Rachel

'When I finished school and people told me I had the whole wide world in front of me, this wasn't what I had in mind. I feel this burning up inside me, and sometimes it's all I can think about - this restlessness and energy that feels so strong it seems strange people can't see it written all over my face.

I need something to do, somewhere to be. Things have got to change somehow.'

 

Well hello there, extremely accurate description of how I feel every damn day of my life.

Yeah look I don't know if I have any idea where this story is going but I am VERY invested. Still experiencing my typical audio-book-zone-out issues but this lady narrator has a sexy voice, mmhmm yes indeed.

'Until then, we're going to keep making memories like this, moments when we're the only two people in the whole world. And when we get scared or lonely or confused, we'll pull out these memories and wrap them around us and they'll make us feel safe. And strong.'

 

Well. Finished my first LHA (okay I've listened to Twisted on audio, but I kept zoning out due to the horrible narrator). I saw her speak on two panels at the Sydney Writer's Festival this past w/e and she is most excellent. One of the panels was Realistic Issues In Teen Fiction, and it's clear as to why she was on that panel. From what I know of her books, some of them tackle serious shit. TIKoM = PTSD, which she has written about incredibly well. So while I wouldn't say it is a book that is easy to read because of this, I really quite liked The Impossible Knife Of Memory. Loved Hayley. She is strong as hell and she made me laugh (Finn too).

One of the things Laurie said on the panel (that resonates with this book) is that while sometimes her characters go though terrible things, she always tries to end her books on a hopeful note. So if by some miracle you're reading this, keep that in mind while reading TIKoM. Especially when you hit page 342.

I am so enjoying this NA series so far. I think I may have liked The Deal slightly more, but this one made me laugh out loud in a few parts. I love humour with my romance books. There's not much room for fun if everyone's so serious about sex all the time, you know?

Starting to feel a little unhinged/overwhelmed when it comes to the books that I want to read. And it's completely my own fault when I own books that I REALLY REALLY want to read, and still I keep buying more books but also putting books on hold at the library in an attempt to stop buying so many books that I haven't read. I'm a fucking mess at the mo, seriously.

I think it's worse cos I'm starting to get really annoyed about not having a plan of what to read next cos there's just so many of them! So I thought to myself 'you should write a BookLikes post about it Rachel, and include a list - that might make you feel better!' 

So here we go, this is what I'm going to read next:

First, three library reads:

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Saving Daisy by Nick Earle

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Then I'm going to go with I Was Here by Gayle Forman and Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho

Then another two library reads:

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Annnnnd then that book Annette lent me ages ago: Scarecrow Army by Leon Davidson

Fuck planning after that. I have another seven holds at the library plus 60+ other TBR books that I own. Can't even be bothered.

So yes, I feel better now. Better that I spent time writing this post rather than reading. I feel GREAT. Well kinda. One side of ze brain is all 'YESSSSS ORDER LISTS I LOVE LISTS' and the other is 'I MUST KEEP READING AND NEVER STOP OR DO ANYTHING ELSE. HAHA'

I guessed the secret. I never guess the secret! Quite enjoying. Hoping to finish today. 

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE BOYS WITH CURLY HAIR. The End.

Okay. So after quite liking Elle Kennedy's The Deal, I decided to give some of her other romances a go (this book is co-written with Vivian Arend, who I hadn't read before) cos I always need me some good romances.

I don't know if I can say I liked this. I liked it more than the first one &, like the first one, some lines did genuinely make me laugh... then other times I was just laughing at the book itself. Needing 'possession of the woman' was waaaaaaay too strong & nearly made my eyes roll out of my head. I truly can't stand the line 'you're mine' in any context. The storyline was pretty ludicrous/non existent. Clearly it was about the sex. But! I didn't see the plot twist until a few pages before. I feel pretty dumb about that, cos really Rachel? You dipshit. Only other thing to add is read Elle Kennedy if you like reading threesomes. Could be her thing cos both books in this series have them & another novella of hers I read also featured one.

'Very, very naked. 

His best friend's sister was naked.

In the back of his mind,  it occurred to him that he might've just penned a very nice haiku, but Jack was too busy seeing Pepper naked to count all the syllables and find out.' 

 

 

Heeeeeeh. I appreciate the hell out of this quote

I love rereading. It can help cement your thoughts about a book that maybe you weren't too sure how to feel about after you read it for the first time.

I mean, I understand why some people don't reread cos you know how it goes - sometimes you find you don't like it as much as you did the first time around. And that sucks. But on the other hand, sometimes it's even better - which is the best feeling and one I've had with all 3 of my rereads so far this year. 

ANYWAY, SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BOOK NOW RACHEL

It's been so long since I first read CUTB that I couldn't remember much of it. Completely blanked on the ending too. What I do remember is that I didn't like Parker Fadley that much. But man, I loved her this time around.

I don't know if I'll ever find the words to properly express how Courtney Summers' books make me feel. But I can say that I hope she never EVER stops writing the way she does.

Two things: 

1. Parker Fadley is so unlikeable. And I love her.

2. This is my 3rd reread for the year. Go me for sticking with this challenge thus far

"Ryan's eyes are grey but there are bits of gold in them too. Sometimes when he looks at me the warmth coming from them takes me by surprise. I miss him so much."

Oh this book. I appreciated it much more the second time around. I think the first time I read it, I thought it was going to be a fluff read. And this book is about as far from a fluff read as you can get. Powerful, painful and so so raw. The title of the book matches the writing perfectly.

Ah, the way Carly & Ryan's relationship develops. It's so awkward. I love it.

Starting to feel a little unhinged/overwhelmed when it comes to the books that I want to read. And it's completely my own fault when I own books that I REALLY REALLY want to read, and still I keep buying more books but also putting books on hold at the library in an attempt to stop buying so many books that I haven't read. I'm a fucking mess at the mo, seriously.

I think it's worse cos I'm starting to get really annoyed about not having a plan of what to read next cos there's just so many of them! So I thought to myself 'you should write a BookLikes post about it Rachel, and include a list - that might make you feel better!' 

So here we go, this is what I'm going to read next:

First, three library reads:

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Saving Daisy by Nick Earle

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Then I'm going to go with I Was Here by Gayle Forman and Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho

Then another two library reads:

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Annnnnd then that book Annette lent me ages ago: Scarecrow Army by Leon Davidson

Fuck planning after that. I have another seven holds at the library plus 60+ other TBR books that I own. Can't even be bothered.

So yes, I feel better now. Better that I spent time writing this post rather than reading. I feel GREAT. Well kinda. One side of ze brain is all 'YESSSSS ORDER LISTS I LOVE LISTS' and the other is 'I MUST KEEP READING AND NEVER STOP OR DO ANYTHING ELSE. HAHA'

I'm sorry, As Stars Fall. I do like you but you're a little slow-going so I've been putting you off a bit. 

Enough of that now. I have NO idea where this book is going, but shit's starting to get interesting y'all.

This was an impulse buy in my Boxing Day Bookoutlet order of 12 books and what an unexpected surprise. I really, really liked this. It was short but just long enough to make an impression on me.

"He cared about me, but not enough.

He said I was special, but words don't mean anything without actions to back them up.

And maybe I'm special, but it's not because he said so."

 

4 STARS

Favourite read of 2015 so far. Which may not seem like it means that much as it's only the 23rd of January, but trust me, this one is going to stick with me for a while. I feel like someone's stomped all over my head. Or maybe it's my heart. Or maybe I'm just tired and have too many emotions right now. Whatever. It's 1:45am, I'm going to go to bed now.