WONDER | Book Review

Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Genre:YA / Middle-Grade 
Published by: Random House
Originally Published: 2012
Page Count: 310

"WONDER is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. The thing is, Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?" (taken from goodreads)

I picked this book up at my local library due to recommendation of a friend and the ever-growing booktube community that have garnered much praise around it. I started hesitantly but grew to become fairly fond of this book.

The characters in this book are incredibly well-thought out, it's nice to read a perspective from someone younger than who I normally read about. But the book does not just have August's perspective, but many people who interact with him throughout his first year at middle school. His sister Via probably has the most thought-provoking narrative and perspective, she offers another view to August's story, one that is in itself rather sad at first, but also rather wonderful. It was a great idea on the author's part to divide perspectives to gain a real sense of the world 'Auggie' is living in. I wish we had a perspective perhaps from one of those people who had taunted August, but this was not to be. 

The writing of this book is very simple, but that is to be expected, in part due to its younger characters, but also its audience. I would probably recommend this for a younger audience, those in middle school themselves, not necessarily for me. But that does not mean I did not appreciate this book. 

I won't say too much because not only has a lot been said already by many reviewers alike, but this book is such an easy read that I think you should make up your own mind as always. 

Definitely worth a read; it has its touching moments and heart in abundance. ★★★★☆.

UPDATE | 22nd September 2013

Hey guys! Thanks for sticking around.

So the big move back to University is an event that's fast approaching, and so my blog has taken second place behind uni and my little holiday to the lakes.

I thought i'd update you and say what I have planned / what's coming on here.

First of all, I have reviews planned for 'The Pact' and 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?', which should be coming soon.

Secondly, I was thinking of maybe incorporating film reviews as well as book reviews, because, I usually have a lot to say on films.

Also, I have updated the links at the top of the page, I've got a collection of all my ratings for the year, a long with my rating system.

I hope you're having a lovely day, and I'll talk soon,

I promise.


Robert. 

Friday Reads | 13th September 2013

The Pact by Jodi Picoult. 

First published in 1998, 'The Pact' centres around two families (The Hartes and the Golds) who are very close neighbours, however one day the families are pushed into turmoil when one of the Gold's daughters, Emily, is shot in the head, supposedly by her boyfriend, Chris, the Hartes' son, as part as a suicide pact.

I'm currently in the Lake District in Cumbria, staying in a cottage in a lovely little village with the parents and the dog. The cottage has come equipped with its own bookshelf and I've just had to take advantage of the opportunity to read free books. One of the books is 'The Pact'.

I've only just started this, if you can spot, my little train ticket marks that I'm only 20 pages into this book and already we're thrust into the lives of the Hartes and the Golds. Every detail is described and every emotion written. So far, so good. I think I may enjoy this.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? By Agatha Christie.

I read this on the journey to the lakes and it proved a really enjoyable, fun mystery that Christie is so famous for. The characters were a little incredulous but I found the mystery intriguing and the writing fantastic. All in all, I really liked it.

Note: Errors and unstructured layouts are all part of the fun of writing a blog post on your phone. 

UGLIES | Book Review (NO SPOILERS)

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: YA / Dystopian
Published by: Simon & SchusterOriginally Published: 2005
Page Count: 425

"Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait for the operation that turns everyone from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. But new friend Shay would rather hoverboard to "the Smoke" and be free. Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. When Shay runs away the authorities offer Tally an ultimatum, find her friend and turn her in or never turn pretty at all."

You've probably worked out that this is another dystopian YA book, one that has actually garnered a lot of attention and praise. Sadly, I am still unsure on this book's appeal, it has an interesting premise but ultimately does not deliver.

I'm going to first start off by talking about the world that Westerfeld has created. In which, I am incredibly conflicted. On the one hand it's incredibly well-thought out, Westerfeld clearly has this world in his head, he just fails to introduce us to it well. We are almost plunged into the world, sort of in media res, but not quite. We aren't plunged into the story, really, more the world. The world is described to us, but I didn't feel as well introduced or interested. The language and names used are incredibly juvenile, whether this was intentional or not, I'm unsure but I wasn't too keen on the names 'Uglyville' and 'New Pretty Town'. It's a very apt description, but come on, in a dystopian novel you have so much breadth to invent names and histories and he chooses 'Uglyville'. 

When Tally is on her quest to find Shay and 'the Smoke', we finally get a sense of world-building but even then my attention for some reason was not being held.

The characters aren't anything to be desired, I was left unattached and not bothered what would happen to them. Tally isn't anything special, she doesn't have the key to the future but the end of the novel really makes her role a much more significant one. 

The plot is slow and I think a story only really kicks in at about page 100, maybe even 200. You would think this is because the first 100 was for 'world building', but it was kind of just Shay and Tally bonding, which was good to see but I had no interest because each character was dull and boring. Tally wants to be with some guy, who is now a pretty, while Shay wants to explore their world and elope with the mysterious David. 

Now you just know there's a love story sub-plot here, don't you? And of course, we find one! It isn't that badly put together but once again unneeded. I didn't mind it as much as I have done with other YA books, but I fear the sequel is going to produce some conflicted love / love triangle that I will most likely despise. 

The book had its moments, and its premise was brilliant. I thought it was very interesting to see such a future, a future that isn't so hard to imagine. However, the lack of story at several points made my attention shift to other books and for that it can't receive anything other than 3 stars. 3 stars meaning it's okay, but you should probably read it to make up your own mind. I'll probably pick the sequel up if it's at the library, but if not, oh well.

Friday Reads | 30th August 2013

Well hello there, stranger! I know, I know, I'm being really bad at updating this wonderful blog, but never fear, I have remembered you!

No, seriously, why am I such a let down. My bout of books readathon updates have been left alone, and I shall hopefully address this in my 'August Wrap Up', but in the meantime, here's a 'Friday Reads' post. 

This Friday I will be reading: 

'THE ERSATZ ELEVATOR' by Lemony Snicket

Recently, when the bout of books page count was getting too much for me to handle, I decided to re-read 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', by Dan Handler's pseudonym, Lemony Snicket. 

This is the sixth book in the series, and I haven't actually read this one before. So far, it's as brilliant and as wonderful as ever. Book 6 carries on from the rest of the series, the never-ending cycle of Count Olaf trying to get his hands on the Baudelaires and their fortune. 

'The Ersatz Elevator' sees Violet, Klaus and Sunny stay with The Squalors, a very rich, very brilliantly satirical couple who are only now looking after the children because they're 'in' at the moment, meaning it's very favourable and stylish that you have orphans. 

The series kind of wilted with book 3/4 but now there's a more interesting story line developing and I can't wait to see where Violet, Klaus and Sunny end up. 

That's all for this week, hope you're having a wonderful 'Friday Reads' and I'll speak soon,

Robert :)

Bout of Books 8.0 | UPDATE

Hey guys!

So, I haven't been very good, have I? 
After my first and only update on this readathon I've been going out for entire days and only just managing to read, so the updates have definitely taken a back seat. 

I thought I'd make a MASSIVE wrap up post/video about the readathon that I've so easily failed at. I haven't taken part in any challenges/chats really and I'm annoyed at myself for getting so behind.

UPDATES:

I've finished Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.
I abandoned 'Misery'.
I started re-reading 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', starting with book 2. Now on book 4.
I'm also reading 'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld. 

How did I get so far behind and rubbish at sticking to TBRs?! I'm only 75 pages behind my goal, which isn't that bad.

Final update will be coming Monday, hopefully.

Thanks for reading, bye!

Bout of Books 8.0 | Update One

Hey guys, this is my first update in the Bout of Books 8.0 readathon.

You can see the Bout of Books blog here, and my introduction and goals here.

I'm currently reading 'The Sea of Monsters' by Rick Riordan and it's brilliant! This is the second in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, a 'Children's' fantasy novel that is rooted in Greek mythology, in which the gods of Olympus have come down to earth and had children with mortals and thus creating 'Half-bloods' such as Percy.

Percy has such a unique voice through the way he words things. But he introduces everything to the reader once again, at first I thought it was just a part of Percy, now it's annoying, but I guess it is so that children who read it don't forget information and can follow the books easily. It makes me wonder if Riordan continues this throughout the series.

So, I'm 101 pages into 'The Sea of Monsters', as I finished the remaining 135 pages of 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner. I posted a review of it here. It wasn't the best book in the world but it had its moments.

I read 236 pages yesterday so I'm on top of my goals, today I haven't read anything though and it's already 12.30pm. I better get making progress.

Hope the readathon is going well for everybody, leave your blog in a comment if you wish so we can spur each other on together. 

I'll post a shorter update tomorrow and will probably post a mid-week update on my channel. 
See you soon, 

Robert.

THE MAZE RUNNER | Book Review

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Genre:YA / Dystopian
Published by: Chicken House
Originally Published: 2009
Page Count: 371

"When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas can remember is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade, an encampment at the centre of a bizarre maze.

Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there, or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything to find out."

I picked this book due to the overwhelming attention that has gone with it. I first heard about it on the likes of Joey Graceffa's youtube channel, and had since been recommended to read it by my friend, Sean. I've just finished it and these are my thoughts.

I'm going to talk about this book chronologically. 

The opening. I don't think I can articulate my anger at the first, what, 100 pages of this book. Luckily, I'm allowed to type ARGHHHHHWHATISTHIS, and you will probably grasp my point. The novel is written in third person, and we follow Thomas throughout the entirety of the book, almost. When Thomas is welcomed into the maze, no one is willing to help him. This may be good writing about how tired the other boys have become with this world, but I don't get that impression, I feel Dashner was trying to build suspense. He instead drove me away from this novel. I read two other books alongside this, just to feel sane. Every character would tell Thomas things but then when Thomas asks a question he is immediately shot down and not told anything. It became a viscous circle of characters not saying anything and being annoying. 

The language of the boys in this novel is interesting, they appear to remember so much of the outside world without directly remembering the outside world itself. However, they invent names to call things, to call people. At first I thought it ingenious, a new world, a new language. Then it just seemed a little irrelevant, surely if they remember words, they remember offensive ones?

The book has many promising moments when the plot picks up, but it's through stupid decisions of Thomas, that have no real reasoning, that we are finally able to taste a slight bit of action. After that it is left to the final third of the book to convince you that what you read was worth while. The plot picks up, questions are finally going to get answered, and then it ends. It's just one big build up to the sequel and it was annoying.

The premise of this book wasn't even so original that I can praise it, we're pretty aware what's happening in the outside world if we know dystopian YA. And frankly, I'm sure I understand dystopian YA. 

I can't say I'm going to read the sequel anytime soon, but overall, even though I did rant a lot in this review. It wasn't the worst book I've read, but it's definitely not the pinnacle of dystopian YA. It has its moments where it sucks you in, it's short chapters mean it's an easy read and you pretty much breeze through it after the initial bump in its opening. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

Bout of Books 8.0

Hey guys, so I've decided to sign my blog up for the bout of books readathon, the only readathon I've done was the booktube-a-thon and that was a lot of fun and made me read so many great books. So this post will be about signing up and what is in my TBR.

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

So, what to read? 
I'm going to challenge myself to read around 200 pages per day, (1, 400 pages all together). And in this readathon I hope to read the following books:

Stephen King - 'Misery' (369 pages)
James Dashner - 'The Maze Runner' (the remaining 163 pages)
Rick Riordan - 'The Sea of Monsters' (265 pages)
George RR Martin - 'A Feast for Crows' (778 pages)

Obviously, I do not intend on finishing 'A Feast for Crows' by George R.R. Martin, however, I did place this in my August TBR and I feel this readathon will be beneficial in helping me start this MASSIVE book. 

I plan on making update blog posts on what I've read every 1/2 days. 

Robert.

Friday Reads | 16th August 2013

Earlier in the week I was faced with the daunting task (for me) of reading three books at the same time, two were the same genre and it made it quite difficult. My tiny brain isn't used to such torment and confusion. Luckily, this Friday, I'm only currently reading two books and they are as follows:

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn

'Gone Girl', as seen on the cover is hailed as 'thriller of the year' by The Observer, as has since lived up to this claim. 

I've been reading this with my friend, Emily, and I'm just over half way through it. 

It's premise is that Nick Dunne's wife, Amy has suddenly vanished on their fifth wedding anniversary, and the novel is from his current point of view, inter-spliced with diary extracts of Amy's from over the course of the couple's relationship. 

So far it's incredibly well-written but as I'm finding out more and more, it's lexis is not for one who is easily offended. The characters so far are awful, as in, they seem like incredibly arrogant people, but that is what makes this novel and at the moment I'm becoming incredibly invested, I can't wait to see what other twists await in the last third of this thriller.

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

I have a feeling this is going to develop into your run of the mill dystopian novel. 

The book follows Thomas, who wakes up in a maze, with no memories or clue as to where he may be. The beginning was rather slow and has the most infuriating opening to a YA novel I think I've ever read. It is slowly developing however, and I find myself getting more and more invested into this strange world that these teenage boys have found themselves thrust into. 

I'm hoping to finish 'Gone Girl' soon, and then I shall continue on with 'The Maze Runner'.

Let me know what you're reading this Friday, and leave your blog in the comments so I can find more bloggers.

Happy reading,

Robert.

GONE GIRL | Book Review

Title: Gone Girl 
Author: Gillian Flynn
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Published by: Phoenix
Originally Published: 2012
Page Count: 463

"Who are you?

What have we done to each other?

These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. 

Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears this isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. 

He says they weren't made by him And then there are persistent calls on his mobile phone.

So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?"

I picked this book up on a whim, I needed a third book in one of those 3 for 2 deals, and this was the most appealing. I do not regret for one second picking up this book.

'Gone Girl' is divided into two perspectives, Nick Dunne's and his wife, Amy's, alternating between each perspective with each chapter. Nick's perspective begins on the day of his wife's disappearance and charts his life as the mystery unravels about his wife's disappearance. Amy's perspective is a series of diary entries throughout the couple's relationship, from their first encounter and onwards. It follows Nick and Amy as they have returned to Nick's former home in Missouri, to help his sick family and to recover after their failing careers in New York.

Through these perspectives we get a real sense of annoyance and aggravation with these characters, especially Nick. Nick is a lying, beautiful-on-the-outside, ugly-on-the-inside narrator. It becomes very obvious that he keeps withholding information from the reader and all you are left with is a sense of sheer hatred for this main character; almost the protagonist is the antagonist. This isn't down to Gillian Flynn's poor writing, but down to her excellent writing. Nick is supposed to be unlikeable, it makes him more interesting, it makes you turn each page as a new plot twist is revealed, one that churns your stomach and makes you wonder who the hell are these people? 

Amy's diary entries are so deliciously enticing. They're filled with crude language and brilliant description. Amy and Nick were both writers in New York, so it works well that they are both brilliant storytellers. 

The novel starts off fairly slowly, lets the reader adjust to these characters' minds, as it does take quite a while to get your head around them. The slowness of the opening and the complex minds of the protagonists makes it a struggle, almost. However, after that the novel takes a turn, a fascinating one, one filled with plot twists and shocking moments, and it works really well. It has brilliant references to pop culture that make the novel all the more satisfying as you delve deeper into these sick characters' lives. (It also makes reference to one of my all-time favourite films, Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock, and reminded me of Vertigo's different narrative structure). 

What is brilliant about this book is its comment on the media. The media is a force to be reckoned with inside this novel, they forge the rise and fall of the characters in this book. Flynn's comments depict the intrusiveness the press is, not only to these characters, but to the public's minds, and because of that the novel acts as a fantastic allegory.

I can't really say too much when it comes to the plot without giving away any spoilers. So I shall keep this review reasonably short. (Although, I already see it becoming fairly lengthy). Like I said, the beginning was slow, but after that you are launched into a domino effect of circumstances that shock and make you shiver. The jargon of some characters can be offensive and vile but it is great at creating character development and allowing the reader a deep insight into the minds and personalities of that character. 

The ending really hindered this book, although it is also understandable why Flynn decided to end it in such a way. It again further exemplifies the personalities and egos that she has set up and reinforces that the novel is a captivating read that makes you want to read more and more until there is nothing left but acknowledgements and enticing adverts for the author's other books. 

'Gone Girl' is a book that demands to be discussed. Flynn's impeccable writing stems a deliciously page-turning book that afterwards leaves you feeling unnerved about the human psyche and curious about that lovely commitment that is marriage.
5 out of 5 stars.  

City of Bones | Book Review

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA / Fantasy
Published by: Walker Books

Originally Published: 2007

Page Count: 442

"Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City - and the dangers of forbidden love."

The first thing I should probably reveal is that I had a lot of issues with this book, and I guess it has to start with this obnoxious blurb. I don't usually go off blurbs a lot, nowadays, I usually read books that have been recommended or have decent goodreads reviews. When I do read a blurb, I understand that it probably isn't going to be the best representation of the novel, but that blurb, my, they must know their target audience, and I'm pretty sure I'm not that.

The novel follows Clary Fray, a fifteen-year old girl who at the beginning of the book is in a club, seemingly for all ages, when she witnesses what appears to be a murder. However, it seems no one else can see what's going on. From there the plot develops as Clary discovers that she is a part of this world that she's suddenly become aware of, and has 'shadow hunter' blood within her. A shadow hunter being someone who hunts demons. She meets Jace Wayland, a young shadow hunter, who is obviously very dark, brooding and naturally, incredibly attractive (hello typical YA trope). Clary is now on a quest to understand who she is and what she is. 

I think my main issue with this book lies within its wafer-thin characters. Clary is thrust into this world with her best friend, Simon. And despite maybe a slight fear, the pair suddenly become completely okay and natural with this crazy world around them filled with werewolves, vampires and warlocks. Clary succumbs naturally to the charm of Jace and he being the arrogant sod that he is, loves it. 

Jace is cocky and yet slightly alluring, as all YA guys tend to be. He has a charm of honesty and fearlessness. And yet, he is maybe the only redeeming part of this cast of characters. He certainly seems to have some character development in him... somewhere. 

Simon is Simon, the geeky best friend who is naturally in love with his girl best friend. 

Then we have Isabelle, Alec and Luke. The saving characters of this book, and of course, Clare uses them sparingly. Maybe wisely so. Isabelle and Alec are a brother a sister shadow-hunting duo, who are energetic, intriguing and... attractive. (No one's mediocre looking in this book). They are proactive and seem to be at least two dimensional. 

Luke is mysterious and cooky, and I like him. (He's Clary's mum's very close friend.)

Okay, I've rambled way too much about the characters. Time to talk about the plot.

Wow. The domino effect is strong in this book. It seems everything links to another thing, which in turn links to another thing, and finally another thing. These characters are rarely stood still, collecting their thoughts. They're always in the middle of something. Which is great! It keeps the plot rolling, keeps the action coming, but my, you better keep up because before you know it, they'll be discussing what a nephilim is, and you best hope you've been paying attention! Because of this, I found my eyes skipping across pages, getting bored of this terminology we're just supposed to understand. It's great that this world is so planned out, but Clary seems to understand it instantly, while as a reader, I found it rather difficult. 

The novel harbours a nice little plot twist in its finale. Although, it isn't nice, can be seen a mile away and doesn't make sense. The ending destroyed the hope I had for this, it promised  fight scenes, but before we could get a sense of the action, Clary was off with the reader trailing behind her. 

I did enjoy certain aspects of this book, however. The shadow hunters use runes to help them in their quests. They mark symbols onto their bodies with a 'stele', a small stick-shaped device, and it is to help them if they are hurt, or give them certain abilities and agility. It's a handy weapon that I don't think I've seen used much, so I enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed the fact that these beautiful human beings were scarring their bodies to protect themselves, it just seemed... fitting. 

Overall, what I liked about this book was the idea of it. I think I'm getting rather sick of teenage YA girls and how they picture and are obsessed with these YA teenage boys who are so often either jerks or insufferable soppy messes (this book, conveniently has both). In the end, I guess I would read the second book as I have been assured that it is better, and I do think this is one of the better typical YA novels.

Three out of five stars, I think is an accurate rating.  

TBR Pile (TAG)

Hey guys! 

Long time, no post! So I thought I'd do a little tag here.

I was going to do it on my youtube channel but I have so many things to upload 

already and have so little time to film. 

So this tag involves my TBR pile and it involves picking out different books per scenario/question etc. 

1. Choose a book at random from your shelf. Which book is it?

'The Knife of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness. The only reason I selected this to show you is because of it's beautiful cover. The novel follows Todd, who lives in a town where everyone can hear each other's thoughts, although, one day Todd comes across a place of silence. I believe the plot develops from there, but I'm unsure. I hear good, bad, interesting things about this book, I simply picked it up on that basis. 






2. The hype monster has invaded your book shelf. Which book do you choose to throw at it?

'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner. There's 

so much hype surrounding this book, whether 

it's from Joey Graceffa's youtube videos or from 

the booktube community itself. The blurb does 

sound fascinating, however: Thomas wakes up 

only to remember his first name, he's 

surrounded by boys who welcome him to the 

Glade, an encampment at the centre of a 

bizarre maze. No one knows why or how they 

got there but every morning when the walls 

slide back, they will risk everything to find out. 

(Also, I love the book cover).

3. Pick out the book that has been on your shelf the longest.

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg 

Larsson. This book has been on my shelf since

all the initial hype came about it in like 2009? I 

started to read it and got really confused by the 

names of places and characters and I

abandoned it. It just sits there now, waiting for 

me to make sense of it. I've put off watching the 

films as well because I NEED to read it first, but 

it's just so daunting. Again, I really like the 

cover. Gah! I love book covers!

4. Your pile has fallen over. Oh no! Which book do you rush to save?

'A Feast for Crows' by George RR Martin. I 

NEED to know what happens in the rest of this 

series, as soon as possible.

If you don't know, this is the fourth book in

Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series, and 

continues of from 'A Storm of Swords'. It's quite

a large book but I'm sure I'll devour it!

5. Pick out a sequel to a book you really enjoyed.

I'm going to have to pick another George RR 

Martin book, 'A Dance with Dragons: Dreams 

and Dust'. I don't really own many sequels, and 

the ones I do have, I've almost certainly read 

because I bought them in anticipation and

needed to read them asap. Apart from the 

'Chronicles of Narnia' series by C.S. Lewis, 

these are the only ones that remain unread. But 

I much prefer 'A Game of Thrones' over 'The 

Magician's Nephew'.

6. Which book is top of your pile (the one you're going to read next)?

'Misery' by Stephen King. I'm so excited to read 
this book! I've never read any Stephen King 
and he was one of the authors I mentioned in 
my '5 Authors I Haven't Read Yet' video. Out of 
all the ones I mentioned, I'm the most excited
about this for some reason. I love the simplicity 
of this cover, and I got it for like 33p at my local
book 'cycle'... BARGAIN! 

Thanks for reading guys!

Hope you enjoyed this little tag I did, you should certainly try it out. 

It's always nice looking through your TBR list and subsequently get excited about all the 

wonderful books you have yet to read. 

Have a lovely day,

Robert x

Review: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Title: Boy Meets Boy

Author: David Levithan

Genre:YA / LGBT / Romance

Published by: Alfred Knopf 

Originally Published: 2003

Page Count: 185

"I was the first openly gay president of my third-grade class. I have seen men holding hands walking down the street in a big city and I have read about women getting married in a state that's not so far away. I have found a boy I might just love, and I have not run away. I believe that I can be anyone I might want to be. All these things give me strength." 

Boy Meets Boy follows the protagonist, Paul, an openly gay sophomore in high school. At the beginning of the book the captivating Noah tumbles into his life, and the pair are soon romantically linked as they both develop feelings for each other.  The town they live in is a paradise, an idyllic refuge for gay, bisexual, transgender, and frankly, every type of person. The book epitomises "YA romance" but has a whole cast of characters who are growing in character in each and every page.

The setting of this town is completely science-fiction, yet somehow believable. Every one in Paul's town seems wonderfully accepting and beautiful, they all embrace difference, and there's no one who epitomises difference than the homecoming queen and star quarter back Infinite Marlene (formally known as Daryl).

What I adore about this book is its collection of characters. You obviously have Paul at the centre of the story, he is the root that stems to each connecting character. Paul is likeable and relatable, he's your typical teenager. Noah is interesting and loveable. But besides these characters you have Tony (who I personally adored), he lives in the town next to Paul and lives in a religious household, where his parents try to ignore his homosexuality. His friendship with Paul is completely platonic and utterly perfect, the pair do not judge each other and are always there for each other.
You also have Joni, Paul's former best friend, isolating herself from her friends due to her boyfriend, Chuck. (We've all known a Joni, haven't we?)
You have Kyle, Paul's former ex who is now straight and claims Paul 'tricked' him. And you have Paul's parents, Tony's parents, Paul's brother Jay and Noah's sister Claudia.
Throughout the 185 pages you get a glimpse of people you have known in real life, fictionalised in Levithan's work but so beautifully. It's so sad that we don't see more of some characters. I personally would love to know more about Tony and Claudia.

There's not much I can say about this book, it follows and confines to certain tropes such as boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy tries to win girl back. But no, we have two males at the centre and its refreshing and original. It's a juxtaposition of the norm, yet it is completely the same. With Paul's town being so accepting, the novel portrays a gay relationship as similar and as typical as any other, and that's what I like about this book. I believe it is a few years before its time. It perfectly depicts what teenagers go through and it has nice references to popular culture and certain issues, such as the US's boy scouts issue, in which gay boys had been excluded from the scouts (something which has now changed). It refers to Paul's town having 'Joy Scouts', which I think is just wonderful.

The novel is a very character-driven book, like I said, and it has become one of my favourites, which I feel is a necessity for all gay teenagers. If I had read this at fifteen, I would have treasured it so much. Sadly, 15-year-old me was not much one for books, nor one to be suggested this kind of book by the people I surrounded myself with.

A quirky little book with a lovely ending. 4 out of 5 stars.