Book Review : Making A Difference : 12 Qualities That Make You A Leader by Sheila Murray Bethel

Hello. How was your day?

Click here for the book details.

This book is exactly what it says. The points are long enough to convey meaning yet short enough to remain on the point. The examples given throughout this book are wonderful and extremely inspiring. This book may be about leadership and what-not but it sure works as a pick-me-up book. In moments of slight depression, this book has done me good.

Overall, 5 stars over 5.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to everyone, EVERYONE.

Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum.

March To-Be-Read

Hi. How was your day?

In March, I want to go about reading books in a more systematic way so I am going to plan ahead what I want to read.

1. Making A Difference : 12 Qualities That Make You A Leader by Sheila Murray Bethel










2. Blood Red Road by Moira Young 

3. Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones











4. Sorceress by Celia Rees 












I might add some more books if I finish these. Those are surprises. Haha.

Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum,
Ami.

February Reads.

Hello there.

My average rating for this month was 3.86. Not bad.
This is the list of books I read in February.

1. Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking Trilogy #3) by Patrick Ness 

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Read the review here.

2. Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Genre: Fantasy
Read the review here.

3. Bereft by Chris Womersly

Genre: Historical Fiction
Read the review here.

4. Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Read the review here.

The book of the month goes to:

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.

Tweedle-dee Tweedle-dum,
Ami.

Book Review : Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

Hi there. How was your day?

Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

I don't care for the cover.

Genre : Contemporary Fiction
ISBN : 0747097855
Released : 5th January 2009
Language : English
Format : Paperback, 288 pages
Source : Borrowed from a friend.

I believe in Chloe and chocolate.

I believe the best part is always before.

I believe that most girls are shifty and most guys are dumb.

I believe the more you spill, the less you are.

I don't believe in life after death or diuretics or happy endings.

I don't believe anything good can come from this.

Riley Rose doesn't want to be at Spirit Ranch Holiday Camp. Riley wants to be partying with her best friend Chloe at the beautiful Ben Sebatini's house. She has a plan to get away from the jumpsuit-wearing counsellors, the feel-good mantras, do-gooder campers and the monotonous schedule of team-building exercises and outdoor activities.

But is everything at the Spirit Ranch as it appears? What secrets are waiting for discovery in the abandoned Fraser house? And why doesn't anyone want to talk about the accident that landed the mysterious Dylan in a wheelchair last year?

*Description from Goodreads.com

          First, let's talk about Riley Rose. What I like about Riley (and the amazing job the author did of bringing her character to life) is that she is not perfect and even though I hate what makes her imperfect, I can't help but like her anyway. This is a new experience for me. Sluts in books don't get along with me. This one really did. Riley can be bad but she can also be good. Nothing is overly dramatized. Thumbs up, Simmone Howell!

          The other characters were a bit dull for me (except Dylan, he was okay). There aren't that much characters in the book and now, almost a week after I have finished the book, I hardly remember them at all. They aren't distinguishable. I think the characters could have been more unique and vibrant to add to the feel of the book. 

          The writing was okay. I don't particular remember any of it but it did not annoy me so that's a plus.

Plot line, I love it. I read this book when I was looking for something to pick me up from a book that got me partially depressed. Read about that here. The plot was simple and predictable but it was exactly what I needed. Don't hate cliches. Sometimes cliches are good. This is an example.

          When I read a book, a factor often crosses off a star is romance. I am one of those people that get easily agitated by sappy romances, (bad) cheesy dialogues and overestimated 'love'. In teenage books, agitation comes much more easily. Teenagers are teenagers, we don't fall in love after 2 seconds and say "I love you and I would risk my life for you." Sheesh. Don't worry. This book is nothing like that. The romance is quick, simple, believable and here's the best part; the book ends without any dramatic love declaration. And it was a good book. How about that?

          The ending was just lovely. Tied all the loose ends that needed to be tied and left other loosed ends to fray. 

Overall, this book earns 4 out of 5 stars. I really recommend it. ^_^

Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum,

See you soon.

2013 Bookish Resolutions

Hello there.
How was your day?

I know it's already February but hey, better late than never.
So here goes.

Resolution #1
I want to read all the books on my shelf that haven't been read.
There are a total of 33 books which isn't too overwhelming but still, I should read more of what I have before buying new books.

Which brings me to...

Resolution #2
I am only allowed to buy one book for every five books that I read; with an exception of money that my parents give me and the Big Bad Wolf Sale at the end of the year.

Resolution #3
I want to read more classics. I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen last year and absolutely loved it! Authors on my list are Jane Austen (ah, of course), Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Bronte sisters.

Resolution #4
I want to finish the-..wait, don't get mad....-Harry Potter series. Are you done yelling?
I know, I know. My childhood was not complete. :D
Since the last books in the series are quite thick, I'd like to have the classic hardback box set. And it doesn't come cheap. = ="
I've read up to Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. I love it so much already. What's not to love?

Resolution #5
Finish my non-fiction books. I don't have a lot; probably 10 of my own. Non-fiction books are a bit of a challenge for me. I don't whizz through them as fast and in my defense, I read them slow because I want to make sure that I remember key points in the book. I only read one non-fiction book last year so I might be stretching my resolution too far, but that's not stopping me from trying my best.

Resolution #6
Review books all the books that I read (starts after this post).

Resolution #7
Continuously update this blog with quality posts. Resolutions, contrary to the common saying, are not meant to be broken. At least I don't think so. ^_^

If all goes well, then,..... well, what else could I be but happy?

Tweedle-dee Tweedle-dum.
Cheerio!

Book Review: Bereft By Chris Womersly

Hi there. How was your day?

Bereft by Chris Womersly
Genre: Historical Fiction

It is a pretty cover. I like how the earthy tones meet each other.

A CRIME UNSPEAKABLE

Australia, 1919. Quinn Walker returns from the Great War to the New South Wales town of Flint; the birthplace he fled ten years earlier when he was accused of a heinous act.

A LIE UNFORGIVABLE

Aware of the townsmen's vow to hang him, Quinn takes to the surrounding hills. Here, deciding upon his plan of action, and questioning just what he has returned for, he meets Sadie Fox.

A BOND UNSPEAKABLE

This mysterious girl seems to know, and share, his darkest fear. And, as their bond greatens, Quinn learns what he must do to lay the ghosts of his past, and Sadie's present, to rest.

*description on the back of the book*

           The book started off quite slow but it was okay. I noticed right-off that the writing was though beautiful, sometimes over-descriptive. I didn't mind it that much though because it is a relatively short book compared to some other books I read. If the book was longer, it would be a problem.

        Lets talk about the characters. Quinn Walker is....how do I put it...confusing. I do feel sorry for him sometimes (because of his post-war trauma). I do feel that the writing was not done as good as I would like it to be. The emotions were there, just not enough. War is an emotional subject. I could have touched me better.

         Quinn is too weird. I am put-off by his obsession with his sister. It is too creepy for me.

          The other character that can be considered a main character is Sadie Fox. She is a girl of 12-years old that lives with Quinn in the hills. She's the one that finds him food and tells him secrets. Sadie practices what I think is witchcraft (this is not a spoiler, don't worry). Sometimes the creep factor is a plus and other times, just plain random. One minute she does something, I go "Oh, that's so disgusting". Sometimes I go "Why the hell..?"

        One thing I enjoyed in this book was the war stories Quinn would tell (or remember). Flashbacks are often in this story and often I was more interested in them than the actual plot. The stories were vivid (the description comes in handy here) and gruesome. This one particular scene was totally cringe-worthy.

          The relationship between Quinn and Sadie is one of the parts of that I feel most awkward about. I mean, what is it? Brotherly love? Sexual tension? It disturbs me. After finishing the book, I still couldn't figure out what has gone so wrong with Sadie that she had ended up like that. 

The parts where both Sadie and Quinn were present I hated the most. No. No.

          The ending was NOT satisfying for me. No, it seems pointless. I feel as if the plot has abandoned me.

Overall, I give this book 2.5 stars. Yeah, I did not like it that much.

If you've read this book, what are your thoughts on it?

Tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum,
Cheerio!

Book Review : Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

I'm here with another review.
^_^

Genre : Fantasy

What is this book about?

The story follows Tessa Gray who comes England to meet her brother, Nate Gray and she is kidnapped by the Dark Sisters. These people are also responsible for the abduction of her brother. They threaten to harm her brother if she doesn't do as they say and she soon discovers the dangerous power that she has. This power drags her into a complex world of Shadowhunters, Warlocks, Vampires and other creatures. The quest to save her brother may not be as simple as she thinks it is.

What do I think?

Thumbs up:
1. The characters are very likable. I normally get annoyed by female main characters. I wasn't with Tessa. She is ridiculously brave or strong or sarcastic. She has realistic flaws and she doesn't make stupid decisions.
I'm quite fond of the love interest as well. Ahhhh.
2. The plot pacing was just nice. The action scenes were superb but the more relaxed scenes were wonderful as well.
3. It has a healthy amount of characters and diversity.
4. The literature references from A Tale of Two Cities and Jane Austen.
5. The plot twists. Oh my, cleverly put. I did not see them coming AT ALL.

Things I don't care enough for:
1. Cassandra Clare's writing. Maybe i just haven't absorbed her style just yet since I whizzed through this book in 2 days.

Some quotes:

"One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."

Will's eyes were very blue."There's plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it."

Overall, 5 stars out of 5.

I didn't really like The Mortal Instruments Series that much but I love this one. Check it out! ^_^

Book Review : Monsters Of Men (#3 Chaos Walking Trilogy) by Patrick Ness

Hello.
Finally, I'm done with this book! I think I finally am in a reading slump.
I have to say, it feels strangely new to me.

Lets get right to it.

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Chaos Walking Trilogy, let me tell you a bit about this series.
Bear in mind, I won't touch on plot details with this particular book because i don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet and wish to.

This book falls into the Dystopia category. It follows the story from Todd's point of view. Todd is a boy living in Prentisstown; a town with plenty of men but no women. He is the youngest boy and therefore the only boy who is not yet considered to be a man. In this world, New World as they call it, all men have been infected with a virus, or disease that enables them to hear each others thoughts; often called their Noise. One day, Todd and his dog, Manchee discover a place with something they have never come across before, silence. And with this silence comes a whole package of new things, the breakthrough of disasters, or perhaps, the truth.

That is basically what the series is about.

What did I think of Monsters Of Men?

In this book there are three points of view. I really appreciated the fact that each of the three had their customary font. I thought that was cool.

I really the new point of view introduced in this book. It was fresh and i enjoyed it even though i was slightly confused at first.

As with the previous books in this series, I like how certain effects have been applied to ensure that the reader has the full-effect awesomeness. Explosion sounds are written in bold and large font. 'Noise' has a different font as well. Nice touch.

What can I say about Patrick Ness's writing?
It's not poetic or very complicated and I love it. It's interesting that he chose to spell word like this 'Concentrayshun' (concentration) when he was writing Todd's point of view; Todd happens to be illiterate.
I've never come across such a thing and I think it is genius. There are phrases that appear to be repetitive but I wasn't bothered by it (too) much.

Pacing-wise, the pacing is fast; sometimes too fast. Too-fast pacing has a negative effect on me. When it's too fast, the book feels too slow. I just stop appreciating every little twist in the plot. I go "Meh, this is getting old". Sometimes (sometimes), the plot works better when it is simple.

The villains are crazy. I hate the Mayor. I hate Mistress Coyle. Patrick Ness has done a great job. I have never hated fictional characters so much.

Todd was frustrating sometimes. He got fooled again and again and AGAIN. No. Not good. No.

How was the ending? I know some people that absolutely hate it. Personally, I think it was a good conclusion to the series. It was satisfying, made sense, believable. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Overall, 4 stars out of 5.

I recommend it. Read it guys!

January Reads

Hello.
How was January?

I would say January was a good month for me, not in terms of the quantity but the quality of the books I read.
Some were pretty darn good books!

The total for this month is 5 books. Not bad, huh? I'll briefly review the books in this post because I don't have much points. February will be a rich month, hopefully.

Book #1

Finnikin of The Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta

I bought this edition for RM8 (1.6 pounds).

But I much prefer this edition. Isn't it gorgeous?

5 stars (It was amazing)

Thumbs Up:
1.Action-packed
2. Characters were great and relatable.
3. The back story and setting was really good.
4. Reminded me of A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin- sans the disturbing content.
5. The romance was just lovely. Not at all overpowering.
6. Great dialogue. SUPERB.
7. Evanjelin was such a good character. Straight-forward, a bit crazy and very strong.
8. The inner conflicts of the main character, Finnikin was interesting. Not at all cliche.

Book #2

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

My edition. Love this one. RM 16 (3.2 pounds)

I don't like this edition.

2 stars (It was okay)

Thumbs Up:
1.Had some interesting moments.
2. I love Cole. He's interesting.
3. Isabel's side of the story kept me on edge.

Thumbs down:
1. I just have a problem with the romance. Sort of like Twilight, UNHEALTHY.
2. Sam's nice, just a little to perfect (despite his traumatic past) and perfect is boring.
3. The resolution with Grace's parents just seemed a bit off.
4. The ending was too short and too abrupt. I did not get the feels at all. Very unsatisfying.
5. Grace was a little too self-sacrificing.
6. It was predictable. Had sort of 'THE CHOSEN ONE' kind of vibe with Sam.

Book #3

The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I like this edition because it's tiny and slim.  Not the cover though. Got this for RM4 (80p) at a used bookstore.

This cover is pretty and much more whimsical. ^_^

3 stars. (I liked it)

Thumbs Up:
1. I love Christopher. How he hates anything yellow, how he calculates everything, how insensitive he is to human emotion. Being autistic, he is definitely a unique main character.
2. The format of the book. Each chapter starts with a prime number because Christopher loves prime numbers. Can't say you've come across that before, huh?
3. The pictures and puzzles and mathematical equations in the book. It really has you thinking with an AH-HA conclusion. Brilliant.
4. The writing is very technical. Mark Haddon did a good job in portraying the main character. Good on him.
5. The side stories were rich and had depth. Wonderful.

Thumbs down:
1. I did not like the ending.
2. The pace was terribly slow sometimes.
3. Some parts of the main plot felt forced and unnecessary.


Book #4

The Host by Stephenie Meyer 

Most editions are like this one. It's okay. Nothing too grand. RM 10 (2 pounds)

Movie tie-in edition. I prefer not to have movie tie-ins, thank you.

5 stars. (it was amazing)

Thumbs up:
1.I warn you, the main character is an alien and her name is Wanderer. She is so far, the nicest (but not over the top) main character ever.
2. There are actually 2 main characters and it's interesting to see the contrast between the two of them. Wanderer (Wanda) is innocent and sweet while Melanie, on the other hand is the fighter, rebel.
3. Jeb. How can you not love Jeb? He is bonkers and wise. Most of the time, I couldn't tell the difference.
4. Stephenie Meyer is a great writer. I wasn't much of a Twilight fan (Liked Twilight, hated New Moon, haven't finished the series due to lack of motivation) but I always admired her writing.
5. Pacing is just right. I wasn't overwhelmed with never-ending sequences of action scenes but I wasn't bored to death with nothing but inner conflicts.
6. I could not predict this book. Okay, sometimes I could but there were a great number of parts I could not predict.

Book #5

The Ask and The Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness

I don't have this edition but I'm okay with it. I like it a healthy amount.

Now this is stunning! The A is in silver . Even my uncle said it had a pretty cover. (Hardback though)

5 stars. (it was amazing)

Thumbs Up:
1. I could not help but feeling bad for the characters. I really cared about them.
2. The format was interesting. Some parts of the book had words written like this....
BOOM!
3. The writing was splendid, I am officially a fan of Patrick Ness.
4. Very unpredictable.
5. Fast-paced. So addictive.
6. Can't I just say I love everything? (even Prentiss Jr).


And the January Favourite Award goes to...........

Finnikin of The Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta

It was fresh, thrilling and totally worth it!

How many books did you read this month?

Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum,
Cheerio!

Introduction

Hello.(sorry did I scare you there?)

Welcome to A Book Whizzer. 

I love books and I have finally decided to start a book blog. It's exciting and intimidating but one must start somewhere, right? So here goes my leap of faith (though faith has less to do with it than effort, from what others say).

I am looking forward to the Book Blogging Community and I am looking forward to learning more about blogging.

As you can tell, or probably can't but now you will because I've pointed it out (oh, goodness); that my sentences are a bit off and awkwardly formal. Ah, introductions are usually a bit formal don't you think? It's like meeting a new friend; though I hope to make many.

Oh, what fun we will have!

A little about me and my reading preferences.

1. What do you read?
I read mostly fiction. I emphasize on the word 'mostly'. I do read non-fiction as well, though a significantly smaller amount compared to fiction.

2. What genre do you tend to go for?
I am not very picky with genres. Give me a book and I will read it. OH, except one genre. I don't read erotic fiction.
If I had to pick ONE genre? Well... you'd be left with no answer, I'm afraid.

3. What changes do you plan on making in your reading?
I would love to branch out more.  I haven't tried reading Horror (but excited to), Adult Romance, Crime and Graphic Novels. I'm looking forward to it. ^_^

4. How much do you read?
If the book isn't too thin and isn't too thick; about 400 pages; I would take one week to finish it if I'm really busy and one day to finish it if I'm not busy (or love the book too much to put it down).
Most of the time though, it takes 3-5 days.

5. Where do you live?
I live in Malaysia. We hate sunshine because we have plenty and we love snow because we don't have any. It's a nice country. Drop by anytime.

6. Where do you read?
I can read pretty much everywhere. Since I am a full-time student (with a 23-credit semester), I don't really have time to sit for hours to read. Normally, it's those 10 minute breaks that count.
And I read for half an hour before going to bed.

There are so much questions that I want to ask (to myself) and answer (to myself, again). I'm getting all giddy already!

I am planning to do BookTags though (questions from Booktube) and posting those in some time. Till then, happy reading!

Comment and follow. I'm much of an online chatterbox. And I'd love to know about you.

Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum,
See you soon.

(I am aware that it does not rhyme).