April Wrap-Up

I thought you'd like to know that if you scroll way down and look on the right-hand side of my blog, you'll find my rating system, so you can see what I mean when I give a book/movie a certain rating.

Books I Read

Markram Battles: Omens of Doom by M.C. Muhlenkamp

4/5

Recommended to anyone who likes short stories, dystopian, and The Hunger Games. You can find my review of it HERE.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

4/5

Recommended to anyone who likes urban fantasy, romance, and a good, long series.


A Separate Peace by John Knowles

3.5/5

Recommended to anyone who likes a simple plot and a character-driven stories. This is a great introduction to classics, because it's not difficult to read.

What is the What by Dave Eggers

2/5

Recommended to anyone who likes to learn about history through something that's more interesting than a textbook.

Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger

1/5

I loathed this book so much, I don't even know who to recommend it to. (But I know people like it, so go ahead and try it for yourself, if you want.)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

5/5

Recommended to anyone who likes interesting layouts (the entire book is told through letters), simple stories, fantastic characters (including Charlie, the first protagonist I've loved in a very long time), and a surprising ending.

The Girl In the Arena by Lise Haines

3/5

Recommended to anyone who likes dystopian (thought not necessarily The Hunger Games, despite what the Goodreads book description may say--it's nothing like THG) and a long lead-up before finally reaching a big finale.

Cut by Patricia McCormick

3.5/5

Recommended to anyone who has dealt with self-abuse (though I've never cut myself, reviews of people who have raved about it), likes character-driven stories, and quick reads.

Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story by Veronica Roth

5/5

Recommended to anyone who likes Divergent, quick reads, and a chance to get into another character's head.

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

5/5

Recommended to anyone who likes middle-grade books (though this book will appeal to people of all ages, trust me), quick reads, and quirky characters. You can read my review of it HERE.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

4/5

Recommended to anyone who likes fairytale retellings, dual perspectives, action-filled stories, and a good long, series.

Movies I Watched

"The Day of the Doctor"

5/5

(This is a continuation of the TV show "Doctor Who.") Recommended to anyone who likes to laugh, likes science-fiction, action-filled stories, fantastic characters, and a good cry (which you will several times throughout the series).

"The Time of the Doctor"

5/5

(This is a continuation of the TV show "Doctor Who.") Recommended to anyone who likes to laugh, likes science-fiction, action-filled stories, fantastic characters, and a good cry (which you will several times throughout the series).

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

5/5

Recommended to anyone who likes simple stories, fantastic characters (including Charlie, the first protagonist I've loved in a very long time), and a surprising ending. (I highly recommend reading the book first--with any book adaptation, but especially this one!)

"The Avengers"

3.5/5

Recommended to anyone who likes superheroes, action-filled stories, and likes to laugh.

Quotes I Wrote

I turn to him. "Where is he? Where are you keeping him?"

He chuckles. "Why should I tell you?"

I glare at him. "I will rip you--limb from limb--until you're nothing. Until all that's left of you is a head. And that head will tell me where he is."

--Flightless Birds

“Well, well,” he says, voice a little breathy. “What have we got here?”

I try to put as much hatred into this one glare as much as possible. “You’ve crossed the wrong person.”

--Flightless Birds

I don’t wait to hear the rest of Toby’s sentence, if there is even more to hear. It seems like I’m living in a world full of unfinished sentences these days.

--Flightless Birds

“I can take care of myself.”

“My dear, I have no doubt of that. But everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. Everyone needs a hand to hold.”

--Flightless Birds

The boy pointed to the box of Pop Tarts. “Disgusting food, if it even counts as food. The glands of a beaver’s backside are used as flavoring for the strawberry ones, and who knows what else? Who’s to say whoever came up with the ludicrous idea didn’t say, ‘What the hell, how about we inject the S’mores ones with the anal substance, too?’ I’m Harry, by the way. Harry Potter.”
He extended his hand. I took it.
“You’re kidding.”
“Totally. My parents aren’t that mean. No, I’m Lane.”
--Beneath the Moon and Stars

But she had this look about her, like she was a pile of stone waiting to be chiseled into something beautiful. 
--Beneath the Moon and Stars

She flung herself back against the seat. “God, I’m such a mess today. I got a D in English, I broke down in a grocery store, I shoplifted, and now I’m in—” Her eyes widened a little. “A total stranger’s car, and he’s taking me who knows where. Oh, God.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m just taking you to my house.”
She didn’t look remotely comforted by this fact. I didn’t blame her.
Kya shook her head and stared back out the window. “You could be a murderer, or a rapist, and I just got in your car?” She phrased it like a question, like she was asking herself how she could be so stupid.
“We all do stupid things when we’re upset,” I said, trying to be comforting, but also trying to convince her that I wasn’t a psychopath. How do you convince a person that you’re not a psychopath?
--Beneath the Moon and Stars

Becca stared, open-mouthed, and pointed to Kya.
"Who is this? Where did she come from?"
"I told you I was going to Jake’s [the grocery story]," I said. I poured the cocoa into two mugs.
Becca looked incredulous. "So you bought a person?"
I shrugged. "She was on sale."
--Beneath the Moon and Stars

Obsessions I Acquired

A video game called Terraria, which my brother Max and my friends, Rich and Brennan, introduced to me.

Tea! Okay, it's not an obsession (most of the things on here are just new things I've discovered and liked), but I've been trying tea--different flavors with different sweeteners--for a while now, and I've finally found a kind I like. It's a tea flavored with orange rind and sweet spices, cooled with milk, with some chocolate/coffee ground-up goodness sprinkled on top (thank you, Trader Joe's).

Picture of the Month

This is a picture of Raven from Flightless Birds, if she were a fantasy character.

How was your April?