Charlotte's Library

Mockingjay written by Suzanne Collins As with my other immediate reaction posts, this will probably not be the most organized, coherent blog I write. This is because I literally just finished reading Mockingjay , and it was sufficiently mindblowing. Congratulations, Suzanne Collins, for successfully making my brain explode. Obviously, my thoughts were all over the place while reading, and are in no better state at this moment. The suspense of this book kept up throughout the entire read, down to the very final pages. I found myself sitting here, grasping the last few pages in hand, completely clueless as to how Collins could successfully wrap everything up so quickly. She did. She freaking DID. The book starts with a one month time jump since the events of Catching Fire . Everything that happened there is explained, which, by the way, put Catching Fire in a new (and better) light in my mind. There's a lot of preparation and build up for all the big battles, and trust me, ...

currently reading: Dragon Rider -Cornelia Funke want to read: What else, Mockingjay ! reading next: Probably going to reread the first two Hunger Games books Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie written by David Lubar As always, it's really great to see realistic YA geared towards high school boys, about a high school boy who doesn't quite fit in and is just learning his way around the ways of his new high school and in a way, his new life. If you're a reader in high school, or about to enter high school, it's a neat look at a little bit of what high school life might be like, and if you're out of high school, well, it's a good reminder of a place you are probably really glad to be rid of. I've read books about awkward girls and popular girls in high school, but other than John Green's books, it's a rarity to read about a regular, albeit slightly-awkward, young boy maneuvering through high school. To me, this was a boy-version of The Princess Diaries , wi...

Kissing Kate written by Lauren Myracle I suppose this is one of the very few LGBT young adult books I've read, and like any other book, it had its strengths and weaknesses. The thing that definitely stuck out with this book was the vital element of realism. The moments described in the book are very down-to-earth, honest moments that teenagers experience, no matter their orientation. One of the things I didn't really like about Lauren Myracle's Internet Girls series was that, while funny and good reads, they were nothing like what I experienced during my teenage years. Moments of that series were extremely overdone and overdramatic. Kissing Kate was more down-to-earth and, in my opinion, a more genuine portrayal of the average teen's life. On the other hand, while being honest and down-to-earth, this was definitely a unique book in terms of content. It was one of the earlier mainstream LGBT YA books out there, and it goes more in depth covering the full length of...

So a couple weeks ago, my friend George and I went to this amazing book fair we have in Virginia, called the Green Valley Book Fair . It's about an hour away from where I live, and it's basically this old warehouse filled with new overstocked books. I got to buy some fantastic books that I'd been holding off on buying simply due to price, and I'm really glad I got to go. Books I bought: I also picked up this fantastic shirt... (it says 'got books?', I just got the picture at an odd angle, with the shirt slightly crumpled :P) ...and left nerdfighter notes... ...and really wanted to get one of THESE... ...but somehow resisted (WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY. JUST LOOK AT THESE THINGS.) All in all, a fantastic adventure! I loved finding those books, getting to spend time with George, who I haven't seen all school year, since she goes to a different college and all, and driving through downpours. Whee! That's all from me for today :) Tell me happy fun book shop...

Lizzie over at The Book Obsession is planning on doing this weekly meme thing, and I'm a sucker for book memes. Check out her intro post! Q: Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? A: Nope, when I'm reading, I just read, and occasionally listen to music, either very softly or lyricless music. Q: What is your favorite drink while reading? A: See above. Q: Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? A: I hate the idea that people write in books! >. Q: How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ear? Laying the book open flat? A: Bookmarks! I used to dog-ear pages, but I grew out of that thankfully. Q: Fiction, Non-fiction, or Both? A: Fiction :) Nonfiction's okay if written on a topic I really am fascinated by, or written in a way to make me fascinated by a certain topic, but I tend to avoid it. If I wanted nonfiction information, I'd look it up on wikipedia. Books are m...

Get Well Soon written by Julie Halpern You all know how much I adore books that address teenagers dealing with mental illness, so it's no surprise that this book struck such a chord with me. It greatly helped that it was also written in epistolary form, and if there's any form of book I love most, it's by far epistolary. I love letters, I love writing letters, I love getting letters (who doesn't?), and I love the small glimpse I get of another person's life by reading letters, even if they happen to be fictional. I had read this book and Ned Vizzini's wonderful It's Kind of a Funny Story around the same time, and they are the only two YA novels I've read that do take place in a psychiatric hospital ward. Vizzini's novel appealed to me more, but I was really glad I got the chance to read Halpern's as well. She brings up some really great points throughout the novel, such as the idea of eliminating stereotypes. Her character, Anna, finds her...