The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers

The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers

When you use the word "exquisite" in your title, you're setting the bar for your book pretty high. The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers delivered!!!! Not only are the flowers exquisite, but the instructions are clear and easy-to-follow and there are templates for each project in the back of the book. Let's just say that thanks to this book, paper flowers are officially my new favorite hobby. 

I first found paper flower crafts on Pinterest (surprise, surprise). While the step-by-step photo instructions seemed clear, my flowers never turned out like the ones in the Pinterest pictures (surprise, surprise). I looked at a few paper flower books and after flipping through their pages at Barnes & Noble decided that The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers looked like I was getting the most bang for my buck.

You can see from the pictures on this post that, while I am not going to be opening an Etsy paper flower shop anytime soon, the flowers actually look like flowers! There are 27 different types of flowers featured in the book. Each one comes with a template, a list of materials needed, step-by-step instructions, photos, and tips so that you can learn how to make poppies, roses, and sweat peas (to name a few). 

I can't say enough good things about this book! Instead, head over to my Instagram account @bookfaire to win a copy for yourself!

Title: The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers 

Author: Livia Cetti

Publisher: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang

Published: April 8, 2014

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble
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This Is Where It Ends

This Is Where It Ends

A quiet rural town is getting back into routine on the first day of school. The students and teachers are gathered together in the auditorium for the principal's annual "Welcome Back" pep talk. Everything is normal, until the assembly ends and the teachers realizes that all the auditorium doors are locked from the outside.

There's a shooter in the room, and this first day of school will tear the town apart. 

I have never read a school shooting novel before. I like to read to escape real life, and unfortunately violence, hate, and bullying in schools are all over the news and social media sites. For some reason though, I picked up this book and decided to read it. It was a good choice!

This Is Where It Ends is written from four different character perspectives (with a few special sections interspersed throughout). Jumping from view point to view point normally makes the story too jerky and disjointed for my liking, but Marieke did a wonderful job of keeping her timeline in order. In fact, the timeline was one of the things I thought was brilliant. 

The entire span of the book only takes place in one hour. Each chapter is broken up by different time increments (i.e. 10:32-10:35 A.M.), so you're reading in real time. The different narrators are located in various places: inside the auditorium, outside the auditorium, outside the school, so you're able to get a full spectrum of what's going on. Brilliant. 

The plot is violent (it's all about a school shooting), and every single character feels misunderstood (typical teenager). Despite the heavy subject matter, it didn't weigh down the flow of the story too much. Marieke did a good job of balancing dark backstories with hope and determination. 

While this book isn't a new favorite that I'll reread over and over again, I am glad that I gave it a chance. It reminded me that I need to be part of the good in the world. It doesn't take much to be kind, but it can make the biggest difference in the life of someone I'm kind to.  

Title: This Is Where It Ends

Author: Marieke Nijkamp

Publisher: Sourcebooks 

Published: January 5, 2016

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

The Night Circus

The Night Circus

What a magical cover for a magical book! Seriously, I know they say don't judge a book by its cover, but how could you not pick up this book?

The Night Circus is beautifully written with an air of old world mystery. The two main characters, Celia and Marco, are used as pawns in a game to see which magician is stronger. Their chess board is a traveling circus where every night they must create a new object or tent full of magic that's meant to astound and mystify.

Yes, there is a love story between the Celia and Marco, but it was their magic that kept me drawn to the book. Every night I wanted to see what the new tent would hold. And every night I was not disappointed. The Night Circus creates a world that I so badly want to be a part of. I would do anything to be able to visit Le Cirque des Rêves. The setting of the book is a huge win for me because it is so unique. Circuses are generally thought of as playful with bright colors, but this one takes it to the next level as something powerful filled only with the colors of black and white. A sophisticated circus with a hint of danger...isn't it delicious?

This book is full of mystery...A circus that only opens at night. A cast all dressed in black and white. Two magicians locked in a deadly game. These are the ingredients for a memorable book, but add in beautiful writing, and you have a 5-star book!

Don't forget, all 5-star books are available for giveaway. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter!

Title: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Publisher: Anchor Books

Published: July 3, 2012

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

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RULES OF GIVEAWAY:

1. Must be 18 years or older to enter (or have parental consent as I'll need your address)

2. Must live in a country where the Book Depository ships to (Do they ship to my country?)

3. Must love books

Shelf to Shelf

I've been told by multiple people that when it comes to books I am an extremely critical reader. I nitpick the details and am known to shoot down New York Times bestsellers because the author can't write worth a crap but somehow everyone thinks the book is genius.

What can I say? 

I think it has to do with the fact that my reading time is very valuable to me. I don't get a lot of downtime to read, so when I do pick up a book, I expect it to be worthwhile. 

Yes, I am a harsh critic, but to every con there is a pro. When I feel a book deserves praise, I sing it from the mountain tops. I'll recommend the book to friends and strangers alike, buy copies to give away as gifts, and of course write about it here on the blog. 

Because a 5 star book is hard to find (in my opinion), I've decided to take it one step further and do a #shelfshare link on every book from here on out that gets a 5 star rating on The Book Faire. Books are pricey, and I know that all bookworms hate choosing between that book sale and buying milk (for Captain Crunch Berries). To help out I want to share the books that I think are worth the milk money. 

When a book gets a 5 star rating, I will host a giveaway. Here are the rules for entering:

1. Must be 18 years or older to enter (or have parental consent as I'll need your address)

2. Must live in a country where the Book Depository ships to (Do they ship to my country?)

3. Must love books

That's it! Three requirements, and no limitations on how many entries you can submit per day (or per hour, or per minute...although that would be a bit obsessive of you.)

The number of books I'll giveaway will depend on the cost of the book.

I hope that this allows a few extra readers to get their hands on a book that I think is a worthwhile read!