Hi everyone,

Hope that you are doing well! I'm about to enter the second week of serious social distancing, and suddenly it is rather lonely living alone abroad. I'm just so glad this is the time where we can stay in contact with other people via virtual means, or else I think I would have gone mad at this point (and I went two work for two mornings).

I just came across this extra Read-a-thon and while I think there will be more in the coming weeks, it was too good not to join. Although I think I will just keep posting updates after the weekend for the duration of the social distancing (here in Belgium it's currently until April 5th, but they are already saying it will probably be longer).

So yes, let's read.

What I already finished this weekend: (watch out for the reviews)

Ooronoko - Aphra Beth **

The Little Book of Shakespeare ***

“We went down, and at the bottom there was a door, and on the door there was a sign. Two words. ‘Be Sure.’ Sure of what? We were twelve, we weren’t sure of anything. So we went through."

*** ABOUT THE BOOK ***

Title: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Genre: Fantasy | Young Adult

Goodreads Amazon

*** BOOK BLURB ***

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

*** REVIEW ***

 I ended up going into this book with low expectations because of all the hype around it and because it didn't seem like my kind of read. I'm honestly so glad I did, I ended up absolutely loving it!

To every kid who crossed a portal and is kicked back comes the moment of what-happens-next and what-do-I-do-now. There are those who never want to go back, who just want to move on and forget. They find a way. But what happens to those who have been inexorably changed and want to go back? Who are just bidding their time hoping that their door will reopen one day? They go to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

And this is what I though the book will be about - children readjusting to their lives. But... Then, a couple of gruesome murders throw everything up in the air!

It's short, and while I wish it were longer so that I could have extended my reading enjoyment, it was really just the right length for what it was.

Every Heart a Doorway is the story of fantasy I never knew I needed.

"The four of us Liars, we have always been. We always will be."

*** ABOUT THE BOOK ***

Title: We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart

Genre: Contemporary | Young Adult

Goodreads Amazon

*** BOOK BLURB ***

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

*** REVIEW ***

If I had to summarize We Were Liars in one word, I think I'd pick boring. The whole thing felt rather pointless. I kept reading it only because this books became Goodreads Choice Winner in 2014, so I thought maybe I'm missing something.

The book didn't have much of a plot other than Cadence understanding what happened during Summer Fifteen. So, we stumble through this book to find out the big secret and... That's it. Here's the secret and here's the end of the book.

The writing was odd and felt disjointed. I didn't develop any sort of emotional attachment to any of the characters, so by the time the "big revel" happened... I didn't care.

I'm still not sure where the raving reviews for this book comes from. I'd suggest to better skip this one and find another book to enjoy.

"I don't believe there's such thing as conventional love. Love is bending. Love is breaking. Love is constantly learning about the other person until you go crazy because it will never be perfect, but there's no fault in trying."

*** ABOUT THE BOOK ***

Title: Puddle Jumping

Author: Amber L. Johnson

Genre: Contemporary Romance | Young Adult

Goodreads Amazon

*** BOOK BLURB ***

When it comes to love there’s no such thing as conventional.

Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special.

Lilly Evans just thinks he’s fascinating.

Once friends when they were younger, their bond is cut short due to her accident prone nature and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means. And she’s not sure if she’s ready to find out.

When he walks through the corridor of her school the first day of her senior year, she knows that it’s time to get to know the real Colton Neely. The more she learns, the deeper she falls.

Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.

*** REVIEW ***

It is a coming of age story about an unconventional relationship between a beautiful teenage girl and a wonderful teenage boy with Asperger's. This book is so much more than Lilly falling in love with Colton. It's about realizing true unconditional love has no boundaries.

What makes the story beautiful, is that everything Lilly does, encouraging Colton to be himself while helping him to navigate an altogether strange social world, is that she doesn’t consciously do it for him. She does it because of him, because she’s fascinated by him and cares about him and truly wants to understand his mind. She wants other people to see him as she does, this straightforward, socially inadept boy who simply wants to be near her.

The only reason this book for me isn't 5 stars, is the ending. As strange as it may seem, I didn't want story to end with Hollywood type happily ever after ending. I would have left the story with the last chapter, without Epilogue. And after finishing book, I found out author decided to make it series and is writing a second book, continuation of Lilly's and Colton's story. Don't know how I feel about it...