Review: Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by William H. McRaven
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

One of the shortest books I've ever read lol was literally less than 2hr audiobook.

I didn't get much value from it, but it was interesting to hear about a Navy Seals time training and how rough it was and he persevered through it. Never give up.

Honestly "Make your Bed" should not be the title of this book lol It should be something relating to a Navy Seal explicitly. Make your bed was like a paragraph within a paragraph of what this book was lol Basically start your day with a win, an accomplishment, be productive right off the bat and set the tone for the day - by making your bed lol That's about it.

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Review: Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was like listening to Ellen DeGeneres or watching a stand up comedian give good life advice.
It was like chit chatting with a best friend; deep, insightful, meaningful, and honest.
It was enjoyable and filled with little stories of their lives.
It wasn't like I was writing down a bunch of things to remember though.

Advice nuggets:
fuck politeness
go pro on therapy, don't go only when you are in dire need, everyone should go

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Review: Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

(1.5/5 stars) Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh! I mean the writing was pretty good, descriptive, poetic yatta yatta but omg what a boring ass story! I could barely get through it, I was constantly considering putting it in my DNF list but I hate doing that. It had a very Twilight feel with the whole werewolf theme but imagine having Twilight only be about Bella and Jacob, that mini story line within the bigger story line ONLY. No vampires, no drama, no team Edward etc etc, just Jacob lol I'm glad it's over.

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Review: Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals

Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals by Rachel Hollis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was surprisingly a good book, I've gotten some value from it. I expected it to be like Jen Sincero's book You are a Badass but it was better, there was more practical advice.

I really enjoyed the chapter on other peoples opinions (OPO). At the end of the day OPO doesn’t matter it’s yours that matters and others may have developed their opinion for a multitude of reasons and perceptions you never had. Don’t ask others for their opinions just to validate your own, listening to OPO and allowing it to influence you makes you vulnerable about yours and it might not even matter based on one just one persons opinion, how can you generalize what everyone will think? Everyone has different beliefs and values which means you can’t please everyone.

Some practical advice:
- Wake up an hour early before you have to get your day rolling for some good ol' me time
- Get confident - first of all care about how you look, dress, make up, eye lashes etc
- Get off social media it’s a time killer
- Deep work

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Review: Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good book, I was almost as frustrated at Jack's behaviour as I was in Harry Potter with Delores Umbridge lol Just hating on someone so much you can't stand it. I enjoyed how it ended too but I wanted a better (view spoiler)[ visual experience of seeing his suffering and what he was saying in the basement red room as he slowly died. Also it would have been better if he was gay as he didn't rape her at all or abuse her sexually which I feel is out of character as he loved hearing, smelling, tasting fear he lived for it. (hide spoiler)]

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Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

1st time re-reading:
Ah what an epic ending for an epic series. Everything made sense now and all the strings came together. Some sad deaths in this book ;( What can I say I love Harry Potter <3 lol nuff said

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Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

1st re-read:
The darkest, saddest book of them all, not to say that it's a bad thing. We learned a lot about Lord Voldemort in this book. There's lots of love interests going on which keeps things interesting too.

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Review: Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well that was original! Have you ever wondered if back when you were younger you had made a different critical decision and that your life could be completely different today if you had changed that decision?

It's all about how one decision you make in life branches to a bunch of alternate universes and that branch creates another branch and another and another until infinity of trillions of possible outcomes. It's pretty mind fucking lol

I enjoyed this book but I felt it could have done better. There were some little things that didn't make sense but meh lol. Also the story would be better as a movie instead of a book.

I want to say what this book is really about but it's kind of a spoiler so if you want to read it >> (view spoiler)[ This book is about jumping from one universe to another parallel universe to see of what would have happened if you didn't make a certain decision and how would life pan out. The main character keeps jumping from one to another, but he ends up wanting his original life back (or at least the version we're reading does). But since he has this ability to jump that means there's trillions of other versions of him trying to jump too lol and a bunch of them want to all meet at his original life and they have to fight for it, who get's to be with the wife and kids in the end? (hide spoiler)]

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Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

1st re-read:
This book is much darker, much more mature than the first 4 books. Gotta say it's my least favourite so far. It's more of a 4/5 star tbh but it's Harry Potter and the wizarding world and I must give it a 5/5 because I love it so much. This book bridges the gap to the next 2 books. Harry is much more naggy, self-centered and teenager like in this book. We learn a lot more about the adult characters in this book which is super interesting, some new characters.

I have some big questions though:
- if Harry stays with Aunt Petunia during the summer because it's the blood that protects him how was he safe when he went to the Weasley's burrow, or even when he got lost near Diagon Alley in the book? Those would have been good moments for Voldemort to attack him.
- if the prophecy states that the person that has the power to end Voldemort is born within a certain month why didn't Voldemort just try and kill all possibilities including the mentioned Neville? Did Dumbledore put a protection curse on Neville's parents as well just in case? Why didn't the death eaters attack Harry instead of Voldemort?
- it was a bit far fetched for Dumbledore to keep Harry that out of the loop of everything and to tell him nothing, especially when Snape stopped teaching him occlumency, Dumbledore really should have made influence to Harry at that point.

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Review: The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is definitely 5/5 stars. What an amazing book. The story amazing, the characters amazing, the writing amazing, it was meaningful, everything was perfect, I couldn't have asked for more.

This book was scary, happy, hopeful, sad, angry, unfair, guilty, jealous, paranoid, and depressed all at once.

I am so shocked at how much I loved this book. I never read fiction and I never read historic fiction and this book was incredible.

I feel like this book has influenced me and changed me for the good. It's taught me to appreciate life and goodness it has.

I'm craving to travel to France now lol

Even though it doesn't do this book justice, it reminds me of Inglorious Basterds for the cruelty towards Jews and it reminds me of the movie The Beguiled with Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. The character Nicole Kidman plays raises an orphanage during the war and she longed for her husband to come home. She risked her life and the children's lives to take care of an injured enemy soldier (Colin Farrell) in her home. But The Nightingale is a much more dense story than this.

I have nothing else to say lol just read this one.

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