giovedì 31 dicembre 2015

Christmas Reads: My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

This is the last of the Christmas-y books I chose to read this year. I am already looking forward to next year and I think I have found what my choices will be. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading books with this theme during the holidays and I highly recommend it if you love Christmas or you just want to find your lost Christmas spirit.

Okay, let's start by saying that I am that person who starts listening to Christmas music in November. As December approaches, I become quite obsessed with everything red, gold and dark green, I turn into a walking Christmas impersonation. (That's not entirely correct, but I hope you get the idea.)
So, this year I decided to transfer my Christmas spirit needs into a bookish form. What does that mean? Not only I did listen to Christmas music and watched every movie with a hint of festivities in it, but I also dedicated part of this moth to read a few books with a Christmas theme. And the third one was My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories 


My True Love Gave To Me is a YA anthology, in which there are twelve stories from authors of different genres. Stories aren't usually my go-to reads because if i like them I want more, but it's a good way to discover new authors. Also, the illustrations made for each story were absolutely beautiful and perfectly represent the theme of the story, in a subtle or in a not so subtle way.
I am not sure if I should write a short summary of each story while writing my opinion or if I should leave it to discover for anyone who wants to read the book.
Anyway, let's start with the fun part.

midnights
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell ★★★★★

Two friends spend New Year’s Eve together at the same party for four years. How will the time affect them and their relationship? 
This story was the sweetest ever, I adore it. We get to actually see two people fall in love, isn't it just the best? My answer: yes. I am also really looking forward to read something else by Rainbow Rowell (I know, I know, I haven't read anything by her, shame on me. But it will change soon.) It was a very beautiful story. It is nostalgic and we experience New Year's Eve. Megs and Noel were absolutely perfect. 

“You're a kaleidoscope, you change every time I look away.” 



lady-and-fox
The Lady and The Fox by Kelly Link ★★

A stranger stands outside the Honeywell holiday gathering, watching under mysterious circumstances which our heroine, Miranda, is determined to discover. Over the years, Miranda discovers herself too.
I was actually perplexed after reading this story. What was it supposed to mean? It was confusing and I am not even sure I understood everything. I appreciated the Christmas feeling which invaded the plot line, but it wasn't well developed. There was a good element that could have had the power to light up the story. However it was poorly explained. About the ending... mmm what?? Yeah, it was confusing and more confusing.

“She knows, every part of her knows, that she wants to kiss him. That he wants to kiss her. All of her skin prickles with longing. Her insides fizz.” 



angels-in-the-snow
Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Peña ★★★.75

While cat-sitting for his manager, a starving NYU student meets a neighbor whose apartment has plumbing problems. Will Christmas be as miserable as Shy predicts?
There was food involved and that was amazing. My stomach was starving along Shy's one and my mouth was watering while the neighbor Haley prepared lunch and dinner. Overall the story was sweet, a bit simple, but that's what short story are about in the most part. I was very pleased with the characterization of the two personalities. Even if there wasn't a lot of space to develop the characters, the author managed to do it. The story was cute and delicious. I loved the ending too.

“I guess I don't really know what I want to do, either. Sometimes I feel like a shook-up bottle of soda. Like, I have all this passion that wants to explode, but I don't know where to aim it yet.” 



polaris
Polaris Is Where You Will Find Me by Jenny Han ★★.75

A human is adopted by Santa Claus but remains an outsider among his elves. Does this year’s Snow Ball hold the promise of true love?
Okay, I liked the plot if seen from afar. However if I start analyzing every detail in my head, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Most characters annoyed me, the protagonist Natalie was too whiny and the ending leaves with nothing. There should have been a lot more of development of the plot line, we can't be left with that supposed ending, we want to know more. How will it end? Nobody knows. Anyway I was very very pleased by the location of the story and its originality. I love elves, magic and a first love story. I appreciated the Lars's aspect of the story, but the conclusion was so wrong.


yuletide-miracle

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins ★★★★.5

A girl needs help with a side project from the boy who sells Christmas trees with his family. Will their time together spark into something more?
In this story we see a boy and a girl fall in love. It all happens naturally and it doesn't looked forced at all. It was sweet and lovely. Marigold's shyness and North's adorableness were the cutest. I loved those two together and I truly hoped their dreams and aspirations all come true. I really enjoyed this metaphor: not only North organized the girl's apartment, but he also seemed to put in order her life too.

“Would you rather be great at something you like, or just okay at something you love?” 



temporary-santa
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan ★★★

A boy is asked to dress up as Santa Claus and save the magic of Christmas for his partner’s little sister.
I didn't feel a particular connection with the story at all. It was cute and the love between the two boys was tender. The writing was fluid and what the boy does is very sweet, but this story left me almost nothing. The family members were actually very well detailed in their personalities. Anyway, it was just okay.

“He says presents aren't important, but I think they are - not because of how much they cost, but for the opportunity they provide to say I understand you.” 


krampuslauf
Krampuslauf by Holly Balck ★★★★

Fairmont’s second annual Krampuslauf in which Wren and our main character try to get justice for their friend by confronting her jerkwad boyfriend leads to our MC being forced to host a New Year’s party. Will all be revealed then and will our heroine get to talk to the hot Krampus boy?
I really enjoyed the story. It was different from the other ones and the fantastical details were very well described. The romance wasn't the only aspect of the plot and I really appreciated it. Also, magic and friendship were involved and they were my favorite part. However I have to admit I found some things a little bit too rough. 

“Sometimes I felt like I was waiting for my life to begin and more than anything, in that moment, I wanted to force some kind of beginning. I wanted things to be different than 
usual. I wanted to bend reality.” 



sophie-roth
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman ★★★.75

Sophie Roth is a sarcastic big city smart mouth at her small town college who feels like she does not belong until she meets a fellow outsider and begins to question her assumptions about her surroundings.
I liked the two characters and really enjoyed the story. However there were some details that left me wondering why that was supposed to be realistic? A girl getting into the car of a boy she barely knows and she just met.. mmm. The plot was okay and the story was cute to read, but in the end I was left with nothing. I mean, I really enjoyed and really liked the characters, but it was meaningless. Hope it does make sense.

“You can't undo loss. You can't unmake a mistake.” 


beer-buckets-and-baby-jesus
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire ★★★★

After nearly setting the local church on fire, Vaughn is forced to do forty hours of community service, including putting on the Christmas production along with the pastor’s nice daughter. Chaos ensues – will Vaughn truly help if given the proper motivation?
Maybe I am an hopeless romantic, but I can't help but love a story when a bad boy is saved by the good girl. And at the end we discover that the bad boy isn't bad at all. Everyone has a good heart and this story lets us see that. Call it cheesy and stereotypical, but I really enjoyed it. But it is just my personal opinion. The plot is also really enjoyable and the characters are realistic.

“We all love and we all lose and we go on loving just the same.” 


welcome-to-christmas
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White ★★★★★

Maria saves all her tip-money so that she can escape her small town. The new cook in her mother’s Christmas-themed restaurant will challenge Maria’s perception of her family and Christmas (town and holiday).
This story was both so sad and heartwarming that it will make you wish for hot cocoa and kleenex right away. Also, there is again food involved, and I am so happy about it. Loved the plot and the characters and the unexpected events. I adored the fact that there seemed to be an almost magical aspect in the story. I loved the characters and how they truly were sweet and kind. I loved the plot development and I almost cried more than once. It was that good. Also, I totally imagined the new cook like Zachary Levi, which didn't hurt at all. There was an happy ending for everyone in this story and it is one of my favorite things. (I told you I am an hopeless romantic.)

“But people don't need to remember how it felt to be happy and safe in the past. They need to have hope that they can get there again in the future.” 



star-of-bethlehem
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter ★★★

A girl switches airplane tickets with an Icelandic stranger and is then forced to pretend that she’s an exchange student in small town Bethlehem, Oklahoma. Can she escape her past for long?
One of the positive aspects was the plot twist. I didn't see it coming at all. However the plot line was a bit flat even though the premises were very good. At the end the story was a bit unrealistic and needed more development, it didn't make a lot of sense. But I have to add that it was also both sad and heartwarming at the same time. Anyway the plot seemed to go on too quickly. I would have like it more if I had more background information about the characters.

“I sang because that is what I do when I am happy and when I'm sad. I sang because it is who I am when I am being the best possible version of me.” 



girl-who-woke-the-dreamer
The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer by Laini Taylor ★★.5

On the Isle of Feathers, girls have limited choices when they reach the Age, so many choose marriage as defined by a prolonged twenty five days during Advent in which they receive gifts from their suitors. Neve’s courtship might hold a few surprises.
I loved the writing style and how it was both poetic and rich. It blends really well with the story itself, which has a mythological aspects. However I am not sure how I feel about this story. It was weird, but I appreciated the differences from the other stories. I have to admit though that Laini Taylor not only did give magic to the story, but also managed to create in a few pages a world on its own. I would have like to read more of it, it just looked like a great beginning for a book. I was more interested in an after than in the story itself.

“She wanted to be free, and if she could never be free, at least she wanted to be brave - brave enough not to sell herself, no matter what the payment, or the cost of refusing.” 


Okay, I am done writing about every single story and man I didn't know it would take me so long. Anyway, i really enjoyed doing this.

Not all twelve stories move you in the same way, but there are some which are worth reading every Christmas.
I have my favorites and I am eager to read proper books by those author: Rainbow RowellKiersten WhiteStephanie PerkinsMatt de la Pena and Holly Black. i am curious to see if what I liked in their stories is reflected in their books.
I also really appreciated the diversity. This anthology does a pretty good job of including diversity in class, race, religion, and sexuality and exploring various issues related therein. Some stories go so far as to address racial and religious stereotyping outright, which is a nice change in pace from other books that I’ve read.
I loved that the stories dealt with same themes but had unique premises. I thought that all twelve stories would be contemporary romance around the holidays. I don’t know if that was just me, but I thought it might be worth mentioning. There are actually a few that don’t quite fit that description because they include magical realism elements, but all of them do include a holiday of some sort, whether fantastical or real. Most of the stories are also tied together by similar themes of finding your home, reconciling with or trying to understand more of their broken or non-traditional families. I was particularly impressed with the level of character development that these authors managed in such a small space.

Overall I was quite satisfied with this book/anthology and it left me with the desire to read more of some authors I discovered here. I highly recommend it as a Christmas read, but I think it is also enjoyable year long.

Final Rating: ★.75

Christmas Reads: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

I have a lot of reviews to catch up on. I didn't have the time to actually write a proper review because I was busy preparing for one of my favorite days of the year. So now I am slowly but surely going to write everything I have to review in the next week. My favorite playlist is playing, so let's start.

Okay, let's start by saying that I am that person who starts listening to Christmas music in November. As December approaches, I become quite obsessed with everything red, gold and dark green, I turn into a walking Christmas impersonation. (That's not entirely correct, but I hope you get the idea.)


So, this year I decided to transfer my Christmas spirit needs into a bookish form. What does that mean? Not only I did listen to Christmas music and watched every movie with a hint of festivities in it, but I also dedicated part of this moth to read a few books with a Christmas theme. And the second one was Dash & Lily's Book of Dares 




Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is a YA contemporary novel set at Christmas in New York. Here's what is written besides the plot summary in its Goodreads page. "Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own." And they did just that. After I read the last word I wanted to go into a library and find a red Moleskine some cute guy left for a girl to pick it up a.k.a. me. It might sound creepy, but it is far from that.


“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” 

Lily is a sixteen years old girl who absolutely loves Christmas. She has lived in New York her entire life and this year will be the first Christmas she will celebrate on her own. Her parents left for Fiji and her brother, even if he's at home, is going to spend every minute with his boyfriend. Her brother has decided, with the help of some family members, to find her sister an ideal boyfriend. This is why they created a list of dares written in a red Moleskine notebook and left it in her favorite bookshop near her favorite book. Lily doesn't seem to be really convinced about this method, but whatever, no one will pick it up, right? Wrong.


Dash is a boy who loves reading and hates Christmas with all his heart. This year in particular he avoided to celebrate by playing a trick to his divorced parents. To her mother he said he was with his dad, to his father he said he was with his mom. A few days before Christmas Dash decided to peruse the aisles of his favorite bookshop and near one of his favorite books he finds a red notebook. He is curious and decides to accept the dares written inside. 
This is the start of a back and forth correspondence between the two of them. "Gallehault was the book" would say Dante Alighieri. Will they fall for each other? Only time can tell. They keep on talking about their dreams and their life without never seeing each other. At the moment they will meet, there is the question which keeps on invading their mind. Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?


“The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There's no getting over that.” 


The story is very original and lovely. It is a fun read and we get to see both of their perspectives. The chapters alternate as there is Lily or Dash in action.Rachel Cohn wrote Lily's chapters and David Levithan wrote Dash's ones. They actually really made this book through a correspondence of sorts. They emailed a chapter to the other one and the receiver would wrote the next one. And thus the story was created. It is a great idea, so we really get to experience two different point of views and different writing styles.


The witty way it was written was most likely designed for teenagers and young adults, and definitely works for getting them to have a giggle at the book, story and characters. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're looking for something very lighthearted and lovely this is it. It will make you giggle at your cup of hot chocolate I'm sure. It is highly enjoyable.
The first part in which they start to dare each other is quite intriguing, but then the plot line fell a little bit flat for me. I would have liked more action and less i-don't-know-what-i-am-doing type of characters. Dash and Lily's personalities were realistic and sweet, but they missed that spark which makes you totally love a character. I loved their adoration for literature and writing, and I was fond of Dash's old soul. Another character I felt very attached to was Lily's aunt. The lady was adorable and witty, and I adored her sense of humor. I also enjoyed Boomer, Dash's best friend, andLangston, Lily's gay brother. They were funny and intelligent.
There were also a lot of elements which could give the story a lot more of complexity. The red notebook, the scavenger hunt, the dog attacking them, the library, could all be more developed into the plot. I know it is supposed to be a light read for teenagers and such (and even adults if I can say so myself), but a little more development I am sure wouldn't have hurt nobody. 


dash-and-lily


There were also many quotes note of jotting down in a real notebook. These ones were my favorites.

 “I want to believe there is a somebody out there for me. I want to believe that I exist to be there for that somebody.” 

 “You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here's a hint - ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn't just the women. It's the great male fantasy - all it takes is one dance to know that she's the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know - this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don't want a very long courtships. They want to know immediately.” 

 “I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character.” 


NOTEThere is going to be a sequel coming out in 2016!! I really enjoyed this story, so I am eager to know what future Lily and Dash are going to have. It is called The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily

Final Rating: 

Christmas Reads: Let It Snow

Okay, let's start by saying that I am that person who starts listening to Christmas music in November. As December approaches, I become quite obsessed with everything red, gold and dark green, I turn into a walking Christmas impersonation. (That's not entirely correct, but I hope you get the idea. ) I love Christmas and if you don't then
xmas


So, this year I decided to transfer my Christmas spirit needs into a bookish form. What does that mean? Not only I did listen to Christmas music and watched every movie with a hint of festivities in it, but I also dedicated part of this moth to read a few books with a Christmas theme. And the first one was Let It Snow


Let It Snow is a collection of three stories from three different authors: Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle. I have to admit I didn't read anything from them before (shame on me), so I was new to their writing and way of developing characters and plots. I wasn't blown away by any of the stories, after all they were just about 100 pages each I don't think there's a lot to work on, but I was positively impressed by their overall dedication in turning this book into a "you must read it if it's Christmas" kind of book.

Now, onto the actual story. The three stories revolve all around the same background informations. It's Christmas Eve and the weather outside id frightful (I told you I am obsessed). There is a blizzard outside, the kind of one you need to stay inside with a book, a chocolate mug and a cozy blanket near the fire, not the kind during which you go outside throwing snowballs at friends and neighbors. It was that bad. Even a train had to stop its route (luckily near a residential area) and the only shops open are a Waffle House and a Starbucks. 
What would you do if you were stuck in a train/at home/at a Starbucks during a blizzard?
Let's see what the protagonists of the stories would do. * I don't want to say a lot about the single stories because I would prefer not to ruin it for you as I encourage you all to read one or all during this week. Anyway, I hope not to give too many details away. *


The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson
I think this story was my favorite. It is about a girl named Jubilee whose parents are obsessed with the Flobie Village. I personally didn't know what the thing was or if the hype was real. Turns out it wasn't that real, but Maureen made totally plausible. Well, it turns out that that famous Flobie Santa Village is going to change her life. Even though she is stuck on a train full of cheerleaders in the middle of a blizzard near a town called Gracetown, she doesn't lose her spirit. Jubilee decides to go out of the train and walk into the Waffle House nearby. Who is she going to meet? Where is she going to spend her Christmas Eve and the next days with? Will she find love? 
I thought Maureen's writing was lively, fun and easy to read. I really enjoyed how the plot developed and Jubilee's character was one you could identify with. Also, the ending was the sweetest. Call me cheesy, but whatever. I am who I am, I won't apologize. Am I romantic? Yes. Do I like happy endings? Absolutely. Do I believe in love at first sight? Only if I can see it. And that is what happened in this story. I was able to actually SEE those two cuties fall for each other, even if their past experiences weren't forgiving with their heart.

“Debbie had to get up and slice me a thick piece of cake before she could answer. And I do mean thick. Harry Potter volume seven thick. I could have knocked out a burglar with this piece of cake. Once I tasted it, though, it seemed just the right size.” 


A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green
This story is set after the beginning of the first one. That means that it isn't Christmas Eve morning or afternoon, it was evening and late night. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Maureen Johnson one, but I was pleased by the ending.
Take three friends (two boys and a girl) marathoning the James Bond movies when a fourth friend working the night shift at Waffle House calls them saying it's URGENT. What do you do? You answer of course. So, they have to go there about immediately bringing with them a twister. Cheerleaders are waiting for it and everyone needs to hurry because they told him so. Boys will be boys. Give them a bunch of cheerleaders (with no offense to them) and they will lose their mind. In fact, the three Waffle House employees all called their mutual friends to bring a twister as fast as they can. They will only let in, the group of friends who arrive first. So our three James Bond's lovers have to hurry asap. During their perilous adventure which includes its fair share of ups and downs, they come to the realization that it isn't about the destination, but about the journey. They will, in fact, learn how to gather their forces against the enemies and to distinguish what's real to what's just an idea in their mind. Is there love involved? Yes. Will our heroes manage to be the winners of the Twister Request? I won't tell you, but if you read above I like happy endings so... Ah I almost forgot to mention that my favorite aspect of this story was the friendship. #squadgoals 

“We just did an awesome job of not dying.” 


The Patron of Saint Pigs by Lauren Myracle
If you are wondering why there's a mention of pigs in a supposedly Christmas story, well, don't worry, I was wondering too. But at the end it all made sense. Actually the fact that at the end it all made sense (all characters, events, people, places, actions) was my favorite feature of this story.
However let's start by stating that the main protagonist was a bit annoying. She was quite pretentious and I didn't enjoy how she treated her friends. She was selfish. BUT. There are reason why she behaves like she does and whether or not I liked her, the ending made it all acceptable. She broke up with her boyfriend because she kissed another boy. I hate that. She wrote him an e-mail hoping for him to come back, giving him a date and a place. I am not fond of that. She and one her two best friends decide to buy a teacup piglet to the other best friend. That's cute. These were the vibes I got from the story: nah, meh, okay, cute. But that ending, wow, I was so happy about it. It was so adorable. All the previous characters made an appearance at the Starbucks this annoying girl works at and the ending gave a proper end to each individual story. So. Cute. 

“Christmas is never over,unless you want it to be... Christmas is a state of mind.” 


Overall I guess it was the book I was looking for. The Christmas vibes weren't too prominent, but added the perfect amount of fluffy feelings. You could hear jingle bells playing in your head. It made you wish for snow. Those friendships made you miss your own friends. It is a perfect read for the festivities and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something to fill you Christmas need. It is just so cute and adorable! Obviously don't set your expectations high because, let's be real, these stories are not masterpieces. But I really really enjoyed them! 
Also, teacup pig. You're welcome.
teacup-pig


In honor of this book title, here's a gif for snow/winter/Christmas lovers out there.
letitsnow




Fun Fact. I wrote the word Christmas 16 times in 1 review. I am not even sure if I still recognize that word. who I am kidding I will recognize it everywhere.

Final Rating: