Tag Archives: young adult

The Fault in Our Stars – Review

I’m pretty confident that most of you know what The Fault in Our Stars is about, it is one of those books that has been swept along in a wave of popularity and is loved by so many.
When the book first came out I just wasn’t desperate to read it, I don’t remember why.

Recently I gave in and saw the film adaptation on Netflix and I wept like a baby but not just that, the film inspired me to pick up the book, which is something I never really considered about adaptations of books, love them or hate them they get people reading!

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

I can’t say enough good things about this book, firstly the writing, oh the writing, this was my first John Green book and after been drawn to his world by his delicious prose it won’t be my last. I am the kind of reader who needs to get sucked into a book pretty quickly otherwise chances are I’m going to put it down for ‘later’ and pick up something else. The Fault in Our Stars didn’t just suck me in it had me hooked from the first page, from the first line! The thing is I had seen the film I knew I was walking into tragedy but when a book’s that good I don’t even care!

John Green creates fully fleshed out characters in Hazel and Gus it was so easy to read and mostly laugh and later cry all the while feeling privileged that I got to be part of their journey in some strange way. The Fault in Our stars is definitely a new favourite, it broke my heart and the moment I finished it I wanted to start it again.

Paint and Butterflies rating 5/5 Stars!

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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – Review

It has a 3/5 Paint and Butterflies Stars from me!

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The Fault in Our Stars – Movie Review

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If you follow me on Twitter (@chloemckayyy) you might have seen me tweeting about The Fault in Our Stars today. I have had a couple of (well deserved) days of work and a few of my friends and I got together and decided to have a bit of a movie marathon starting with The Fault in Our Stars.

Now I have been putting on The Fault in Our Stars for a while now (both book and movie, I’m still yet to read the book), sometimes I do this when books get a bit over hyped I start off wanting to read it and at some point when the hype just goes seriously insane my interest wanes and the book goes on my probably not going to read anytime soon TBR.

But I have to say watching the film adaptation has totally changed my mind and I have already ordered myself a copy of the novel by John Green.

Synopsis of the film (and book)…

“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.”

When you go into a film knowing you are watching a story about two young people with cancer the emotional heights can be high (tissues at the ready anyone?)

I loved the book (not the film) My Sister Keeper by Jodi Picoult so had that sort of in the back of my mind when going into The Fault in Our Stars, they were absolutely NOTHING alike but both just as brilliant.

What I loved about this film aside from the fabulous acting, the story does the amazing job of telling a love story but also a really unfair love story. This isn’t just a story of two teenagers who fall in love this is a story of the realities of life and sometimes, although we don’t like to think about it, life can be absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. We can laugh, we can love, be kind and a terrible disease can rip all those things away from us, us and the ones we love and who love us.

This film didn’t hold back, and I’m sure a huge part of that was due to the author of the novel John Green. When a story is sad the easy thing to do is to say, don’t worry everything is going to be alright, or give the characters a happy ending. That doesn’t happen here and that is so brave.

The pay off for me as a viewer was, firstly I have ordered the book and can’t wait to read it to compare it the film, I should also say that I didn’t just wipe a couple of tears away while watching this movie I wept, I sobbed uncontrollably. I fell in love with these characters and when you love with something you wish there was a better way, but there are real people out there who have to deal with these issues, so when it comes to this film and this ending I really feel there was no better way.

Okay?

Okay.

I hope you enjoyed my The Fault in Our Stars Review, see you next time!

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Children’s Books- My Childhood Favourites!

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I was having a think about the books I read while I was growing up, the books that had a big impact on me not only as a reader but as a young girl growing up in Britain.

I know when people mention their favourite children’s books Harry Potter is often at the top of their list but there will be no Harry Potter mentions here. Although the Harry Potter books were being released throughout my childhood I didn’t read them until last year! So that’s me, putting Harry Potter to bed… at least for the remainder of this post.

What we love has children can have an impact on us for our whole lives, from music to film and everything in between youth is an impressionable time. Now I want to share with you my childhood favourites, the books I loved, the books that started off my never ending TBR pile, the books that started it all…

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

I have a life-long love for Alice and her adventures, that curious little girl who fell down a rabbit whole as stayed with me and I’m always finding new Alice re-tellings to delve into Splintered by A.G Howard being one of my favourites.

Goosebumps by R.L Stine

Even now I love a creepy read and I’m sure Goosebumps was where it all began, spooky, spine-tingling reads and I’m sure the cause of some rather creepy nightmares.

Jacqueline Wilson Books

I adored Jacoline Wilson growing up, from Tracey Beaker to The Suitcase Kid Jacqueline Wilson writes great stories that also show children a world, or a situation that they may not have understood before. At the same time her books are relatable and full of great characters and hard-hitting drama.

Nobody’s Horse by Joanne Webster

When I was growing up I was lucky to have a mother who was also I reader and I constantly searched her book shelves looking for some hidden gem. Nobody’s Horse was one of those gems, the story of a horse with no one to love and care for it. As a little girl who loved horses I read everything with a horse or pony on the cover but Nobody’s horse was definitely a special read and I read that book cover to cover until the cover fell off and the pages were held together by nothing but tape.

The Beatrix Potter Stories

Beatrix Potter was such an interesting woman to be a writer and an illustrator in the time she lived was amazing for a woman of her era but she also did a great deal with the money from her books for conservation and the protection of British countryside. Her beautiful books were a childhood staple for me, I was fascinated and thrilled by the tales of Peter Rabbit and her other characters.

Ten Week Stables

Another of my Mums old books, ten-week stables was another horsey adventure and is the type of story that makes any young child think that anything is possible.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Another horsey book I know, but Black Beauty is such a classic, voiced by Beauty himself this unique narrative follows Black Beauty throughout his life. From when he leaves his home and mother and moves to his new home with his first owner. Each time Beauty is sold he gets a new life and sometimes not for the better. The story teaches children that not all humans are kind but when they are they can give love beyond measure, a beautiful tale of love and friendship.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

There was always something so magical about this lyrical christmas story, when I hear lines from the famous poem now I am filled with nostalgia from Christmas’ gone, a book to read in a magical time of year.

I hope you enjoyed my Favourite Childrens Books post, what are your favourite books from your childhood? Let me know in the comments, happy reading everyone!

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WWW Wednesday 3/8/16

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Hi guys it’s Wednesday and you know what that means… it’s WWW Wednesday, this meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was revived by Taking on a World of Words.

All you have to do is answer the three questions below and then post the link to your post in the comments of Taking on a World of Words, so let’s get started!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I heard about Bodies of Water over on Booktube and it seemed like the kind of book I was in the mood for, I have been looking for gothic, creepy reads for a while now and haven’t been able to find anything that fit the bill until Bodies of Water. It’s only 130 pages long and so far I am about 50 pages in but so far it’s pretty gripping.

It’s following two female characters who are both living in the same building one in Victorian London and one in the present day. The building where our present day character Kirsten lives is on the River Thames and was formally a hydro- therapy centre in Victorian London. So far the book seems to follow the creepy presence that is the water and the building Waterwake House provides and both characters are both repelled and drawn to it I am really excited to see where this goes.

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished reading Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, this is the third instalment in the Outlander series. I have a full review coming soon so I don’t want to go into to much detail just that I really enjoy this series and always look forward to Jamie and Clarie’s next adventure!

What do you think you’ll read next?

This is a tough one because I’m not actually sure what I will be reading next, I am really in the mood to read a gothic romance so any recommendations welcome! I have been meaning to read Named The Dragon by Susana Kearsley for ages I also might read The Golam and The Djinni or The Longest Ride by Nickolas Sparks.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks WWW Wednesday, happy reading everyone!

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The Ruler of Books Tag!

What book would you make everybody read?

I would make everyone read On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, what starts out as an awkward teacher, student romance turns into something totally tear worthy and unexpected. A really brilliant story and I would recommend this book to everyone, a perfect beach read!

What would you abolish in book construction?

Big books are hard enough to read as it is, but big mass market paperbacks can be a right pain, the font is small and you can’t open the book fully without breaking the spine. No thanks, floppy or hardback for me all the way!

What author would you pick to write you any book?

I love Cassandra Clare, she rights great characters, and plots that are so addictive whenever I get my hands on a new Cassandra Clare book I just can’t stop reading!

What book would you demote to the library basement?

It has to be Hurt by Tabitha Suzuma I read this book a few years ago and was really excited to read it as I had only heard great things and kept hearing people talk about this amazing plot twist that I just wouldn’t guess. Well, guess what I guessed it and, really early on in the book too. That really spoilt the reading experience for me, in my opinion, twists should be unguessable that’s the whole point.

What cover artist would you commission to make you a mural?

I love the covers of the Splintered books by A.G Howard (a really great modern Alice in Wonderland retelling). The covers for the Splintered series are amazing each depicting a main character in the series, they are all created by artist Nathalia Sullen.

What characters face would you put on the coin of your new kingdom?

It would have to be Tyrion Lannister because let’s face it he’s pretty badass and I’d want someone badass on my money!

What book would you award the ruler of books for 2016?

Difficult, because 2016 is not over but so far my book/s of the year have to be Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare, closely followed by The Girls by Emma Cline but like I said 2016 isn’t over yet!

My Tags!

Thanks for checking out The Ruler of Books Tag, happy reading everyone!

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Let’s Talk About Reading Snobbery and Why All books are Okay!

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So, I’m currently reading a book that I am really, really loving (That’s Voyager by Diana Gabaldon just so you know) but it got me thinking we love the books we love.

The books that make us stay up till the early hours till our eyes feel try and can’t stay open for another moment, the books we think about when we’re away from them, desperate to be back in that world, with those characters, those are the special books.

But it got me thinking, reading is personal, and our favourite books they can become part of us and influence us and in some cases stay with us always. What matters to you or me may not matter to the next person. For example, I like the Harry Potter books, I enjoy them I am a fan but they did not affect me in the way they did others of my generation and those who came after me.

I didn’t read the books until I was an adult and there fore some of that magic was lost but not all of it, because some magic can only touch a child and that’s why some of our childhood favourites can become so important to adults. (But in case you were wondering I’m a Hufflepuff). I did read the Twilight books and did love them but didn’t suffer from Twilight fever (Thankfully) but why thankfully?

Why? Because our peers have a terrible habit of making us feel bad about liking what we love. For a lot of people, The Harry Potter or Twilight books were responsible for creating life-long readers and it begs the question does it matter what you read? Well NO! Of course not, reading is reading,

Well NO! Of course not, reading is reading, whether you’re reading Goosebumps, Tracey Beaker, Harry Potter, Twilight, Chick lit (I hate this term but I feel that is a whole other post, Historical Fiction, only Young Adult or books like Fifty Shades! Who cares you’re a reader, and one book leads to another and another and another. Stick to your favourite genre or don’t explore the classics, or don’t (Pride and Prejudice is a great first classic if you’re looking for recs) but

Stick to your favourite genre or don’t, explore the classics, or don’t (Pride and Prejudice is a great first classic if you’re looking for recs) but whatever you do whatever you read, who cares what other people say right?

I remember to trying to explain The Mortal Instruments:City of Bones book to my friends back when it wasn’t a thing and most of my close friends are not fantasy lovers, so it was like banging my head up against a brick wall. In fact I seem to have a lot of people in my life who like reading non-fiction, not fiction which is cool because it works for them.

But Fantasy from Epic or High, or Paranormal whatever is just as valid is any other genre, all books have been crafted and loved and come from an author’s desire to write and a readers desire to read them.

I guess what I am trying to say is no book is bad and neither are readers, we are all different and should never be made to feel bad for reading what we love – Whatever that maybe.

I hope you enjoyed my Let’s talk about… see you next time and happy reading!

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Runes by Ednah Walters Review

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I have been in a bit of a reading slump recently and for me normally the best cure for a slump is a good YA novel with a decent love interest. I had seen Runes bouncing around Booktube and in my need for something YA, light and fluffy I gravitated towards it, it also helped that it’s currently free for Amazon Kindles! I was also drawn to Runes because it was about mythology and I love books about myths, legends and fairytales.

This book focuses on Norse mythology and it was interesting learning more about Norse Myths as I was only really aware of them in relation to Vikings.

Runes follows Raine Cooper a teenage girl whose mysterious black-haired, blue-eyed neighbour has just moved in next door. Raine is having a hard year, her father is missing and her mother is losing the plot, but she always has her two best friends Cora and Erik and her trusted swim team. When mysterious and accidents start to happen in her life always surrounding her swim team Raine starts to wonder if her mysterious new neighbour and his creepy friends have something to do with these strange and dangerous goings on.

Sadly, although I have seen many positive reviews for this book I felt this was just a mash up between really poor versions of The First Mortal Instruments Book and a bad Twilight and other common YA tropes that I’ve seen time and time again.

This book has insta-love by the bucket load and all the stereotypical bad boy cliches that YA is known for… this is the kind of book that gives YA a bad name. BUTTTT slightly redeemed by a pretty decent cliff hanger but I won’t be moving on to book two.

Paint and Butterflies Rating – 1/5 Stars

I hope you enjoyed my Runes book review, happy reading everyone!

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Fan Girl by Rainbow Rowell- Review

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I have had this book on my radar for a long time, I added it to my TBR back when it was first released and I remember it was surrounded by a lot of hype. I am going through a bit of a reading slump at the moment and unsure of what to read I picked up Fangirl, it had been on my shelf so long it seemed about time I gave it a go.

Fangirl is the story of Cath and her twin sister Wren, they are off to university for the first time and while Wren is out and about making new friends, experiencing life Cath locks herself in her room with only her moody room -mate and her Simon Snow Fanfiction (aka Harry Potter) for company.

On one hand, I liked Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell is great at creating characters who you really feel are real. On the other, I hated it, more I hated Cath. When I’m reading a book, any book I love to have a main character to root for, to recognise part of myself in them, or just like them in some way will do. I found Cath so hard to relate to, she is at university away from home for the first time and what?

Nothing, she doesn’t go to parties, make friends, or talk about boys (or girls) instead she is the ultimate Fangirl and quite afraid of real life, anything that isn’t her Fanfiction. Although I’m not Cath’s biggest fan her character gives a voice to the writing of Fanfiction which can only be a positive thing. After all, there are real books out there that started as fanfiction (I’m looking at you Fifty Shades of Grey).

Overall Fangirl is a well written humorous book, with a cute love interest, who wouldn’t love Levi?

But for me it was a bit of a non-starter, I skipped most of the Carry On sections of the book and found Cath a bit of a bore.

I know this is a well-loved book but we can’t all Fangirl over the same things now, can we?

Paint and Butterflies Rating 2/5 Stars

Happy reading everyone!

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Top Five Wednesday- Favourite Character Names

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Hi guys and it’s Wednesday and you know what that means it’s time for another Top 5 Wednesday! Top 5 Wednesday was created by Ginger Reads Lainey over on booktube and it’s now being hosted by Sam from Thoughts On Tomes, this week’s topic is Favourite character names. There are some many character names that I love so I had a wealth of names to choose from but here are the first few that came to mind.

Daenerys Targaryen- A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin

or as she is other-wise known…

Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen

Trueborn Queen of the Andals and the First Men

Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea

Breaker of Chains

The Unburnt

Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdom

Protector of the Realm

Queen of Meereen

Mhysa

The Queen Across the Sea

The Silver Queen

Khaleesi of the Dothraki

Lady of the Seven Kingdoms

Rhoynar

First of Her Name

Mother of Dragons.

Game of thrones has some cracking character names but Dany definitely wins the game of names. (See what I did there, did ya?)

Magnus Bane- The Shadowhunter Chronicles/Bane Chronicles/Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

If I am remembering The Shadow Hunter Chronicles correctly don’t warlocks pick their own name? If so, good job Magnus Bane!

Eilis Lacey- Brooklyn Colm Toibin

An Irish name for an Irish lass, Eilis couldn’t be called anything else.

Demelza Corn- Poldark Series by Winston Graham

I always think of Demelza of a bit of free spirit, a gypsy and her name depicts who she is perfectly.

Luna Lovegood- Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

The Harry Potter series is ram packed full of great names but Luna Lovegood is my favourite she is such a great character from such a brilliant series. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of The Cursed Child soon!

Well that raps up my Top 5 Wednesday everyone,

I hope you enjoyed it.

Happy Reading everyone!