Wednesday, May 27, 2015

May-End Bookshelf

Well, if you're looking for book recommendations, apparently I'm the place to be.
Since my Mid-May Bookshelf update on May 12th, I've finished 12 books.
TWELVE.
Plus I forgot to write about one in Mid-May.
So here's thirteen reviews for May-End, as well as an update on the Semi-Charmed Summer 2015 Book Challenge
(Upon further thought, I'm splitting this into two posts to save your brain. So here's 7.)

Match Point by Erynn Mangum

Match Point is the final book in the Lauren Holbrook series, which I loved from start to finish.

Lauren has always had a gift for matchmaking. But finally, the tables have been turned as her friends try to set her up with the boy she's been "dating" for a while. Will Lauren give in to the pressure to get married or will her and Ryan's plan to fake breaking up actually tear them apart?

Cute, easy to read story, with underlying Christian tones. I'd definitely recommend this series.

4 out of 5 stars.

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Rough Rowdy Reckless by Kimball Lee

This book was a short kindle book (only 67 pages) and it's about three girls who are going on a road trip together. They plan to get rough, rowdy, and reckless on their trip. They want to hook up with someone, no regrets.

Well, they each meet someone sexy and things go from there.

Definitely a bit more of an adult read.

Overall, it wasn't bad. But it was really short. I'd like to see more about each character. You only had about a chapter to hear their whole story.

2 out of 5 stars.

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Not Afraid of Life by Bristol Palin

Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far was written by Bristol Palin herself (with help) and it's all about her experience as a young, unwed mother while in the middle of her mother's political career.

Now, while this was going on, I wasn't exactly into politics, so I didn't really know a lot of this. Sure, I knew that Bristol got pregnant, but I didn't know about all the nasty rumors, the on-again, off-again relationship with Tripp's father, any of that. So that was interesting to read from this perspective. I didn't now all these things were happening!!

Overall, the book gave a nice perspective. You can tell it was written by somebody younger, as she kind of jumps around a lot instead of telling the story chronologically, which would have helped me a lot. 

3 out of 5 stars.

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The God We Can Know by Rob Fuquay

This was a book that Daniel and I read for church. We were supposed to do a small group study with it but that kind of fell apart.

This book explores the "I am" sayings of Jesus. For example, "I am the good shepherd.", "I am the light.", "I am the way.", "I am the living water.", etc. What does Jesus mean by all of these?

I really liked this book because it made you think about the things that you read in the Bible on a deeper level. Each chapter had questions to go along with it to discuss with your small group (or just your husband!) We always had really good discussions out of these and I think we both learned something every time.

3 out of 5 stars.

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Live Original by Sadie Robertson

Live Original: How the Duck Commander Teen Keeps it Real and Stays True to her Values was another book that was clearly written by someone younger. You can just tell in the way it was written. Not that this is a bad thing, but it did take away a little bit.

I also believe this book was aimed towards someone younger than I am. It would be a great book when aimed towards pre-teen and teenage girls, but at 22 I didn't get as much out of it as I think I could have.

However, I did get some out of it. And it was good. It really did make me think about what is important to me and how I can change the world.

3 out of 5 stars. Great book, wrong age group for me.

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She Sins at Midnight by Whitney Dineen
Oh my goodness, I loved this book!

Lila works in Hollywood as an assistant. She's a hard worker, a great friend, and a lady. But, she has another side of her. She's also Jasmine Sheath, author of a new bestselling erotica novel.

She's terrified of someone finding out her secret, so when she goes home for her high school reunion, she does her best to keep quiet about it. 

However, a dramatic Hollywood starlet is trying to ruin Lila's life. She's spreading rumors and trying to get her fired.

While Lila is back in her hometown, all kinds of crazy things happen. She falls in love with the guy who inspired her novel, tries to keep her novel a secret, and tries to keep herself out of the tabloids.

This book was seriously hilarious. I loved it and I haven't laughed this hard in a while. 

4 out of 5 stars.


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Phineas L. MacGuire...Gets Slimed!
by Frances O'Roark Dowell
This was a cute little book that my 4th graders were reading. It's about Phineas (called Mac) and his quest to become the best 4th grade scientist ever.

Mac LOVES mold. He wants to make a mold museum in the school to teach everyone else how cool it is.

Meanwhile, his friend Ben wants to run for class president.

It's a bunch of crazy antics of 4th graders. Super simple read (because it's definitely meant for younger kids). I'd recommend it for someone in that age range.

4 out of 5 stars.

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Summer Book Challenge Update
5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules. - My Story by Elizabeth Smart (308 pages)
10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. - She Sins At Midnight by Whitney Dineen (314 pages)
10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. - Not Afraid of Life by Bristol Palin (272 pages)
10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014. - This Star Won't Go Out (431 pages)
15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you. - Suicide City by Julie Frayn (272 pages)
15 points: 
Read a book by an author you have read before. - Match Point by Erynn Mangnum (367 pages)
15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.")
20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title.
20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover.
25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books. -- The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer (331 pages)
25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. --
30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. -- Bad, Badder, Baddest by Cynthia Voigt (266 pages)

Total: 120 points

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