Snapshot Sunday | Books of Wonder

I've wanted to stop by Books of Wonder for a while now, but never find myself in that part of town. Today I happened to walk by on my way to the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, so I decided to stop in. I took a peek at the Young Adult section, and found beautiful shelves replete with signed copies. Due to my budget, I couldn't grab anything at full price. However, I'm so glad I finally had the chance to see what this shop has to offer. I hope to visit again soon (they have a lot of book events!).

Book Review | I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson

I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson
Published by Atria/Keywords Press on March 10, 2015
Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Comedy
Pages: 228
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased (I also received an eARC from NetGalley)
Goodreads: ★★★★

The book that more than 12 million YouTube subscribers have been waiting for! Shane Dawson’s memoir features twenty original essays—uncensored yet surprisingly sweet.

From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life.

In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done.

REVIEW

I've been a Shane Dawson viewer for a few years now, and was excited to hear that he was releasing a book. I Hate Myselfie is a unique memoir containing short essays that document events throughout Shane's childhood. It is a very quick read, and I ended up flying through it on the day I purchased it. Shane was holding a book event at Barnes & Noble Union Square, so I jumped at the opportunity to meet him in person and get a signed copy. You can read more about my experience at this event very soon (I'll link it here once my post is live!). 

When it comes to rating and reviewing I Hate Myselfie, I'll admit it's not an easy task. First and foremost, I'm a biased reviewer because I've watched Shane's videos for so long that I understand his comedy style. The average person picking this book up off the shelf might be offended by the crude language and anything-but-policially correct stories. I decided to base my four star rating on the fact that this book will mainly be read by Shane's fans, who I imagine will relate to my reading experience.

The first thing I really enjoyed about I Hate Myselfie is the writing style. Shane's written voice is just like his spoken one, and that made the essays feel extremely genuine. It felt like Shane was writing letters to me, and not like he was writing a book for the public. The essay format was a great choice, as it allowed readers to hear about many different events in Shane's life, and permitted him to jump around in time without the book feeling choppy. I especially liked the sections of dialogue within each essay. They made the stories flow very easily, and added a personal touch. While this writing style might feel very colloquial to some, it was a logical choice for this genre, and helped make Shane even more accessible to his fans. 

I also thought it was great that the book included fan art. Each essay's title page had an illustration by one of Shane's viewers that corresponded with that particular essay. Readers even got to know each artist a bit through a short bio on the back of each illustration, and many of those bios included social media information for the artist. While this may be a small part of I Hate Myselfie, it was such a nice touch to include Shane's audience in the book. I liked the feeling of community these illustrations brought. 

One critique I do have of I Hate Myselfie actually has nothing to do with the writing or content of the book itself. I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the book binding. By this I mean that the publisher chose to release the book in paperback that is not the best quality. I purchased the book brand new at Barnes & Noble, and the edges were damaged and the spine was coming apart as I read it (quite carefully) for the first time. In addition, the title and cover pages are very plain, and I was surprised at the lack of design on the book itself. In fact, I Hate Myselfie feels almost more like an unfinished ARC (advanced reader copy) than a finished work. I wish the publisher put more effort into the book's presentation do to Shane more justice. I know this is somewhat of a petty complaint, but when a paperback book of under 300 pages is $16.00, I expect a good quality product. 

Putting that aside, I really did enjoy I Hate Myselfie. I'm not sure that I would recommend the book to those who don't know who Shane is, but if you are even vaguely interested in learning more about him, or if you enjoy comedic memoirs, I say go ahead and pick up a copy. While I didn't necessarily learn anything surprising about Shane in this book, I do feel readers get to know him more on a personal level, and get a good peek inside some very emotional times in his life. I would love to read more essays from Shane in the future should he get the opportunity to publish another book. 

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Book Review | Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers

Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on February 10, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads: ★★★★

Avery VanDemere says she's lived her whole life in prisons—-one is a mansion, the others are private schools—-but prisons, still. That's why, during the last couple of years, she's perfected the ability of learning how to escape. On the brink of finally freeing herself from a hated boarding school, she is unexpectedly returned home and thrust in the middle of a competition. Her grandmother, the family matriarch, is now determined to discover the most worthy VanDemere to be named sole inheritor. With the help of Riley Tate, the handsome son of her grandmother's lawyer, Avery sets out to do much more than prove she should inherit the massive family wealth. She has a secret mission of her own, and that's to discover the truth about what really happened to the mother she never knew. Along the way she must pass difficult and sometimes perilous challenges, avoid treacherous relatives, and sort out her growing feelings for Riley. She'll have to act quickly, though; the pressure is on and with each challenge, her competitors are more desperate to win—and to them that means getting rid of Avery.

REVIEW

I was drawn to read Inherit Midnight as soon as I heard it's about a rich family competing against one another in a race around the world to inherit their grandmother's estate. How awesome does that sound?! I love movies such as National Treasure, and this story is along the same vein. I absolutely loved the fast-paced adventure in this novel, and had a very difficult time putting it down. However, there are a few things I want to discuss.

First, the romance in Inherit Midnight is extremely cringeworthy and one of the worst cases of instalove I've experienced. I thought it was interesting that the author admits to the instalove, but that didn't justify it. Instead, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the dialogue between Avery and Riley, and couldn't get over how "in love" they were after just a few weeks of knowing one another. In fact, I would have enjoyed Inherit Midnight much more if the romance was put aside. I wanted to focus on the family competition, and not on the angsty teenage love. 

Moreover, there were a few small details in Inherit Midnight that annoyed me. For example, the chapter titles were unnecessary and distracting. I'm not sure why they were included at all. In addition, I was a bit unnerved by how the lawyers were written in this story. As a law student, I didn't like the portrayal of the lawyers and their behaviors, but I'm one of the few people who would actually pick up on that. Finally, the ending of the book was really unbelievable, but I cannot say more without spoiling you.

Putting those critiques aside, I really enjoyed Inherit Midnight. I loved following Avery as she and her family were tasked with the different challenges, all while traveling around the world and learning about their family history. The action never wavered, and once the competition began I didn't want to stop reading. I also loved the character development in this book. Avery learns a lot about her family in Inherit Midnight, both her ancestors and those she's competing against. The competition really showed each character's true light, and Avery learns who she can trust and who she can't. 

I also really liked how the author included some subplots in the book, but I won't get much into those because they are spoiler-filled. I will say that I predicted a huge plot twist right from the beginning, but I was excited to find out I was right towards the end. Because this particular twist was a subplot and not the main story, it didn't detract from the overall book when I was able to predict the outcome. I also really loved the last scene of the book. It was sweet and touching, and filled me with hope for Avery's future. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience of Inherit Midnight. In reality, this book probably deserves a three star rating because of the instalove and cringeworthy dialogue, but because it was so action-packed and exciting, I gave it a four star rating. I highly recommend Inherit Midnight if you love The Amazing Race or the National Treasure movies, or if you are looking to break into the thriller genre. Inherit Midnight is a ton of fun! 

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Book Review | Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Bunheads by Sophie Flack
Published by Poppy on October 10, 2011
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 294
Format: Hardcover
Source: BookMooch
Goodreads: ★★★★1/2

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life? 

REVIEW

After reading a few disturbing books at the end of February, I needed to curl up with something that I knew I'd love. I recently received Bunheads by Sophie Flack on BookMooch, a book trading website. I've heard mixed reviews of this young adult novel, but because I was a dancer growing up I was really interested in reading a book featuring a ballerina. I definitely picked up Bunheads at the perfect time – I found it a quick and comforting read. 

Bunheads tells the story of Hannah Ward, a nineteen-year-old in the Manhattan Ballet Company's corps de ballet. The book is written in Hannah's first-person perspective, and is separated into the three seasons the ballet performs: fall, winter, and spring. Readers follow Hannah as she faces a multitude of struggles in her young life. Hannah wants more than anything to be promoted to a soloist in the company, but receiving that position requires a strict diet and workout schedule, and forces her to compete against her closet friends. At the same time, Hannah wants desperately to be a normal teenager, but ballet dancers in the Manhattan Ballet Company rarely leave the confines of the theatre.

I really enjoyed Hannah's story, and connected with her in many ways. Even though I am not a professional dancer, I understand how it feels to move to New York City and try to follow your dreams when you are young and alone. Just like Hannah, I struggle with balancing my career with my personal life, and I really admired how Hannah handled her situation. 

Bunheads does feature a love triangle, but I think it worked really well with this story. It wasn't overdone, and it wasn't dramatic. Instead, it was quite realistic, and the conflict brought an interesting twist to the story. I only mention the love triangle in my review because I know that is a key buzzword for some readers when deciding whether or not to pick up a book. 

The only criticisms I have with Bunheads are very small indeed. First, Flack uses a multitude of ballet terms throughout the novel. Because I took ballet for several years, I had no problem pronouncing or understanding the different dance positions and movements. However, readers with no dance background will probably find these terms frustrating, so it would be very helpful to include a glossary in the back of the book with the proper pronunciations, translation from French to English, and a short description of what the step is. 

Furthermore, I found the pacing in Bunheads to be a little confusing at times. Even though the story was separated by season, I found that time moved much quicker that I would have expected. For instance, if a scene takes place in the book, the next scene could be either the next day, or the next week, or even a few weeks down the road. The timing between chapters was not consistent, and I would have liked more markers so I could follow where I was. However, this is really nitpicking, and it really did not detract much from the story at all.

Overall, I really loved Bunheads and highly recommend it to anyone who was a dancer or who is interesting in dancing. The author is a retired ballerina herself, so I loved the authenticity in the story. I learned so much about what it takes to be a professional dancer, but at the same time I connected to this book on a personal level. I'm really impressed with Flack's ability to make Hannah's story my story even though we lead very different lives. I will definitely be rereading Bunheads at some point in the future, and I anxiously await Flack's next book, whatever it may be! 

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Book Review | We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler

We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler

Published by Bloomsbury USA on February 3, 2015

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Adventure 

Pages: 289

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★

Mega-bestselling author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) gives us his long-awaited and most ambitious novel yet: a dark, rollicking, stunningly entertaining human comedy.

A boat has gone missing. Goods have been stolen. There is blood in the water. It is the twenty-first century and a crew of pirates is terrorizing the San Francisco Bay.

Phil is a husband, a father, a struggling radio producer, and the owner of a large condo with a view of the water. But he’d like to be a rebel and a fortune hunter.

Gwen is his daughter. She’s fourteen. She’s a student, a swimmer, and a best friend. But she’d like to be an adventurer and an outlaw.

Phil teams up with his young, attractive assistant. They head for the open road, attending a conference to seal a deal.

Gwen teams up with a new, fierce friend and some restless souls. They head for the open sea, stealing a boat to hunt for treasure.

We Are Pirates is a novel about our desperate searches for happiness and freedom, about our wild journeys beyond the boundaries of our ordinary lives.

Also, it’s about a teenage girl who pulls together a ragtag crew to commit mayhem in the San Francisco Bay, while her hapless father tries to get her home.

REVIEW

Sometimes I finish a book and I have no idea how to rate it. That was the case with We Are Pirates, and it took me hours of thinking upon completion of the book to be able to formulate my thoughts into words and into a star rating. Let me begin by saying this is one of the most disturbing books I've ever read, and it's classified as adult for that reason. There is violence, crude language, and some sexual content. I definitely recommend this book for mature readers only. 

We Are Pirates is a novel that I picked up purely because Daniel Handler's name was written on the cover. I've never read anything by him before, so I wanted to give his work a try. I expected a fun fantasy story about pirates, and I could not have been more wrong. We Are Pirates is the ultimate family drama. Readers follow the Needle family as an unnamed narrator is relating the story from some point in the future. The book is divided to follow dad Phil, a radio producer in a struggling marriage, as he travels to a conference with his young assistant, and his fourteen-year-old daughter Gwen in separate yet intertwining points-of-view. 

When the story begins, Gwen attempts to steal from the local drugstore, and is sentenced to one month of volunteering at a nearby nursing home. She's partnered up with Errol, a senile old man who asks Gwen to read to him from the pirate books he owns. Soon Gwen becomes enamored with the life of pirates, and decides to put together her own pirate gang and leave her family behind forever. 

We Are Pirates is separated into two parts of equal size. The first part was a bit slow-going for me, as it took me a while to get used to Handler's writing style. It reminded me of JK Rowling's voice in The Casual Vacancy, but of course the stories are quite different. Despite my reluctance at the beginning of the novel, once part two of the story began, I could not put the book down, and flew through it until the end. I will admit, however, I had to take short breaks to process the action. We Are Pirates is very heavy in substance. 

While labeled as a dark comedy, I truly saw nothing funny in We Are Pirates. I didn't laugh while reading, but instead felt shocked and sad, and I cringed a lot. I had to keep reminding myself that this book is a work of fiction because Handler does an amazing job of making the story feel real. It's an unbelievable tale, and I honestly cannot find the purpose in it besides making a comment on humanity. I questioned Handler's sanity at many points while reading We Are Pirates. Who, in his right mind, could even concoct such a tale?!

I know this review is vague and you're probably curious as to why I'm so disturbed after reading We Are Pirates. The only way to cure this is to pick up the novel and read it yourself. If you're even remotely interested in it, I recommend this read with the disclaimer that the contents may shock you. I ended up rating this book a four out of five stars as the beginning of the book was difficult to get into, but I truly did love the writing style. Handler's prose is amazingly done,  and I especially enjoyed the descriptive language and how the story is weaved together. We Are Pirates is a book that is going to stay with me for a very long time. 

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Snapshot Sunday | NBA All-Star MetroCard

I had a scary moment earlier this week when I went to swipe my MetroCard only to discover it wasn't in my wallet. After a few moments of brief panic I remembered – it was in my other bag. My fear turned to annoyance at myself, and I grumbled my way over to buy a new card. I was pleasantly surprised when the machine at Penn Station provided me with a Limited Edition NBA All-Star MetroCard! I had seen these MetroCards advertised on the MTA website, and even though I wanted one (basketball is the only sport I follow regularly), I wasn't going to purchase a new MetroCard just to get one. Thus, you can imagine my surprised when this beauty popped out of the machine. At this point, All-Star weekend was already over, but I was still able to snag one of the 600,000 NBA All-Star MetroCards. Sometimes forgetting something at home isn't all that bad! 

Book Review | The Master of Misrule by Laura Powell

Note: This review contains spoilers for the first book in the series. Please see my non-spoiler review of The Game of Triumphs HERE.

The Master of Misrule (The Game of Triumphs, #2) by Laura Powell
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on June 12, 2012
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 384
Format: Hard Cover
Source: Purchased
Goodreads: ★★★★★

When Cat and her friends put an end to the sinister Game of Triumphs, they thought they could simply collect their prizes and walk away. But they unwittingly created a monster. Before the dust has settled, the self-proclaimed Master of Misrule is engineering a sadistic lottery that will unleash the power of the Game onto an unsuspecting London. Misrule's agenda of chaos threatens life as they know it, gambling away free will for fickle fortune. And his power has quickly grown to proportions they never could have imagined. It all comes down to one final play. Cat, Flora, Blaine, and Toby must go back into the Arcanum and take fate into their own hands. This time they have everything to lose.

This spine-tingling follow-up to Powell's The Game of Triumphs is everything you could hope for in a sequel and more! It's every bit as thrilling and complex as the first book, with higher stakes and even a hint of romance added to the mix. 

REVIEW

I was extremely excited to pick up The Master of Misrule after finishing The Game of Triumphs. The cliffhanger was killing me, and I needed to see where the characters would end up. I was surprised that The Master of Misrule picked up right where the first book left off, with no gap whatsoever in the story. While I was reading the books back-to-back, this second book includes a quick recap of the first book at the beginning if you need a refresher. I found that really helpful! 

The Master of Misrule is thus a direct continuation of The Game of Triumphs, but with an added twist. Unlike the first book, where readers only followed Cat, we now get to learn more about her friends Toby, Flora, and Blaine as they work to get the game back under control after setting the Master of Misrule loose. I really liked getting to know the other characters, and I think Powell did an excellent job with character development. When I learned more about what the other characters had at stake, I was more invested in the story. 

I also found that Powell's writing really matured in The Master of Misrule. The book flowed quite easily, the chapters were a good length, and I kept turning the pages to find out where the game would go next. As with the first book, I found that the story was difficult to predict, but each twist and turn in the plot was logical and believable. I especially loved how each character's story wrapped up at the end.

All in all, I really enjoyed the Game of Triumphs duology. I would love to see this repackaged as a bind-up of the two volumes, as one can't read the first book without continuing on, and because they take place without any lapse in time between the two. The story is imaginative, the characters are complex, and the ending is incredible. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a good young adult fantasy, especially those who are fans of the movie Jumanji. Trust me. 

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