Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Read So Far In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Yes, Please - Amy Poehler

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

The Archived - Victoria Schwab

The Harry Potter series - J. K. Rowling

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins

The Isle of Blood - Rick Yancey

Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

 The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas

Review: The Grapes of Wrath

Title: The Grapes of Wrath
Author: John Steinbeck
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year published: 1939
How I got this book: School Library
Why I read this book: I absolutely love John Steinbeck's writing
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression follows the western movement of one family & a nation in search for work and human dignity. Perhaps the most American of American classics. 

The novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of sharecroppers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in financial and agricultural industries. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity and a future. 

My thoughts:
Every time I read something John Steinbeck has written, I am amazed by his writing style. To me, the premise of this book sounded boring, but I started to read it and was completely immersed by it.  

His writing is so simple to read, but he makes everything interesting. He makes you care about all the characters in his stories, in this as well. This novella makes you think. I don't even know what to say about this, except that I think everyone should read it. 

I've read a couple of reviews of it, and people seemed to agree that you can't appreciate it until you're 30, and that you shouldn't read before. I disagree with that. I'm 18 and I loves this novella, and it has such a great message, and it criticizes the American Government. Yes, you might appreciate it more when you're older, but speaking as an 18 year old, you don't have to be grown up to do so.   

Book Tag: Unpopular Opinions

This tag was created by TheBookArcher, and you can find her video here.

1. A popular book or series that you didn't like.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I didn't hate it, I just didn't really enjoyed. I've seen so many people talk about this and loving it, and I was really hoping that I would be one of them.

2. A popular book or series that every one else seems to hate, but you love.

Starcrossed by Josephini Angelini. It seems like this is a hit or miss. I've seen many reviews about how they didn't like it, and they ramble on about every thing that is wrong with it. It's not really quality writing, but it's a great story and I love it.

3. A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end 

up with (warn people for spoilers) OR an OTP that you don't like.
This will contain spoilers for the Starcrossed triology by Josephini Angelini. I REALLY wanted Helen and Orion to end up together, and not Helen and Lucas. 

4. A popular genre that you hardly reach for.
YA Contemporary. I don't really mind reading this genre, and I have read many that I really like, but it's not something I look for or anything. 

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like.
Chaol from Throne of Glass. It's not that I really dislike him, but I don't really like him either. It's hard to explain. But I do enjoy reading about him and from his perspective though. 

6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into.
Cassandra Clare. I don't know why, but none of her books really appeal to me, and that's sad because I see so many people loving her books. 

7. A popular book trope that you're tried of seeing. (examples: "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)
Love triangles! I mean, they're everywhere these days. I like them if they're done right, but most of the time they're not, and I end up getting frustrated with the protagonist or one of the lovers. 

8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. You know why. 

9. The saying goes "The books is always better than the movie", but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?
I have absolutely no idea. I think I have to say The Last Song, because I really love the movie, but I also love the book. 

Top Ten Tuesday: My Ten Favorite Top Ten Topics We've Ever Done In The Past 5 Years

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week we are celebrating 5 years of Top Ten Tuesday, so in honor of that the topic this week is our top ten favourite topics. I haven't done this for long, and therefore I won't be able to choose top ten topics I've done myself so I'll just chose from what's been done overall.

Books I'd Want On a Desert Island - 28th of June, 2010

Most Dislikable Characters - 10th of August, 2010

Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read -  24th of August, 2010

Required Reading for Teens/contemporary/YA/Adult Fic/Etc. - 19th of July, 2011

I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time - 11th of October, 2011

OCD Bookish Habits - 10th of July, 2012

Books That Made You Think - 11th of September, 2012

Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines - 30th of October, 2012

Most Frustrating Characters EVER  - 20th of January, 2013

WOW Endings - 16th of April, 2013

Review: None of the Above

Title: None of the Above
Author: I. W. Gregorio
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: As an audiobook on Scribd
Why I read this book: I've seen it around, but never found out what it was about, so I just jumped in it
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him. 

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned - something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts".

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

My thoughts:
I loved this book so much, and I think it deals with a topic that's not really discussed much. Honestly, I didn't even know what being intersex meant until I read this book. I can imagine that this book can help someone going through this so much. 

I found the main character, Kristin, extremely likable and I agreed with her feelings and how she reacted. Several times she thinks of herself as a freak, especially in the beginning, but as she learns more about it she understands that she is, indeed, still a woman. Her relationship with herself changes slowly throughout the book, and she grow more confident. She opens up more to the people who care about her, and she learns that she's no different than the rest of us. 

As a general I enjoyed reading about most of the characters, even though they weren't all likable. Their relationship with Kristin all seemed so real, and the relationship with her father was so heart warming. He did everything to learn about her condition, to try and understand it without any judgement. He truly loved her unconditionally, and he does everything in his power to know that Kristin knows that as well. 

As for the romance part of this story, I liked it. It wasn't to much, and it wasn't the only thing that mattered to Kristin. I've read too many book where the main character only cares about the love interest. But here it's so different. Yes, it matters to her - obviously - but it's not the most important thing for her. She moves on and learn to live her life without being dependent on another person. I loved Darren has her love interest, even though I found it quite obvious that they were going to end up together when they began talking. I adored him as a person, and I wished I had a Darren in my life as well. 

Book Tag: Must Read

This tag was created by TheBibliophile, and you can find her video here.

1. Name the main ways you discover books to read. (i.e. youtubers, hype, best of lists, etc.) Show some books that you discovered this way.
I discover plenty of books through booktube. I've found a couple of people that have the same taste as I, and I trust them. Some of the books I've found this way are The Last Hero by Rick Riordan and The Archived by Victoria Schwab. 

2. Do literary awards influence whether you will read a book or not?
Most of the time, no. If anything they make me have higher expectations of the book, and therefore I am more reluctant to read it. But I usually don't find out that the book has won an award until after I finish reading it. 

3. Do you feel pressure to read books that are considered important works of literature?
Both yes and no. I don't feel like anybody expects me to read any, but I'm more pressured by myself. I'm going to study literature, so I feel like I have to read a lot of the classics. But at the same time, they are important for a reason, and I want to read them. 

4. Does the average star rating of a book on goodreads influence whether you decide yo read a book or not?
That depends on where I first heard about it. If someone recommended it to me, then no. But if I just found it on a list and the ratings where low, I would have to read a couple reviews before deciding if I'm reading it or not. 

5. Show some books that you think are under-hyped, or have low star rating, but which you enjoyed and would recommend to others!
I checked my Goodreads list just now, and the books I've read with the lowest rating that I would actually recommend to others are The Pearl by John Steinbeck, which has a 3.35 average rating. 

6. Show some books on your TBR that have been influenced by either hype, awards or other ways.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The first book on my list is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I can't wait to read this, I love the Throne of Glass series and her writing, so my expectations for this are high. 

The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan is the second book on my list. I'm currently reading The Son of Neptune, and I'm loving this series. I have this book at home, just waiting for me. 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I want to try out audiobooks this summer, as I'm going to travel a lot, so I want to start with a book I know and love. This is one of my absolute favourite books. 

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I'm a big fan of the show, but I've never read the books. I started the first one in 2012, but I got halfway through it and put it down. I don't remember why I did it, but I can't wait to pick it up again. 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. I've heard so many good things about this book. I've read a couple of her books, and I really enjoy her writing.

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg and Siobhan Curham. I know that a lot of people didn't like the way this was marketed, because originally it didn't say that she had a ghost writer, but I like Zoe's videos and I hope this book will be an enjoyable read. 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I've seen a lot of hype about this book on booktube lately, and I can't wait to read it. The only thing I don't like is that it was marketed as a stand alone, but many people say it was clearly written to have s sequel (which it will have). I think we need some more stand alone fantasy. 

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley. This books sounds really interesting, and the cover is just so beautiful. I'm really hoping that I can pick this up during the holiday and be able to read it then. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. I've seen this around the web, and while I'm not really big on contemporary this sounds sweet enough. It seems like an easy read and something that I'l fly through. 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I've never read any of his novels, but I've read some of his novellas and I think his writing is just beautiful, and I can't wait to read this. 

Review: Attachments

Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Plume
Year published: 2011
How I got this book: Bookdepository
Why I read this book: I've read Eleanor & Park and Fangirl and really liked them
My rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you..."

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scriber-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now - reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer", he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers - not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. 

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he know he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained - and captivated - by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
What would he say...?

My thoughts:
I really, really wanted to like this book, but I don't really know what I feel about it. It was okay, boring at some points, but not bad enough to make me put it down. This is obviously an adult book and therefore I'm not the target audience for this book. 

Lincoln annoyed me a bit in the beginning and I thought he was a bit pathetic, to be honest. Luckily though, he developed throughout the book. My favourite part of this book was reading the e-mails between Beth and Jennifer. I felt way more connected to them, than I did to Lincoln. And I just have to say that I disliked both Lincoln's mother and Eve, they annoyed me so much, 

It took a while to get really into the book for me, and it was really slow paced, but after half the book it picked up a little, and things started to happen. I didn't care for the ending of this book, it felt rushed and forced, not like something that would really happen. 

This section will contain a spoiler. One thing I REALLY didn't like was the scene in the cinema at the end, where they met after Lincoln quit his job. It seemed so forced, like she just needed something that would get them together, no matter what. Spoiler ended

This isn't a book I absolutely recommend to anyone, at least not people my age. I'll tell my mum to read it, and see what she thinks of it as well, or if I just thought it was boring because I'm not the age-group this was written for. I really wish I did enjoy it a lot more though.

Review: Fangirl

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Year published: 2013
How I got this book: Bookdepository
Why I read this book: I just love Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5+++ stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible ...

My thoughts:
As I'm writing this I have literally just finished this book. I went straight to my room to write this when I closed it. 

I loved this book so much more than I expected too. I've heard so many people talk about it and loving it, but I still had my doubts - for some reason. And I'm glad. I didn't know what to expect from this book, and I enjoyed every single page. 

The characters in this book were all so amazing. But especially Cath, the main character. I could relate to her from the moment I read about her. She seemed so real. There are too many characters out there that doesn't seem like real people, and I'm so, so glad Cath isn't one of them. And she developed so well during the story, and so subtle. There wasn't one major thing that changed her, it was all her experiences during her first year at college, and she learned how to deal with things. 

I'm so grateful that the romance wasn't the main plot in this book. Yes, it was a big part, but it was very clear that her family was way more important, especially her father and twin-sister, Wren. I love that their relationship isn't all good, but it's not all bad either. They are best friends, and always will be no matter what, but they still fight and disagree. And then there is their wonderful, loving, manic father. Who always tries his best and want nothing but the best for them. And their relationships all developed so realistically. Not just Cath with her family, but with her roommate Reagan, and Levi.

Don't even get me started on Reagan or Levi. I loved them both so much. Reagan intrigued me, and even though we never really learn much about her, the relationship between her and Cath blossoms into a wonderful - albeit confusing - thing, and it's clear that they really care about each other. And her relationship with Levis as well. She is so confused by him in the beginning, but they find their rhythm and everything works out.

Though this is a contemporary book, it still has that magic to it, through Simon Snow. We all know that Cath is a big Simon Snow fan, and she writes a lot of fan fiction about him and Baz - his nemesis. Before each chapter we also get to read and excerpt from a Simon Snow story. Sometimes it's the "real" book by Gemma T. Leslie or sometimes it's from one of Cath's fan fictions.  

As a whole, I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down when I first started it, and I didn't ever want it to end. This made me want to start writing again, even though I have absolutely nothing to write about. And it made me really excited to start university. This is a book I would recommend to everyone.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children #3) by Ransom Riggs. I can't wait to read this, I absolutely love this series. And I mean, look at the cover. It will be amazing. This is coming out in the end of September, according to Goodreads. 

The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan. I love Rick's writing and how he writes about different mythologies. I am especially excited about this series as this about Norse mythology, and I've learned about that my whole life, because I'm from Norway. According to Goodreads, this will be out in October. 

Six of Crows (The Dregs #1) by Leigh Bardugo. The premise for this book sounds interesting, and I'm hoping that I can read is soon after it comes out. The release date for this is September 29th.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow. I've seen several people on booktube talk about this after BEA, and it sounds like a book I would like a lot. This will come out in September. 

Soundless by Richelle Mead. This story takes place in a village without sound. Suddenly people start losing their sight, and people are starving. This concept is unlike anything I've heard before, and I'm so excited to read it when it comes out, which is in November. 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I've seen this on booktube as well, and it seems like such a cute story that I can't wait to read. It will come out in September. 

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. I usually don't really read a lot of adult books, but this one sounds interesting. I really hope I find this when I'm in the states, so I can read it as soon as possible. It comes out June 26th.

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristof. The cover was the first thing that drew me in, but after reading the synopsis on Goodreads I am really excited. According to Goodreads, this will come out late October. 

The Marvels by Brian Selznick. First of all, the cover is absolutely stunning, and half the book is just pictures. There's two stories, one told with pictures and one written. The Marvels will come out in September. 

And, last but not least...

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS, I can't even explain. The cover looks amazing, and i Celaena looks so bad ass. This will come out early September, according to Goodreads.

There are so many new books coming out in September, I guess I just have to save up some money so I can get them and read them as fast as possible.

What books are you looking forward to?

Book Tag: Chocolate book tag

This tag was created by A Daydreamer's Ramblings, You can find her video here.

Dark Chocolate - A book that covers a dark topic,
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book deals with eating disorders in a moving way, and shows how they really are an illness.

White Chocolate - Your favourite light-hearted/humourous read.
Paper Towns by John Green. This book is so light-hearted and yet mysterioius.

Milk Chocolate - A book that hasa lot of hype that you're dying to read.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I''ve read the Throne of Glass series, and ACOTAR seems like something I would really love. 

Chocolate with a caramel center - Name a book that made you feel all gooey in the middle while you were reading it.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. This melts my heart, it's so wonderful. 

Wafer-free Kit-Kat - Name a book that surprised you lately.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. If you've read this book you'll know what I'm talking about

Snickers - A book that you're going nuts about.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I am completely obsessed with this series.

Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows - What book would you turn to for a comfort read?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series always makes me feel better.

Box of Chocolates - What series have you read that you feel has a wide variety and a little something for everyone?

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini. This has romance, adventure and greek mythologi. Everything you need in a book.

View from page thirty: Attachments

Book: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Adult Contemporaru

Goodreads synopsis:
"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your email, and also, I love you..."

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now - reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer", he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers - not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he know he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained - and captivated - by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say...?

My view from page thirty:
It's quite slow at the beginning, but I'm hoping that'll pick up after a while. As of now I don't feel like I know the characters, especially not Lincoln.

This book is written in two persepctives, and so far they have been alternating the chapters. The first perspective we read as is Beth's and Jennifer's. We can read their e-mail conversation. The second is Lincoln's perspective and it's written more traditionally.  

I'm hoping this book will pick up the pace so it'll be a quick read, and I hope I'll enjoy it!

Review: The Unbound

* This review will contain spoilers for The Archived, as this is the sequel*

Title: The Unbound (The Archived #2)
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Hyperion
Year published: 2014
How I got this book: Bookdepository
Why I read this book: I loved The Archived, so I found it natural to read the sequel as well.
My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy - not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, know it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive know more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect.And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

My thoughts:
Even though The Unbound got the same star rating as The Archived, I have to admit that I actually liked this one a little bit better. But that could be because I already knew Mackenzie, and the other characters involved.

When I started this I had absolutely no idea where the plot would take me. I thought the first book ended great, but it ended in a way that it could have been a standalone. I'm so glad it isn't. 

Throughout this book I was confused and intrigued by what was happening to Mackenzie, and I didn't know any more than she did. I was afraid she actually was going crazy for a while, with the whole not sleeping thing. But I also thought she was completely right about the other thing, and the victims. I loved that we didn't know any more than Mackenzie knew, and that way we couldn't tell what was going to happen before she could see it herself.

This absolutely blew me away, and I read it in two days. I flew through it, and I want - no, need - the next book asap. This book did end on quite a cliffhanger, in my opinion, and I really want to know what's going to happen in the next book, and what awaits her in the future. 

And also, I loved Wes in this book, who wouldn't? And I am grateful Victoria let us spend more time with him, I enjoyed every part of it. And I am completely in love with Cash, and I'm proud of it. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Love To See As Movies/Tv Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. This would have to be a TV-show, because so much stuff is happening, and everything is important. I think it should resemble Game of Thrones, in how it is made. I really, really want this to happen (but only if it's done right)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. This would be such a sweet, feel-good movie.

The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. Just imagine these books as a movie series. They would be so amazing and way too scary for my taste, but it would be so cool. I love this series so much, and having them as movies would be great. Even though I wouldn't dare watch them.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. If done well, this could be the most amazing movie.

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. So far I've only read the first book, but I know I'll love the rest of them just as much. These should definitely be a movie series, as long as they're done better than the Percy Jackson and the Olympians movies. Not even my love for Logan Lerman can make me love them.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The first two books has already been made into movies, but I think they should be redone as a much more faithful adaption of the books, because then they would be great.

The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Imagine this as a dystopian movie-series.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Or the entire series, but this would also make a wonderful movie by itself. I imagine it as the perfect girly, feel-good kind of movie that you'll watch with all of your closest friends and falling in love with all the boys.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This could be such a great mystery/thriller movie.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J. K. Rowling. I know that this is becoming a movie - starring Eddie Redmayne!!! - but I still had to put this on the list, because I can't wait to see it. And I'm really hoping it'll be good.