Something Like Wonderful

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
224 pages
Released: June 2012
Buy it @ Book Depository


When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

Review

 

When I first heard of this I thought it wasn't really my thing. It wasn't until a friend of mine recommended it and even bought a copy for me. Because of this I thought I should give it a go and I am so very glad that I did because it was so amazing! 

Something that I loved about this book was the humor and the way we get to see romance, friends and family through the eye's of a guy. I read a lot of teen fiction that is from a females point of view, so I liked this and I think Trish Doller needs to be commended for making me not think for a second that this book was written by a woman. I also adored the baby turtles scene, what a fantastic moment to put into a book.

By the end Travis felt so real to me, I wanted to be able to write him a letter telling him how much I loved his story and that I'm glad that he shared it with us. But this is fiction and he is not real so of course he would never get my letter. 

Living in Australia I don't think war has the same effect on us as it does in America. I don't know many people in the army and I don't know anyone who has had to go into another country as part of a war, so this book opened my eyes to how damaging it can be to have to go through that.

It's amazing how such a short story can effect you so much. I will whole hearted recommend this book to everyone now! The cover is a bit off-putting but you need to look past that for the story within that will change you. 

On the cover

When I first saw this cover I thought "Gee get a room"! It's so off-putting to see people making out on the cover of a book, I wouldn't normally pick up this type of book because of that reason. After reading this I see why they put the dogtags on the cover too. There was a dust cover on the book so I ended up taking that off and reading it without it.

What I'm reading next: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

 

D.I.Y Christmas

There's isn't long til Christmas so I thought I'd share a few D.I.Y Christmas ideas I found through pinterest. I haven't had a chance to try anyone of these yet but there's always next year! Enjoy!

 

Chocolate or Candybar Christmas wrappers 

~ These are so adorable and such a simple gift idea, who doesn't like chocolate?

Glitter Santa Key

~ Kids love the magic of Christmas and this is a fun craft idea to help bring Santa to life. Leave a key for him to get into your house instead of coming down the chimney (or if you don't have a chimney)

Winter Warmer

~ A very cute and easy gift for hot chocolate lovers. 

Christmas Gift Wrapping

~ Sick of the boring christmas wrapping? The above link will take you to a blog with lots of gorgeous christmas gift wrapping ideas.

Christmas Salt Shakers

~ These would be a great little Kris Kringle gift to give to someone as they're unique and handmade. They would dress up anyone's home.

Have you got any Christmas D.I.Y ideas?

There aren't always perks to being a wallflower

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
231 pages
Released: February 1999
Buy it @ book depository

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

Review 

I watched the movie and adored it, once I finished I wanted to watch it all over again. It was amazing! So because of this I HAD to read the book and see if there were any differences. I did really enjoy the book, but not as much as the movie. Of course there was more detail in the book and certain scenes and issues were explained a lot more.

I liked the writing style - the book is written in letters from Charlie and as the book goes on you can see how Charlie's own writing gets better, which I think was done well.

Then there's Charlie and his band of misfits. I felt connected to the characters so much more since already watching the movie. I think I brought along those feelings I already had for them all from seeing the movie that it was hard to imagine them any other way. They all touched my heart in one way or another.

There were so many mature themes running through this: homosexuality, drugs, under-age sex and sexual abuse. It was unexpected when I first watched the movie because I didn't think it had such deep issues in it. I don't really recommend anyone under the age of 15 reading this.

It's a shame that the author didn't write anything else because this was so good - I guess maybe it was a one hit wonder or he thought why not quit while I'm ahead.

On the cover

I don't particulary like this cover. It is a bit old fashioned but I love the title/author font. The other cover I've seen is the movie cover, which I like better probably because I loved the movie.

What I'm reading next: Something like normal by Trish Doller