BOOK REVIEW: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda, #1), by Tom Angleberger

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Kristilyn

Date(s) read: January 10 -11, 2013
Genre: MG Humour

Series:
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (#1) Goodreads | Amazon
Darth Paper Strikes Back (#2)
The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee (#3)

SYNOPSIS

IT TAKES THE WISDOM OF YODA TO SURVIVED THE SIXTH GRADE

Meet Dwight, a sixth-grade oddball. Dwight does a lot of weird things, like wearing the same T-shirt for a month or telling people to call him “Captain Dwight.” This is embarrassing, particularly for Tommy, who sits with him at lunch every day.

But Dwight does one cool thing. He makes origami. One day he makes an origami finger puppet of Yoda. And that’s when things get mysterious. Origami Yoda can predict the future and suggest the best way to deal with a tricky situation. His advice actually works, and soon most of the sixth grade is lining up with questions.

Tommy wants to know how Origami Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. Is Yoda tapping into the Force? It’s crucial that Tommy figure out the mystery before he takes Yoda’s advice about something VERY IMPORTANT that has to do with a girl.

This is Tommy’s case file of his investigation into “The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.”

My Thoughts
I really don’t read enough Middle Grade books. Of all the ones I’ve tried lately, I’ve loved every single one of them. Sticking with my theme of trying out award nominees or winners, I thought this book looked innocent enough — I mean, how can Yoda steer me wrong?

This book was so good. I had seen it on the shelf plenty of times at both the library and the bookstore, but never took a second glance at it. I remember growing up, my brother was a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise, so I was very familiar with the characters. Who knew that the story would be so darn good? Continue reading →

BOOK REVIEW: The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys, #1), by Abbi Glines

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Kristilyn

the vincent boys
Date(s) read: January 3, 2013
Genre: New Adult

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SYNOPSIS

There was something wicked about Beau that drew me to him. What was wrong with me? Why did I want to sin so badly?

Ashton is getting tired of being good, of impressing her parents and playing ideal girlfriend to Sawyer Vincent. Sawyer is perfect, a regular Prince Charming, but when he leaves town for the summer, it’s his cousin Beau who catches Ashton’s eye. Beau is the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, and even though he’s dangerous, Ashton is drawn to him.

Beau loves his cousin like a brother, so the last thing he wants to do is make a move on Sawyer’s girl. Ashton is off-limits, absolutely. That’s why he does his best to keep his distance, even though he’s been in love with her forever. When Ashton wants to rekindle their childhood friendship in Sawyer’s absence, Beau knows he should say no.

Ashton and Beau don’t want to hurt Sawyer. But the more they try to stay away from each other, the more intense their urges become. It’s getting way too hard to resist…

My Thoughts

Even though the genre has just been introduced in the past months (though I’m sure it’s been around for much longer), I still feel pretty new to the “new adult” genre. However, I have liked everything I’ve read, so when I see stellar reviews for a book that not only features falling in love, but also some sexy romance, I immediately try to find myself a copy.

The Vincent Boys is one of those books that everyone seems to be talking about. When I started reading it, I could see why. The Vincent boys – i.e. Beau and Sawyer Vincent, cousins – are very swoonworthy. I loved seeing the triangle between them and the main character Ashton. Normally, I’m not a love triangle kind of person, but this is one that I was rooting for. There were times I wanted Ashton to be with Sawyer, and times where I wanted her to be with Beau. Eventually I made up my mind, but I’d rather not share that – I’d rather YOU made up your mind, too. Continue reading →

BOOK REVIEW: Husk, by Corey Redekop

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Kristilyn

Date(s) read: September 19 – 20, 2012
Genre: Zombie Thriller

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SYNOPSIS
Outlandish and emotional, this humorous novel centers on Sheldon Funk, a struggling actor who dies in a bus restroom only to awaken during his autopsy and attack the coroner. Fleeing into the wintry streets of Toronto, Sheldon realizes he’s now a zombie—as if he didn’t have enough on his plate already. His last audition, reading for the reality television series House Bingo, had gone disastrously wrong. His mother is in the late stages of dementia, his savings are depleted, his agent couldn’t care less, and his boyfriend is little more than a set of nice abs. All Sheldon has to his name is a house he can barely hold onto and a cat that is more pillow than mammal. Now he also has to contend with decomposition, the scent of the open grave, and an unending appetite for human flesh—and on top of it all, there’s another audition in the morning. In order to survive his death without literally falling apart, Sheldon must find a way to combine his old life with his new addiction, which would be a lot easier if he could stop eating vagrants. A hysterical take on fame, love, religion, politics, and appetite, this is the story of the “everyzombie” people long to be.

My Thoughts

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book for review!

When I started reading Husk, the newest novel by Corey Redekop, I immediately started thinking about Chuck Palahniuk. Still, I’m quite new to Palahniuk’s work, so the first novel that came to mind wasn’t Haunted (a novel I loved), but instead Pygmy, a novel which I despised. This isn’t to say that I despised Redekop’s novel – not in the least – but the fact that the whole time I was reading I kept thinking that it was a good thing I wasn’t eating anything was what brought Pygmy to mind.

For lack of a better statement, this novel is gross. If you like your zombies to eat people, you’ll be in for a treat! If you like your zombie novels to have lots of blood and gore and plenty of ‘ew’ moments, then this is the book for you. Of course, when I think of zombies, the zombie that’s in Husk isn’t really what comes to mind. I liked the character of Sheldon and his journey of self-discovery as a zombie, BUT a big part of me knew, the entire time I was reading, that this wasn’t the zombie for me. The thing about Sheldon is that he can think and he can speak. Sure, he’s just a husk of a man, er … zombie … but he still has plenty of human instincts – minus a few that he reminisces about in the very beginning. Continue reading →