Friday 20 January 2017

End of 2016 Wrap-Up | Raquel

Hello! Long time no post... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


So I started university this year which has taken up so much time I barely have had time to breathe let alone post. University isn't as hard as I thought or as your teachers make it out to be, it's just extremely different. There tend to be a lot more very dedicated and passionate people who all are striving to get the education they need to start their desired career. You for sure still have people who slack, but the number is considerably smaller and or they get weeded out after the first year or so when they are failing. My university has a lot less assignments, like almost none at all (I'm taking science courses) that are worth marks. Therefore your entire mark can depend on a few tests and exams. This is what really is challenging is that if you mess up one, your whole grade will be drastically affected. It's kind of like going to middle school from elementary. Everything is so different and you really do need to step up your game. The only difference is in university nobody cares if you fail except maybe your wallet and your parents.
This year as well the professors at my university went on a strike which prolonged our term a few weeks resulting in me only getting two days off before the next term starts. Even so I decided to use some of this time to work on this post. I also am working which results in me having like no time. This sadly means that I haven't had much time to read anything that is not my calculus textbook but I did manage a few books over the past few months. So here are all the books that I read in the end of 2016.


August

Reality Boy - A.S King

This book was the first book I read in August. It was a different book that I can say. It wasn't horrible but I for sure did not find this book as interesting and I think that has more to do with just the story of the book not being something I am particularly interested in. It was a story about a boy whose family had a reality show when he was young and how his broken family dynamic along with being a child who is constantly filmed affected him in the long term. If the plot sounds interesting to you then I would for sure read it, A.S King's writing style is definitely one of my favourites. I  rate this book 3.5/5 stars.






This is where it ends - Marieke Nijkamp

This next book I actually had for a while before I read it. However after I read it I regretted not picking it up sooner. It was actually extremely fascinating and I read it quite fast as I was eager to find out how it ended. Though I understood that in these types of novels people die, I was still very sad anytime a character was killed. This book is for the most part realistic, I mean school shootings do happen so this story can kind of be applied to something that could happen in real life. If you're not into realistic fiction you probably wouldn't like this novel but otherwise I would suggest this book to everyone!! I rate this book 4.2/5 stars.




September


United As One - Pittacus Lore

So I was super excited for this book to come out. This book series has been my life since like grade 9 or something.. And as much as I love it I was also excited to see it come to an end because I felt that they were dragging it along too far.. Anyway this book definitely did the series justice. I won't really talk too much about the book since it won't make much sense unless you have read the other books. If you have read some of the series I would suggest finishing it, it definitely is worth it in the end. If you're looking for a long book series this also would be one I would suggest. I rate this book 4.1/5 stars.







Say What You Will - Cammie McGovern

The first thing I will say is that book was very fascinating. I for some reason really like books that describe the life of people with different disorders or medical situations. I think it is just so interesting to kind of get a peak of what life could be like for a person with that condition. I think it makes you much more aware of what they could be going through on a day-to-day basis. This book includes that but also has the sappy cheesy teen book side too. I don't mind reading those books, sometimes I even go out of my way to read them, and it for sure is common for these types of books to have it. Even so it felt weird? It's a bit hard to explain but I guess the relationship and romance stuff just seemed incredibly awkward sometimes. I'm not sure if that was the author's intention, but to me that is the only thing I found a bit off about this book. I rate this book 3.6/5 stars.

October


Undertow- Michael Buckley

This book was the only book I read in October, but it for sure is one of my favourites on this list. When I had read the description of this book series I imagined something completely different. When I read the book though I was super surprised at what the story turned out to be and I found it so fascinating. I really enjoyed the world that this story was in, for the most part its a modern world but then there are the Alpha. It for sure reminded me when I was young and Faith and I were into mermaids.Of course these people aren't mermaids int he traditional sense, but it still gave me a sort of nostalgia. The book though in no way is childish, the way they portray these Alpha are in a much more powerful, wise, and fearful species. It definitely was a very unique book to read and I secretly (or I guess not so secretly) wish they turn this series into a movie, it would be SOOO AWESOME if done correctly. Anyway I rate this book 4.5/5 stars.




November


The Quantum Prophecy- Michael Carroll

So I read this book because a new friend I made at university suggested it. He let me borrow his copy as I was not able to find a physical copy where I live. This book is not super popular but it was actually a lot better than I expected. I haven't read a whole lot of superhero type books with the exception of the Reckoner's series. I guess I just thought I wouldn't be into them, but this book was actually surprisingly fascinating and not at all what I expected. I am really glad I picked up this book. I have learnt more lately than ever that if you try a book even when it doesn't seem super appealing at first, well you could end up being delightfully surprised. Of course this doesn't happen, but it's nice when it does. I rate this book 4.2/5 stars.




Crooked Kingdom- Leigh Bardugo

I was super excited when this book came out. This series related to her other series, they exist in the same world however its a completely different story. I actually really like this concept especially since it's a very fascinating story on its own. I feel sometimes when other authors have done this the other books just don't end up as good as the original series, however I think Leigh does a perfect of creating a very unique story that is just as good as the original. For the most part you don't need to read the first series to understand these books as pretty much all the characters are different, however the world is more so built in the first series so it can be harder to understand it if you just were to pick up these books. I rate this book 4.6/5 stars.



December


This was one of the books that I got for my birthday. ( I AM NOW 18) I was super excited to read this book. I find this series to interesting. The books are really tiny compared to the books I'm use to but its kind of nice sometimes to just have a good small book that still has a decent plot. These books aren't something you would read if you were looking for an amazing unique and fantastic story, but more just a small good story to read. It was nice for me since I was able to read in between studying for exams which allowed me to get a bit of a break. I haven't read Harry Potter but from what people say the idea of the story is a bit similar with it being at a magic sort of school, but the world is different and this series is significantly shorter and the world less detailed. I rate this book 4/5 stars.



Sakkara- Michael Carroll

I already mentioned this book series earlier. This book was definitely more interesting as there was more about the history of the past superheroes as well as we got to see the present ones more in action. I'm kind of curious where this book series is going to go, currently I don't feel I know the story or the world enough to come up with an idea so I guess I am just going to have to wait and read. I currently have the third book and will begin reading it soon hopefully!! I rate this book 4.1/5 stars.








Holding Up the Universe- Jennifer Niven

The last book I read of 2016! This book kind of reminded me of the first book in this wrap-up (Reality Boy) just with the idea of having a teen who had their misfortune become public and therefore had a label associated with them. In the end the character shows the world there is more to them then what everyone thinks and that they aren't that person they once were. It is a bit different considering the circumstance. This book was a bit sad actually. It's sad to think that bullying similar to what takes place in the book happens to real people. As far as Jack's condition of not being able to recognize faces, that was actually kind of interesting. I can't even imagine what it would be like living with that condition.. That would for sure be incredibly hard as you would be a sighted person but in some way you also experienced what it's like to be blind. It was for sure a very interesting thing to read  about. I rate this book 4/5 stars.




Hope you enjoyed my first post of 2017!!

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