Tag Archives: Bibliophile

Coffee & Characters | Favorite YA Heroines

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Few of you know that most of my days are spent as a barista at a popular coffee joint that you may or may not frequent one…maybe two…alright three times a day. After working at a coffee shop for multiple years I have discovered that there becomes a certain bond that manifests between barista and beverage. You understand the ends and outs of each hand-crafted drink and you know which customer will savor its flavor and which ones will hand their freshly made cup right back to you.

So, what happens when your favorite YA heroine enters your local Starbucks?

I, too, have asked myself this question many a times and thought, “hey, I might actually know the answer!”

Therefore I introduce this post, “Coffee & Characters: Favorite YA Heroines”

1. Katniss Everdeen: Tall Black Coffee

Katniss Everdeen

via zombiesruineverything.com

Katniss grew up poor, so even walking into a Starbucks is probably the most terrifying and guilt-ridden feeling in the world. Coffee is totally a “Capital” drink, especially when it’s priced at $1.75 a cup. However, if ordering coffee won her the hunger games, which would she choose? My guess, is a tall black. I mean come on, 1. It is the cheapest thing on the menu (besides water) and  2. Strong coffee is made for a strong girl (right?!). However, she should probably stick with decaf because I am sure her anxiety is already through the roof.

2. Bella Swan: Grande Vanilla Latte

Bella Swan Twilight

via coolspotters.com

Bella is more of the plain-jane/every-day gal type. So, I’m going to say she would most likely order a grande vanilla latte. Nothing says “simple” quite like vanilla. And since she is cold-blooded, something warm is probably more her fancy. However, come Halloween I could foresee her switching it up and sipping a “Franken Frap” with Edward for kicks and giggles…or excuse me, hisses and bites.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3. Tris Prior: Double Tall Cappuccino

Tris Prior Divergent and Insurgent

via youtube.com

I would peg Katniss and Tris to have similar tastes since they come from similar back stories. However, Tris has a little more punch to her. She’s brave, fierce, and isn’t afraid of leaping off the edge (literally). So why not pump up her drink with an extra shot of espresso? Plus, I think she needs the energy with all the punching, ducking, running, climbing, jumping, spinning…you get my point.

4. Hermonie Granger: Venti Butterbeer Frappuccino

Hermoine Granger - Harry Potter

via tr.harrypotter.wikia.com

I would be a fool if I said otherwise, right?! Hermonie is super studious and often serious, but she also has a huge fluffy and fun side making a frappuccino her best bet. And what frappuccino you ask? None other than the Butterbeer frappuccino, of course! A little toffee nut, some caramel, all blended and melted together? It’s like magic! YUM!

“It is “butterBEER” not “butterBEAR!”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        5. Clary Fray: Tall Mocha

Clary Fray - The Mortal Instruments

via mortalinstruments.org

Clary is a pretty simple girl, okay not really, but you can sort of relate to her on a teenage, love-sick level, right? What Clary definitely has is a warm, protective side. She is super caring and loving and is always looking out for her friends and family, even if it means reaching a bit into the dark side. That’s why a tall mocha would be her beverage of choice. The base of the drink is simple, but the mocha adds a sweet yet strong and dark aspect making it totally Clary.

Did I miss your favorite YA heroine? Let me know in the comments and I will remedy this blunder with their preferred drink choice! 

Giveaway | The Book Trove Easter Giveaway

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Happy Easter, friends! The Easter Bunny whispered to me that some of you are itching for a new read. Since the Easter Bunny & I are pretty close I figured I’d help him out a little and do an Easter Flash Giveaway! 

You officially have 72 hours to enter to win a book of your choosing from the Book Depository. (Aren’t you “egg-cited”?!)

Contest ends Wednesday April 8th @ 6 PM EST. 

To enter:

1. Head over to our Instagram or Twitter page and like and repost our Easter giveway post with #abookisheaster.
2. Follow us Instagram and/or Twitter. 
3. Tag a friend to earn a second entry! 

The rules and stuff:

1. Open internationally to wherever the book depository ships. 
2. If under 18, you must have parental consent to release mailing address upon win. 
3. If your account is private please make sure you account is public for 24 hours starting 4/8. (Or I will not be able to see your entry.)
4. Please only repost/retweet photo once. To gain a second entry mention/tag a friend. 

This giveaway is open for 72 hours so “hop” to it and enter! 

Review| The Last Time We Say Goodbye

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The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand via Goodreads

 

five stars

Grief can be one of the toughest emotions to capture, because each person tends to grieve a little unlike the other. With that being said– Bravo, Cynthia Hand for portraying the ugliness of grief so beautifully and so honestly.

I’ve read a lot of books recently that ended with death. You have picture-perfect moments through 3/4ths of the book and then the inevitable hits and your heart feels like it was put through some weird & tortuous organ shredder. I appreciate that Hand began with death and ended her story towards healing.

I will echo my sentiment written in my review of All the Bright Places. When an author and a reader share in the same experience and the work between the author and the reader reflect that experience, there is a magic that occurs. I lost a friend to suicide about 10 years ago to the month. Suicide is tricky. As Hand points out, there is a different tone to death when the death is occurred by the victims own hands.

“They took Ty’s name off the roster.  The even expunged his school records for the year, as if they could erase his existence altogether.

I’d bet good money they didn’t do that kind of thing with Hailey McKennett, who lost her battle with cystic fibrosis two years ago, or Sammie Sullivan, who died of complications from pneumonia, or Jacob Wright, who was killed in a car crash driving home drunk from a party at Branched Oak Lake last summer.  Jacob got a tree planted for him at the front of the school, a plaque under it that I pass every day walking in that reads WE’LL MISS YOU, J.  Sammie got a moment of silence during first period that year and an entire page of the yearbook devoted to her memory.  They read Hailey’s name at graduation.

But Ty got his locker packed up and delivered promptly back to my mother, before we’d even had a chance to bury him.

Because it was suicide.

Because they don’t want to seem like they’re condoning it.

There are also a lot of “what ifs”. What if I would have said this…done this…noticed this. After dealing with my own grief I still sometimes wonder if things could have ended differently than they did. But has Hand mentions so beautifully, the only person that could have helped him was him. At some point you have to come to peace with not only your loss but with yourself.

I can’t end this review without mentioning Lex. I LOVE her. She is logical, not emotional, slightly socially awkward, and she is who she is. She doesn’t strive to be something she’s not. She isn’t able to curse with conviction—which I can relate—and she views the world in a completely unique way. Honestly, I was thrilled that Hand made a Bones reference because it made it so easy to connect and understand her character.  (Also Bones is my all-time favorite TV show, so, just reading that I knew this book would be a good one.)

The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a beautifully written portrayal of loss, understanding, guilt, grief, and most importantly healing. If you liked All the Bright Places or The Fault in Our Stars, add this to your list.

Click here for full synopsis.

All opinions are my own and are not affiliated or endorsed with any company or organization. 

 

Review | The Walls Around Us

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five stars

Lyrically written and hauntingly captivating this ghost story will imprison you until the end. Nova Ren Suma’s storytelling is as graceful and disturbing as the ballerinas she writes of. The Walls Around Us is a strange novel full of twists and bends and the essence of the novel is brilliant.

Centered around three teenage girls, this book offers more drama than a cheer-leading squad. Stacked with troubled pasts, Ori, Amber, and Violet share their story of traumatic incidents that wreck their lives one August.

This is a story about innocence, guilt, friendship, and how life is sometimes the ultimate arbitrator. The Walls Around Us is labeled for Young Readers, but friends do not be fooled, this a book for all.

For full synopsis, click here.

All opinions are my own and are not endorsed or affiliated with any company or organization. 

Monday Mentions feat. Abeer

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Monday Mentions

Hello book friends! I am starting a new segment called “Mention Mondays”  featuring a few bookstagrammers/bloggers who are super awesome and who I think you should follow!
First up is Abeer. She is super creative, an awesome photographer, and always writes the nicest comments on my Instagram photos.  To get to know her a little better I asked her a few things about herself and about some of her fave bookish things! 🙂 Go check her out.
Name: Abeer
Country: I’m originally from the Philippines but I’m currently based in Dubai for my job
Blog: superabura.wordpress.com has been my book blog since 2008 but I haven’t updated it for so long!  I’m planning to revamp it soon! Last 2014, I made my IG @lookingforabura into a bookstagram account to share my passion on reading, and it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.  Meeting new people and eventually making friends to book lovers – that’s epic.Specially for someone who is away from home, the bookstagram community keeps me sane! Haha
Currently Reading: I’m doing a buddy read for the book Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo and I’m enjoying this series so far…Also, re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the #mugglesreadalong we hosted.
Fave book: Wow! I suppose this is the hardest question ever! I will have to stick with my first love, though, HARRY POTTER series.  I am also adding Neil Gaiman and F. Scott Fitzgerald books!
Interesting Fact: I have a thing with bad-boy-and-broken-girl-characters. I’m a sucker for tragic endings. But sometimes, a happily ever after doesn’t hurt.
Fave Couples: Ron and Hermonie, Anna and St. Clair, Finnick and Annie, June and Day  And Gatsby’s undying love for Daisy just like F. Scott Fitzgerald to Zelda
Reading Spot: Bed or sofa, sometimes at the bus stop.
Fave genre: I don’t really stick to one genre. I explore different worlds. And I fancy any book as long as it suits my current mood.
Other stuff: I’m really a boring person. If I’m not reading, I write blabs and do street photography. I love music but I can’t sing, I love watching coking shows and I can’t cook.
Check back next Monday for another awesome account!