settle down in Idaho. But when one last con goes horribly wrong, Lucky is found all alone and forced to stay hidden from the cops with a multi-million winning lottery ticket tucked away in her wallet. Her whole life could change, but is it worth cashing in the lottery ticket just to get caught by the cops? Or should she continue to stay on the run?
“The world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.”
Direct Quote From The Book
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
“The lottery is the greatest con of all time, kiddo. Proves our government is just like us, tricking people into thinking any dream can come true.”
Direct Quote From The Book
Review
This cover… Just wow!
I new the moment I saw this book, sitting on the shelf at Target, that it was going to be coming home with me. Little did I know that it would quickly rise to one of my top ten all time favorite books!
I had no clue what I was getting into when I sat down to read this one but man oh man am I so happy that I didn’t waste anytime to dive into it! I was first pulled in by the cover but quickly fell in love with Lucky and her hunger to get a grasp onto a normal life.
I will be honest, In the beginning I had an idea of where this book would end up going but this book had me guessing on ever page! This made it so hard to put down the book, I needed to know what was going to happen to Lucky and if in the end she would end up being ok!
This book swaps perspective from present day to back when she was growing up and in the end the two timelines catch up and have you basically in tears from the life this girl has had to live through. Living on the run your whole life and making no meaningful connections with anyone has to be miserable! Also the fact that you never truly had a secure home to live in, wow this girl is one tough cookie!
I highly recommend this book to everyone! You don’t have to just by it for the pretty cover, I promise you this book will leave a mark in your sole and you will fall in love with it just as I have.
QOTD: What would you do with a winning lottery ticket?
I received this book directly from the author in exchange for an honest book review. When I was asked to read this book I immediately went and read other reviews to get a better idea of what I would be getting into and ultimately those reviews made me say yes to reading this book for the author! This shows the power of book reviews! Please make sure you are leaving book reviews on every place possible to help get word out for these authors. They deserve our support for their hard work.
About The Book
Author: Lana Grace Riva
Publisher: Self Published
Published Date: August 2nd, 2019
Page Count: 247 Pages
Main Genres: Mental Health, Fiction, Contemporary
GoodReads Rating: 3.91
Synopsis
Amy lives no ordinary life but this isn’t by choice. She is burdened with a really bad case of OCD and Depression that makes every day tasks nearly impossible. Amy has been missing out on many social situations because her disabilities hold her back. This causes stress between her relationships and it only gets worse because she doesn’t think her friends will understand where she is coming from or why she is always flaking out on plans. But when the opportunity to travel to Australia for work arises she takes ahold of her life and makes the trip. Can this trip help break some barriers or will they only make situations worse?
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Review
I really appreciate the topics that this book discussed. OCD and Depression were mentioned in such a raw emotional way that really grabbed my attention.
I haven’t read a book that focused on OCD before and it was really interesting to learn a bit more about how the people suffering with OCD feel.
I thought the writing really put you in the shoes of the main character and I felt what she was feeling at certain times. Towards the ending I was almost in tears because of the journey Amy went through over the course of the book.
I am very happy I got the chance to read this book. It was extremally eye opening and also set outside of America and I don’t have the chance to read very many books like this. The reason why I didn’t give this book full marks is because like with most self published books their were some grammar errors but to be honest it wasn’t all that noticeable and I also think some of it could just because I am used to American English and not proper English. Over all I highly recommend this book and I hope you will all add it to your TBR lists!
Get your copy today! This is on sale, for free, on Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post or for about 12$ for a paperback copy.
I was really motivated at the beginning of March to read because I had just came off of a three week reading slump. I only read three books but I typically read between 3-5 a month so that isn’t too bad. Lets see what I rated these books.
March Books
“The Ex Talk” By Rachel Lynn Solomon
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Shay was raised to be a radio host, her dad said she always had a face for radio. After college she got a job as a producer at the local radio station in hopes to one day get to host her own show. However, she was always afraid her voice wasn’t something people would want to listen too.
After ten years a new hotshot journalist winds up finding himself on the air telling a political story only after a few months of being in the station. Animosity grows between the two over time. But when the station is at risk of going under they fight to keep their jobs by offering to host a hit new show called “The Ex Talk”.
They are suddenly forced to work hand in hand as co hosts who supposedly used to date and now are somehow qualified to give out relationship advice. Can they keep the peace and make their listeners believe they had previously dated or will all the charades come crumbling apart?
Chloe Davis is the daughter of a known serial killer who kidnapped and murdered 6 teenage girls and left his family to deal with the aftermath of his decisions.
Fast forward 20 years and Chloe is now a psychologist in a happy relationship finally getting a grasp on her new life in Baton Rouge. But when two teenage girls go missing there are too many coincidences to ignore. How could her farther be murdering these girls when he is behind bars? There is only one answer, it must be a copycat killer. Chloe then takes things into her own hands to help any future girls from becoming the next victim. Can Chloe find the copycat killer before he gets ahold of another girl?
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” By J.K. Rowling
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I don’t think this one needed a synopsis or even a full review so I will just leave you my thoughts here.
I felt like this book was a really slow read for me and that is only because I had recently seen the movie and so I just didn’t vibe with all the scenes. I did however really like all the stuff about S.P.E.W and also anything that wasn’t in the movie. These things made the book worth the read!
Favorite Quotes
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster. If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
From “A Flicker in the Dark”
“But maybe that’s what we all are—halfway-broken people searching for things that will smooth our jagged edges.”
From “The EX Talk”
“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
From “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
QOTD: Have you read any of these? What did you rate them?
World of Bai 