"Virgin" by Radhika Sanghani | Book Review

Ellie Kolstakis is a 21-year-old virgin. She's not looking for Mr. Right and she's not saving herself for marriage; she just hasn't...had the opportunity.

Virgin is the hilarious account of a girl on a quest to lose her virginity. She's in her final year of college and is sick of having to lie about her sexual experience when playing Never Have I Ever with her classmates.

In preparation for the big event, Ellie starts thinking - well, panicking - about what's expected of her, especially down there. The last time a guy saw her untrimmed pubic hair, he laughed. Hard. She never wants to feel that mortification again.

This novel is hilarious from the get-go. I find Ellie herself really funny. At first, her obsession with (losing) her virginity was a bit much - I kind of wanted to grab her by the shoulders and say, "It's okay, there's no need to rush! There are so many different kinds of people and you're not a freak!" But as the story progressed, there were just so many amusingly understandable situations. It's hard not to laugh at and love this book. And it's so refreshing to read about the things that are so rarely discussed regarding the female body.

This story, with Ellie as the amusingly exasperated protagonist, is so easy to relate to. From her nerves on a first date, to her relationships with her friends, to her panic about her pubes, Ellie is easy to identify with - in spite of and because of her flaws.

Whether or not you're a virgin, you'll definitely find something to relate to in this comically honest novel.

Photo by Author

"The Maze Runner" by James Dashner | Book Review

Thomas wakes up in a dark box one day, remembering nothing but his name. He arrives in the Glade, a place full of other young men like him who have created a community in the midst of all the unknown. The Gladers are surrounded by a massive, mysterious maze; when he sees the Runners returning home from exploring the maze, Thomas knows instantly that he has to be one of them. But will Thomas be able to discover the mystery behind being sent to the Glade?

This novel has a really cool (albeit disturbing) plot, and that's mostly what kept me interested in the story. Having finished the novel, I want more information on who or what is behind sending all those people to the Glade, and I want to know all the secrets that I'm sure are going to start surfacing soon. I really want to know!

Although I enjoyed the plot, I didn't really like the protagonist, Thomas. He's kind of a prick. I get that he's sarcastic and that's a big part of his personality, and I usually quite enjoy sarcasm, but it just didn't translate for me in this case. In fact, there were very few characters I liked. Like, maybe one or two.

I'm also disappointed in Teresa's role in this novel. It's almost like she's there because there are no other female characters in the book. She has a potentially very interesting story line, but she's barely part of the story in The Maze Runner. I hope she's more involved in the sequels, because there really wasn't much to her in this novel unfortunately.

The description of the Grievers is weird, it sounds like a blob that shoots spikes, which I have trouble taking seriously. I'd probably get killed by the Grievers as I stood bemusedly gawking at them. I found myself skipping some of the repetitive descriptions because it's a bit scarier to think about what they might be, as opposed to what you're being told they are.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it was mostly the plot and the mystery surrounding the maze that kept me going. I didn't like most of the characters - I found them rude and irritating - and there was a lot of repetition, but it kept my attention enough to make me want to know the secrets behind the Glade.

1. Photo by Author; 2. "Teresa" by Dominique Wesson via deviantart in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

August Book Haul!

August's Book Haul comes to you late because of my computer. But better late than never, here it is!

1. The Virgin Coop by Matt Scallon

(via Goodreads Giveaway)

2. Drive by James Sallis

3. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

4. Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

5. Throat by R.A. Nelson

6. The Ghost of Milagro Creek by Melanie Sumner

7. Alabama Moon by Watt Key

8.  Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

9. What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges

10. Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

11. Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

12. Deviled Eggs by Debbie Moore

13. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

14. A Poet to His Beloved by W.B. Yeats

15. Natural Healing Wisdom & Know-How by Amy Rost

16. The World's 100 Best Adventure Trips by Jasmina Trifoni

17. Herbivoracious by Michael Natkin

18. Nothing Gold Can Stay by Ron Rash

What books did you buy in August?

I have bad luck with computers...

Hi there! I'm really sorry about the lack of activity on here over the past couple of weeks.

My laptop died the True Death. One second it was working, and the next it was completely and utterly unresponsive. So that hasn't been fun.

I most likely won't be buying a new laptop for a little while, but I think I've sorted out internet access and such, so I should be back to a regular posting schedule real soon.

I just wanted to explain what's going on, I hope you're keeping well!

Top Book Spines! | Top 5 Wednesday

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is to list your favourite book spines. There are some gorgeous book spines out there, so I've been looking forward to this week!

1. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
4. Shades of Grey Jasper Fforde

5. The Lusiads by Luis Vaz de Camoens

What are some of your favourite book spines?

Photo by Author

"Guardians of the Galaxy" Review | Movie Monday

In 1988, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was abducted from his home planet, Earth. Fast forward 26 years and Quill, aka Star-Lord, is a badass-leather-jacket-wearing Ravager searching for a highly sought-after orb. He quickly discovers that a very powerful person, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), is also looking for it. The motley crew - Quill, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) - must work together to stop Ronan from using the infinity stone to destroy the world as they know it.

I love this movie. It's absolutely in my top 4 Marvel movies, and within those 4 I'd have a very hard time picking a favourite.

I really liked most of the characters and could empathize with them and their back stories. It's very funny - the humour is so well-done by everyone, and it's great that there was some innocent humour and some not-so. I laughed at both. Hard.

Guardians is pretty accessible. It can stand alone and you don't need to have seen any of the other Marvel Universe films to understand what's going on, although there are a lot of Easter Eggs for fans who are more familiar with the Universe.

This film and its characters are very sweet. I think my favourite friendship was Rocket and Groot's because they really cared for and understood each other. Who knew I could care so much about a raccoon and a talking tree?

I like what they did with Quill and his cassette player. They really emphasized that he's human and grew up in the same society as many of the viewers, listening to the same songs and watching the same movies - he's like us. His attachment to the device is sometimes used as a comedic thing, but it's very clear that Peter's cassette player means a lot to him.

There are so many 80's references, it's wonderful. As I was growing up, my parents introduced me to "oldies" and songs they loved (much like what Quill's mom does for him in the film), which included stuff from the previous decade, the 80's, so I knew and loved a lot of the songs on the soundtrack and it made me so happy whenever I recognized one of those great songs.

This movie combines several things I love very much: humour, sci-fi, adventure, the 80's and Star-Lord's jacket (seriously, I want one).

I. Love. Marvel.

Image Credit: "Rocket Raccoon Statue" by Gage Skidmore via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

I'm doing the Write On Review-a-thon!

With Bout of Books 11 over, I now have more reviews I need to get written! I think this'll help me push myself to write at least some of the reviews on my list, so I'm looking forward to participating! Here is the official blurb:

"The Write On review-a-thon is a monthly event created and hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen. It's 2 days dedicated to getting reviews done, whether you have one review to write or 30+. This edition of the review-a-thon takes place all day Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st. Let's get those reviews done!"

I'll be writing reviews for the following books and movies:

• A Long Way Down
• Splinter
• Beneath
• Gallows Hill (aka The Damned)
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• Drive by James Sallis
• Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon & co.
• Serenity: Better Days by Joss Whedon & co.

If I read or watch anything worth reviewing between now and the beginning of the review-a-thon, I'll most likely add that to the list too! On Saturday I'll be attending Fan Expo, so I won't get any reviews done because I'll be out of the house all day and completely zonked by the time I get home. But I'm planning on spending much of Sunday getting reviews done!

Are you doing the Write On read-a-thon? Let me know down below!

Aaand that's a wrap! | Bout of Books 11

Yet again, Bout of Books went by so quickly! I had a lot of fun and I ended up participating a lot more in the social aspects of this read-a-thon. I didn't read as much as I'd hoped to, but I did force myself most of the days...so I got more reading done than I would have, had this week not been Bout of Books.

Total Completed Readings: One short novel and one novella

• Drive by James Sallis
• Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Additional Incomplete Readings: One short novel and one graphic novel

• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
• Serenity: Better Days by Joss Whedon & co.

Total Number of Pages Read: 387

Challenges Completed: 4

• Book Scavenger Hunt
• Book Spine Poetry
• Recreate a Book Cover
• 5-Book Challenge: Post-apocalyptic Edition

How I did with my goals:

• I didn't do nearly as much reading as I intended, but I did get through two titles I was looking forward to, so I'm happy about that.
• I wanted to participate in one Twitter chat, and I did! I really enjoyed that and got to talk to people about stuff I love.
• I surpassed my challenge goal! I was aiming to do at least three challenges and I ended up doing four! I love challenges, they're always so much fun.
• I wanted to make daily progress posts, but for one reason or another (redoing a bedroom, rebuilding a cellar), I didn't.
• I also wanted to read for at least an hour every day, but for the same reasons mentioned above, I didn't.

In summary, I was hoping to read more than I did, but this just means I'm going to try harder next time. Even though I didn't reach all of my goals, I'm glad I read the things that I did!

Did you make good progress on your reading during Bout of Books 11? Feel free to leave me a link to your wrap-up post! :)

5-Book Challenge: Post-Apocalyptic Edition! | Bout of Books 11 Challenge

Ashley over at Falling Down the Book Hole is hosting today's final Bout of Books challenge! Using the following blurb as inspiration, we must pick 5 books we would grab if there was an impending apocalypse and we had to abandon our homes:

"It is 11:00 PM on a Sunday night. You are laying in bed thinking about all of the things you must do the next day. Tasks of the coming days consume your thoughts and while your mind is somewhere else you are caught off guard by a flash in the sky that is followed by a large wailing screech that pierces the air and shatters your bedroom window. Slowly you move to the window and what you see catches your breathe and causes you to stumble back a few steps. The aliens (at least you think they are aliens) have began to enter the city and destroy everything that is in their path. Through the window your view is consumed with destruction, screaming people and large flames that are dancing across the city at a fast pace. You notice that the creatures are heading in your direction and you realize you probably have about fifteen minutes before they reach your home. That means you have only about ten minutes to gather your belongings and escape before you are caught in the attack from the aliens invading the city."

I would take these books with me:

World War Z: An Oral History of the World by Max Brooks - This isn't just a book about zombies. This was thoroughly thought-out and if you stop for a moment to think about what you're reading, you realize that a lot of the theories and political reactions to an outbreak Brooks' writes about could very well be true. This novel would help me in an alien invasion because it'd give me ideas about where to seek safer shelter and how to react to new and dangerous situations.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (gah...or The Half Blood Prince, I'm not sure!) by J.K. Rowling - One of my favourite childhood series...how could I not? I've always loved getting lost in Harry Potter's world and these two are my favourites in the series. Reading either of these would help me take my mind off of the chaos around me.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I would take this book with me so I'd always remember what kind of person I was before the invasion. I feel so much like the protagonist, Cath, that throughout the novel I felt like I was reading about myself. Having to survive after an invasion would surely change me as a person, and it'd be nice to have this around to remind me of what life was like before.

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton - I love Tim Burton's art, poetry, movies...this book contains two of those things. The poems are so sweet and at the same time, quite morbid, which is a combination I love - it makes for some laughs! And after an invasion, I'm sure I'd appreciate some of those.

Black Widow: The Finely Woven Thread by Nathan Edmondson - Natasha Romanoff is a badass. But not the kind that gets everything done cleanly - she makes mistakes, and they cost her. That makes her more relatable, I feel. Black Widow would inspire me to survive with her strength, intelligence and badassery.

What books would you take with you if there were an apocalypse?

Day 5 & 6 Progress | Bout of Books 11

I didn't get any reading done on Day 5 because with all the redecorating we've been doing in my house lately, I just didn't have time. I spent the day helping to build shelves for our cold room, which we recently gutted. By the end of the day, I was pretty wiped and fell right to sleep! Day 6 was more successful.

Number of Books I'm Reading: 2

Titles: The Reader and Serenity: Better Days

Pages Read Today: 57

Pages Read Thus Far: 387

Books Completed Thus Far: The Maze Runner, Drive, and Destroy Me

How did you do on Days 5 & 6? Feel free to leave me a link to your progress post and enjoy the rest of the read-a-thon!