what’s the point in books, anyway? // part two

‘Ello, everyone! In case you missed it, last week I talked about why I read books, part one of two posts (this being the second part, of course!) Soooo in this post, I’m making a list of why I WRITE books. (YOLO, right??!) 😀 I mean, what makes a person decide to pound out 60,000 words for fun? If you’ve ever wondered, or even if you know why, I think you’ll like my list. Oh, and I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know if you have anything to add to the list.

emily

#1: Dump your problems on someone else, for a change!
I’ve found that giving my problems to little people in my head actually helps me to see things in a new light. Even if you’ve never written before, and don’t plan on sharing any of your writings with anyone else, when you’re done, it feels… refreshing.

Writing down your feelings is good, too, but when I make up characters for a story that’s all going to fit together, I have to think about what each person is feeling, and how the story is going to end based on what decisions the characters choose, what they’re thinking. Because I base my stories on real life experiences, when I think about how others feel, it gives me a better sense of empathy.

#2: Express your views and opinions without missing a beat! Be the heroine of your story.
Do you ever stand in front of a mirror and talk to yourself, pretending to tell that person off (bully, nuisance, acquaintance), with a thousand comebacks that you never thought of in the moment? I do! I love writing because I get to be the heroine of my story! I get to save the day. I get to pound that bully to the ground. Sometimes my main character is the one in the wrong, but they always end up on top. Your story gets to go the way you want it to. No one else can tell you how to write it.

#3: Writing helps talking.
That sounds weird, right? Let me explain. In order to write, I have to gather my thoughts together in a way that everything will make sense and be orderly, so others can read it. When it comes to my creative, for-fun writing, I’m a total panster. (In other words, I get an idea, I write as I go along, BOOM.) But at some point or another, I have to decide what things are important to the story, and which things need to go. So what I means by “writing helps talking” – because I’ve spent all this time thinking through what exactly needs to be said in my story, when I’m having a conversation with someone, I tend to think through what I say quicker and more efficiently, and I can get my words out more eloquently. Of course, I still get tongue-tied, and either stick my foot in my mouth or don’t say something I  need to say, but that’s just Emily. 😉

#4: No one’s writing is the same.
We all have different voices, opinions, characters, story lines. Everything about your story is your own. Sure, they may be the same genre/story line/rather cliche characters, but it’s YOURS. Own it!

emily

#5: Capture the feeling.
I have plenty of memories where I remember how I felt, but I don’t feel it anymore. When I read or write a book, the character’s emotions or feelings become my own. I can feel what the character is feeling. It’s incredible, really. Like I keep saying, even if you’ve never written a word before, you have the power to make someone feel something from your book. Not just learn a lesson (although those are plenty important, too!), but feel and grasp what the character (or the author), is feeling. It’s an amazing part of reading/writing a book, and it’s way under appreciated!

emily

#6: Make up stuff!
We make up stuff in our heads all the time! Let me tell something. My cousins and I could star in a soap opera. When we were younger, we’d play “house” or “olden days” (we would pretend we were pioneers settling on new land). We would be “college girls” or “doctors.” We played a dozen “games” together, making stuff up! We have such a wild imagination! Those games we played would make for really dramatic novels, or really silly children’s books. (Somewhere in between.) 😉

When I write, all of those experiences and ideas blend together to make the coolest, most exciting, intense story. I always hated it when those games I played with my friends had to end. But when I write a story, it never has to end! (Well, it does at some point, but you know.) I can continue making up stories as I go along. I’m always jotting down ideas in my little notebook I carry with me. The fun never stops!

emily

#7: It’s educational!
I know, I know – “education” sometimes sucks the fun out of everything. But it doesn’t have to with writing. (At least creative writing.) This is the thing that makes my parents and teachers happy. Even though I write for fun, I still want to my writing to be good. I’ll find myself searching for synonyms for words, or a word will pop into my head and I’ll have forgotten what it means, and I have to look it up. Reading expands the mind, but so does writing!

So that’s all I’ve got for this post! Can I just say that I didn’t even realize I had so many great (if I do say so, myself), reasons I had for writing?! And also, I’d like to add that these reasons can also be for blogging! (Especially #7, whether I mean it to be or not!)

Do you have anything to add? I’d love to hear from you all! Why do YOU write? (and remember #4 when you comment! I love talking to everyone!)

Emily

crunch by leslie connor

Leslie Connor is a fantastic author. I’ve now read two of her books – Waiting for Normal and Crunch, and loved them both. I guess I expected a little bit more out of Crunch because Waiting for Normal was, to put it simply, incredible, but this one was kind of an “eh” book for me.

The main plot was okay. The country is in the middle of an oil crisis, and since Dewey’s dad is a truck driver, he and his siblings end up on their own for the majority of the summer while his parents are stuck with no gas. That leaves Dewey and his brother in charge of The Bike Barn, the small side-job shop his dad runs. Of course, because gas is so hard to come by, everyone is biking everywhere now. Not exactly the easy-breeze summer vacation Dewey had pictured. But he really wants to impress his dad with how well he kept the bike barn going. But then thefts are popping up all over town, including several missing parts from the barn.

Pretty interesting. What went downhill, though, was the book started off kind of slow. Actually, the middle was pretty slow, too. And the ending. I did enjoy the book. It wasn’t slow enough for me to put it down, because I was genuinely engaged enough in the mysterious thefts and what was going on and whatnot, but for a decently long book, it honestly didn’t go fast enough for me.

Despite that, the characters were pretty complex. I was really taken by surprise by how the whole mystery theft thing turned out. Definitely not what I expected… I was also seriously wondering what was up with some of the characters, especially Dewey’s sister and brother. Dewey’s sister, Lil – seriously what is UP?! LET SOMEONE HELP YOU. And his brother, TALK TO SOMEONE. Really. They got on my nerves.

The hilarious stars of the book kept my attention well – Dewey’s five-year-old twins, who always had something funny to say, and their crabby neighbor. They kept things lively. =)

Overall, I really liked Crunch. I can’t say if it’s a re-read or not… I definitely liked the characters, and the plot was pretty interesting. I give it 3 and a half stars!

emily emily emily

emily

Have you read any books by Leslie Connor? What did you think of her? Do think you’ll read Crunch?

Emily

stacking the shelves

Hey, guys! So many books to be read. So many flashcards to study. Seriously, where is there someone I can pay to finish this last week of school for me so I can be DONE. All I want to do is sit on my bed and read and eat chocolate and blog and flip out over Kiera Cass and The Selection and there is LATIN to be done.

Anywho. One more week, just one more week! Of course, recently I’ve been reminded that I could be enduring another month of school if it weren’t for the marvelous fact that I’m home-schooled this year. Really, no complaints!

I got several books this week! Here’s the stack:

emily

Short disclaimers: I’ve read The Book Thief, and The Bronze Bow is school-required. But they’re BOOKS, and they’ll be added to my shelves, soooo…. stacking the shelves. 

Alright #1: The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. I cannot tell you how long this one’s been on my book wishlist. I told my dad that reading a book you’ve wanted to read for a long time is like finally meeting a friend of a friend you’ve heard so much about. So finally, we meet, Princess Academy! I do think we’ll be good friends! Plus I’ve been told this one’s like an MG Selection series, and that makes my heart sing.

#2: Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters. Yes, that’s a title. Oh – by Lesley M.M. Blume. I found this one whilst browsing thriftbooks.com (which I haven’t but need to order some books from!), and then saw it at a used bookstore nearby and had to have it. Plus you totally can’t beat two bucks, right?! I’m really looking forward to this one. It sounds like a really cute, funny one!

#3: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Again, used book store. Four bucks. For about a year I couldn’t bring myself to buy it for 13 or $14, when I had it on my Kindle, but FINALLY I have it in print, on my bookshelf. I can smell the pages. So, so very glorious. I may have to re-read it now that I’ve got it to hold in my hands… to feel the pages. Ahhh. Anyway, this one’s a classic already, so it’s good to have it in my little library. Kudos to my mom because she agreed it’s a classic and she bought it for me. (Also kudos to Emily for giving her the puppy-dog eyes.)

#4: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. School-required.

I kid, I kid! It looks really good. I’m sure I’ll love it. And besides, if anything, the wonderful-smelling pages will keep me hooked. (Happy sigh.)

Okay, so now it’s time for “Make everyone jealous because I have really cute bookish things and aggghhh they’re so cute!” Ready? Okay.

emily

“Pretty Girls Read Books.” Aggghhh!! *Squeals!!* I’m obsessed. Isn’t it so cute? Perfect for carrying all the books I’m bound to read on my vacations/trips this summer. And to the pool. Oh, gosh, I’m thinking about summer again. And mostly about all the books I’m going to read this summer. Somebody help me! =)

And to pin onto the cute bookish bag…

emily

These pins are just the cutest. Which one is your favorite?? I got each one at seperate times I went to the used bookstore. (It’s called 2nd & Charles, by the way – it’s a chain used book store so check if it’s in your area and then GO THERE. Seriously, it’s the best used book store in the history of used book stores.) I have to say I like the Future Author one. Apparently I missed it the first two times when I got the other pins. Anyway, they’re MATCHING and they’re CUTE and I just love it.

How was your week? What books did you get? Aren’t the pins and the bag so cute??!

Emily

 

my blogging adventures

Hey, everyone! Recently I’ve gotten a couple of questions about how I write the posts on For the Bookish. (Which is seriously the best, because I talk about the posts I write to my family all the time!) Over the past year, I’ve definitely become more consistent with my blogging as the year went on, and I fell in love with in blogging more and more.

When I first started out blogging (well, really the first 7-8 months of blogging), I’d get an idea for a post and then either sit down and debate how I was going to elaborate on that idea, or it’d take me an hour to get the post just right, and then post it. OR I would get an idea in my head and think “Oh, I’ll do that later…” and then I would forget about it. Or I would realize it had been weeks since I lasted posted, and I needed to post, but I just wasn’t in the mood to write one. Which was sometimes good, because I knew that when I pushed myself to write when I didn’t want to, it definitely wasn’t my best post.

Then I realized that I really wanted to blog more, I just didn’t enjoy it enough to make time for it everyday. So I didn’t write posts everyday, but when I had some spare time, I started giving it to blogging instead of, as my mom says, “licking paint off a wall.” (In other words, doing absolutely nothing.) So, yeah, I made myself sit down and write at least one post, and maybe those weren’t my best, but the more I made myself blog, the more I came to enjoy it. So I wanted to write more posts.

After that, I still didn’t always feel like blogging, so when I was in a blogging mood (like “OMG, that bookish thing is totally ramble-worthy!),  I sat down and pounded out two or three posts and saved them for days I didn’t want to post.

When I started blogging more consistently, I started getting more comments on my blog. The first few months of blogging got maybe one comment per post, and no one came back to reply to my reply (like you all do now!) But soon I realized that a loyal blogger gets loyal commenters. After all, it’s always awkward talking to a person who hasn’t said a word in forever. Once I started getting more commenters on my blog, it pushed me to do more posts! I knew I had at least two or three people who really, genuinely liked my posts and were nice to enough to stop and talk to me. I wanted to keep them looking at my blog!

Nowadays, I sit down and write probably four or five posts in a day – because it’s FUN! I schedule to them post automatically, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In January/February, I knew I not only wanted to post consistently, I wanted to post on a schedule. The posts I write today, you won’t see for a few weeks! I’ve had this very post written and ready to publish since the 8th!

I still get in a blogging fog and don’t want to write. But that’s okay, because I already have the entire next month written! This way, I know there will always be a new post for my few loyal readers to comment on, so I can talk to you all! I’ve been writing more posts because blogging has become a hobby, not just for followers or free books (which is a motive, but not as big as it used to be.) Today, after a year of blogging, I may only have 20-some readers, which can seem small to some major bloggers who have blogged as long as me. I don’t blog for followers. I blog for me and the readers come with that.

Emily

what’s the point in books, anyway? // part one

What’s the point in reading a book? Do you read for the adventure? For the “escape” of reality? Do you read it for the morals, and the lessons? I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Back in September, one of my friends and I went to see The Giver movie. For those of you who have read the books or seen the movie, you know there’s a HUGE lesson we can all learn from it. It’s really powerful.

Anyway, when the movie was over, of course I was near to the point of tears thinking about how amazing the story is! My mom and I (we read the book together), started talking about the moral of the book, and what we learned. Of course we talked about how cute Jonas was, and how intense some scenes were, but because the main reason I read books is the lesson out of the story, that’s what I was going to talk about. I asked my friend what she learned/thought about the moral of the story, and she shrugged and said, “Eh. I just read books for the story.” She wasn’t wrong, per say, because stories are great and exciting and they get your heart pounding… but I was a little bit stunned. Here we were, having seen The Giver (if you haven’t seen/read it, look up the trailer!), and my friend walked away honestly having not given any thought to what the story meant.

emily

So today, (naturally), I made a list! Here’s why I read books.

#1: Sometimes fantasy is so much better than reality.
Come on, don’t deny it. I tend to enjoy reading most on lazy PJ days at home when life is good, but not particularly exciting. Books make it ten times more exciting! I remember in my school library in elementary school there was a sign that said “Books take you places to meet new faces,” and I’ve never forgotten that sign because it’s so true! This is where my friend was right about “just” reading books for the story.

#2: Words are like a milkshake.
Non-bookworms might be thinking that you can escape reality in video games, or movies. And, yeah, those are nice, too (like I said, sometimes I just don’t feel like reading!), but for me, words are like a milkshake. I can’t really explain it… I guess some people have a love for words more than others. Anyway, what I mean by that is whenever I drink a milkshake, I try to take my time so it lasts (and I don’t get a brain freeze!), but I always end up slurping it up faster than I would have liked because it’s just so good! Books are like that, for me, too. Movies are great, but there’s something about the eloquence of words and the descriptions and the feel of the pages, that’s so different.

#3: If you have a little imagination, reading a book is like you’re in charge of the movie.
If you watch a movie/TV show/video game/etc., characters are cool and sets are beautiful, but with only a little imagination, books are like TV in your head! You get to decide the scenes. You get to imagine the characters. So in a way, it’s like YOU’RE the movie producer!

emily

#4: Books encourage a stronger imagination!
I’m stealing this point from this post I read the other day. Like the quote goes, books take you places to meet new faces. Piggy-backing off of my first reason, a strong imagination equals a strong, smart mind. (And sometimes a witty and a little bit sarcastic mind, from experience…) =)

#5: Books, and words, have the power to change you.
If you regularly follow my blog, you know that in all of my reviews, I make a point to talk about what I got out of the book; what I learned from it. That’s because the main reason I read books is because peoples’ stories have power. To change for the better, or for the worse. When I read a book, I crave the adventure and the mystery just as much as anyone, but I also enjoy the lessons each book has. Because of this, I personally believe bookworms have stronger imaginations and minds. Books can change a person, but like the Bible says, only if they have eyes to see (or in this case, read!) and ears to hear.

So what about you? Why do you read books? What’s the POINT in them, anyway?? =) I’d love to hear from you!

Emily

the best bad luck i ever had by kristin levine

Kristin Levine is probably one of the best historical fiction writers I’ve ever had the privilege of reading her books. Seriously. I first read her second book, The Lions of Little Rock, when I was eleven (about two years ago now.) I’ve cherished it for a long time, and read it a good couple of times, too. Her characters’ perspectives on black and whites in times that really weren’t that long ago is incredibly written. The Best Luck I Ever Had was funny, and sweet, and innocent, and all good things that go into a Middle Grade novel, but it was rich with history and serious matters.

emily

The main character, Dit, had me laughing my socks off in the beginning of the book. In fact, he kind of reminded me of Donnovan from Ungifted, facing more serious circumstances. My goodness, how Kristin Levine kept such a funny mood in this book is beyond me, but she did and I loved it. Things got pretty serious in this book, though.

Let me get you caught up: 1917. Small town in Alabama. The new postmaster comes to town, and Dit is disappointed because he only has a daughter; no boys. Not to mention this new family is black. Obviously, in times like these, there were many racist people. In fact, at one point in the book Dit’s teacher told her class it was a shame the South lost the Civil War! (It was a jaw-dropping, fist-making moment for me. It took all I had not to throw my Kindle across the room!)

Heads up: The sheriff in the book was very violent, and racist. There were some scenes I wasn’t too sure about… the sheriff got in some fights with people, and there was one chapter where the sheriff came into the barber shop and caused some trouble. During that scene, I was kind of taken off guard because there was a very vulgar word. (Page 187.) Just a heads up to everyone, because I was a little surprised… that was the only time there was anything like that in the book, though.

Nothing about the book was slow, or dull. I loved the fact that Dit had a certain dialect… (for some reason, I love hearing characters’ voices or accents in my head a certain way!) I was hooked the whole time. Definitely a re-read! LOVED it!

emily

5 stars!

So, have you read any books by Kristin Levine? What did you think of them? Does this sound good?? 😉

Emily

what the mother/daughter book club taught me

Many of you have found my blog through Heather Vogel Frederick’s blog (which is awesome, because HVF fans UNITE!) And I love talking about the Mother/Daughter book Club because… well, let me put it this way: they feel like home. Like the last sentence in the last book (so far!) says, “There’s no place like home.” Especially when home is where the heart is. And my heart is where the mother/daughter book club is.

I started reading the books in the fourth grade with my mom (who else was I going to read them with?!), and loved it. At the time, the girls were older than me in the books. You know how you always seem to look up to older girls? Like that cool high school babysitter you had when you were little? That’s how Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan were for me. I’ve grown up with them over the past three years. So today I made a list of things I’ve learned from the Mother/Daughter Book Club.

emily

#1: Don’t judge a girl by her looks or the way she acts.
At first, every single one of the girls in the book club judged the others by the way they looked. Emma was “fat,” Jess was a stinky farm girl, Cassidy was a dumb jock, and Megan was the snobby girl from the Fab Four. The Mother/Daughter book club really hit this home, especially in the later books when the girls did the same to Becca, Anna(stinker)belle, and Sophie. =)

#2: It’s okay to be happy again and still miss lost loved ones.
One of the girls in the book, Cassidy, lost her dad, and was really angry when her mother moved her to Concord and then in the second book began dating again! I really liked how throughout the books, there were many scenes where Cassidy was missing her dad, but that didn’t mean she hated her mom’s new boyfriend, and she was content with her life the way it was.

#3: There’s always going to be embarrassing moments happen to us, but we just have to laugh at ourselves.
Even though the girls made mistakes and embarrassed themselves more than once, in the end of the books, they always shook it off and laughed at themselves. Best of all, they learned from their mistakes – and yeah, they still regretted what happened/they did, but they all used it as a learning experience.

emily

#4: We grow out of those awkward phases.
In the first book, I don’t think any of the girls would have guessed how they’d all turn out by Wish You Were Eyre. All of the girls grew out of their awkward phases, and by the last book, they were more confident in themselves than every before.

#5: Family and friends are most important.
I loved all of the get-togethers and parties and the close-knit bond the mother/daughter book club created. I loved each adventure the girls went on, from a goat in the school play to a year’s trip to England. Everything that happened to them, the group became closer. It reminded me a lot of my own family and friends.

Have you read the mother/daughter book club?? Anything to add to my list?

Emily

the taylor swift book tag!

I discovered The Taylor Swift book tag. It was bound to happen someday. Actually, I discovered the tag a few months ago, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. (Can you BELIEVE THAT?!) Anyone who knows me well knows almost anything by T-Swizzle will be blared loudly in my room. And now I can combine TWO of my favorite things! HUZZAH.

So basically, I talk about a book that reminds me of the Taylor Swift song. (If you haven’t listened to them, GO! NOW! SCOOT!) And then read this post, of course! =)

emily

We are Never Ever Getting Back Together (pick a book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with): TOUGH ONE. I rarely read a book I don’t like. (Case in point: I have yet to post a review beneath 3 stars.) Buuut if I had to choose, I guess I’d say The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen. We didn’t click. I won’t be reading it again. I didn’t even read all of it in the first place.

Red (book with a red cover): The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. It’s sort of red. Props for having the word ‘red’ in the title?? I rated it 4.5 stars! It was pretty darn good.

The Best Day (nostalgic book): THIS IS THE BEST STINKING SONG BY TS EVER. So (obviously), I’ve gotta pick a book that is the best stinking book Emily has ever read. Nostalgic, right? Mandy by Julie Edwards Andrews orrrr The Main Street series by Ann M. Martin. Forever childhood friends.

Love Story (book with a forbidden love): Forbidden love, forbidden love… urm. Looking at my bookshelf now. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli? Does that count as forbidden love? The Selection by Kiera Cass? (Aspen is a cast below America, so it’s not like it’s illegal for them to marry, but not really acceptable…) mm. I need to find more books with forbidden love.

I Knew You Were Trouble (a bad character you couldn’t help but love): Ooh!!! Umm… Ida B? By Katherine Hannigan. She was annoying, but lovable. I dunno… If they’re bad, I stay away!

Innocent (someone ruined the ending for you): LUCKY FOR MEEE. Nobody’s spoiled the ending for a book I’ve read yet. Mostly ’cause a) I steer clear from spoilers on book reviews and b) none of my friends keep up with which book I’m reading/don’t always read the same books as me. =) Also anyone who ruins a book for me will die. Just sayin’.

Everything Has Changed (a character who has gone through extensive development): Allie from Interrupted by Rachel Coker (atheist who doesn’t trust anyone to a Christian who falls in love? Hello?) and Dit from The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine (that book review is coming soon!) Both of them changed incredibly from beginning to end of their books, in an incredibly awesome way.

You Belong With Me (pick your most anticipated book release): ohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh. Okay. The Heir by Kiera Cass. I’m getting butterflies thinking about it. EEEEEE!!!! Plus I’m going to be in Washington D.C. on May 6th, the day after it comes out and Kiera Cass is going to be there and I’M GOING TO MEET HER. TO GET A BOOK SIGNED. PERSONALLY. BY THE KIERA CASS. No big deal.

Forever and Always (my favorite book couple): Confused ’cause this song is about a break up… particularly about a break-up in which Joe Jonas broke up with Taylor in 27 seconds on the phone. GET YOUR TAYLOR SWIFT FACTS STRAIGHT, PEOPLE. So in this case, I’m going to pick my favorite book couple who broke up/ended horribly. {spoiler if you haven’t read the Family Tree series by Ann M. Martin} Dana and Matthew, from The Family Tree series book #2, OR Zander and Abby from The Family Tree series #1. AGGHH. WHY ANN M. MARTIN?!

Come Back, Be Here (pick the book you would least like to lend out, for fear of missing it too much): Interrupted or Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Coker. I lent Interrupted out once. (My dear friend didn’t finish it. ‘Said it was too emotional. WHATS WRONG WITH YOU.) Never again.

So what books would you put with which songs? Do you agree with me on any of them? Read any of these books? ARE YOU A TAYLOR SWIFT FAN? Tell me below! I neeeeeed to know!

Emily

palace of mirrors by margaret peterson haddix (the palace chronicles, #2)

I’ve always loved reading fairy tale/medieval times/retellings, and I read Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix about two years ago, so I was excited to finally get around to reading this one! (Yep, I read this on a total whim the other day. It’s been on my Kindle since I read Just Ella. When was that again? Oh yeah. Two years ago. >_<) Well, you can’t say I NEVER read it, now can you?? (Looking at you, mom.)

emily

There were two main things I liked about this book: 1) nothing is as it seems. First, the good guy was the bad guy. Then the bad guy turned out to be the good guy. It was all very confusing, but made for some great plot twists. 2) The romance. I LOVE Margaret Peterson Haddix’s books because of this. If you’re a romantic at heart like me, but can’t seem to find any books that are clean but still have a touch of wholesome romance, this the book for you.

In a lot of fairy tale/medieval times-set books I’ve read, there’s a bit too much violence than I would prefer. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t read books with gruesome pictures OR descriptions, but I’m a girl who’s rather squeamish about blood. I can handle it, really, but if I don’t have to deal with it, great. I get that during these times, things were very unsanitary and bloody and all that, but… Margaret Peterson Haddix did a great job of keeping to the time she was writing in, while ditching the war scenes or plagues and icky stuff I’ve noticed in a lot of books like this one.

So there was one thing I was a little disappointed about… for me, character development is key. If the plot sucked, and the character development was incredible, I’d give the book five stars. (So to speak.) Palace of Mirrors was certainly a page turner, and like I said above, there was a perfect touch of wholesome romance… throughout the book, I got the feeling that something was going on between Cecilia and Harper, particularly because Cecilia kept mentioning how Harper was acting a little bit strange. But otherwise, I really wouldn’t have guessed that Cecilia and Harper would be romantic; they’ve been best friends since they were little, sure, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to be boyfriend/girlfriend. I didn’t know Harper that well. I didn’t really know Cecilia’s relationship with Harper that well. That was kind of a let-down. 

BUT, overall, this book was super good! Definitely recommend to this to anyone like me: a romantic at heart, wanting books that are clean but still have a touch of wholesome romance.

emily emily emily emily

 

 

4 stars!

Oh, and by the way, the third book in this series (Palace of Lies) just came out on April 7th! Be sure to check out the first book in the series, Just Ella, and get reading!

Emily

a weekly recap

Hey, guys! This past week was my spring break and I’ve enjoyed it sooo much. Now to get through the next few weeks and it’ll be summer vacation before I know it! I read three books this week, gave eight inches of my hair to Children with Hair Loss, and I hosted my first ever giveaway on For the Bookish! Plus at the end of this post, I have some exciting news!

the books

Three books! HUZZAH. Not my best, but decent enough.

emily

Crunch by Leslie Connor was really good! In between 3 and 4 stars (check out my review policies to see how I rate books), and even though I don’t really like giving half star ratings, Crunch got 3.5 stars. Dauntless by Dina L. Sleiman gets 4 stars (my mom got it for me for Easter! I need to get my mom to pick out books for me more often!) And This Means War by Ellen Wittlinger will definitely be a favorite of mine – 5 stars!

the hair

Thursday, my mom took my sister and I to get our hair cut, and I decided to do something different! I showed the hair stylist what I wanted, and she told me it was enough to donate. I gave eight pony tails to Children with Hair Loss! Of course, lots of pictures of my new ‘do was ensued.

emily

I just love it! So light and cute and much easier to fix! =)

the giveaway!

Last Friday for For the Bookish’s ONE YEAR BLOGOVERSARY (eeek! I still can’t believe it’s been a year!), I hosted my first ever giveaway. It was a fantastic success. I announced the winner yesterday in my post where I talked about my reviews (congrats, H.M. Wilson!) I’ll definitely be doing more giveaways soon. =)

How was your week? Have you read any of the books I read this week? =)

exciting news…

A lot of you follow my blogging buddy Trisha (from Forever Trisha), and recently we’ve been emailing back and forth, and Trisha had a fantastic idea! She told me about her idea for a Blogger Book Club! We’re inviting several specific bloggers to join, but any blogger can join – and if you don’t have a blog, you can still join, too! Every week or so (we haven’t decided exactly when), we’ll talk about the book we’re reading via chatzy.com. We’ll set up a private chat so only the people in the group can join. We don’t all have to be on the chat at once (since we’re all in different time zones), but this way we can still read what we all have to say about the book. I’ll probably be typing the discussions as a blog post, but it’s up to your about that. =) Trisha and I decided to start with one of our favorite books – The Mother/Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick! I know many of you have read it, but we thought it’d be fun to re-read it anyway. Plus, it’s fitting to start our book club with a book about a book club! More details about the Blogger Book Club will probably be coming soon!

Emily