On returning to an abandoned place | Comeback

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There is much that could be said about the past two years, in which I neglected to return to the place where I began to explore the joys of writing one's thoughts on the internet for everyone to see, read,

and judge. 

Since I started this blog in 2011, much has changed in my posts, my thoughts, my opinions, because I, too, changed dramatically between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. What I value, what I like, what I dislike, what I consider worthy, all of it has gone through drastically opposite ups and downs, and, with them, so have my random fleeting returns to blogging.

When, in 2015, I posted my last review, I didn't know it would be the last. When I opened my account for the first time in two years, just yesterday, I found unfinished posts I had started months before they were supposed to be published, reviews for books I never finished, didn't care for, loved, or simply forgot whether I finished or not. I was committed, I was on top of it all. And one day, I logged out, closed the page and didn't log back on until 27th July 2017. Just like that. No more posts.

Since that day, I finished high school, visited London for the first time, had an interview at Cambridge, got rejected, had four jobs, got my first dog, moved to London, started university, and had a lot of bumps and high moments along the way. But I felt that I no longer had what I used to, a place to anonymously share my thoughts, in a sort of online anonymous diary that was, in its own way, completely guilt-free and liberating.

More than ever, I feel like the time has arrived to get it back. I feel like I am set on my goals enough, am motivated on achieving them enough (now that I am closer to the place I was supposed to be all along in order to do it), that I can finally focus on writing it down in a semi-coherent manner. On the world wide web. Right here, in the place where I began six years ago (albeit after a few name changes...).

I don't expect anyone to read what I post now. It may even be for the best. But I need to write it anyway. For my own sake, if not for anyone else's - but I will still hope that whoever does read it, appreciates the honesty and manages to take something away from it.

The reason I say this, after all that, is because I am, once more, changing what I had built last time. This, of course, is all because I have, within the last couple of years, undertaken my biggest metamorphosis yet.

From now on, I will be posting reviews, as usual, of books I read, but I will also give my opinions on all other things I may use in my life to make it hurt less through the downs and more enjoyable through the ups: makeup, skin care, London, places, university, UCL, anything.

Long story short, let's see how long I will be back in my perpetually abandoned place this time around.

Joana

Things I've Said to My Children (Nathan Ripperger)

Release Date: September 15th 2015

Synopsis:
An illustrated gift book that brings to life the universal parenting experience of saying strange and hilarious things to one's kids.
As the father of five boys (all under age 10), graphic designer Nathan Ripperger has found himself saying some rather funny, absurd, and downright bizarre things to his children, from "Stop riding that penguin, we're leaving" to "I am NOT talking to you until you are wearing underwear." He created poster-like images for each and posted them online. The response from other parents was overwhelming. With Things I've Said to My Children, Ripperger has assembled around 80 of the funniest, weirdest, and most amusing sayings and paired them with full-color, designed images that bring these outrageously hysterical quotes to life. Covering the essential parenting topics like food, animals, don'ts, and of course, bodily functions, Things I've Said to My Children is a light-hearted illustrated reminder of the shared absurdity of parenthood. Especially for those parents who've ever found themselves uttering some variation of the line, "Please don't eat the goldfish crackers you've put in your butt."

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
As a sort of disclaimer, I'll just say that I am not, at all, a parent. My only experience with little kids is my brother. However, I laughed harder than I'd had in a long time while reading a book.
For me, this was just a kind of break from longer books, an opportunity to have a genuine laugh that is just light, one where there's nothing behind it... I just wanted to laugh at the funny things parents sometimes say to their kids that sound ridiculous out of context. That's why I enjoyed it so much.
I found myself imagining the situations that contained these sentences that were just so hilariously illustrated in this book that it was almost impossible to figure out where they would fit in in a normal conversation. Perhaps because I have no real experience in raising a child, I wouldn't know what parents find themselves saying to their kids and what kids would do to call for that behaviour.
I had a blast flipping through these colourful pages and actually letting myself go with the simple fun of a child and the hectic stress of a parent.
There's not much else to say, besides the fact that Nathan Ripperger really captured these quotes and enhanced them in the pictures, elevating this from simply funny to pleasing and artistic.
I would honestly read an entire 500-page book with sentences removed from context, like 'We do not poop in books' and 'No chickens on the trampoline'.
This was a very beautifully accomplished book and a heartfelt portrayal of a young human's actions. Absolutely recommend it, especially, obviously, to parents everywhere.

Our Kinda Love (Denna Eshler)

Release Blitz - Our Kinda Love (What Kinda Love book #2)

Title: Our Kinda Love (What Kinda Love #2)

Author: Deanna Eshler

Genre: New Adult Romance

Release Date: September 12, 2015

Synopsis:
Keegan Hughes is a fiercely independent, and annoyingly honest, college senior who believes in the zombie apocalypse. Her “unique qualities” entertain her friends and, unfortunately, attracts the attention of her new neighbor, Adrian Elliott.
Having been left behind by other men in her life, Keegan vowed to never trust another guy with her happiness. She'll take what she wants from them, but they only get what she's willing to give. When Adrian slams into her life, he tramples all over her rules and boundaries, constantly throwing her off balance.
Keegan can't deny her physical attraction to Adrian, but his hyperactive, slightly delusional personality, is very unlike her usual type—confident, tattooed, alpha male. When Adrian makes a proposal that could benefit them both, Keegan knows it's a horrible idea, but can't resist his plea for her help.
Neither of them are prepared for the storm that's created when their two very intense personalities come together. Will Keegan get the hell out before Adrian destroys every boundary she creates? If she stays, can Adrian get through his own real-life demons to be the first man in her life to make her a priority?

This Romantic Comedy is the second in a series, but it is a standalone. Our Kinda Love is a spinoff on secondary characters from the first book in the series - Shy Kinda Love.

 
Review:
I should probably be honest and say that I was a bit doubtful about how much I would actually enjoy this book, as I have never before read a New Adult book, but non of that matters now. What matters is that I read it, I enjoyed it and I felt many things while doing it.
The first thing I had to do was ignore the fact that I haven't read a romance book in a long time, so I wasn't sure I would be able to let myself enjoy it for just that, but I soon learned that with this book it was extremely easy to forget it's a romance. Eshler's writing, simple yet striking, was enough to figuratively attack us from every front and (not) literally break our hearts with her emotional backstories and complex, lovable characters.
The story developed at a steady and fast pace, keeping us entwined it its every twist and turn, and, man, where there a lot. I don't think I was completely ready to jump right into such an emotion-driven book and, much like Keegan herself, I didn't know how to handle the feelings I had inside for a long time. I was mostly caught off guard by Adrian's character, and pleasantly surprised with how much I related to Keegan's own thoughts.
I truly believe that Our Kinda Love's best aspect is its characters and how their relationships shifted and swayed so beautifully and, even, comically, and I'm not just talking about the romance. I wasn't expecting how fast I would fall in love with Adrian's loving and passionate character and his protective nature he showed to those he loved, especially his brothers.
All that being said, I couldn't completely love the whole product, I guess I just can't distance myself from the amount of romance I 'm not used to reading about, but I did love the reading experience, the drama, the characters I grew attached to, the pages that flew by me in 250 different emotions and the more I think about it the more grateful I feel for the author's email, inviting me to get to know these people she created and their fantastic stories and giving me the opportunity to review it and share my thoughts, hopeful that they are enough to get more people to know them too.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Denna Eshler's second book as a great example of New Adult enjoyment. An honestly fantastic way to be introduced to a genre and an author I will definitely want to read more from in a very, very near future (especially if it involves a guy like Adrian to fangirl over).

Purchase link for Our Kinda Love - Amazon Smashwords
Goodreads link for OKL - Goodreads
Purchase link for Shy Kinda Love (first book in the series) - Amazon
 

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How to Fly with Broken Wings (Jane Elson)

Synopsis:  
'If Finn Maison shouts jump you jump or you are dead.'
Twelve-year-old Willem has Aspergers Syndrome and two main aims in life: to fly and to make at least two friends of his own age. But all the other boys from the Beckham Estate do is make him jump off things. First his desk - and now the wall. As his toes teeter on the edge, Sasha Barton gives him a tiny little wink. Might she become his friend?
Bullied by Finn and his gang the Beckham Estate Boyz, Willem has no choice but to jump. As he flies through the air he flaps his arms, wishing he could fly and escape into the clouds. Instead he comes crashing down and breaks his ankle.
Sasha, angry with herself for not stopping Finn and his Boyz, is determined to put things right. And soon, while the gangs riot on their estate, Willem and Sasha form an unlikely friendship. Because they share a secret. Sasha longs to fly too.
And when Magic Man Archie arrives with stories of war-flying spitfires, he will change the lives of the kids on the Beckham Estate for ever. And perhaps find a way for Willem and Sasha to fly ...
Touching on themes such as friendship and bullying, this is a charming tale about overcoming obstacles and finding friendship in unlikely places.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
As usual when it comes to Netgalley titles, I took a sort of leap of faith with this book. I had never heard of the book or the author, and now that I read it I realise how sad that actually is and how determined I am to change that.
The first thing I noticed when I first started the book was how engaging it is. From the first sentence we do feel like we are the main characters for a little bit, we understand them and we grow to love them. My favourite part of my reading experience was definitely how attached I got to every character and how tender and warm I felt inside while reading about them.
Jane Elson was able to create real and wonderful characters with such lovely stories that help us appreciate the little thing we take for granted and how easy it is to do that for other people. Willem was definitely my favourite example of this. To me, while reading How to Fly with Broken Wings, he wasn't a character, he was a child that taught me that to live a beautiful life we don't need a lot, just enough friends and maybe an airplane or two. His happiness was the most important thing to me during my reading experience and I had to cheer for him in every single page. It was fantastic how Elson was able to use his point of view as a way of changing every other character around him for the best despite (and maybe because) of his condition.
That is my next point. With simple yet wonderful writing Jane Elson created the perfect book for younger kids who are now realising how many different types of friends one can get and how each one of them has a story to tell and a way to change ours if we let them, for better or for worse. It's also an astonishing way for those kids to understand, maybe for the first time, what it's like to have the brain of a child with Aspergers Syndrome, someone who thinks in peculiar but similarly incredible ways.
There are many more merits we can award this book, but only by reading it can we actually feel its soul, and there is plenty of it.
I absolutely recommend this heart-warming, inspiring book, especially to little kids finding out about a world they don't yet completely understand. A fantastic, sensational, quick read.

Marvelous - The Books of Marvella #1 (Travis Thrasher)

Synopsis:
Brandon Jeffery’s summer started out with a bang—as in, a friend crashed his car and now he has to work two jobs to pay it off. It’s at Fascination Street Records that he’s introduced to a beautiful but quiet girl named Marvel. She’s new to Hidden Cove and looking for a summer job, so Brandon secretly strikes a deal with their boss to work for free so she can be hired.
When a classmate is found murdered, however, their summer takes a turn for the mysterious. Brandon’s friend Devon is sure he knows just who’s to blame: the creepy recluse of the town quarry. But the police have few leads, and Brandon has the sneaking suspicion he’s being watched.
That’s not what’s in the forefront of on his mind, though. More than trying to pay off his car to his unemployed, alcoholic father and protecting Seth Belcher from the school bullies, he’s determined to date Marvel. He doesn’t understand why they seem so close and she refuses to date him, but as the mystery behind her tragic past begins to unravel, Marvel finally confesses her reason: God has revealed she’s destined to die saving others—and it’s going to be soon.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
At the very end of last year I posted a review of Wonder by Travis Thrasher (which you can see by clicking here) and I genuinely enjoyed it, but I felt like something was missing. It made sense, given that I later discovered that it was actually the second book in The Books of Marvella series. After I came upon this information, I immediately requested the first book, Marvelous from Netgalley and I couldn't be happier to review it right now.
I have stated this before, but I'll say it again: I don't usually read Christian fiction, and I'm not a religious person, but I truly appreciate different points of view on the matter and this series is one of the finest examples of what I'm trying to say. The truth is that I didn't know Wonder was Christian fiction, and if I had known, despite what I just said, I probably would have missed a wonderful story (see what I did there). That would have been a shame, as this is quickly becoming one of my favourite series and it makes me sad to see it be underappreciated and sometimes ignored due to its categorization.
First of all, my favourite thing about these books is its different considerations of religion, through the eyes of very different characters, with very distinctive opinions, so it's not necessarily a Christian book to its core. Anyone would be able to appreciate the shapes and perspectives this subject takes throughout this book and also the fact that it's not exactly the core purpose of the book. There are so many layers to Marvel and her story that is actually difficult to describe them to someone who hasn't read it, especially in this first book, where we get to meet her through Brandon's eyes.
Secondly, it's impossible to talk about this story without mentioning the incredible set of characters created by Thrasher and the subplots they create with their mere existence. They are all fantastically rich and the simple ways in which the author demonstrates their character development is a treat to read. His writing style is lovely to read and goes perfectly with the story he is telling, reason why I honestly consider Travis Thrasher to be a fantastic writer that not enough people have had the pleasure to meet.
The humour and the flawed teenage characters make them so very relatable and we find ourselves seeing our own problems and flaws in them, true representations of young doubt, love and growth, a reason to thank Thrasher for writing such a brilliant book.
If you have not yet read this book, especially if you didn't do it because of the Christian label, ignore all skepticism and dive right in. There is no doubt everyone who does is bound to come out changed and touched in the end.