Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss - her life - and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend's memory and feeling guilty for not being able to help save her. In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all - hope.

Wintergirls was a stunning first for me. I have never read a book that has touched on the topic of anorexia, let alone capture it so thoroughly, as Laurie Halse Anderson has managed to do.

Lia is anorexic. That becomes clear to us at the very beginning. She is living with her father and step-mother, and just trying to float by without anyone noticing. This book was both heartbreaking and eye-opening, and by the end, it was definitely moving.

Experiencing Lia's life and thoughts was truly emotional and incredible. Anderson painted such a vivid picture of the disease, and did it so effortlessly. The writing style was perfect, and really allows the reader to see inside of Lia's psychosis, and really just complete the book. The plot is also perfect, and the events that we experience with Lia are not only believable, but also seem necessary, and really make the book a work of art.

I recommend this book to readers of all ages. It is interesting, insightful, and emotional, and I think that adults and teenagers alike can not only learn from the remarkable story being told, but also appreciate its icy warmth.

Thoughts provoked--Cheers & Enjoy♥

I Haven't Forgotten about You I Promise!: an ode to my blog

So yea... I have kind of been neglecting my blog, ergo my readers, for some time now, which is totally unintentional, I promise. It totally kills me, not being able to rant/chatter/blog on about all the things happening in my life, in my books, and in the book world in general.

I've recently dived back into the world of University-which is kicking my ass!-hopefully for the last year. I am applying to Teacher's College, and trying to get all my assignments, paper, quizes, mid-terms, projects done. And done well. So needless, to say, I haven't much time for a whole lot else.

I'm trying to at least do reviews for books as I read them, since that is pretty low maintenance compared to featured posts, even though I do still have lots of ideas lined up and ready to go.

So, an update of sorts:

- Yes, I am still planning on finishing my Harry Potter Re-Read-a-Ganza! sometime in the near future (perhaps into next year), so stay tuned for that!

- I do have another Book to Big Screen post in the works, that just needs some dedicated time and attention, whenever that happens to be..

- I'm taking two english courses this semester which happen to have lots of classics on the reading lists, so some more Completely Classic posts are sure to come!

- I am still trying to go through my ever present pile of books that have yet to be read, and have recently acquired some pretty good new ones that are not shy around the blog-o-sphere. I can't wait to read them and share them with you!

- If you are interested in some random tidbits straight from moi you can always follow me on Twitter. My username is hollygal.

Overall, I hope you guys (my faithful readers) decide to stick it out with me as I meander through the many obstacles of life (that I hope will soon dwindle-yes I know, Holly, keep dreamin'). It sucks being an adult, what can I say!

P.S. Bruno Mars has an amazing new single that is the front runner for The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn: Part I. (wow, long title, right?) It is called It Will Rain and it is absolutely a-mah-zing.

Mmmm! How I love me some Bruno Mars!

Alors, as you were--Cheers & Enjoy♥

The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin

Recently acquitted of murder, 17-year-old David has moved to Massachusetts to complete his senior year of high school. His aunt and uncle have offered him shelter--escape from the media's questions and from the uncertain glances of his neighbors and ex-friends.

His attic apartment doesn't feel much like a shelter, though. He sees ghostly shadows at night, his aunt is strangely cold, and his 11-year-old cousin, Lily, is downright hostile. And as Lily's behavior becomes more and more threatening, David can't help but wonder what ugly secrets lurk within the walls of her home.

There's one thing that David knows with certainty. The more he learns about his cousin Lily, the harder it is to avoid thinking about his own past.

                                                                                   -Chapters Canada

Having read a book by Nancy Werlin a few years ago, I decided I would pick this one up after I saw it at the library. It also helped that the summary caught my attention right away with its amazing intriguingness.
This book did not disappoint me with it's creep factor, psychological aspect, and diverse characters. I haven't read a whole lot of books that contain the themes conveyed in A Killer's Cousin and I would like to read more!

Ok, so what was the ever captivating plot? Well basically we are introduced to David, right off the bat, and learn that he has a pretty terrible past. We don't learn what exactly constitutes said past, but we do see in the first chapter that the book is mostly not about that; it is about David's cousin, and the role she plays in his life after a tragedy. David goes to live with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin, and the events that ensue are epic.

This novel is a great one about deep psychological issues relating to a wide variety of topics: family, death, siblings, jealousy, friendship, romance. Pretty much everything. Werlin writes it flawlessly and effectively, and even adds a pretty swell ending, with lots of heartfelt emotions and events. I recommend it to young adults who are looking for a deep, emotional read.

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

As much as I loved David's character, his thoughts, inner struggles, reactions to his family, and interactions with other characters, I think the star of this book is crazy cousin, Lily. Which follows logic, since the book is aptly named after her. She was so messed up, I couldn't pull myself away from her psychopathic tendencies for even a minute, even though they enraged me at times.

I started to figure out pretty soon that she had something to do with the taboo topic of Kathy's death, and was so rewarded, if mortified, when I found out that she fed her own flesh and blood ammonia and watched her sister die. Anyway, in the end, she got hers, even though David was noble enough to save her (I can't say I would have the courage to do it, myself) and she evidently got to live with the fact that she killed her own sister.

The parents aggravated me. David's Aunt and Uncle were so out of touch, I just wanted to stick my head into their little world and scream until they listened. They were so ignorant and clueless to their lives and the lives of their children, it was uber frustrating. But so is life, and it made for a much more interesting novel. I just hope that in the end (even if they seemed to still refuse that their own spawn could have been responsible for the apocalypse of their family, and David's sanity) they realized that David wasn't the problem after all. One can hope.

David's own story really broke my heart, and I loved the addition of the back story in little snippets throughout the novel. The whole things was structured so perfectly, that there was never a dull moment between characters or revelations.

This was a suspenseful novel full of dark and sad themes, but also one of healing and hope, as we see that David was able to take his tragedy and turn it into help for someone else's crazy. Thoroughly enjoyful, I say!

Until next time--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York-and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. 
When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?

                                                                                 -Chapters Canada

What first attracted me to this book, not to seem too shallow, was the cover. I love me a good cursive font, which this one showcases beautifully, and I love the juxtaposing images of those swollen lips and the faded retro cityscape. I think this evokes exactly what the book is about. It captures the vulnerable concept of love that this book offers in spades, and also the cool 80's setting that the book takes place in.

I love that the book was set in the 80's. I feel like I haven't read a book in this seemingly forgotten era, and it contributed a retro edge that was just noticeable enough.

But that is not really what made this book a 4. This book encompasses love in all aspects. It is just so genuine, and even when it was heartbreaking, this book spoke the truth about love in all forms: love between sisters, enduring love in a stressing marriage, hard love from a mother to her daughters, complex love between a father and his daughters, first-time love, skanky love, unconditional love, love between friends, and unrequited love. The heart-wrenching love stories that make this book amazing are so true and bittersweet. They kind of broke my heart, but I wouldn't have it any other way! I couldn't think of a more perfect title for this book, and I think the only complaint that I have about it is that the summary doesn't quite do the story justice.

This is an adorable book that can be enlightening for young adults and also reminders for adults. I think that it is a adorable, and worth everyone's time :)

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

First things first: the love story between Ari and Blake makes me want to swoon and cry at the same time. It was definitely my most favourite of the many complex love-related plot lines going on in the story. Ari was so young and innocent and perfectly characterized to meet experienced, smart, sexy Blake who showed her love for the first time, and then breaks her heart. Which broke my heart. When all was said and done though, I loved the bittersweet ending, with Ari's heartache not only leading to growth within herself, but also growth within all of her other relationships. It was such an accurate portrayal of young love, and an awesome example for young adults trying to get through something similar.

The other relationships that we see throughout the story are also so genuine and important, and I love them all. Even the creepy crush that Ari has on her older sister's husband. I mean, ew. There are some things that are just pushing it, and I'm really glad that she got over it! And when she did, it was really cute, because then he got to help her learn about her relationship, and he became the older brother figure to her that he always should have been. As we saw said hot firefighters relationship with said sister struggle, endure, and flourish, it was so hope inspiring and cute. Just showing how not every marriage is perfect, and not to give up even though things aren't perfect. 

That relationship also brings in the love that is shared among Ari's whole family. Her mother's tough love, that was sometimes hard for even me to take, but ultimately the kind of all-knowing motherly love that can straighten out any situation. Unconditional. Just like that of Ari's father, even though he was typically less outward with his affections.

Ari's relationship with her friends was also constantly evolving and truly deep. I learned so much from her shallow best friend, even though I wanted to kill her half the time. The dynamic that we saw when her new friend Leigh was introduced was also enlightening and showed a whole different side of love, along with Leigh's own struggles with love and fitting in.

Overall, I really think that this book deals with so many important teen issues and captures every emotion perfectly. It is not only a cute, genuine read, but also a life-lesson wrapped up into booky-smelling beautiful-cover-toting perfection. I really just keep thinking about all the different aspects of this epic book, and I can't help but smile.

Oh, the power of books--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Dead Rules by Randy Russell

Till death
Jana Webster and Michael Haynes were in love. They were destined to be together forever.
Do
But Jana's destiny was fatally flawed. And now she's in Dead School, where Mars Dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom, with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile, and irresistibly warm touch.
Us
Michael and Jana were incomplete without each other. There was no room for Mars in Jana's life-or death-story. Jana was sure Michael would rush to her side soon.
Part
But things aren't going according to Jana's plan. So Jana decides to do whatever it takes to make her dreams come true-no matter what rules she has to break.

                                                                -Chapters Canada

Dead Rules was a surprisingly good and fun read that was full of intriguing themes and new plot ideas. At first glance, I loved the book and the cover, but was a little underwhelmed at the premise. I'm glad I decided to pick this one up though, because although it reminded me of other series about life after death, and death themes among books in general, this particular one was unique and interesting enough to hold it's own in a varying category.

One of the things that I enjoyed most about Dead Rules was how interesting it was. I loved finding out about things that I was wondering about, and even though there was a lot the reader didn't know going into the novel, I still wasn't frustrated, which I found to be a really good balance. As we discovered about Jana's death, and about the fascinating deaths of her new friends at death school, I became more and more into the book, and really wanted more. In fact, after having read the book, there is definitely potential for a sequel, and I am really hoping that Dead Rules sees a sequel, because I am really not ready to say goodbye to Jana's world just yet.

The idea for the book, as a whole, was just so unique and everything that encompassed this new realm was both interesting and realistic. I really love when an author can seamlessly create a state parallel to our existing one that is implausible, but also fits perfectly into phenomenon and mysteries of our society. I just love jumping into these kinds of worlds and living there for a while.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal or supernatural story lines and also readers that may be skeptical towards the genre, because it really was a great read, and didn't seem at all weird or unreasonable!

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

As aforementioned, I really didn't have high hopes for this book, since I have read numerous other books in the ghost genre, and they weren't anything special. Dead Rules was a breath of fresh air though, in a stiflingly similar genre. As soon as I was introduced to Jana, I wanted to know more about her death and about all of her new acquaintances in Death School, and the mysteries of their deaths.

I didn't really care too much for Michael, obviously, he was so clueless and downright mean about everything to do with Jana, even though she was crazy about him and he was responsible for her death. Like geeze, stop stringing her along, she was obviously waaaaay more into the relationship than you, you could've at least let her down easy. I never really understood what he was even trying to achieve when he set about waxing up her bowling shoes. Like was making her fall and humiliating her just supposed to embarrass her enough to make her less eager, or make her break up with you? This just made me hate him more, and I loved that Russell built up the anger like this, while on the other side we see the dramatic irony play out with Jana willing to jeopardize everything for this phony a-hole that kills girls without even blinking. But he got his in the end, oh did he ever!

I absolutely adored Mars (I mean come on, I would give my left arm for a man with that kind of warmth! Seriously, I am always cold..), but I really wish we would have seen a little more action on the romantic spectrum. In a way, though, I really wouldn't have changed it because it was just so realistic. As much as I love the 'love-at-first-sight' aspect of mostly every other YA book in existence, this made the story seem that much more realistic in a totally implausible setting, which balanced the book completely. If Mars Dreamcote (love the name, btw) was at all cocky or outwardly vying for Jana's attention until she couldn't resist, it would have made the book too much for me, and taken away from the main themes.

I really do hope that we get to see more from Jana, Mars and Michael (since he is now dead!). I loved that he got killed off, and in a totally unexpected way, because the whole time that is what Jana was striving for, but I obviously didn't think that it was actually going to happen. It was totally unpredictable, and I really commend Russell for taking a cliche idea and giving it enough originality and surprising-ness that it totally payed off. I love this book, and I will definitely be recommending it in future!

Yay for books that surprise us in good ways!--Cheers & Enjoy♥