Trapped in a Bookstore

picture courtesy of ebooksmio.com

*cues R&B music*
Almost had you there didn't I.

Now the title may remind you of an infamous urban opera but I won't be writing or posting any parody of that.

This blog post is a book review on a book I finished recently titled Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux. 

As you can tell from the hands on the book cover and "zombie novel" on the bottom, it is a zombie story. It centers on the account of a girl, Allison Hewitt, who works at a bookstore and gets "trapped" there with her co-workers when a bunch of zombies attack the town. As she and her co-workers figure out a way to survive, Allison posts regularly on a blog in which she talks about her accounts of the day using the only internet network out there. 

To tell you the truth, when I looked at the cover of this book, I was really looking for a horror binge read. The equivalent of craving some candy corn when its not even Halloween. You just like candy corn (unless you don't then well..I am sorry T.T).

At first, I thought it would be one of those cheesy books where the whole book is following the main character in a library and surviving a day: like the premise of the film "The Day After Tomorrow." Once I read the first few pages, I found that it wasn't at all cheesy and that is when I got hooked. 

This book pulled me in with its narrative and writing style of "blog entries".  There were a few moments where I felt depressed reading, but once I got over that, I kept going. I was that hooked. I needed to know if Allison was going to make it and what happened to her life.

However there are a few cons (maybe?). There isn't extensive explicit gory details on how the zombies get decapitated or sex scenes. Yep, you read correctly this is a PG-13 type of book, which is surprising because I found this book in the adult fiction collection, but hey...whatever.
It hit the spot but it left a cliff-hanger ending of what happened to Allison. 



Point: if you're on a zombie fiction binge and you like strong female characters for main center, you can pick this one up. You'll find drama, loss, zombies, and different sorts of action. 


Til Next Blog Post,
Miss Bobo

P.S. By the way: check out this fan made trailer "based on the novel"

No One Wants to be a Burn Out

picture courtesy of adriennemariavrettos.com

Tallyho!

Along with reading about girls getting over guys I happen to finish a book about dangerous things like drugs and other stuff.

Written in first person narrative, Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos tells the story of Nan who is confused with herself. The girl wakes up after Halloween with some weird costume on a train, not remembering how she got there. As the book progresses, Nan's story unravel the reader and her both find out what happened that night.

This book is one of those books that makes you feel like you are inside the book. And it's also a book that shows in a fictional way, the problem of drugs and its affects. I don't have much words for this book because of the fact that it was just so intense.

If you read Go Ask Alice, you will be swept in this one.


Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Everyone Likes a Pick Me Up (Book Review)

picture courtesy of abbymcdonald.com

Hello Hello,

Hope everyone is doing well on this month of January. 

Two days ago, I was able to finish this book -------->>>>

which is your typical YA unrequited love story. 

Now let me tell you something. 

I am not too sure if some of you BookGeekWeek followers are male but either way if you are out there: I am sorry. 

Written in first person narrative, this book centers on Sadie: a girl who meets the "love of her life" (a.k.a Garret Delaney) at a library and spends 2 years liking him.

 Throughout the whole entire time, she listens to him when he talks about his relationships, watches movie, and does all the things a girl does when she is friend zoned and in the best friend field (bare with me). When Garret gets accepted to some lit camp for the summer and she doesn't; things go down hill. Sadie gets all depressed and longs for him like no other. At some point, she clamps down and finally realizes to get over this guy and do something eventful for the summer. Then on, things happen that not even she could expect.

Maybe, I have mentioned this before: about the whole getting too old for YA books; but this book got me hanging on (even at the stereotypical girly emotional parts). Here is this girl pining for this guy for 2 whole years dreaming and expecting him to drop the L-bomb on her and reciting love poetry at any given moment they're alone. I am pretty sure there are many of us girls who are like that: pining for someone who doesn't get it and probably never will. The unattainable one.

a meme made by a fan and posted on tumblr

Don't get me wrong, the way this was written had me thinking the guy was actually going to. And despite the fact that a lot of the pages of this book were spent with Sadie moaning and whining that Garrett is the one; when she started to peel from that: realism began to show through the writing. I saw that Sadie isn't your typical girl. She is the typical girl who grew from her own emotions. 

The cons of this book that majorly got to me is how the male characters of this book are portrayed. Each one has some romantic position whether negative or positive. There is barely a positive male friendship in the view. Which in a sense, kinda makes the book look bad because its not showing the other side of the coin. 

Then again, the story is told in a female first person narrative about getting over a guy. I could be asking a little too much. Either way: I definitely recommend reading this for one of those days when you're sick of deucebaggery male behavior/getting over a break-up/it's girl's week/you need a little bit of grrrrrl power in your life. 

Til Next Blogpost,

Miss Bobo

P.S. If you want to read the first chapter of this book just to check it out, you can do so at Abby McDonald's website (click here)

Merry 2013 and a New Start (book review) (possible SPOILER Alert!)

picture courtesy of bookequals.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR *honks the horn and dances in confetti* Wish you all the best on this year of
2013. Oh and lets not forget we survived the impending doom of an apocalypse! WOOOO!

And to start off 2013. Here is a book review I promised before:

The second installment of Beautiful Creatures that follows the story of Lena & Ethan Wate. Lena is a Caster and Ethan Wate a mere mortal. When Ethan met her, Lena was in the midst of a countdown in which she had to make a choice
that will compromise members of her family. And to top it all off, Ethan gets caught in the plans of one of the Dark Casters.


In Beautiful Darkness, Ethan & Lena begin to separate while Lena goes deeper in her grief after loosing a loved one in a Caster battle of powers. After the funeral, Lena starts to change little by little. When Ethan catches unto signs that things are going to get worse, Lena disappears. From there on it becomes a quest for Ethan to find Lena and help her decide where she belongs.


What was cool about this book, is that you see character development even through the eyes of Ethan. Beautiful Darkness is written in the first person narrative of Ethan Wate just as the one before it. However, the way it is written seems more third person narrative than first person. I was a little bored reading the beginning because of the whole relationship drama that came from the first book. But as I continued to read, the mystery and action that followed got me more interested. As a matter of fact, I actually finished this book after I was on my way home from New Years at Time Square (talk about hectic). When finished, I thought it helped to finish my night in the right way: reading a book. I know this book is nothing like the Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare but it sure is similar in the action and adventure aspect. I would still recommend it for those of you who love a good adventure with some romance. 




Til Next Blogpost & Happy New Year Wishes,
Miss Bobo

"Why Be the Sheep When You Can Be the Wolf?"

picture courtesy of compassbookratings.com

Good Afternoon fellow book pirates! Just came through with a finished reading on a book that came out this summer.

Taking place in medieval Britain, the story centers on a girl named Ismae who escapes an arranged marriage by the hands of fate. Turns out she is destined to be the handmaiden of Death since the "mistake" of her birth and is sent to a convent in which she is trained to be an assassin.

However, as it may, things aren't always cut and dry when there are politics at hand, romance, and traitors in the midst of a potential war. What will Ismae do?

This is a unique story because its not your everyday medieval novel. I mean, the main character is trained to be an assassin which is a bit antagonistic. She is definitely not girly and kind of awkward when it comes to interacting with hot guys. And what I also like about this book is that the romance (yes there is romance) isn't the main focus of the novel. There is action and almost a textual game of Clues because when reading it, it isn't exactly clear who is the traitor in the group of people surrounding the duchess. I'd say its a great book for the beginning of the series but I think some of the supporting characters could have had a little bit more spotlight to add more mystery or something else. Otherwise, I recommend as a train read.


Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

We always Want a Perfect Picture (Book Review)

picture courtesy of readerstore.com)

Having romantic relationships is something that happens every now and then throughout the seasons. It is nothing rare. However being in one can be a roller coaster ride. The whole having expectations to later be broken by the reality of finally seeing all the dimensions of that person; well that is nerve racking.

Reading Picture Perfect by Leila Sales brought me to that whole concept. Written in first person narrative, Picture Perfect is about a girl named Chelsea Glaser who is dealing with a bad break up and ends up working again at the same place she worked every other summer with her best friend, Fiona, to try to deal with it. But as life tends to be a total biotch, Chelsea ends up seeing her ex-boyfriend there and finds out that he will be working there for the summer too. From then on it gets crazy.

I really liked this book for it's witty humor and realistic characters. You have the main character who is someone who believes in the happily ever afters and dealing with the reality of not having it, which is a lot of girls nowadays. Meanwhile, her best friend is the opposite. There is good humor and "uh-oh" moments that took me by surprise. The romantic parts aren't cheesy and the whole adventure part in between was good to keep my interest going.

I personally think this book is really good to read after dealing with a break up; otherwise, it's a great book: try it anyway.


Til Next Blog Post,
Miss Bobo

Hard Love (book review)

picture courtesy of thebookdepository.co.uk

Lately, I have been on a YA realistic fiction binge: catching up on the books I missed circa high school of 2004. There were books I picked up but was too busy to read fully. This book was one of them.

Written by Ellen Wittlinger in a male first person narrative, Hard Love deals with John, the main character, who reads zines while dealing with his broken family dynamic. He avoids his friend, Brian, since he is uber romantic and wants to talk about girls all the time. Everything is its usual negative routine until John decides to meet Marisol the hardcore honest Puerto Rican lesbian zinester (seriously she describes herself that way within the book).

This novel is one of those guy meets girl and thinks nothing is going to happen until he realizes it happened. It's an anti-romantic book that shows what its like to be the guy who gets rejected...kinda like Ted from How I Met Your Mother.

To me the fact that John doesn't get the girl is the hook of the novel. I really didn't like his attitude but at the same time understanding why he is the way he is through his eyes helped to make this book  more interesting. If you're a lover of happy endings I suggest to not expect much with this book because you are not going to get that happy ending. Either way, if you are into the coming of age stories, dig right in.


Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Stolen (book review)

picture courtesy of goodreads.com

There are some books that can make you laugh, explode, and maybe even cry. There are books for all sorts of occasions and of course there are ones that catch you by surprise.

This one most certainly took me by surprise.

Written by Lucy Christopher in the first person narrative of Gemma, Stolen is her letter, or rather her story, of being kidnapped and loving her kidnapper. Throughout the book you see all that happened through Gemma's eyes.

This book is not your conventional YA novel. It's realistic in the aspect of depicting something that happens not too rarely. People go missing and sometimes they come back. But it is always unsure what really happened if sometimes the victim doesn't speak.

 I love the fact that Lucy Christopher doesn't make the kidnapper, Ty, as this guy who is only looking to rape Gemma and do all sorts of other atrocities that you see in the media. Christopher makes Ty as this character who has a troubled past just like any other human being, through Gemma's lenses. I had to pause in between chapters because it was just so disturbing and yet I felt like I was there with Gemma. The idea of being kidnapped and always wondering what is going to happen to you and who in reality is this kidnapper; is scary. And interesting enough the whole book is a letter to the kidnapper which make it more interesting in the way the story is drawn. It's written in a past tense voice but yet it is descriptive in almost a present tense voice. I really don't know whether to recommend or not; this book just left me speechless....Now, that I think about it, if any of you read Speak by Anderson and liked this book: you might get deeper with this one. If you're not afraid to shed some tears or get mildly distracted by a deep story like this, I suggest you try it.


Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

P.S. sorry to confuse you on the whole to recommend or not, this book is just...wow. Still think you should try it. 

To the Manor Dead (book review)

picture courtesy sebastianstuart.net

Hope everyone is having a great day. It's raining here in NYC, and I am already thinking of getting myself in a good book along with some film horror (sorry I am a bit of a cliche).

Past few weeks I have been taking a bit of a break in between books just to be able to separate stories. Not one of those folks who read books consecutively without moments of reflection. Your brain gotta digest!

Any-who, I did get to finish 2 books and one of them is an adult mystery titled To the Manor Dead by Sebastian Stuart. Written in first person narrative, this story takes place in upstate New York where an ex-therapist tries to find herself some peace and quiet from listening to her patients. She ends up selling antiques at her own little store and finds herself meeting all sorts of characters. At some point one of them ends up dead and the ex-therapist can't help but to go on a murder quest to find out the culprit.

I found myself most of the time laughing because some of these characters were a bit too cliche for my part. I read the small bio on the author and found myself thinking he might have been in a hurry because the story seemed rushed. The ending was alright but the way the plot unfolds is just a bit off-kilter. I did learn a few new words but as a first in all the book reviews I have done on this blog, I do not recommend this book. I don't think its meant to be a mystery but more of a book that belongs in the comedy section. However, if you want to try it, go ahead. You never know unless you do read it.


Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Unraveling Isobel (Book Review)

picture courtesy to goodreads.com

I remember back when I reviewed Possessed, mostly a quasi ghost story I lost anticipation in. It was all right for amounting to the suspense in a lot of moments but where was the huge wisp of mystery? Anywaaaaays, talking about ghost stories, just  a few days ago I finished reading another ghost-story novel titled Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook.

Written in first person narrative, this novel is about Isobel, 17 years old, who is dealing her last year as a minor living with her mom, her new husband, Richard, and Richard's hot son. Isobel really didn't want to leave her home in Seattle to live with Richard (a.k.a "Dick"). Plus the fact that she is still thinking about going to art school despite her mother's rejection to it. However, as Isobel stays at Richard's house she starts experiencing things that set her on the brink of questioning her sanity.

Within reading the first page of this book, I was in giggles. Isobel's character is relateable and there are no hints on what comes next. OF COURSE, there is a whole subtlety to "Dick" in the way he acts that eventually you get it. I like that Cook put good humor within the characters and the events that happen throughout the book, enough to entertain but not throw off the plot. There were moments where I was taken by the unexpected. I liked that I couldn't guess right what was going to happen next. However, the ghost part of the book wasn't too much to really freak me out. The ending was just the icing on the cake. I still recommend it in case there is a mood for some dark humor and a mystery literary scooby snack gone not-too-stale.

Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Things Don't Always Stay the Same: Return to Paradise (a book review)

picture courtesy of goodreads.com

Last blogpost I reviewed Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles; which dealt with the perspective of two people involved in a drunk hit-and-run accident.

I liked the book so much, I went and read the second after I returned the first book. Both books took me about 2-3 days to finish so it wasn't much of a big deal to pick up the sequel and finish it.

Return to Paradise which is the sequel to Leaving Paradise, deals with Maggie and Caleb growing up. The first book covered how they both reacted towards each other after the accident. Things got out of control after Caleb's release from juvie and soon enough Maggie and Caleb end up facing the emotions they feel towards each other.

However, Caleb makes a decision that hits a bump on both his and Maggie's life. Both continue to carry a secret which play a major role in Caleb's and Maggie's new attitude within Return to Paradise. Eight months have passed and things have changed over that course of time. Caleb and Maggie are forced to deal with the secret behind the accident and how they feel about each other.

I found this book to be more dramatic and have interesting twists besides the "big secret" Caleb and Maggie share about the accident. I found myself laughing and giggling with some of the new characters that are in the story. When it comes to some sequels, I find that they are sometimes rushed and sloppy. This one isn't sloppy or rushed. I could tell that Elkeles took her time developing the plot to be more in depth with the main characters. She didn't give a cliche ending but rather a lingering hope to all her characters. As a matter of fact, this book reminded me of other books I have read when I was in my junior high years. I definitely recommend this book, or rather this series, if you loved Judy Blume's Forever. It isn't the same, but the way Elkeles weaves these characters into this story is almost equivalent in greatness of exposing the reality of the events that happen in every teen's life that aren't just ordinary. Like Judy Blume, she weaves a story of a life lesson hard learned.

Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Accidents Happen: "Leaving Paradise" (a book review)

courtesy of turn-the-page.net

I love reading teen books despite the fact that I am not a teen. A lot of teen books in the realistic fiction section depict the frustration and the angst of dealing with events that happen out of one's expectations. But it also shows what it's like to pick yourself up; to make the best of the sour lemons life gives us.

Nowadays, a lot of the teen books sold at bookstores deal with supernatural romance and adventure rather than the angst of being misunderstood and all that yada yada we all know when we were teens (and some of you who are still teens).  It is one of the reasons why I go to the library to pick out books rather than to buy them.

And I love how in the library I always find some good gems, or maybe even diamonds in the "rough." I found this one you see here on the first shelf I stopped by.

Written in first person narrative by Simone Elkeles, this novel tells the story of Maggie Armstrong and Caleb Becker who are tied by an accident that changed both their lives.
Caleb ends up in jail and Maggie ends up going to physical therapy sessions for her left leg. Maggie hates Caleb for what he did to her and Caleb just wants to make things right. But the events that come after Caleb's early release sets them both on quite.a.ride.

I love the fact that the book doesn't start with an explanation of what happened; it starts with Caleb's release and how it affects people. Throughout the book, the pieces come together and things start to fit until the end when things go beyond the limits of both Maggie and Caleb. I think this is one of those stories you read with the blazing underlying message: "don't drink and drive" or "friends don't let friends drink and drive." This story is beyond corny in the making of the plot and doesn't show a perfect ending. Somethings that were said by the characters were cliche but not over the top. However, there were somethings that took me by surprise and others that didn't. I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something to lift you but not make you cry.

Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Faithful Place (A Book Review)

picture courtesy of good reads

During summer nights when there is a thunder storm and its raining lightly or there is a foggy area you might be the person who likes to get all cozy while flipping pages on a good mystery.

This pretty one will give you a good mystery. Written in first person narrative by Tana French, this mystery novel takes place in Dublin where Francis Mackey [a detective] loses his heart to a girl named Rosie Daly. He was planning to leave his family with the love of his life and she never came. Twenty years pass and Francis has not forgotten about what happened that night or the memories shared with Rosie even after becoming a cop. .....Until, he gets a call of her suitcase being found. After that Francis pretty much goes batshit (excuse my language!) crazy on figuring out what happened to Rosie Daly that night.

 As I kept reading I found myself deep in this one, following Francis' moves as he kept putting the pieces together. Being an undercover detective; he did a great job figuring out what happened to Rosie Daly. There were many things in the book that took me by surprise. There were twists that I didn't have a chance to even figure out. I was too busy getting into the book and following Francis that I didn't reflect much.

French does a good job in writing a realistic personal voice that not only leads you in but also takes you inside his mind. Brings you in memories of something that was dear to him and had deeper meaning within his reactions. He didn't just tell you, he showed you. But....(yes there is a but) I found that French took too long in delivering the events of murders and the murderer itself. There was some unnecessary dramatic entrances but the ending was the icing. It wasn't just some happy ending. There was grief, there was awkwardness in dealing with the aftermath of the events that happened. I liked that. So, I definitely recommend this book for a good mystery read.

Tell Me What You Know About Me?

Being raised by a single mother always brings its own sets of complications just as any set of parents.

For Billy Allbright, that means being home schooled and raised by his religious mother while having his own sets of desires to be a regular high school kid.

Because his mother has taken the quest to destroy anything that is particularly related to the devil, Billy and his mother are always on the road and so he never gets the chance to stay in a stable environment.

Until, his mother decides to stay at a town with a mormon church. At first, Billy thought this was just another mission and then when he found out the church he questioned what was this all about. While still wondering what exactly is going on, he receives a Bible in the mail with his name on it. His mother proclaims its a sign of God when in reality it turns out to be the ticket to his oddyssey of self discovery.

Reading this book, I found many humorous moments and others that were heart warming. I am actually glad that the author pretty much wrote this story in similarity to Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But its not the same and that is another thing I love about it. There is a whole dynamic between this fight to stay christian and a fight to find his true self. There is a lot of crazy happenings in this book that is unique from all of the books I have read so far. A lot of this book, I didn't expect which is good. You never want to predict what is happening in the book 3 chapters before it even happens. (Maybe that is just me). I would definitely recommend this for someone 16 and up who is looking for a coming-of-age story with no limits.