Tag Archive for: 4 Stars

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With A Name Like Love

With A Name Like LoveTitle: With a Name Like Love
Author: Tess Hilmo
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 250
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’m glad I was finally able to read WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE. It’s a very heart-warming story about love, family, and friendship. I really grew to love the characters. I loved Ollie and most of her family. I also really loved Jimmy and felt for him with the circumstances he and his mother were in. It was fun to watch the two develop a friendship, figure things out, and come up with a way to fix what was going on.

The story doesn’t focus on racism, which you might expect taking place in Arkansas in the 1950s. Racism was there a little bit, but most of all, the story showed all forms of bigotry and hate, especially associated with things or people that were different from the way people thought they should be. It showed how bigotry and hate clouded them from seeing or even wanting to see the truth.

What I loved most of all about the book was the message of love. I really enjoyed the religious undertones as well and I also loved that the religious message wasn’t in-your-face preachy. It was just used to help propel the story forward and illustrate that love can conquer anything if you let it into your heart.

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Pride And Prejudice

Pride And PrejudiceTitle: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Classic, Romance
Spice: 0 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 368
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

When I first started reading PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, I was so worried I wouldn’t like it. I’ve read other classics before and while I could see their literary value, I didn’t enjoy them as much as other books I’ve read. There was a real danger of not liking it, especially since I had very little prior knowledge of the story. Fortunately, once I got into it and once the language was less of a stumbling block for me, I really enjoyed the story.

I loved the characters, even the ones I hated. I was quite surprised that Lady de Bourgh had nothing to do with Mr. Wickham’s misfortunes. I was expecting her to play a more pivotal role in the novel. Yes, she’s one of the reasons Mr. Darcy began to realize that Elizabeth had changed her mind about him, but she still really wasn’t all that pivotal. I really hated Mr. Collins at first because he’s so annoying. Once I found out how much of an ingrate Mr. Wickham was, my hatred for Mr. Wickham grew, which tempered my hatred for Mr. Collins. Lydia and Mrs. Bennet annoyed me to no end and I’m kind of glad they got what was coming to them, even though I think it’s sad. While I thought Jane and Mr. Bingley were cute, I didn’t really care about them all that much. They were just a means to an end.

I absolutely loved the depth of character in Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I loved watching them change, both of them becoming less proud and less prejudiced. I loved seeing their love for each other grow. I especially loved the chapter near the end in which Mr. Darcy finds out that Elizabeth has changed her mind about him. I wish that would’ve gone on a little longer. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, more particularly with the last chapter, because it didn’t just focus on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. It was nice to read about the rest of the family and what happened to them in the long run, but all I wanted was more of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy together and happy. My disappointment in the last chapter isn’t enough to make me not like the book.

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Lola And The Boy Next Door

Lola And The Boy Next DoorTitle: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #2
Genre: Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 338
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Anna and the French Kiss, Isla and the Happily Ever After
My Thoughts

I was so excited to read LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR because I loved ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS so much. And, even though I loved Anna more, Lola didn’t disappoint me. It was such a fun story!

I loved Lola’s parents (all three of them). I loved that they weren’t absent like a lot of parents in YA stories. It made for some interesting dynamics. I loved Cricket from the get go. He was such a great guy. He was so nice and so devoted to Lola that I almost thought he was too good for her. I had a hard time with Lola a little bit. Most YA characters act older than they are, but I felt like Lola acted her age–seventeen. Because of that, she seemed immature, whiny, and selfish at times. She grew on me and I realized she was just confused and didn’t know what she wanted like most teenagers her age. By the end of the book, I really liked her.

I loved reading about all of her awesome outfits. I kept thinking how would it be to dress like her? It would be so fun, but I don’t think I could deal with the insults like she did. I’m too self-conscious. I’m glad she was able to find herself because she struggled with who she was amidst all her crazy outfits.

I especially loved seeing Anna and Étienne. It was so much fun to see them from a different perspective and to see that they were still together. I can’t wait to read ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER and wish I didn’t have to wait so long.

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Anna Dressed In Blood

Anna Dressed In BloodTitle: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #1
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Pages: 387
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Girl of Nightmares
My Thoughts

I’ve never read a ghost story before. And, now having read one, I have no idea why. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD was a fun adventure, one I’m looking forward to repeating.

This story was so unique. I didn’t expect anything that happened to happen. I loved all the unexpected twists and turns. I also loved Blake’s writing. It was so descriptive. I loved the characters’ personalities. They all had distinct ones and I loved the humor they brought into such a serious story. I particularly liked that the story was written from Cas’ POV. I don’t read many male POVs and it was a refreshing change. I absolutely loved all the pop culture references Blake had in the story. It brought back my own memories of experiencing them throughout my life. It helped me relate to the characters better.

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To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A MockingbirdTitle: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 323
Reason Read: Reading Challenge
Rating:

My Thoughts

Wow. How do you say something about a book that has already had everything said about it? I feel so inadequate to give TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD a review it deserves.

I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book. I really feel like I missed out not having read this in high school like I was supposed to. I feel like I missed out on a lot of discussion and analysis. I know I understood the more obvious points and I also know that I missed a lot in the symbolism because I didn’t have a teacher to guide me through the journey presented in this story.

I’m glad I finally read it. It was extremely well-written and I enjoyed it immensely. It definitely made me think because its message is so profound. I loved that this story illustrated that people aren’t who they seem to be or who people make them out to be, just like Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

The characters in this book are extremely memorable. I loved Scout’s tenacity and sharp wit. I loved Jem’s stubbornness, especially when it came to protecting his family. I loved Atticus’ kind and nurturing nature. I also loved how solid he was. I also loved Calpurnia and what she brought to the story. She helped prepare the children to see the injustice presented in this book. And, I even loved the small time we had with Boo.

My emotions were on a roller coaster as I read Scout’s story. I really loved that Lee ended the book looking at the positive, even though most of the events that take place in it are enough to leave you feeling angry. Lee did a great job of portraying the hypocrisy and double standard there is with racism. She also did a fantastic job of portraying the honorable people during that time who tried to stamp out racism as best as they could.

I really loved being in Scout’s head. I loved the innocence and youth factor she gave. I don’t think the story would’ve been the same or as profound a journey as it was had we been in any of the other characters’ heads. Even though I realized the injustice this story presented from the get go, my eyes were still opened as Scout’s were opened to the injustice around her.