Review | Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

I saw a book haul video on YouTube, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette was one of the books shown. I instantly knew I had to read it. Call me shallow, but the cover was pretty awesome and intriguing!

<blockquote>Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle—and people in general—has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.</blockquote>

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At first I really wasn’t sure if I would like this book. The format it was written in was not something I was familiar with (okay, it’s just a bunch of emails); it felt really disorganized and I had trouble remembering who was who. Mea culpa: I really think it was my fault for not researching more on the book before diving in. I didn’t know who was telling the story, or how all of these emails were related.

But I really wanted to like this book. I had waited for it to be available at the library (!), the ratings on GoodReads were great, there was no way I’d let my ADD brain win this one. And I’m glad I kept on reading, because about 90 pages in, everything sort of fell into place, and the book was excellent!

“One of the main reasons I don't like leaving the house is because I might find myself face to face with a Canadian.”

The writing is funny and witty. The characters are great. The plot is borderline crazy but totally enthralling! I laughed out loud quite a few times and I couldn't put it down. Even though the story is far from being realistic, Bernadette is easy to relate to if you are dealing with any kind of anxiety. All of that, in my book, is recipe for a fantastic novel!

“This is why you must love life: one day you're offering up your social security number to the Russian Mafia; two weeks later you're using the word calve as a verb.”

In the end, even though I had a hard time getting into the story at first, I do not regret picking up this book. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes light contemporary adult fiction. I doubt you would be disappointed!

P.S. The author kept making comments on Canadians. Being Canadian and all, I'm still not sure how I feel about these comments :p

My Rating: ¶¶¶¶

You can buy it HERE.

Fall Into Reading | Read-a-thon

Hey guys,

So this is my first attempt at participating in a read-a-thon! I'm really excited :) If you want to join, click on the banner and it will take you to the host website!

I want to read 2 books, 4 graphic novels. I will try and push it to 3 books, but with school and everything, I don't know if it'll be possible. I will try though!

I plan on reading:

1. Carnival by Rawi Hage
2. Tiger, Tiger by Margaux Fragoso
3. 100 pages of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (so I can make my video on Friday)

I don't know what the graphic novels will be yet because I need to go to the library :p

You can follow me on goodreads and twitter where I'll try to update a lot!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Review | Red Sky in Morning

This book was sent to me for free (from the book depository) in exchange for an honest review. I did not get paid to write this. All opinions are my own.

Published by: Quercus Books on April 25, 2013
Genre: Historical fiction/thriller
Pages: 230p.
Format: ARC

When I was first contacted by the book depository I was beyond thrilled to be given the opportunity to review a book! I was given a list of books to pick from, and Red Sky in Morning by Paul Lynch was one of them.

The story takes us back to 1832, in Ireland. Coll Coyle and his family are being evicted from their house. The landlord’s son decides he want them off their property for no apparent reason. With a baby on the way and another very young child, Coyle decides to confront Hamilton and tries to get him to change his mind.

But bad luck seems to be following him, and soon Coll finds himself on the run. With no money and nowhere to go, he eventually ends up on a boat to America. He has no plan, only one goal: getting his family back.

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Red Sky in Morning isn’t a book I would’ve picked up on my own; it wasn’t something I am used to reading, and to be honest I hated this book at first. I started to read it on the bus on my way to school and I couldn't get into it.

I found the writing dense, and it is a really slow read. I was frustrated with myself because I couldn't get through it. But, I decided not to give up on this book, and so last night I got comfortable in bed, and was ready to give it another fair chance. And I'm glad I did. 

Even though the prose is heavy, it has a lyrical tone that matches the mood of the narrator. You can feel that he is leaden with sadness. You get wrapped in his troubles and can’t help but feel infuriated by all the injustices he faces.

I was really mad at Coyle at the beginning because of how he reacted to the situation he put himself in, but then I felt he was also disappointed with himself, he wants to redeem himself for his actions, in a way, and that’s what made me fall for this book. He is definitely not a selfish man. He is perfectly and beautifully flawed.  It was hard for me to relate to any of the characters, but I found myself admiring Coyle a lot throughout the story.

Like I mentioned, the story is slow paced, but constant. It is not a read where you’ll want to race to the end to see what will happen. The writing style, once you get used to it, is beautiful and you want to enjoy every single sentence.

"People aren't people. They are animals, brutes, blind and stupid following endless needs they know not of what origin. And all the rest that we place on top to make us feel better is a delusion. The price of life is the burden of your own weight and some people are better off without it."

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to people who like historical fiction. I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I originally thought I would, and I wouldn't be against reading more of Paul Lynch’s writing.

My Rating: ¶¶¶¶¶

You can buy this book here!

P.S. This book is not vegan friendly, hah!

Review | The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaid

Before I start this review, I have to warn you: I don’t have a lot to say about this book. It just wasn’t a fit for me.

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids by Ammi-Joan Paquette is a cute little story, but it left me very disappointed. 

This story takes you out to the beach, and tells you a lot about mermaids and how to find clues to track them. But kids, if you go to the shore on a busy day, then I’m sorry to say you will not find them :( 

“I wonder what treasure the sand dollars might buy at the market.”

I cannot deny that this idea was really well thought of. I know kids – girls especially – will love it and will be really eager for the summer time so they can go to the beach and try to find the little magical sea-creatures. 

“Look at all these friendly crabs skittering around! They must be the clean-up crew.”

I didn’t particularly like the mix of drawings and real pictures. That was really a turn off for me. Marie Letourneau is a great artist, and I love her style. I think the book would have been a lot better if she had drawn all of the illustrations. A young child would be much more attracted to a book full of artworks than a book with actual pictures. 

That said, I would recommend this book. Even though the illustration part was a deal breaker for me, I did enjoy the story. 

My rating:  

*This book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review (book ISBN: 1933718595)

Review | Coraline

In the past few months, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Neil Gaiman’s work, and so I was really excited when I realised that Coraline was one of his novels. I can confirm that what I had heard was true, I wasn’t disappointed!

Coraline is the story of a young girl who just moved into a new house with her family. Sadly, her parents are really into their work, and so they don’t really pay attention to their daughter. Actually, they don’t pay attention at all, and at first I was really shocked and angry at them (until I understood that the book was based on this). 

So one day when it’s raining outside and she can’t go play in the garden, Coraline gets really bored and her dad tells her to go and explore the house. Count the doors and the windows. And so, she reluctantly starts on her mission and soon discovers a door. The door is locked, but her mom has the key. When she unlocks it, Coraline only sees a wall of bricks.

A little while later, Coraline tries again, and this time there isn’t any brick blocking the way. She goes through a long tunnel, and then she’s surprised when she realises she’s back into her flat. Only it’s her “other” flat. Where her “other” family lives.

The “other mother” takes advantage of the fact that Coraline isn’t really happy with her life to try and get her to stay. Her “other” room is amazing, the “other mother” cooks great foods and she plays with her. But ultimately, she wants to sew buttons into Coraline’s eyes. 

That’s when Coraline gets creeped out and notices that her “other” mother is an evil creature. From then on, Coraline with the help of a cat tries to save her real parents and get back to the real world. And of course, get rid of the key forever.

I’d like to think there’s a lesson to be learned from this story… But all I can think of is “pay attention to your child or else their other parents will kidnap them.” Which I guess is good advice.

This book is simply brilliant. It’s got everything a good children’s book needs: action, humour and suspense. Oh, and great characters! 

Coraline is a very smart girl. I keep thinking she’s 8 year-old, but she might be older. She handles everything really maturely, but she’s still vulnerable. Yes, at times she cries. She’s terrified. Anyone would be. I like that the author didn’t try to give her this heroic toughness. This makes her a lot easier to relate to.

Their neighbours are also great. Miss. Spink and Miss Forcible are hilarious. They are old actresses, and they still think really high of themselves which made me laugh a lot, but at the same time they are the ones who told Coraline she was in danger and gave her the tool she needed to win over the “other” mother. Mister Bobo, the upstairs neighbour is the world’s craziest old man with his circus mice! 

The story is really fast paced. It took me about 3 hours to get through. I just couldn’t put it down. And I really like that there were illustrations at the beginning of every chapters. The drawings were spooky and gave the book an extra touch of creepiness! 

Overall it’s just a really fun and creepy read! I’m definitely going to check out the graphic novel. The movie in 3D was also really really good! I highly recommend anyone to pick up this book, you won’t be disappointed!

My rating:

You can buy this book HERE

Have you read it? What were your thoughts on it?

I'm still alive (and announcing the 30 day challenge).

Hey guys,

For some of you who are wondering where I am. Well I'm here! Life's been sort of on the sucky side the past month, and I didn't have the energy to make posts/videos. I read quite a few books that I plan on reviewing at some point, but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself.

Also in the booktube community, there has been talk of a 30 day reading challenge. I think originally the idea is to read 1 book a day, but there's no way in hell I can manage that. So I'm going to modify it a bit. I want to read an average of 200 pages a day for the next 30 days. Which means 6 000 pages.

The challenge starts on June 17th and ends on July 16th. It will overlap with the read-a-thon that's from July 15th to July 21st. I'll post more about the second challenge when the time comes.

I don't have a set list of books that I want to read, but I have a few books from the library that'll have to get through. For this challenge I'm only including books and graphic novels (though I only plan on reading one).

I'm going to try and make a video for the challenge. I don't promise anything though. And also I'll update every 4 days about my progress and what I'm reading.

Let me know in the comments if you plan on participating and what you're going to read!

Review | Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Mélanie Watt was the first book of the Scaredy Squirrel collection that I read, and I really enjoyed it! 

Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of going camping. Actually, he’s pretty much afraid of everything that requires having to leave the comfort of his home. That is why he doesn’t go camping. 

So Scaredy decides that instead of going camping in the wilderness, he would watch a movie about camping! Sounds like the perfect plan, right? Only he forgot one thing. He doesn’t have a power outlet in his house! The nearest is miles away at…the campground! And so, he sets on a mission to go and plug his TV. 

“Reaching the nearest electrical outlet will require major surviving skills.”

He prepares the best of plans, but of course nothing goes according to them, and he ends up learning a valuable lesson: some things are worth the trouble!

I loved this book, and even though I’m an adult, I will probably try and get my hands on the others in the series. 

I couldn’t stop laughing throughout the entire story. Especially when I read the part about the penguins:

“Wherever there are coolers, penguins rule. They are as cold as ice, and won’t warm up to you! Toss popsicles to occupy their sharp beaks.”

And then his rule:

“If all else fails, take cover and play dead.”

But not only the story was funny, the illustrations were beautiful. They reminded me a little bit of old cartoons and the colouring was gorgeous. I had as much fun looking at the pictures as I had reading the story!

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone. I’m sure that parents will enjoy reading this book (probably the entire series) to their kids as much as they will love the story. You might have to read it over, and over again! 

 

To buy this book you can click HERE! :)

*This book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review (book ISBN: 1894786866)

A life slump?

I don't know if a lot of you follow my blog... If any, but I'm sorry I've been MIA lately. I think I've just been in a life slump... If that's a thing. It all started last Thursday when the Habs lost the game. This loss also ended the playoffs for my beloved team, and I was a mess for 2 days straight. A hockey team shouldn't have that power over me, but what can I say, I'm Canadian.

I have a few reviews lined up. Some are already written. This week I really plan on working on this blog. Adding links and widgets and stuff. I want to change the layout. I also want to find a host website. If anyone has recommandation for a good one, that'd be lovely. I have no idea where to start looking.

I'm currently reading Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy and it's AMAZING. You should definitely check it out!

Review | Is a Worry Worrying You?

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In today’s contemporary society, worrying seems to happen at a younger and younger age every year. The Book Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz explain to children what a worry actually is, and try to teach them how to cope, suggestion ways to deal with their fears. 

 “A worry is a thought that stops your from having fun, from feeling good, from being happy. Don’t bother looking for a worry because you’ll never find it. It is invisible. But it seems very real.” 

Great definition of what a worry is; well explain to children. But that explanation and the illustrations are pretty much the only things I liked about this book. As I read on, I couldn’t stop thinking “how is that ever going to be helpful to a kid prone to anxiety?” 

“Suppose a monster moves in under your bed, and you’re afraid if you go to sleep it will do something horrible, so you stay awake all night. Now that’s a worry. But you can get rid of that worry by singing the monster lullabies until you both fall asleep. ” 

Isn’t that recognizing that monsters are real and that there is a reason to actually be scared? As an adult, I can understand that a monkey friend can be in fact only a silly friend, but as I was reading, thoughts kept popping into my head, and I was wondering if a child would realize that it’s impossible to have a brown bear as a teacher. Would it create even more anxiety in fragile children? 

I suppose it’s very unlikely to be the case, and of course parents would tell their kids what the author actually meant, but I couldn’t help thinking about it. The story is meant to be educational in a silly and amusing way, creating scatty situations, but… 

For a kid of reading age, this book would probably be more amusing than educational. The illustrations are gorgeous; there isn’t a doubt about that. A young child would have a lot of fun looking at the pictures and making up their own stories! 

 I’m still unsure if I would recommend this book or not… I would say get it from the library instead of buying it maybe? 

But if you do want to buy it, you can do so HERE or HERE! :) 

 *This book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review (book ISBN: 0974930326)

Review | The Mice of Bistrot les 7 Frères

The Mice of Bistrot des 7 frères by Marie LeTourneau is a wonderful story that reminds me of Ratatouille. Please note that “Ratatouille” in French is pronounced “rah-tah-too-yah”, and not “rah-tah-too-yee” (pet peeve, I’m sorry). 

 

Marcel’s seven sons work for him at the restaurant, even though they all have different hobbies. I really liked that the author took a few pages to present the characters and give them all a bit of a personality. The Chef’s daughter, Petite Michelle, works as the hostess. But why is it called “Bistrot des Sept Frères” if they have a sister? Ah, ha! We’ll get to that soon.

Chef Marcel’s cheese soup is voted the best in France every year! But this year when they get the telegram announcing that the judge will come and taste the soup in an hour the Chef is all worried because they are out of the secret ingredient! The sons start preparing the recipe, but Marcel doesn’t get back in time… Lucky for him, Petite Michelle saves the day, and the soup is not only the best in France but in the entire world!

It’s a short little story that is both amusing and educational. The author included a list of the French words she used with the English translation and a pronunciation guide.

I really liked that Petite Michelle saved the day and that her name was added to the Bistrot’s name: “Le Bistrot des 7 Frères et une soeur”.

And now onto the art! In my opinion, illustrations are as important in children’s books as the actual story. The drawings are beautiful; simple and adorable. The colouring is superb. I really don’t have anything negative to say about this book. 

I recommend it to all the little girls and little boys who like a fun story starring charming little characters. I’m sure mom and dad wouldn’t get tired of telling it over and over again! The author even included the cheese soup recipe that can be found online (the URL is given at the end of the book). I lot of kids will enjoy making the world’s greatest cheese soup!

To buy this book click HERE! :)

*This book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review (book ISBN: 0974930369)