Queen of Books: August 2018

Sunday 26 August 2018

Weekly Recap: 8/20 - 8/26

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

This week has been a lot about getting ready for college as I am leaving this coming week. It's so crazy.

I read four books this week which was very impressive and I am on my fifth book of the week! I finally saw To All the Boys I Loved Before on Netflix and it was the cutest movie. Obviously, I've read the books but to see it come to life was a whole different thing. Noah Centineo was a perfect Peter Kavinsky and Lana Condor was a perfect Lara Jean. I highly recommend it.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Saturday 25 August 2018

JULY '18 WRAP-UP

So, it's the end of the month and that means another wrap-up!

It's already almost the end of August so this is really late but it is finally here. I am going to college in three days which is crazy.

In July I was in California and I had fun. I went to Disneyland and did a lot of things that I normally don't do there.

Join my book club: here.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray. I really enjoyed this book as I liked seeing how the two characters found each other again and how we got more development for them. Also, I loved seeing more of the world. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The second book I read was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. My sister read this a while back and made me read it so I did. I did enjoy it though I like books better if there are more girls (cause I'm one). I did enjoy the storyline and the message. I rated this one 3 Crowns.

The third book I read was Nerve by Jeanne Ryan. I have wanted to read this for awhile and I finally have. I did not like this as much as I wanted to. It was a little bit confusing and although I liked the concept, I found it disturbing so I ended up rating it only 3 Crowns. Also, the last half of it really freaked me out.

The Continent by Keira Drake was the fourth book I read. There is so much controversy surrounding this book so I was a little hesitant to start this book but I requested it from the library and read it. I really enjoyed it. I feel like there are a couple of issues with it but the author edited it really well and made it better. I loved the premise and the characters. I rated it 3 Crowns.

The fifth book I read was Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi. I loved these short stories in the Shatter Me series. Learning more about Warner and Adam was so interesting and made me love Warner even more. I wrote reviews of both of these short stories on my blog. I rated the whole thing 5 Crowns.

The sixth physical book I read was Ms. Marvel Volume 2. I really love Ms. Marvel as she's a teenage girl who has powers and is interested in helping her town. I loved this one and learning more about her. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The seventh physical book I read was The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. I love this series so much. The main character is so interesting and I love the whole story. I want to write a review of two of this book so I am not going to say anything. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

The first and only audiobook that I listened to was Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. I love the person who reads these audiobooks because she makes the characters sound so realistic and her voices really match the characters themselves. I also loved the story and how it wrapped up, for the most part. Plus my ship: Warner and Juliette. I rated this 5 Crowns.

ARC'S READ

The first and only ARC I read was Rule by Ellen Goodlett. I received this as a physical ARC from the publisher and I loved it so much. I really liked the concept of the three queens who each have to fight for the throne although they all became friends and allies when someone threatened all of them. I liked the characters and the setting. I rated it 4 Crowns.

REVIEWS IN MARCH:

Rule by Ellen Goodlett Review

Inkmistress by Audrey Couthurst Review

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

June '18 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Aaron Warner from Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Morozko from The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Zofi, Akeylah and Ren from Rule by Ellen Goodlett

Vaela from The Continent by Keira Drake

Vasya from The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Warner and Juliette from Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Vasya and Morozko from The Girl in the Tower

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

NEW BLOG FINDS

NONE

SONGS ON REPEAT

Done for Me - Charlie Puth ft. Kehlani

You Drive Me Crazy - Britney Spears

My Prerogative - Britney Spears

Boys - Britney Spears

BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not.

Friday 24 August 2018

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Written by Jenny Han

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Penerbit Spring

Release Date: March 20, 2015

Pages: 355
Source: Bought

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Review:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the cutest contemporary that I have ever read. I loved the characters and the storyline. Plus, there were so many details that were adorable.

COVER

I think the cover is adorable. I love how Lara Jean is on the cover and she is writing which is the whole premise of the book. I also love the font of the title and how it seems to be written with expo marker.

WORLD-BUILDING

There isn't really any world-building though we do learn a bit about her town and her past throughout the entire book.

Then there are the characters.

LARA JEAN COVEY

Lara Jean is a half-Korean, sixteen year old girl who is invisible, meaning that she isn't noticed at school and lives on the sidelines and for the most part is content with it. She lives with her single father and two sisters (one older and one younger) but her life changes when her older sister moves to Europe for college and Lara Jean is the oldest Song girl, giving her a lot more responsibility. Then, as if to make it even harder for Lara Jean, her secret letters that she keeps in her mother's hatbox are sent to five boys who Lara Jean used to like. Lara Jean is horrified, especially when they start confronting her. Lara Jean is a shy girl who enjoys staying home to bake and spend time with her sisters which is partly due to the fact that she hates driving. Lara Jean loves her family and schedules most of her life around them which is sweet. She's also scared of relationships which is totally relatable. She is easily one of my favorite fictional characters and one who is easy for me to relate to.

PETER KAVINSKY

Peter Kavinsky. Where do I even begin? He is one of my favorite male characters as well as favorite book boyfriends. Peter is a jock who is one of the most popular kids at school and is one of Lara Jean's previous crushes who gets one of the letters. He and Lara Jean start a fake relationship which is so adorable. Peter is a very kind person who looks out for Lara Jean despite their relationship being fake. I love how supportive he is and how he willingly does things that Lara Jean wants to in exchange for her doing some of the things he likes. Peter was such a good boyfriend (well, fake boyfriend) and a great character.

KITTY COVEY

Kitty is Lara Jean's younger sister and a hilarious character. I loved how honest and feisty she was. Kitty is not afraid to say whatever she thinks and often forgets about the consequences of her actions. She quickly accepts Peter and always wants to hang out with him. I really liked her relationship with her sister as well as her relationship with Peter Kavinsky.

MARGOT COVEY

Margot is Lara Jean's older sister who isn't in the book that much because she went off to Europe for college. Margot is very smart and was in charge of a lot in the household before she left so those responsibilities are taken over by Lara Jean. Margot is a little self centered and makes many problems about herself or blames problems on her sisters which I didn't like but overall, she's a complex character.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Family is a main theme in this novel as Lara Jean spends a lot of time with her sisters and her father. Lara Jean would rather be with her family then anyone else and I liked that about her. I loved how close she was with her family and how much she cared about them.

PLOT

Lara Jean is a sixteen-year-old-girl who writes a love letter to every boy she's ever 'loved'. She keeps them in a hatbox that her mother gave her and no one knows they exist. Well, that's what she thinks, until the letters get sent out and the boys start confronting her. Basically, she starts living her nightmare, until one of the boys, Peter Kavinsky, suggests that they fake date in order to keep the other boys at bay and make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

The plot is adorable, light and fluffy. Lara Jean's journey is so cute and I loved reading about it.

ROMANCE

The romance was quite possibly my favorite part of this book (besides Lara Jean's baking obsession and Peter K himself). As I mentioned before, it starts out as a fake relationship because Lara Jean's letters get out and Peter wants to get his girlfriend back. They create a contract of things they have to do such as Lara Jean will get driven by Peter to school, and personally I loved that about their relationship. Obviously, feelings start to emerge and their fake dating doesn't remain fake. It is so cute and Peter Kavinsky is basically the best boyfriend (where you find one of those in the real world, I don't know). He knows what Lara Jean likes and doesn't like and tries to always have her back which proves tough later on.

WRITING

Many people complain about the writing in these books but I love the writing. It's simple and easy to read. Lara Jean does sometimes act like a whiny teenager but in my opinion this makes it more realistic. I liked how Jenny Han crafted her characters and shaped them through their experiences.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is one of my new favorite books. I loved the plot, the characters and the romance. I thought all the characters were complex and exciting. Also, the plot was original. I highly recommend this book if you haven't already read it.

This book has also become a Netflix movie which I haven't watched yet but I'm excited to.

Quotes from the Book:

“When someone's been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it's like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you're just clutching air and grit.”

“Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That's the part of the risk. I don't want to be scared anymore.”

“If love is like a possession, maybe my letters are like my exorcisms”

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

Monday 20 August 2018

Movie Review: Christopher Robin

It's been a long time since I wrote a movie review on this blog. Today, I am going to do a review of Christopher Robin as I loved this movie a lot. This is gonna be structured differently. I am structuring it more like my Zootopia and Moana reviews than some of my others.

Title: Christopher Robin

Director: Marc Forster

Main Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Mark Gatiss, and Jim Cummings

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 Crowns

Release Date: August 3, 2018

Christopher Robin is a new movie by Disney about Christopher Robin after he's grown up and his old friends from the Hundred Acre Wood have to help him realize what is truly important in his life.

PLOT

Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) has to leave behind his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood to go to boarding school and then he grows up, marrying Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and the two have a daughter. He then goes to work for Winslow Luggages and dedicates his whole life to his job, neglecting his wife and daughter.

One day, Pooh (Jim Cummings) awakes and can't find his friends anywhere, so he goes through the tree that Christopher Robin used to come through, in order to get help. He finds himself in London and is reunited with a grown-up Christopher Robin who is surprised to see Pooh. Pooh needs help so Christopher Robin reluctantly travels to Sussex with Pooh, where his family is on vacation without him because he is too busy.

Along the way, he learns an important lesson while helping Pooh and his friends.

The plot has an important message to grownups and families. It was adorable and even a little emotional at times.

ACTORS/CHARACTERS

All the original beloved characters from A.A. Milne's books are here as well as some interesting new additions.

We see Christopher Robin start out as a little boy, forced to leave his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood for boarding school. Then we see him meet Evelyn and get drafted into World War II. When we next see him, he works at Winslow Luggages, having left everything from his childhood behind. He is so focused on work that he neglects his family and they begin to become upset. His wife and daughter head to the countryside for vacation, leaving him behind because he has to work. We get to see him develop throughout the movie as he learns important lessons that work isn't the most important thing. I loved seeing him talk to his childhood friends.

Winnie the Pooh was my favorite character as he was so adorable and his lines were the cutest and had so much meaning behind them. Even though he's a "bear of very little brain" he had a huge heart and his lines had so much impact. I loved how much he loved Christopher Robin and how much he missed him. He is such a kind and adorable character.

The other animals from the Hundred Acre Wood were also very important and taught Christopher Robin a lot. I loved how loyal and adorable they all were.

WORLD/ANIMATION

The animation of the stuffed animals was the cutest. They just looked so soft and huggable. I loved it so much.

The world is split between London, and the Hundred Acre Wood (which is almost like a mystical world). I loved the Hundred Acre Wood which looked so magical and mystical that was sunny and beautiful whenever Christopher Robin came to play.

MUSIC

The music was so good and really worked for each scene. I loved it a lot and will probably listen to the album for quiet music.

I really enjoyed the movie overall. I think it is the perfect movie for teens and adults. Children will like the stuffed animals and the hundred acre woods but they won't understand the message. I really liked the message. It was also emotional at times and I could feel tears but it was a beautiful movie. It's so adorable and I highly recommend it.

Sunday 19 August 2018

Weekly Recap: 8/13 - 8/19

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

This week has been a lot about getting ready for college as I am leaving in a little over a week. It's so crazy.

I read four books this week which was very impressive and I am on my fifth book of the week! :) I also saw Christopher Robin in theaters today and it was so cute. I loved it.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review: