REVIEW: Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer

Title: Notes to Self

Author: Avery Sawyer

Published: 2011

This book was sent to me for review! Thank you!!

I was completly blown away by this book. The idea of traumatic brain injuries and the aftermath of them has always fascinated me, so this book was right up my alley. The first chapter of the book definitly got my attention. I wanted to know what happened to Robin and Emily. Once I started reading I wanted to find out more. I wanted to know how Robin's relationships with others would pan out. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Emily. It was interesting to see the challenges Robin had from her TBI. The things we take for granted, like knowing how to take a shower, were a struggle for her. It makes you very grateful for the brain youhave!

I would definitly reccomend this book to anyone who is looking for a romantic comedy/ chick lit/ medical drama all rolled into one.It is a quick read, and once you start, you will want to keep reading!

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

REVIEW: A Deadly Game of Magic by Joan Lowery Nixon

Title: A Deadly Game of Magic
Author: Joan Lowery Nixon
Rating: B

From the back of the book
Seeking shelter from a fierce Texas storm, Lisa and three friends become trapped inside a house that seems abandoned. But is it? As the thunderstorm worsens, the phone goes dead. A lifelike plaster head suddenly appears. A disembodied hand taps the mantel. The friends are now unwitting players in an increasingly sinister games of an evil magician. The key to their survival lies in a mysterious room at the end of a hall, but they must act quickly to avoid the magician's grand finale: murder.

Review
I picked this up off my library shelf and was hooked as soon as I read the back of the book. It seemed like a suspenseful book that would hold my interest over the labor Day Weekend. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the book. Lisa and her friends are stuck in a rainstorm when their car brakes down. They knock on the door of the closest house, where a strange man answers the door. After inviting them inside, the man and a women say they have to leave, but Lisa and her friends can stay in the house until a tow truck comes for their car. When they leave, Lisa and friends are left in a house full of mysterious magic equipment. Strange things begin to happen.

The book was a quick read, and held my attention through the entire book. The end was not what I was suspecting, and slightly left me hanging, which makes me wonder if the book is part of a series. If you are looking for a suspenseful book, full of magic and illusions, this book is for you!

Happy reading!
Bookaholic

REVIEW: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Title: The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Rating: A

Summery from Goodreads

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Review

I absolutely LOVED The Scorch Trials. I recently finished The Maze Runner and instantly ordered this book when I was finished. I don't want to give to many secrets away if you haven't read The Maze Runner yet, but lets just say that I thought this was even better than The Maze Runner. This book held my attention the whole time I was reading it. Once I picked it up, I literally could not put it down. The Gladers are put through so many trials, even more intense than the maze. The twists and turns keep you guessing throughout the entire book. I also really love the characters that were introduced, Jorge and Brenda. They add an interesting dynamic to the whole group. They definitely add some surprises to the plot that you don't expect.

The third part of Dashner's series comes out in October and I hardly ever buy books, but this may be one that I have to buy! Everyone needs to read The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials. But, it probably would not be best to read them out of order because you will have trouble understanding some of the part in the book.

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

Non-Fiction Fun!

I have a very wide range of book interests. I read pretty much anything about everything. I always seem to have 1 or 2 non-fiction books in my TBR pile at one time. By reading non-fiction I feel that I learn more about the world, and the people in it, and I gain so much knowledge. I wanted to do some mini reviews on some of the non-fiction books I have been reading!


A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped when she was 11 years old and was held by her kidnappers for 18 years in a secret backyard. During the course of the 18 years, Jaycee has 2 children with her kidnapper, Phillip Garrido. With great courage and strength, Jaycee survived her 18 year nightmare and came out alive!

Being kidnapped has always been one of my greatest fears, so I have always had an interest in stories of kidnapping survivors, like Elizabeth Smart. This book is written with such great detail by Jaycee herself. It blows my mind with what she had to go through during her 18 years of captivity and how she came out of it with the ability and strength to survive and to continue living her life. She is definitely someone I would consider a hero. This book does contain very vivid detail about her ordeal, so I would caution younger readers.


Brave Girl Eating by Harriet Brown

Brave Girl Eating chronicles Kitty, a 14 year old, during her treatment of anorexia. The book in written by Kitty's mother Harriet. Harriet describes the hardships of having a family member with an eating disorder. Harriet and her husband decide to take on Kitty's anorexia as a family. They want to conquer this beast, and get their family back to normal.

I have always been curious about eating disorders. I have read many memoirs of people with anorexia, but this is the first that I have read from the point of view of the mother. The Brown's take a unique approach to treating Kitty's anorexia, by using a family approach. Once I picked up the book, I could not put it down. I found myself hurting when the anorexia won, and sheering, when Kitty was able to beat the beast inside of her.

Poisoned by Jeff Benedict

Poisoned chronicles a major e. coli outbreak in 1993. E. coli is a deadly strain of food poisoning that killed several children from eating contaminated hamburgers from a fast food chain. Poisoned interviews the families, doctors, lawyers, and others that were involved in this story. The book discusses how the outbreak happened, and how it could have never happened.

I saw this book on the new book shelf at my local library and was instantly drawn in when I saw that the book involved children. I had never really heard of e.coli, so I learned a lot from this book. I learned the dangers of eating under cooked meat and the what can happen when people are not careful. The book discussed the different cases that were filled against the fast food chain, which I though were a little slow. Overall, the book was very informative and I enjoyed reading it!


Hopefully these encouraged you to do a little non-fiction reading. You never know what you will learn when you pick up a book!

Happy reading!
Bookaholic

In My Mailbox (3)

In my mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren. Bloggers post books that they have received, borrowed, bought, etc. This is IMM for this week!

Won!
I won these three ARC's from Mug of Moxie's ARC giveaway. These are my first ARC so I was very, very excited to receive them! Thank you Mug of Moxie!

• Into the Wild Nerd Yonder- Julie Halpern
• My Worst Best Friend- Dyan Sheldon
• The Secret of Lying- Todd Mitchell

Borrowed

• XVI- Julia Karr
• Another Faust- Daniel and Dina Nayeri
• Zeitoun- Dave Eggers
• Dispatches from the Edge- Anderson Cooper
• Hurry Down Sunshine-Michael Greenberg
• Unlocked-Ryan G. Van Cleave
• Brave Girl Eating- Harriet Brown
• Incarceron- Catherine Fisher

I definitely have a book problem. I still have 3 books left from my library trip and 7 or 8 on my TBR shelf. I went into the library only wanting to get 2 or 3 books and came out with 8! I have an addiction, and it is bad. At least admitting you have a problem is the first step!

Happy reading!
Bookaholic

REVIEW: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Rating: C

From the Back of the Book
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her head. But even that's not safe. Because there is something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth.

Review
I was very excited about reading this book. I had read several great reviews and I always enjoy reading books that have a psychological background. Selective mutism, which is what I assumed Melinda had, always fascinates me. From the time I started reading, it was a very quick and easy read, but I must say that I was very disappointed. I did not understand the plot line at all. It jumped from her relationship with others at school, to her family issues, to friends and boys, and so on and so forth. I did not think that it really had a purpose, it seemed to me that it was more of Melinda writing in her diary over the course of a year. I knew that the main issue was supposed to be about something that happened at a party, but it did not seem to take priority in the plot of the book. Melinda also did speak in the book, just not very much, which I thought kind of ruined part of the reason why I wanted to read the book in the first place. It was just a very strange, confusing, slightly boring read for me.

I have read some other things that Anderson has written, and I have generally enjoyed all of them, this one however just did not do it for me. I know that others have read it and enjoyed it. Comment below if you have read it and had other ideas about the book. I would really love to hear!!

Thank you to the people that have commented on my other posts. It really makes me smile to see them!

Happy reading!
Bookaholic

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Rating: A-

Summary from Amazon
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Review
This is actually the second time I have tried to read The Maze Runner. I checked it out from the library a few months ago because I had read some awesome reviews on it and I am a huge dystopian fan. This first time I tried to read it I only read the first 20 or so pages because I just could not get into the book. I ended up returning it without finishing the book. I decided to read it again because I knew that there were so many people that raved about the book and maybe I was just not giving it a chance. I knew that I was obviously missing something. This was definitely a lesson in second chances.

Well, let's just say I proved myself wrong. The Maze Runner is an awesome book! It is a perfect dystopian book and has many surprising twists and turns. I loved the interactions between the many different characters, especially Thomas and Teresa. Their relationship keeps you guessing throughout the entire book. Once I finished reading, I definitely wanted to find out what happens next! Dashner has solved that problem for me in writing the sequel The Scorch Trials which I have already requested from the library. This is a must read for any dystopian fans and for anyone who is looking for a book that will always keep you guessing.

Happy Reading!
Bookaholic