Good Books: Bird Box

I've never read a horror book before. I love scary movies and haunted houses and all that jazz, but I have always figured that if the Hunger Games gave me nightmares, a horror novel definitely would too. That being said I really enjoyed completing the 9th book of my 25-book pledge, Bird Box by Josh Malerman. The back cover synopsis really leaves a lot to the imagination, and as someone who is afraid of birds, I really don't know why I grabbed this book when it's supposed to be suspenseful and has 'birds' right there in the title. Well I'm here to tell you I survived! Though birds did play a minor role in the novel, I am pleased to say I'm not having nightmares of my face being pecked off. Bird Box follows Malorie and her two children, as they struggle to survive in a world where unknown 'creatures' are driving people to deadly violence. Fear of the outdoors leaves them living in an abandoned house, windows covered and doors bolted, and blindfolded when so much of a crack of light is seeping in. Their journey of survival and escape to a seemingly better place will leave you turning pages on the edge of your seat until the very end. Definitely recommend this read.

Good Books: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Now I know in my last good books update I said I would be coming at you with a 2 in 1 book post for what was my second and meant to be fourth reads of the year. Well, I've had the sequel to this book out on loan for nearly a month now and I just can't seem to get into it. What happens to me is if I keep a book on my shelf too long without reading it, or read it before bed and keep falling asleep the book, starts to feel like homework. It could be the greatest book ever written and I would still struggle along with the task I've assigned to myself. Well that's what happened with this sequel. So for now I have pursued other reads and returned the sequel (Hollow City, if you're wondering), to be completed on a later date.

The second book I read for the 25-book pledge was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. This book was terrifying. I should have guessed that from the cover really, but as mentioned in this post, it was the cover that drew me in! I was looking for a lighter read after finishing A House in the Sky, so I headed on over to the teen fiction section hoping for a breezy book. Like I said, this book is terrifying. It follows the story of a boy who was left with the mystery of his grandfather's past to explore. He ends up on a journey to a mysterious island full of peculiarities. One day he finds himself in an abandoned home for children and becomes intrigued with their existence - Are they dead or alive? What made them so special? Are their photographs even real? Without giving too much away, this book is a story full of excitement, mystery and adventure. One of the best (and scariest bits) is the pages of photographs. Ransom Riggs gathered a collection of mysterious vintage photographs, that help tell this story and make it perfectly haunting. Give it a read! (and if you read the sequel before I do, no spoilers please!)

Good Books: Never Have I Ever

Never judge a book by it's cover. People are always repeating those words as if to say, 'hey even if they did a terrible job with the font, centring, colouring and those awful pictures slapped in between it all, this is still a good book! high quality literature right here!'. Yea freaking right. I guarantee you that if a book is suggested to me or I read some rave reviews about a new release, and it has an ugly cover, not happening. 

"There are boys for whom the ink of a million glittery gel pens was spilled"

The third book I read in my 25-book pledge this year is Katie Heaney's "Never Have I Ever: My life (so far) without a date." I hadn't read anything about it or heard about Katie before picking it up but I was drawn to the cutesy hearts and the really long but cool-fonted title. Book judged by cover - case and point. This book is such a light hearted, funny and uplifting read. I loved every page of it. Having never (knowingly) read Katie's work before (she writes for Buzzfeed aka procrastination station) I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy reading the diary of a stranger's love life, but it honestly feels like you're chatting with a great and hilarious friend - talking about everything from elementary school crushes, to potential high school sweethearts, to university nightmares, to OkCupid messaging 101. It reminded me a lot of Tina Fey's book (Bossypants) in that she shares plenty of embarrassing and laugh-out-loud moments of her life over the past twenty five years. Though my own love life isn't entirely the same, I am neither a lighthouse nor a bermuda triangle but somewhere in the middle (read book for more details), I think every girl will be able to relate to at least one of Katie's quirky narratives, but if not then they'll at least remind you of one of your own crazy friends. If you're looking for a an easy and fun read with a pretty cover to get you through these cold and dreary months, I highly recommend you give this one a go.

Note: Oh hey my third book for the pledge, what was my second you ask? I'm currently reading the sequel so you'll hear about both of them soon enough! 

Good Books: A House in the Sky

Source

At the start of last year I stumbled across the 50 book pledge. I made the pledge to read 25 books last year, not a huge goal for some people but it became difficult as I got back into the groove of school. I ended up reading 18 books in total (which personally I am very proud of). I love to read but sometimes life gets the better of me and I get so caught up in other things that I forget and have trouble making time for something I love. With all this being said, I have once again pledged to read 25 books this year - about two books a month. I think it is completely do-able but with my final semester of post grad starting up, I know I'll have some difficulty making the time. I think I can do it though - optimism!

The first book I'm including in this pledge is one that I started reading near the end of December and recently finished, called A House in the Sky. For those of you unaware I work at a bookstore, and while most of my time there is spent shelving and helping customers, some of my favourite moments are when people come up to me so passionate about a book that they end up giving me long lists of recommendations. This was one of those books, and it was right up my alley.

Source

A House in the Sky, by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett, is the memoir of Amanda Lindhout who at a young age was an avid traveller. Similar to myself, she worked hard at home and then spent her savings on exciting journeys all over the globe. After many years of travelling she decides to make her trips more profitable by becoming a freelance photographer in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and eventually, Somalia. The memoir follows her life as she is held hostage for 460 days with her friend Nigel and recounts the torment and torture they endure. The story continually stung me with the struggles of her captivity but pulls you along with her last traces of hope. As I quickly turned the pages, I had to remind myself over and over again that this was a piece of non-fiction, it read like a novel and pierced my heart with the constant longing for freedom. Despite the heartbreaking story, the book still leaves you feeling inspired and motivated to empower women and children across the globe. The book pledge is off to a good start with this one.