Line Bookaholic

I never read non-fiction book, and even less biographies and the like. But I was browsing Audible because I had no idea what to buy with my credit of the month and found this and I noticed that it was read by Lauren Graham so I thought it was perfect. It was not difficult to convince me then. 

I am not really into movies and series and actors and things like that. I’m really bad at remembering famous actor names for example. But I’ve always loved Lauren Graham. I think she is fascinating, she always has really interesting roles and she is hilarious. I’m even thinking about doing a Lauren Graham movie/series list. 

Anyway, that is why I decided to get this audiobook. And I’m glad I did because it was amazing. She makes you think about the world you live in, but in such a subtle way. She makes you want to change a lot of things in your life but she is not even telling you to do it, that’s how good she is. Plus, she is hilarious. I was laughing so hard sometimes it was a bit dangerous (I’m listening to audiobook in my car, almost could not see the road because I was in tears). 

With this book she has just proven that she is so much more than just a good actress. 

I loved the part where she talks about the set of Gilmore Girls and all the anecdotes about filming this series. You also discovered how she became the famous actress she is today. I’m so glad I learned more about this beautiful person because I really do think she is extraordinary. I’m definitely going to read her novel (Someday, someday, maybe) and probably all of the books she will ever write. 

If you want to know more about the filming of Gilmore Girls (and/or Parenthood) and at the same time discovering her thoughts about simple things, just read it. I also totally recommend to listen to the audiobook because it was really well done (the problem is that you do not see the pictures she is referring too). 

(Spoiler alert: she DOES talk very fast)

I'm not really convinced by this conclusion. I enjoyed reading The Jewel and The White Rose and was quite excited about the final book in the series. I was disappointed. I think my main problem was that it was written for a younger public (still, it is harsh for a young public with the surrogates and the companions... So I'm not so sure it is the main reason).

The concept of this book is really interesting. The fact that young women are captured to carry a child for a rich woman is really disturbing but not so far from the truth. Money can buy anything. And if you cannot have children, why not ask someone to do it for you, and to make it look how the hell you want. It is really scary but believable.

However, some parts of the book were too childish for me. The ending scene with the battle was a disaster. I could not take the Paladins seriously when I read Violet shouting "Paladins" all the time. It looked more like a girl scouts troop trying to capture the flag than an epic bloody battle.

The ending was interesting and a good closure to the series. But no more than that. I think this was not a bad book, but it was not for me. I’m glad I finished this series but I won’t re-read it.

Hero at the Fall is the third and final book in the Rebel of the Sands trilogy and it was an epic conclusion to one of the best series I have ever read (no exaggeration here, I am telling you, go read it if you haven’t already).

If you do not know anything about the story, I advise you no to read this review because it may contain spoilers of previous events. Just know that it was amazing (and that you have to read it. Oh wait; I’ve already said that earlier. READ IT!)

It follows the events of the previous book (that had quite a rough ending) and I was excited about knowing how these beloved characters would manage to get out of this tricky situation (again). You always think it is hopeless until something you had not thought about happened and all end well (not for everyone though, spoiler alert, there are many deaths in this book).

I was so happy to meet with Amani again who is definitely one of my favourite heroine of all time. She is strong and fragile at the same time, she knows what she wants and she won’t hesitate to put herself in danger to save those she loves and to achieve her goals. She is stubborn and quite hot tempered and I loved everything about her. All the characters in this book are so unique and so lovable, each and every own of them. Amani and Shazad’s friendship is GOAL. It was so beautiful to read about their relationship, which is one of my favourite female friendships in books.

The storyline was a bit predictable but it still contained many twists I was not ready for. I am still not over some of the events that happened in this book, I was not ready for this series to end. Although some events were predictable, I was so happy for the ending, which was perfect. I was sad, angry, frustrated, happy, excited and hopeful at the same time. I can still picture myself reading those last chapters and wondering how I was supposed to go on with my life after that.

The best part about this series is Alwyn Hamilton’s writing style. It is easy to follow but it has such a unique quality to it. Every single word is well chosen and there is a beautiful simplicity to it. I really enjoyed it and I know for a fact I will be reading every single book of this author, because I’m hooked.
This was such an epic adventure and I definitely recommend this series. If you love magic, desert creatures and bad-ass characters, this is for you!

Pretties is the second book in the Uglies series. It is the only non-spoiler thing I want to say so if you have not read this book yet and you do not want to be spoiled for it, please do not read any further. 

Tally is a Pretty now and it is pretty obvious (ha-ha). I really liked how we arrived in her life after the operation, as if everything was normal. She is going to parties and she is worrying about what she is going to wear. It is a huge contrast with the ending of book one and I loved what the author did here.

We are following Tally in her new life and we can see that she forgot everything about David and The Smoke. I really hated that part because it made me so sad. Also, I was not a huge fan of her life in Pretty Town, it was actually kind of boring.

The second part of the book (well I think it is actually Part III) was way more interesting. I don't know how it is possible but I had forgotten everything about this village with Pre-rusties kind of men (I read this book almost 10 years ago, but still). It is actually an interesting part of the book where Tally realized that people are conditioned to think a certain way and that it is really difficult to change their minds, BUT it's not because it has always been this way for them that things can't change. I think it is a really interesting lesson for young people reading this book (quite obvious, but this book actually is written for a younger public).

I also forgot a lot of things about the ending. I remember Shay turned into a Special and Tally would eventually be one as well, but I forgot how everything happened. It was great to discover this again! 

In general, I really liked this book, but as a part of the series, it is my least favourite for the moment. The part in Pretty Town was too long i my opinion because I think it was boring. The whole thing with the Cutters was quite interesting but I'm not sure it was handled correctly. I mean, I guess it could seem a bit glamorous to young readers and without proper warning...

Two more books to re-read before the release of the next series!!

Going on with my re-read of this series. I think this book is actually my favourite of the original trilogy. I do really like who Juliette is becoming and how she does stand her ground. She is strong and she finally understood that she has the power to change things, and most importantly, she discovered that she is not the only person who is suffering. Her life really sucked, I do agree, but she met people who will make her understand that she is not alone and that other people also had a rough life. 

Also, you might guess why it is my favourite… I mean that scene (I guess you all know which one I’m talking about!) Warner is really one of my favourite “villain” of all time; I totally adore his character. 

This made me even more excited about the upcoming new series, Restore Me is less than a month away guys !!

Seriously, the concept of this book is amazing and I was really excited about it. It is full of references and I felt myself smiling so many times. There were also naturally some references I did not get, but that was not a problem for me. I am not a hardcore gamer, but I do love video games and pop culture and I found many things I like in this book.

However, I had some issues with the book. The idea behind it is great (imagine being able to play your favourite video game in real life to save your planet, sounds cool right?) but the storyline was weird. I was always expecting something big to happen and I am still expecting it honestly. I felt like nothing really happened in the whole book so I struggle a bit at time. 

The beginning was particularly hard for me, I almost gave up because there were too many description scenes of the Armada's missions and I got bored and distracted easily. But once I arrived almost halfway through it, I really wanted to learn more. 

I started to feel that something was wrong about all that and I had so many theories in my head, but in the end, I was disappointed by the ending. 

Apart from that, I liked Zack, he was a great main character because nothing was special about him. He was just the most ordinary teenage boy there is and I liked that. We do not really get enough of the other characters to have an opinion about them. 

In brief, the book was not as bad as everyone says it was, at least in my opinion. True, it was not as good as Ready Player One, but I still had a great time reading this. 3/5 stars. 

I’ve read this series when it first came out in 2005 and I totally loved it. It was the first time I read a dystopian novel and I was immediately hooked.

I decided to re-read this series in English this time (cause in 2005 I read it in French, my English was still too basic) without knowing that Scott Westerfeld was actually planning on releasing 4 more books in the world of Uglies (YES, FOUR!). So now I am even more excited about going on with the rest of the series.

I’ve had so many feelings getting back into this universe; I think it will be hard to write a honest review. Re-reading a favourite book is something I adored, but when I haven’t read the book in more than 10 years it is even better. So yeah, I enjoyed it.

However, I may not have enjoyed it as much as I had ten years ago. I’ve read many other dystopian fictions since (and just books in general) so my criteria are not the same. I found some dialogues a bit too simplistic and some events were not natural: like the relationship between David and Tally really felt unnatural to me (without getting into much details because I don’t want to spoil anyone).

The characters were also not that well developed, they were simplistic as well and I would have like more depth about them. Well, they are really young and living in a world controlled by the government so that they don’t have the opportunity to develop their own ideas, I get that, but still, they could have been a little bit more complex in my opinion.

Apart from that, I think the whole idea is just amazing, all the technologies invented by the author are really great and could actually exist; nothing is exaggerated.

I am so excited about re—reading the rest of the series, even if I have read it many times before, it’s been a while so I discovered many details I had totally forgotten. And I can’t tell you how much I’m excited about the new books; it may have become my most anticipated release ever.

One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. 

Pretty damn exciting, right?! I’ve seen this book everywhere and after reading the synopsis, I definitely wanted to read it. I bought the audiobook with my credit of the month on Audible. 

It took me ages to listen to this, because I only listen to audiobook in the car (and sometimes I'd rather listen to music), or while doing the dishes and stuff like that, but I don't spend a lot of time on it, except when I'm really captivated, which was not the case here. I enjoyed the story but I had difficulty staying focused while listening to it. 

The four main characters are clichés: the bad guy, the smart girl, the pretty popular girl and the baseball star. I think it was intentional but it was a problem with me because it made them too shallow in my opinion. 

Still, this book was full of twists, many things were a big surprise for me as I did not see them coming. Other things were easy to figure out, but that’s also part of the fun. 

It was a bit darker than I expected, the ending was pretty harsh. But I liked it. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, it just did not blow my mind as I expected.

This is the first part of the story and I got the e-book for free a long time ago. I finally decided to read it and I was not disappointed. 

The story takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria, a place I’ve been wanted to visit for quite a long time (and I will someday), so it made it even better. 

This is the story of Samantha, an ordinary teenage American girl who plays the violin and whose dream is to go to Julliard. Unfortunately, it does not go as planned and Sam is devastated. However, she received an invitation to go study music in Bulgaria with a great musician. She decides to give it a try, but she will soon discover that everything is not as it seems. 

It was not my first book y D.S. Murphy and as usual, I really liked discovering the new world he created. Some things about Samantha were not okay with me, I kind of found her sometimes too pretentious and it did not work for me. She could be really annoying at times. 

The ending was absolutely brilliant though, I really think of this as more of a sneak peek and I will definitely check out the rest of the story when it is out.

This is the second and final book in the Not A Drop to Drink series. I read the first book not so long ago and wanted to go on with this duology because I rather enjoyed the first one. This one takes place a few years after the end of book 1.

I think Not A Drop To Drink could have been a standalone but I was glad for this addition to the series. I liked to get to know Lucy a little bit more and see what Lynn became as an adult. 

Lucy and Lynn are going on a long journey and this is going to make them understand so many things about each other, but most importantly about themselves.

They met a few other people and it was nice to see what was happening on other parts of their world (I would have liked a bit more of that actually).

However, I was expecting a bit more than that. I feel like Lucy was too ordinary, her character was even a bit dull in my opinion. Something was definitely missing there.

Lynn is also not as good as I remembered her to be, she is annoying. What was really weird for me is that she kept being referred to as “the older woman” and so I always pictured her as an old lady (she is 27).

The ending was not okay with me. I don’t know if there was something I should have understood and I did not, but I definitely hated how it ended. I think it was stupid.

Anyway, this book was not bad, I recommend it if you really liked Not A Drop To Drink but I also think you do not need to read this one if you are happy with how book one ended. It was not bad, but it was not necessary.

This was another amazing volume of Saga. I do read them in French because it is easier and cheaper to get them that way, but I don’t think it makes a big difference. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading about Hazel and her family again.

I bought this one last year and still had not read it. It’s been a while since I’ve read Saga, but in spite of that, it was still easy to follow and it took me only a couple of minutes to get back into it

We again meet a lot of new characters and they are all so unique, I don’t understand how they can create so many different characters that remind me of nothing I’ve already seen. They really are unique. And the art is PERFECT.

Another thing I love about Saga is how honest it is. You see the story through the eyes of a child but not an innocent or stupid one (like most children are, really, we do not give them enough credit!), Hazel is honest and understand a lot more than what people think.

I can’t wait to read the next one, this graphic novel is really one of the best I have ever read and it keeps getting better and better.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Although I totally enjoyed it, I was not hooked. I don’t know if it’s because I was expecting something different, but it was just not as great as the first one. Still, I had a great time reading this and the characters were really amazing.

The ending was, I think, my biggest issue with this book. I was not expecting the first big thing that happened (I’m trying to avoid spoiler here, but if you have read the book you will know what I’m talking about) but what follows was kind of expected. I’m not saying it was a bad thing but it was too predictable and I would have liked the book to end differently (but this is my own personal opinion).

Apart from that, Shahrzad was totally amazing. I love how hot-tempered she is and how she will never let people dictate her what to do; she really is a strong woman. We also got to know Khalid a little bit more in this book and I loved that, he is a really interesting character.

The love triangle was also handled perfectly; it was not annoying like most love triangles are (to me). Shahrzad has a really mature reaction to all of this and I definitely enjoyed that.

In brief, I loved the book and its characters but it did not blow my mind. I liked books that made me think and this one did not. However, it did make me travel because the reality in this book is so far from my own, and it was great. I still recommend this book, because it was good!

I don't kow how many times I've read Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, I can't keep track. But I know it's my second time reading this edition in anticipation of the 3rd one that I got for Christmas. I'll read it next month and I can't wait, it's so beautiful.

As always, it was Harry Potter so I totally enjoyed it.