My Bookish Distractions

Lia fights a war every single day. A war with herself.

Anorexia is a silent and very deadly disease that many people suffer. Laurie Anderson does not sugarcoat Lia's struggle at all. When Lia stared at her body, disgusted with the imaginary fat pockets her mind conjured, Laurie used almost poetic imagery to describe in great detail what Lia sees. I felt nothing but depressive emotions when I read this book. I nearly cried multiple times, and vary rarely does a book cause me an emotional roller coaster like this one.

This book was spectacular in the way the author tackled on the sensitive subject of eating disorders without being too preachy in describing the horrors.

There was only one complaint I had about the novel. I found the strikeouts throughout the book a little on the distracting side. Also, when Lia started her hallucinations with the ghost of Cassie, the line between reality and imagination seemed to be a little hazy.

I highly recommend this novel to everyone, especially to increase awareness of eating disorders and how it can affect a close friend.

Rating: Four out of Five stars

For the first time, I shall be reviewing two different books, or novellas, as I should say, in one post. Since the books were so short, I was able to read through them at a fast pace, in about one day, and I feel that one post would suffice for the reviews. I received a free copy of both books via the Read It and Reap program in exchange for an honest review.

I don't even know where to begin on this book. The book was such a mess, that at times I felt like scratching out my eyes and bleaching my brain in order to forget what I've read. And I'm usually not this shallow, but I couldn't stand the cover. No need to go on about that though.

I couldn't stand Emmaline. The author, and every character in the book, proclaimed her a smart girl, but every decision she made was pure idiocy. It was rare when I didn't want to slap her around and hopefully bring back some sense into her teenage mind. What baffled me the most was while she and her father were under the custody of Dominic, the antagonist, all she could think about was loving Cephas and crying over the fact that he lied to her. GET OVER IT. You and your father are about to die, and that is all you can think about? Ugh.

Get the author a thesaurus, please. Some adjectives were repetitive, especially those using to describe the bad guys. "Evil" seemed to be the author's favorite choice. Oh--

"and everything went black
"everything went black"
"And everything went black"

How many times does this phrase need to be repeated in the book? The author also utilizes the phrase in the least suspenseful scenes ever-when the character is going to sleep. Seriously? Please. Just stop.

The only reason I'm not giving this book one star is because the story had some good moments. The typical teenager-falling-for-guy scenes were cute, and not cliched to the point where I wanted to vomit. But that was it.

Rating: Two out of Five stars





I was able to read this story in less than an hour, for it was only 59 pages long. It was a decent novelette, a sweet love story with the New Orleans vibe. Now, I love New Orleans, and I consider it a second home. I'm already biased when it comes to stories that are set in the city, and this one is no exception. It features magic, ghosts, voodoo, and the charismatic charm of the city to tie the story together.

There isn't much to say about this story, since it is so short, but I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoy romantic short stories.

Rating: Four out of Five stars

I dove into this book with relatively low expectations-something I do with a book that has so much hype surrounding it. I was pleasantly surprised when I finished the book, more surprised that it took me about a day to finish. Maybe the book absorbed me in more than I thought it did.

I don't know how to review this book without listing the positives and negatives of this book. There were definitely both.

Negative first. I didn't enjoy the writing style of the book. I'm very picky about writing, and Veronica Roth's style, including first person, turned me off somewhat. I just can't stand first person writing. Ugh. Second, the dystopian setting, including the five factions, seemed a little old to me. People being placed into a certain faction based on personality. Seemed a little Harry Potter to me. And everyone is trying to write the next Harry Potter book.

Even though those few things bothered me, the book was excellent. I thought that the main character, Tris, was a complete and total badass. A sword-wielding, gun-slinging, punch-throwing badass. At times the character did annoy me though, but I thought she had some depth to her.

My favorite part: ROMANCE WASN'T THE MAIN PLOT. I enjoy romance as a side thing, but I'm always turned off if I read a novel for something other than romance, and it turns out to be the main focus. So I was very happy with this book.

Last thing, the action. HOLY CRAP I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. I love that feeling, when a book can actually make my heart start pounding away as I flip through the pages, unable to put the book down. I love action, and the action in this book seemed never ending. Loved it.

Rating: Four out of Five stars

I generously received this book for the Read it and Reap review program.

Deena has two different lives: One in a prestigious architecture firm with fancy suits, and the other with her family in a gang-ridden neighborhood infamous for its crime rates. She begins a relationship with a Japanese man, of which neither family approves. This forbidden affair fuels her confidence to finally stand up to her family for what she believes in.

Crimson Footprints was a rather interesting read. While the story started off a bit slow for me, which in turn earned it's four out of five stars from me, I quickly was unable to stop reading the story. There were a few character that irked me, such as Lizzie and Grandma Emma. At times, I could feel Deena's own pain, annoyance,and anger at her own family whom can never seem to accept and love her, due to her being half white. 

While the book certainly had down moments, I was full enraptured with this novel, and the struggle the main characters were going through. I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a decent, fast read.

Rating: Four out of Five stars