Random Thoughts #5: 2012 Year in Review

Well it's been a great year! A lot has changed and I'm so thankful to everyone who has followed, or even glanced at my blog once. I never thought I'd get so many books to review or even a single follower. So, a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me and looked at my blog I really appreciate it. Without you  guys there is no me!
I've come across some great books this year, WAY too many to put in a single list, but I will do my Top 12 books of 2012! This was an extremely hard list to put together and it actually took a lot of deliberation and took me a few days to finally decide on which were my favorites. Some of these books were not released in 2012, but I still read them this year. So, here is my final list:

1. Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Check out my review here!

2. Easy by Tammara Webber


3. Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan James

Check out my review here!

4. (I'm sort of cheating on this one, it's actually a series of three books) Life As We Knew It, The Dead and the Gone, and This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life As We Knew It review here!
The Dead and the Gone review here!
This World We Live In review here!

5. Casey Barnes Eponymous by E. A. Rigg

Check out my review here!

6. Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulburg

Check out my review here!

7. Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Check out my review here!

8. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Check out my review here!

9. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Check out my review here!

10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey


11. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

Check out my review here!

12. To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

Check out my review here!

And some close one's that almost made the list include

Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon

Check out my review here!

Nocturne by Syrie James


Fallen by Lauren Kate

Check out my review here!

And the biggest disappoint for me that I read in 2012 was

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Check out my review here!

Again, thank you all for such a wonderful year and I can't wait to get back to doing reviews for you guys. Here's to a wonderful New Year.
See you soon,
Paige

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November Book Haul

Sorry this is so late! I didn't get any books in October, so I got a few more than I normally would in November. Here's what I got:

Tan Lines by Katherine Applegate (Paperbackswap.com)


Spring Break by Katherine Applegate (Paperbackswap.com)


The D.U.F.F. by Kody Keplinger (Paperbackswap.com)


Envy (The Luxe #3) by Anna Godbersen (Paperbackswap.com)


The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (Paperbackswap.com)


It Had To Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel by Cecily von Ziegesar (Paperbackswap.com)


City of Angels (Hollywood Royalty #3) by Zoey Dean (Paperbackswap.com)


Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Target, Black Friday!)


Divergent by Veronica Roth (Target, Black Friday!)
 

Elixir by Hilary Duff (Amazon.com, Cyber Monday!)


Devoted (Elixir #2) by Hilary Duff (Amazon.com, Cyber Monday!)


Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (Amazon.com, Cyber Monday!)


Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin (Amazon.com, Cyber Monday!)

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Animal Farm by George Orwell

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 141
I actually didn't read this book, I listened to it on audio book and it was one of the first books in a really long time that I've listened to and it was great! The way the reader did a different voice for the characters and added a more sombre theme to the story that gave a really great tone to the story that probably couldn't be achieved if I had read it myself.
The story itself was amazing. I had heard about how great this book was but wow, no one has really done it justice. Animal Farm shows the best example of communism within a fictioinal book that I've ever seen.
The story starts out with the animals on Manor Farm whom feel unhappy with the current conditions they are living in and feel that they are slaves to the men who run the farm, mainly Jones, the owner of the farm. So, one day one of the oldest pigs Old Major paints a picture of an ideal world where animals run the farm and are treated equally without human interference. A few days later when Old Major dies, the animals on the farm finally begin to rebel against the humans and when they succeed in expelling Jones and his men they decree Manor Farm as Animal Farm and set up commandments that state all animsals will be treated equally, will not act like humans, dress like humans, etc.
The pigs, mainly Snowball and Napolean, act as leaders and organziers on the farm and set up the commandments and tell the other animals what to do and organize the work on the farm. This is when the first signs of communism start to appear; all of the animals must work harder than the pigs, yet the pigs reap more of the benefits. The pigs also tell the other animals what do, and when the animals protest, they use brainwashing tactics to make sure the other animals do not uprise and do what they are told.
Wow, what a great novel. Honestly, one of the best books I've ever read (or listened to?) and I can't wait to read 1984 by George Orwell as well, because I've heard it's even better. No wonder this is a classic because it is really a great thought provoking book with tons of symbolism. I strongly encourage everyone to read this, it really makes you appreciate the democracy we live in, and how much freedom we really have (yes, it's ficitional, but the communism is what really goes on in parts of the world). Just something to think about.
See you soon!
Paige

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Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 505
I had really high hopes for this book and I REALLY wanted to like it, but it thoroughly disappointed me. I actually thought it was going to have more of a horror element (I mean look at that gorgeous, yet creepy, cover). However, it actually took on more of a...underdeveloped theme. Let's make a list of what was underdeveloped: the characters, the plot, the setting, the conversations between the characters, the back story...everything? 
I felt that the back story was described WAY too quickly and I barely understood who the main characters were. The main characters themselves were so infuriating and I couldn't connect with them at all. The plot could have been way scarier, or have more of a horror theme and the setting was so under described that 150 pages in, I still couldn't tell you where they lived or what their house looked like. 
I will admit that I tried my best to push through and make an attempt to finish this book but I could only go 150 pages before I finally called it quits. Normally I really try to finish a book even if it's pretty bad, but I just couldn't do it.
I may try again in the next few months, but trying to get out of a reading slump and this is the first thing you read? Not exactly a great idea. 
Anyways, sorry for the short review, still trying to get back into the swing of things.
See you soon!
Paige

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September Book Haul

Here's what I got last month!

For Review:
Sheltered by Debra Chapaton



Ask the Passengers by A. S. King


Purchased:
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare


Snowed In by Rachel Hawthorne


Nocturne by Syrie James


Envy by Anna Godbersen


On Fire: A Teen Wolf Novel by Nancy Holder


(the following books were given to me by my mom. She wanted to get these off her bookshelves and passed them down to me)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Complete Short Stories by Mark Twain
War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights by Emily Dickinson
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
The Duchess of Duke Street by Mollie Hardwick
Adam Bede by George Eliot
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
The Sixth Wife by Jean Plaidy
The Short Stories by Ernest Hemingway
Love for Lydia by H. E. Bates

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Sheltered by Debra Chapoton

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 236
This was such a creepy book (but in a good way)! Sheltered is not only creepy, but it is a dark and disturbing novel that deals with many issues including schizophrenia, self-mutilation, family/home life issues, and a variety of other topics. 
Basically, five teens are put together in this house organized by the "leader" Ben. Ben is one of the five teens and he makes sure that everything gets paid for and that the other kids do their fair share around the house. The rest of the teens start off by thinking that there is a Mrs. Peterson who is in charge of the house and just stays in her room all the time but in reality, Ben has made her up so the teens will continue living there without the bother of adult figures. The house is mainly a sanctuary for these lost teens.
Each teen is going through something pretty terrible and just needs a safe haven from the homes they come from and somehow, it's never explicitly stated in the novel, Ben finds them and recruits them to live in this house with him. Cori, is a very goth/punk girl who was somehow kicked out of her house and is possibly possessed by demons, Emily cuts herself as punishment for the things she does or does not do, Megan is fighting for custody of her son who is about a year old (Megan is 17), and Chuck/Adam is dealing with schizophrenia. Ben is also living here part-time to escape his abusive father, and alcoholic mother.
Out of all the characters I think I liked Ben and Megan the best because they were the most sane, the others often just plain creeped me out.
The house they are living in causes a lot of issues with the teens and many of them believe there is unfinished business within the house and that their is demons wandering around possessing some of the girls. 
The story continues on with a bunch of different plots and there is a lot of stuff where the reader has to make conclusions on their own which was interesting at first but after awhile things just got to confusing. There was a lot of unanswered questions for me once I got to the very end. I also wished the story could be longer, because I didn't like the way it ended. More loose ends could have been tied up.
It was a good story, it could have been written a little more cohesively towards the end. I liked how the supernatural aspects were able to work so well with the real life issues these teens were having. And the characters were believable. Often I have a hard time identifying with characters who are going through SO much hardship, but this was written eloquently and flowed with the plot.
Also this is a great book to read during October or around the time of Halloween because it deals with the supernatural!
See you soon!
Paige
P.S. Huge thank you to Debra Chapoton for asking me to read and review this and for sending me a digital copy of it!

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The Ivy by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 322
The Ivy was actually a good book! It wasn't great, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well the story line was written and carried out. The Ivy starts out with Callie Andrews on her first day at Harvard, and she begins to get to know her roommates, and the extremely attractive boys living just across the hall. Of course Callie continuously falls and has a few social blunders in the following weeks, and she feels as if everyone will know her as the klutz from California.
This I found a little unbelievable. Yes, it's written in 2010/2011 and there is a lot of social media so things spread, but come on, Harvard has thousands of students. Not every single person is going to know or care about her tripping in the dining hall. 
In the beginning of the novel, Callie is the perfect student, going to class and  taking notes, but as the novel progresses she starts to care a lot more about her social status. This is when I started losing respect for her because, for crying out loud, you're at Harvard. Many students pine and pine to get in there and can't, and Callie is there and I felt that she was wasting her educational opportunities. Of course she should join some clubs, and try to advance her social career as well, but come on, it's not as big of deal as she made it out to be. 
Callie also wants to keep a secret all to herself, and constantly cries about the circumstances of the situation that it has put her in (the incident occurred back when she was in California and she hopes that it does not follow her to Harvard). I started to think her too, why did she not take legal action? Sure, she might be embarrassed, but if she's going to Harvard she's got to have at least SOME brains up in that beach blonde head.
Towards the end of the book there was just one element that I could not get out of my mind. Callie has to email a paper to herself to print in a lab, because she doesn't own a flash drive. Come on, you live in 2010/2011, and you're going to HARVARD, how do you NOT own a flash drive? I found that way too unbelievable so the circumstance that was related to this handicap sort of made the conclusion feel too fake and forced. The story definitely could have taken a different route.
It was a good plot line, and I would say the writing was nice, but there was a few circumstances that just felt way too unbelievable. Hopefully, the second and third novels in this series are better!
See you soon!
Paige

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Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 331
I was thoroughly disappointed by this book. So much that I couldn't even finish it. According to my Kindle, I got about 35% through before I said enough is enough. 
Even though this is young adult fiction, I found it too unbelievable...or relatable. I thought the characters fell in love too quickly, there wasn't much of a set up for a back story (I would have loved to hear more about Eric and his mother's strained relationship and more about Psyche's life). The story was set up so quickly and in a way that just threw the reader into the next things that were happening. I felt that I read about a novels worth in one chapter and that there wasn't enough to provide for much of a background.
Many things weren't described fully enough too; for example, Eric's castle could have been given a chapters worth of descriptors, but instead was giving very few. I hardly know what Psyche herself looked like because there was few descriptors about her too. 
Eric and Psyche's love (this isn't a spoiler, it says in the synopsis that they fall in love) was extremely hard for me to believe too. Eric was always saying that the mortals' world moved so quickly and that he didn't like it, yet he talks about marrying Psyche and taking her to his kingdom. That's a little fast for either world, if you ask me.
The plot itself wasn't going anywhere either for awhile. Even when things started to get "exciting" I couldn't get into the story. It was so dry. The premise of the story sounds amazing, but it wasn't executed well enough I believe.
See you soon!
Paige

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Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 232
Release Date: September 18, 2012
I've never read such a deep emotional book like this one. Especially in the YA genre. I've read more serious books for school that were nonfiction, but this fictional story about real life events deeply moved me in a way that few other YA books have ever before.
Confessinos of a Teenage Hermaphrodite is the story of a boy/girl who is trying to come to terms with what sex they want to live with for the rest of their life. Jamie, wants to live as a girl, but her parents want her to live as the boy, Jameson, which was who they conformed her into being for most of her life. Jamie finds that when she stands up to her parents they threaten her with drugs (such as having to take testosterone to become more man-like) so when Jamie goes off to college she starts making her own decisions and  realizes that she does not want to be a boy, and wants to live her life as a woman. Coming to terms with this realization, however, brings about a large amount of social pressure, along with pressure from Jamie's family and friends. Jamie also struggles internally over whether or not she should be able to fall in love, and have children, and if she wants to be cut off from her family so she can live the way she wants to for once.
When I read the synopsis I thought there would be a lot more focus on the medical side of Jamie's condition, but there was just the right amount to describe why she was feeling the way she was feeling about certain issues, and didn't delude from the plot at all. The medical facts and plot flowed exceptionally well together, in a way that created an emotionally deep story.
This isn't a quick read by any means, and I think it's meant to be absorbed and thought over more than a typical YA book that is more for mere pleasure. There are some sensitive subjects in here so I would recommend that teens be at least in high school when they are reading this. Otherwise, someone may not be able to appreciate the story as much and take away as many meanings and morals from the story.
I think that the synopsis sort of deceives the story, because it is so much more in depth and more meaningful than can be expressed in a vague one paragraph summary on the back of the book. I would highly recommend this book for teens and adults to read if they want to take a break from some light reading and dive into something deeper.
Overall, an excellent read and something about it will make you want to read it again and again. Also, I didn't like the cover that much at first, but after fully reading this book it completely made sense and worked excellently! 
See you soon!
Paige
P.S. Huge thank you to Lianne Simon for sending me this ARC!

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August Book Haul

Here's what I got last month!

Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
(Won this in a contest)


Scary School by Derek the Ghost
(Sent to me by the author)


Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon
(Sent to me by the author)


Painted Blind by Michelle Hansen
(Received through NetGalley)


Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
(Received through Paperbackswap.com)


That's all for this month!
See you soon!
Paige

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Scary School by Derek the Ghost

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 256
Since this is a middle school level book, I wasn't sure how it was going to be reading it for me since I haven't read that level of a book in a REALLY long time, but it was so much fun to read! It was such a cute story and I flew through the book because it was so easy to read, and because the plot was so cute! (Probably not the best way to describe a "scary" book...alright it was frighteningly funny!)
Scary School is written from the point of view of Derek the Ghost, a previous student of Scary School until he died in a lab experiment gone wrong. Derek feels that it is his mission to tell the story of Scary School for the rest of the public and he tells all the adventures that occur within a school that admits both human children, vampires, werewolves, zombies, half possum, and other monsters. Scary School is also a place where the teachers are monsters and if a child misbehaves or doesn't excel he/she/it may be eaten or suffer some sort of punishment that is not as extreme as death.
Derek explains all the teachers quirks and how the work their classrooms while explaining what the students themselves do within the school. This book really set up the background for more books to come, but also had a funny plot interwoven with all the introductions. Scary School was chosen to host the Ghoul Games (sort of like the Olympics, but for children in the monster community) and the Headmaster at Scary School is informed that if the human children lose to the monsters they will be eaten (the man in charge of the games does not like the idea of humans and monsters mixing in schools). As Derek describes the students and teachers he highlights their attributes so when the Games come around, the reader already has some sort of idea of what kind of strategy each character has for the Games. 
This was such a good book for middle school grades, and even though I'm in high school, I still enjoyed it immensely. Even though there may not be as in depth character or plot development as in YA books, this is expected because it is, in fact, a middle grade book. However, I was still able to connect with the characters and root them on as they performed not only in the Games, but surviving in Scary School as well. I think many kids will be able to enjoy this book and it's perfect for Halloween which is only a few months away! I definitely can't wait to see what the next book has in store for Scary School!
See you soon!
Paige
P.S. Huge thank you "Derek the Ghost" for sending me this to read and review!

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Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 277
Release Date: 08/21/2012
Over You was such an amazing book! I actually won this ARC (Advanced Review Copy) in a random drawing on EpicReads.com and I was actually pretty skeptical going into it. The premise sounded alright, but I think the synopsis sort of dulls down how awesome this book actually is (Not to mention, that the cover sort of threw me off too; that girl looks WAY too old to be in high school. I get that they were going for mature but she looks like she's in her mid-20's). Also, I wanted to post this review before the book actually came out but I just didn't have time to finish it due to all my school work.
So once I actually got into the story it was fantastic! Max should be a senior in high school, I say should be because she dropped out of her boarding school after she was cruelly dumped by her boyfriend Hugo and decided to move on and start a company, Ex. Inc. where Max would help other girls get over their ex-boyfriends. The program is a total success and Max and her team of two (Zach and Phoebe who are both seniors in a nearby New York high school) make it their goal to help girls reach their "Moment". The "Moment" occurs when a girl finally realizes that she is over her ex and does not need, nor does she want him any more. 
Max however, has never truly had her moment over her own ex, Hugo, and this becomes a problem when she is helping their newest client Bridgette. Bridgette had been dating her boyfriend for a long time (they grew up together as kids) and once she is dumped she is heartbroken and unsure of how to move along with her life without him. Max stands as a symbol for Bridgette as to what she can become; fearless, powerful, and completely, and totally, over her ex. However, one circumstance leads to another and things seem to start spiraling out of control for Max and her world that she built up on...WITHOUT Hugo. 
There is tons of adventure along the way for the Ex. Inc. team and this book made me laugh, but also feel for the characters all the way through. I connected with this book on a deeply personal level and felt that it actually held some really good advice for teenage girls who, perhaps, need to feel a little more powerful, on their own. 
This is a really good book for someone going through a breakup or for anyone who has gone through a breakup and knows what it feels like. Also a great book for girls who are in happy relationships too! I think a lot of girls will be able to relate to the characters, and will be sad to see them go at the end of the book!
By far one of my favorite reads of the year!
See you soon!
Paige

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Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 351
So, as I was reading this book I was thinking about what a fantastic and joy-filled review I was going to write for this book...however, then I finished the book. It was such a weak ending and it really disappointed me. I felt that things were just quickly resolved and the way things were resolved wasn't very strong. There was too many flaws (thankfully there's a second book). The first half of this was absolutely fantastic! The book moved along at a great pace and things were exciting but then the events started to become less and less...intriguing. I stopped caring about some of the characters and they seemed more distant to me as a reader. 
The story also seemed like it was dragged out really long and it felt sort of like it was repeating itself over and over. Don't get me wrong I loved the story line, but this book had some serious issues with pacing and just having a basic story line, that really flowed.
The title also sets the story up for failure. I would have taken this book way more seriously if it had a less...childish title (also the covers picture is pretty bad too). Going into the story I didn't expect this to have any literary value at all so I was extremely surprised when I actually liked the story (until I got towards the end).
It's a good story line; basically there's a girl, Jessica, who is living the stereotypical "teenage life" and a tall, dark, handsome, stranger who shows up in town. Soon, Jessica finds out that she is a secret vampire princess (which she vehemently disagrees and doesn't believe) and this stranger, Lucius, is her betrothed, and has been since their birth. However, Jessica doesn't want to marry Lucius and so, he begins to pursue her.
There is many twists in the story and things change, which is what kind of disappointed me about this book. Maybe it just didn't go the way that I expected so that's why I didn't like the ending. But it's up to you to decide now!
See you soon!
Paige

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