Tag Archives: author

Monday Memos: Book Review of ‘The Book That Made Me’ anthology

Home | Book Reviews | Monday Memos: Book Review of ‘The Book That Made Me’ anthology

Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to review a really cool anthology which was provided by Candlewick Press, and was released on September 1, 2016. This book features authors from/living in New Zealand & Australia, & as the name suggests, consists of short essays that explain what book had a profound effect on the author’s writing and/or life. I’m sure a lot of you have wanted to write a book like this, detailing all the things that shaped you into the book lover you are today. It might not be impossible to publish a book like this if you spend enough time and love on it. You could start looking at amazon self publishing options and find your dream quickly becoming a reality. Book lovers always talk about what books they would love to write and the style they will use so why not go for it? Anyway, As always this review will be spoiler free & completely honest, also this is the 1st time we’re reviewing a non-fiction book so let’s see how it went. Ready? Ok, let’s go!

Usually I would give a quick plot summary here but we can’t really do that this time because the whole book is essays following a similar theme so we’re going to skip straight to the review. Personally I knew that I would enjoy this book because I’m a giant book nerd & this collection is about other giant book nerds talking about books however, I also know that this book won’t necessarily be for everyone. In this anthology you’ll find stories about author’s who recount how a book changed their perception of themselves or where they came from, inspired them to become an author through the book’s ability to entrance them, or inspired them to become an author because they didn’t like the book in question. If you think that this is the sort of anthology you’d enjoy reading then this collection has some really interesting stories for you. Now you’re probably wondering what I thought. Well although I did enjoy this book, I honestly had to give it a 3 out of 5 smiley faces because some of the stories were more interesting than others. I’m glad that I read this book, but because of the fact that every story isn’t totally gripping I can’t really give it a higher rating.

 

 

  • All photos and information in this blog post belong to Candlewick Press, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Mal Peet, Shaun Tan, Markus Zusak, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Alison Croggon, Ursula Dubosarsky, Simon French, Jaclyn Moriarty, all of the other authors who contributed to this book, and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.

January 15, 2019 No Comments on Monday Memos: Book Review of ‘The Book That Made Me’ anthology. Category: Book Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

YouTube Wednesday: Merphy Napier…the BookTuber you need to subscribe to NOW!!!

Home | YouTube Wednesday | YouTube Wednesday: Merphy Napier…the BookTuber you need to subscribe to NOW!!!

Hello people of the internet!!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to talk about an amazing new Booktuber that every book lover will be ADDICTED to!!! For about a year I’ve been watching a Booktuber named Merphy Napier, and during this time I’ve noticed that her channel has become better and better the longer I’ve watched it. Merphy has a natural ease in front of the camera, which allows the viewer to feel as if they’re having a discussion with one of their friends also, her video content is very diverse and interesting which allows her viewers to know that they won’t ever feel bored watching her channel. I know that Merphy will quickly become a very popular Booktuber, so I thought that now was a perfect time to discuss what her channel has to offer so that you can subscribe to her today. Also she is a self-published author so make sure you support her by checking out her debut book ‘Perfection’ on her website here: https://www.merphynapier.com/menu/. So now let’s get into the fun part of this post, talking about the videos. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!

 

The first video that we’re going to talk about is Merphy’s ‘DISCUSSION: How Many Books Is Enough?’ video, which was uploaded on November 12, 2016. This is a very interesting video that quickly discusses the topic of competition in the BookTube community. Many people have posed the question of whether or not our need to read as many books as possible in a month is a consequence of book tracking websites such as Goodreads, or even BookTube itself. This expands into other questions such as: ‘Should you only read what’s new and popular in order to stay relevant in the community (which goes into another topic about buying new releases as soon as they come out)?’, and ‘Are you allowed to DNF (not finish) a book if you aren’t enjoying it?’. Honestly this is a very complicated and interesting topic that still floats around the BookTube community today. I think Merphy does an amazing job of discussing her point of view on this topic, which is basically that reading shouldn’t be a competition, it should be fun. The next video we’re going to discuss is her ‘Top Five Wednesdays: Unlikable Protagonists’ video, which was uploaded on June 20, 2017 (you can check out the video below). I found this to be a very fun video to watch because as much as we love gushing about our fav protagonists, we also love complaining about protagonists that we consider unlikable (I’m looking at you Bella Swan!). In this video Merphy discusses several popular Young Adult protagonists that are considered unlikable, and gives her opinions about why they may not be as bad as everyone thinks. It’s a very fun video to watch and a must see for all fans of the Young Adult genre.

Next up we have Merphy’s ‘Books I Never Should Have Read’ video, which was uploaded on September 7, 2017. I really love the topic of this video because at first you think it’s going to be a rant video about her least favorite books, but in reality it’s a video about how incorrect marketing can cause a book to suffer. In this video Merphy explains that if a book is not marketed to the correct audience then this can result in low-ratings, bad reviews, and the author being branded a “bad writer”. This video is a perfect example of how Merphy can take a serious topic and not only perfectly explain her point of view on the topic, but do so in a way that’s interesting and engaging to the viewer. The final video we’re going to discuss is her ‘Diverse Book Recommendations’ video, which was uploaded on May 19, 2018 (you can check out this video below). This has to be one of my personal all time favorite Merphy videos, because it discusses a very important topic not just in literature, but in media in general. Although we have seen a rise in books/movies/TV shows with diverse characters and situations, there is always room for even more diversity. In her video Merphy discusses underrated books that deal with: Physical Diversity, Racial Diversity, and Sexual Diversity. These books range from LGBTQ+ topics, to blind and deaf representation, and so much more. It is very exciting to see more Booktubers discussing diverse books/authors that aren’t always on the forefront of everyone’s minds, because this way you get to see a much wider range of experiences/perspectives which is what makes reading so amazing, and why we keep coming back story after story.

 

Keep up with everything Merphy is doing:

 

  • All photos and information used in this blog belong to Merphy Napier, YouTube, Goodreads, Twilight, Stephanie Meyer, Little, Brown, and Company, Twitter, Instagram, www.merphynapier.com, and all other original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended

 

June 27, 2018 No Comments on YouTube Wednesday: Merphy Napier…the BookTuber you need to subscribe to NOW!!!. Category: YouTube Wednesday. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Monday Memos: ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ Book Review

Home | Book Reviews | Monday Memos: ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ Book Review
“Again
Once I whittle that number on the scale down
Which wont be hard since I haven’t been hungry lately
It won’t be hard now that I have a goal
Smaller
Lighter
Leaner
In the saddle
It won’t be hard
Because I’m willing to do whatever
It takes
To win.” -Rae from ‘The Sky Between You and Me’
 
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to review a new book that you should definitely add to your Goodreads reading challenge (yeah, yeah, I know that your TBR is already insane, but this book is worth the room. Trust me). So what is this amazing book you ask? I’m glad you asked people of the internet! Today we’re reviewing ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ by Catherine Alene. Not only is the story interesting, but will definitely leave a lasting impact on you once you finish it. I will try to make this review as spoiler free as possible, so if you’re ready let’s get to the review. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
Our story revolves around high school junior Raesha (aka Rae), a rodeo rider who dreams of winning Nationals just like her mother did when she was in high school. We are then introduced to Rae’s best friend Asia, Asia’s boyfriend Micah, and Rae’s boyfriend Cody. Everything in Rae’s life seems to be going well until a new girl named Kierra moves into town and begins to disrupt all of the order in Rae’s life. Throughout the story we learn that Rae’s mother died from cancer when she was a little girl and Rae always carried the guilt due to the circumstances of her mother’s death. Due to Rae’s growing loneliness because of Kierra’s presence in her life, as well as Rae’s father’s constant absence due to his job, Rae quickly falls into the grip of an eating disorder. She begins by just telling herself that she will lose a little weight in order to fit into her mother’s old riding saddle, however things get bad VERY quickly. Throughout the rest of the novel we see how Rae’s eating disorder affects her life, and the lives of those around her in both expected and unexpected ways. This is truly a powerful story with an amazing message of hope that doesn’t sugar coat the dark side of eating disorders.
 
I not only really enjoyed the plot of this story, but also the relationship between Rae and her father. You could really see the love that they had for each other, as well as his need to try to fill the void that her mother’s death has left in her life, and his terror when he feels as if he failed this task. I also really enjoyed the fact that Rae and her friends were from a small country town and enjoyed completing in rodeos. This was definitely a fresh change of pace from your typical YA setting. Lastly I personally really loved the fact that the entire story was written in verse, which added a unique vibe to the story. Although there was SOOOO much I loved about this book, there were some problems. Firstly I HATED Rae’s boyfriend Cody! He was a completely unlikeable character who made me want to slap Rae for even dealing with him. Cody openly flirts with Kierra every chance he gets, and is completely unsupportive of Rae, even when he finds out about her eating disorder. Also, the story definitely had sections that were very slow and boring, although this didn’t happen often, it definitely lost the book half a smiley face on it’s overall score. Lastly, I really wish that we had spent more time on the obvious connection between Rae’s mother’s death and Rae’s eating disorder. I know that eating disorders are very complicated matters and there is never a necessary “cause” of this disease however, I really feel that this event had a lasting impact on Rae and thus it would’ve been nice to dive more into that. In conclusion I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story and doesn’t mind books written in free verse. If you don’t typically enjoy this style of writing then this maybe a hard story for you to get through however, I definitely suggest that you give it a chance. Because of all of this, I give ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ 4 1/2 smiley faces (due to the slow parts of the story). This is definitely worth your time, and I suggest you pick it up right away!
Keep up with everything Catherine is doing:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinealene
Website:https://catherinealene.com/
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15222129.Catherine_Alene
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Sky-between-You-Me/dp/1492638536
  • All photos and information used in this blog belong to Catherine Alene, Sourcebooks Fire, Twitter, catherinealene.com, Goodreads, Amazon, netgallery.net, all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.

March 23, 2017 No Comments on Monday Memos: ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ Book Review. Category: Book Reviews, Monday Memos. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Monday Memos: Learning To Fly by Dana Burkey…the new YA book you HAVE to add to your summer TBR

Home | Book Reviews | Monday Memos: Learning To Fly by Dana Burkey…the new YA book you HAVE to add to your summer TBR

Hello people of the Internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to discuss an AMAZING new book that y’all should all check out! If you’ve dana burkeynever heard of Dana Burkey then please keep reading because this is an up and coming author that you HAVE to check out. Dana has just released her new book ‘Learning To Fly’ and trust me when I say it’s a MUST HAVE for your summer TBR. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!

 

Learning to fly dANA BURKEY

‘Learning To Fly’ is about a 12 year girl named  Max. She is a tomboy who enjoys hunting, fishing, playing sports, and just generally having fun with her next door neighbors Peter and Kyle. Max’s world is turned upside down when she discovers the world of competitive cheerleading. At first Max decides that the glitter and bows are too girly for her, but through some persuasion from her dad, Max decides to give cheerleading a try. Throughout the course of the story Max finds friends, enemies, and possibly two potential love interests (let the shipping wars begin!). I don’t want to spoil the rest of the book for you, but if you like sports, YA fiction, and stories with a great plot and characters that you will absolutely fall in love with then this is the book for you. Personally I couldn’t put this book down, so I HIGHLY recommend that everyone check out ‘Learning To Fly’ for themselves.

 

Also keep an eye out for book 2 of this trilogy entitled ‘Reaching The Summit’ which should come out in October of this year, and please keep checking back here and on all of my social media sites for a special giveaway coming soon (trust me you won’t want to miss it!).

 

 

Keep up with everything Dana is doing!:

Website: danacburkey.wix.com/yaauthor

Goodreads:Dana Burkey

Twitter: DanaCBurkey

YouTube: Dana Burkey

Instagram: danacburkey

 

 

  • All photos and information used in this blog belong to Dana Burkey, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.

July 13, 2016 No Comments on Monday Memos: Learning To Fly by Dana Burkey…the new YA book you HAVE to add to your summer TBR. Category: Book Reviews, Monday Memos. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .