Review: Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 ~ Ashley LP ~ Leave a comment

Title: Almost Midnight

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Summary: Midnights is the story of Noel and Mags, who meet at the same New Year’s Eve party every year and fall a little more in love each time . . .

Kindred Spirits is about Elena, who decides to queue to see the new Star Wars movie and meets Gabe, a fellow fan.

Midnights was previously published as part of the My True Love Gave to Me anthology, edited by Stephanie Perkins and Kindred Spirits was previously published as a World Book Day title.

Review:

Midnights is a beautifully written story, spanning many years, and all the same characters as they change throughout time. But some things, such as love, definitely stay the same, even flourish.

It is heart-warming, and wonderfully written by one of my favourite authors. Rainbow Rowell is a master when it comes to language, and making her readers feel something. This is sweet, cute, and to the point with a hint of nostalgia.

Kindred Spirits is a tribute to fandom, to the people that follow it, and love it, sometimes to their own sleepy detriment.

It is also a tribute to Star Wars, and what that franchise, and its characters has come to mean for the fans. It was sweet, and well written with just the slightest bit of conflict.

To me it was very Breakfast Clubesque, but with some awesome fandom references.

The Weirdest Top Five Books from 2014 List You’ll See

January 4, 2015May 27, 2018 ~ Ashley LP ~ Leave a comment

I managed to read, including comics, 125 books in the year 2014. Not all of them were published in 2014, in fact fuew of them were but this list is based off books I read, and here they are.

So here are my top reads from 2014, in no particular order. They were even fun, or they hurt, or reminded me of a happier time in my life.

Kingdom of Scars by Eoin Macken

This book is extremely well written, and reminded me of how tough adolescence can be, while giving me an insight as to what it might be to grow up in a different class climate, and what it’s like for boys growing up as well. It was not the easiest of reads, but it was a coming of age tale I just know I’ll go back to again and again.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

This book and the sequels reminded me of how easily you can become engrossed in a book. Or a series. This was one of the best written, best researched books I’ve read in a long time. The story telling was excellent, the characters and scenery leaping from the page into mind.

Band-Aid for a Broken Leg by Damien Brown

This is a book that reminds me that maybe I as a person don’t do as much as I could to help those outside of my family and social circle. It was an inspiring read that I still think about almost daily.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

This will make some people arch an eyebrow, or even turn away in disgust. But amongst my trying to read world class literature, and more non-fiction this was the book that reminded me that reading was supposed to be enjoyable and fun. The characters are flawed, in the best possible way and this is a series I’ll no doubt visit again and again.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This was a book that hit close to home, because I’ll admit, this is the character closest to me, only I’m not hauling in any boyfriends any time soon. It’s well written, clever, angsty, fluffy and fun. Rainbow Rowell is a master of writing.

This year, in 2015 my goal is to read 80 books.

Let’s see if I can’t savour my books a little longer, and take a step outside every so often. Let’s see if I can read more classics, or if it’s the year of the supernatural once again as 2014 yielded a list containing more vampires, werewolves, skinwalkers, time travellers and fae than any year before.

All I know is that I’ve got a lot of books on my shelves that still haven’t been read and they too should take up some valuable real estate in my imagination.

Book Challenge Days 16-20

July 20, 2014May 27, 2018 ~ Ashley LP ~ Leave a comment

Day 16 – Favourite female character

Oh the choices the choices I could make for this challenge are vast, and each as different as the next. So I’ve gone with two.

Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. She’s a woman after my own heart. She’s tough, yet isn’t scared to be vulnerable around those she truly cares about and that makes her one of the best in my book. She’s a bleeding heart in some ways, and captured my attention from page one.

The other character I would choose is Thursday Next as written by Jasper Fforde. She’s clever, inventive and oh so hilarious and I can’t help but love her. She’s tenacious and just so wonderful.

Day 17 – Favourite quote from your favourite book

“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.” -C.S Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew

Day 18 – A book that disappointed you

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

I’m actually re-reading this book, because my sister swears to me that the second book is better, and the third book was even better.

So I’ve decided to re-read it, but I’m finding that certain parts of it lag just like they did before, and I’m beginning to think that the descriptive nature of this book is just not my cup of tea. Though I’m still going to finish this book, as well as the second book because I paid for it, and sometimes that’s all it takes for me.

Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie

It’s not a book, or at least not a full length novel but my favourite book turned into a movie might surprise you. It is The Body by Stephen King, which was later turned into the movie Stand by Me starring River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell.

It was one of those movies I watched over and over again, and one of those books where I did exactly the same. I just loved both, as they were a wonderful tribute to adolescence and the friendships you have in those times.

Day 20 – Favorite romance book

Not really a romance novel, but the book that had me squirming happily, squeeing and oh so happy was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I’m no stranger to fandom, and to wishing that things were different when I’m reading, or watching a TV show or movie.

This book felt to me, like I’m sure it does to a lot of people, like it was a reflection of who I had once been and in a way who I still am. It was gorgeously written, and captivating.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

January 4, 2014May 27, 2018 ~ Ashley LP ~ Leave a comment

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel like my life has been highjacked by an author and used for fictional purposes, and yet I am perfectly okay with that.

I read this novel in the span of two hours, with the knowledge that I was probably reading what will end up being my favourite book of 2014 and it’s only the beginning of the year. What does that mean for the rest of the time? I don’t know. I’ll find something.

I would like to preface this review by saying I absolutely, positively did not want to read this book at all. It was everywhere though and I couldn’t avoid it so finally I gave in.

After all a book about a girl who loves fan fiction and a fictional world so in tune with books I’d loved (possibly Harry Potter, possibly the Magicians) couldn’t even be that good could it?

I was wrong.

Cath is a very fulfilling and enriched character, with all of her flaws laid out before her and sadly it is in her that I see my own flaws. The ability to bury ones self in a fictional world to avoid what is going on around you is seen in this book. But the realization that the world around you might not be so bad is what makes this novel great. When she began to come out of her shell I felt a sense of pride.

This book is just awesome. It’s not masterful literature and might not be considered a classic by anyone who isn’t in a fandom but it’s fun, and it’s a fast read and altogether lovely.

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Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

January 4, 2014May 27, 2018 ~ Ashley LP ~ Leave a comment

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eleanor and Park is a book so well written about how even in youth there is a sort of classist division which needs to be struck down.

I know I might be reading too much into it but I completely and utterly fell in love with this book and everything it stood for. The ability to see beyond what’s there and to find common ground no matter what we look like is something that I wish people were more aware of.

Eleanor is not the most likeable of characters, but seems mainly to be a victim of circumstance, and when circumstance dictates that she needs to change her life in some small way, or even in a large one she does and that is what is so great about this book.

Park is a character who evolves from someone who passes judgment to realizing that not all people are who they seem to be and that your life can change if you take one simple step.

In some ways this novel was reminiscent of a John Hughes film, in that the characters spoke in a way that people actually do and teenagers are not treated as anything but human beings who might not be fully developed yet.

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Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

January 4, 2014May 27, 2018 ~ Ashley LP ~ Leave a comment

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can we talk about this book and how much I loved it?

The premise was one that had me tilting my head from side to side actually wondering if it could be good or not. But the way it is written, in a way that makes it feel like it’s a story being told by a friend instead of a complete stranger is ever so welcoming.

This book was clever, and amusing. It was such a quick read, and I loved all the different characters. Beth, Jennifer, Lincoln, Doris.

Lincoln is an awkward character, who amuses me in some ways because of how very human he is. He’s not one to pretend to be something he’s not and when he does try it’s ultimately the worst idea.

It was a warm read, and I suspect I had a smile on my face the entire time that I was reading it, that’s how much I enjoyed it.

I hope some of my friendships are as good as Jennifer’s and Beth’s, and that if someone were reading my work emails between colleagues that they would get as much amusement and entertainment out of them as Lincoln does those two.

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