Book Review – We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

The prose in this memoir was extremely relatable and laugh-out-loud funny. The reality that sprang from the pages was refreshing. Personally, I like reading memoirs about other people’s awkward dating past. It’s refreshing to see through another person’s eyes that it’s not just you that experience the awkwardest of dates, but also others, too. Everyone has dates that they feel uncomfortable and awkward while on them that send them running in the opposite direction once the date is actually over. I’ve been on my fair share of awkward dates. No fun. But they’re fun to laugh at after the fact, when you’re writing about them in your journal.

What was refreshing about this from the other dating memoir that I’ve read was that Josh actually looked up the girls the had ‘hanged with’ and thought he was dating to get their take on why they had never actually gone past the friend zone. He ended up figuring out that it had been him holding back from making a move despite the girl he was with at any time waiting for him to make the first move. A bit old fashioned. There’s nothing wrong with a girl making the first move, though personally I’m a bit old fashioned myself. Nothing wrong with wanting a guy to pursue you. Except the nice guys are usually painfully shy and awkward at the best of times.

Overall: I rated it 4 stars. The narrative was light and it made for an excellent fast and enjoyable read. I enjoyed it a lot. I was in the mood to read a memoir since it had been a while and this quenched my mind.

Movie Review – Zootopia

Pixar has done it again, and then some. Definitely going up near the top of my all time favorite pixar movies. I even wouldn’t mind going to see it again before it leaves theaters. It’s that good. It has everything for both kids and adults; you don’t have to be a kid to love this film.

The plot was well developed and kept you on the edge of your seat, while the comedy kept you laughing every other scene. Also, the characters were well-rounded, and stood out from the next. The whole predator vs prey kept the plot going until the ironic ending. I don’t want to say anything more, which is why I’m keeping this review as vague as I am, but just go see it. You’ll love it. If you don’t love it, well then there’s something wrong with your sense of humor and taste in films.

It really is a film for hope, dreams, and change for a better and brighter future. It will teach anyone, especially kids, that you should never give up on your dreams no matter what the nay-sayers tell them.

I rate this film at an A+ because it was one of the best pixar films I’ve seen in a while.

March Book Haul | 2016

I’ve accumulated a stack of books in the past couple months that I should share. I won’t include the ebooks I bought because let’s just say there have been quite a few ebook deals that I just couldn’t pass over, especially since I had a b&n gift card to use from Christmas. I like using b&n gift cards on ebook deals because I can get more books out of it. But here are the books I bought.

• Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer – A companion to the mother-daughter duo’s first YA novel. I’m more of a fan of Jodi Picoult’s Adult Literary fiction novels, but the illustrations in the first novel were gorgeous and I’m hoping the illustrations in this companion doesn’t disappoint. I like pretty books. Also, should note that I didn’t buy this book… it was a gift from my #otspsecretsister for this round.
• The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells – Bought the Signet Classic edition half off at Chamberlains Book Mine. I actually haven’t read this one, and I love H. G. Wells, but that’ll be changing.
• The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe – One of my favorite poets and I couldn’t pass up this Signet Classic edition I bought at Chamberlains Book Mine.
• Fools Assassin by Robin Hobb (Book 1 in The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy) – I’ve heard so much good things about this trilogy that I can’t wait to dive in.
• Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris – This was a bargain find at Books-a-Million (I love their bargain section, especially of adult fiction and memoirs, because there are so many bargain priced books, even hardcovers). I already started this one and am loving it.
• Common Threads by S. F. Herrin – A self-published paperback for a Georgia author that my mom bought for me when she went on a train trip with some of her friends recently. I’m usually hesitant to dive into self-published novels because I haven’t had the best of luck at finding well written self-pubs.
• The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling) – The sequel that follows The Cuckoo’s Calling. I’m hoping I enjoy this one more than I did the first, though I did like The Cuckoo’s Calling. It just wasn’t what I was expecting… I’m picky when it comes to detective/mystery novels. I am a bit peeved because I bought the paperback new at Chamberlains Book Mine the day before I saw the hardcover was on sale for $7 in Books-a-Million, but it is what it is, I suppose. *shrugs off disappointment*
• Night Film by Marisha Pessl – Found this gem in the bargain bin at b&n (and it was the hardcover!). I bought this for my sister last year and I’ve been on the look out for when it would land in the bargain section for myself because I love novels written in different formats and this one is written using different forms of mixed media. I just like uniquely written novels.

That’s eight books I’ve bought in the last couple months… I’m embarrassed, yet shameless. I love books and I love adding to my ever-expanding collection. That’s not going to change anytime soon. Though I think I may just focus on reading some of these books before I buy anymore. I say this, but just watch me buy more books. I can’t pass up a good bargain book sale. It’s just impossible. Just like it’s impossible to stay out of a bookstore for longer than a week.

Book Review – In Real Life by Jessica Love

Quick summary: This is about two high school seniors that have been communicating online for the past four years finally meet at a concert in Las Vegas. Secrets and insecurities come out.

Assessment: I didn’t particularly enjoy the story line. I thought it was written in a fast pace, but it read slower than the plot unfolded in. It just seemed very juvenile, more so than young adult nowadays. The characters needed to grow up; they acted more like middle schoolers than high schoolers. I also wasn’t on board with them diving into a real relationship because I felt nothing for them. I just wanted it to end so I would be finished reading it. The characters just weren’t well-rounded enough for me. They didn’t leap from the page.

Overall: I rated this 2.5 stars because I just wasn’t into, but that doesn’t mean other readers won’t enjoy it. I’m just not a fan of YA contemporary. When I read literary fiction, it’s usually adult because I like being able to think about the plot and characters as I read the story. This just didn’t make me think at all. It was all laid out in front of me and I felt let down that I didn’t want to know what was going to happen because I was always a step ahead, predicting what was going to happen. Very predictable, but again a lot of readers like predictability in YA contemporary; it can be very mind-numbing, and there are lots of readers that love that. No shame in that. Everyone has their favorite fictional genre that they read like crack literature. Mine’s psychological thrillers.