Ten Things I Hate About You: Book Edition

August 13, 2016March 13, 2017 Olivia Chanel1 Comment

“I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call. But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.”

Love and hate, both such strong emotions, so strongly intertwined. We love to love, we love to hate, hate to love and hate to hate. It goes for people, material things, and of course books. There are so many books we love, so many books we hate, but then there are those we love to hate and hate to love. They are complicated, messy and we are not sure if what we feel for them is just that, love or hate.

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Books have a way of making you go completely wild with emotions, they take over your mind, and as a result make you feel like you no idea how or what to feel. Do I love this? Or do I hate it? It’s probably a bit of both right? Sometimes this is exactly what I think while reading, it’s a mess. I have a few books that make me feel like this, or well ten to be exact. Here is a list of ten books I have a love/hate relationship with:

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Friends vs. Family by C.L. Stone
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Coming in from the Cold by Sarina Bowen
Heir of Fire by Sarah J Mass
The Death Cure by James Dashner
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

These books are all different in how they make me feel. Some of these books are just books that just made me the dislike the series in general even though I really loved it before, whereas the others are books that just have a certain event that made me go “omg why did you do this, what is this, go back” but that I still love despite that. It’s all just a mess of strong and weird feelings that you make go bratwurst (what??).

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To end things I just want to say, we are all going to have different books that we love and that we hate. Certain books we love might still have aspects that we’re not able to stand. After all, we’re all different people with different taste.

This post is supposed to be a fun discussion post about the complexity of feelings we can have for books. However, if a book is problematic and hurtful then it’s our duty to say so and warn our peers. No one should ever have to read a book with bad representation.

Other than that, I do think love/hate relationships with books are good. They fuel discussion and make us have to think a bit more about our emotions. Also hating something in a book doesn’t mean you actually hate the book itself, which is something we should all remember.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with a book? If yes, which one?

Freebie Friday #5

August 12, 2016October 18, 2016 Olivia Chanel1 Comment

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Ladies and gentlemen, and everyone else too, in case you hadn’t noticed (which seems impossible) we have another Friday on our hands *drumroll* and I have more free books to recommend. This is my fifth Freebie Friday, and if you’ve missed one of my previous ones you can check them out here. If you’re lucky some of the books are still free!

This week for Freebie Friday I have two young adult books for a change and I’m really excited about that. They’re quite different but lovely, we have Holding On by Rachael Brownell which seems cute, a tad bit sporty and has two guys the girl is torn between. The other book is Introductions by C.L. Stone which is about a girl from a troubled home who finds comfort in a group of boys that has secrets she can never know. Holding On I haven’t read yet, but am dying to, whereas Introductions is actually one of my most fascinating reads from last year. Read their synopses below.

Remember guys, the books I recommend are free the moment I publish my post but I can never guarantee they’re free for long so once you see it, grab it! That’s what I do.

Holding On by Rachael Brownell

Goodreads. Amazon.

For five years Becca has been struggling to hide her feelings for her best friend, Brad. Now she finally has a chance to move on. She’s in a new city, she’s attending a new school, and she’s met the first guy besides Brad who’s held her attention in a long time. Not only is Ethan attractive, he’s an amazing tennis player, and he might just be Becca’s match on and off the courts.

Brad has loved Becca for as long as he can remember. Now that Becca’s family has moved two thousand miles away, Brad may finally be ready to lay his heart on the line and do whatever it takes to hold on to Becca.

But is Brad too late? Or will Ethan’s secret drive Becca back into Brad’s arms? Torn between her love for Brad and the promise of something new and exciting with Ethan, Becca has an almost impossible choice to make, the choice between letting go or holding on.

Introductions by C. L. Stone

Goodreads. Amazon.

With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.

When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.

Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they’ve sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she’s forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she’s traded one house of secrets for another?

Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.

The Academy, ever vigilant.

Book Review of The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

August 11, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia Chanel1 Comment

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The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Publication Date: February 23, 2016.

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books.

Genres: Young Adult and Historical Fiction.

Rating:

Selling points: Captivating story as well as raw and relatable characters.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn’t like being a teenager anywhere else. Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger.

Four very different lives are about to become entangled.

Thank you Wendy Lamb Books for my advanced review copy of The Smell of Other People’s Houses. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

The Smell of Other People’s Houses is a rarity you don’t see often. There’s something about this book that’s so incredibly captivating. The way it’s written and the voice Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock has in this book is so incredibly magical. She draws you in and makes you take the same journey as the characters you read about. Something we don’t often think about is how everyone and everything around us has a distinct smell. Your mom, when you hug her, the smell of her hair is the smell of security. The smell of your house, your school, your lover’s house. Even if you don’t think about, they all smell different and they all represent something different to you. These four main characters that we follow through the book convey this and shows us how something as trivial as the smell can mean so much and how it can play such an important part in one’s life. A perfect example of that is a quote from the first chapter:

Top Ten Tuesday #2 REWIND Top Ten Books I HAD to Buy but Still Have Not Read

August 9, 2016October 18, 2016 Olivia Chanel11 Comments

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. If you want to read more about their blog feature and join the fun, you can do it here.

This week the theme of Top Ten Tuesday is REWIND meaning we should back and do a topic we missed over the years, or recently, or a topic we really want to revisit. Considering this is only my second week of doing Top Ten Tuesday this fit me like a T. I looked at all their previous topics and found one that fit me just perfectly, Top Ten Books I HAD to Buy but Still Have Not Read. For those who don’t know me, I’m a serial e-book buyer. I’m on Amazon all the time and am always searching for good books for a good price (this also inspired me to start my blog feature Freebie Friday). This has left me with a lot of books in my kindle library and also a few in my physical library that I’ve still not read. So here are ten books I had to buy but still haven’t read,

1. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter.

2. Flat Out Love by Jessica Park.

3. The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma.

4. Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate.

5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

6. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

7. How To Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle.

8. The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi.

9. The Unearthly by Laura Thalassa.

10. Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas.

Which books did you just have to buy but still haven’t read? I’m really excited to know so comment with your answer. What theme did you choose this week for Top Ten Tuesday?

July 2016 Wrap Up

July 31, 2016October 18, 2016 Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

July came and went, and it really has been a lovely month. In the beginning of the month I stayed with my best friend Amy for ten days (she’s the girl I make the Moody Book Monday posts with) and it was just the best. We got to just hang out, celebrate her birthday and she showed me Amsterdam. I loved it, it was amazing staying with my best friend and exploring a new country for the first time.

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This is actually my first wrap up post ever, which is mostly due to the fact I just started blogging four months ago and I wasn’t as active earlier during the year. So now, what happened during July? Let’s summarize!

Books Read

During July I have read the following books, I’ll be linking them to Goodreads so you can check them out and add them. While you’re at it, you should totally add me on there to see more of my bookish thoughts. My Goodreads.

Books Reviewed

During July I have reviewed 3 books on the blog. Some I enjoyed more than others but in case you missed one of them, you can read the reviews again and check out my thoughts.

YA Fantasy Gets Social Media: Unicorn Tracks AU

July 23, 2016July 23, 2016 Olivia Chanel5 Comments

Do any of you guys ever read a YA Fantasy book and wonder what the characters in it would do in our time and world? What social media accounts would they have? What would they post? Sometimes imagining your favorite fantasy characters in our world is just the best thing ever. That is why I came up with YA Fantasy Gets Social Media, where I create social media accounts for my favorite fictional characters from young adult fantasy books. I’m not sure how often I’ll do this but I do know that I loved making this post so I’ll definitely make more!

The first YA Fantasy to get social media is *insert super intense drumroll* Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember. This is by far one of my favorite reads this year. I’m just so in love with Mnemba and Kara, and of course all the magical creatures they encounter. I mean unicorns and mermaids, be right back while I just fangirl for a moment. If you need further convincing as to why you have to read this book, read my review here (I gave it five slices of cake) and add it on Goodreads.

Mnemba and Kara’s iMessage texts

If Mnemba and Kara lived in our time and world they’d both have iPhones (matching ones 0f course because goals) and they’d be all over each other with texts. Mnemba is usually busy during the day holding her guides and Kara must stay behind to do some much needed work with Tumelo in the office. However, when Mnemba gets a little reception in the wild she sometimes texts about the ridiculous things the tourists say. Kara is usually fast to respond, often with a joke and a reminder to stay alert, to which Mnemba replies that she’s the expert.

However, when they’ve been away from each other for a while the texts do get a little more heated and when they think no one is looking they are often found smiling at their phones because of something the other one has sent.

Mnemba and Kara’s Instagram accounts

After that I can see both Mnemba and Kara getting Instagram. I can imagine Mnemba uploading pictures of the quiet views she encounters during her guides. When she’s not too busy keeping the foreigners from getting eaten by animals she might even try to catch a picture of a Chimera just to show Oswe once again who’s the best of the best. When she’s not doing that, Mnemba is probably uploading pictures of her beautiful girlfriend Kara, her very own Chimera. Her favorite photos is always the ones where Kara looks at peace just soaking up the sunshine.

For Kara I can see her Instagram being filled with her research and lots and lots of pictures of the beasts she studies. Everything from unicorns, to river mermaids and griffins. However, a lot of pictures are really just of Michi and him growing up to become the beautiful unicorn he is. When Kara is not taking pictures of animals, she’s probably kissing her girlfriend and trying to sneak a picture or two while she’s still asleep in the morning.

Mnemba and Kara’s Twitter accounts

Twitter is something I think Kara would just love. It’d be the perfect tool for her to promote her book The Beasts of Nazwimbe and also Tumelo’s growing business. Mnemba claimed in the beginning that she sees no use of having a Twitter but after a lot of nagging by Kara, Mnemba just asked her to make an account for her. Mnemba mostly uses her Twitter to retweet all of Kara’s tweets and tell the world how intelligent and beautiful her girlfriend is.

Disclaimer: This Unicorn Tracks AU is purely made as a fun thing for me and is nothing official. These amazing characters belong to Julia Ember but the words are made up by me, not the author. The pictures belong to their respectful owners.

That was it for YA Fantasy Unicorn Tracks Gets Social Media. I hope you thought this post was as fun to read as it was for me to make. I have also uploaded these pictures on my Tumblr so you can reblog it here if you’re also on there. Do you guys think Mnemba or Kara would get any other social media accounts? If yes, which ones?

If you haven’t read Unicorn Tracks yet I really recommend it, here are a few useful links for you. You can go to Julia Ember’s website here, add the book on Goodreads here or just buy it directly on Amazon here. You won’t regret it!

Welcome To Olivia Chanel’s Book Restaurant

July 17, 2016April 3, 2018 Olivia Chanel5 Comments

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Olivia Chanel’s book restaurant. Are you looking for a bite to read? To take a sip of a summer read or just take a dish of a dark and complex heroin for dinner? Then this is the restaurant for you! Down below you can see this week’s menu. We have a wide range of dishes, desserts, drinks and wines you can choose from.

This week’s House Special is a very adventurous and sexy dish, one that will make you taste the dreams of Las Vegas. This week the chef has chosen Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie.

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ARC Review of We Awaken by Calista Lynne

July 14, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia Chanel1 Comment

We Awaken by Calista Lynne

Publication Date: July 14, 2016.

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press.

Genres: Young Adult, LGBTQIA, and Fantasy.

Rating:

Selling points: Asexual girls, cute romance, and a happy ending.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: Victoria Dinham doesn’t have much left to look forward to. Since her father died in a car accident, she lives only to fulfill her dream of being accepted into the Manhattan Dance Conservatory. But soon she finds another reason to look forward to dreams when she encounters an otherworldly girl named Ashlinn, who bears a message from Victoria’s comatose brother. Ashlinn is tasked with conjuring pleasant dreams for humans, and through the course of their nightly meetings in Victoria’s mind, the two become close. Ashlinn also helps Victoria understand asexuality and realize that she, too, is asexual.

But then Victoria needs Ashlinn’s aid outside the realm of dreams, and Ashlinn assumes human form to help Victoria make it to her dance audition. They take the opportunity to explore New York City, their feelings for each other, and the nature of their shared asexuality. But like any dream, it’s too good to last. Ashlinn must shrug off her human guise and resume her duties creating pleasant nighttime visions—or all of humanity will pay the price.

Thank you Calista Lynne for my advanced review copy of We Awaken. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

We Awaken is such an important book, this book shows us that interracial couples within the LGBTQIA community can thrive, survive and get the happy ending they deserve. This book is about two asexual girls and their journey together realizing who they are and how they can be together. We Awaken is a reminder that one’s sexuality is yours alone, yours to claim, yours not to claim and no matter what, you are valid just as you are.

Book Review of Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges

May 17, 2016September 8, 2020 Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges

Publication Date: March 29, 2016.

Publisher: Kensington Books.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, and Romance.

Rating:

Selling points: Deals with heavy topics such as addiction and abuse. It is a story about forgiveness and love, and it is magically written.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: Every star has its own path…

“I can’t ever be the blazing star that Iris was. I’m still just a cold, dark satellite orbiting a star that went super nova.”

Andria’s twin sister, Iris, had adoring friends, a cool boyfriend, a wicked car, and a shelf full of soccer trophies. She had everything, in fact—including a drug problem. Six months after Iris’s death, Andria is trying to keep her grades, her friends, and her family from falling apart. But stargazing and books aren’t enough to ward off her guilt that she—the freak with the scary illness and all-black wardrobe—is still here when Iris isn’t. And then there’s Alex Hammond. The boy Andria blames for Iris’s death. The boy she’s unwittingly started swapping lines of poetry and secrets with, even as she tries to keep hating him.

Heartwrenching, smart, and bold, Dreaming of Antigone is a story about the jagged pieces that lie beneath the surface of the most seemingly perfect life…and how they can fit together to make something wholly unexpected.

Thank you Kensington Books for my eARC of Dreaming of Antigone. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Be aware that this story deals with topics such as suicide, abuse, and addiction.

Dreaming of Antigone is a tragic story about a family surrounded by loss, heartbreak, and secrets with Andria and her twin sister Iris at the center of it all. Iris died of a drug overdose six months ago, something Andria, her family and their friends are still struggling with. Andria is now trying to continue her life through her grief, in a world where she’ll discover that not everything is as it once seemed.

The Fruity Book Tag

May 13, 2016October 19, 2016 Olivia Chanel1 Comment

Hey guys! The other week I was playing around with ideas for the blog and potential blog posts and then this idea hit me. A book tag! I have seen a lot of these going around, and though I have been tagged to do two (I think) I just thought it’d be really fun to make my own. It’s pretty simple, there are six different fruits and six different topics. Down below are my choices but I’m dying to know yours. I don’t know a lot of book bloggers yet but I’m tagging Amy at Book, Babbles and Blues, Sil and Mana at The Book Voyagers, Nini and Devon at Some Love Is Infinite and Nashaly at Books After Midnight. However, if you are reading this and would like to join the fruity fun, then you are hereby TAGGED!

APPLES – a book with forbidden love

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Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is an old favorite book of mine, and you can definitely see how it’s about forbidden love. It is about Patch, a fallen angel, and Nora, who is everything Patch cannot have. Their love goes against every law, oath and basic common sense in their world filled with fallen angels, humans and the immortals.

PINEAPPLES – a book with a latinx character

Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance by Shellee Roberts is about Mariely Hinojosa, a hispanic girl, with lots of personality and charm. I absolutely love Mariely. She is witty and beautiful, but still insecure about herself from time to time. However, she grows so much throughout this book and no matter what she is faced with, she gets through it due to her strength.

WATERMELONS – a book that takes place in the summer

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is about Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad and the summers they spend together at their families’ shared beach house. Jeremiah and Conrad have been Belly’s brother figures, her crushes and more. However, a lot will happen this summer that’ll change their future ones. It’ll be a wonderful and terrific summer all at once.

BANANAS – a book that is anti-slutshaming

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Rikki by Abigail Strom is a New Adult about Rikki and Sam who have hated each other since junior high. However, when they start college they decide on a truce. The reason why this book is anti-slutshaming is because Rikki and her group of friends are so different in their sexual experience yet always respect everyone’s choices.

MANGOES – a book with non-western setting

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Huntress by Malinda Lo is a fantasy book that has Chinese influences and is inspired by I Ching. I actually haven’t read this one yet but from everything I’ve seen and heard I just know I’m dying to. It is a book filled with action and romance, and two girls that have been set out on a mission to save their people’s survival.

POMEGRANATES – a same-sex ship

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Far From You by Tess Sharpe is one of my favorite books of all time. This young adult is about recovering addict Sophie and Mina. Mina died in what everyone thinks was a drug deal gone wrong, however, Sophie was there and is the only one who knows the truth. Mina was murdered. This is a story filled with secrets, two girls who were in love, a hunt for a killer and the dangers that comes with it.

That was it for this fruity book tag, what would have been your answers? Please let me know below or make a post on your own blog, I can’t wait to hear it!

Disclaimer: These pictures were taken from Freepik, a website that provides free graphic resources to everyone. I do in no way claim ownership and all credits goes to the respectful owners.