Review: Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Another really popular classic that I just didn’t really understand the appeal of. If you like books about how cruel the world is, animal abuse and people with mental health issues not getting the help they need until it’s too late then this is the book for you. I mean it was horrible and shocking but I’m sure that was the point of the story. A very short book that I can honestly say I hated every single page of it, nothing more to add really.

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Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This made an interesting short read. Like everyone else on the planet I had watched the movie and like most people had never read the book. The movie was definitely a brilliant adaption of the book and it took the best parts of the book in my opinion. It was great to read the other bits though the parts that didn’t get into the movie.

Things that were great about the book that was missing from the movie was the backstory on why the scarecrow wanted a brain, tinman wanted a heart and lion wanted courage (The book was worth reading just for those answers in my opinion). There is a backstory behind the flying monkey’s too the wicked queen can’t just call them whenever she wishes. The book also had a lot more violence than the movies. They fought off a lot more attackers on their quest.

Also biggest thing I noticed slippers were not actually Ruby Red which was shocking!


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Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anyone wanting to get into reading classic books the Sherlock Holmes books are such a great place to start. Unlike a lot of classics, the books are so easy to read and understand in 2018 even though they were written over 100 + years ago.

I don’t think there has ever been a more interesting character than Sherlock Holmes in any book ever written. There has been so many TV shows and movies about him purely for the fact that he is so fascinating a character.

The dialogue is always sharp and witty and the relationship between Sherlock and Watson still to this day makes them probably one of the greatest duos ever written.

This story had everything from devil dogs, murder, a haunted old house and a mystery. The mystery is classic and compelling from beginning to end. That being said it’s not my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes stories but it’s brilliant all the same.

A must read for basically everyone.


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Review: I Am Jazz

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whether you are fans of the show or just interested in learning about what it’s like growing up feeling like you are in the wrong body this book is a short but interesting read.

It looks at Jazz Jennings star of the show ‘I am Jazz’ and her life growing up as trans, her story is pretty different to a lot of trans kid stories just because she started taking hormones so young compared to a lot of people and her family have been super supportive which as Jazz states in the book makes her very lucky because a lot of people don’t get that level of family support.

She is brave and honest about her struggles with weight gain and depression that her gender dysphoria has led too. She discusses some of the issues she has faced with bullying and name calling and not being allowed to play on the girls’ sports teams she wanted to and not being able to use the bathroom of the gender she felt she was.

It’s a very simple take on the subject as really written for young children to grasp but I think it teaches an important lesson about not judging others and everyone battling their own demons and basically just not being a jerk to people because they are considered ‘different’ to you. Also, think it would be a good book to read for young people who feel like Jazz does.


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Review: Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice

Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice by Thea Sabin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book mostly because it was easy to understand for anyone no matter their experience with Wicca. It's a very basic but informative guide for people interested in the topic.

It wasn’t snobbish and trying to make out you cannot understand anything about my beliefs till you have read the works of these 50 authors like a lot of elitist Wicca books I have read.

The exercises were realistic and actually possible for someone with no experience and not like ones in a lot of books that would be pretty impossible to accomplish without the use of some rather impressive drugs.

I also really liked the fact that this book wasn’t trying to sell us something most of the book doesn’t really mention tools at all the author explains that you don’t need 9000 candles and 15,000 crystals and a $200 athame to practice.

A really good guide for people interested in learning more.

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Review: The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I really tried to like this book I really did. I thought it’s such a small book it would be a really quick read and then I could get on to the Lord of the Rings books which I have never read either. Now I’m just not sure I have the patience for that. This book took me sooooo many hours to get through!

Honestly very little seemed to happen in this book. I watched the first movie and I thought well they are trying to stretch a small book into 3 movies that’s why nothing really happened. Nope, I was wrong though nothing happened in the first 2 movies because barely anything happened in the actual book.

I feel guilty for having hated a classic book this much but man it was so slow. Three-quarters of the book is a dinner party and a walk. I’m wondering if I should even bother reading Lord of the Rings now or if I’ll just not be able to get through it.

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Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book, it’s probably one of my favorites of all time. This is such a beautiful book. I was actually kind of devastated when I got to the end and realized not only was the book fiction but that it was written by a man.

All of the characters in this book were so well written they were all flawed human beings but you still kind of rooting for them. I wanted Hatsumomo to do well and be a success, you could completely understand why she acted the way she did even though her treatment of Sayuri was so cruel at times.

I really wanted a happy ending for Sayuri, she had a tough life being sold into slavery and separated from her sister. Even though her relationship with the chairman would have been doomed from the beginning as he was married and would have basically always just seen her as a Geisha I still really wanted them to end up together. It’s an impressive book when it makes me root for the side-chick this much.

I can’t say I really had any interest in Japanese culture before I started reading this book but I found the daily life of a Geisha fascinating. I loved the rituals and the ceremony and the dress and the astrology and everything that went into it more than just pouring tea and laughing at men’s jokes. It is definitely a fascinating and well-researched look into Geisha life.

I loved the ending though because it wasn’t a perfect and they lived happily ever after type ending it was more the only ending that would have seemed realistic to the characters.

I am still completely gutted Sayuri isn’t a real person.

Would recommend to everyone who likes a good memoir whether they are particularly interested in the Japanese culture or not it’s still such an interesting read.


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Review: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So spoilers in this one: I liked this book but the author well she just annoyed me a little bit. Firstly for someone that had been walking for days and was smelly and dirty and exhausted she sure thought about sex an abnormal amount. Also despite the as being mentioned being dirty and smelly and having to yank off her own toenails she still seemed to be fighting off the fellas.

Apparently, the PCT trail is mostly for hooking up with strangers. The author definitely has some issues and not just her drug use she doesn’t seem to treat men or animals very well. Not a book for an animal lover, you won’t like her much.

I enjoyed the story in general and the adventure of it all though. Marked so high because it made me want to walk for a month on a journey of self-discovery. Not enough to actually do it but gotta give her credit it was a brave (Even if very badly thought out plan) and it helped her through a rough time and made for an interesting read.


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Review: A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great short sci-fi story. Even though it was written in the 60’s it’s pretty timeless as there aren’t many references that I don’t think children reading in 2018 wouldn’t understand (Charles Wallace calls his dad Pops once that’s like the biggest 60’s reference I noticed).

I absolutely loved the sinister world they bring the children too where everything needs to be exactly the same and everyone needs to act the same it’s such a frankly terrifying concept.

The characters were fun I thought Mrs Who, Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit were brilliantly written they had a wise but quirky witch-like vibe about them.

The thing I liked most about this book was even though it was a children’s book they didn’t dumb the book down for children. There were concepts of the time travel aspect that children won’t fully understand but it really won't hamper the enjoyment of the book or the flow of the story at all. Plus the idea in general that by folding or ‘wrinkling’ time you can pass through it to where ever you want to go in an instant is an awesome one.

The book teaches a great lesson that you don’t have to conform to what society considers the stereotype (Typical stereotypes for the time the book was written), Meg is an example that you don’t have to be the girly-girl to win yourself a boyfriend she is a tough girl who loves math. Calvin shows that just because he is sporty and jock-like and popular doesn’t mean he has to be a mean guy that can’t string a sentence together. Charles Wallace shows that just because he is young it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have ideas worth listening too.

I would recommend this book to sci-fi and fantasy fans young and old. This book is a short, quick fun read.


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Review: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was hilarious her stories about her dogs and her letters to her past selves had me literally laughing so hard that I couldn't read this book in public without looking like a weirdo. I totally stole her ideas for a dog IQ test to see how smart my dog really is. I wished I had read this when it was a blog the author was funny and very relatable even when she discussed the more serious issue's. The topics may have been random and jumbled together in a way that didn't make much sense but they were all brilliant and I read the whole book in a day. Definitely worth a read for anyone with a sense of humor.

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Review: Career of Evil

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first book wasn’t that great in my opinion. The sequel though and the third book I absolutely loved. I love the relationship between Cormoran and Robin and the banter between them. I also now ship them both super hard. She needs to get rid of Matthew, like yesterday. The plot of the other two books I felt was easier to follow too. It was more like actually reading a detective novel and not like reading a map of London like the first one was. I definitely think for those that may not have been super fans of the the first book the series is definitely worth sticking with. Just found out the books has its own tv show too so really want to see that. Can’t wait for book 4 now.

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Review: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this book. I love the world of Narnia and the different personalities of the siblings. This is just one of those stories where you really get to escape to this magical world that you really wish you could visit. The books are short and quick, action-packed reads that I think can be enjoyed by the whole family. Young children will love it but I think it has some magic in there for adults too. I would definitely recommend reading “The Magicians Nephew” first it really helps to understand how Narnia came to be and it’s also a really fun read. 5 stars I loved them both.

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Review: The Magician's Nephew

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So my whole childhood I never actually got around to reading The Chronicles of Narnia. I do think there is some magic when reading it as an adult that children would just miss. I enjoyed this book the story was much shorter than I had expected but it really brought you into this amazing world which I really enjoyed. I'd seen the movie The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and this is a great story to bring the reader into the world of Narnia. There is a heavy Christian overtone sure but I think the story can be equally enjoyed by any atheists. A must read for every child.

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Review: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved these so much I always loved Sabrina the teenage witch growing up but looking at the cover I didn’t even make the connection till I started reading it. The characters may be the same but the story was so dark and twisted and creepy I loved it so much. It’s basically the complete opposite of the TV show the girl isn’t changing her outfits with a point of her finger she’s summoning Satan, eating people and sacrificing animals. So yea very dark and twisted, not exactly for kids but a great read. Looking forward to reading the dark Riverdale ones next.

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Review: We Should All Be Feminists

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very short read that seems to have received only glowing reviews. In 60 pages it very briefly sums up some feminist fundamentals that should be obvious. I don’t think it taught anything new or shocking. A lot of it can be summed up as common sense with a few heartwarming stories but nothing world changing basically.

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Review: UNSUB

UNSUB by Meg Gardiner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unsub is the story of how Caitlyn Hendrix a new narcotics detective gets sucked back into the serial killer case that drove her father mad when after 20 years the serial killer her father could never catch resurfaces.

Literally, this book was a heart-stopping, thrilling page-turner from beginning to end. I loved the strong female lead and the fact that she could have a love story without it being center stage of the entire book. It read like a really brilliant episode of Criminal Minds.
Mercury is basically a combination of every aspect that makes an interesting serial killer. The audience is in suspense waiting to knows who, where or how he is going to strike next which leads to a chilling, gory and intense story. Plus the twist at the end was brilliant.

Haven’t read anything by this author before but I’m definitely interested in reading more of her work after this. A must-read for all Crime, thriller, criminal minds fans.

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Mega List Of All Books Read In 2018

Mega List of Books Read So Far In 2018

January- None

February-

	Book Title	Author	Date Read	Rating out of 5	Review Links
1	Wicca For Beginners	Thea Sabin	Feb 12	5
2	Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail	Cheryl Strayed	Feb 12	3
3	The Hobbit	J.R.R Tolkien	Feb 22	1
4	Memoirs of a Geisha	Arthur Golden	Feb 22	5
5	I am Jazz	Jazz Jennings	Feb 24	4
6	The Hound Of the Baskervilles	Arthur Conan Doyle	Feb 25	5
7	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1)	L. Frank Baum	Feb 26	5
8	The Giver (The Giver #1)	Lois Lowry	Feb 26	5
9	Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck	Feb 27	1
10	Fangirl	Rainbow Rowell	Feb 27	5

March-

	Book Title	Author	Date Read	Rating out of 5	Review Links
11	The Collected Stories of Winnie The Pooh	A.A Milne	March 1	4
12	Landline	Rainbow Rowell	March 2	5
13	The Great Gatsby	F.Scott Fitzerald	March 1	1
14	Brave	Rose Mcgowan	March 3	4
15	Matched (Matched #1)	Ally Condie	March 5	5
16	Sharp Objects	Gillian Flynn	March 5	5
17	Eleanor & Park	Rainbow Rowell	March 10	2
18	Luckiest Girl Alive	Jessica Knoll	March 12	5
19	The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	Robert Louis Stevenson	March 14	3
20	Attachments	Rainbow Rowell	March 14	4
2#1	Crossed (Matched 2)	Ally Condie	March 20	3
22	If I Stay (If I stay #1)	Gayle Forman	March 20	3
23	Murder Games	James Patterson	March 20	5
24	Animal Farm	George Orwell	March 22	3
25	A Dog’s Purpose (A dogs Purpose #1)	W. Bruce Cameron	March 23	4
26	Dark Places	Gillian Flynn	March 23	4
27	The Complete Persepolis	Marjane Satrapi	March 26	4
28	Witch & Wizard (Witch & Wizard #1)	James Patterson	March 27	3
29	Alice In Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	March 27	4
30	The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow	Washington Irving	March 28	3
3#1	The Fairy-tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm #1)	Michael Buckley	March 28	5

April-

	Book Title	Author	Date Read	Rating Out of 5	Review Links
32	Who Could That be at this hour? (All The Wrong Questions #1)	Lemony Snicket	April 2	2
33	To Kill A Mockingbird	Harper Lee	April 2	2
34	Midnight For Charlie Bone (The Children of the Red King #1)	Jenny Nimmo	April 2	5
35	The Wolves In the Walls	Neil Gaiman	April 3	3
36	Crazy Hair	Neil Gaiman	April 3	3
27	The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two goldfish	Neil Gaiman	April 3	3
28	Cinnamon	Neil Gaiman	April 3	4
29	The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes	Arthur Conan Doyle	April 3	5
30	The Unusual Suspects (The Grimm Sisters 2)	Michael Buckely	April 4	5
31	The Grown Up	Gillian Flynn	April 4	5
32	The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm 3)	Michael Buckley	April 5	5
33	The Time Twister( The Children of The Red King 2)	Jenny Nimmo	April 6	5
34	Hollywood Homicide (Detective by Day #1)	Kellye Garrett	April 7	3
35	Once Upon A Crime (The Sisters Grimm 4)	Michael Buckely	April 8	5
36	The Belles (The Belles #1)	Dhonielle Clayton	April 9	4
37	Suicide Squad	Adam Glass	April 9	5
38	Batman: The Killing Joke	Alan Moore	April 11	4
39	Everless (Everless #1)	Sara Holland	April 11	4
40	The Transfer (Divergent #0.1)	Veronica Roth	April 12	5
4#1	American Housewife	Helen Ellis	April 12	3
42	Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm 5)	Michael Buckely	April 14	5
43	Batman: Arkham Knight- The Riddlers Gambit	Alex Irvine	April 15	2
44	Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology	Leah Remini	April 16	5
45	The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)	Rick Riordan	April 17	5
46	The Rules Do Not Apply	Ariel Levy	April 17	2
47	Black Widow: Forever Red (Black Widow #1)	Margaret Stohl	April 18	5
48	Tales From the Hood (The Sisters Grimm #6)	Michael Buckely	April 20	5
49	Into The Water	Paula Hawkins	April 20	4
50	The Everafter War (The Sisters Grimm #7)	Michael Buckely	April 22	5
51	The Inside Story (The Sisters Grimm #8)	Michael Buckely	April 23	5
52	1984	George Orwell	April 24	3
53	Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1)	P.L Travers	April 26	4
54	Chill Out! The Cat’s wintertime Collection	Tish Rabe	April 26	5
55	Geekerella	Ashley Poston	April 26	5
56	The Council of Mirrors (Sisters Grimm #9)	Michael Buckely	April 28	5
57	Doctor Who: Dr.Eleventh	Adam Hargreaves	April 28	5
58	This Is Me: Loving The Person You Are Today	Chrissy Metz	April 29	5
59	The Cuckoo’s Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)	Robert Gaibraith (Pseudonym)	April 30	5

May-

	Book Title	Author	Date Read	Rating Out of 5	Review Links
60	The Bad Beginning (A Series Of Unfortunate Events #1)	Lemony Snicket	May 2	2
61	Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal	G. Willow Wilson	May 5	5
62	Archie (2015) #1	Mark Waid	May 2	4
63	Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life	Bryan Lee O’malley	May 2	4
64	The Narcissist Next Door: Understanding the Monster in Your Family, in Your Office, in Your Bed—in Your World	Jeffrey Kluger	May 3	3
65	Lumberjanes Vol #1	Noelle Stevenson	May 3	4
66	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol #1: Cosmic Avengers	Brian Michael Bendis	May 3	4
67	Lumberjanes Vol #2	Noelle Stevenson	May 3	4
68	Lumberjanes Vol #3: A Terrible Plan	Noelle Stevenson	May 4	4
69	Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel	Eoin Colfer	May 5	4
70	Lumberjanes Vol #4	Noelle Stevenson	May 5	4
71	Deadpool Vol #1: Secret Invasion	Daniel Way	May 6	5
72	Ms. Marvel Vol 2: Generation Why	G Willow Wilson	May 6	4
73	Lumberjanes Vol #5	Noelle Stevenson	May 7	4
74	The Silent Wife	A.S.A Harrison	May 7	4
75	Black Panther: The Complete Collection	Christopher J. Priest	May 8	3
76	Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Vol #1	Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa	May 9	5
77	Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Vol #2	Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa	May 9	5
78	Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Vol #3	Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa	May 9	5
79	Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Vol #4	Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa	May 9	5
80	Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Vol #5	Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa	May 9	5
81	The Magicians Nephew (Chronicles Of Narnia #6)	C.S Lewis	May 10	5
82	Final Girls	Riley Sager	May 10	5
83	We Should All Be Feminists	Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie	May 13	3
84	Unsub	Meg Gardiner	May 14	5