Zoella Book Club Reviews: Everything Everything, We Were Liars, Fangirl

Helloo! When the Zoella Book Club books were announced I was very pleased to see three titles that I had already read and enjoyed immensely. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, E. Lockhart's We Were Liars, and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, are all excellent choices for the book club for sure. It's great that so many people will get to read them! I will definitely be reading through some of the other titles from the list too, but I reckon I've read the best ones! Here are my reviews for these wonderful books:

Everything Everything

Nicola Yoon's Everything Everything is the story of a teenage girl, Madeline, who is allergic to absolutely everything. She can never leave her house, which was been carefully kitted out with state of the art air filtration systems, an air lock at the front door, clean white walls, even her books arrive decontaminated. Madeline is home schooled through online tutors, and her longterm nurse, Carla, checks her vitals several times through the day. The only people Madeline usually sees in person are her mum, who is a doctor, and Carla. When a new family moves in next door, she begins to speak with the son, Olly, through miming and notes held up at their windows, and then IM messages. Madeline is very wary of the dangers of the outside world due to her disease, but she is especially worried about the effects of falling in love. Narrated in first person by Madeline, this book is deals with love, trust, freedom and isolation perfectly. Having the main character unable to leave their location created this great limitation where, because things were kept simple, down to one setting, the author was able to fully explore this space and spend more time focussing on characters and development, which resulted in me really caring for the characters. Simplicity really is often the key. There were so many moments that gave me chills, and I was rooting for Madeline and any chance of freedom she could get, to live a 'normal' life.

We Were Liars

I highly recommend reading this book. I felt completely drained after reading it, which has to be a sign of a well written book. Most reviews and recommendations I've seen on We Were Liars give absolutely nothing away, so I may follow suit on that. But essentially it is mostly set on a family's private island on the coast of Massachusetts, where 17-year-old Cady spends the summer with her cousins. What I will say is that from the beginning there is some great... experimentation with the creative writing. There are metaphors that you don't realise are metaphors until you're half way through them and figure the character's heart hasn't actually fallen out her body and rolled down the lawn. It turns to poetry at points, to great effect. It's really great to see this kind of clever writing in a young adult book, young adults definitely deserve to be seen as clever readers. The reader follows with Cady as she slowly regains her memory, the story slowly revealing itself to the reader through the same fog the character is experiencing. There's romance, friendship, family, tragedy, heartbreak, memory loss, the works. Go read it now! ...And then make sure you have somewhere to have a lie down when you finish it.

Fangirl

Fangirl is the story of Cath and her twin sister Wren, heading off to college for the first time and growing apart as they each find their place away from home: Wren being socially adventurous and outgoing, Cath being mostly afraid to leave her dorm room. Cath is deeply involved in the Simon Snow fandom and has a huge online following for her fanfic. I got right into the Simon Snow fanfic, (I really want the Simon Snow series to be real- there's room in this world for Harry and Simon), and I loved that it was about fandom, BUT I didn't really end up liking the main character Cath or main love interest Levi. I don't know what happened, I connected with her at the beginning when she was too scared to find the dining room and hiding in her dorm and eating tacos with her dad. I think I found her relationship with Levi a little off putting, he seemed sort of fatherly towards her... it was kind of icky. All that aside, I enjoyed reading it and I am kinda thrilled that the world of fandom has been so sensitively explored in the capable hands of Rainbow Rowell. If you haven't already, I really recommend reading Carry On, which is Rainbow Rowell's own exploration of the Simon Snow characters and is so much fun! 

Books I read in October!: Trollhunters, Carry On, As Red As Blood, Anything That Isn't This.

October reads! Books I read in October! Not late at all shh! I read Daniel Kraus and Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters,  Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka, and Anything That Isn't This by Chris Priestley. For some reason it took me absolutely ages to read Trollhunters so only 4 books read this month, which is perfectly reasonable really. I now also only one book away from by 50 book 2015 reading challenge woohoo!

Trollhunters

Set in San Bernardino, California, Trollhunters is about exactly that: hunting trolls. The trolls kidnap children to eat, leaving a slew of missing children reports behind them. Jim Sturges Jr. has lived with the legacy of his uncle's disappearance during the milk carton epidemic in the 60s, with his father's high security house and paranoia as a lasting memory. Soon he is dragged away from his high school life into a troll war he has no choice but to be a part of. A very cinematic book, with plenty of action and adventure. And great illustrations throughout too!

Carry On

This book is so meta! In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl Cath writes fanfiction based on a series of books about a magical character called Simon Snow, basically an alternate universe Harry Potter. Cath's fan fiction series called Carry On is immensely popular online. Rainbow Rowell's Carry On is basically Simon Snow fan fiction. Fan fiction based on a made up series in one of her own novels. META. I loved the Simon Snow parts of Fangirl so I was very much looking forward to this. It was a really fun read. I got right into the world and its history and characters. As advertised there was plenty of kissing and also magic and monsters. The actual book is really pretty too, with great dust cover and a ribbon to hold your place. 

As Red As Blood

This book is about murder and crime and drugs and stuff. Lumikki Andersson has a really good name and lives in Tampere, Finland, where she goes to high school. She gets caught up in a mess of corrupt officials and faceless drug king pins when she finds thousands of euros worth of notes hanging up to dry in the school's darkroom. This has everything I was looking for; snow, good Finnish names, corruption, mystery, murder, and dressing up. 

Anything That Isn't This

Lots of people in the reviews on Goodreads finding this book too weird, too dark, too dreary, but these were exactly the reasons why I enjoyed it. Set in a post-war city, with grim buildings and grim lives being led, seventeen-year-old Frank Palp hates his life and hopes for something more. Frank is in love in a tropey teenage boy in a YA book way, with a popular girl who he hardly knows, and has put up on a pedestal, but in this very surreal Kafkaesque setting Frank's romantic delusions are all part of his journey to understanding his reality. A great humour throughout, with his grandfather's stories told from his grave, and Frank's ministry job calling up everyone in the phone book. Humorous, surreal, weird, dark, grim, brilliant. 

Trollhunters, As Red As Blood, and Anything That Isn't This were sent to me in book form or through Netgalley in return for an honest review, affected in no way by the freeness of the book. 

Top 5 (6) Books: High School Young Adult Fiction

So, obviously a lot of YA contemporary novels have High School as their main setting, but there are plenty that take place over the summer holidays, or at parties, or at college, or on a road trip. High School is a strange and unique place. It needs to navigated. You need to survive it. You're meant to figure out what you want to do and who you want to be. While you're in it, it feels like the most important time in your life, it feels like your whole world. I've picked 6 of what I think are the best High School based YA novels. They each get to the essence of the High School experience for each of their characters. It would've probably been good if I had actually read them when I was in High School (I mostly read Harry Potter and Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, which are both set mostly in High Schools so I guess I got some of the experience). Here they are:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

Possibly the ultimate High School misfits story. Charlie is dealing with a whole lot of repressed-childhood-memory issues, and on top of that has to deal with being a shy, intelligent, wallflower of a teenage boy. The friends he makes (fellow wallflowers), and the experiences they give him (parties, drugs, mix tapes, girlfriends, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) paint the ultimate picture of being carefree and non-conforming. Not caring about popularity in High School must be the best super power there is.

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting- Holly Bourne

Bree starts out the story as very unpopular at her High School. She doesn't care about popularity, or being pretty, or make up, or getting invites to parties. She in cleverer than everyone she knows and is trying to become a published author. When she begins her project on becoming more 'interesting', she ends up playing the system and manipulating the social hierarchy to end up on top. With a new hair cut, stylish clothes, sought after make up brands, and no more sticking her hand up in class, Bree very quickly becomes part of the 'perfects' clique. Bringing the system down from within, and herself with it, there is a definite 'being yourself is important' message. Not caring about popularity is great, but you need to care about yourself. 

Eleanor & Park- Rainbow Rowell

Another misfits novel, Eleanor and Park are both reasonably low in the social standings of their High School, particularly Eleanor, whose family is pretty poor and dysfunctional, so it's especially hard for her to be wearing the right clothes and rocking the right haircut. This is a love story of school-bus-headphone-sharing, and me-and-you-against-the-world first love. Finding refuge from life and school with each other, they are pretty determined to last forever, though they know the universe the probably against them. Eleanor & Park captures the essence of that first High School love. 

Only We Know- Simon Packham

Yet another misfit, Lauren is starting a new High School and trying to get away from the secrets of her past. Desperately hiding her secrets from her new friends, she gets involved in the school fashion show, goes to parties, goes on a date. With the added mystery and who-dun-it of someone from her past threatening to let her secrets out, Lauren attempts to navigate the already difficult waters of being a new student at a High School. The big twisteroo really makes this novel, and once we realise what Lauren has been dealing with, her High School journey becomes all the more impressive. In the end being herself does pay off, with her new classmates fully supporting her. 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks- E. Lockhart

Frankie attends an extremely prestigious boarding school somewhere New England (I think). What makes this story unique, is that while a large portion of it centres on Frankie's rise to popularity through dating a popular guy, and her awareness of the fragility of her position at their table in the cafeteria, it mostly focusses on Frankie infiltrating an elite secret society and attempting to bring down the old-boys-network from within. Like Charlie in Perks, and Bree in Manifesto, she is way cleverer than most of the people she hangs out with, and her drive to be known and respected is about much more than popularity and security. It seems Frankie will continue being herself, and continue attempting to bring down old-boys-networks and patriarchy by any means at her disposal.

Before I Fall- Lauren Oliver

This time from the point of view of a popular High School senior, Sam, the entire book is set on one day, repeated seven times. It's February 12th, 'Cupid Day', which involves valentines and skimpy dressing for school, and a big party that night, at the end of which Sam dies in a car crash. As she lives the day over and over, Sam gets to learn more about her position in the social hierarchy of the school, and about fellow students, the lives of which she had previously deemed unimportant. She sees how her life has affected others, and how the simplest actions can change a whole day. Over the relived days Sam slowly realises, along with the reader, what she has to do to finally come to rest. While being true to yourself and living in the moment is important, being aware of your own impact on those around is equally valuable. 

Be true to yourself! Don't care about popularity! Care about yourself! Care about your friends! Be aware of your actions and their impact on other people! Fall in love, why not! Bring down the patriarchy! 

Authors on Twitter

The book loving online community is a wonderful one, there is so much love on #bookstagram, and on Twitter there are so many good bookish people to follow. Fellow bookbloggers, booktubers, publishers, writers, illustrators, editors, agents, librarians, book trust people; there are so many great, clever book type people whose wonderings and witticisms you can enjoy. (It occurs to me as I write this list that I've chosen all female authors, I'll throw in a token male author if I can find one, but maybe they're just not very funny on or fun on Twitter??)

Here are some of my favourites authors to follow on Twitter:

Louise O'Neill @oneillo:

Louise O'Neill is the author of Only Ever Yours, her UH-MAY-ZING 2014 young adult dystopian novel, and Asking For It, which I have yet to read but comes out this year and sounds equally as harrowing yet brilliant. She's funny on twitter, follow her for such gems as:

Sassy shark stickers are kind of my life right now. Haters gonna hate.

— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) July 30, 2015

I dreamt my father was training the Cork football team and a newspaper article described me as 'the writer of To Kill A Mockingbird'.

— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) July 28, 2015

I've decided I don't really believe in curtains which is either going to make me very popular or very, very unpopular with the neighbours.

— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) July 27, 2015

This bus journey has been interminable. Even eye-fucking the cute backpacker sitting across from me has started to get boring.

— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) July 26, 2015

I have a meeting with my Irish publicist today. That's apropos of nothing but I think it makes me sound uber professional and successful.

— Louise O' Neill (@oneilllo) July 24, 2015

AHHH there are gems the whole way down, just follow.

Mel Salisbury @AHintofMystery :

Mel Salisbury is the author of The Sin Eater's Daughter, which I read earlier this year and I am so looking forward to part two coming out next year. It was one of those ones where I felt a little burst of excitement upon finishing to know that the story wasn't over yet. She is also a Slytherin, and a very good representative of Slytherin greatness. Here are some of her assorted nuggets of wisdom:

"I Read The Comments And Tried To Lunge Into The Screen For A Happy, Stabby Time" - A novel based on true events, by Melinda Salisbury.

— Mel Salisbury (@AHintofMystery) July 29, 2015

I love how there are so many foods you can eat with a spoon. Like soup. And Nutella. And peanut butter.

— Mel Salisbury (@AHintofMystery) July 29, 2015

This is my Hogwarts House Poem: Slytherin, Slytherin, Born to rule, born to win Loyal, cunning, hot as sin Who doesn't adore Slytherin?

— Mel Salisbury (@AHintofMystery) July 28, 2015

Sometimes it's very excellent to stand and look at the sea and realise you are alive right now.

— Mel Salisbury (@AHintofMystery) July 26, 2015

Maureen Johnson @maureenjohnson:

Maureen Johnson is the author of the Shades of London series and lotsa other books too. She is a Nerdfighter and part of the Leaky/Geeky Con team and is dead funny. She's had some kind of crazy illness recently and been funny and witty in the tweet department throughout. She does of a lot of replying funny things to people too, which is fun. She is a COOL LADY.

Saturday. pic.twitter.com/2XOqh1GgG4

— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) April 25, 2015

There is a children's party outside with the reddest, freshest watermelon I have ever seen...

— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) July 19, 2015

In my defense, I am bigger and faster than those children and they don't deserve watermelon like that.

— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) July 19, 2015

The person behind me at security decided they needed to explain every, single, thing I had to do. What a wonderful service.

— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) July 27, 2015

I hope this person enjoys the storage closet I just locked them in.

— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) July 27, 2015

Patrick Ness @Patrick_Ness:

Patrick Ness has written SO MANY BOOKS, which people love. I am really looking forward to The Rest of Us Just Live Here, which comes out at the end of August. I've just starting following him recently for these pearls of wisdom:

BOOKS!!! Not quite as good as shagging, but better than religion, politics or the internet. Books, books, books, books, books!!!

— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) April 18, 2015

Cold sores are proof of the devil. Along with onions. And people described as "perky".

— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) July 22, 2015

Still buzzing after interviewing Judy Blume. Charm and warmth itself. And modest and funny. She really is who I want to be when I grow up.

— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) July 18, 2015

Rainbow Rowell @rainbowrowell:

Rainbow Rowell has a brilliant name and is the author of some great YA contemporary gems. Fangirl was my favourite, and I am so looking forward to Carry On. Such a great idea to take the fictional fan fiction in the book and give it its own book. I've heard good things about her adult book, Landline, which reminds me I should get around to reading it. Here is a sample of her tweetings:

8YO: “What’s your favorite breed of cat?” 11YO: “It’s hard to say; they’re all delicious.”

— Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) July 29, 2015

There are a bunch of dead jellyfish washing up on the beach. As a Nebraskan, my best guess about this is Godzilla.

— Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) July 24, 2015

Right now, I'm sitting and working in a house surrounded on 3 sides by the ocean. It's raining. I have hot tea. And wifi. And PEI is LOVELY.

— Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) July 19, 2015

My son bought one of those handheld sound effect machines and basically I’m living in Bob’s Burger’s now.

— Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) July 16, 2015

REVIEW!: Books I read in January: We Were Liars, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Fangirl.

I read some more books hooray! I managed to read four and start one more in January which is real good for a slow reader like me. Up for "review" today are: E. Lockhart's We Were Liars (2014), Karen Joy Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013), and Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl (2013). Let's go!

Fangirl

So I enjoyed reading this, got right into the Simon Snow fanfic, I REALLY want the Simon Snow series to be real (there's room in this world for Harry and Simon), and I loved that it was about fandom, but I didn't really like the main character Cath or main love interest Levi. I don't know what happened, I connected with her at the beginning when she was too scared to find the dining room and hiding in her dorm and eating tacos with her dad. I think I found her relationship with Levi a little off putting, he seemed sort of fatherly towards her... it was kind of icky. But that didn't stop me enjoying the book amazingly!

All that aside, I enjoyed reading it and I am kinda thrilled that the world of fandom has been so sensitively explored in the capable hands of Rainbow Rowell. I am also now very happy I can join in on the excitement about Rainbow Rowell's next book being Cath's fanfic 'Carry On'!

I've read Eleanor and Park, which I enjoyed- any other Rainbow Rowell books I should be picking up?




We Were Liars 

I highly recommend reading this book. I felt completely drained after reading it, which has to be a sign of a well written book. Most reviews and recommendations I've seen on We Were Liars give absolutely nothing away, so I may follow suit on that. What I will say is that from the beginning  there is some great... experimentation with the creative writing. There are metaphors that you don't realise are metaphors until you're half way through them and figure the character's heart hasn't actually fallen out her body and rolled down the lawn. It turns to poetry at points, to great effect. It's really great to see this kind of clever writing in a young adult book, young adults definitely deserve to be seen as clever readers.

The reader follows with Cady as she slowly regains her memory, the story slowly revealing itself to the reader through the same fog the character is experiencing. There's romance, friendship, family, tragedy, heartbreak, memory loss, the works.

Go read it now! ...And then make sure you have somewhere to have a lie down when you finish it.


We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Hey look! An adult book! Like a real adult I read this book for real adult people, finishing it on the train on my 25th birthday. A really unique story, told from the perspective of a character whose experiences would never have crossed my mind otherwise. The 'twist' happens fairly early on, but still far enough into the book for it to have full twisty effect. Rosemary is a trustworthy and amiable narrator, who guides the reader with humour though a story of family heartbreak and moral questions under less than usual circumstances.












I'm having a bit of a historical fiction February, having read The Miniaturist and now Burial Rites, I might try and round off the month with another historical type thing because having a theme is nice and I've had Kate Atkinson's Life After Life sitting on my kindle for a while now. However I do have something a little more witchy- Half Bad- and something a little more dystopian- Station Eleven- so I'll have to see what takes my fancy.
Most of my book recommendations are coming from book vloggers at the moment- Carrie Hope Fletcher, Lex Croucher, booksandquills, lucythereader