Monday, April 22, 2013

Classic Pick: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald


Reprinted: September, 2012
Originally Published: 10, April, 1925
Publisher: CPI Group (Alma Classics Edition)
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 180
Format: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Review
There are some books you read that just stay with you, books that you know that you will never forget, you can't exactly put your finger on why - they just are that way, they stay in your mind and in your heart.. The Great Gatsby is one of those books for me. There is something so wonderful about this book, and there is so much reason behind the fact that it has remained as popular as it has. It is just so beautiful. The writing it great, the characters are fantastic and the plot is gripping. This book is heart warming, but also so incredibly sad.

I can honestly say that this is the best classic I have ever read, I loved it! It was such an amazing novel, I have no words. It just was so amazing. Definitely a book worth picking up. F. Scott Fitzgerald does a remarkable job creating this story, these complex and interesting characters. I recommend this book to anyone that likes reading - even people that don't usually read. Go buy it, and read it, and love it!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Release date: 18, September, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 454
Format: Paperback
Rating: 

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Review
When I first picked up this book to buy it, it was the synopsis that drew me in - it seemed interesting, like a book I would enjoy at the least - AND, it did not disappoint. This may well be one of the best books I have read so far this year. I absolutely loved it and could not put it down for the life of me. 
With a set of wonderfully crafted characters Steifvater delivers a gripping story that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The plot twist were amazing and the story went in a direction I did not expect at all, which I loved. As of late, I feel that I have been able to figure out where the story is going before it actually gets there, so it was so nice to read this book where I was so surpried by the plot. It had me hooked from the beginning.
I also really loved the characters - especially Blue, I thought she was a great heroin, and I can't wait to read more of her story in the upcoming books in this series. I also loved Adam, he was just so wonderful, so kind, and then of course there is Gansey, which is a character that I think people that read this book will either love or hate. Personally I loved him, he just seems like the sort of person you would want to know, and he is so driven, and I just like him.
Overall, I enjoyed this book so much, it was a great read and I recommend it to everyone! It was great and I can't wait to see what happens next, because the cliff-hanger is killing me. The next book is unfortunatly not coming out until September, so I'll have to sit tight till then.