Stacking the Shelves (44)

Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week

Hey guys, look! I filmed this haul! I've decided to start doing YouTube videos a bit and I thought I'd begin with a haul, for something easy. Subscribe to my channel for vlogs and bookish videos! I apologise for the thumbnail... that was the best choice D:

Haul: 

Hooked  by Liz Fichera

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

Devine Intervention  by Martha Brockenbrough

As always, I'd love to see what you got this week! Leave me a link and I'll check it out!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Page Count: 295 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: March 1st 2012
Find it on Goodreads: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Source: Purchased

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

There's no way to review this book before saying that this is an odd book. It is unlike anything I have ever read and that's a good thing. It's weird and quirky and hilarious in a way that I'm sure some people wouldn't enjoy, but I personally loved it and am so glad I did.

If any of you watch padfootandprongs07 on YouTube, you will probably know about this book... That's where I heard of it and I am so glad I did. (Thanks, Raeleen!) I was at Chapters and having troubles deciding which book to buy, until I saw this one. I had been dying to read it for so so long and now that I finally did, I must say that this book is very different. It's not written like your typical YA contemporary fiction. It is not a sad book, as would be expected from a book about a girl with cancer.  This is a FUNNY book. Narrated by Greg, a guy who knows exactly how to survive in high school: blend in... everywhere, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is filled with a fresh voice that is one I could not help but love. The humour is a bit immature at times, sure, but I personally love that kind of stuff and therefore, this book kept me laughing until I was almost in tears.

So Greg is "Me"... then we have Earl. Earl was a character that I can't seem to put my finger on my feelings for. He is a very unique character, very genuine and original. There were times where I was a bit confused as to what he was saying, which is odd for a book, but that's what made him Earl. He was rude and he had a dirty mouth and a serious anger issue, but he also saw things for what they were. I think Earl might have been my favourite character... but I'm not sure. Then there was "The Dying Girl," Rachel. The thing about Rachel was that there wasn't really anything special about her, at least from Greg's perspective and so, that's how we saw her. She was just... normal. BUT I LIKED THAT. She was someone the reader could connect with during all the oddness that is this book.

Overall, this book is one that is hilarious while tragic and is one of the most unique books I have ever read. Andrews' style is fresh and new and I am anxious to see what else he can come up with. I'm going to link Raeleen's video review of this book here so that you can go watch it and then go read this book, because she'll probably convince you to read it. Also, here's a GIF she made that also kind of describes how I feel about this book:

Okay, so yes, this book was totally awesome and weird and different and I loved it a lot! I highly recommend it to anyone who has been craving something that is not at all like the usual YA contemporary novel!

.5

I'm so sorry for the super late review and no TGIF post this week.. I've been extremely busy lately and am taking this weekend to get back on schedule! I promise it will be back to normal, soon!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

June Wrap-Up!

Hi everyone! And hello, July! It's summer and it is beautiful today! The sun is shining, it's super hot out and I'm getting stuff done... June was a good month for me. I finished Grade 10 with straight A's, had some good times with friends and read a good amount of books this month!

Books I Read

• Of Triton by Anna Banks My Review | Goodreads
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (Review to Come)
• Free Four by Veronica Roth My Review | Goodreads
• Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer (Review to Come)
• Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (Review to Come)
• Catherine by April Lindner My Review | Goodreads
• Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally (Review to come)
• Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe My Review | Goodreads
• Born of Illusion by Teri Brown (Review to Come)
• Tarnish by Katherine Longshore (Review to Come)

Most Popular Review

June TBR-ish

 (Yeah, because I always stick with the books I put on here... not.)

Favourite Songs 

1. Stubborn Love (The Lumineers)

2. Chin Music for the Unsuspecting Hero (Foster the People)

3. Forest Eyes (Jinja Safari)

4. Les Amours Dévouées (Coeur de Pirate)

5.  The Lion's Roar (First Aid Kit)

Movie I Watched

Liberal Arts was funny and clever and it showed a man with a deep nostalgia for his youth who travels back to his alma mater and of course, meets a girl.

TV Show

Guys! This show is so good! I've been wanting a family-type show lately and I love this one! Plus, Jake T. Austin is all grown up now and ohhhh boy... swoon <33

Event

I went to the Taylor Swift concert in Vancouver! I did a full post about it here if you want to check it out!

So that's June for me! It was a great month, what with school ending, the concert and reading more books than I have in a long time! I'm loving this summer weather right now and can't wait to see what July brings us!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Top Ten Tuesday: Intimidating Books

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic  is : Top Ten Most Intimidating Books! This could mean intimidating by size, content, hype, whatever! But basically, these are the books that make my eyes go wide and my hands shake a little when I think about reading them...

1. Game of Thrones  by George R. R. Martin-- I borrowed this from a friend back in February and have yet to pick it up... It's big, it's adored and supposedly it has too many characters to keep a hold of. Ahhhhhh

2. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling -- I've had this since it came out and I'm so nervous to pick it up. It's quite large and it is written by the woman who wrote the series that made me who I am. What if I don't like it? 

3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare -- OK here's the thing. I have yet to read Clockwork Angel in full. I read 1/4 of it last year and put it down. I'm not a fan of City of Bones and yet I'm wanting to read The Infernal Devices Trilogy, because of Clockwork Princess. EVERYONE LOVES IT and I'm all "whaaat? I don't understand!" because I haven't read the series and I didn't really want to until now and it's making me frustrated because this book is so "ahahaha I'm loved by everyone" and I'm just like *flails around aimlessly*... You see what I'm saying?

4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer -- Guys, everyone seems to adore this series and I have yet to read it, because of all the hype surrounding it. It's one of the books that I resolved to read this year and I WILL. I promise....ish. 

5.  The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness -- Ever since this book came out, I've wanted to read it. But I have hyped it up so much in my mind that now I'm just kind of like "crap, what if I hate it?"

6. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien -- I know, I know... I have yet to read this series in full and I'm just... ahhhh. They are large books and they aren't exactly the lightest reads in the world and I just need to find a time to settle down and READ. 

7. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -- Same as above, really. Ever since the movie came out last year, it's been "Hobbit this, Hobbit that." I can't escape it! But the book haunts me in my sleep... it knows I want to read it, but I just can't make myself pick it up at the store and purchase it. It's like something is holding me back and you know what it is? HYPE.

8. 1984 by George Orwell-- This is a book that was actually hyped up to me by my English teacher last year. He made it sound like an amazing book and I'm sure it is! I've been dying to read it forever, but I just can't seem to pick it up.

9. The Picture of Dorian Gray  by Oscar Wilde -- I'm a huge fan of Wilde's poems but have yet to read a novel of his and am greatly intimidated by that fact. I've heard incredible things about this one and am nervous to pick it up.

10. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson -- This is a book that is constantly praised in the YA world for being different and raw and real. I have yet to read it and am nervous to, because of all the hype!


So, I guess with this list, we can draw the conclusion that I don't like hype. I went in to Eleanor & Park not knowing a single thing about it and it became a new favourite of mine. I get so overwhelmed by the hype that some books get and I become nervous that I won't like it and then I'll be reprimanded for it.  There are so many books out there and these are ten that make me so nervous when I think about reading them. Yes, it's a little irrational, but it's the truth. 

Leave me a link to your top ten this week! I'd love to see which books intimidate you and maybe I can encourage you to read a few that I've enjoyed! If you have read any of my above choices, let me know what you thought!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Tidbit: Taylor Swift Concert!

Hey guys! Saturday night, my mum, me and my best friend, Janae, went to the Taylor Swift concert in Vancouver!   Taylor Swift has been on the top of my list of concerts I want to go to and last night that wish was granted! And I got to see her with two of my favourite girls in the world! Needless to say, it was amazing.

Now, we left a little bit later, due to Janae having a dance show right before, but we eventually got there, parked and had a quick bite to eat at Subway and then went in... The concert was at BC Place, instead of Rogers Arena, where concerts usually are in Vancouver. Rogers is where the Canucks play and BC Place is the huge stadium where the BC Lions (Football) and Vancouver Whitecaps (Soccer) play... It is a LOT bigger than Rogers. We walked in, trying to find our seats and I was shocked at how huge the stadium looked. I've been in there before, for football games, but it was different, considering there were floor seats as well and a HUGE STAGE. Last night was a 42 THOUSAND people show... And it was sold out, completely.

The opener for the opener for the opener (three openers.. now the word opener looks weird..) was Joel Crouse, a country singer from Nashville and he was really good! I would strongly recommend checking him out, if you get the chance! Then Austin Mahone came on but by then Janae and I had gone hunting for T-Shirts and completely missed him! I've actually never heard his songs, so I didn't really know what I missed, I guess. And then, Ed Sheeran took to the stage. Oh, Ed. It was so different, seeing him in this HUGE stadium filled with people, unlike back in October when I saw him in Seattle in a little tiny venue and he was the main act. It was strange to see him on such a huge stage. I must say, I could tell some of the parents of the little kids weren't exactly thrilled with his "Hell Yeah!s" and crazy loud strumming, but I thought he played amazingly, as always. My mum didn't really enjoy his performance, but I think it was one of those things where you have to be a fan to actually truly enjoy it. His music is beautiful and he is one of my absolute favourite artists, but that night, as he performed an 11 minute long version of You Need Me, I Don't Need You, I could see why some might not like it too much. But, I loved seeing him live again and am definitely looking forward to the next time he comes to town!


And then, Taylor came on the stage! She appeared behind a huge red curtain in silhouette, opening with State of Grace. Taylor brings a massive amount of energy and personality to her performance and was captivating to watch. Her little winks and smirks were adorable and she kept us all laughing as she said witty little things like: "I write a lot of songs about my feelings and I just realized that 42,000 of you just signed up for two hours of hearing about them," 

Taylor had about eight costume changes and was lightning fast with each of them. There were times where she would all of a sudden appear in a dress, having just been in short and blouse and my mum and I would look at eachother like "What? How did that just happen?" Her outfits were all super cute and totally what I was expecting to see her wear. She wore mostly high waisted shorts, flouncy skirts, pretty long dresses and of course, a lot of RED. It was extremely warm in the stadium, as that day was HOT and there were also 42,000 people in the stadium.. makes for a bit of a warm room. But Taylor's hair somehow stayed nice, even though the sweat on her brow was evident. (Jealous! My hair was frizzier than Hermione's during exam week!) 

Here's the set list:

1. "State of Grace"
2. "Holy Ground"
3. "Red"
4. "You Belong with Me"
5. "The Lucky One"
6. "Mean"
7. "Stay Stay Stay"
8. "22"
9. "Long Live"
10. "Everything Has Changed"
11. "Begin Again"
12. "Sparks Fly"
13. "I Knew You Were Trouble"
14. "All Too Well"
15. "Love Story"
16. "Treacherous"
17. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"

Janae and I!

I was so thrilled that she sang Long Live, as that's one I was hoping to hear, as well as Sparks Fly, because that's probably one of my absolute favourite songs of hers. The only songs that I was hoping she would sing was Fearless and Our Song, but obviously those are a little bit older and she had to fit songs in from the RED CD. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was one of the most incredible finales I have EVER SEEN. It was a huge production with dancers dressed up as circus characters and Taylor in well... this:

It was an amazing production and it blew me away. The concert was so much fun and I was so glad to have experienced it with my mum and best friend. Janae and I rocked out to I Knew You Were Trouble and the whole stadium sang as loud as they could when Mean started up. It was awesome. Definitely one of the top concerts I've been to... like ever. 

I was having difficulties with my mum's phone... but that's Janae, me and my mum!

Are you a Taylor Swift fan? Have you ever been to one of her concerts? Are you going to go during her Red tour? Let me know what you thought of her show, if you've been to one!

Happy reading! And Happy Canada day!
~Kristy