Anyone? By Angela Scott//I'm Mildly Scarred Forever

I think I need a therapist.

I finished the book Anyone? by Angela Scott last night at about...ohhhh 2:30 am.



I got the book on my kindle app (I'm too cheap for a real kindle) cause I thought "Hey! Mildly interesting looking book for .99 cents!" Mildly interesting-ha! 

The end of the world? That’s the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters and deep philosophical exercises in school. No need to sweat it. So when sixteen-year-old Tess’s doomsday-dad builds a bomb shelter in their suburban backyard, everyone thinks he’s gone crazy….
…Until fire rains down from the sky, sinking whole cities into colossal craters and setting much of the world ablaze.
Tess’s dad gives her a few short minutes to gather her emergency bag and her freaked-out kitten, then leads her outside and into the underground shelter. Terrified, the last thing she expects is for him to leave her there all alone, but he has no choice—he must find her missing brother.
Before leaving, he makes Tess promise to keep the hatch door shut, not to open it for anyone but him, and to stay put until he returns.
But he forgot to tell her one thing: What is she supposed to do if he never comes back?

I was totally enthralled by the blurb and I was not disappointed. 

The book doesn't give us any time to get to know Tess before things happen and there is almost no back story to her. As much as I thought it would be weird, I kind of liked it. It felt like, when it's the end of the world, I don't care about who she was. I need to know who she is now. And that's what I got.

I was surprised though because I figured she would stay in her bunker the whole time for some reason. Silly assumption, I know. 

When she leaves the bunker to find her town in ruins and no one in sight, I was super terrified for her. That's one thing this book does very well. It pulled me in and I felt everything. Even the bits that it didn't tell us her exact fears and emotions at the time, I felt like I was there. 

Eventually she finds someone to help protect her. I was not sold on him at first. As soon as interaction with others entered the book, Tess seemed less and less realistic. The things she said and thought didn't sound like something a real person would say and think. Even some of the decisions she made seemed entirely forced and plot-based.

That didn't stop me from being hooked till the end, but it did make me question the author's credibility for a while.

Pretty soon though, the plot picked up speed and gathered SO MUCH depth. Oh my word. So crazy.

I started to question everything the book had told me. Heck I questioned Tess' sanity for a LONG time. Still do actually.

The end though. The END.



I had to read the words "the end" about 5 times before I resigned to the fact that it really was over. And THEN, searching for a sequel I found na-da. The reviews on amazon acted like it was the end and most were unsatisfied with it.

FOR GOOD REASON. GAH.

I was pretty distraught until I found these words at the very end of the blurb:

 Watch for the second book in the Anyone? series, Anyone Else?, coming in 2016.

2016??

I literally had to stop and think of what year it was in the hopes that 2016 was next month. It's not by the way.

But oh the relief that these thousands of questions I had would be answered eventually! I have many theories. One involves a piece of poisoned sardine. (But I'm pretty sure that isn't it.) 

BY THE WAY. I totally had a dream that I was the main character in this book (with a completely different spin obviously cause my imagination)! I don't know if I have EVER dreamed (dreamt?) about a book so kudos Miss Scott!

All in all, I thought it was a great book with just enough "edge of your seat" suspense to keep it exciting while keeping with the "how would we survive in the apocalypse?" stuff to satisfy a girl who is mildly interested obsessed with the "what did they eat? what did they wear? What did they pack?" logistics. Yay planning! 

I will definitely be keeping up with the release date on this sequel they're promising. I dearly hope it doesn't disappoint. This series has great potential and I would hate to see it wasted.

Have you read Anyone? What did you think of the end? Do YOU like books that make you question the sanity of everyone in them? I sure don't.

I am Uncreative with Blog Names

Folks this is a terrible day. I have a dilemma that's been plagueing me and I'm trying to solve it as best as I can.

But I'm having a bit of a mini meltdown about it.





Here it is:

I want to change my blog name to something stupendous!

You know the kind of name, the ones where you think "Wow that is so brilliant I could have never come up with something that clever and beautiful I really am terrible and they rock." (Just me?)

I'm doing it so I can buy the domain name and have it just be .com instead of blogspot.com (cause it seems weird, you know?). But for the life of me I can't decide on one stupendous enough.

But here's the deal. 

When I try to come up with names, they end up like: "Nostalgia Love" and "Books are my Friends" and like. No.

I really need your help with this. I have some ideas for words that I want to be included and a feel for how I want it to sound and what thoughts it should evoke but I just can't get to the point where I get a REALLY good name.

So my plea is, how did you come up with your blog name? Any suggestions? Ideas that you think I should adopt? I would love to hear what you guys have to suggest! (I may even collect all your ideas and make a post! Who knows?)

6 Characters Who Are Bound to Make You Smile

I have found a link-up that is destined to be marvelous! I adore link-ups and everything that goes along with them. 

This weekly prompt is hosted by the girls at The Broke and the Bookish. The idea is to have a top ten post every Tuesday. 

This weeks prompt is "Top ten books which feature characters who..."

I adore books. I live off them. I sometimes feel as though my only friends are in my books. And my absolute favorite of these books are the ones whose characters are bound to make me smile and totally forget the complete horror of reality. 

You'll notice there are only six. In a "Top Ten" post. I tried dearly to come up with more, but it felt more like filler than me actually thinking the characters fit the post. So I modified it to be just six.

1.  Razo from the Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale

I love Razo. He is seriously one of my heroes. He's quick witted, funny, down to earth, and just all around a good guy. Plus, he's got the older brother protectiveness syndrome that I find quite wonderful.

2. Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Heroes of Olympus series' by Rick Riordan

Oh Percy. An obsession with blue food, an astounding ability to be simultaneously the smartest character in the books and the dumbest character to ever have been written. There isn't a lot of in between for my dear friend the son of the Sea God.

3. Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

Gil is the kind of character that if you aren't in love with by the end of the books, you need your head checked. He's just wonderful.

4. Dustfinger from the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

Dustfinger is amazing. His character has such depth. He is so pained and in anguish and trying so hard to find a lucky streak in life. It's hauntingly beautiful to read about him. (Though I suspect highly entertaining to write). I love how involved in his story I get when I read these books. 

5.  Sadie Kane from the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Sadie is pretty much one of my favorite characters ever. She's funny, sarcastic, totally real, and entertaining to read. On the days when I need a serious pick-me-up or escape from reality, I turn to Uncle Rick's books, and most often, the Kane Chronicles. (Although Percy Jackson never fails to disappoint either.) 

6. Leo Valdez from aforementioned Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

What can I say about Leo? He's totally crazy, entertaining, uplifting, and optimistic. What do I not love about this guy? Oh yeah. He's fictional. 

What do you think? Did I miss any? Which characters can make you smile no matter what?

The Start of Something New

Good day!

As you've probably noticed, this blog has been inactive for over a year now. I am truly sorry. So many things have changed in that year. I've grown and changed since and I can honestly say the break was good for me. I have learned a lot about life in general while I was away from this little corner. You know how people say all teenagers have identity crisis'? Yeah I'm living that on a relatively small scale. It's interesting to say the least.

After the long hiatus and much soul-searching, I am coming back. I miss this blog and the friends I made through it.

It's going to be different. A different feel, a different look, different everything pretty much. Posts most likely won't be as frequent, but I hope you choose to stick with me. The post topics are the only thing that will remain relatively the same. Just discussing words, music, art, and feelings. I used to write about some of those things but I'm adding some more, hopefully more in-depth discussions and such.

While I was gone I learned a very important lesson about change. I learned it's much better to embrace it than have to be dragged kicking and screaming. So many things have changed for me. Some things I was glad changed. Others, I still haven't recovered from. Still more, I teeter on the edge between "glad it happened", and, "does life have a rewind button?" It's crazy how attached I get to people or places or items. When those things are taken away, it shakes me to the core and makes me question everything. Change is healthy but so often I refuse to see it positively. When do you think I'll learn that it never ends well that way?

My hope with this new start is that I'll be able to encourage and make friendships with you all. I simply adore the kinship found with blogs and their authors!

What about you? What have you learned as of late? Are you a fan of change or no?