Kat @abookiesbooks, Author at A Bookie's Books

Great Expectations

Author: Charles Dickens

Published by Oxford University Press

Genres: Classic, Fiction

Pages:505

“In what may be Dickens’s best novel, humble, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman — and one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of “great expectations.” In this gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, the compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness; and the embittered Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride.” -Goodreads

My Review:

Side Note: I apologize that this blog is small but as of right now I am trying to get caught up on all the stories that I read during my hiatus so this is just going to be super short.

Well since I am just getting back to my blog I wanted to keep updated on the books I read during the time I was gone but obviously I cannot write the best reviews for these books because usually I write my reviews right after I finish. Of course I didn’t do this because I felt no need at the time. I regret this. Anyways because I really wasn’t blown away by this book and the fact that I don’want to talk to much about it, I am just going to do a quick little review.

Like very quick…

First I wanna say that god this book was boring. I am really not one for the classics. I think the copy of the book contribute to my hatred. Usually the only classic novels I read are the ones at school. And at school we have these godawful tiny copies with the smallest print. My hand is bigger than the copies of the book at our school. Coupling that with the fact that this book is kind of boring with no real excitement and a difficult old time language that I just hardly could comprehend, I just hated it. But alas I know this is a classic and many people love it and many people say you have to read it when you are older and I understand that and maybe I will but just the fact that I am being forced to read this book with thousands of homework assignments for every chapter really just makes me stress and dislike a book. One day I will probably re-read this but that day will not be for a while.

Now after all that being said I will not let that ruin my review and make me biased. I will try and stay away from things I didn’t like just because I wasn’t reading it for my own pleasure.

One thing that I can give you an honest judgement about is Pip. What the heck is wrong with him? I mean he was a great character but he just got in his own way a lot. I think he just should have been happy. He always got so depressed over not having money or too much money etc. I just think he should have just enjoyed his life. In the end he got less insufferable but that was only because he had actually found happiness. He doesn’t see that the most important things were right in front of him. He ditches his family who has been there for him through everything and he also is haughty and rude to people of lower class. Granted I think it was coping mechanism for him but it was annoying. Just because now you’re rich doesn’t mean you are entitled to being rude.

Another things is how my great expectations for this book were sadly unmet. This book I felt like would be a bit less boring. I mean how could I expect so much. I think this book has potential and maybe reading it later on my own free time I might feel better about this book but alas this is not that time. I think the plot of the story was good enough but for my action loving self, a little more excitement could have been introduced. I know classics are more about teaching hard truths in life but couldn’t it be a bit more fun?

Okay so that is it for this blog. It was short but I do not wanna talk about this book no longer. When I read a book for school and post about it on this blog it always pains me to do so. I already exhaust everything I have to say about school books in school so making posts about them just really irks me. But, being the dedicated book blogger I am, I write these reviews just for you guys to enjoy.

Thank you for reading. Please dont hate on me for not liking the book. Being forced to read a book always gets me down so I try as hard as I can to not hate on a book but I really didn’t like it. Sorry to all the Great Expectations fans out there.

Star Rating: 3.5

Illuminae

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Series: The Illuminae Files (#1)

Published by Knopf Books

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Pages: 608

“This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.” -Goodreads

My Review:

Okay before I start this blog just look at this book summary by Jay Kristoff. It is excellent and entertaining. I just wanted to share it.

So first off, WHAT?!?!

How was this book made? Who thought of this? Do the authors want to kill me?

This story was a spectacular story. It was just the right amount if intense mixed with the right amount of comedy and of course the right amount of romance.

This book was such a quick read. The way it was formatted made it so you could fly through the story. The way it was written was epic. For those of you who don’t know it is made in a series of government files, interviews, security surveillance footage, etc. I don’t understand how they made this though. I just love every detail they put into the work. This really makes the story stand out and you can just see how unique this story is. Visually, this story was beautiful.

Let’s talk about plot. So what is with all the plot twists? There were so many twists and turns I felt like I was flopping around like a fish by the end. Kristoff and Kaufman made me feel so many emotions. I was basically like this the entire time:

I love plot twists are the best things ever.

Not only was their a war but there was also an evil AI system AND a creepy plague. A lot of the times it is hard for authors to have multiple conflicts and multiple story lines but these two worked so well together and really made this story amazing. Beginning of the story was slow but it built up in to a great action packed story.

Although I love this book I have to admit that the characters are dull. They are normal people. Most authors create stunning characters. The only things that were really different about the characters and a normal teenagers was Kady’s pink hair and the fact that they lived on a different planet.

I want to say so much because it was just an outstanding book but then I would spoil everything. So I ain’t gonna. Just go read the book.

I know this was super short but as I am writing this it has been three months since I read it and I just want to end this blog post so I can talk about the next story in the series Gemina which go check out my review for that book please.

Anyways thank you so much for reading.

Star Rating: 4.7

Have you read it? Did you like it? Did you hate it? What was your favorite part?

TOP TEN TUESDAY-September 19th

“Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish…Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer.” –Top Ten Tuesday

Topic: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

So I am not gonna be doing ten because I dont know what I want to read just yet so here is my list of five books I want to read:

The Diabolic by S.J Kincaid

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

I don’t really know if I will read all of them by the end of fall this year. I want to read them. They all are sitting on my shelf waiting for a very long time. I want to read them so bad and I have been trying but I also have all these other books. Anyways I will find away to do it.

Anyways thank you for reading! Comment below about what your favorite book is out of this list.

NEW ROOM!

Hello my fellow bloggers,

So recently I did a big thing which I am so happy about. I mean if you can’t tell by the title:

I redid my entire room!

I painted and moved things around.

Okay, okay, I dont know where to start this but I will show you my before pictures so here you go:

For my prep work I:

moved everything out of my room except for the big things
spackled the tiny holes in my wall
cleaned the walls
taped up the trim and my doors and my window
got all the paint supplies into my room

And then after prep I:

painted the walls blue
painted around the edges of my room
waited for it to dry for a day
painted one of my walls white in two coats
taped up that wall
painted it blue
and wah lah

After:

I am so proud of how my room looks. I did it all by myself. I need to do touch ups on my accent wall because of course it bled through but it is expected with a textured wall. I don’t have the best pictures but you know what it is what you all are gonna have to deal with.

I am so happy with my room. For months, I have been wanting a change in my room. My room was always pink which, yes, it is a good color but, I just wanted something more mature and more me. Blue is my favorite color and this color blue is the most perfect blue in the world. The more I look at it and the more I stare at it the more it becomes my favorite color. Anyways I wanted a room more me.

I love minimalism but I also love having a bunch of stuff on my wall. I have a lot of things I need to put onto my walls like my horse ribbons and just some other things I love to have on my walls. I wanted my room to look more mature. I wanted it o look like me but also to still be pleasing to the eye. One thing about my old room was that I felt self conscious about it because it was such a child room. It was way to colorful and nothing matched. I wanted it to start feeling like those Pintrest rooms. I wanted my room to inspire me. I wanted to be able to keep my room clean so I got rid of a lot of things. So I wanted a new room.

And I achieved that. I feel like the blue is really soothing and not distracting. I changed up my room layout. My desk is in a new spot away from the window. When it was in front of my window I got so distracted because of the curtains. They always got stuck in weird positions and it always bugged me so I stopped working and tried to fix it. Obviously, that got me distracted so I wouldn’t work very well. Anyways I changed up all this stuff to make a better room for me.

I am so happy. This room just makes me very happy. I had a great time doing this even though it was a lot of work.

Anyways thank you for reading!

The Odyssey

Author: Homer

Translator: E.V Rieu

Published November 30th 2006 by Penguin Classics (first published -720)

Genres: Classics, Fantasy

Pages: 541

“The Odyssey, Homer’s best-loved poem, recounting Odysseus’ wanderings after the Trojan War. With wit and wile, the ‘man of twists and turns’ meets the challenges of the sea-god Poseidon, and monsters ranging from the many-headed Scylla to the cannibalistic Cyclops Polyphemus – only to return after twenty years to a home besieged by his wife Penelope’s suitors. In the myths and legends retold in this immortal poem, Fagles has captured the energy of Homer’s original in a bold, contemporary idiom.” -Goodreads

My review:

I always believe school books are going to be good….

Well as you can probably infer, I did not like yet another school book. Again I don’t know if it was the pressure and the fact that I was being forced to read this book super fast and not take the time to fully understand it or if it was that it was a bad book. I think my age makes me hate the book. I don’t know many people my age who enjoy that book. I think I am to into very fantastical books so these classical books about life and teaching you lessons don’t thrill me as much as I hoped they would. I know this story is more fantastical than any of the other classics out there and maybe that is why I liked it better then some of the ones I have read. But this book predates all the classics. Its language was super hard to read. I don’t know who wrote the translation I read but it was very confusing. Maybe another translation will be good enough.

So I love mythology and creatures like satyrs and the Minotaur etc, so I enjoyed that part about this book. I liked seeing how people lived in another time period. It was interesting to see the different ways people lived and what they believed back when this story originated. I loved learning about gods and other legends and myths during this unit in school. It helped me understand the story more.

Odysseus was a pretty cool character. I didn’t get to see much of him until near the middle even though the story revolves around him. I loved how he was really set on getting home and he kept fighting to get there. He wasn’t all to loyal to his wife but the road to hell was paved with good intentions. I mean he really had no choice when you’re trapped on an island with someone and you don’t think anyone is gonna save you. Telemachus was pretty cool to. He had a lot of trust in his dad. He never even met the guy and he sets off to try and find out if he is alive. Penelope is the most loyal of them all and she never marries anyone and waits for her long lost husband to come hope. Athena a.k.a Athene is super awesome in helping Odysseus get home.

The plot was good I guess. It just was so much packed in to so little. The descriptions of places were long and sort of dull but then the action came out to descriptive for how fast paced it went.

As I review this I see that is wasn’t a terrible story but I just didn’t get into it like I felt like I wanted to.

Well, thank you for reading another one of my short school book reviews. I know these probably aren’t as entertaining as the rest of my reviews but I would feel weird not giving you guys all my opinions on all the books I read.

Thanks for read. Tell me what you thought of this book.

Star Rating: 3

The Bookshelf Tag

This tag was started by: Ramblings of a Red Head Girl

Rules:

1.) Books have to be on your shelf

2.) Put a picture of your bookshelf.

The Bookshelf Tag:

*DISCLAIMER I REORGANIZED MY BOOKSHELF AFTER DOING THIS BLOG AND THAT IS WHAT THE PICTURE IS BECAUSE I AM PROUD OF MY NEW SHELF. BUT THE CONTENTS ARE OF THE OLD SHELF SO JUST IGNORE EVERYTHING I SAY ABOUT TOP THREE SHELVES OR PLACEMENT OF MY BOOKS BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT CHANGED.

Describe your bookshelf (or wherever it is you keep your books-it doesn’t actually have to be a shelf!) and where you got it from:

My book shelf is white, tall, and has 5 shelves. I got it for Christmas so the exact location of the book shelf is lost on me but I am pretty sure my parents got it from Walmart.

Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books?

On my very top shelf I have my Harry Potter collection and a few of my favorite books. My next shelf has my hardcovers and then the next shelf my paperback. The bottom two shelves are all my other books I have had since childhood.

What’s the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf?

Phew, I dont know. either a Harry Potter book by the queen J.K Rowling or Queen of Shadows by another queen, Sarah J. Maas.

What’s the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?

Maybe Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur or House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

Is there a book you received as a birthday gift?

Recently for my birthday my best friend Maggie bought me her favorite book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I am currently reading this book.

What’s the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

The book is my small version of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

What’s the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a J.K Rowling).

Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?

Refer to the birthday book question.

Most expensive book?

I have two (almost three) $300 books. They are collectors edition of, wait for it, Harry Potter books. They are the illustrated version but huge and has gold etching or whatever you call it on the cover. They are my prized possessions. I am getting the third one for Christmas. I hope they finish up the series because I would love to have the entire collection of these books.

The last book you read on your shelf?

I am currently reading the Secret Life of Bees. The last book I finished though was Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman.

Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read?

I first read my Harry Potter book if we are counting my top three shelves. My bottom shelves I couldn’t tell you. I have had those books as long as I can remember.

Do you have more than one copy of a book?

I just bought my second copy of TKAM but I will be getting rid of one of the copies because it is super tiny and the other one fits with my Go Set a Watchmen. I have a few extra copies of the Harry Potter books and the Twilight series. I may have more than that but those are the ones I can see from my desk position.

Do you have the complete series of any book series?

Harry Potter, Twilight, Beautiful Creatures, Doon, Fablehaven, Passenger*, Illuminae*, just to name a few.

*I have every book that is out so far.

What’s the newest addition to your shelf?

My newest addition is my new To Kill a Mockingbird and two other books I bought the other day from Barnes and Nobles, Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice.

What book has been on your shelf FOREVER?

Well any of the books on my bottom two shelves but probably my Harry Potter books.

What’s the most recently published book on your shelf?

I want to say Wayfarer but at this point I have no clue.

The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)?

No clue…

Maybe my Jane Eyre copy because it is ancient.

A book you won?

None…

I aint that lucky.

A book you’d hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you never let someone borrow)?

ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

I am only sort of joking. The ones I wouldn’t let out of site is probably my Harry Potter books.

Most beat up book?

I have a Canterwood Crest book on the bottom shelf. It was originally a library book but I took it to a horse show and it was raining and well…that was not a very good idea.

Most pristine book?

All the books I haven’t read like Wayfarer and The Diabolic. Also most Harry Potter books I got are good. I have one that is ripped in the corner.

A book from your childhood?

Any flipping book on my bottom shelf.

A book that’s not actually your book?

None

A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)?

MY COLLECTORS EDITION OF HARRY POTTER!!!!!

A book that is your favorite color?

Shades of Doon is blue. It isn’t actually my favorite shade of blue but it is blue.

Book that’s been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven’t read?

Many books but I do not know the longest.

Any signed books?

Heartless by Marissa Meyers

Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it. I tag everyone who reads this.

Send me your bookshelf tags and tell me about your shelves if you haven’t done the tag yet.

TOP TEN TUESDAY-September 12th

Topic: Ten Books I Loved During The First Year I Started My Blog

So I just finished my first year I started blogging so this isn’t that hard and that is why I chose this topic.

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Doon by Carie Corp & Lorie Langdon

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K Rowling & John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (even though I shouted out the entire series but I love this one so much)

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Okay guys I did it. I hate doing these lists because it takes forever but at the same time I really enjoy them because they are simple and I can reflect on stuff.

Anyways thanks for reading this. I didn’t link the book’s Goodreads because I am very lazy. I want to tag the pages so you can put them on your to-read list but I just aint feeling it today.

Thanks for reading!

Have you read any of these? What is your favorite on this list?

Forever Doon

Author: Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Series: Doon

Published by Blink

Genre: YA, Romance

Pages: 384

“With the witch of Doon on the throne, Jamie believed dead, and Duncan and Mackenna trapped in Alloway, Veronica has no choice but to put her grief aside and prepare her remaining followers for the impending battle against the false Queen and her forces. But while on a covert mission to steal a powerful elixir from the castle, Veronica discovers her true love may actually be alive and fighting a battle of his own.

With the Brig o’ Doon destroyed and the portal fragmented, Doon’s forces are not only divided but also isolated in different dimensions. With the help of a storyteller as ancient as the witch herself, Kenna and Duncan learn they must rebuild the bridge to have any chance of crossing back into Doon with their ragtag army. But when Mackenna insists on fighting as well, Duncan soon realizes the only way he can ensure her safety is to turn her into a cold-hearted killer.

For Vee, Jamie, Kenna, and Duncan, saving their kingdom while keeping their lives intact will take a miracle.” -Goodreads

Review:

My poor heart.
The series is up. It has ended. This amazing series which such adventure and love. This series has been a crazy ride. Up and down and all around. I am sad to see the series end.
This book was difficult to read at first because of the sadness I had when I knew this series was ending. I eventually got over it and threw myself into this wonderful world Carey and Lorie created. The story had a ton of ups and downs. It was a huge rollercoaster. I mean they jumped from one issue to the next so quickly. It didn’t seem like the other stories. The problems went by so quickly like the solution basically fell into the characters lap after a few minutes of contemplation. I liked the way the story went but I feel like some more suspense and explanation would have helped. Especially in the ending.
This book was always interesting always kept me wanting more. I rarely had any dull moments. I was captivated by every action scene, torn apart by every emotional scene, and thrilled at every suspenseful scene. I enjoyed this book thoroughly. The authors made this book hard to read. They put all the characters under tremendous challenges that made my heart break. Luckily they pulled through and somehow overcame many challenges that I would have just fell over and cried if put in their place.
The characters were extremely annoying in this book. I am just going, to be honest. Veronica, I feel like was the only one who didn’t bug me with her decisions. Jaime was also not as annoying as Mackenna and Duncan. They just really irked me. Their relationship was falling apart but it would have been an easy fix. I mean they could have just talked to each other. And then they just dragged it on and on and on. I mean come on, it was ridiculous. I am not saying I am an expert in relationships but I feel like they would have talked about their issues way before they did. They irritated me with how annoying they were. Jaime and Veronica were strong as ever I believed. They really balanced each other out. They supported each other. They influenced each other to be stronger and fight better. They honor each other’s strengths and help each other with their weaknesses. I love them too as a couple. Mackenna and Duncan are amazing too but they just need to communicate.
It was kind of depressing honestly. Lots of death and lots of heartbreak which don’t get me wrong are important in stories for motivation or to create emotion but the Doon series for me was a good empowerment series. I didn’t really think some of the unnecessary deaths were needed. The other books didn’t have so much destruction which gave this book a little more depressing feel to it. Also they, all four of the main characters, go through some serious trials which aren’t bad but I felt like the authors just decided to shove so much down into the characters and developed these sides you never saw until the last book. I think the authors could have spread some of the behaviors that were exhibited into other books. It just seemed so sudden.
Other than that the book was fantastic. I loved the growth from each character as we went through the book. It was a pretty quick fluid read. I was never confused once which I believe is very important in stories. The finale was a great book even with the flaws. Carey and Lorie were amazing and I love that they took me through such an incredible journey.

Star Rating: 4

End of Hiatus/September Preview

Hello readers,

I am back and better than ever (I hope).

My six month long hiatus is over and let me just say, it feels good to be back. I am super excited to be back and writing again. The break sucked and I couldn’t wait to get back to the blog.

I first wanna start this off with saying hello to all my new followers. I saw I gained a few even though I wasn’t on the blog anymore so welcome.

Next, I have huge things planned for this blog. Starting next Monday I shall be posting every weekday, allowing myself some time on the weekends to write. I will try as hard as I can to get 1-2 book reviews out. I think since I already have over ten reviews in my drafts right now there will be no problem doing so. I also want to post more tags and discussion blog posts so stayed tuned to that.

I cannot wait to get back onto the blog. It will be so much more organized with regular posts unlike back in my first six months of doing this.

Anyways now for my September preview:

So now that I am back I am going to keep a calendar of blog posts that I shall be posting. I have mostly gotten all the blogs for this month done except for three. I am sorry if those don’t go up on the days that they said they were. I am not very good at writing discussion posts but I am trying them out this month. Anyways here you go:

As you can see I have a busy schedule ahead of me but thankfully those posts are all done except for three.

Reading goal:

3 books

I want to read at least three books this month. It is gonna be hard but I have recently come across audio books and started to enjoy them so my car rides shall be better.

The books on my TBR are:

A Work in Progress by Connor Franta

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

A Court of Thorns and Roses

As I write this blog, I am listening to A Work in Progress. It is already so good. I am gonna get these little reading goals finished. All the other goals I had were never finished. So this time I am trying to do this better. NONSTOP READING!!!!!!!!!

I am excited to start this blogging journey again. I hope you guys enjoy what I am gonna put out for you this month and for all the months to come.

Thank you for reading!

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is where every Friday you turn to page 56 in a book or 56% on your e-reader and then post a line or lines that intrigue you. It is hosted by Freda’s Voice.

My book for this week is The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon.

The line from the 56th page that I am picking is:

“Would-Be Casanova Shakes Cute Girls Hand, Offers Her Home Loan with Reasonable interest Rate”

This is super funny. It is when Natasha and Daniel first meet and he is wearing a suit and shakes her hand when they introduce themselves. He gives himself this newspaper headline because he is ridiculing himself over his awkward greeting.

Read this book. I don’t care if you don’t want to. READ IT. It will change your life I swear it. That is all the promo I will be doing for this book. But seriously read it.