February 2014 Wrap-Up

February went by in a flash for me, damn you and your measly 28 days! I was suddenly thrust out of my Holiday mode and back into student mode...ugh. However I did get to read a few book in February, but no where near as many as I wanted to however, and I'm afraid March won't be much better. #TheLifeOfAUniStudent.

I did manage to read 3 Books in total (reviews below), plus 60 pages away from finishing an eARC of 'Searching for Beautiful' (review to come soon) and 100 pages into 'Because of Low' by Abbi Glines. Overall not my best efforts but I'm still getting back into full time study, along with work, so hopefully once my body gets use to it, I'll be back to reading more :)

 

Despite not reading much this month, all the books I read, (or partially read) have been really good quality. Every one of them was either a 4 or 5 star book, which at first I though I was being too soft on my ratings, but they all really were just that good in their own ways. My favorite had to be 'This Song Will Save Your Life' by Leila Sales, with 'Hopeless' by Colleen Hoover coming a very close second.

Up Next In March:

   

So this month I'm kind of just catching up on a few books that I didn't get to finish last month, and finish the 2 eARC's I have and write up reviews for them. I am also participating in the Year-A-Thon this month (more info about that can be found here, if you're interested) where the theme is Twilight for the month of March. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to finish the series, as I have still haven't read Breaking Dawn

I also participated in my first Giveaway this month, which was the 'February New Release Giveaway', which was awesome fun. However being a noob at giveaways, I didn't know that Rafflecopter can randomly choose a winner for you, and so I went to Random.org itself and manually randomized a winner (in case your wondering why the winner wasn't announced on the rafflecopter widget haha) but I'll know better for next time, because I'll definitely be hosting more giveaways in the near future :) So without further ado...

The winner is Nikki Ooi, so a big congratulations to her.

 

What books did You read in the Month of February, and which was your favorite? Book plans for the month of March?

Review- This Song Will Save Your Life (Leila Sales)

Synopsis  

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

  - Goodreads.com

My Review

This book is a beautiful coming of age story, but it’s more than that. It’s about discovering who you are or really who you’ve always been, and reaching the point where you’re OK with that. I think that’s something people struggle with no matter what the age.

The story focuses on 16 year old Elise Dembowski, a girl who is unpopular for no specific reason, who during the summer desperately attempted to change herself, in order to fit in, not necessarily with the ‘cool’ kids, but just anywhere. However changing your outward appearance, still means you’re you on the inside, with all the same inhibitions, doubts and uncertainties.

“They will see past that, see you, the girl who is still too scared, still too smart for her own good, still a beat behind, still, always wrong. Change all you want; you can’t change that”

- Elise, This Song Will Save Your Life

As a kid I was never all that popular, I had a small close-knit group of friends who I am still close with today. But I still yearned for more. I remember re-inventing myself in the holidays, meticulously planning my back to school outfit and painting my nails, all in the hopes that when I went back someone would notice and be like ‘ Wow, she’s really cool. Let’s be friends with her”. But when I look back I realize how ridiculous that was, just because I had nice new clothes and a summer tan, didn’t

change the fact that I was still a shy, anxious kid, who never would have gone out of her way to talk to people. Therefore my hope of making new friends was never really going to become a reality, because what my 10 year old self didn’t realize is that the outward change isn’t important. It’s the growth and self-discovery that occurs on the inside that will ultimately make you happy in the end.

The book has some pretty dark overtones, bullying, suicide, and self mutilation. But the author does a nice job of keeping the book light, and not overwhelming (not that any of the things mentioned should be taken lightly). But the book contrasts its darker side, with themes of friendship, accepting yourself and finding a place where you fit in. As for the main character Elise, I absolutely adored her. Her narration of the story was funny and relatable, and she felt like someone I could have easily known in real life.

“Tonight, the internet seemed filled with versions of me, like a funhouse filled with mirrors. Some of them made me look prettier, and some of them made me look uglier and some of them chopped me right in half, but none of them were right”

- Elise, This Song Will Save Your Life

I feel like no matter who picks up this book, they will find some part of themselves in Elise Dembowski, or at least have felt as she has at some point in their life. At 24, I still have moments where I feel like I struggle to fit in, but as I get older, fitting in seems less and less appealing and overall less important, and I’m learning to accept myself, flaws and all. I would recommend this book all teens, and adults, anyone who has felt like they never fit in, or who are still searching for their place in the world.

Things I loved about the book:

• The main characters narrative, was so enjoyable. Funny, witty and headstrong.  
•  There was romance, but it didn't take the main stage, and Elise's problems were not solved by a boy sweeping her off her feet.

My rating: 5/5
 

February New Release Giveaway Hop

 

Update: 

Congratulations the Winner is Nikki Ooi with entry # 1029 chosen via Random.org. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or unfortunately another winner will be chosen. 
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Since February is the month of Love, I thought I would share some of that love by giving away a February New Release! This is my first giveaway ever, so I'm pretty excited and I hope you all enjoy yourselves. So this month, some of the new releases I'm looking forward to in particular are:

Rules

• Giveaway open INTERNATIONALLY provided The Book Depository ships to your country for free.
• One winner will win a choice of one February 2014 New release.
• You're welcome to choose a book I didn't mention here as long as it’s a February 2014 new release and equal to or under 17 NZD (New Zealand Dollars)- you can convert currency on TBD in the top right hand corner.
• I will not be responsible for lost or damaged packages from The Book Depository.
• If you are under 13 years old please get a parent or guardians permission before entering the giveaway.
• The winner has 48 hours to reply to my email, otherwise the prize will be redrawn and a new winner picked. Likewise goes if you are chosen via random.org and you have entered unfairly, you will be disqualified and another winner chosen at random.  
•  

You can choose any book released in February 2014 up to $17 NZD.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway