Review: Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you

Maybe everything would be better without these horrible, endless lists

Darren doesn't understand anyone. His Dad drops the bomb that he's gay, and wants to be in a monogamous relationship now that his divorce is finalized. Mom avoids the topic, because she'd much rather talk about work. His brother is living the most amazing college life, yet returns home. And then there's Zoey. Darren's dream girl, who follows him on a bus but refuses to talk to him again after sleeping with him. What is wrong with this picture?

Although, the author did have a good background plot to work on, he decided to tell the entire story with lists. Pointless, headache-provoking, distracting, how-worthless-do-you-think-my-time is lists. 

Ex: 8 Best things Darren ever built out of Lego, in chronological order
Things Darren does with a particular book after putting away the Lego bin and changing into his outfit for the concert but before showing up at school

All in all, this 646 pages novel has about 35% story that was never really closely examined. Except for his mother's insistence on bringing up work, none of the characters get closure. One of them even returns at the end of the story, explaining everything to Darren. Information that he decides not to tell us!! 

Here's hoping there won't be a sequel. 

Feature and Follow Friday: Fly away with me

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

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Q: If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would you pick? Fictional ones count too!

Although my co-blogger Latte would get extremely jealous and relocate, I pick Buckbeak.

He is intelligent, sweet and devoted. He might have taken a swing at Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban by J.K. Rowling, but that only proves he has a good eye for scum. 

I love heights and don't condone feather shedding. So... can I please have a Hippogriff?!? 

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Review: Every Last Word

I stay quiet
keeping words in
where they fester and control me

I'm here now
letting them out
freeing my words
building better walls

Samantha (Sam) must live everyday hiding her OCD. She has a fixation with the number three and will stress about what her friends say vs what they really mean to say. Then she meets Caroline. Life just gets easier thanks to this new friendship, who introduces her to several techniques of relaxation and learning to be confident. But what if Caroline were to go away? Can Sam survive on her own?

Depression, OCD, cancer, and bullying are not easy subjects -- especially when combined in one book. But instead of drowning us in their sorrow, Stone demonstrates different ways to cope; such as surrounding ourselves with family and friends, talking things out (shrink-Sue), love (A.J is swoon-worthy) and most importantly art. Poetry is a huge part of the book. It's soothing to take a moment and write our feelings down. 

Prepare to be inspired.

Review: Miss Emily

May we all find a boss like Miss Emily

Ada says goodbye to Ireland, and heads to America where she finds job as a maid. Although, most of the family is quite reserved, Miss Emily, the shyest of the patrons, takes interest in Ada. She considers her a friend. Helping her find a place to stay and even consoling her after a family loss. But what will happen when a crime turns everyone against Ada? Will Emily still stand up for her?

Not only did O'Connor write a superb book, with the proper dialect that made the reader feel present in another era, but she also tackled the harsh topic of rape. I was surprised to see that the characters didn't just hush the problem away. It became more about the injustice that women go through in this cases, and how we must stand together.

A great and fast read. 

Feature and Follow Friday: That's Amore

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

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Q: If you could have an endless supply of food, what would it be?

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le 7 Août 2015 à 10h00 PDT

Napoli has good pizza, but Canada, has great poutine.

If you are ever in Montreal, I suggest you make a pit stop at La Banquise. They have tons of poutine recipes -- a mixture of french fries, gravy sauce and melted cheese -- with pretty much any smoked meat or vegetable you can think off. I asked for sour cream and Swiss cheese on mine.



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