Crochet Corner || A New Series

Hey y'all!

It's been awhile since I've posted but I'm still here and ready to start making more posts!

A quick reading update:

I haven't been reading much at all, in fact I only read three books last month: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day (a reread), and Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick.

I'm hoping to start on Jay Asher's book What Light in the next few days and also work on finally finishing My True Love Gave to Me since Christmas is upon us and they are both Christmas reads. Other than those I am currently listening to Gemina on audio and loving every moment of it!

Now onto the new things!

I recently posted a video on my channel all about crochet and some of the projects I've been working on recently. You can check it out here. So I thought it would be good to also have a text based companion for those videos where I can give updates on what I'm working on and what I plan to work on.

For now I'm working on some Disney Princess and Rudolph amigurumi. I have made Belle, Rapunzel and Bumble so far, all of which can be seen in the video posted above.

I will be making a 2017 plans post within the next few weeks as I come up with ideas of what I want to work on in the following year and I can't wait to share it with everyone!

That's all I have for now, hope you're having a fantastic day!!

Until next time,

Gina

Jump Into November

Hey y'all!

It's been a while since I've updated with a review so I thought I'd make a post about some things I've been reading, but not reviewing, and some of my November plans!

While I've been wanting to do a review for everything I read (and movies I see in theaters) time has gotten away from me. I've read a few things lately that I haven't reviewed but most of them are things I don't think I could properly review.

I've listened to a few audiobook memoirs, a sequel, and a book that one really can't describe.

The memoirs:

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (3/5 Stars)
     This book was enjoyable but not the best celebrity memoir I've read. I felt like she was trying too hard in some places and kept bouncing back and forth between emotional moments and her comedy style too often.

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini (5/5 Stars)
       This memoir however, I loved! I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of hers but also to anyone interested in learning a little bit more about Scientology. I was very intrigued with Leah's story and found myself not wanting to put the audiobook down. Having her read it was an added bonus for you can hear in her voice some of the annoyance she has/had with certain aspects of the church and her experience with it and the people in it. I even found myself in a black hole of Leah's Dancing with the Stars dances.

Binge by Tyler Oakley (4/5 Stars)
     I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Not being a huge fan of Tyler's I was only slightly interested in his book. Having access to the audio is what eventually led to me picking it up. Another factor that led to me reading this now was that I did enjoy watching him on The Amazing Race. Most, if not all, of the stories in this book were new information to me and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. Just like with Leah's book, I found myself in a Tyler Oakley black hole on YouTube and I loved every moment of it.

The other two books I've read but haven't reviewed are:

A Torch Against the Night  by Sabaa Tahir (4/5 Stars)
       This is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes and I loved it just the same! I do think this book fell into a tiny bit of second book syndrome but for the most part I was fully emerged in the story and didn't want it to end.

Multiple Choice By Alejandro Zambra (4/5 Stars)
      The only thing I can say about this book is that it is extremely unique and told in the form of a standardized test (eek!! I know!!). I really loved this and read it within an hour car ride and that's all I can really say about it. It's hard to summarize but it had me laughing out loud and gave me the feels.


The last week or so I've been a bit slumpy with reading. I'm currently working on about three physical reads and two audio books. I'm just not feeling like them at the moment so who knows how that's going to pan out.

I do plan on finishing Water for Elephants by the 17th however, it's my local book store's book of the month for book club. I'm actually looking forward to reading this one so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I'm also buddy reading More Happy than Not with Brittany over at BrittanysBookNook. So far I'm really enjoying it!!

Aside form those two specific books I have nothing planned. As I've mentioned before I'm a mood reader so I guess stick around and see what I pick up!!

I know the next few weekends I won't be physically reading too much because the St. Louis International Film Festival will be going on!! I haven't talked about movies too much but I really do enjoy them. I even considered changing my major to Film at one point in time. This weekend I'll be seeing three films with my friend Mike (Mike's Screen Thoughts) so I'm hoping to have at least one post wrapping up those three films.

As far as non-book/non-movie related things going on this month I really just plan on getting a start on Christmas shopping! I love gifting and Christmas is the perfect time to spoil those you love! I'm also participating in multiple Secret Santa exchanges and those are also so much fun!! So along with shopping and card writing I'll also be making homemade crochet presents as well!! (Follow me on Instagram to see updates in my Instagram story!!)

So that's all I have for now, hope you guys are having a fantastic day!!

Until next time,

Gina

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland || BOOK REVIEW

Book: Our Chemical Hearts

Author: Krystal Sutherland

Release Date: October 2016

Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books

Genres: YA Contemporary 

Format: Hardback

Pages: 313

Goodreads Description

This. Book. Was. AMAZING! 

I breezed through this book in almost one sitting which isn't very common for me. I haven't read a physical book from start to finish since July and this was one I could not put down! 

From debut author, Krystal Sutherland, comes this amazingly realistic love story. Our Chemical Hearts is not your typical YA love story and I think that's one of the reasons I loved it so much! The characters, the plot, the geeky references; they all make this book so amazing. 

On goodreads, the first line of the description is as follows: "John Green meets Rainbow Rowell in this irresistible story of first love, broken hearts, and the golden seams that put them back together again." I was excited for this book because of this quote and it did not let me down. 

Our Chemical Hearts follows Henry Page and his senior year of high school. This year, more specifically the first few months, are filled with first love, being editor of the newpaper, and dealing with life that involves more than playing video games with his friends and grades. One day a new student walks into his drama class late, walking with a cane, and dressed completely like a boy. This student is Grace Page. When Grace and Henry are both chosen as editor of the school newspaper Henry starts falling for this mystery girl. 

We see the ups and downs of a new crush and the beginning stages of a relationship. We also see the anxiety of liking someone and not knowing if they like you back as well as the anxiety and worry about someone you care deeply for. We also get to see heartbreak. Unlike a lot of YA contemporary books this book takes you through a range of real emotions and makes you think. 

Having met Krystal and listening to her talk about this book made me enjoy it that much more! I loved the wide range of characters we got with this book. The overly Aussie Australian, the biracial lesbian best friend, the wacky and loving parents, the once beautiful now strange girl and our leading man, the intelligent boy who loves his friends and family. 

Henry's parents were my favorite in this book! They're so loving and understanding to their son and are also completely weird and embarrassing to him as well. 

Grace Town is very mysterious and suffering internally. I won't go into it much but I really appreciated her character and loved the complete arc that she had. 

Lola, La, is one of Henry's best friends and is completely awesome! She's there for Henry and Murray, Muz, but she also knows when she needs to step in and do something. Murray is the overly dramatic friend who lathers on the fact that he's originally from Australia. I love him and his relationship with Henry. I also love the fact that between these three friends they are all equally open with each others families as well. 

And then we have Henry Page. Oh Henry. How I adore you sweet Henry Page. Henry is very caring and very nerdy. I fell in love with him from the first moment we met him and I feel for him so much. 

There is so much more I could say about this book, but I'm going to leave it here to avoid spoilers. This book very quickly became one of my favorites and I am already looking forward to rereading it at some point in the future! It's emotional, it's heartbreaking, and it's everything I didn't know I wanted!! 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher || Book Review

Book: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Release Date: October 2007

Published: RazorBill - Penguin Books

Genres: YA Contembory 

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Debra Wiseman and Joel Johnstone

Length: 6 hr. and 24 min

Pages: 336

Goodreads Description

This book has been on my radar since it first came out when I was in high school. Because of the subject matter I was always put off and unsure of how it would handle the subject. I finally picked this up for a couple of reasons; everyone loves it and Jay Asher is coming to town on tour of his new novel, of which I read the first chapter and adored. 

Thirteen Reasons Why tells the story of why Hannah Baker killed herself. Our main character, Clay Jensen, receives a box full of audio tapes and when he starts listening to them he discovers that they are tapes that had been recorded by his crush Hannah shortly before she died. 

This book is told from Clay's point of view but we get inside of Hannah's mind through being able to listen (or read) to her tapes. I would completely recommend this on audiobook because it is narrated by both a male voice and female voice, meaning the tapes are in a female voice making the connection to Hannah having made the tapes much stronger. 

Hannah is very clear in tape one that there are thirteen reasons, or people, that ultimately shaped her mind into wanting to kill herself and that she would address each of them in the tapes. She is also clear that each person is to send the tapes to the next person on the list and if they did not a second set of tapes would be released exposing the secrets of all those mentioned. 

The book takes us through an entire night of Clay listening to the tapes and following what Hannah wants the listeners to do while giving us insight to his feelings and insight to Hannah's mind. 

I completely loved this book! I can see why so many people love it and call it a favorite. It's emotional and makes you think. I appreciate the look into the mind of a person who is severely depressed and that it makes you think. This book does a really great job of showing you not to judge someone by the rumors you hear and to pay attention to the warning signs, you never know what someone could be going through. 

The only downside I had to this book was listening to it at work, it was hard not getting emotional and I had a few people ask me what was wrong. Other than that I really loved it and cannot wait to meet Jay Asher next week! 

Overall I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good emotional read, just know what the subject matter is going into it and be in the right head space. 

   

The Girl from the Sea by Shalini Boland || BOOK REVIEW

Book: The Girl from the Sea

Author: Shalini Boland

Release Date: June 9, 2016

Published: Adrenalin Books

Genres: Mystery Thriller

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Gemma Dawson

Length: 7 hr and 17 min

Audio Published: Tantor Audio

Pages: 306

Goodreads Description

Overview:

Waking up on the beach not knowing who she is or what happened to her, our main character begins her journey of trying to figure out what use to be her life. 

Mia is a 25 year old woman who has amnesia throughout the majority of this story. It takes a few chapters to learn her name and start learning a few details about who she is. It's her boyfriend that claims her and brings her home feeding her details about who she is and where they are at in their life. 

Very quickly Mia feels unease with her boyfriend and wants to him to leave her alone. After she contacts her mother and sister she starts feeling like everyone is lying to her when things aren't adding up. 

Through wondering around town and finding a friend she can confide in Mia slowly starts having flashbacks and feelings of who she use to be. This story is a gripping thriller of figuring out who you once were and if that person is who you want to be now. 

Characters:

Our main character, Mia, is sweet and innocent essentially experiencing things for the first time. She reaches out to her family and some friends she thinks she can trust all the while wanting to be alone to try and remember who she once was. For the most part Mia is an enjoyable character and I really found my self rooting for her throughout the story.

Her boyfriend, Piers, is a truly unlikable character. From the moment we meet him I didn't trust him and thought he was hiding things from Mia. He came to the hospital claiming to be her boyfriend then keeps letting himself into her home with his set of keys and forcing her into social situations that she is not ready for. I found myself getting uncomfortable and tense anytime he was in the scene. 

We really don't get to see a whole lot of Mia's mom and sister, which is a disappoint because I did enjoy the few scenes we got with them. 

The only other main character worth mentioning is Jack. Jack is a friend of Mia's from the rowing house and really the only person she is comfortable with after her accident. He helps her keep calm when anxiety arises and takes her out rowing to give her some sense of normalcy.

What I liked:

So much! I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. It kept me guessing and I only was able to figure things out moments before they were revealed. I enjoyed Mia as a main character, she wasn't miserable as some psychological thriller characters can be. The author does a good job of giving the reader just enough info to let you in on the secret but also keeps you guessing just as our main character is figuring out who she is. 

What I disliked:

The one thing I had trouble with is believing our main character is 25. Maybe because the narrator sounds older but also because it felt like her life was too well formed for a 25 year old, almost like everything seems too convenient and falls right into place for her.  Sure, it can happen but I kept imagining her being in her late 20s/early 30s, not 25. The ending also was a bit lack luster for me, but still enjoyable and unpredictable.

Conclusion:

Overall I really enjoyed this book! It's been awhile since I've read a decent psychological thriller. I loved the mystery of this and how the author gave mystery in the form of the main character having amnesia. I didn't figure out the end until right before it gets revealed and with books like these I try to figure out the mystery as early as possible. The final chapter was a little lacking for me but it doesn't really take away from the overall story. In the end I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick mystery/thriller read!  

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks || BOOK REVIEW

Book: Of Poseidon

Author: Anna Banks

Series: The Syrena Legacy #1

Release Date: 05/22/12 

Published: MacMillan

Genres: Mythology, YA

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Rebecca Gibel

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins 

Pages: 324 (according to Goodreads)

Goodreads Descripton

Book Overview:

Of Poseidon follows two main characters, Emma and Galen, and their interactions with one another. Galen is a Syrena (or mermaid, but that term is very offensive to the Syrena). Emma is believed to be human, but is she? 

The book opens with Emma and her best friend on vacation in Florida when Emma runs into Galen on the beach. This is their first meeting of what will become a budding romance. When trouble hits Emma and her friend while in the ocean, Galen rushes to try and save them when he witnesses Emma using powers she shouldn't posses. These powers prove to Galen that she could be the key to saving his kingdom. 

Told from first point of view (POV) of Emma and third POV of Galen we get to see how a Syrena learns and acts out of water with humans and also how a once thought to be human react to the knowledge she might be a Syrena of Poseidon. 

Overall Thoughts:

So I'm adding in this section because I have a LOT to say about this book and I don't know how much of it I can separate out into each section. I'm going to do my best to avoid spoilers, if I need to go into spoilery details I will post those in my goodreads review and hide them. 

Let me start off by saying this book had potential. I was very excited about a decent mermaid book going into this but I was so wrong! I've heard a lot of wonderful things about this series and it's story that I was very surprised at what I was reading. There was so much going on I had a hard time keeping track of various characters and plot points. I was so baffled by some of the things happening that I ended up giving a play by play to my coworkers, which helped keep things straight in my mind. 

While I really disliked the majority of this book, I couldn't stop listening to it! I was intrigued with the story and where it was heading even though it was making me angry and I found more humor in it than fantastic love story. 

The descriptions the author uses are cringe worthy and often hilarious. Here are some examples that I made sure to jot down:

Sculpted bulk of granite

Tingles (used so often)

Goosebumps farm 

Blob of water 

Goosebumps to my baby toes

Finding an island

Sweet white haired angelfish

These are just the ones I wrote out/remember off the top of my head. If I were to read it again I would keep track of how many times the words 'tingles' and 'blob' were used. The angelfish nickname would be cute if I didn't despise of Galen so much. The term 'Schizo' was also used and I didn't appreciate the way of which it was used, it wasn't needed. 

All of the relationships in this book are very toxic. The Syrena have their own ways of doing things, but they're portrayed so poorly that it makes it even more infuriating the things they say/do. Not only are the male Syrena toxic with their creepy, stalker, controlling aesthetic, but Emma's relationship with her mom is also toxic. The way her mom acts and treats all the situations is unparentlike and makes you question so much! Not to mention Galen is basically stalking Emma cross country and practically kidnapping her on multiple occasions and doesn't anything wrong in his actions. 

I know there is a culture difference between human and the Syrena but I wish it was even more exaggerated. Had Galen, and the other Syrena, been even more ignorant and had better character/culture development I think it could have been well done. 

There is also some definite insta love in this book! As well as, very early on, the dreaded he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. These two tropes were so obvious that it made me frustrated from very early on. 

I also had an issue with continuity throughout the entire book! There were many instances were one thing was said and within a chapter or two something completely different would be contradict the information.   

Now I'm dragging on this book quite a bit, but I do plan on reading the second and probably the third. As mentioned, I'm intrigued by what is going to happen, I'm just not a fan of the writing style. I also feel like there was very poor world and character building. There is so much potential with mermaid stories that I was expecting much more than I was giving. 

(Woo! No spoilers!)

Characters:

The characters are on a whole other spectrum. I can honestly say that I wasn't attached to any of these characters too much. Toraf redeemed himself slightly towards the end of the book but he's still creepy and stalkerish. Granted that is how the Syrena are, so it's clearly cultural but there are so many issues with thinking some of his actions are okay. 

The only character I rooted for was the human, Mark, who we only see a very little bit of throughout the entire book. 

The Syrena culture is one where the men obviously rule and the women just go along with whatever they have to say, at least that's how Galen acts. I really disliked Galen as a person. He's controlling, misogynistic, creepy, rude, stalkerish, and not a good person. Yes he seems to try a slight little bit, but his trying is really just controlling. His relationship with Emma is very toxic and what kills me is that she SEES that it is wrong but still "loves" him.....can we not? I want to give him the benefit of the doubt since it is his culture and he is royal, but the world and character development was so poorly done that his misogynistic ways make absolutely no sense. 

I guess I liked Rachel enough. Didn't really have much of a problem with her, in fact I want to know more about her. But the fact that she helps him essentially kidnap Emma on multiple occasions also makes her toxic. 

The other characters don't really stand out, other than most of them have names I can't remember and don't even want to begin trying to spell them. Galen's sister grew on me a little more as we got further into the book but other than that I didn't care too terribly much for any of the other Syrena. 

What I liked:

I really like the overall idea of this story. I want to know what happens next, even if the characters and writing drive me nuts. 

What I disliked:

I really disliked the world building and character development, it felt like everything was flat and very convenient. The other thing that really irked me was the descriptors and the way this book looks down on women. As I've mentioned there are some very strong sexist themes and very misogynistic attitudes.   

Conclusion:

In conclusion I didn't fully hate this book but I will never read it again. I do want to continue the series, and have already downloaded the last two books. Not sure if I will read the short stories that go along with it or not, but I am excited to see what happens to our cast of characters. I'm also hoping the writing and world building get stronger in the last two books. I was initially going to give this either a 1 or 1.5 star rating but there was just enough mystery and interest that I'm comfortable giving it a 2. 

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison || BOOK REVIEW

Book: The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

Author: Jonathan Evison

Format: Audio Book

Goodreads Description

Overview

This book follows Benjamin Benjamin, a moddle aged man who ends up becoming the caregiver of Trevor, a 19 year old boy with MD.

The first half of this book shows the relationship that grows between Ben and Trev, the second half is a road trip that they go on.

Characters

The characters are very well done and have a great dynamic.

First we have Benjamin Benjamin, our leading man. Ben is a middle aged man going through a mid life crisis of sorts, albeit for good reason, who finds a job he ends up enjoying.

Then we have our other main character  Trevor. Trev is disabled but has a great personality. 

Peraonally, I don't have a great background knowledge of md but I felt like the character was written well.

The rest of the characters are primarily filler but they all have their own quirks and provides more depth to the story.

We meet some interesting characters throughout the road trip, but I'm not going to go into them to avoid spoilers. Overall these road trip characters make the second half of the book more interesting.

Things I liked

I really enjoyed the relationship of Ben and Trevor, it was more of a friend relationship than pure caregiver/client relationship. I enjoyed their banter and all of their daily tasks as well. 

Another aspect I enjoyed was the road trip itself. It was a fun ride and it made the book that much better. I'm not sure I would have loved the book as much if it didn't have this aspect. 

Things I disliked

I didn't like the way the flashbacks were handled. It was confusing each time we were back into the past since most of the time it was still in present day POV. I feel like that aspect may have been different and easier to pick up if I were physically reading it instead of listening to it. 

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I don't know if I would read it again but it was a fun and slightly emotional read. I watched the Netflix movie adaptation right after finishing the book and while it was enjoyable as well, I feel like you definitely get more out of it if you read the book first.