Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Review: Doing It


Title: Doing It!: Let's Talk About Sex
Author: Hannah Witton
Publisher: Wren & Rook
Year published: 2017
How I got this book: Bought it through BookDepository
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Figuring out how to build and maintain healthy relationships - with your family, friends, romantically and with yourself - is a crucial part of being a teen. It's not easy though, particularly in a digital age where information and advice are so forthcoming it can be hard to know who or what to believe or trust. Porn is everywhere, sexting is the norm and messages about body image are highly mixed. Hannah combats this by tackling subjects ranging from masturbation and puberty to slut shaming and consent in an accessible, relatable and extremely honest way. She is unembarrassed about bringing little-discussed topics into the open, and such empowers teens to have the confidence to conduct relationships on their terms, and in a way they feel comfortable with.

My thoughts:
I am an avid watcher of Hannah's YouTube channel, and I expected to throughly enjoy this book from the moment she announced she was writing one. Based on her channel, I guessed that she would write a book like this, and I am so glad she did. The book is both educational and funny, which makes it easy to read.

Hannah's voice in the book isn't too formal, and I felt like she was talking to me through a video, not writing an educational book. You can tell that it's really her behind the writing, and I had her voice in my ear as I was reading. 

This book covers a lot of different subjects, also including things she might not have experiences herself. She has a lot of guests in this book to help with this, as they are able to provide a voice from experience. One thing I really enjoyed was that Hannah kept repeating that she knew she was privileged, as in the fact that she is a cis, straight, white female. I am that as well, and I think it is important to understand that we will never experience things the same way as, for instance, a black, transgender female. That is why I think it was so brilliant that she brought in friends, instead of writing everything from her perspective.

Hannah has said that this book is mainly for 16+, and I understand why. It deals with some adult subjects, and I think it's harder to understand if your younger. However, this is a book I feel like a lot of people should read. You might learn a lot about things you've never thought about before, and it can really open your eyes. I am telling several of my friends to read this book. And it's a quick and easy read as well, I read it in just under two hours. So it's not a big commitment either.

Buy this book?
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Thursday, April 20, 2017

Review: Bird Box



Title: Bird Box
Author: Josh Malerman
Publisher: Ecco
Year published: 2014
How I got this book: Bought it at the store Outland in Bergen
My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Something is out there, something terrifying that myst not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be sage. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat - blindfolded - with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it a man, animal, or monster?

My thoughts:
I didn't really know what to expect when I went into this book. The only thing I'd heard about it, was that it's a great book to listen to as an audiobook. Before that, I'd never heard of it before. So when I saw it being recommended at a bookshop, I just had to pick it up. And I am so glad I did. 

This isn't the biggest book, and I flew through it in just a couple of days. Even though it is under 300 pages, there is so much happening and you connect with the different characters. You switch back and forth from Malorie going down the river and flashbacks, which sets up the story. 

The premise is really interesting, and I haven't really heard of anything like it before. The idea that there is something that will kill you out there, but you can't open your eyes to see them is really intriguing. Humans are curious, so I can't imagine how hard it is to knowing there's something there, but you can't look at it. Because of this, I was always at the edge of my seat. Because the characters can't look outside, we don't know anything that's happening outside either. We only know what they know, or guess, which really helps the suspense in this book.

I am really glad I picked this book up, and I have recommended it to several of my friends and family members. This is unlike what I usually read, but it made me want to read more books like this. It's super suspenseful and quite scary, without feeling too much like a horror book. 

Buy this book?
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Sunday, April 16, 2017

Review: Mer


Title: Mer
Author: Joelle Sellner
Publisher: Diamond Book Distributors
Year published: 2017
How I got this book: I got this as an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Twilight meets the legend of Atlantis in this gripping graphic novel from writer Joelle Sellner and artist Abby Boeh. After the death of her beloved mother, Aryn's father has moved her family to a new town hoping for a fresh start. At first things seem to be going well - Aryn is making friends at school. But there are dark forces moving under the surface that Aryn cannot see; and her new crush may not be ... human.

My thoughts:
It was the cover of this graphic novel that caught my attention, and I just knew that I wanted to read it. And, thankfully, I was able to. 

The art in this graphic novel suits the plot and the setting, and it really drew me in. This is an artstyle that I want more of, and I also liked the diversity in the characters. They don't look alike, and we have different sizes and colours, which really made me happy. 

The plot is incredibly fast paced, which is not surprising, considering that it is a graphic novel. I flew through this in one sitting, and when I finished I wanted more. The author has really though about how to use mermaids in this story, and I loved that she also used the legend of Atlantis. 

If you like mythology, mermaids and other sea-related creatures or myths, this is definitely something you should pick up. If you haven't read any graphic novels before, this could be a great place to start. 

Buy this book?
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Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Review: How to Be Happy


Title: How to Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion
Author: David Burton
Publisher: Text Publishing
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: I got this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
My rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
A funny, sad and serious memoir, "How to Be Happy" is David Burtons's story of his turbulent life at high school and beyond. Feeling out of place and convinced that he is not normal, David has a rocky start. He longs to have a girlfriend, but his first "date" is a disaster. There's the catastrophe of the school swimming carnival - David is not sporty - and friendships that take devastating turns. Then he finds some solace in drama classes with the creation of "Crazy Dave", and he builds a life where everything is fine. But everything is not fine.

And, at the centre of it all, trying desperately to work it all out, is the real David.

"How to Be Happy" tackles depression, friendship, sexual identity, suicide, academic pressure, love and adolescent confusion. It's a brave and honest account of one young man's search for a happy, true and meaningful life that will resonate with readers young and old. 

My thoughts:
I generally enjoy reading memoirs, and this was no different. I haven't read that many, but this was the first time I didn't know anything about the person the memoir is about. Even so, I still enjoyed it. 

The writing is very straightforward and easy to read and understand, so it was a fast read. I did however feel like it should have a different title, as "How to Be Happy" is quite misleading. If anything, this book left me feeling sad. There wasn't a lot of focus on the happy part, just a bit at the ending, which didn't really make up for the lack of it in the rest of the book. 

I always find it interesting to read about other people's lives, and this was no exception. It's nice to see how other people see the world and react to their circumstances, and I think it opens my mind and helps me understand the people around me.

If you don't like reading memoirs, this book is probably not for you. If you are like me, however, I would give this a chance. You don't have to know a lot about Burton to enjoy this book, something I appreciated. 

Buy this book?
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Sunday, April 2, 2017

Wrap Up: March




Long time, no see! I've been busy with a lot of different things lately, and that has affected my reading and my blogging, but I am happy to be back! At the end of March I started reading a bit again, so I did manage to finish a few books in March, which I'm really happy with.


Wintergirls // Laurie Halse Anderson // 5 stars

Evig Søndag (Eternal Sunday) // Linnéa Myhre // 5 stars

The Lightning Thief // Rick Riordan // 4 stars // REVIEW

Kjære (Dear) // Linnéa Myhre // 3 stars


Bird Box // Josh Malerman // 4 stars

The Miserable Mill // Lemony Snicket // 4 stars

Catching Fire // Suzanne Collins // 5 stars // REVIEW

How to Be Happy // David Burton // 4 stars


The Sea of Monsters // Rick Riodan // 4 stars // REVIEW

The Titan's Cure // Rick Riordan // 4 stars // REVIEW

The Austere Academy // Lemony Snicket // 4 stars

The Ersatz Elevator // Lemony Snicket // 4 stars


The Vile Village // Lemony Snicket // 4 stars

The Hostile Hospital // Lemony Snicket // 4 stars

Norse Mythology // Neil Gaiman // 4 stars


There has been quite a few re-reads this month, to help me get back into reading. I've also listened to the A Series of Unfortunate Events on audiobooks, and I am thoroughly enjoying them, and I can't wait to finish all of them. 

How was your reading month? What is the best book you read in March?