Twilight

"About three things I was absolutely positive.
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him and I didn't know how dominant that part might be that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

"I'd never given much thought to how I would die though I'd to had reason enough in the last few months, but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.... Surely is was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something."

Summary: When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret.

What Bella doesn't realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And it might be too late to turn back......



Review: Although it's been a few years since I've read the series, I remember it like yesterday. I was sitting in my Spanish class in highschool when one of my friends asked if I had read Stepahanie Meyer's book. I looked at her like she was crazy. I had never even heard of Stephanie Meyer or Twilight. After borrowing Amber's book, I realized that I had to get my own set. Some people think that the Twilight series isn't all that good. I have to disagree with them. I loved the twilight series. I remember at one point, I was going through the books and reading them just to write down the funny quotes. I kept them in a notebook somewhere. Where that notebook is today, I have no idea. The books are funny and although it gets on my nerves the way she wrote about vampires its still a good book. I never liked that Stephanie Meyer wrote Vampires as sparkling creatures. In my opinion vampires are supposed to be good looking, rich, deadly creatures of the night. Below are some quotes about what different people thought of Twilight:

The #1 New York Times Bestseller
A publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
An Amazon "Best Book of the Decade.....so far"
A teen people "Hot List" pick

"Propelled by suspense and romance in equal parts[this  story] will keep readers madly flipping the pages of Meyer's tantalizing debut" Publishers Weekly

"The novel's danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive......Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it." School Library Journal

"In the tradition of Anne Rice....this dark romance is gripping." Booklist


Author Bio: Stephanie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English literature, and she lives with her husband  and three young sons in Arizona. After the publication of her debut novel, Twilight, booksellers chose her as one of the "most promising new authors of 2005" (publishers weekly). Her web site is www.stephaniemeyer.com

 

Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Author Bio: Mildred D Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in
Toledo, Ohio. After graduating from the University of Toledo, she spent two years in Ethiopia with the peace corps. Returning to the United States, she recruited for the peace corps before entering the school of Journalism at the University of Colorado. As a member of the the black student alliance , she worked with students and university officals in structuring a black studies program at the University. Her first book about the Logan family, Song of the Trees, won the council on Interracial Books Award in the African American category. It was also a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year in 1975.

Summary: Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year-- the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black--to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride--no matter how others may degrade them the Logans possess something no one can take take away.

Review: The book was awarded the John Newberry Medal, and from me reading it constantly I can tell why it was awarded that certain award. I can remember when I first saw this book. I was always spending time in my elementary schools library and when I was leaving one day I saw this book. I had to immediately check it out to read. I also remember falling in love with it. This book will pull at your heart strings and it will make you fall in love with it all over again everytime you read it. There is such a good message in this book, I think everyone should read it but it can get a tad violent to some. Even though its set back in the depression in the deep south slavery still exists or segregation does and the Logan kids don't understand what goes on. This book is a wonderful coming of age story and teaches you that although there are black and white people that back then the blacks didn't have much of a place in society, if they even had one at all. It's a hard lesson to learn but Cassie learns what she is to the white people. 

Roll of thunder hear my cry

over the water bye and bye

ole man comin' down the line

whip in hand to beat me down

but I ain't gonna let him turn me 'round

That is a poem in one of the later chapters that will stick with you. The poem are actually lyrics to a traditional Black American spiritual of the American south. It basically talks about the way whites want to dominate the blacks seventy years after the civil war. The end of the song is the most significant part, because it portrays the blacks refusal to be dominated. If I had a rating system set up I would give this book way over five stars because its such a good read. Anyone can read this book or have it read to them. There are some parts a little iffy but overall this is a good read for anyone.

The Seafarer's Kiss

Bio: 19 year old Ersel would love to see the world beyond what she knows. After befriending a shield maiden Ragna the world as she knows it changes. Will she be able to stay friends with Ragna or will it be more, or will she have to cut ties?

Review: Julia Ember creates an underwater world that you will not want to leave. This is one of the best retellings of The Little Mermaid I have ever read. If you love Norse Mythology and The Little Mermaid then this book is for you. I wish there was more to the story. It really reminds me more of Ursula's story then the little mermaid, but its so good. I didn't want to put this one down, but then again I don't want to put most book down. I found out that some of the things Ersel gets into I can somewhat relate well except for when she deals with Loki, who really reminds me so much of Ursula. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fantastic read.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an E-ARC. I enjoyed the read and wish there was more to the story. I have to admit I was team Havamal instead of team Ragna but I do like the way the story wound up.

Mermaid Aboard Review

Bio: Estella just wants to escape her bridezilla sister. She has dreams of being a scientist that her family doesn't understand. Her dad wants her to take over the pearl farm, but she would rather go to university to learn. Escaping onto a cruise ship she meets Ian and it's love at first sight.

Review: Louise Cypress creates a world which you can get sucked into fast. This is a short fantastic novella if you need a easy and fast read. I didn't want the book to end and I defiantly recommend this story to anyone who likes romance and mermaids. This is a must read for anyone that loves mermaid stories.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an E-ARC and enjoyed it immensely.

Guest Blog: Carrie Pack

The first book I read that really meant something to me was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. I vividly remember realizing that there was more to the land of Oz than the 1939 Judy Garland film. And when I learned there were more stories about Oz, I devoured book after book in the series.

 

In particular, I was hooked on The Scarecrow of Oz. I think I checked it out of my school library so many times, the entire card was filled with my name and a series of dates. The school librarian encouraged me to try the other Oz books, and I’m so glad she did. There were adventures about the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and even characters whom we never met in the 1939 film like Tik Tok, Ozma and the Sawhorse. I loved the idea that a story could continue and evolve after the main quest was over.

 

Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed Wicked so much when it first came out. I read Gregory Maguire’s now famous book when I was in high school, before anyone knew what it would become. Before anyone could pronounce Elphaba. To me it was just another side to the Oz books I’d loved so much as a young reader. Imagine my surprise when the rest of the world loved it as much as I did.

 

It’s probably what sparked my love of fanfiction. I wanted more of these worlds and kept searching and searching. As the internet took off, so did my access to fanfiction. I read fanfiction after fanfiction for my favorite TV shows and started to see a deeply complex world where fans could continue writing about the worlds and characters they loved. Eventually I began writing it. And writing and writing. But I never did anything with it.

 

Then, a few years ago, fanfiction started to get some serious media attention, and while writing my first of many blog rants about fanfiction as a valid form of writing, I realized Wicked was essentially published Oz fanfiction. My mind was blown and my view changed forever. I mean, I always knew fan reimaginings could be complex, but to uncover published examples? Well, now I had proof that what I was doing was worthwhile. I began to write more fanfiction and eventually I crafted my own characters and settings. It wasn’t an overnight journey, but eventually it gave me the motivation I needed to become a published author.

 

And I owe it all to Oz.

 

I’d love to hear from your readers. What are some of your favorite book memories? Was there one book that will never leave you?

 

Author Bio

Never one for following the “rules,” Carrie Pack is a published author of books in multiple genres, including Designs on You, In the Present Tense (a 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year finalist) and the forthcoming Grrrls on the Side (2017). Her novels focus on characters finding themselves in their own time—something she experienced for herself when she came out as bisexual recently. She’s passionate about positive representation in her writing and has been a feminist before she knew what the word meant, thanks to a progressive and civic-minded grandmother. Coincidentally that’s also where she got her love of red lipstick and desserts. Carrie lives in Florida, or as she likes to call it, “America’s Wang.”

 

About Grrrls on the Side

The year is 1994 and alternative is in. But not for alternative girl Tabitha Denton; she hates her life. She is uninterested in boys, lonely, and sidelined by former friends at her suburban high school. When she picks up a zine at a punk concert, she finds an escape—an advertisement for a Riot Grrrl meet-up.

At the meeting, Tabitha finds girls who are more like her and a place to belong. But just as Tabitha is settling in with her new friends and beginning to think she understands herself, eighteen-year-old Jackie Hardwick walks into a meeting and changes her world forever. The out-and-proud Jackie is unlike anyone Tabitha has ever known. As her feelings for Jackie grow, Tabitha begins to learn more about herself and the racial injustices of the punk scene, but to be with Jackie, she must also come to grips with her own privilege and stand up for what’s right.

 

Buy Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grrrls-Side-Carrie-Pack/dp/1945053216/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grrrls-on-the-side-carrie-pack/1125684489

Interlude Press: https://store.interludepress.com/collections/duet/products/grrrls-on-the-side-print-edition

Target: https://www.target.com/p/grrrls-on-the-side-paperback-carrie-pack/-/A-52227653

 

 

Exciting news guys

First of all I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to get back and post something. I've been busy with work since I had to pick up a few extra hours. Secondly there is a partnership between me and library of a twentysomething  also known as Kristen. I have a few posts that I need to get out on Monday when I have time for myself. I also just signed up for blogging for books and my first book should be coming to me within a couple of weeks, so I'm excited yay
I also have a post that I really need to get out from a guest blogger whose book  I reviewed on goodreads. I need to get that review posted here as well. I apologize in advance for my busy life that sometimes keeps me from updating as constantly as I should.
I'm also in the process of working on my novel. I hope to be able to get some beta readers/reviewers when I'm done typing things up

Library Of A TwentySomethings World: Review of Hidden Figures

Mini Bio:

Name: Kristen

Blog: Library of a TwentySomething

Hey everyone! I'm Kristen, from Library of a TwentySomething and I am happy to be working alongside The Slytherin Book Lady as a guest blogger! I am a TwentySomething (ofcourse!) Canadian girl from a well known Southern Ontario city, Niagara Falls. As a reader I tend to drift a bit more to the Historical Fiction (World War II, mostly) as a genre but generally I would consider myself a fairly rounded reader and will pick up any book that appears to be interesting. I have a dog, Dakota and a cat, Noah and a boyfriend, Brad although the best reading (and cuddle) buddy is definitely the dog! The best book I have read in the last year would most certainly be The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, a WWII book (ofcourse) about the resilience of two sisters working to oppose the Nazi occupation of France. I am super excited about this new partnership and am looking forward to contributing to The Procrastinate Reader!

Please feel free to visit my blog here: http://libraryofatwentysomething.blogspot.ca/

Love Always & Talk Soon,
xoxo

Kristen

Review: 

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

ISBN: 0062363603

Back Cover Synopsis:

           Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.

           Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women. Originally math teachers in the South's segregated public schools, these gifted professionals answered Uncle Sam's call during the labor shortages of World War II. With new jobs at the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia, they finally had a shot at jobs that would push their skills to the limits.

           Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley's all-black "West Computing" group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.

            Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Kristine Johnson, and Christine Darden -- four African American women who participated in some of NASA's greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades as they faced challenges, forged alliances, and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their county's future.

Kristen's Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kristen's Review:

What I liked:

• I loved the span of time the book covers, beginning in the Second World War and ending shorty after the moon landing. 
• I think the women Shetterly used for Hidden Figures were strong choices and their stories are so well interwoven that it is very effective in telling this missing story from history.
• This story has made me want to learn more about the missing voices from my own community. It has also made me want to be a mathematician and a desire to find and hold onto the joy these women had found in their professional lives. 
• This book has made me reflect on this historical period with a new understanding and made me realize that I myself take a lot fore-granted, including the strides made for women.

What I disliked:

• As a true non-fiction book, Hidden Figures was missing the voices and conversations that would have taken part between the women featured in the novel and those around them. Although it probably wasn't possible with this book, I was missing this aspect of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to the fans of non-fiction and history lovers. Just know that this novel reads much closer to a text book than a novel.

I wanted to write down some quotes from Hidden Figures that really impacted my thought process and understanding of this period of time and race relations during this period.

"Even then, Negros were ready to redeem their lives for their long overdue inheritance. But the military forbade them from serving with whites, deeming them mentally deficient for the rigors of combat." pp. 32

"The system that kept the black race at the bottom of American society was so deeply rooted in the nation's history that it was impervious to the country's ideals of equality. Restaurants that refused to serve Dorothy Vaughn had no problem waiting on Germans from the prisoner-or-war camp housed in a detention facility under the James River Bridge in Newport News." pp. 33

"... if a woman wanted to get promoted, she had to leave the computing pool and attach herself to the elbow of an engineer, figure out how to sit at the controls of a wind tunnel, fight for the credit on a research report. To move up, she had to get as close as she could to the room where the ideas were being created." pp.166

"By the measure of the rest of the country, she was an insider's insider. She enjoyed a front-row seat at a spectacle that the rest of the citizenry learned about in the daily newspaper and on the nightly news. But however close she sat to the room where the meetings took place, she was still an outsider if she couldn't get in the door." pp. 178

A quote used in Hidden Figures from Robert Kennedy, "Commenting on the situation in 1963, United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy said, "The only places on earth known not to provide free public education are Communist China, North Vietnam, Sarawak, Singapore, British Honduras --and Prince Edward Country, Virginia."" pp. 204

Followed by: Not another book, but a Hidden Figures movie (which I am going to be watching and comparing with the book)

If you liked this try: Cane River by Lalita Tademy 

Genre(s): Non-fiction, History, WWII, Cold War, Civil Rights