Top Ten Tuesday: Great Beach Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen

The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick 

The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks

Looking for Alaska - John Green

The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

Staying at Daisy's - Jill Mansell

I'll See You in Paris - Michelle Gable

What books are bringing with you to the beach this summer?

Review: The Sword of Summer

Title: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: Got it as a christmas present
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he's never met - a man his mother claimed was dangerous. His uncle tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die...

My thoughts:
I have a feeling I might actually like this series more than the Percy Jackson series, which is saying something. I flew threw this book in one sitting, because I just didn't want to put it down. It definitely has the same feel as the Percy Jackson series, and it's written with the same humour. Which is good for me, because I find it funny.

The main difference from the Percy Jackson series is, of course, the gods. In The Sword of Summer they are all Norse gods, from Norse mythology. This is one of the reasons I might like this more. I absolutely love Greek mythology, but I grew up with Norse mythology. I starter learning about it early in school, maybe around 8 years old, and therefore feel a more personal connection with the Norse mythology.

The plot is fast paced, and there's always something happening. It's never boring, which is saying something when the book has 500 pages. As with the Percy Jackson series, this is a book for middle graders. But still, this book will probably be really entertaining even if you're older. You just have to keep in mind that some of the humour is meant for younger children.

This is a book I will recommend to everyone, and I am so excited for the next one to come out. I can't believe I have to wait until October. Because of that, I am actually glad I waited this long before I read it, even though I've had it in my room since christmas, because I don't have to wait as long. This is definitely a book everyone should read, or at least give it a chance.

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Review: A World Between

Title: A World Between
Author: Robert Herzog
Publisher: The Story Plant
Year published: 2016
How I got this book: I got it as an arc through NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review
My rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
 Parts of the world have gone missing. For a while, only a few noticed. Then an increasing number of spaces disrupt the fabric of reality, threatening the foundation of our world, setting off a race by some of the greatest minds on the planet to determine what force, godlike or human, is behind the change before the problem leads to global cataclysm. A breathtaking novel that thrills on both an epic and human scale, A World Between is an adventure unlike any you've ever read.

My thoughts:
 Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with this book. I was so excited for it, but I couldn't get into it. 

If you're looking for a fast-paced book, this is definitely not the book for you. There's not a lot of plot in it, but more information and research. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book a lot, it just wasn't for me. It might just been that I've read it at the wrong time, because I'm in the mood for fast.paced and exciting books at the moment, but it's not a bad book. Not at all.

I will recommend this to everyone who is interested in physics, the universe and things like that. This book will probably be right up your alley. I might give this book a second chance another time, but for now I will leave my 3-star rating and my feeling on it, but keep in mind that even though I didn't enjoy it, that doesn't mean that you won't enjoy it.

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Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

As this is the sequel to a book, this post will contain spoilers about A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Year published: 2016
How I got this book: I bought it through BookDepository
My rating: 5 stars, though I would like to give it like 10 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the SPring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms - and she might be the key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractued soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future - and the future of a world cleaved in two.

My thoughts:
 The only thing I can say without really spoiling anything is; read it. Read it as soon as possible. It is absolutely wonderful, and I didn't want to put it down. I finished the enitre thing, 624 pages, in less than 12 hours. All I could, and still can, think about was this book. Read it.

Now to the section with spoilers. Only read this if you've finished the entire book, because there will be plenty of spoilers.

I want to start with my feelins for Tamlin. I reread ACOTAR the day before I read this, and for the most part, I absolutely love Tamlin. But I have always had a thing for Rhysand, after reading the book for the first time. And I'm so glad we got a lot more Rhysand and Feyre time this book, and that she got over Tamlin. I will forever be grateful that Maas didn't turn this into a love triangle, as so many authors would have done. Instead, Feyre fell out of love with Tamlin, and then in love with Rhysand. She grew, and therefore wasn't a great fit for Tamlin anymora.

And can we just talk about the fact that Feyre and Rhysand are mates??? I got super happy when I found out, and even happier when Feyre accepted it. And I didn't absolutely hate the following scenes either.

Feyre evolved so much throughout this book, and she learned to believe in herself, and in her powers. I can't imagine how powerful she will be when she has 100% control over all her powers. I would want to be on her side, I'm sure about that.

We got to meet a lot of new characters in this book, especially Rhysand's inner circle. I found all of them likeable, and I'm really glad that we got to spend so much time with them, and get to now them properly. I really hope we get to spend more time with them in the next book, which I'm super excited for.

Can we just talk about the ending for a moment? My heart was literally broken for a couple of pages, and all I wanted to do was cry. When the King of Hybern broke their bond, and I was so sad. But when we got that one chapter from Rhysand's POV and he explained to the others, I was so happy. 

End of spoilers
I can't wait for the next book. I want it in my hands right now! Luckily we get a new Sarah J. Maas book this year, Empire of Storms, though it is in another series. Hopefully, this year will go fast, so I don't have to wait long before I have the next book in my hands.

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Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Amulet Books
Year published: 2012
How I got this book: Borrowed it from my mum
My rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
 Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg's mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia - cue extreme adolescent awkwardness - but a parental mandate has been issued and myst be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

My thoughts:
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in this book. I had heard so much about it and how so many people loved it, and I don't really get it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book at all, I know my mum really liked it as well, it just wasn't really for me. I could have just read it at the wrong time as well, and I might have enjoyed it a lot more reading it a couple of months from now.

It was an easy and quick read, which I really liked. The format was different from anything I've ever read, and not in a negative way. It was written in a way that felt very personal, but even so, I wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters. To me, it felt like the narrator was trying to hard, and I didn't really get it.

Though it wasn't the best book for me, I know many do enjoy it, and that's great. We can't all enjoy the same things, and I don't regret reading this book at all. I would recommend giving it a try, it doesn't take long to get through.

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Review: Me Before You

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Publisher: Penguin
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: Got it for my birthday from my parents
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
 Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She know she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

My thoughts:
I had to wait a while to write my review, so I could have a chance to gather my thoughts. I flew through this book so much faster than I thought I would. I did have high expectations for it, because my mum absolutely loves it, and it did not disappoint me at all. I'm so excited to see the movie! Unfortunately, I did know how the book was going to end (don't worry, I won't spoil you), but that didn't ruin the book for me as much as I thought it would. I was still able to enjoy it thoroughly. 

I absolutely adored the characters in this book, especially Lou. There were a few times I found her a bit annoying, but generally I really liked her, enjoyed reading about her, and felt connected to her. I also liked Will throughout the book, even though he seems kind of mean in the beginning. I would probably be quite mean if that happened to me as well, so I am in no place to judge. 

Honestly, I don't really know what to say about this book. I feel like I say that about a lot of books, but I usually enjoy the books I read, and when I enjoy them I don't know how to express that without just repeating the same things over and over. At the same time, I don't want to spoil anything at all. I only knew the ending of the book, nothing else, and therefore I was still able to be excited about everything.

If you are planning on seeing the movie, but haven't read the book yet, and want to, I would definitely recommend reading the book before even watching the trailer. I saw the trailer first, and though it didn't ruin the book for me because I already knew the ending, I would not recommend it to anyone else, unless they like being spoiled.

Everyone should pick up this book as soon as they have the chance, because I feel like you're not going to regret it. I am planning on reading the next book, After You, as well, but I wanted to wait a bit so I can get over this book first.

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Review: Sleeping Giants

Title: Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1)
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: This will come out April 26th 2016
How I got this book: I was lucky enough to get an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
17 years ago: A girl from South Dakota falls through the earth, then wakes up dozens of feet below ground on the palm of what seems to be a giant metal hand. 

Today: She is a top-level physicist leading a team of people to understand exactly what the hand is, where it came from, and what it portends for humanity. A swift and spellbinding tale told almost exclusively through transcriptions conducted by a mysterious and unnamed character, this is a unique debut that describes a hunt for truth, power, and giant body parts.

My thoughts:
I never read sci-fi so I don’t have much to compare this to, but I did love it. I finished it in one sitting because I wasn’t able to put it down. I’m so glad I had the chance to read it through NetGalley.

There are plenty of characters in this story, and they were all interesting. This is written as a typical novel, but it’s written in transcripts from interview, experiment logs and diaries. There’s one main character throughout this book, but we never learn his/her name. Hshe is very mysterious, and the one arranging everything.

The plot is super fast paced, and all the science stuff doesn’t get in the way. I do not know a lot about science, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this book. It was, obviously, a huge factor in the book, but not in the way that you had to understand everything.

I was not bored once whilst reading this book, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out. Though it might be a while, as I read this in March and it doesn’t come out until April 26th, which is not long for those of you reading this review. Even though this book is based entirely on dialogue, I had no problems imagining everything in my head. I saw the pictures clear as day.

I’m having a hard time reviewing this book, because I liked it so much. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, because there are so many things that happen throughout the story. I recommend that you all read it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Even if you don’t read sci-fi that much, you should give this book a try. I did, and I don’t regret it at all. 

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Review: The Girl on the Train

Title: The Girl on the Train
Author: Paula Hawkins

Publisher: Riverhead Books
Year published: 2015
How I got this book: From my parents on my birthday this year
My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. "Jess and Jason," she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she know to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

My thoughts:
  I’ve never read a book like The Girl on the Train before. I can’t stop thinking about it. I heard a lot of great things about it before I even got it, but it totally lived up to my expectations. This review will not contain spoilers, but it is a book I would go into knowing as little as possible.

First of all, we have the main character, Rachel. I did not know what to think about her. I wanted to like her and feel for her, I really did, I just couldn’t. Every time I started to warm up to her, she did something to make me mad at her again. Still, I liked to read as Rachel. She was super interesting, and we never truly got to know her. I also loved the fact that she was completely unreliable, even though it made it frustrating at times.

The other characters were just as great and complex. I couldn’t decide who I liked more or less than any of the others. They all had so many sides to them, that you were bound to like something and hate something else. Throughout the book we learn more and more about each character, but you truly don’t understand anything until the very end.

We read from three perspectives in this book, Rachel, Megan and Anna. It was a bit confusing at first, because we don’t follos Rachel’s and Megan’s story at the same time. Megan’s story takes place before the Rachel’s, and I was confused by that in the beginning, but you get used to it. You just have to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of each chapter.

As I stated in the beginning, I really enjoyed this book. It took me a couple chapters to get into the story, but after that I finished it in one sitting. The story grabs you, and it refuses to let go until you’ve finished. It’s definitely a more mature book, but if you like thrillers this is definitely your cup of tea.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books to read if you like Greek mythology

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

In this list I'm only including books I've read myself (except The Iliad), and I've enjoyed all of them. If you have any more recommendations of books about Greek mythology, please leave them in the comments down below, because I just can't get enough!

The Odyssey and The Iliad by Homer

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes and Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

The Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini

The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek gods and heroes vividly retold by Robin Waterfield and Kathryn Waterfield

Top Ten Tuesday: Booktubers

Top Ten Tuesday his hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week the themes is accounts to follow on social media, and I decided to narrow it down to just youtube. I watch quite a lot of booktubers, and if you haven't seen any of these yet, you should check them out! In no particular order, her are my favourite booktubers.

Jessethereader

Katytastic

PolandbananasBOOKS

PeruseProject

Booksandquills

BooksandLala

Abookutopia

Readbyzoe

Those are my favourite booktubers, though I probably forgot someone. Do you have any other favourites that I didn't mention?