Back At It!!

Wow, well I have been gone for quite some time now. To fill you guys in I graduated from college back in the spring of 2013 with my Bachelor's in English. It was honestly one of the proudest moments of my life. Before graduating I did manage to intern at another publishing company called Fairchild. I worked more with Fashion and CAD type of texts. It was a great learning experience but I realized textbook publishing wasn't particularly the field I wanted to be in. I did learn a lot though about the field and most importantly about myself, so I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity.

But onto book related news, I plan on volunteering at the BEA again this year and getting back into the book world. I have missed it very much and am happy to give my blog and the books I review my undivided attention. So if any of you have any books you'd like for me to review, please feel free to send them my way! My fingers are itching to write some new reviews!!

Until next time
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers
xoxo
Chellie

Please bear with me

So school started up last week for me. I'm in my final year at college, so I've got to make these final two semesters count. So in the midst of school, work and my internship I will definitely try to read books and do my reviews. I'm also trying to focus on the editorial management aspect of Publishing so I've got to make sure I'm really soaking in as much information at my internship as possible. My internship is at Abrams. They've published Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Sisters Grimm, and other really well known series. It's an excellent place to start and I'm super excited with the work I've been doing there. So if you're reading my blog please bear with me and be patient. I'm going to try my hardest to squeeze in reviews as much as possible.

Until then
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers
XoXo
Chellie

Looking for a new book!

Hey guys!
So I'm looking for a new book to read and review. I've pretty much read the ones I've gotten from BEA and the ones I've bought in the past month. Any books you've been raving about to friends? I'd love to hear it. I'll most likely pick them up and write my reviews for them! So let me know which books have got you most excited this year. I'd love to hear from you!

X's & O's
Chellie

Waiting a year and half for the next book in the Divergent series?!

So as you can obviously tell I have just finished reading Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent series. I am in complete awe of this book and frustrated that I am left with such a cliffhanger! I seriously have to wait until Fall 2013 to find out what will happen now that the truth that Tris was working so hard to find has been revealed. What will happen to Evelyn? What about all the ties that were so severely severed in the midst of all these attacks? Who will come out victorious in the end? I know that Veronica Roth will have an amazing story up her sleeve for her faithful readers, I just hate the wait and anticipation. So in the meantime the least I could do is give my review on Insurgent.

Insurgent picked up right where it left off after Divergent. There was no time for a recap of what happened in the first book, which I actually liked about it since I already know what happened. We start off in media res and are pulled right into Tris' world again. We are pulled into her sorrow and guilt and into the chaos that now ensues after the intense Dauntless' attack on the people of Abnegation. 

In the whirlwind journey of finding out how to recover from this attack and take down Jeanine Matthews, a lot of relationships get put to the test, including that of Tris and Tobias aka Four. We are introduced to new characters and get a look into the different factions such as Candor and Amity. We also get a deeper look into the life of Tobias and also into the mind of Tris as she deals with the aftermath of the death of her parents, which takes a very strong toll on her.

The way that Roth deals with the sorrow and guilt that Tris feels is beautifully depicted within the book. Tris struggles with valuing her own life and making decisions that seem impossible to her at first. Tris' character is faced with moments of complete and utter despair and others of complete clarity and the way that she goes about fighting for her life and that of the ones she loves is deemed worthy of her Abnegation roots.

Insurgent takes the reader on a trip with secrets spilling out when least expected and reconciliations that make you want to jump with joy. There are so many things that finally get revealed that leave you hungry for more. Roth knows how to mix action, romance, and suspense in such a way that leaves the reader always coming back, and I am guaranteed to come back and pick up the third installment to this trilogy in 2013.

Till then
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers
xoxo Chellie

I'm Back and just read Divergent!

I am back! I was on a little hiatus but I am now back and revved up! I actually just finished reading Veronica Roth's book Divergent to get me ready for her second book in the Divergent series titled Insurgent. I know I was a little late with reading Divergent since it came out last year, but nonetheless, I am glad that I picked it up. Goodreads gave it the choice award of favorite book and I can already see why. It is an amazing book and I have to admit that I am a huge fan of dystopian novels. I love the hard decisions that these protagonists have to make and the bonds that they create with loyal friends along the way.

Veronica Roth does a lovely job bringing to light the character of Beatrice. A 16 year old girl whose life begins in Abnegation one of the five factions of the society in which she lives. Abnegation is the faction which values selflessness above all else. Beatrice struggles with the values that her faction is so set upon and doesn't truly know if she belongs to them. How can she when she feels like she is made for something more?

At 16 Beatrice must choose whether to remain in Abnegation or another faction. Once she decides to leave she can't go back. This one decision will set her place for the rest of her life, a decision that Beatrice is hard pressed to make.

 Veronica Roth takes the reader on a whirlwind of events right along with Beatrice. She makes Beatrice face some extremely difficult situations that are so raw and real and connects you even more with her protagonist. Beatrice builds friendships which are tested as she begins initiation into her new faction: Dauntless.

I can honestly say this book was a definite page turner. It made me question myself and what I would do in situations that Beatrice was placed in. Beautifully written and imaginative Veronica Roth completely won me over with the first book of her series and I cannot wait to pick up Insurgent. I suggest you do it too!

Till the next book
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers

xo Chellie

"The Singles" Meredith Goldstein

So I picked up Meredith Goldstein's The Singles working at BEA last month and it was a book that I instantly wanted to grab. I think the cover attracted me to it the most. Something about the way the picture was conceptualized made it alluring to me. So as I read on a couple weeks later I wasn't disappointed. The blurb didn't give me much to work with, stating:

Take an instantly recognizable social dilemma--attending a wedding alone--add a good laugh (and maybe a cry), and meet The Singles, the warm and witty debut by Boston Globe "Love Letters" columnist Meredith Goldstein.

Beth "Bee" Evans's first vow as a bride is that everyone on her list be invited to bring a guest to her lavish, Chesapeake Bay nuptials. When Hannah, Vicki, Rob, Joe, and Nancy one by one decline Bee's generous offer, the frustrated bride dubs them the "Singles" adrift on her seating chart as well as in life.

Since I didn't have much to work with when it came to the blurb, I didn't know what was going to be the my general take on the novel. I ended up being pleased with the story. Considering the fact that the day of Bee's wedding is told through different viewpoints I was able to get a view of all angle's, not just that of the bride. I was able to delve into Hannah's life which connected me to Rob and Vicki which eventually connected me to Joe. The characters are all facing different struggles in their lives amidst the happy nuptials of Beth "Bee" Evans.

I figured since Beth was the bride she'd be the most annoying of the characters, but surprisingly she wasn't. Her groom's brother Jimmy Fee was actually the one who took the cake for most annoying character in a wedding.

There were a lot of story lines in the novel but it didn't clash into each other, rather it flowed seamlessly, making me feel that nervous, excited feeling you get when attending or being part of a wedding. So if you're looking for a nice read to pass the time, maybe curled up on the porch, or stoop, grab Meredith Goldstein's book, it's sure to give some good laughs as promised and make you just as engaged in Bee's wedding as the rest of the characters.

Inspiration!

Well, I realize I haven't been keeping up with my reviews as of lately. I did finish a book though last week called "The Singles" by Meredith Goldstein. After reading it I sort of got inspired to start my writing again and I've really been caught up on that for the past couple of days. I've got my friends and family reading what I've come up with so far. I've been spending most of my day with these characters and I'm amazed at how close I've become to them and how invested I am in their world. So after hitting thirty pages in my writing I will definitely write my review for "The Singles" so until then please be patient with me. This summer is bringing some really good things my way and I have to got to start balancing them all.

So until my next post
Happy Reading fellow bloggers

xoxo
Chellie!