The Painting by Charis Cotter

“It was a painting, set in a heavy wooden frame carved into thick swirls. A grassy foreground, a road leading through rocky hills to a lighthouse, and a vast ocean beyond. Something about it seemed familiar.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Annie loves painting, her mother wants her to read more books and do better in school. It’s suffice to say that Annie and her mother don’t really see eye to eye. One day Annie finds an old painting of a lighthouse in the attic. She’s instantly drawn to it so she takes it to her room. Her mother on the other hand, wish that painting never leave the attic. Not long after that, Annie’s mother slips into a coma after a car crash accident. Since then strange things begin to happen to Annie. One night, she got sucked into the old painting she found in the attic. Inside that painting she meet a girl who lives in the lighthouse named Claire. Claire relationship with her mother, Maisie, is fraught, just like Annie and her mom. Annie then try to help them mending their relationship while also hoping that somehow it could also help her relationship with her mom and revives her mother from coma, and bring an answer as to why she could travel into the painting and why she is destined to meet Claire.

August 2017 Reading Recap

It’s time for another monthly reading recap. This month I managed to reach my target of reading more than four books. I also managed to find another 5 stars book which actually is an ARC and has not been published yet, which is quite unfortunate for me because I really want to fangirling talk about it with someone.  I’ll talk about it more later, but now without further ado, let’s get on with the recap.

Warcross by Marie Lu (Warcross #1)

“I’ve never been good at following instructions. I’m a bounty hunter.

And if my bounty’s still out there somewhere, I need to finish this.”

I received a free digital ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All quoted lines have not been corrected and are subject to change.

Ever since her father died, Emika Chen spend her life trying to survive by becoming a bounty hunter. She dropped out of school and take risky jobs of catching criminals by hacking into a virtual reality game called Warcross. People all over the world play this game, and like most of things in the world, there are the dark side of Warcross’ world where some people doing their bad deeds for money. Warcross is created by a 21 years old tech prodigy, Hideo Tanaka when he was only a child.  Desperate to gain money to pay his debt, Emika gambles her life by hacking into an annual Warcross International Tournament to grab some rare items that she can sell to the black market. Unfortunately, her plan is ruin when her identity exposed. Confidence that she will be jailed, Emika is surprised to find that she is being offered to work as Hideo Tanaka’s personal hunter instead. Her job is to go undercover as a contestant to hunt and investigate a hacker who threatens Warcross International Tournament. As her investigation getting deeper, Emika uncovers a sinister plot which could affect more than just Warcross empire, but also the rest of the world.

Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father

“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.

Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it,

or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.

It’s not tyranny we desire; it’s a just, limited, federal government.”

– Alexander Hamilton

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Since the successful musical, Hamilton, the story of Alexander Hamilton’s life has become such a popular topic. Many fans of the musical want to learn more about Alexander Hamilton and his work as one of America’s Founding Father, including me. And though he was one of the most influential figures in United States’ history, non-Americans is not too familiar with his life story, unlike with the other Founding Fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Now, author Jonathan Hennessey and comic book illustrator Justin Greenwood bring Alexander Hamilton’s world to life. Through this graphic novel, they tell the story of improbable hero who helped shape the United States of America.

To Look a Nazi in the Eye by Kathy Kacer with Jordana Lebowitz

“We bravely said ‘never again’ in 1945, but the world is full of hate.

This is why I speak to children — so that they will make a better world for themselves.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In 2015, 19 years old Jordana Lebowitz attended the trials of 94 years old ex-Nazi officer, Oskar Grӧning. The man accused of aiding and abetting in the murder of more than 300,000 Jews in the Auschwitz/Birkenau death camp. Jordana has some obsession about Holocaust. Her late grandfather was one of survivors of the death camp, so she definitely has her reasons for her enthusiasm. But it wasn’t the main reason that drives her passion over studying Holocaust, it was her visit to March of the Living back in 2012 to Poland where she met many Nazi’s death camp survivors. When she heard about this war criminal trial, she can’t help but feels like she has to attend this trial and witness with her own eyes how the judge will decide the fate of a member of Nazi that will affect the world’s view.

June and July 2017 Reading Recap

Time for another reading recap. Things have been going on rather hard in my life, so this time I have to do a bi-monthly recap. Most of the books I read in these past two months are ARCs that I received through NetGalley. I join in June and I can’t believe that some of the authors would pick me to read their books. I have to admit I’m a bit overwhelmed by the number of the book I need to review, but I will do my very best since I feel really honored that the publishers and the authors have chose me. So without further ado, here are all the books I read in June and July 2017:

The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash by Candace Ganger

“There are reasons—many reasons—some particles shouldn’t combine, no matter how curious you are about the outcome. Sometimes things explode; sometimes they dissipate, evaporate, disintegrate. And sometimes they collide and become something so much more than you ever thought they could.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sebastian ‘Bash’ Alvarez was only come to a party at a roller skate rink where he works to make sure that his sort-of-best-friend Wild Kyle didn’t do stupid things when he met Birdie Paxton, the ‘Couch Girl’ who shouldn’t be at that party at all. There’s a bit of traction and friction between the two of them, but they got separated before both of them can act on it. Their two worlds collide again when Wild Kyle’s car hit Birdie’s baby bother. Bash was on the passenger seat, Birdie doesn’t know that. Bash also didn’t know that the kid that Kyle hits is Birdie’s brother. The two getting closer when Birdie begin to work at same roller skate rink as Bash. When they begin to really fall for each other, the truth is slowly unfolding and could change their life in a way that both of them won’t be expecting.

Paintbrush by Hannah Bucchin

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?”

“All the best people are messy.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paintbrush tells a story about Mitchell and Josie, two teenagers who live in a communal village along with a lot of other colorful people in the mountain of North Carolina called Indian Paintbrush. Mitchell and Josie used to be best friend, but now they are not as close as they used to be. Josie doesn’t really enjoy going to high school and wish she could spend all her life at Paintbrush, while Mitchell can’t wait to get out of Paintbrush to escape the bizarre noisy community and live a normal life. Luckily for both of them, they’re weeks away from graduating high school. But when Mitchell’s mother makes a scandalous announcement that might rock the peaceful Paintbrush community, and Josie’s younger sister keeps on making bad decisions, the two find themselves leaning on each other for support. Their childhood friendship change into something more as they deal with their families. But as graduation approaches, Josie and Mitchell forced to figure out what exactly their relationship is and which path they will choose in the future.

Caterpillars Can’t Swim by Liane Shaw

“A caterpillar is basically gross and ugly. But then it gets to hang out in a cocoon for a while and ends up changing into a gorgeous butterfly. No one cares if it’s a boy or a girl. It’s just a caterpillar that changed into a butterfly. And it’s okay and right and normal.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Caterpillars Can’t Swim we meet Ryan, a wheelchair-bound 16 years old boy who is also a member of Swim Team in his school. One day he rescues Jack, one of his schoolmate from the water. Ryan keeps Jack’s secret about the water incident and even though both of them doesn’t really like it, their lives become connected. Ryan knows that Jack needs help, and Jack feels since Ryan knows and keep his secret, he can open up a bit to him. Then there’s also Cody, Ryan’s best friend and fellow swim team member who even though a nice kid, doesn’t understand why Ryan would want to hang out with Jack when everyone in their school gossip about Jack’s sexuality. Against Cody’s will and his better judgement, Ryan decides to invite Jack on a trip to Comic Con that he has planned with Cody for a long time. On this trip the three kids will each have the chance to be true to themselves and others, and show whether they are brave enough to go against the stereotypes.

The Cherry Pickers by Gregory C. Randall

“We never know what change does to us,

sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts, we never know.

I do know this; change will come like spring follows winter.

It will come and we will deal with it.”

I received a free digital copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Cherry Pickers is a coming of age book about a boy named Howard Smith. Every Summer Howard and his family visit his grandparents house and farm in northern Michigan. Every summer they come just in time to pick cherries in their family orchards alongside the pickers. This summer, Howard and his family will face one eventful Summer like none others, which will shaped Howard and push him to understand better how life works and how much family worth.