Review: Meet Cute

Title: Meet Cute

Author:

Date of Publication: January 2nd, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of “how they first met” from some of today’s most popular YA authors.

Readers will experience Nina LaCour’s beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard’s glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon’s imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno’s story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick’s charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

My Review:

Sometimes you just need a cute short story, or in this case, an anthology of them. I wanted to read this book because I saw Armentrout was one of the authors. To no surprise, hers was my favorite! It had me smiling the entire time, and literally made me want to go and check out a dictionary.

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Some of the stories I had to get used to because a few were written in second person! I haven’t read anything from that perspective before, so when I kept seeing “You,” I was like what??? But it didn’t take long to become accustomed to those author’s stories, even though they still felt a little weird!

So, if you want to read a compilation of short stories to give you that awww feeling, then definitely check this one out!!! Armentrout’s story is what made this 5 stars, though!

Do you like short stories?

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Review: Stardust

Title: Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Date of Publication: August 29th, 2006

Goodreads Summary:

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman comes a remarkable quest into the dark and miraculous—in pursuit of love and the utterly impossible.

My Review:

Stardust is one of my favorite movies ever, so I was very hesitant to read the book. There were some differences throughout, and I actually liked seeing this. This is my second book by Gaiman, and his writing seems to be able to suck me right in and not let go. It’s extraordinary!

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Tristran was a bit of an idiot, but no surprise because he is also one in the movie, too! I loved Yvaine in this book, and all the side characters. This was one of the few times where I felt the movie was actually better than the book, even though I loved them both!

The unicorn scene was much gorier here than in the movie which I liked that part better, so I would debate which scenes I liked better where. Yvaine was a star, and she really did shine here! Lol, I like my last line!

Have you read this book or seen the movie?

Review: Black Bird of the Gallows

Title: Black Bird of the Gallows

Author: Meg Kassel

Date of Publication: September 5th, 2017

Goodreads Summary:

A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

My Review:

So, this book has a lot of good reviews that I have seen. But, it just didn’t grab hold of me as much as I wished. I will state first and foremost that I loved the whole crow aspect. Very cool!

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Going into the book, I did not know there was going to be a bee aspect. This is where it got odd and strange for me. Maybe because it was bees, and I just don’t see bees as being a part of a villain. I just couldn’t get past that.

I also did not connect to the characters. I liked the connection between Reece and Angie, but I needed more before the undying love for each other came into play. Again, I usually don’t mind insta love stuff, it’s the love triangle stuff that bothers me. Thank goodness there wasn’t one of those here.

Other than that, the rest was very interesting, especially the whole harbinger background. I think my favorite part, which was a small part, was when the character Hank came into the picture. That was a very cool detailed visualization. I felt the writing was also well done throughout. I feel like most people who are a fan of paranormal romance will like this book, but there have only been a few that I have really liked, which are generally Jennifer Armentrout’s books.

How does this book sound to you?

Review: The Graveyard Book

Title: The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

Date of Publication: September 30th, 2008

Goodreads Summary:

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family…

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

My Review:

This is my first Gaiman book ever. I can’t believe I haven’t read any because Stardust and Coraline are two of my favorite movies. I have also always been weirdly fascinated by graveyards—the atmosphere, the emotions, the utter calmness.

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Anyway, this book begins rather dark with a boy’s parents being murdered. I read in some reviews that some people found that a little too dark, but even in Harry Potter, his parents are murdered with him right there. Same goes for The Lion King, etc. The ghosts of the graveyard take the boy in and give him a name—Nobody Owens.

Bod is an interesting character, and I enjoyed his attachment to the ghosts and the graveyard. I also felt the atmosphere was awesome, and Gaiman’s storytelling was phenomenal along with the subtle creepiness.

I know if I had read this book during my junior high years, I would have been hugely obsessed with it. This is a great Halloween read as well! And I will definitely be checking out Stardust next to see how that one compares to the film!

Have you read any Gaiman books?

Review: The Creeps

Title: The Creeps

Author: Fran Krause

Date of Publication: September 26th, 2017

My Goodreads Summary:

A follow-up to the New York Times best-selling Deep Dark Fears: a second volume of comics based on people’s quirky, spooky, hilarious, and terrifying fears.

Illustrator, animator, teacher, and comic artist Fran Krause has touched a collective nerve with his wildly popular web comic series–and subsequent New York Times best-selling book–Deep Dark Fears. Here he brings readers more of the creepy, funny, and idiosyncratic fears they love illustrated in comic form–such as the fear that your pets will tell other animals all your embarrassing secrets, or that someone uses your house while you’re not home–as well as two longer comic short-stories about ghosts.

My Review:

So, this was a corny and fun book! It involved strange fears or phobias that added a creeptastic element, along with humor.

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The Creeps read like a comic book and had some pretty awesome pictures that had a horror vibe. I really liked the humor aspect, and I’m sure there are people that will get overly sensitive about it, and say, “There are people that really have those fears.” Anyway, I felt it was all done in fun.

I especially liked the one about the stuffed animals. So, stuffed animals were once alive and then they suffocate in their box. So, the person who sleeps with the toy is really sleeping with a dead stuffed animal. They were morbid but funny. I wouldn’t have normally gone out and bought this type of book because I normally read novels, but it was quite enjoyable.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

How does this book sound to you?

Review: Understanding Color in Photography: Using Color, Composition, and Exposure to Create Vivid Photos

Title: Understanding Color in Photography: Using Color, Composition, and Exposure to Create Vivid Photos

Author: Bryan F. Peterson & Susana Heide Schellenberg

Date of Publication: August 29th, 2017

 

Goodreads Summary:

Veteran photographer and instructor Bryan Peterson is best known for his arresting imagery using bold, graphic color and composition. Here he explores his signature use of color in photography for the first time, showing readers his process for creating striking images that pop off the page. He addresses how to shoot in any type of light, and looks at color families and how they can work together to make compelling images in commercial and art photography. He also helps readers understand exposure, flash, and other stumbling blocks that beginning and experienced photographers encounter when capturing images, showing how to get the most out of any composition. With its down-to-earth voice and casual teaching style, Understanding Color in Photography is a workshop in a book, helping any photographer take their images to the next level.

My Review:

I used to be super big into photography until the digital age came around, and everyone and their mother now think they are a photographer. I was never into portrait, wedding photography or any of that crap, though.

When I saw this book available for review, I was  excited to check it out because color, exposure, and composition are such important areas when trying to take the perfect photograph.

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The author does a great job of suggesting what to do and what not to do, but it’s still all up to you whether you want warmer or cooler tones—it’s all a matter of opinion really. Most of the pages include good photos to go with what he’s explaining. My favorite was the few tree pictures because of course I am all about trees. What I would love to see is a book of photography just on creepy trees! Someone make that book if there isn’t one out there! Anyway, this is a great book, especially if you’re starting out. If you already have your way of doing things, it may not be as helpful, but it’s always great to see another’s perspective on this form of art.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Do you like photography?

 

 

Review: Pride and Prejudice

Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Goodreads Summary:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners—one of the most popular novels of all time—that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the “most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author’s works,” and Eudora Welty in the twentieth century described it as “irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be.”

My Review:

So, I tried to read the book once before, and I could not get through it. I generally struggle with classics, anyway. But, Pride and Prejudice (the one with Keira Knightley) has been one of my favorite movies ever! So, I felt the time had come to try out the audio.

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What I like best about this book by Austen, is how well developed the characters all are. Sometimes, I still felt like I didn’t know what they were talking about, with the way everything was worded back then. But, the story didn’t get away from me, and the story is just achingly wonderful.

Mr. Darcy is well…Mr. Dary and amazing magnficent! I don’t know if I will check out another Austen book anytime soon, but I’m glad that the audio was able to work out for me on this one!

Have you read this book?