Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Scary Book Covers...

Reviews
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
The Murmurings
Eyes in the Mirror
The House of Dead Maids

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Middle Grade Monday | Review: Doll Bones - Holly Block

Middle Grade Monday is a feature started right here at Reading Nook. It's a way to share news or reviews of middle grade novels on a blog that doesn't exclusively post middle grade content. Feel free to join any time and link up.

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Very creepy.)
Genre: Middle Grade
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Page Count: 244 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Zach, Poppy and Alice all like to make up stories. They construct elaborate fantasy in Poppy's back yard with dolls. Even though they are getting older, they don't care, they love the game. Zach's father thinks it's time to grow up though and throws out all of Zach's action figures. He doesn't want to tell the girls how upset he is about it, so he tells them he doesn't want to play. They can't except this though and soon strange things start to happen. In the dead of night the girls come to Zach and tell them that the Queen, and old china doll, is haunting them and they have to travel to her grave and bury her in order to be relieved. Zach isn't sure how much he buys of it, but he goes along anyway. Even without the dolls, it seems like they can still have quite and adventure.

This was a bit spooky. As someone who isn't too keen on dolls, this made it a bit tricky to sleep. China dolls are especially creepy with their cold, glowing eyes. Anyways, they are creepy and this doll is extra creepy. I don't want to give too much away, but trust me. I'm almost glad this was middle grade and not YA, because if it was older it would probably have been too terrifying to sleep with the lights off.

Holly Black is just fab though and created these three great characters and an epic quest. I really enjoyed watching them learn more about themselves and each other. This book had a lot of navigating into being a teen and what you leave behind. I don't think imagination needs to be left behind. If it does get left behind we have no good authors and that would be sad.

This is a good read for upcoming Halloween if you want something a bit adventurous with an element of spooky. 

First Line:
"Poppy set down one of the mermaid dolls close to the stretch of asphalt road that represented the Blackest Sea."

Favorite Line:
"I'm just different like weird."

This is a Middle Grade Monday Post feel free to link your middle grade reviews/news below :) 

(doesn't have to be posted on a Monday)

Review: Winger - Andrew Smith

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (This is simply fantastic.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page Count: 439 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Ryan Dean West doesn't have it easy. He's fourteen, a junior and stuck at a boarding school for delinquents. Everyone makes fun of him for being so young. He wants Annie, but she just sees him as an adorable little boy. Ryan Dean West has decided to take Annie's advice and "grow up" or at least grow a pair of balls. This is his year and he's going to make some changes.

Sometimes you are going along reading a perfectly good book and then all of a sudden the book changes. Maybe you don't even noticing it happening, but all of a sudden you're mind is someplace completely different than where you started this book. Andrew Smith, is clearly made of some genius. By the end of this book, everything I thought it was about was wrong. By the time I saw it coming it was too late and my chest was already tight with ALL OF THE FEELINGS! This book is a roller coaster of emotions, so keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times and just enjoy the ride.

Ryan Dean West, oh how I love you. He made me laugh so much (well maybe giggle). He just felt so real and unscripted. He was such a little shit sometimes, but very true. I would have hung out with him if we went to the same school even if he is a bit pervy (aren't we all). The other characters in this novel were fantastic too. Each of them just worked so well and even if you couldn't like them they fit. Mostly, there are a couple of people I did not care for and began to loathe as the story progressed. There are just terrible people in the world and there's no avoiding that fact. Joey was a great mediator for all the crap that Ryan was stirring up. Ryan was just so lost and Joey was always there to try to set him straight.

Don't think this is just a book about the guy getting the girl though. If that's all you think this is you'll be very surprised. There are so many things that this book holds, I couldn't even begin to list them all. This book is a delicious rainbow cake. Layer after layer of scrumptious story cake. (Does that even make sense?) Anyways, this book is amazing and I'm too O_O to talk rationally about it. I also don't want to spoil a glorious (tear-filled) second of it. If you want a book to make you feel all of the things. Do not miss reading this one.

First Line:
"I said a silent prayer."

Favorite Lines:
"I said, 'Okay. I don't care. I lose.'"

"'The Wild Boy of Bainbridge Island doesn't talk,' I said. 'He grunts.'"