Book Review: I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson

I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson
Goodreads Summary: The book that more than 12 million YouTube subscribers have been waiting for! Shane Dawson’s memoir features twenty original essays—uncensored yet surprisingly sweet.
From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life.
In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done.

Rating(1-10): 9.5

Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Goodreads Summary: Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed. With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.

Rate(1-10): 8

An Update

Hello friends. Just an update. I'm sorry I've been AWOL for the past, well, six months! If any of you are regular readers you might have noticed that my 'currently reading' book keeps changing... although I think it's been Paper Valentine for a while. But anyways, now it's not. Now it's Mortal Heart, and I've been reading that at a very slow pace.

The reason for that is probably what you can only expect from a high school senior: college apps. College apps and just catching up with senior year have been tough, as expected. So I've been putting reading to the side. But I'm still alive, and updating! So hello, it's me. I was wondering if after all these [months] you'd like to [see me post more reviews].

I guess this is kind of a hello from the other side. Because a lot has been going on, and now I'm finally updating again. I never really post personal things on this blog, but I think me being AWOL from this blog for six months really needs an explanation. I'll go ahead and post that on my author blog.

I hope you guys enjoy my book review for Jane Eyre, which will be up in about an hour from now! And I just finished listening to Shane Dawson's I Hate Myselfie WHICH WAS AMAZING. That review will be up next Sunday. Stay tuned!

For now, don't forget to be happy and thanks for stopping by!

Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley

 Proves the healing power of family . . .

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves.

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

 In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward.

Book Review: Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
Goodreads Synopsis: Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, discovers it during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with, "My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together." For Garrett, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Challenged by the mystery, and driven to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together either by chance or something more powerful, Theresa and Garrett's lives come together in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is an achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most.

Rate(1-10): 6

Death Wish by Megan Tayte

Blurb

IN SEARCH OF THE MEANING OF DEATH, SHE’LL FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE. 

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense. 

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need. 

As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power. 

What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death. 

To believe the impossible. 

Book Review: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Goodreads: Of all the contenders for the title of The Great American Novel, none has a better claim than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Intended at first as a simple story of a boy's adventures in the Mississippi Valley - a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - the book grew and matured under Twain's hand into a work of immeasurable richness and complexity. More than a century after its publication, the critical debate over the symbolic significance of Huck's and Jim's voyage is still fresh, and it remains a major work that can be enjoyed at many levels: as an incomparable adventure story and as a classic of American humor.

Rate(1-10): 8

Excerpt: 12 Hours by Hannah Harvey

12 Hours
(Novella)
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

About the book:
Two months ago, Ivy was heartbroken when her boyfriend of almost a year, James, broke up with her on her graduation day, and then left town without saying goodbye.
She hasn't heard from him since that day. Until now.
Now it's two months on. It's midnight, and she's just received a message from him.
I'm outside. I need you.
Three little words she's never been able to resist from him. Over the next twelve hours, follow Ivy on an emotional journey, as she tries to work out why he's back. If he's staying and what she wants now that he's back in her life again.

I wrote a book!

Hello friends! After one month of hard work, I've managed to write a book: Slow Down and Smell the Roses: A Guide for Surviving High School (Sort Of). Although it's only about 100 pages, it took so much dedication and effort, and I'm so glad and pretty proud of myself that I did this all this on my own.

Furthermore, I've managed (after hours and hours of torture and dedication) to design the entire cover and self-publish. I am so incredibly excited to have finally finished this project, and I am so excited to be able to share this with y'all.

The idea of writing a high school "survival guide" came to me a long time ago, but it's only now that I actually wrote one. It's geared toward high school freshmen and sophomores, and it's the compilation of the things I've learned so far in my high school career. Actually, this book is more of an accumulation of what I wish I could tell my 9th grade self.

I finished writing the book last Tuesday, and now the proof copy is on its way. Meanwhile, it IS up on Lulu, so if anyone is interested in getting a hardcover... *wink* I'm still working on getting the e-book up, but it'll be soon that this book is publicized and available on all book-selling websites, in digital form and hardcover! But if anyone is interested in getting a review copy, just let me know! I would be glad to send over an e-book. 

I will start updating an author blog, lianachau.blogspot.com. There, I'll talk more about the book and this time-consuming journey of writing a book as a teen author.

For now, this is it. Thanks so much for reading and supporting my blog, you guys make the blogosphere an amazing place!

Guest Post by Author Jonathan L. Ferrara

Guest Post:Some of the first stories my mom ever read to me were ones found in the Bible. I found each of them very interesting, but the ones that fascinated me the most were the stories about angels and demons. At a very young age I asked questions that most children wouldn’t even think of, “What made a soul worthy for either Heaven or Hell?” The whole concept of Hell terrified me. I couldn’t seem to understand why Lucifer: God’s most beloved angel, would rather rot in Hell than be celebrated in Heaven. It didn’t make sense to me. Neither did Hell. What exactly is it? Every description I was ever told didn’t explain much. There was no answer, but that Hell is a horrible pit of sorrow. Lucifer was a half-written villain to me that I couldn’t seem to understand. I began writing “The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin” as a way to give me the answers I sought out when I was that little boy. I wanted to convey the aspect of Good and Evil, and a boy who was heading down a wicked path, but journeying to find the light of God.

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Summary: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Rate(1-10): 9.5

Book Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Summary: One boy . . . One dragon . . . A world of adventure. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.

Rate(1-10): 7