Month: November 2019

Review: You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life

Title: You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life
Author: Neil Pasricha
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback, ebook
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From Neil Pasricha—New York Times, million-copy bestselling author of The Book of Awesome series and The Happiness Equation, thought leader for the next generation, and one of the most popular TED speakers in the world—comes a revelatory and inspiring book that will change the way we view failure and help us build resilience.

We are lucky. For most of us, famine, plague, economic depression, and other life-threatening catastrophes are the stuff of history books. We’re living in an era with the highest-ever rates of longevity, education, and wealth. Cars drive us home as our phones entertain us before we arrive to food delivered to the front door. We have it all!

But there’s just one side effect. We no longer have the tools to handle failure…or even perceived failure. When we fall, we lie on the sidewalk crying. When we spill, we splatter. When we crack, we shatter.

We are turning into an army of porcelain dolls.

A rude email from the boss means calling in sick. Only two likes on our post means we don’t have friends. Cell phones show us we’re never good enough. Yesterday’s butterflies are tomorrow’s panic attacks. Record numbers of students have clinical anxiety. And what about depression, loneliness, and suicide?

All rising!

What do we desperately need to learn?

RESILIENCE. And we need to learn it fast.

Read You Are Awesome to learn:
• The single word that keeps your options open after failure
• What every commencement speech gets wrong
• 3 ways to dramatically accelerate your ability to learn and adapt
• The 2-minute morning practice that helps eliminate worry
• Why you need an Untouchable Day (and how to get one)
• and much, much more…

Because the truth is, you really are awesome.

Review:

I loved this book! It was the perfect combination of Neil’s personal stories and research about living an awesome life.

This book was divided into nine different tips on how to be awesome. These include “Lose More to Win More,” which was about taking more chances to have more success as well as failure, and “Fine Small Ponds,” which was about finding success by being the big fish in a small pond.

Each of these tips were divided into easy to follow sections, which had a great mix of research and stories from Neil’s life. Each story he told illustrated the subject perfectly. These ranged from his mother’s resilience while growing up in Kenya, and a man who told him his biggest secrets during a flight.

I found this book so inspiring. It has made me so much more positive about my outlook on life and the way that I think about success.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything by Neil Pasricha

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

Have you read You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live and Intentional Life? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – November 7

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen.

Goodreads Synopsis:

High seas adventure, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, the first novel in a new YA fantasy series.

In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West.

A SAILOR WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences. 

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world. 

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Review: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)

Title: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. 

Review:

I liked this conclusion to the Raven Cycle series.

This story felt different from the rest of the series. It was a lot darker than the other books. The other stories had more dreams, but in this one they turned into nightmares. Some parts were very dark and descriptive, and leaning towards horror.

I was a little disappointed with the way Blue’s and Gansey’s prophesy ended in the story. I won’t give it away for those who haven’t read it, but I think it was kind of rushed.

After that ending, I’m so curious to see what happens in the spin off series about Ronan!

What to read next:

Opal (The Raven Cycle #4.5) by Maggie Stiefvater

Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Have you read The Raven King? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – November 6

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black. The expected publication date is November 19, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne. 

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power. 

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics. 

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity… 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy. 

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Our Big Little Place

Title: Our Big Little Place
Author: James A. Conan, Nicolle Lalonde
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Annick Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Big or small, apartment or house, they’re all home.

Come inside one boy’s high-rise apartment complex, where his backyard is the space between his neighboring apartment buildings, and his basketball net is tucked into a bedroom. His parents sometimes complain their home is too small, but the boy’s balcony view of the city and the extended play space of the hallways are a few ways that make the boy’s house feel just the right size.

Our Big Little Place is a charming child’s-eye-view tribute to the power of imaginative play and the diversity of the living spaces we call home.

Review:

This is an adorable children’s book about a boy who lives in an apartment.

The little boy in this story lives in an apartment building. His parents think their home is too small, but he has never known anything different so he loves it. Since he’s small, it is just the right size for him. He is able to use his imagination to turn their living room into different things, like a pirate ship.

It was so cute to see this home from the boy’s perspective. He saw things differently from his parents. While they wanted more space, he liked that his friends lived down the hall and he had a whole park as his backyard. I loved that he lived in an apartment because most children’s books show kids who live in houses, even though many children live in apartments.

I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you Annick Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Alligator Baby by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko

Have you read Our Big Little Place? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books That Give Off Autumn Vibes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books That Give Off Autumn Vibes. Here’s my list:

1. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

3. Love and Other Curses by Michael Thomas Ford

4. The Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

5. The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

6. Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica by Paul Dini

7. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vol. 1: The Crucible by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, Robert Hack

8. Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

9. Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, Suzanne Walker

10. Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

What’s your list of Books That Give Off Autumn Vibes?

Review: The Toll (Arc of the Scythe #3)

Title: The Toll (Arc of the Scythe #3)
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Indigo Fall Preview
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes the thrilling conclusion to the Printz Honor–winning series Arc of a Scythe.

It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

Review:

This was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2019. I was beyond excited to get an ARC of it.

The story started out super slow. It follows the huge events of the last book, where some major characters were potentially killed. I don’t want to give too much away, in case anyone hasn’t read it yet. This story started out following some minor characters from the first two books. I kept waiting to hear from my favourite characters, Citra and Rowan.

I found that the story really picked up halfway through the book. Then, it was really hard to put down. The first half of the book was kind of an introduction to the story. There was necessary information in the first half that was needed to create the huge ending. However, it was very slow paced. I wish some of the events of the two halves of the books were woven together to make the pacing a little steadier.

The ending of the story was one of my favourite endings to a book series ever. I’m so happy with how it ended. The book took a little work to get through, but the ending was worth it!

Thank you Indigo for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Dry by Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman

The Diabolic (The Diabolic #1) by S.J. Kincaid

Have you read The Toll? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – November 4

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished The Toll (Arc of the Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live and Intentional Life by Neil Pasricha.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – November 3

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Raven King

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

What book are you in bed with today?