Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent 5 Star Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

All I Know Now by Carrie Fletcher

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Coal River by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Karens jul (Karen's Christmas) by Amalie Skram

It doesn't have a cover

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Review: Boy Meets Boy

Title: Boy Meets Boy

Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Year published: 2003
How I got this book: I borrowed it from one of my friends
My rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at high school like no other: The cheerleader ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help straight kids learn how to dance.

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he's found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12 - to - 1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul's not giving up without playing his love really loud. his best friend Joni might be drifting away, his to her best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.

This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

My thoughts:
This is my first David Levithan book, and I really liked it. I've read Will Grayson, Will Grayson which he wrote with John Green, so I wasn't completely unfamiliar with his writing before going in to this, and I got what I expected.

This is set in a gay-utopia, and the setting is basically too good to be true. Everyone is accepting in what Paul calls "Paul's Town", except Tony's parents. Though it doesn't seem too realistic, I'm glad Levithan wrote this book. This is how it should be regarding sexuality, nobody should care. Infinite Darlene is a 6"4 transsexual quarterback and homecoming queen. I mean, you go girl! 

It take me a couple chapters to really get into it, but that was because I was stressed, not because the book wasn't good. I did however read almost all of it in a day, when I finally had the chance to really read again. I flew through it, and all of a sudden I'd been sitting in the bath for over two hours, and water was cold.

I really liked this book, and I hope there will be more books about homosexuality in the future, if they follow Levithan's lead. It was a normal love story, with the normal complications, without too much focus on the fact that Paul is gay. But still enough to make you aware, and think about how they are treated in this book, and how they would be treated in the real world.

I'm going to tell several of my friends to read it. Not because they need to be more aware, but because I genuinely think it's a great book, and I want them to read it. And I want you to read it as well!

Buy this book?
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
BookDepository (Worldwide, Affiliate link)
Adlibris (Norway)

Review: The Passenger

Title: The Passenger
Author: Lisa Lutz

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year published: 2016
How I got this book: I got an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
In case you were wondering, I didn't do it. I didn't have anything to do with Frank's death. I don't have an alibi, so you have to take my word for it...

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband's body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It's not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive's eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy - and dangerous - alliance is born.

It's almost impossible to live of the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret...can she outrun her past?

My thoughts:
As previously mentioned, I got this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The release date is March 1st, Tuesday this week. This review will not contain any spoilers.

I've never read a book like this before. It's a mysterious thriller, and it definitely fit the genre. I never knew what to expect when I read this book, and I kept getting surprised with every chapter. So much stuff happened, and there was never a boring moment.

The main character in this book, who starts out as Tanya Dubois, is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. I wasn't really able to relate to her, because her life is so completely different from mine, but that didn't really matter. I still felt connected to her, and I understood why she did (almost) everything throughout the book. The fact that this book is written in first-person also helps a lot, as we are able to really get inside her head. 

We meet plenty of characters throughout the book, and I generally liked all of them. Liked may be the wrong word, but I enjoyed reading about them. 

The plot is incredibly fast paced, and as a reader you never know exactly what is happening. Lutz uses a mix of the present, backstory and e-mails (to which we have no context) to tell this story, and you're always off balance. You can't draw the lines between the different characters, because you don't know they're connected.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It's not a genre I normally read, but after reading this I want more. I flew through it in a couple of days, and I couldn't stop thinking about the book. To be honest, I still can't stop thinking about it. That's how you know a book is really good. This is definitely a book I will recommend to others, even if this genre isn't your cup of tea. 

Buy this book?
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
BookDepository (worldwide, affiliate link)
Adlibris (Norway)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books To Read If You Are In The Mood For Fantasy

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

The Graceling Realms trilogy by Kristin Cashore

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien

Which books/series would you recommend?

Top Ten Tuesday: Quotes About Love From Books

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Here is the page I used to make the quotes. What are some of your favourite, romantic quotes?

Review: I'll See You In Paris

Title: I'll See You In Paris
Author: Michelle Gable
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Published: It will be published February 9th 2016
How I got this book: I got an arc of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
After losing her fiancé in the Vietnam War, nineteen-year-old Laurel Hal tales a job in England, hoping the distance will mend her shattered heart. Laurel expects the pain might lessen but does not foresee the beguiling man she meets or that they'll go to Paris, where the city's magic will take over and alter everything Laurel believes about love.

Thirty years later, Laurel's daughter Annie is newly engaged and an old question resurfaces: who is Annie's father and what happened to him? Laurel has always been vague about the details and Annie's told herself it doesn't matter. But with her impending marriage, Annie has to know everything. why won't Laurel tell her the truth?

The key to unlocking Laurel's secrets starts with a mysterious book about an infamous woman known as the Duchess of Marlborough. Annie's quest to understand the Duchess, and therefore her own history, takes her from a charming hamlet in the English countryside, to a decaying estate kept behind barbed wire, and ultimately to Paris where answers will be found at last.

My thoughts:
I haven't read any books like this before. I had no idea what to expect from it, but I was not disappointed. I'm so glad that I was able to read this for a review, and I have a feeling I will be bothering my friends and telling them to read this as well.

I connected with every character, and I don't know what part of the story I enjoyed the most. I was so intrigued by the story of Pru and Win, but I also wanted to know how Annie connected the pieces and what she found out.

One of my favourite things about this book was the setting. And there were so many different settings, but even so, it wasn't hard to keep up with the story. Everything was organized nicely, and you always know what part of the story you're currently reading. 

I don't have much to say about this book, because I don't want to spoil anything that happens. I knew almost nothing going in to it, and because of that I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with the ending, and I won't say what happens, but everything tied up perfectly and you weren't left with any unanswered questions. I will recommend this to several of my friends, and to everyone reading this review. It is definitely worth reading, and you should pick it up at February 9th, when it's released. 

Buy this book?
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Bookdepository (Affiliate link, worldwide)
Adlibris (Norway)

Review: All I Know Now

Title: All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully
Author: Carrie Hope Fletcher
Publisher: Sphere
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: Through BookDepository (Affiliate link)
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
We all know that growing up is hard to do, and sometimes the only thing that makes it better are the reassuring words of someone who has walked that bumpy road just a few steps ahead of you and somehow ended up as a fully-functionin adult. Carrie Hope Fletcher is that person.* Thanks to her phenomenally popular YouTube videos, Carrie has become an 'honorary big sister' to hundreds of thousands of young people who turn to her for advice, friendship and, most of all, the knowledge that things will get better.

Carrie has created a safe and positive space for young people to connect and share their hopes and concerns online, and now she will share her most personal thoughts and experiences in her first book, ALL I KNOW NOW. Part memoir, part advice guide, it will include Carrie's thoughts on some of the topics she's asked about regularly: bullying, body image, relationships and perhaps the scariest question of all: what does the future hold for me? With warmth, wit and a sprinkling of hard-won wisdom, Carrie will privde the essential tools for growing up gracefully... most of the time.

*Although she did recently post a video about how to pee in a onesie. So the definition of 'adult' is a bit flexible here...

My thoughts
I love Carrie. She's one of my favourite youtubers, and she is so talented, I can't believe it. I was lucky enough to see her on Les Miserables in London last week, before she's leaving in the middle of February. She was amazing there as well, and my mom was really impressed with her.

This isn't a review of Carrie though, this is about her book, All I Know Now. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and therefore I don't really know what to expect when I read one. I don't expect to not wanting to put the book down, because it's not a novel. This was, however, the case with this book. I started reading this book a couple of weeks before I went to see her in Les Miserables, because I wanted to read the book before I saw her. I started early, because I didn't expect to read a lot each day. I did however finish it in a couple of days, because I couldn't put it down.

This book is funny, sweet and sad. I enjoyed every part of it, and you can really tell it's Carrie's book. It was almost like hearing her telling me this stuff, not just reading a book. I might be a bit over the target audience, but I still enjoyed it. You could feel Carrie's personality through the books, and it just shows how great the book was.

If you enoy Carrie's videos, you will definitely enjoy this book as well.

Buy this book?
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Bookdepository (Affiliate link, worldwide)
Adlibris (Norway)

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Settings

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

This week the topic is favourite settings, from either the past, present or future. We could choose what to focus on, but I'm just going to go for all settings, not just from one period of time. And I feel like also have to say that I don't necessarily want to live in all of these, but they are settings I like to read about. Just keep that in mind.

I'm going to start this list with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is not a time I would want to live in at all, but I think the concept is so interesting, and it's very cool to read about.

The next books are the Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Again, not a world I would like to live in, but I really like reading about it. It made me want to stock up on supplies so I could survive if the moon got closer to earth, and I honestly forgot that I had the ability to just go and take a shower whilst reading it. The setting is so cool, and the books are amazing.

The Divergent trilogy also deserves a place on this list. Though they aren't my favourite books, I think the setting is cool, and it could have been so amazing.

The world in the Graceling Realm trilogy needs to be on this list. The world is so magical, and I can't wait to dive back into it with Bitterblue, which I have yet to read.

And those are my favourite settings that I can think about at the moment. What are your favourite settings? Either a world you want to live in, or a world you like to read about.

January Wrap-Up

I can't believe January is over already! This year is going to go way too fast, I can already tell. I did manage to read 6 books this month, and I'm really happy about that. I have been in a bit of a reading slump, but I'm out of it, thankfully.




The first book I read, or rather finished, was The Greek Myths. I started this during the summer in 2015, but I read several book before finishing this. I gave it 4 stars.















The second book I read was Fire, the second book in the Graceling Realm companion series. I absolutely loved it, and I can't wait to read the next one. I gave it 5 stars.

The third book I read was The Bell Jar. I'm so glad I finally got to it, and I gave it 4,5 stars.



















All I Know Now was my absolute favourite this month. I think Carrie is so amazing, and I was so happy to finally read her book! I gave it 5 stars, of course.















My least favourite this month, Fuglane (The Birds). I read this for my Norwegian class, and it was so boring. I won't be reading this again. I gave it 2 stars.

Last, but not least, I read Boy Meets Boy. I finished this on the 31st of January, and basically read all of it in one sitting. It was so cute, and I want to read more David Levithan now. I gave it 4 stars.