Friday, November 18, 2016

Review: Monster Blood by R.L. Stine

Monster Blood (Goosebumps, #3)
Cover Source: GoodReads.com
Title: Monster Blood
Author: R.L. Stine
Series: Goosebumps #3
Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback.
Website: www.rlstine.com
I received this book as a gift.

GoodReads Synopsis:
While staying with his weird great-aunt Kathryn, Evan visits a funky old toy store and buys a dusty can of monster blood, It's fun to play with at first. And Evan's dog, Trigger, likes it so much, he eats some! But then Evan notices something weird about the green slimy stuff it seems to be growing. And growing. And growing. And all that growing has given the monster blood a monstrous appetite...






Review:
I am so happy to be going through the Goosebumps series again. I didn't get to read many of them growing up and now that I have the chance, I'm finding so many amazing gems!  I cannot wait until my daughter is old enough to enjoy the creep that is Goosebumps.

Monster Blood was a great installment to the series. There was a lot of curiosity and creepiness that came along with Evan and his monster blood. His weird great-aunt Kathryn was definitely odd and left me wondering the entire time what secrets she held.

R.L. Stine is great at making you wonder how the story is going to end. He loves to write twists and this story was definitely not a disappointment in that sense. The ending of this book was such a twist that I was honestly shocked. It turned out waaay different than I thought it was going to but I loved it nonetheless.

Rating: 3 Stars.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Review: #Bae by Cambria Hebert

#Bae (Hashtag, #7)
Cover Source: GoodReads.com
Title: #Bae
Author: Cambria Hebert
Series: Hashtag Series #7
Version Reviewed: Finished, eBook
Website: www.cambriahebertbooks.com
This book was gifted to me.

GoodReads Synopsis:
Happily-ever-after.
That’s what happens when you get married.
Right?
Turns out sparkly rings, cake and a fantastic wedding do not automatically grant you that, not even when it’s all you truly want.
I’m even starting to doubt the bottomless, unconditional love I share with the man I married will be enough.
I can’t have happily ever after, know why?
Because I can’t give Romeo what he truly wants. I’ve tried. So hard. I won’t be happy unless he is and something is missing. Someone.
Paparazzi are in my face. The flashing cameras and prying eyes are everywhere. My secret is getting harder to hide, and I know the second the scoop is dished the grip I have on the fraying rope of that happily ever after will snap right in my face.
In our face.
I can’t let that happen. No matter what.
Because with or without a happy ending, Romeo comes Before Anyone Else.
Review:
Oh, this book was a long time coming. I'm a huge fan of Cambria's so I've always been well aware of the constant barrage of questions that she has received this past year about whether or not Romeo and Rimmel would have a baby of their own, and whether or not we would get the lovely chance of reading it.

I'm so glad that we did.

I admit that I was a little turned off by the title of this book at first. I've just always really disliked the term "bae" but it was easy to get over, especially considering it worked for the story and it fit. Like most things, Cambria used it in a way that made it special.

I was shocked at how the book was going in the beginning. The characters touch on a pretty sensitive topic that tugs at a lot of heartstrings for a lot of people, me included. But at the same time, it was nice to read a story that was so real and raw. It wasn't a perfect little fairy tale for the couple, at least not in the beginning, and it made them even more relate-able and easy to fall in love with.

It took me forever to read this book, though I'm not exactly sure why. I just kept taking breaks from it but, as soon as I could, I would delve back into it. I'm not sure if it was the subject matter or just life in general (keeping with the theme, I'm pregnant too! Yay!) that kept me from sitting down and finishing it, but I'm glad that I finally got to.

Romeo and Rimmel's story is a beautiful one and, though I'm bummed that this will be the last book in the series, it wrapped up their story nicely and was well suited to the Hashtag family.

Overall, a great book that I absolutely loved.

Rating: 4 Stars.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Review: Buffering by Hannah Hart

Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded
Cover Source: GoodReads.com
Title: Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded
Author: Hannah Hart
Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback
Website: www.bufferingbook.com
I received this book as a gift.

GoodReads Synopsis:
The wildly popular YouTube personality and author of the New York Times bestseller My Drunk Kitchen is back! This time, she’s stirring up memories and tales from her past.
By combing through the journals that Hannah has kept for much of her life, this collection of narrative essays deliver a fuller picture of her life, her experiences, and the things she’s figured out about family, faith, love, sexuality, self-worth, friendship and fame.
Revealing what makes Hannah tick, this sometimes cringe-worthy, poignant collection of stories is sure to deliver plenty of Hannah’s wit and wisdom, and hopefully encourage you to try your hand at her patented brand of reckless optimism.
Personal note:
Hello, my darlings! I am incredibly pleased to present BUFFERING: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded!
As a big fan of memoirs, I wanted to try my hand at writing about the events of my life that deserve a little more consideration than can be accomplished in 140-characters or a 6-minute vlog. Now on the cusp of turning 30, I'm ready to expose some parts of my life that I haven't shared before. Before, it was all about privacy, process and time. And now the time has come! I’m ready to put myself out there, for you.

I'm a little nervous about all these vulnerable words going into the world, these tales about my love life, the wrestling I’ve done with faith, how I feel about sex and my family and myself. I’ve had a lot of trials, a lot of errors, but also a lot of passion. Here’s the thing--I've always found comfort in the stories shared by others, so I hope my stories, now that I feel ready to tell them, will bring you some comfort too.
And when you read this book please remember: Buffering is just the time it takes to process.
Enjoy!
Love,
Hannah
Review:
Hannah, oh Hannah. I am a huge Hannah Hart fan. I've been watching her YouTube videos for a super long time and I never seem to get enough of her. She's funny, smart, compassionate, entertaining, and yeah, I totally have a crush on her. Thankfully, my husbands a fan too, so he doesn't mind. ;)

One of the things I've always been curious about is Hannah's past. She has shared a few little tidbits about her life growing up but has always kept any information about her family or childhood pretty tightly wrapped up. Until now, anyway.  I was insanely excited when I learned that she was writing another book and even more thrilled when I learned that it was a memoir.

I received the book for my birthday and, since I was visiting family, I couldn't sink into it until later that night, when every one else was bedded down for the night. I honestly can't even tell you how long I read, but I know that it was quite a while.I devoured chapter after chapter in no time and completely lost myself in Hannah's world.

It was shocking to learn so many of the ins and outs of her past and the conditions in which she was brought up. It was even more shocking to understand so much of it. Coming from a pretty poor town in Eastern Kentucky, I've seen and known a lot of people that have lived in similar conditions and, at some points in my life growing up, I lived in them as well. My life was no where near as extreme as Hannah's but there were many ways in which I found myself understanding and knowing what she was going through.

There's a lot to take in in Buffering; Sexuality, Religion, Family, Lust, Growth, Mental Illness, and many, many more pieces of Hannah's life and her journey. The writing was absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed the inclusion of color photos and pages from Hannah's personal journals growing up.  It's a beautiful look into a life that has been perfectly described as fully loaded and I enjoyed every second of it.

Rating: 5 Stars, hands down.