Bout Of Books 13: Bookish Survey

I'm too late for the challenge, but I still wanted to post up the survey from day one! 

1. How do you organize your shelves? I used to have them Organized by color, in the order of the rainbow. However it started to really bother me that series’ were not together and I had to hunt for books. So I rearranged them alphabetically by Author, separated into fiction and non fiction. 

2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres? Running With The Demon by Terry Brooks. I don’t read a lot of adult fantasy but I love this book. 

3. What is the last 5 star book you read? Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling and Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline 

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon? I don’t actually have any books planned. When I finish a book I just kind of stare at my stacks of unread books until I decide on one. :3 

5. What book do you recommend the most? Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I think everyone should read Harry Potter. At least once. If not more. :D 

Writing My Own Fairytale

Book Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass (Selection #5)

Book: The Heir (Selection #5)

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: YA fiction, dystopia, romance

Rating: 3.5/5

Format: Audio Book

Where I got the book: Audible

Favorite Character: Kyle, Eric, Henry, Hale.

So I wasn't sure about this book going in. I really enjoyed the other Selection book, but I wasn't sure how I felt about a time jump. I was more interested in what happened to America and Maxon after the end of The One. I ended up listening to this book on my phone and I actually ended up getting super into it. I'm going to continue this under a spoiler cut though, just in case.
(Spoilers)
I spent most of this book hating Eadlyn, and it wasn't really until the last chapter that I started to hate her less. What a spoiled, whiny brat she is. It's hard to imagine that she was really raised by America and Maxon. I thought it was pretty adorable that everyone from the first trilogy was still in the background of this book. I also liked that at the end of the book I still don't know who the main love triangle is. (Let's be honest here, there is always a triangle.) I'm pretty sure Kyle's got a point and from the beginning I thought something was going to happen with Eric. Those are pretty much the two I am rooting for, though Hale is super adorable. 

I realized around chapter thirty that this book was not going to be the end. And I will admit I spazzed a little because I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

Book Review: The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

Book: The Last Days

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: YA fiction, sci-fi, paranormal, vampire

Rating: 4/5

Format: Paperback

Where I got the book: Ordered off of Amazon after finishing Peeps. Could not find this book in an actual store.

Favorite Character: Zahler.


Like many others I feel that this book is more of companion novel to Peeps rather than a sequel. I also thought this book was a lot better than the first one. The characters are a lot more interesting and I've always enjoyed stories where the reader knows more than the characters in the book. I still have some of the same feeling I did about the first book. I still thought the book was overall pretty juvenile and silly, but it was a step up.

(Spoilers)
I really enjoyed the idea of Luz, and that people were trying and succeeding at figuring out their own ways to get through the rough bits of becoming a peep. I liked almost all the characters, though I really enjoyed Zahler the most. With his crush on Pearl and his honest observations about the people around him, he definitely seemed the most likable. The whole concept of Minerva's singing bringing up the worms is...interesting. I wish there was some snippets of the language she was singing in. I liked the end, even though I also thought it was silly. In a world where everything is ruined, the band is touring and saving the world. The only thing that bothered me in the end, is what happened to all the people? Did they find a cure for peep-ism? If not, how did peeps/angels reproduce? Was everyone infected doomed to live a few hundred years then die out? There were a lot of infected people.

Book Review: Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by JK Rowling

Book: Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Essays, non fiction

Rating: 5/5

Format: Hardcover

Where I got the book: I saw it on the new release shelf at HPB and immediately grabbed it.

Favorite Character: N/A

This book is the illustrated and published version of Jo's graduation speech to the Harvard class of 2008. I wasn't sure if I really should do a review for this as there isn't much to say. The speech struck home with me and I wish I had heard it while I was still in college. I think It was good advice and I enjoyed the layout of the book. I'm going to keep this book on my night stand or on my desk and look through it if I'm ever in a bad spot.