Winter

Winter

As the final book in the Lunar Chronicles, I wanted to love this book. Cinder was such a great and engaging opener to the series, but this end book just didn't meet my expectations.

I think what made Winter a miss for me were the 50 million subplots throughout the book, most of which involved a romance of some sort. Every book in the Lunar Chronicles, builds off of the prior book adding a new subplot and a new set characters.

Cinder- Cinder & Prince Kai
Scarlet- Cinder & Prince Kai, Scarlet & Wolf
Cress- Cinder & Prince Kai, Scarlet & Wolf, Cress & Thorne
Winter- Cinder & Prince Kai, Scarlet & Wolf, Cress & Thorne, Winter & Jacin

That's a lot of subplot! It made the story a little jerky to me because every other chapter followed a different group of characters. 

I'm glad that I read it though, because the basis behind the series is so clever. I loved being able to see traditional fairy tales get such a unique twist.

Title: Winter

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 

Published: November 10, 2015

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

The Story of Ferdinand

The Story of Ferdinand

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I grew up performing in musicals and plays and dance recitals, so I will always be a theatre girl at heart. Halloween gives me a reason to dress up...full-out costume.

My dog and boyfriend hate it because I make them dress up too...full-out costume.

This year our family costume was inspired by the children's book The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf.

I first heard about this book when watching The Blind Side, and I had to get a copy for myself.

A bull who loves flowers.
He's sent to a bullfight.
All he wants to do is smell flowers.
The End

The Story of Ferdinand is a simple story with black and white illustrations. There are no special effects, no superheroes, and no crazy villains. A classic story is timeless whether it was written 5 years ago or 50 years ago. It's nice to know that such a story has lasted the test of time. A good children's book doesn't trend, it stays consistently read by each generation.

Title: The Story of Ferdinand

Author: Munro Leaf

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap 

Published: March 31, 2011 (First published January 1, 1936)

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

Señorita and her Matador

Olé!
(Reason #5 to never get rid of your old prom dresses.)

With our little bulls

Ferdinand the bull-dog

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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

Giveaway!

So I (like the rest of the world) read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It's a book all about cleaning out the clutter, and getting rid of objects you never knew were unnecessary. 

Kondo's method for decluttering and tidying up revolves around the question, "Does this bring me joy?" Every item you own should make you happy! This includes all those books that are jammed into your bookshelf, scattered across your desk, and hidden under your bed. 

While tackling my bookcase I realized that I own a lot of books that I never got around to reading, books that I won't read again, or books that I no longer need. As I sorted through my little library, holding each title in my hands, I asked myself, "Does this book bring me joy?" If the answer was no the book was put in the donate pile. 

I chose a few titles from that pile that I think others will like, titles that might bring someone else joy. Take a look at what I'm giving away:

• Creativity Ink
• The Nanny Diaries
• The Interestings
• Handmade Weddings
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Kite Runner
• The Dogist

If you see a title you want here's what you have to do to win it:

1. Find my instagram page @bookfaire
2. Go to the post that has this giveaway image
3. Comment with the title you want to win (only one comment per person)
4. If you are the first to comment, the book is yours!

U.S. residents only for this giveaway. I'm paying for shipping and want to keep this cost efficient (don't worry, there will be other international giveaways). 

Good luck, and Happy Reading!

Sea of Poppies

Sea of Poppies

This book was meant to cover my Reading Resolution to read a book set in a foreign country. A plot surrounding a slave ship being used in the illegal India/Chinese poppy trade sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

I thought so too, until I trudged through 160 pages and then called it quits because I was tired of waiting for the story to start. Every chapter introduced at least three new character, and after 6 chapters of meeting new people, I had a hard time keeping everyone's back stories and motivations straight.

If you enjoy authentic historical fiction, then you will probably enjoy Sea of Poppies. After starting this book I realized that I prefer my historical fiction to be mostly fiction with a touch of history :)

Amitav Ghosh did his homework using authentic "seaman talk" (at least that's what I dubbed it). It's lingo that was so confusing there was a whole chapter at the end of the book just to serve as a dictionary. Normally when foreign language or lingo is incorporated into a novel, you can use context clues to learn the meaning of the word. Not so with this "seaman talk" where whole conversations would go by and I was left thinking, "I hope that wasn't important." While I understand the author's desire to keep the text authentic, when the reader has to flip back and forth from the back of the book to the front of the book just to understand what the dialogue means, it kills the plot flow.

I didn't finish the book, so I don't feel that I have a right to rate it. Other people gave it rave reviews on Goodreads. I suggest you borrow it from the library and see if it's to your reading taste.

Title: Sea of Poppies

Author: Amitav Ghosh

Publisher: Back Bay Books

Published: January 17, 2014

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

Life After Life

Life After Life

How do you pass the time when you're making a 12 hour round-trip drive for work...alone? 

Normally I stock up on Twizzlers and Josh Groban CDs, but this time I decided to try something new. Audio Book!

I checked out Life After Life from my local library, and I have to say it was nice company. I've never listened to a complete audio book before. I prefer the feel of having a book in my hands, to hear the character's voices how I would imagine them, and to read as much or as little as I want. 

Life After Life is the tale of one girl on a journey to get her life right, no matter how many times it takes. Through a form of reincarnation, Ursula repeatedly lives and dies throughout the book. In a game of "Is this the right choice?" Ursula's decisions lead to her drowning, dying of the plague, starving and other extreme circumstances. But as soon as her life is over, the refresh button is hit and she begins it again. What's unique is that when she is reborn, her life is the exact same but she doesn't remember any of it. 

This probably wasn't the best option for my first audio book. Life After Life involves a lot of year jumping, going from past to present and then back to the past which becomes the present. If that sounds confusing, try following it over an audio book :)

Once I got used to the time jumping, I was intrigued by the plot. It's like the choose your own adventure books I read when I was younger. One set of choices could end the story after three pages. You start over at the beginning and try a different set of pages, to find that the story lasts a little longer this time. Can you imagine living life this way? Getting third or fourth or fifteenth chances to live your life the way is was meant to be?

Life After Life shows how even the smallest decisions can have the largest impact in our life and in the course of history. What small decisions will you make today that will shape the rest of your future?

Title: Life After Life 

Author: Kate Atkinson

Publisher: Back Bay Books

Published: January 17, 2014

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

The spring blossoms are pretty amazing right now, so I took some shots and added a few quotes from the book. Feel free to share! 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Not going to lie, what got me to pick up this book wasn't the fact that it was a New York Times #1 Bestseller. It wasn't that the series has creepily unforgettable cover photography. It was the fact that when this book is spine out it says, "YA Riggs" and that makes me ridiculously happy.

When sixteen-year-old Jacob witnesses his grandfather's murder, the creature involved in the death haunts Jacob's dreams and reality. To solve the horror behind the murder, Jacob travels to a mysterious island to uncover the truth. What he finds is Miss Peregrine, her home for peculiar children, and secrets that only time will reveal.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a unique story that ties in real (and really creepy) black-and-white photos with an equally eerie plot. There are monsters, children with supernatural powers, and time travel in every chapter. These topics aren't in my usual reading repertoire, so there were portions of the book that I was tempted to skim over. The photography that is mixed in throughout the book is engaging and so unique, but what really kept me turning the pages was the authorship.

Ransom's writing is b-eautiful!

Ransom has mastered the blending of prose and poetry so well that it didn't matter that the story was supernaturally far-fetched. I won't be reading the rest of the series because the subject matter wasn't my favorite. But I recommend you at least check out and read this first book, so you can 1) see the clever way the book is designed and 2) get a taste of Ransom's beautiful writing. 

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books

Published: 4/6/2013 

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

My Reading Resolution–2016 Edition

Here is one resolution I know I can keep...a reading resolution. 

A lot of readers like to set a goal of how many books they will read during the year: 50, 85, 101. I'm past the stage where I can stay up until two in the morning reading, so time constraints would make my reading goals seem weak sauce to you night owls. 

Instead, 2016 will be a year of branching out. YA fiction is my go-to, but there are so many other books out there that are worth exploring, I just need to give myself a push. This "To Read 2016" resolution list is to help keep me well-read. 

Feel free to join in, or make a list for yourself!