silver linings playbook by matthew quick // book review.

After watching the film of this book, I was quite interested as I had heard the book was much better and so when I received the book as a christmas present from a friend, I was overjoyed!

Silver Linings Playbook*: £5.59

I'll be honest, this book was slightly disappointing for me. After watching the film, I knew what was coming up and even though a lot of the book didn't make it to the film and the story line was altered, I found it to be slightly boring.

The plot says:

"Pat Peoples knows that life doesn't always go according to plan, but he’s determined to get his back on track. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, Pat is staying with his parents and trying to live according to his new philosophy: get fit, be nice and always look for the silver lining. Most importantly, Pat is determined to be reconciled with his wife Nikki. Pat’s parents just want to protect him so he can get back on his feet, but when Pat befriends the mysterious Tiffany, the secrets they've been keeping from him threaten to come out..."

I found the main character, Pat, to be extremely naive and almost childish which annoyed me. However, I did find the story line a lot better than in the film and I wish I didn't watch the film first as I know I would've found it more interesting as I wouldn't anticipate what was coming up next.

Honestly, nearly every book I've read since I had a sudden rush to read all of John Green's books haven't been all that good for me. For me, no author will ever top John Green and I hate to compare, but this book in comparison is quite dull. The language is pretty simplistic, the story line is predictable but quite interesting.

Throughout the book, I felt annoyed at Pat for not understanding simple things but I also felt sympathy for his childlike attitude.

I think this book is great if you like a romantic love story with a twist and don't mind it being borderline predictable.

Kayla x

the art of serendipity.

A lot of you may not know this but ever since I was really young, my dream has always been to become a writer really. When I was young-ish, I entered a lot of competitions ranging from poetry to mini sagas, and I've won a few awards, nothing huge though.

Anyways, I've decided that I want to start at least writing stories, you know to get in the style and things. So on Wattpad, I've started writing a short story called 'The Art of Serendipity' and this is the plot:

"Serendipity. It's a strange notion, a sort of a "happy accident". Adam and Eva are very two different type of people. Eva is a famous dancer and Adam works at a local supermarket, stacking shelves. When they cross paths, big decisions have to be made."

As this is the first story I am writing, hopefully the first of many, I would really appreciate it if you read it and left me feedback to help me improve! I've done an introduction and 2 short chapters so far but more will be on their way, I promise!

To read my story, 'The Art of Serendipity', click here.

Thank you!

Kayla x

limitless by alan glynn // book review.

I've always wanted to watch the film of this but I promised myself I would read the book first. Previously called 'Dark Fields', the description of the book says:

"Imagine a drug that made your brain function to its full potential. A drug that allowed you pick up a foreign language in a single day. A drug that helped you process information so fast you could see patterns in the stock market. Just as his life is fading into mediocrity, Eddie Spinola comes across such a pill: MDT-48 - a sort of Viagra for the brain. But while its benefits materialise quickly, so do certain unwelcome side-effects. And when Eddie decides to track down other users, he soon discovers that they're all dying, or already dead..."

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I'll be honest, this was quite a disappointment for me. As I got through a quarter of the book, I was pretty bored. I decided to just read on for the sake of it to see if it got better and plus, I hate not finishing a book. This book probably gets interesting when you're 70% through the book and at that point, that's when I started actually enjoying it. 

The writer, Alan Glynn, has a habit of telling the reader useless and irrelevant bits of information, which really annoyed me.

However, there were some interesting and enjoyable parts of the book, such as the ending. If you can get through the boring 30% of the book, trust me it's worth it in the end. The boring parts are quite relevant though as they are all related to the end.

So, if you like books that have all the action packed at the end or if you enjoyed the film, then you might like this book!

Kayla x

best books of 2012.

I've definitely have read a lot of books this year and a couple have stood out to me from the rest.

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~ Looking For Alaska by John Green - I first read a quote (“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”) from this book on someone's tumblr ages ago and I was very intrigued. So as anyone my age would, I copied it into Google, read the plot of the book and lusted for it. This book has become extremely popular and it actually has a good reason to be as it is awesome. This was the first book I read by John Green and ever since, I have never looked back. I've read this book twice already which is quite odd for me as I usually read a book and neglect it for several years after.

"BEFORE. Miles Halter’s whole life has been one big non-event until he starts at anything-but-boring Culver Creek Boarding School and meets Alaska Young. Gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, screwed up and utterly fascinating she pulls Miles into her world, launches him into a new life, and steals his heart. But when tragedy strikes, and Miles comes face-to-face with death he discovers the value of living and loving unconditionally.

AFTER: Nothing will ever be the same."

This book is definitely perfect for teenagers and young adults, although I'm sure any aged adult would find entertainment in this book too. I found it very easy to relate to as a teenager and like all of John's books, it is not a typical lovey dovey story. Looking for Alaska is very compelling and addicting to read as it left me feeling that the story was almost reality.

~ The Fault in Our Stars - John Green (I have wrote a small review here) - I'll be honest to you, 90% of my all-time favourite books are quite literally by John Green so you may see a recurring pattern going on. Anyways, I cannot really put into words how I feel about this book. It's one of those books that after reading  it, you claim that it really has changed your life. Like a lot of his books, the importance of youth and life runs throughout it and what's more life threatening than a terminal illness?

"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten."

Although it somewhat resembles a love story, and in it's essence it actually is one, but that aside, it is something much more than that. It's a tale of friendship, love and more importantly, the short-lived tragedy that we call 'life'. I found my heart warming to Augustus Waters, as if he was real, and without spoiling it, I was left both upset and speechless at the end.

~ The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I found that when I finished the trilogy, and in the running up to the film, this series was very overhyped. I think that it is a very compelling book but I found that it got progressively worse as the books went along, as the first book was the best and the final book was the worst.

"Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been clse to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever..."

I think if you're a sucker for action-packed story lines, then this is the book for you. However, after reading John Green's books, I realised that this book really did not compare as it wasn't as good. I highly recommend that you read the books before watching the film as it is much much better, trust me. I would say that this trilogy is more for teenagers rather than young adults as it has a very twilight-esque feel to it.

~ The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (I wrote a small review here) - After finishing this book, I felt almost desperate to find another book by Stephen but to my disappointment, there are none other than this book. There are not many adjectives that could ever give this book justice and the only ones I can think of are relatable and utterly beautiful. 

"Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix-tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor."

Like Looking for Alaska, it's a story of youth and the daunting yet exciting tales of high school. There will always be at least one part of the book where you can say 'I've done that' or 'I've felt like that' and it's strangely comforting to know that you are not alone in high school and one person, despite being a fictional character, has felt like that too. This book is perfect for teenagers and young adults.

I hope you enjoyed this and I apologise for it being so long! 

Kayla x

my current favourite 3 books (fiction) #1.

Ever since I got my Kindle in April, I've literally been addicted. Not only does it save me money as eBooks are generally a lot cheaper than paperbacks/hardbacks, it's saved a lot of space on my shelves. I have two shelving units, quite large ones, crammed with books from my childhood/recent purchases from about a year ago, that I can't bear to throw away. So now my Kindle is filled with mature books, unlike the books on my shelves, like the Famous Five series.

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Lately, I've loved reading books on the Kindle and in general really. I've found that I've got through a lot of books really quickly and maybe in the new year, I'll do another post with my other favourite books!

~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - this book is incredible. I read it on holiday in Tunisia and at first, I didn't enjoy it at all. It's about a boy called Charlie who is new at high school and writes about his new experiences and friends to an anonymous person though letters. I found it quite difficult to understand at first as it had an unusual format of telling a story through letters. Once I got through a quarter of the book, I was hooked. I really like how throughout the book, we see the Charlie slowly coming out of his shell. If you haven't yet seen the amazing film, I recommend you read this first as the film cuts out a lot of vital information, making it quite hard to understand. The only thing I dislike about the book is the length. I found it was so short and I was wishing it could be longer somehow because I didn't want to end as I loved it so much.

~ The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - you may soon see a pattern in future posts as several of my current favourites are by John Green. John is a fantastic writer, probably one of the best I have come across. He has a very influential way of writing. He writes as if he is your friend casually talking to you but the way he writes is so mesmerizing at the same time, if that is even possible. The book is about a girl called Hazel who has cancer. It also features a boy called Augustus Waters, who also has cancer, and well, it's pretty much a boy meets girl story. Despite being so predictable, which I usually hate, he writes in a way that makes you know what's coming up but slowly doubting your certainty. Even though it is predictable, it's still so touching and awe-inspiring at the same time. I definitely recommend this for nearly everyone, even if you aren't a fan of love stories, it's got a real good storyline, which is a characteristic sometimes lost in typical books about love.

~ The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - I watched this film before I read the book and that is possibly one thing that I regret. I'm a firm believer that books are better than the films produced out of them and this was no exception. I found myself knowing what was happening next and I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. The book is about a girl who is murdered by her neighbour and watches down on her friends, family and killer, in purgatory. It was really touching to read her slowly accept her death and move on and eventually, go to heaven. I must say that even though the film was amazing, the book is just so good, words can't describe it. This book is not for the faint-hearted as I found it was a tear-jerker, which is very strange for me as the only book I've cried through is Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman.

I hope you liked this and if you want me to do more posts like this, please let me know!

Kayla x