Review: Designing Your Life: Build a Life that Works for You

Designing Your Life: Build a Life that Works for You by Bill Burnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Provided good advice on how to design/build/frame your life. Brings up potential set backs and what to do about them. What you want to do, what you should do, what you've always wanted to do, what you've always wondered to do, which to choose? This book helps focus in on what's most important to you and what will actually work. I picked up this book and put it down so many times but I've finally finished it lol

View all my reviews

Review: Uprooted

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(4.5/5) Gahhhh a breath of fresh air! Such a unique book I loved it.

After I read the first chapter I described this book as "a mysterious, and for some reason romantic fairytale <3" and that was actually spot on lol. I was really curious about "the Dragon" and who he was. He's such a hot, moody, temperamental wise guy lol There's not a huge presence of him for the second half of the book which I didn't like, I wanted more! :P

I really enjoyed this book and I loved it but I didn't absolutely love it. I didn't love the last quarter of the book. There's a lot of action and it would be better as a movie than a book. I personally don't really enjoy reading action sequences in a book especially if they last a long time. But this book definitely deserves a 5 star because it's just so damn good and different.

This book has kingdoms and war like Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings for the imaginative creatures and adventures, and the magic and (use of words and naming things) from my favourite book The Name of the Wind, but also a more youthful read that has a magical world like Eragon but nothing fairytale compares to it.

View all my reviews

Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting, random, unconventional findings! I think it would have been a bit better if the questions linked to a certain theme and he wrote several different books. It's similar to Malcolm Gladwell books.

Answer's questions like:
- Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?
- What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
- Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?
- How much do parents really matter?
- How much does a child's name really matter?
Also information on:
The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

I found it interesting that when it really comes down to it; pretty much 80% of us would cheat/commit a crime if we knew that the odds were with us.

It's also interesting the fact of causality and correlations. What causes what? Maybe the cause is just an indication of something else.

Also he brought up it takes skill to ask odd, unconventional, yet logical questions.

James Altucher and Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner set up a daily podcast which has 177 Questions of the Day, which answers unconventional questions that is similar to the context of this book
Freakonomics Q of the Day link


View all my reviews

Review: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy crap what an AMAZING book! I looooooved this. I had no idea how important sleep was to us... Everyone should read this. There is such a lack of education from sleep. Sleep is more important than diet and exercise.
As an adult you need between7-9hr of sleep per night.
Sleeping pills don't do shit.
Youth and elderly need sleeping the most. If you don't allow teenagers their much needed sleep it increases the chance they will have a mental conditional, higher chance of suicide and so much more.
There was one guy who literally couldn't sleep, he didn't sleep for 10 months and he actually died. He just shrivelled away into nothing, he wasn't even able to talk, he just turned into a zombie.
Sleep rejuvenates us, it cleans up the mess we made when we're awake and we learn and process everything from the day.

View all my reviews

Review: Inkheart

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This was one of the most long winded books I've ever read, it was about very little and it was a massive book. It felt like it took me ages and ages to get through it even though it was less than a week it was just painful. Constantly thinking throughout reading if I should just add it to my DNF shelf but I just hate doing that. And there where some although very few decent parts but sadly they were only a sentence or a paragraph lol I would definitely not read this again. I thought I'd enjoy it, the premise sounded interesting - Mo has the power to read characters out of books, but there was no point in it, no excitement from it, and it was just so meh, I don't understand why people like this book so much. I just don't get it.

View all my reviews

Review: The Slow Regard of Silent Things

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You either love or hate this book... or wonder what the hell you just read haha. I'm amongst the "slightly broken" ones who absolutely loved it.

I read it from start to finish not just because it's a rather short read but I loved being in the Underthing with Auri <3 I liked her strange odd eccentric character in The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, but I love her now that she's showed me her world and how she see's it.

Patrick Rothfuss not only writes a story but it is so poetic! Filling my head with an abundance of extra vocabulary to learn I loved it! I didn't know how humble Rothfuss was until I read his author's notes on this story, he claims that this book is a mess and the reader's will be pissed and he apologizes. I thought this was so sweet and thoughtful of an author. It's because this book doesn't fit the conventional norm of a "story" there are no villains or dialogue and the climax of the book is Auri making soap lmao but this story doesn't need those things, it's great on it's own.

I've never read a book that I was so engaged in the character development of inanimate objects lmao Crazy as it might seem I actually loved the way Auri takes care of her things as if they were friends of her she takes care of. It's kinda of sad and lonely but Auri doesn't see it that way. She see's it as a service to others and reminds herself not to be self centered/selfish. Everything has it's place that they're happy and comfortable in and Auri does her best to make sure they're well taken care of.

I feel like I don't want to say it and bring it to the surface but Auri defintey has a mental condition, at minimum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I feel bad saying it and I'm not making any less of her, but the way that she needs everything to be perfectly in place to make her feel at ease is not 100% normal healthy human behaviour.

“This story is for all the slightly broken people out there. I am one of you. You are not alone. You are all beautiful to me.”
Pat Rothfuss
June, 2014.

View all my reviews

Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(2.5/5 stars) Well this was the most depressing, paranoid, negative book I've ever read lol... someone plz pass me the sunshine! Or should I say... the sugar bowl??? :P I think not

Nah for real this book wasn't bad, it was just very different than the books I'm use to reading. This was the first book I've read by Shirley Jackson although I have watched the TV Show The Haunting of Hill House which I enjoyed, even though it was pretty slow at times, it was very creepy!

This book reminded me of the creepy movie The Boy, where this woman has to take care of this families doll in this creepy old mansion and it turns out he was real/alive. The Boy reminded me of the creepiness and innocence of Merricat. It also reminded me of the creepiness of the movie Crimson Peak where this family lives in a dark mansion and it's all creepy, and then one day they have a guest come over, similar to when Charles came over. Damn Charles...

View all my reviews

Review: Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is such a real life, authentic book. It reminds me of It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini as well as Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

I'm becoming a big fan of John Green <3 The way he writes is so beautiful, poetic, and authentically heart churning.

It's such a teen fitting question of "Who are we? Who am I? What is our purpose? Are we just water and bacteria living in this balloon of a body? What makes us who we are? Circumstances, what we own what we like? It's interesting hearing the inside thoughts of a troubled teen, even though it's made up from John Green. He must have personally known someone with OCD to have written this book.

I loved Aza's best friend Daisy she was so funny and such a good friend. When they blew up at eachother I really felt like I was there with them, felt so real...

View all my reviews

Review: Matched

Matched by Ally Condie
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5/5 stars. I actually quite enjoyed the first quarter of the book. It's a bit young for me but still enjoyable :) It's a lot like The Giver <3 which I loved.

That dystopian controlled society that yearns for their own sense of individuality and decision making. The society is fed strict delivered meals, restricts them from doing a lot of things. Plans their activities, etc. They all have to carry around this tablet which contains 3 pills, red, green, blue, each do different things.

I enjoyed the love triangle that's between Ky and Xander. I couldn't help picturing Xander like the Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer haha and I pictured Ky sorta like Tai from Digimon bahaha I know I'm a weirdo.

Up to half of the book was still good but it started lagging and the other half of the book was not really that great. I mean sure there's sorta of a surprise ending I guess but it's not great. I was going to read the next book but since I finished the book I no longer have interest.

View all my reviews

Review: Life, the Universe and Everything

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5/5 What did I just read??? lol the most random books of all time XD This book sucks for story but it is pretty funny and really thinks outside the box. It's more like a stand up comedy which each chapter is a different theme lol it would be a good bathroom read XD

View all my reviews

Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

1st Time Re-Reading Review:
Wow this book is soooooo full of plot it's crazy. I think when I first read this book as a kid I only absorbed about 70% of it because there's so much that happens and soooo many mysteries and twists and turns. Plus I probably read it way too slow and you need to read this book fairly quickly so as to remember all the pieces so you can piece them all together in the end. Also there's so much that happens that is NOT in the movie. It's like that for book 1-3 but not nearly as this book. This book is also more mature than the first few books. This book also is starting to get a darker feel to the series.

Long a$$ notes that I wrote down during reading this book:
(view spoiler)[
- The book starts off with a story of a village being afraid of the mansion house the Riddles use to live in before the 3 of them died (was the boy Tom Riddle - Voldemort?) and the town blamed the gardener Frank Bryce for the murder but they had no proof. Frank saw fire in the house and went to take care of it but it was Wormtail and Voldemort. Voldemort killed Frank the muggle for overhearing him talk to Wormtail. Wormtail gave Voldemort Bertha Jorkins to power up but he wanted Harry Potter
- Lol at when the Weasley’s appeared into the Dursley’s home and they were furious yet too scared to show it lol and when it was just Harry and my Weasley Vernon was throwing their China at their heads lol
- New character Ludo bagman introduced, he helped them get tickets to the World Cup match and showed them around.
- We meet Barty Crouch too who calls the weasleys weatherby’s lol
- After Ireland won the World Cup there was chaos and the death eater symbol in the air. Hermione heard a deep voice incantate it. (later find out this was Barty Crouch's son) The trio saw Winky ( Barty Crouch’s house elf) get pulled into bushes from some invisible person.
- Harry lost his wand and they found Winky knocked out near where they heard the incantation. (Barty Crouch Sr stunned Winky and his son Barty Crouch Jr) Winky had Harry Potters wand and Crouch Sr checked the last spell on the wand and it was the death eater curse. Winky claims it wasn’t her though
- When Sirius was in the fire taking to Harry he told him that Karkaroff was a death eater before and he was sent to Azkaban. The only way he got out was because he gave them several other death eaters names and told them he had changed. Sirius doesn’t know whether to trust him or not. Maybe Dumbledore decided to have the Triwizard tournament this year to keep Karkaroff close. Also bringing back mad eye moody one of the best aurors the ministry ever had can keep a good eye on Karkaroff. - - Mad eye can see through invisibility cloaks and wood and 360 view
- Hermione is rioting against the mistreatment to house elves, how they aren’t paid and made to work day in day out. She says it’s slavery and unfair and creates SPEW but everyone isn’t really interested in supporting the cause because house elves actually prefer to work and they don’t care about money. Dobby and Winky now work at Hogwarts and Dobby is even getting paid for it he loves the freedom. The other house elves are ashamed of him and stay away from him as if he’s contagious with a bad disease
- Hagrid's mom was a giant and his dad was human which makes Hagrid a half giant. His mom ran away when Hagrid was one and his Dad died in Hagrid's second year. Giants are frown upon in society because they act like trolls. So when hagrid told Maxime he was glad he found someone like him - a half giant - it made him happy, but she was insulted. And damn annoying Rita Seeter writes a whole thing in the daily prophet about how hagrid is just like a giant and treats the students poorly and is a horrible magical creatures professor
L
Harry saw on the marauders map that me crouch was in Snape a office and when snape got there he told filch that someone stole something and Harry was in invisibility cloak then mad eye arrived and noticed Harry hiding and he took the map from the floor and Harry’s egg from filch and told them that he would sort it out and he saved Harry. Snapen suspected it was Harry. After mad eye asked Harry if he saw anyone on the map in snakes office and he told him there was crouch. Mad eye said he’s nothing compared to auror skills of crouch. Saying he can’t believe ppl that were death eaters before were forgiven by dumbledore (talking anout snape pretty sure)
Harry Potter was all stressed out about how he was going to be able to breathe under water and none of his friends could figure it out. Harry accidentku took a nap and woke up 10min b4 the second task and freaked out but dobby was there and gave Harry gilleeweed. Dobby overheard mad eye and mcgonnagal talking about it and he went to tell Harry Potter because he didn’t want Harry Potter to loose his “weasey” lol
- Voldemort's mother Merope Gaunt was a witch that cast a love potion on the muggle father Tom Riddle Sr because of his good looks and wealth. Tom didn't like her back because she was poor and had a strange shabby appearance. Merope stopped giving Tom the potion in the hopes that he would stay with her if not for love then for at least the child's sake, but he ran away. And when Tom Marvolo was born Merope died shortly after.
- So while Barty Crouch’s son Barty (lol) was in Azkaban his mom visited him and polyjuiced eachother as eachother so she stayed and he left. She was dying so her dying wish to Barty Sr was to get her son out of Azkaban (but why wouldn’t Barty Sr just not have sent him to Azkaban in the first place?) she took the polyjuice potion until she died so they thought Barty Jr died. Barty went straight to Voldemort’s side and kidnapped Mad-Eye Moody and kept him in a box for 10 months while he polyjuice potioned himself to look like Mad-Eye. Voldemort wanted Barty/Mad-Eye to mentor Harry to be able to get through the Triwizard tournament so he could use the trophy as a port key and be alone with Voldemort not under Dumbledores protection. (But couldn’t he have used anything as a port key? And not have Harry do any of the Triwizard tournament?)
- Barty Crouch Jr/Mad-Eye was the one who put Harry's name under a different school into the cup for the Triwizard Tournament
- Barty Sr was keeping his son under the imperious curse to control him but he allowed him to go to the World Cup under Winky’s supervision and under an invisibility cloak. But Barty Jr saw Harry’s wand sticking out of his pocket and craved to use it and he fought against the imperious curse and escaped and as he was free he summoned the death eater symbol in the sky. Later on he saw his dad on the Hogwarts grounds and went over there and killed him
- Bagman owed debt to the goblins at Gringotts so at the World Cup he was handling people’s bets and had a lot of gold on him and the goblins attacked him and took it all from him and that wasn’t even enough to cover it. Bagman gambled too much. Fred and George won their bet and we’re asking bagman for their winnings or at least their money back and Bagman just said that they shouldn’t be gambling. With a last attempt at making money gambling he bet that Harry Potter would win the forward tournament. That’s why he kept asking Harry if he needed help with anything. And since Harry and Cedric technically won the Triwizard cup together he lost the bet and ran off.
- Karkaroff and Snape were previous death eaters to the dark lord but aren’t anymore so when they were called upon Snape didn't go and Karkaroff ran away
- Cornelius Fudge is such an idiot! He got a dementor to give Barty Crouch Jr the kiss of death and now there will be no proof of what happened. It’s because Fudge doesn’t want anyone believing that Voldemort is back, he doesn’t want panic and chaos even though it’s the truth. He denies it all.
(hide spoiler)]

View all my reviews