Hate List

The list was my idea.

I didn't mean for anyone to die.

Will you ever forgive me?


Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

 Wow, what to say. This is about a school shooting, but so much more. Its the story or Valerie, whose boyfriend shot her and lots of other people at their school. After recovering she now has to deal with all the pain, all of the guilt she has.She went through a lot during the story and had to come to face a lot of personal demons, she had to struggle to even just go to school everyday. This book is very good, ( what else is there to say?) and I really loved the reality of the story and all that she went through. I would defiantly recommend this, if you are looking for a heavy read. 

Isla and the Happily Ever After

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

OH MY GOSH. This book gave me more feels then I could even talk about. I burned through it, couldn't set it aside to do what I needed too. But it was so worth it in every way. This was amazing and very great. I loved the whole story and all the things that happened between them felt, real like they had happened. There isn't much to say that don't involve spoilers, so I will end with this: read this series, please and thank you. 

Gramma Nancy's Animal Hats (and Booties, Too!): Knitted Gifts for Babies and Children

Knit up the cutest, smoochiest little hats for babies and children featuring hilarious animals (and matching booties) from the grand prize winner of Vanna's Choice Contest by Lion Brand Yarn.

Everyone needs a hat! But why settle for just any old hat? These fun and fabulous animal hats will delight new parents, and they're a snap to knit. Sized from newborn to 12 years old, the 20 projects in this book are designed to grow with kids and become their go-to favorite hats. All the hats and booties are both beginner-friendly and budget-friendly, using machine-washable acrylic yarn and time-tested knitting techniques for quick baby shower and children's gifts. The animals offer a variety of customization options for favorite storybook characters and even mascots for kids' sports teams. Knit an elephant with hoofs, a cheeky monkey, or an adorable bunny hat with matching paws.

I love this! I thought I would love it more though, a lot of them i would want to change to be a little less crazy, or time consuming. I received this book for review from Blogging for Books. 

Girl in Blue

From acclaimed QUILT TRILOGY author Ann Rinaldi comes another gripping historical adventure. Here, a courageous girl disguises herself as a boy and fights in the Civil War.

The year is 1861. When spirited teenager Sarah Louisa learns that she is to be married off to her despicable neighbor, she runs away from home. Disguising herself as a boy, Sarah boldly joins the army--and before long is a soldier in the Civil War. Sarah navigates the joys and hardships of army life, all the while struggling to keep her true identity a secret. But Sarah's real adventure is only just beginning. A chance encounter with a detective soon draws her into a web of mystery, intrigue, and romance--and Sarah's courage will be put to the test as never before.

This book, WOW! I love Ann Rinaldi, her books made me love reading historical fiction and made me love getting into history. This one was just as good as all of the other ones I have read by her. I loved the fact that she dressed up as a man and joined the war, and then was sent to the pinkertons which fascinate me to no end. The whole thing was put together wonderfully and i would highly recommend it!

Ink Exchange

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils... 

This book, everyone either loves or hates these, there isn't a middle ground on this issue. I am on the love side. I  am not a huge fantasy reader and only read those that are mostly set in the real world over  a full on fantasy world. Its easier to imagine it, to picture it in your mind. Anyways this is my favorite quote from the book. 

“Sometimes love means letting go when you want to hold on tighter.”

― Melissa Marr, Ink Exchange

Sighhhh, I just love this! I would defiantly recommend YOU read it.

Wonder

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels. 

Oh My Goodness this book is amazing, I was told by my friend that this was amazing and oh was she right. I loved this so much I cant even describe my love for it. I read through it very fast because I was so engrossed by the story and the different POV made the story even more engrossing. Getting to see the different views of  August was very interesting. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2)

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Wow, after reading Go Ask Alice, I defiantly needed a good lighter read. This one was perfect! After reading Anna and the French Kiss a couple months back I have been dying to read the rest of the series. This one I feel is just as good as Anna, I love the characters and  the relationships and just all of it. Its all so good. i would highly recommend it!

Go Ask Alice

A teen plunges into a downward spiral of addiction in this classic cautionary tale.

January 24th

After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs.... 

It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth -- and ultimately her life.

Read her diary.

Enter her world.

You will never forget her. 

For thirty-five years, the acclaimed, bestselling first-person account of a teenage girl's harrowing decent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers. As powerful -- and as timely -- today as ever, Go Ask Alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction. 

This book speaks of a journey that no one could possibly ever want to take, the journey of drugs. I have never thought about taking drugs but after reading Go ask Alice and also Crank, I even more don't want to even think about ever taking ANYTHING. This is a very similar read to Crank , if you enjoyed that you will defiantly "enjoy" this one. 

The Greatest Stories Never Told

History isn't always made by great armies colliding or by great civilizations rising or falling. Sometimes it's made when a chauffeur takes a wrong turn, a scientist forgets to clean up his lab, or a drunken soldier gets a bit rowdy. That's the kind of history you'll find in The Greatest Stories Never Told.

This is history candy -- the good stuff. Here are 100 tales to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy: more than two thousand years of history filled with courage, cowardice, hope, triumph, sex, intrigue, folly, humor, and ambition. It's a historical delight and a visual feast with hundreds of photographs, drawings, and maps that bring each story to life. A new discovery waits on every page: stories that changed the course of history and stories that affected what you had for breakfast this morning.

Consider:

• The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer
• Some Roman officials were so corrupt that they actually stole time itself
• Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War
• The Scottish kilt was invented by an Englishman

Based on the popular Timelab 2000® history minutes hosted by Sam Waterston on The History Channel®, this collection of fascinating historical tidbits will have you shaking your head in wonder and disbelief. But they're all true. And you'll soon find yourself telling them to your friends.

This is one of those book that makes you ponder what you have read but you arent in shock that these things really happened. Some feel more like a speculation then anything, like this is what we think happened so we are going to say it as a fact. Other then that its a very good book and has awesome extras like pictures. Each story is 2 pages long so makes for a fast and easy read. 

The Blood Cell

"Release the Doctor — or the killing will start."

An asteroid in the furthest reaches of space - the most secure prison for the most dangerous of criminals. The Governor is responsible for the worst fraudsters and the cruellest murderers. So he's certainly not impressed by the arrival of the man they're calling the most dangerous criminal in the quadrant. Or, as he prefers to be known, the Doctor.

What does impress the Governor is the way the new prisoner immediately sets about trying to escape. And keeps trying. Finally, he sends for the Doctor and asks him why? But the answer surprises even the Governor. And then there's the threat — unless the Governor listens to the Doctor, a lot of people will die.

Who is the Doctor and what's he really doing here? Why does he want to help the Governor? And who is the young woman who comes every day to visit him, only to be turned away by the guards?

When the killing finally starts, the Governor begins to get his answers...
Umm not much to say besides DOCTOR WHO and its a good book...
I received this book for review from blogging for books. 

The classic story of one family torn apart by the Revolutionary War

All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam's smart and brave -- and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British -- including Tim and Sam's father.
With the war soon raging, Tim know he'll have to make a choice -- between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats . . . and between his brother and his father.
 I have been going through a historical fiction kick. I love history, always have and just love any good history books. They are the bomb. (literally and figuratively) I loved this! I have seen it all over, heard all sorts of things about it and it was just amazing in so many different ways. I really loved it and would highly recommend it. 

The Sacrifice

In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family history, "The Sacrifice" offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devastating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts.

This is another good book set in a historical place, also another one that is based on a story in the authors family life. I really enjoyed reading this, I flew through it in less then 2 hours and loved it, the only thing I really disliked was the fact that  the ending was kind of shady, it didn't really say what happened, it just kind of ended? Which is kind of annoying for me, I like a more complete story. the story overall is very good and shows a different side of the story, the one not set in Salem. 

Between Shades of Gray

It's 1941 and fifteen-year-old artist Lina Vilkas is on Stalin's extermination list. Deported to a prison camp in Siberia, Lina fights for her life, fearless, risking everything to save her family. It's a long and harrowing journey and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?

Wow first off, this is not a book I would normally read.  I am not a big fan of reading books based on world war 2, I find it a depressing time to read about. So this isn't a book I would normally pick up and decide to read. But it was calling to me, telling me  to pick it to read. I went into this one pretty much blind,  I didn't read any reviews like I normally would. I am glad I did, this is one of those books you would hate to be spoiled. I loved the story, the characters and the personal side the Author was able to weave into the story. Its an amazing journey through the world that many thousands of people were made to suffer through and many died because of. This is a SPOILER *but it has a happier ending that I thought it was going to*. I would defiantly recommend this to anyone looking for a deep read set in a historical setting. 

Witness

The Barnes & Noble Review

Karen Hesse's Newbery Award-winning skills are put to great use inWitness, a poetic tale about friendship, fanaticism, and the deadly undercurrents of racial prejudice. The story takes place in a small Vermont town in the year 1924, revealing the devastating impact of the Ku Klux Klan on this pastoral, insular community. At the heart of the tale are two motherless girls who come to the attention of the newly formed Klan: 12-year-old Leanora Sutter, who is black, and 6-year-old Esther Hirsch, who is Jewish. 

Hesse tells her story, which is based on real events, through the eyes of 11 different characters. Each point of view is expressed in poetic form, but with a stark clarity of difference that makes the voices unique and identifiable. There is a fire-and-brimstone preacher whose sermons reveal him as a zealot and whose actions brand him as a hypocrite. There is a middle-aged farm woman named Sara who takes Esther under her wing despite the warnings of her neighbors, trying to help the child understand why the Klan has marked her and her widowed father as targets for their hatred. Esther's only other friend is Leanora, who is about to learn some harsh lessons on tolerance and hatred herself at the hands of the Klan. And linking them all together is 18-year-old Merlin Van Tornhout, a young man struggling to fit in with the adult world and determine for himself the difference between right and wrong. The remaining characters who circle the periphery of this core group reflect the various mind-sets and biases that were common during this era of fear and persecution, even in a setting as bucolic as the Vermont countryside.Hesse weaves real historic events into her tale, such as the murder trial of the infamous kidnappers Leopold and Loeb, giving the work a definite period flavor. Using prose that is both sparse and powerful, she builds the tension with a slow crescendo of inevitability that ends in violence, but also offers up an unforgettable lesson on the true power of friendship and acceptance. (Beth Amos)

I posted this because I feel like it sums it all up better then I could  have. I overall really enjoyed the book , I did have a few problems with it though. Like the fact that it had several different POV's that made it kind of confusing for me to really be able to read it easily. I am a huge fan or her other book, out of the dust, it one of my top favorite books. I thought this might live up to my expectations, it sadly didn't but over all still a good historical fiction written in verse. 

Grave Mercy

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
     Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

So continuing with my current mysterious reading mood, I plucked this one out of my  stack. I had won this from my library during their reading program this past summer and have been wanting to pick it up ever since. But i have just never been in the perfect mood. Until now. I loved the story and all of the growth the character goes through and how she learns to handle what she has been handed  in life. I feel like she just got stronger through the book but still had weaknesses and still had problems. But everything didn't go  according to her plan or what she wanted. With plenty of twists and turns to keep anyone guessing, this is an awesome read that not only has mystery, but history aspects as well. I would highly recommend it. 

Sisters of Cain

In Washington City in 1862, President Lincoln rallies the Union troops for the largest single campaign of the Civil War. And two sisters from Seneca Falls take their places among the players of history, sparked by the fires of conviction...

As part of the new special intelligence force of the Treasury, Bronwyn Llyr finds herself undercover and behind the lines. Her sister Kathryn volunteers as a nurse for the Union Army. In the heart of enemy territory and in the thick of battle, the two sisters must solve a baffling mystery, and thwart a Rebel conspiracy that threatens both their lives-and the entire outcome of the war...

I was in the mood for a mysterious historical fiction, and this one fit that rather strange bill. It had a good mix of history and espionage to keep the story going, Yet I can't call this book amazing, it lacked that  ability to drag you into the story and to keep you sucked in to it. If  it had that, this would have been an amazing book, not just a good one. This  was a good Civil war novel with a mysterious side to it. I would recommend it to those who want a good mystery set in the time of the civil war.