Excited to curl up with a cup of coffee and @melaniedickerson123’s latest release The Silent Songbird. I’m absolutely OBSESSED with it so far. Thanks for the great read, @thomasnelson!
05 Dec 2016 @ 10:42AM /
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Happy Monday, friends. Back on the work grind after a four-day vacation. What are you all up to today?
05 Dec 2016 @ 09:53AM /
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Getting shit done. 💪💪
01 Dec 2016 @ 09:34AM /
44 notes I moved into a new apartment and bought my first bookshelf! Here’s the first video tour of my bookshelf! :)
Do yourself a favor– join a book club.
Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood is a story of grit, self-discovery, and love. Readers are introduced to Ivy Milbourn, a teenage girl who lives with her grandfather in a tiny town where the Milbourn name is known– both for the family’s talents and knack for dying young and tragically. The story starts during the summer before Ivy’s senior year in high school, and it doesn’t look like her break will be the relaxing time she hoped it would. Instead, her mother Erica (to whom Ivy hasn’t spoken to since she left her as a child) decides to return to the family home with two new daughters in tow– a complete surprise to both Ivy and her granddad, whom Erica quite vocally dislikes. She goes as far as to tell her daughters that Ivy is their aunt, not their half-sister. And, to top it off, there’s a massive love triangle between Ivy, her best childhood friend, and her granddad’s best poetry student.
I’m so impressed with the level of character-building that Spotswood created in such a short novel. The main characters are intricately created with lots of backstory and unique personalities. I was especially intrigued with Erica, as her character was so captivatingly irritating. I found my blood pressure rising as I read scenes in which she was involved– she was so cruel, but I also felt a distinct sympathy for her character.
While the familial situation was well-constructed, I felt as though something was missing from Ivy’s love triangle. This pollen happened a bit too quickly for my taste, and I feel as though we were not given enough context or development for these relationships. I’m aware that I’m being vague on this point, but don’t want to spoil anything!
Overall, I truly enjoyed Wild Swans. It was endearing and captivating– but a bit shorter than I would have liked! 4 STARS!
Note: Sourcebooks Fire has provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
08 Apr 2016 @ 02:37PM /
6 notes In my latest video, I do the Beer Book Tag! Check out my answers– I tag anyone who is interested in doing it! :)
I finally fixed my iMovie and have uploaded my latest video– 5 Feminist Documentaries You NEED to See!
If you know me, you know that I’m a bit of a data nerd. Actually, who am I kidding? A BIG data nerd. So naturally I was absolutely thrilled when I got my hands on an advanced copy of Scott Berinato’s Good Charts.
Let me start off by saying that this book is absolutely stunning. I know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but because this is a book on data visualization, there needs to be some stellar imagery and examples– and Good Charts did not disappoint. I was so inspired by just looking at all of the different charts and graphs throughout the book!
The content was also phenomenal. Berinato breaks down data visualization down to its basic components, serving as a starting point for beginners and a refresher for old pros. I’m somewhere in the middle, so his tips and tricks for making data appealing through visuals was a bit of both!
4 STARS! I’m not giving this book a full 5/5 stars because I thought it was a bit too drawn out. While I did enjoy the book, I found some of it to be a bit repetitive. This might be helpful for complete beginners, but I wasn’t too captivated in these moments.
Note: I was given an advanced readers copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
08 Feb 2016 @ 09:40PM /
10 notes TBH, I’m pretty impressed that I’ve been sticking to my new uploading schedule. New video where I review 3 books in 3 minutes!
16 Jan 2016 @ 09:16AM /
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