#BooksBought – Cindy's Love Of Books

Review/ George

Posted on September 28, 2015September 8, 2015 by Cindy

George by Alex Gino
Published by Scholastic Inc. on August 25th 2015
Pages: 208
Goodreads
Genres: Bullying, Friendship, Social Issues, Young Adult

BE WHO YOU ARE. When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

George by Alex Gino has been a book that has been on my radar for quite some time now and its been on my wishlist since then so this past weekend I decided to pick it up when I visited a little indie bookstore in my area.

BE WHO YOU ARE is literally something I live by and I wish more people would actually do this. I loved the message behind the book and I can’t even image the struggles some children and people must go through in life.

If you look at George you will see a boy because he looks, dresses and acts like a boy but on the inside there is a girl screaming to get out and be recognized for who she is. George is only ten years old and she is struggling to keep this deep dark secret inside her. Being a kid is always a hard but when you have a secret that could possibly make things worse for you its even harder for you and throw in a bully who likes to make fun of you and wants to fight you.

George is in the fourth grade and this year her class is putting on the play, Charlotte’s Web. Which is a favorite of mine. Who doesn’t like Charlotte’s Web?

George decides she wants to play Charlotte which we all know is a girl’s part but for George its a way that she can actually feel like a real girl for once and be who she feels inside around her friends and family who have no clue about what is going on.

George’s best friend is Kelly and they both decide to rehearse together for the part. Eventually George decides to let Kelly in on her secret and knowing its a huge risk she is taken but I have to say I thought Kelly handled the situation extremely well and I would only wish more kids had a friend like Kelly in their lives.

When the day for the auditions happen Ms. Udell is not happy that George wants to audition for the part of Charlotte and tells George that it won’t happen that he can have another part but George says no that if she can’t be Charlotte she wants no other part in the play.

Fast forward to the day of the play and Kelly and George come up with a plan that in the second performance they would switch. Ms Udell is not happy but thankfully Principal Maldonado came to the rescue and told George that if she ever needed to talk her door was always open and I think that is what kids need to hear that someone will be there to hear them speak.

As a parent I have always let Michael know that we are not all the same but we all deserve love and respect from one another and that it doesn’t matter who we are, what color our skin is its whats inside that counts. When I look back over the last 12 years of Michael’s life I see that I have instilled those values and he treats everyone with kindness, love and respect and that everyone is a person no matter what.

May Book Unhauling #5

Posted on June 1, 2015June 17, 2015 by Cindy

In the month of May I took roughly a week to go through a few boxes of books as well as the book cases to try and purge them down in prep for the books I would be bringing home from BEA. I managed to gather a box full of books but sadly I never got the chance to document or take photos of the books I was giving away so I have no idea what I gave away or how many.

I think with all the hype and getting ready for BEA I think at some point I told myself I had taken photos and I never second guessed that.

So as of right now I have give away 89 books. I wish I could remember how much was in that box oh well I think I am still doing good and I am pleased with my work so far.

Do you have a hard time giving books away?

Review/ The Girl On The Train

Posted on May 29, 2015May 15, 2015 by Cindy

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Format: Paperback
Published by London Publishers on November 20th 2014
Pages: 241
Buy on Amazon

A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.

I have heard alot of good things about The Girl on The Train and I was always tempted to pick it up when I was at chapters but I would always put it back because of the price. The price of the book was what bothered me because I knew it would be a book I wouldn’t end up rereading. Then I happen to see it at Costco for almost half the price I knew that was my sign to pick up the book and read it.

I was a little unsure because its being compared to Gone Girl a book that I really enjoyed reading. Honestly I have to say it started of slow for me and I wasn’t sure I was going to like this but once I got over that little hump OMG it was amazing. I loved the book and I could see why its being compared to Gone Girl.

The Girl On The Train has three narrators: Rachel (who is an divorced alcoholic), Megan (a lady Rachel sees on the train ride into London daily) and Anna (her ex husband’s new wife). You would think having three narrators to be a bit confusing but its not and looking at the book you would think it was sort of like a diary because you have a morning and evening entry.

Rachel begins her story in early July of 2013 and then Megan begins her story a year earlier from Rachel’s. Rachel’s is more current and Megan’s offers a little bit of a history of her character. It was nice getting that little bit on her. Then Anna comes in about 1/4 of the way through.

I am going to state right off the bat that I wasn’t a fan of Anna. I didn’t like her from the beginning and how she was always on Tom about Rachel. I honestly can’t blame Rachel because she did lose her husband to Anna because of the affair she and Tom where having. Gradually towards the end I started to like her but not very much.

Rachel was a train wreck waiting to happen and it was a story line you just had to read to watch it unfold. Yes Rachel is an alcoholic and she doesn’t deal with things very well but due to the emotional abuse she was going through do you blame her? I can’t imagine what it would be like to be told you will never have children especially if you really want one. With her problem with alcohol she basically has to hit rock bottom for her to see things aren’t that great.

I have to say that I was beginning to think that perhaps in one of her drunken states she might have had something do to with Megan’s disappearance because of certain things that had happened and this was when the book got really interesting and things began to unfold.

I was speechless when it got to the point that things were coming up. I had not seen that one coming and I think I literally sat there with my mouth open in shock. At this point I was unable to put the book down and spent the morning rushing to finish it up because I needed to know what was going to happen.

If your looking for a fun and thrilling read then I have to recommend this. Yes it starts off slow but once you hit the half way mark you will be engrossed in the book and unable to put it down.

Review/ Can’t Look Away

Posted on May 25, 2015March 7, 2015 by Cindy

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner
Format: Paperback
Published by Scholastic Inc. on August 26th 2014
Pages: 272
Goodreads
Genres: Adolescence, Dating & Sex, Death & Dying, Social Issues, Young Adult

Donna Cooner establishes herself as our own Jodi Picoult in this timely tale of sisters, loss, and redemption. Torrey Grey is famous. At least, on the internet. Thousands of people watch her popular videos on fashion and beauty. But when Torrey's sister is killed in an accident -- maybe because of Torrey and her videos -- Torrey's perfect world implodes. Now, strangers online are bashing Torrey. And at her new school, she doesn't know who to trust. Is queen bee Blair only being sweet because of Torrey's internet infamy? What about Raylene, who is decidedly unpopular, but seems accepts Torrey for who she is? And then there's Luis, with his brooding dark eyes, whose family runs the local funeral home. Torrey finds herself drawn to Luis, and his fascinating stories about El dio de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. As the Day of the Dead draws near, Torrey will have to really look at her own feelings about death, and life, and everything in between. Can she learn to mourn her sister out of the public eye?

This is Donna Cooner’s second book and it was just as good as her first one called Skinny. Which I read and review on my blog and you can read my review by CLICKING ON THIS TEXT.

I didn’t realize she had a second book out until I was going through the Scholastic book club flyers. When I saw it I instantly ordered it. I read it right away. It was a fun quick read.

Torrey Gray is a 15 year old youtube beauty guru with a huge fan base who is dealing with the lose of her sister, Miranda who got hit by a drunk driver.

When you watch youtube stars you think that everything in their life is perfect and that is exactly what they want you to see and Torrey is not exception. She views all her subscribers as online friends and they are there to boost up her confidence and make her feel good.

What once brought joy to Torrey is now her downfall as all the haters are coming out and blaming Torrey for the death of her sister, saying it was her fault.

I am going to admit in the beginning I had a hard time warming up to Torrey because she came off as very vain and wanting to please the fans more then what her sister wants. Miranda had better things to do then be conned into taking photos of her sister at the mall. I am sure when Torrey started out she was humble but I think once those subscriber numbers increase she turned into this whole other person and I have noticed that in watching some youtubers.

In the beginning they are so humble and appreciate what they have but once they start growing its like they forget who they are and its all about getting more viewers and they loose who they truly are.

So I was wondering how this journey of moving to Texas would change Torrey and it was nice to see with some help of a good friend, Luis who helps her see things and helps her come to terms with the death of her sister.

But will Torrey come to terms with the lose of her sister?

Just remember everything you say and do on the internet lives forever.

Mini-Review/ In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age

Posted on May 19, 2015May 7, 2015 by Cindy

In Real Life by Nev Schulman
Format: Paperback
Published by Grand Central Publishing on September 2nd 2014
Pages: 256
Goodreads
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Computers, Dating, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Family & Relationships, General, Interpersonal Relations, Love & Romance, Media Studies, Motivational & Inspirational, Performing Arts, Popular Culture, Psychology, Self-Help, Social Networking, Social Psychology, Social Science, Television, Web

From the host of MTV's #1 show Catfish comes the definitive guide about how to connect with people authentically in today's increasingly digital world.IN REAL LIFE: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age As the host of the wildly popular TV series Catfish which investigates online relationships to determine whether they are based on truth or fiction (spoiler: it's almost always fiction). Nev has become the Dr. Drew of online relationships. His clout in this area springs from his own experience with a deceptive online romance, about which he made a critically acclaimed 2010 documentary (also called Catfish). In that film Nev coined the term

Do you know what “Catfish” means? A catfish is someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances. Have you ever lied about who you were online?

Nev Schulman, the host of the MTV show Catfish, was a victim of a catfish and this is his personal story. I have been a fan of the show for quite some time now and each and every time I watch it I shake my head and wonder how people can do this to other people? Why do we have to lie about who we are?

In 2007, Nev fell victim to a catfish. With the help of his brother and a friend they tracked down his catfish and discovered that she was a middle aged woman. They turned this into a documentary that ended up being a hit at the Sundance Festival and from their the show was created.

The book touches on his own personal experience as well as his favorite parts of the tv show along with some advise on how you should and shouldn’t act online.

The book is broken down into three sections: Catfishing: A Primer, How to Live and Love Online and How to Live and Love Offline too. Within the book are emails, text, photos and so much more that add to the book. I think this book is really aimed at the teens/young adults instead of my generation.

This was a pretty quick read and I did enjoy reading it. I have never been catfished and I think thats because I am a pretty cautious person when it comes to that because I have been taught if its too good to be true then it probably is.

(Review) Sins of the Angel

Posted on May 15, 2015May 7, 2015 by Cindy

Title: Sins of the Angels Author: Linda Poitevin
Pub Date: September 2011
Publisher: Ace/Penguin
Pages: 336

Source: I purchased a copy of this book

About The Book:
A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case-a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell. Aramael is a Power–a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

I have to send out a huge thank you to Tynga’s Reviews for introducing this book to me. Once I read her review of Sins of the Angels I knew I wanted to read it. The book sounded really good and the author was Canadian on top of that.

This is Linda’s debut novel and a first book in a series. I have to admit that I don’t urban fantasy but after reading this I must say I am curious to read more in this genre as well as Linda’s future books and I found out that in March the next book in The Gregori Series is Sins of the Son will be released.

I loved this book and I loved reading it. I loved the story, the characters and the setting.

Sins of the Angels takes place in Toronto. (Which is roughly 8 hours from Montreal.) and its about Alexandra Jarvis who is a homicide detective. She is a strong woman with a disturbing past and its slowly revealed in the book as the story progresses.

Alexandra is in the middle of a horrific serial killer case and the bodies are slowly adding up and she is not thrilled when she gets a new partner, Aramael. With each new body we can see Alexandra is remembering things from her own past that she is trying to deal with and when she thinks she is seeing her partner as an angel she is worried that she will end up like her mother, crazy.
Little does Alexandra know but Aramael is really an angel and he is back to catch a fallen angel before its too late and he is there to save Alexandra who will eventually discover that she is half angel/half human and she is in danger.

I have to say that I had a love/hate relationship with Aramael. He came off as a jerk but eventually I ended up loving him because even though he is a angel he is a angel with feelings and you could see that is was starting to care for Alexandra.

I am curious to see where this storyline will go.

April Book Unhauling #4

Posted on May 3, 2015April 29, 2015 by Cindy

April was a pretty good month for me because I manged to read a bunch of really good books this month and we are still slowly doing Spring cleaning. This summer I plan on tackling the boxes in the basement and doing another clean of the bookcases.

Right now I am trying to focus on the children and middle grade books because I would love to make a drop off at my son’s school before June if possible because I know thats when the librarian closes the llibrary and does her count.

Are you curious to see what I am unhauling this month?

These are all books we have read and I know I won’t be rereading them again and for Michael its stuff he doesn’t want anymore.