Quote of the Day

"The marks humans leave are too often scars." - Hazel Grace Lancaster - The Fault in our Stars by John Green.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: BOOK REVIEW!

TITLE: Eleanor & Park
AUTHOR: Rainbow Rowell
FIRST PUBLISHED: 12th April 2012
PAGES: 325 (paperback)
RATING: 6/5

AGES: 13+

READ IF YOU LIKE:  The Fault in Our Stars -John Green

                                      Looking for Alaska - John Green

 

Website of Rainbow Rowell

 

 

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. -- goodreads.com

 

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Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, he mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.

 

Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black t-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor . . . never to Eleanor.

 

Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to loose. -- Book blurb

  

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Now, just to clear myself up -  the 6/5 star rating is not a typo. Yes, I really did love the book sooooo much I felt the need to rate it more than the average 5 stars.
I believe that from the very start of a book, you should feel a connection -  something to keep you reading. And with Eleanor & Park, right from the beginning I fell in love with this book. You got to know the characters at a steady rate, so you could really, really relate to everyone, and it has everything ticked off on my list of what I think makes a good book.  In the first 90 pages, I felt the need to rant about the book so far, and trust me, I ranted. You can read the rant here. So quite literally, it was love at first sight. Nothing about this book gives you the feeling it's been rushed, everything happens at it's own pace. It's a very natural book, and you can expect everything to Eleanor and Park to happen in real life.

This book has it's own cool qualities because it's set in 1986. They have problems different to ours these days. I found this made it much more interesting. It didn't have the same problems that you see in every contemporary love story. It really made itself feel separate and different compared to the other books on my shelf. Even if you, personally, have read a 1980's love story with bullying, music, and life, you still would never have read a book the same or better, than Eleanor & Park. - I loved it!

Because the novel was told from the point of view, (but in the third person) of both Eleanor and Park, it made it so that you knew the two main characters the best you could. You got to see their home life, their school life, and know exactly what they're thinking in that head of theirs at all times. You loved certain characters and you hated certain characters, depending on what they thought. Everything that they feel, you most certainly feel, even the first hand hold, you knew exactly how it felt.

As John Green said 'Reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book' which I find, is completely true. While reading the book, you feel every emotion, so you feel like you're in love. And when you feel like your in love because of a book, you can't help but fall for the book as well, it's like a package.

In conclusion, I thought  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell was a marvellous book, and would recommend it to anyone who loves romance and YA genres. Or just anyone looking for a fun, light book to read.
I also believe, that if you don't read this book, you're truly missing out, because even if you hate it, at least you can most likely relate to it, or hate / like a character. I can almost guarantee, they'll be at least one thing about this book you like.

I hoped this helped some of you with your book reading choices,
Happy reading,
The Bookworm! :)




 

Quote of the Day... Again :)

'I can't leave now. I like her too much. There, I said it. But I won't say it again.' - Four - Four, a Divergent collection by Veronica Roth

Hello everyone! I've decided to give you all two 'Quote of the Day's today, because a) I didn't post one yesterday, and b) I felt like I haven't posted anything in ages, so here you go... TWO Four quotes! How lucky are you?!

Quote of the Day

'You die, I die too.' - Four - Insurgent by Veronica Roth

 

Quote of the Day

'We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.' - Dauntless manifesto - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Quote of the Day

'Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!' - Katniss Everdeen - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
I know it's such a simple, used quote but I love it. It feels like something worthy of being a quote of the day!

Eleanor and Park- pages 1-90 - a rant!

WARNING! BE PREPARED TO READ A RANT BY A PROFESSIONAL FANGIRL! ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Hello everyone! If you didn't already know, I recently began to read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.This may not be very many pages for some of you, but in the first sitting, I read 90 pages. Immediately, from the first line "XTC was no good for drowning out the morons at the back of the bus." to the last line I read "He started singing his number to the tune of '867-5309', which cracked her right up.", I smiled till the cows came home. And I don't have cows, so they can't come home... Basically, I haven't stopped smiling! :)

You know that feeling where after you finish a book, you have a feeling of wholeness. Like your life is complete since you read the book? Yeah, well I've felt like that for the past 20 minutes since putting down the book! On the cover, there's a quote by John Green, saying "Reminded me not just what t's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book." And it's completely true. I know remember what it feels like to be in love with a book. I'd forgotten about it, maybe the last time I truelt felt it was when I read The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton, I don't know, but I still know what it's like to be in love... With a book.

Most people describe love as: Every time I think about him, I grin a cheesy grin. My mind wanders, and I stare off out the window, looking at the flower-filled meadow that so-and-so and I could be running through, holding hands, me wearing a white dress and flowers decorating my curled hair, him wearing a suit pants and shirts, both looking like we're from the 1800's. Well, my love isn't wearing slacks. It's wearing a paper back cover, and whispers me words that makes dissolve at the sound. This book makes me happy even at the sight of it... I know this sounds weird but... I think I'm in love! No! Only kidding, but I feel a connection with this book I've never felt before with any other book. Wow! I must sound crazy!

When Eleanor talks about Park, I find myself falling for him. But then that feeling turns weird and kind of disgusted when it goes back to his point of view. It, in a way, feels like I'm falling for someone else and then myself... If that makes sense to any of you who have actually read the book - and if you haven't, then I probably sound absolutely INSANE!

This was a bit of a silly, weird post, and it truly was rant! I must've sound mental when you were reading it, but I just had to get my words out there. Am I the only wacky one out there? Let me know in the comments below what you thought of the first 90 pages of Eleanor and Park - this beautiful, beautiful book!

The Bookworm! :) :) :) :) :)  (5 smiles to show my enthusiasm for the book!)

Quote of the Day

'Because . . .' he said quietly, looking at his desk, 'because people want to remember what it's like to be young? And in love?' - Park - Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I first read this quote today, and I felt my heart start to melt. It's the type of quote that makes you fall in love with a book! The type that made me want to read the book forever.

The bookworm! :)

Eleanor and Park

Hello everyone! Just blogging to let you all know that very soon, a review of Eleanor and Park should be up! I started the Rainbow Rowell novel last night and am thoroughly enjoying it, so it should be read, reviewed and ranted by next week. While your here check out my other posts and comment and tell me whether you agree, espescially Looking for Alaska, am I really the only one who loves it?
Stay tuned!
The Bookworm  :)

BOOK REVIEW! Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

TITLE: Pretty Little Liars
AUTHOR: Sara Shepard
FIRST PUBISHED: 1st October 2006
PAGES: 243 (paperback)
RATING:4/5
AGES: 12+
READ IF YOU LIKED: Pretty Little Liars - The TV Show
                                        Any other Sara Shepard novel
Pretty Little Liar Website

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series. -- Goodreads.com description

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Everyone has something to hide - especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.

Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English techer. Emily has a crush on the new girl at school. And Hanna is using some ungly tricks to stay beautiful.

But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were and the naughty girls they are now. and guess what? I'm telling.

An addictive combination of mystery, scandal, intrigue, and suspense, Pretty Little Liars is now a hit TV show. -- Book blurb

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Pretty Little Liars (book #1) by Sara Shepard, is practically the same as Episode 1, Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars the TV Series, but better! This book is perfect for fans of the TV show, as it has extra details about the liars, and you know their exact thoughts.

The book is told from the point of view of '-A', and tells a story features four pretty girls of Rosewood, each one you want to be, but each one with a personal secret that only Alison knew about, who used to be close, all because of Ali. But after Ali's disappearance, the drifted apart, barely even speaking to one another in the school's halls.

Pretty Little Liars had a feel to it, making you care about each girl, making you want to be their friend. The book starts off very similarly to the TV series, however almost straight away there are huge differences. The characters are so much younger (starts off on the last day of 7th grade), and more time has passed between the disappearance (3 years to be exact) and the -A messages. The characters look different to the way you're used to, but still own the same personalities.

Sara Shepard really knows how to write a good mystery, cool but realistic and relatable characters, and really knows how to piece a story, not just about a mystery but relationships, together. Everything fell in the right order, and I never questioned her wording or language. She used clear sentences, that were not in any way complicated, so you didn't have to whip out your pocket dictionary half way through a sentence that's telling a major clue on what happened.

I found the book a little slow to start off, as this was the point you were really getting to know the Liars, and their families, personalities, and hobbies. I didn't find it as gripping as the TV show, but by the last 100 pages things really started to pick up, and I found myself finishing it off without realising it (except I kinda expected it to as it finished at the exact same point as the TV show).
I also really liked the messages from -A, and although they were frequent, I wish there had of been more of them, or the girls discussed them. I'm not exactly sure, but I just think that there was something missing. Although I did giggle at their predictions for who they though -A could be.

I am excited to read book 2, Flawless, as I'm sure the flow of  suspense will continue.

Overall I found this an excitable book to read, and recommend it to any fan of the TV series, and anyone who wants to read a light, fun mystery of four pretty high school girls who each have a secret to hide.

Happy Reading
The Bookworm! :)

 

Morning Meme!

 Hello everyone! I realised, that I haven't done a Morning Meme since my first official morning! So, to make up for it, I decided to give you 3 Finnick Memes, the best types of meme!

I tried my hand at creating my own meme (Have you seen Finnick? Odair he is.), so I know it's not too great, but I wanted to at least try making a meme. I apologise to who ever originally created these other memes, I could not find who ever originally created them! If anyone knows please let me know in the comments.

The Bookworm! :)

 

 

 



Quote of the Day

"When I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books." • Alaska Young • Looking for Alaska by John Green

I chose this quoted for today because, as you may know, today is Alaska Young Day, and in a way the 10th year anniversary, as the book was first published in 2005. I find this quote represents many of us Bookworms, and found it the only quote that could really suit today properly.
The Bookworm:)

BOOKS I'M READING • An update.

Hello everyone! How have you been? I thought I'd give you all a quick update on the books I'm currently reading and you can expect a review on! I'm Reading Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard at the moment and am about 1/4 of the way through, so you should see a review on that in about a week! The other three books are Fangirl and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and Young, Gifted & Dead by Lucy Carver. I am extremely excited to read them all so you should be seeing a few reviews very soon!
The Bookworm! :)

Quote of the Day

"I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you though." - Four - Divergent by Veronica Roth

 

Looking for Alaska, yay or nay?

Hello everyone! A few months ago, my friend bought Looking for Alaska, but as she grew deeper and deeper into the novel, she found herself disliking it. She ended up giving up on the book as soon as it became After and gave the book to me, saying "I don't want to have it anymore, you can have it." I took the book, wondering why it was she hated it, and read it. I really enjoyed the story. The characters were different to what I usually read, they discussed life matters. Why didn't she love it? When I told her how much I enjoyed the book, she gave me a weird look. She told me she didn't like all the references to drugs and alcohol, their point of view on life. Then I asked one of my other friends, who hadn't read the book, and she said her friend hated it too! Apparently, I'm the only one I know who actually enjoyed the book, not for the drug and alcohol references, but the pranks, and wanting to see how each character turned out.

I want to know what all you other bookworms think of this story, yay or nay? Why?  Am I the only one who actually enjoyed the story or not?

The Bookworm! :)

Quote of the Day

"Bravery hides in amazing places." - America, The One by Kiera Cass

FEATURE FRIDAY! My Book Journal

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Bookworm of Green Gables' first ever Feature Friday! This week's is going to be on Random House Australia's Vintage Classics My Book Journal. On the back of the book it says "If it's beautiful it's bound to be vintage"! And it's completely true! The book is truly beautiful! The inside is divided into 5 parts, Books I Have Read, Books I Want to Read, Books I Have Borrowed, Books I Have Lent, and Book Quotes to Remember. I received this as a Christmas present last year, and I have loved it since! I record every book I've read, usually setting it out like:

The Jewel - Amy Ewing

              STARTED: 5/1/15 FINISHED: 7/1/15

It's really cool to look back at the end of the year and rethink about all the books you read that year, and how much you didn't / did (in most cases) enjoy them. It's a nice memory kind of thing to have and keep. I also love to write quotes from books in there, which is where I get my Quote of the Day.

I cannot find the link to wear to buy the book, but if I find it I will. If you wanted, you could make your own, and easier than your average DIY . Purchase an empty exercise book, separate it into 5 parts, and decorate how ever you like!

I've never seen anyone else with this product let alone seen it in stores. If you have one, comment below, and let me know how you use yours!

The Bookworm! :)

Morning Meme

Source: On so many Instagram accounts I can't even find the owner!

Morning everyone! Thought I'd upload a quick little meme to start off the day, I hope it makes you giggle... I know it made me!
The Bookworm of Green Gables :)

Quote of the Day

"Hope is a precious thing, isn't it," she says. "And yet, we don't really appreciate it until it's gone." - The Duchess of the Lake, The Jewel by Amy Ewing

The Bookworm's on Intagram!

Hello everyone! The Bookworm of Green Gables is now on Instagram! Go check it out and feel free to like, comment, and even follow if you too, are a fellow bookworm!
The Bookworm :)

BOOK REVIEW! The Jewel by Amy Ewing

TITLE: The Jewel (The Lone City #1)

AUTHOR: Amy Ewing

FIRST PUBLISHED: 2nd September 2014

PAGES: 362 (paperback)

RATING: 4.5/5 stars
AGES: 12+
READ IF YOU LIKED: The Selection by Kiera Cass
                                        Eve by Anna Carey
Website of Amy Ewing

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for. -- Goodreads.com description

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Auctioned as a surrogate

Imprisoned in the palace of

the Duchess of the Lake

Destined to carry the child

of a woman she despises

Violet is trapped in a living death, her name and body no longer her own. She fights to hold on to her identity and sanity, uncertain of the fate of her friends, isolated and at the mercy of the Dutchess.

Then she meets another captive - Ash, the handsome royal companion. Drawn together, Violet and Ash are puppets in the deadly game of court politics, each the other's jeopardy - and salvation.

-- Book Blurb

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I absolutely loved(!) this book! Right from the beginning I couldn't put it down. I started reading it late at night, and thought the furthest I'd get would be 20 pages, but what felt like just 2 minutes ended up being 1 hour later, 82 pages, and 8 chapters! Amy Ewing really encourages you to continue the story by not revealing everything in the first chapter, pretty much forcing me to read till my eyes fall out! You fall in love with all of the gorgeous characters, and despise the same ones as Violet. 

The story is told from Violet's point of view, and every thought, feeling, and opinion, is relatable. With characters such as Violet, Raven, Annabelle, and Ash. You feel you need to read the book just so you can find out what's going to happen to the characters.

There were only two faults I could find in the whole story! 1) I feel that the love story between Ash and Violet is rushed, but I do believe the speed is necessary as he isn't immediately introduced in the story, and only comes in around half way through. Obviously, the relationship is not as quick as we read it, but it would be impossible to describe everything without writing a 600 page novel compared to a 362 page novel.  All this affects is you don't know Ash as well as you could, but you still fall in love with him just as Violet does! 2) I found some parts of the novel predictable. This didn't affect my love for the tale, as I really, it was only predictable right before it happened, about 2 pages before maximum. These faults were minor details to me, as there were so many more positives than negatives. 

Overall I looooooooved this book, and is one of my favourites! I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Selection by Kiera Cass, as I find it has similarities such as royalty and the social side of royalty, and anyone else who would like to try to read a fabulous book! I would love to hear any comments you have about the book and it you loved it as much as I did.

Happy reading!
The Bookworm of Green Gables :)

P.S If I haven't already mentioned it I highly recommend this book! ;)

Welcome to The Bookworm of Green Gables' Blog!!!

Hello everyone!! The Bookworm of Green Gables is a blog for people worldwide to read book reviews, rants, and find out all things YA book related. I hope that you are as excited as I am to start this blog!
I wish you all a happy 2k15 and that you all fall in love with a new book this year!
The Bookworm of Green Gables :)