Christmas Reading!

Hello everyone!

I've actually read a nice few books lately (okay actually like four,but still) but none of them have been good enough to waste my time reviewing. This has put me in a tad bit of a reading slump, but given that it's almost December it's time for me to pick up some Christmassy books that will hopefully get me back in the reading mood.

First up, a favorite of mine that I used to read every Christmas, but actually haven't read in about three years now; Chicken Soup for the Soul's Book of Christmss Virtues, a collection of little holiday stories that always makes me feel Christmassy. Yay!

Then, I'm super excited to have found a copy of My True Love Gave to Me that has the beautiful blue cover and the hot pink page edges. I think this is going to similar to Let It Snow, which I read last Christmas. I'm so excited!

If you guys are planning to do any Christmas reading, I'd love to hear about it! 

Book Review: Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

352 Pages
Goodreads Rating: 3.84/5
Published: June 2014


Guys, this book is freaking adorable. Your stomach will hurt from laughter and from sympathy, depending on the chapter.

Amy has Cerebral Palsy and has spent her 17 years having no one but adults as friends. She makes it her mission for senior year to make some friends, real friends, and asks her parents to hire "peer helpers" or other seniors to help her during the school day, in place of teacher aides. Her overbearing, strong-willed mother and her doormat father reluctantly agree, and set very high standards for whom they will accept to be Amy's "peer helpers".

Matthew is quiet, keeps to himself, and spends an excessive amount of time washing his hands. He's completely confused when Amy, a girl he knew vaguely in elementary school, messages him online asking that he apply to be one of her peer helpers. Even more surprising, when Matthew hesitates, Amy persists, saying she had hoped he especially would apply.

Reluctantly (both on Matthew's part as well as Amy' s mother), Amy gets her wish and Matthew gets hired to be one of her four peer tutors. Sarah, the quiet, studious girl who's Mom died in middle school; Chloe, the underachiever with the incarcerated boyfriend; Sanjay, the attractive, trying-to-be-popular jock; Matthew, the quiet boy with OCD.

Over the course of senior year, Amy and Matthew develop something special, and by the following Summer, they are going behind Amy's mother's back to spend forbidden time together. Their friendship ends on a sour note when Amy leaves for university, leaving Matthew behind to his job at the movie theatre. It seems as though what they had is lost, until months later Matthew receives a message from Amy, asking for his help with what will be their biggest challenge to date.


This book made me laugh, mostly from the sheer and very realistic awkwardness of Amy and Matthew. I love that the book was not afraid to be realistic about the ins and outs of both medical conditions it dealt with, like the fact that Amy could not eat without drooling all over herself, and that Matthew sometimes had to leave dinner dates sitting by themselves to spend forty minutes scrubbing his nail beds in the bathroom.

The characters were very lovable, and I quickly grew attached. At the end of the novel, a plot twist that became pretty predictable after reading the chapters about prom night, broke my heart. Amy and Matthew went through a really tough time dealing with this problem that arises, and though the ending wasn't necessarily a "Happily Ever After", I felt it was exactly how it should've been.

I most definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone. Such a great contemporary.

My Rating:

If anyone else has read this I'd absolutely love to hear what you think of it!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone :)

Long Weekend Happenings!

I'm currently on day 3 of my 4-day long weekend, and the much needed break from school has been lovely. Thus far I've 

- Watched a ton of Christmas movies, in addition to multiple episodes of House and Once Upon a Time on Netflx

- Finished reading Pride Over Pity by Kailyn Lowry and The Beautiful and the Damned  by Jessica Verday

- Started reading Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern (loving it!)

- Attempted a Christmas themed acrylic painting 

- Made a list of things to get people for Christmas

- Wrote out all the Vocab words for my next Biology unit (what's a long weekend without some schoolwork? On the bright side, our next unit is Reproduction, which means babies, yay!!)

Tomorrow, I'm planning to get up early and attend the local Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony with my Rangers group, and then I think the boyfriend and I are going to finish our university applications. I'm so glad that I'm finally getting around to applying to nursing school! (Ok, actually I'm really glad that I'll be one step closer to moving out and studying something I actually want to learn about). 

Hope everyone else is having a weekend half as relaxing as mine, and that you take some time to remember the reason behind our long weekend, and those who lost their lives fighting so that'd we now have the freedom to lie around having a stress-free weekend <3

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

With only 45 days left until Christmas Eve, I for one am getting super excited about the holiday season. This year is tinged with nostalgia for me because it will be my last Christmas at home before I leave for university. I feel like it's extra important to go all out preparing for the holiday, and to take in all the little community events I won't be at home for next year.

That being said, I've naturally started scoping out all the Christmas programming available. Ergo, the reason behind this post.

Here is the  ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule , compliments of The Frugal Navy Wife. This is the list of Christmas shows and movies they'll be showing, starting on December 1st!

Showcase Television channel has also started showing Christmas movies, and will continue or I do so every Sunday afternoon throughout the holiday season. Tomorrow, November 9th, they'll be showing Arthur Christmas (to make you laugh) , Jack Frost (to simultaneously invoke laughter and hysterical sobbing), and Disney's A Christmas Carol (because Jim Carey is always a good idea). I know I have my plans for tomorrow figured out!

Also, for the other unfortunate people who only have access to Canadian Netflix, our list of Christmas movies to choose from is short, but How the Grinch Stole Christmas has recently been made available (10 points to Canadian Netflix!)

That's about all I wanted to say in this post, I hope everyone else is starting to get into the holiday spirit as well. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for reading! :)

November TBR

So now that it's November, it's basically Christmas correct?! I'm beyond excited.

Anywho, for this month I'm planning to read three books:

1. Pride Over Pity by Kailyn Lowry

2. The Beautiful and the Damned by Jessica Verday

3. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Also, if time allows, I may read some more in Harry Potter et L'Ecole des Sorciers , the first Harry Potter book, translated into the French language. I started this back in June but it's taking me forever to get through. I'm hoping to perhaps finish it within the year.



What will you all be reading this month? :)

Book Review: The Finisher by David Baldacci

497 Pages
Goodreads Rating: 3.69/5
Published : 2014

I first picked this book up because it's cover had super cute colours and that cool textured font thing going on. When I started reading it, I had no idea what it was about, other than that it is generally a YA fantasy novel, and I expected it to be mediocre at best.

I actually ended up loving this book, even though it took me forever to read due to lack of time. The characters are honest and relatable and funny without trying, which is what I probably enjoyed most about the book.

Vega Jane is 15 (I think?) and takes care of her younger brother John, as her parents are permanently ill and live at The Care. Vega and John are poor, living in a group home under the strenuous laws of the ambiguous town of Wormwood.

When worker Quentin Herms, who worked alongside Vega, disappears and the town cracks down on the case, Vega takes it upon herself to use the clues Quentin left her and figure out what kind of town Wormwood really is. Vega ends up finding a world of magic and terrifying creatures, far more than she bargained for,

Vega soon finds herself in trouble with Morrigone, the female member of Wormwood's council who essentially tries to ruin Vega's life. This time not even Delphi, Vega's adorably speech-impaired, lifelong friend can help her, and she must take her fate into her own hands.


I personally thought all of the necessary characters in this book were really well developed, and that the book did a great job describing anything that may seem different from our world. All the magic and mysteries were understandable and interesting to read about. This story was equal parts sadness, magic, and girl power to make for a great read.


My Rating: 

Weekend Reads! 24/10/14

Wow, I can't believe a whole week has passed since I last posted - this month has gone by crazy fast! Just thought I'd share with you all what I'll be reading this weekend.

First of all, I'll be finishing The Finisher by David Baldacci, most likely tonight because I only have about 100 pages left.

I'll then be starting two new books:

Pride Over Pity by Kailyn Lowry, one of my favorite moms from MTV's Teen Mom 2. My boyfriend got me this book when it first came out and I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to reading it.

The Beautiful and the Damned by Jessica Verday. I have no idea what this book is about but I'm hoping for some historical fiction and perhaps romance...we shall see!



I'd love to hear what everyone else is reading this weekend! Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend everyone :)