Dear Loverly Readers,
(If you got the "loverly" reference, awesome! lol)
I'm currently watching "Torchwood" for the first/second time, and am loving it. This has nothing at all to do with this novel I'm about to review, but it's an awesome show, so go watch it on BBC America.
Anywho, today's novel scared me at first. I knew what it was about before I read it, and I was terrified that it would put me into a depression, or make me cry. It was a difficult read because I was waiting for the show to drop and for me to bawl for a few days, but thankfully, it didn't! It's Before I Die by Jenny Downham.
Summary: "Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of normal life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out." (A huge thank you to Goodreads!!!)
This novel is very inspiring. As a girl with not much more time to live, Tessa experiences very realistic emotions, wanting to live as much as she can before she withers away. She's a hero in a novel full of hardships, and she's so inspirational. This novel shows that we should live out our dreams and wants with no one stopping us while we still can! The story is sweet and great and full of emotion, and I loved it a lot. I don't want to give anything away, so I'm going to stop here and let you guys read this and figure it out. (By the way, it is so great, and you won't go into a depression because of it; I promise.)
In Conclusion & Suggestions: This novel is a great one, so go for it! It'll inspire you! I say read it whenever you want; there's no bad time to read it.
Rating:
5/5 syringes
Till next time!
XOXO,
Lexi
Readers,
Why have I not written? I started a new job that it turns out I don't need, and that I'm allergic to (well, the cleaner they use). Starbucks. Yep. Yes, they started me a week early with long shifts on both Tuesday and Thursday. Thankfully I got today off, but my computer refused to work at my brother's school where I took him and waited for him. Oh, and no, I don't drink or like coffee at all, nor do I know a cappuccino v. an espresso, and I'll never get why people would want so much dang caramel in their drinks... However, the people rock, and I've already made some awesome friends. I just still suck at some drinks, but I rock the frappachinos!
Anywho, today's book was an interesting one. It's The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle.
Summary: "Growing up in privileged, Manhattan social circles, Caggie’s life should be perfect, and it almost was until the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she’s famous for something she didn’t do and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included. Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumours are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realises that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she’s ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life…and Caggie’s as well." (Thank you, Goodreads! You are amazing!)
Caggie has many secrets. She's the everygirl that's trying to hold everything together as a teen while everything is falling apart in her world. Her thinking is reminiscent of myself, and I say this because she can't see what's going on with herself. She thinks that she's standing tall and fooling everybody, but how far can she go with that without people finding out the truth(s)?
The story is complex, and you'll want to read it all the way through to get down to the bottom of everything. This story touched my heart, and I'll never forget the way Caggie's life has been portrayed, because it feels all too real. This also shows how many people grieve, and how everybody has their own way to do so. Also, it shows how families and people can be torn to pieces because they don't get eachother's grieving, and see it as ridiculous or nonexistent. This really is a great novel that is relatable whether you've lost somebody or not. It's one of the best fiction books -- without fantasy -- that I've read. I kept wanting to get through the novel, and noticed that, at the end, I was wrong in thinking the novel was tedious/bad. Just hold on during parts that seem boring, and read the book from beginning to end. I promise you won't regret it.
In Conclusion: Please read this one!
Rating:
4/5 skyscrapers
Till next time, Lovelies!!!
XOXO,
Lexi
Dear Readers,
Today, I'm writing in a secret book.
See, my little brother is 17, and he has such a sweet heart (but still acts a 17-year-old guy, of course, lol). We're extremely close; I was his "other parent" in a way. I still try to teach him by my walk in life, and he still comes in my room sometimes and watches TV at night with me. Or he'll not want to go to a place if I'm not. I do the same things, and even interpret for he and our mother when they are in a place in an argument where they're not getting eachother. (He speaks "Lexi," lol.)
One day a few months ago, my mom came to my room with this notebook that I had written in for my semester's classes, and she asked if I needed it. It was just a small turquoise notebook that held notes for my last semester in college, including Spanish IV and Philosophy of Literature. I glanced through it, and said no, I didn't, and asked why. My little brother wanted to keep it, she told me, so that when I'm gone, he can remember what my writing looked like. This was completely out of the blue, you guys. He does this. It seems that he'll be quiet and not say things unless he's thought them through. I don't know why he's already thinking about when I'm gone, but I knew in my heart that this was very important to him. So I told her that he can definitely keep it.
Then, I remembered: the focus of the philosophy course was "tragedy." Yeah, as a chica with depression and anxiety, I was not enthused when the professor told us that we were going to be studying it. What sucked worse is when I realized he meant the entire damn semester. I didn't want my little brother reading notes I had to take on lectures that included one philosopher's view that nobody is worth a thing and that the best thing we can do is to kill ourselves. That's not something I needed him to ever even glance at. I don't want him to know about these things, or think that any of the arguments for giving up on life were real.
In the end, I let him keep it. However, I began (yet another) quote book. I love writing these, and have been working on one for my future kids for a few years. (It's a big, huge book. Not my best idea, lol.) My mom found a notebook with a cover that says "Do small things with great love," and it's this perfectly sized, lined notebook. I'm going to fill the entire thing up with inspiring, funny, insightful, etc. quotes.
This is how I want him to remember me. I want him to see funny things, and wonder why I picked certain ones especially for him. Was it a joke? a silly thing? something that does or eventually will be applied in his life? I want him to remember me through these things. In the end, I'll write a letter in it for him, one that tells him the truths that I can never seem to verbalize, like: he's the reason I'm still alive; I love him as if he were my kid, and I'm scared I won't love my children as much as I love him; and that he is an astounding person, and I'll never turn my back on him, no matter what.
I want him to know these things before I'm gone. I want him to know that he's always been the most important person in my life, even before he was born. He is brilliant, and his own person, and ready to debate everybody on everything, etc. But he should know these things before I'm gone from this earth. And it's making me wonder what else I haven't said to people, things that they should know -- how much I love them, how much I care, how strong they are, how beautiful, etc. All those things we think but never say.
So here's the challenge...
Tell at least one person the truths that they should know, the things you think but never express in the correct way or context. Try your best. Do it through words, actions, letters, etc. Let the people who changed your life know that they did, and how they did it.
Try it out, and let us know how it goes in the comments or through our contact page.
Love,
Alexis
Our lovely readers,
I'm doing this and perhaps next weeks' reviews early. So let us begin, shall we?
Stung by Bethany Wiggins!
Summary (Yay, Goodreads!): "There is no cure for being stung.
Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.
Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.
Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall."
Can ya tell I've been on a dystopian kick as of late? I've loved the genre since I was ten and reader The Giver (by Louis Lowry), and as soon as I get into it again, it was the beginning of this genre blowing up (lucky me!). Now, I know some feel like they're almost identical, or facing the same crap, but I will never lead you astray to a crappy book, my lovely readers, so no worries with this one!
Imagine waking up at thirteen to an abandoned household; one that's been abandoned for a very long time. Then, you look in the mirror and see that your reflection isn't that of a thirteen-year-old, instead having a woman's curves. And the last memories you have is chocked full of your vanished family, but nothing since you turned thirteen. How bizarre would that be??? Then you notice a tattoo on your hand that you don't remember getting. The next thing you know, you're running and protecting yourself and you don't know what from or why or what the heck happened. Think you could go through all of that emotional turmoil? I know I'd be a bit crazy after that. But our lucky Fiona only knows to cover her tattoo on her hand, and that's it. She sets off on her own, and then gets rallied into the biggest, most dangerous game of cat-and-mouse where there are dozens of cats, and she's the only mouse.
You'll love the quips, the way things are shown and not told, and how vividly you can see this story unfolding in a crumbling town. The story takes all these twists and turns, and you cannot believe any of what happens or why!!! I love surprising books, ones that capture your imagination and lets it run as freely as possible. This book is actually genius, and comes from a whole new perspective of a decaying world that's suffering not because of a shortage of water, or a war. It's awesome and unique!
In Conclusion: Read away, my friends! If you want a fresh dystopian novel that involves a strong female lead, a handsome helper, and a tale that seems so close, so far, and so imaginative all at once, read Stung. You won't be sorry!
Rating:
5/5 lavender bunches (plus 1 bee)!
Alrighty! More is coming this week, y'all, and Ash has a surprise for you guys!!!
XOXO,
Lexi
