August Book Wrap Up/Reviews

Book Wrap Up and Reviews For August

How is it the end of August you guys? This year has gone by so fast already and I can't believe that we only have 4 more months until the new year. With the end of August brings the end of my Summer Book Binge. I didn't do as good this month as I did in the earlier parts of summer, however I am so proud of how much I was able to read this summer. I only read four books this month, but I DNF'd (did not finish) one book and I am about 30% of the way through another one. With the four books I did finish, my total for the summer comes to TWENTY-FIVE books! I honestly can't believe that! I definitely feel that I have learned a lot about myself as a reader and it definitely heavily influenced my decision to take creative writing this semester. I read a couple of absolutely phenomenal books this summer and some that I simply couldn't stand. Alas, here are my thoughts on the four books I read this month. 

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

The main character, Eureka, and her mom, Diana, are involved in a car accident caused by a giant wave, that kills Eureka's mother, but was meant to kill Eureka. After she is mostly healed from the wreck, she starts being followed by this boy named Ander, who was actually the one sent to kill Eureka, but couldn't end up going through with it. (That's not a spoiler, it happens in the first chapter.) When Diana's will is read, she leaves Eureka with some seemingly meaningless heirlooms, but they soon reveal their importance to Eureka's life. I did not expect that level of description that went into making this novel what it was. There were a couple of character deaths that were just incredibly gruesome in their description and almost made me sick at my stomach while reading them. I felt annoyed by Eureka's character quite a bit throughout the book, because she doesn't tend to recognize her flaws, even when another character points them out to her. The magic system in this book was unlike anything I have ever read before. The powers that Ander and his people have revolve around influencing the weather, so it was very interesting. I enjoyed this book for the most part and hope to get a good wrap-up of the story in the sequel, Waterfall. Rating: 7/10

Everyday by David Levithan

In this story, "A" wakes up in a different person's body every single day. "A" doesn't think of themself as a he or she, because each day it could be either a female or male body that they wake up in. "A" typically tries not to interfere with the lives of the people's bodies he wakes up in, so as not to alter their lives permanently, however one day "A" wakes up in a girl named Rhiannon's boyfriend's body. "A" falls in love with Rhiannon and then does everything he can to be with her. This means manipulating other people's lives and inadvertently getting them into trouble. The conception for this book is so interesting to me and I believe that it was played out really well. However, Rhiannon's boyfriend was a jerk in the story and didn't give her the attention that she deserved, but that does not constitute "A" to be able to mess with their relationship so that they can be with Rhiannon. I felt like the book almost glorified cheating in a way. It was hard to enjoy "A's" character after he begins manipulating the lives of others in order to find a way to try to get Rhiannon to be with him instead of her boyfriend. Rating: 5/10

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

 

Steven is a talented drummer and he's only 13. He spends most of his time practicing his drums, taking drum lessons, and wishing that girls would notice him. He finds out that he is going to get a huge solo at the end-of-year concert and then also finds out that his younger brother, Jeffrey, is diagnosed with leukemia. With the main character being only 13, the author wrote a lot about how Steven wanted the attention from his parents that he wasn't getting and about how selfish the main character was, but throughout the book, Steven learns how to cope with his feelings and realize that in his brother's illness, he needs to take a step back and not try to draw attention to himself. This ended up being a really good story of grief, sacrifice, understanding, and family bonds. I'm not sure if it's considered YA or Middle Grade, but it was a quick read for me. I felt like the main character spoke like he was a lot older than he actually was, and I don't know if that's because he is pretty smart or if the author just made his dialect sound too old. Overall this was a fairly enjoyable read. Rating: 6/10

Rooms by Lauren Oliver

This book is sort of hard to describe. Basically, the Walker family have to clean out their father's home after he passes away. The main characters include Richard Walker's (the dead father) ex-wife, Caroline, his daughter, Minna, and her young daughter, Amy, his teen son, Trenton, oh and two ghosts named Sandra and Alice. The house has a lot of history and Sandra and Alice just want to be released from the home. Family relations are not the best and the tension does not make the grieving period any easier. The POV goes back and forth between the main six characters, and sometimes goes to a few minor character's POV. The house reveals some secrets as the family is cleaning it out and it makes for some great twists and turns in the story line. The best part of this book for me was the writing. This is the first book by Lauren Oliver I have read, but her diction is fantastic. I put quite a few sticky notes by quotes that I just fell in love with. This is typically shelved as a YA book, but it is definitely more of an Adult novel. There is a lot of profanity and suggestive topics. I really enjoyed this story and it was a great book to end the month on. Rating: 8/10

So there you guys have it! The end to my Summer Book Binge. I'm definitely trying to allow myself more time to pleasure read during the school year, because I think it makes me happier and gives me something better to do than lay on the couch all weekend watching Say Yes to the Dress or Teen Titans Go! I feel very confident as a reader after this summer's many reads and I can't wait to see how much I can read next summer! 

Pages Read this Month: 1,581 (including the pages in the book I did not finish and the book that I am currently reading)

~Em