7 Books You Have To Read This Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, and I thought I would share some romantic stories that you could read! Not all of these stories have the same cookie-cutter approach to love stories, and that’s why I love reading them. I’m not a huge romance reader, because I don’t like reading something that is predictable. I usually see predictability in love stories, so that’s why I shy away from the genre. That could also be said for YA novels. I find the love triangle trope overdone in YA, so I don’t get curious about these books.

13 Ways to Get Out of a Reading Slump

Every once and a while, it happens to the best of us. A reading slump. It’s not something we want to happen, but it almost always does. I’m an avid reader, and I usually read about 50 books a year. So how do I get in a reading slump? There’s many reasons, actually. I sometimes become bored with the books I read, or I’m just not in the mood to read at all. GASP! I know, shocking. Although this happens, there’s always ways to jump back into reading. After a little bit of thinking, I gathered a few tips and tricks to get back on the reading train.

November TBR and October Wrap-Up

After a little break from my blog, I am back to regular posting again. Woohoo! To start things off, I created my November TBR pile which I really want to complete this month. With only 2 months until the end of the year, I really need to take the time to read if I want to succeed in my reading goal.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Review

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a book I didn’t expect to leave a lasting impression on me. I picked up this book with the idea it would be a fun scifi novel to read over the weekend at my cottage. I didn’t have any high expectations. I definitely did not expect it to become one of my favourite books. I can almost guarantee you that I’ll be thinking about this books years and years from now.

BookTube-A-Thon 2017 TBR

After being on bookstagram and wordpress for over a year now, I thought about why I never participated in a readathon yet. So this year, I decided to challenge myself with the BookTube-A-Thon! If you don’t know what theBookTube-A-Thon is, it’s a readathon with reading challenge that take place in a week. You can read more about BookTube-A-Thon at their website. This year the readathon takes place between July 24-July 30.

Review: The Princess Diarist

May 2017 was a very Star Wars month for me. Not only was it May the 4th, but also the 40th anniversary of the franchise. I guess I picked the perfect month to read The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher has recently become someone I look up to, and I really wanted to read her books.

In her memoir, she recounts her time filming Star Wars, and addresses a rumour that followed her throughout her career. Throughout the memoir, Fisher’s sense of humour is palpable, and infectious. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times reading her memoir.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

The one thing I kept thinking about while reading her memoir was, how have the cast responded to her writing. To be more specific, what does Harrison Ford think of her spilling the beans on their affair? It is quite a story, but it is done tastefully and with respect for Ford. I don’t know how others feel about her revealing their affair, but I think Carrie Fisher has the right to be honest and share her truth if she felt like it. She was very respectful in her account of the events, and I think that’s the best anyone could ask for.

I am giving the memoir a 5/5. It was funny from start to finish, and it gave me insight to how one of the only female actors felt at the beginning of the Star Wars mania. I would 100% recommend this memoir if you enjoy Star Wars, Carrie Fisher, or celebrity memoirs.

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Review: All Our Wrong Todays

I just finished moving to my new home, and now I can finally sit down and focus on my blog and Instagram. It’s been a hectic few months, and it’s nice to finally be settled. I was looking through my drafts, and noticed I never posted my review on All Our Wrong Todays. So to kickstart my return to blogging, here is my review!

In February, I read Elan Mastai’s All Our Wrong Todays. The story follows Tom Baron in a futuristic Toronto in the year 2016. You might be wondering how is 2016 futuristic? Well, in this novel, the future everyone dreamed of actually happened. Flying cars, and teleportation rule this 2016. Pretty cool right?

The story centres around a time travelling expedition that goes wrong, and Tom Baron is then brought to our 2016 — a dystopia to him. The expedition is meant to bring time travellers, called “chrononauts,” to the point in the past where a great energy source was first turned on. However the chrononaut to lead the expedition, Penelope, is not biologically able to go to the past, and Tom decides to take her place. Though a series of mistakes, Tom Barren changes the future, into our future. The rest of the novel centres around Tom Barren’s new life, and how he can create the right future again.

What the novel does flawlessly is humour. I laughed hysterically while reading this novel, especially at the point where Tom meets Penelope in our 2016. Tom’s awkwardness is amusing to read, and can be quite relatable at times. The funniest part of the novel is when Tom explains to his parents that he’s from a different timeline. Trust me, you’ll get a good kick out of it.

The novel’s explanation of time travel and science were well thought out. There were no times in the novel where I thought anything sounded far-fetched or unbelievable. The novel kept me entranced with its story that my suspension of disbelief was never broken — a major plus when reading about science fiction. Although the novel doesn’t have aliens, or space wars, it has a lot of action happening because of the time travel. It also makes you question how time travel would work, and how it can be very different than what we have previously conceived.

Although I loved the book, there is one critique I have with it. I didn’t like the “other” Tom, or should I say John. I won’t spoil it, but this John is abusive and manipulative, especially to women. I hate how this was written to create a turning point in the novel, and I wish John could have been different. Maybe John could have just been clueless, or a jerk in other ways. John’s actions toward the end of the novel were quite cringey and I wish it was written differently in that one chapter. Alas, I can’t change what happens.

Overall, I would still give this novel a 5/5. I loved 95% of this novel, and would definitely reread it. The novel made me think of a lot of things, not just personal, but scientific as well. It made me think of the human condition as well, and how people think of themselves as “less-than” through comparing themselves to others. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction, or wants to step out of their comfort zone in terms of genre.

(I read an ARC of the novel, so there may be a few differences in the final edition).

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Ten Books to Read this Fall

Books can be read any time of the year, but reading them at a certain time just elevates the experience to another level. I decided to pick ten books that I think are excellent reads for the fall, and will intrigue any type of reader.Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs
I read the first book in the series during a class in university, and it is delightfully creepy. The novel is YA, which I hardly read, but this is too good to pass up. I recently just bought the sequel, and can’t wait to finish reading this series. This series is suited for those who like creepy stories, photography.
The Troop by Nick Cutter and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick 

The Troop is a horror novel which is both scary, and eloquently written. I would have to take breaks from reading it because it was written so realistically and filled me with so many life-like images. The story centres around a group of boy scouts going to an island, when a terrifying and mysterious man comes arrives. The novel is full of plot twists, so it is never a dull moment.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is an amazing science fiction novel that pictures a futuristic world where humans and androids cannot be differentiated. The novel often asks the question of what it means to be human.

Dracula by Bram Stoker and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 
I have yet to read either of these novels, yet both are classics. Dracula is more of a horror novel, whereas Jane Eyre falls under the gothic novel category. If you’re a fan of classics, these will be good novels to read this fall.

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling and  A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Both of these series were a staple in my childhood. A Series of Unfortunate Events centres around three orphans going from relative to relative looking for a home. As they go along their journey, Count Olaf attempts to steal their fortune. A Series of Unfortunate Events is suited more for those who are interested in mystery and crime. Harry Potter is about a young boy who finds out he is a wizard, and is then brought to a wizarding school, with lots of action and adventure. Harry Potter is more suited for those who liked fantasy. Both novels are perfect for a younger reader.

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 
I have yet to read this novel, but it is suited towards those who love a good mystery novel.
 A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur 
For those who do not like horror, mystery, or fantasy, there are other options to read this fall. A Raisin in the Sun is a play that centres around a family that is being forced to leave their home because they are black. It is a brilliant play, which I have talked about in a previous post. Another option is Milk and Honey which is a poetry book centring around love, and abuse. Although both are not typical fall reads, they are just as amazing to read.