It Was Snowing Butterflies by Charles Darwin ★★✰✰✰
Getting my least favourite out of the way first; this is one of the Little Black Penguin Classics I picked up. This one I actually picked up for my sister but I wanted to read it before I gave it to here. This is a book about Charles Darwin's time exploring and discovering across different places on the voyage of is boat the Beagle. To start with, I really enjoyed this book but I soon had trouble knowing what some of the things he mentioned actually were. I love nature but I don't all the different cockroach types and so I struggled to understand a lot of what was being talked about. I remember reading it and feeling that the writing was quite boring and was just observations and then I had to remind myself that they were just observations; Charles Darwin was a scientist and not a writer and so he probably didn't care all too much about making his words sound intriguing. Overall, while the writing was a little flat, some parts I really enjoyed and I loved catching a glimpse of Darwin's explorations that let do his theory of natural selection.
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson ★★✰✰✰
This was a book I had been given as a Christmas present a few years ago and after reading the first page dismissed it fairly quickly and I'm kind of glad I did because it's definitely one to read around the age of 15/16. It's about two sisters Bailey and Lennie who live with their Gram after their mother left them. Lennie dies suddenly and Lennie is left but her mourning isn't what she'd expect as when she should be mourning she can't stop thinking about boys and wanting to kiss her sister's boyfriend. For me this book wasn't my favourite. I found the love story quite cheesy and over the top in some aspects. There were parts I did like though; since Bailey died, Lennie wrote poems on scraps of paper and coffee cups that once written she would just dump somewhere. In the book, they are intertwined at the start or end of chapters with a photo of them and saying where they were left and I actually really liked this aspect of the book. One thing I'm happy they didn't do *SPOILER*, they didn't bring Lennie's mum back; I think it would been all a little much and one thing I don't like is when writers gear you towards hating the parent that left their child and expect you to connect with them and forgive them along with the character and I never can and so I'm glad this aspect was left out. Finally, for the writing; at the beginning I found that the style was forced and unnatural with words placed in a order that I wasn't used to that I didn't see the point of doing. Through out the book this seemed to disintegrate- either I became used to the style or it just changed to something I was used to. I found the book fairly flat and my feelings are neutral as while I didn't hate the book, it's not one I would jump to recommend.
The Giver by Lois Lowry ★★★★✰
On to a more positive review! The Giver is a book I've been wanting the read after seeing the trailer on a trailer binge watch on Youtube (yes, I do do that). The story line seemed like my perfect story line and one I felt I'd have to read and then see the film. When it came to buying the book, I realised it was part of a Quartet and I didn't want to buy the first book, like it and then buy the set and have two copies of the first or buy the set and not actually like the books and so I decided I'd just make the small investment of buying the eBook. I've never read an eBook before so this was a first and I was actually a bit apprehensive but I actually really enjoyed being able to read it on my phone and so maybe I'll be using it more in the future. But on to the book! It's about a community that is controlled where you learn that they have no feelings see no colour, have no choices and a lot of things that we know are unknown to them. When each member of the community becomes Twelve, they are chosen a job and Jonas was given the job of "receiver". I won't say anymore as I don't want to give is away but I did enjoy this book. The idea for the story was everything I would dream in a story line and is why it appealed to me in the first place. I really did enjoy this book and I don't know what else to say other than that! However, I will say that this is classed as a child/young adult book which I think is very wrong and I don't think,in my opinion this is appropriate for children. I think that might have been chosen to do with the size of the book as it's only a short book. I will also say that I wish it was longer. The pacing of the book was great but I wanted more than 160 pages and I feel it could have been the length of Divergent easily! The ending wasn't what I was expecting as it didn't finis on on explanation but there is books to follow so we'll see as I'll definitely be picking them up at sometime!
The Disreputable History Of Frankie Landau-Banks by E.Lockhart ★★★★★
It feels like ages since I read this book now but the story line and the whole book has really stuck with me. Centered around Frankie who attends the most privileged school in the country, she ends up preoccupied by the popular and gorgeous Matthew Livingston. As their relationship blossoms, Frankie feels Matthew is keeping secrets which she intends to find out. One thing I'll mention here is the publishers, Hot Key, who include something on they're books which I love- a small wheel/pie chart that tells you the main topics include and for this book it say Pranks, Infiltration, Secret Society and Boys; if that's not a good summary I don't know what it! When I first picked up this book I read the first few chapters and put it down but then when I picked it up again I sailed through it in a day which is rare for me! E.Lockhart's work has a way of doing that to me and I love it!After We Were Liars, I thought nothing new of hers could top that but this did! I have to mention the feminism included in this book; I didn't hate it and I understood it at some points but at other points I did get annoyed as I felt little things that Matthew did were over analysed by Frankie and her Feminist Views. That was the only bad point I have to say about this as over all I really did enjoy it! I can't wait for E.Lockhart's next book and I've spotted that she's released a co-written book which I'll have to pick up.This has to be my favourite book I've read so far this year.
So that, I felt was a roller coaster of a Recently Read. Also do you like my new stars? I thought it would be a goo indicator of how I feel if you cant infer my opinions from my ramble! Also, let me know if you'd like to see any full reviews of book mentioned here or in other posts!
Hope you're doing great,
Sarah x
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