The Reader Bee: Rainbow Rowell

Showing posts with label Rainbow Rowell. Show all posts

Monday, October 28, 2019

My Thoughts: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864790-pumpkinheads

Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.

Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.

But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.

Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .

What if their last shift was an adventure? (Goodreads)

Have you heard about Pumpkinheads, the brand new graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks! A graphic novel?! Count me in, please! I have seen this book all over social media lately, so when I found it at our local library, I knew I would have to check it out. It was such a fun read!

I have only read a handful of graphic novels so far, and I have no idea why I’ve not read more, because I really, really like them. They are so different than the normal book, BUT, you still feel like you’re getting a good story as you turn the pages, AND awesome graphics as well. I really do enjoy them.

One of the things that I loved most about Pumpkinheads is that it’s set during fall, (my most favorite time of year), AND at a pumpkin patch! Seriously, if you’re looking for a quick read to get you in the fall mood, this is your book. Not only did the book make me want to go to the nearest pumpkin patch, but it also made me super hungry for all the yummy food that is mentioned. (YUM!)

Also, the characters in the book are super cute. While we don’t really get to learn much about them, (but seriously, it’s just a graphic novel), I still felt like I got to know them a bit, and I definitely enjoyed their story. Deja was definitely my favorite character in the book!

Overall; Pumpkinheads is the perfect book to add to your fall TBR! It’s a quick, fun read, that will make you hungry for kettlecorn and caramel apples. It’s got a cute storyline, and cute characters as well, and you should definitely check it out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Review: My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20309175-my-true-love-gave-to-me

My True Love Gave To Me
Twelve Holiday Stories
by Stephanie Perkins and More

Publication Date: October 14th 2014
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781250059307
Genre: Young Adult | Holiday Stories
Source: Netgalley

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If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. (Goodreads)

I was super excited to read My True Love Gave To Me not only because it was edited by Stephanie Perkins, but also because the book of full of really awesome writers, and I couldn’t wait to read their holiday themed short stories.

A few of my favorite stories from the book came from Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins, Gayle Forman and Ally Carter. It’s hard to pick between them all, because they were all great stories. Even though these were just short stories, they all would have been wonderful as whole books. The characters were well written and likeable, and I really wanted to keep reading long after the stories ended. (Luckily I was distracted by the next story!) I really enjoyed reading all of these stories.

I also really loved the holiday feel to the book. It put me in the Christmas spirit, and that usually doesn’t happen this early in the year. Now I am itching to read even more Christmas stories!

My only complaint about the book is that the stories weren’t long enough! Yes, I know that these are just short stories, but with each story I started to get attached to the character and storyline, and I didn’t want it to end. But they did. As I mentioned before, all of these stories were well written, and would have made excellent books.

Overall; If you want to read a book of Christmas stories by some really great authors, definitely check out My True Love Gave To Me. It is well worth the read, and will put you in the Christmas Spirit!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068905-fangirl

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? (Goodreads)

Fangirl is the second book I’ve read by the insanely talented Rainbow Rowell. Everyone said that I would enjoy this book even more than I did Eleanor & Park. I was a bit skeptical about this, but everyone was totally right! This book was SO great, and I am thrilled to have it be the first book that I’ve read and reviewed in 2014!

The main character in the story is Cath. Cath is sarcastic and introverted and a huge fan-fiction fanatic. I love Cath. She is probably the most relatable character that I have ever met in all the books that I’ve read. She is so much like me, it’s kind of scary! But that is why I love her. With all of the things that went on in her past, and everything that she was experiencing in her present, you couldn’t help but feel something for her. Yes, she was crazy awkward and naïve at times, and I guess that is why I was so able to relate to her. I love the relationship between Cath and Levi. I love their interactions with each other and that their relationship was one that was built gradually, instead of instantly. They were really great together, and I could totally see Cath coming out of her shell and becoming such a stronger person with Levi’s help. Levi, by the way, is totally swoon-worthy. Just so you know.

One of my most favorite quotes from the book would have to be from dear Cath. - “There are other people on the Internet. It's awesome. You get all the benefits of 'other people' without the body odor and the eye contact.” Yes! Best introverted quote ever!

I loved all of the secondary characters to the story just as much as I loved the main character. Cath’s roommate, Reagan, was someone that I didn’t expect to really like in the beginning, but I adored her by the end. I felt the same with Cath’s twin sister, Reagan… although I didn’t like her nearly as much as Cath. Cath’s father was definitely an interesting parent, and I worried that he might be one of those parents in YA books that I was really going to be disappointed with, but he wasn’t. I could go on and on about the characters in this book. But you should just read it so you can meet them yourself!

At 448 pages, I thought that this book would be something I would read over time and enjoy. Instead, I was sucked into the story and flew through the pages faster than I ever imagined. The story and characters blend together to make this book a captivating read. This book made me laugh so much, and even had me tear up a few times. It was such a great read.

Overall; I enjoyed this book so very much more than I expected to, and yes, even more than Eleanor & Park. If you haven’t read anything by Rainbow Rowell yet, I definitely recommend you adding this book to your reading list. It’s definitely worth the read.