feature friday~ bookcases (10)

this little shelving unit is so intriguing and different. I love the concept and the portrayal. Although it's size isn't as large as other bookcases, the design is so unique that it would add spice to any room. I would buy these shelves any day and put the books that I absolutely adore in the top four squares and the books that I don't like as much on the bottom. It would be like my favourite books were superior and crushing all the other books. (the last sentence was a needless explanation of an obvious observation.) This simple little unit is conceptually perfect and I adore it. 

my shelf this monday~

what's new on my shelf?

nothing. there is nothing that's new.

however, I have a whole pile of books to read that i've mentioned previously but didn't get around to reading. I finished writing my last exam this afternoon, so finals are over and summer will begin!

I really have a ton of reading to catch up on.

In my TBR pile this week, I want to read the cardturner by louis sachar. I also plan on re-reading looking for alaska and paper towns to kick off summer.

I'm also interested in reading something that's been on my shelf for over a year - i am the messenger by markus zusak. as well as underdogs which has been on the shelf almost as long.

So this should keep me busy this week. What are you reading this summer?

feature friday~ bookcases (9)

what i especially love about this shelving unit, is the corner piece. It's not a 90 degree angle so it gives it a softer look instead of the harsh cutoff between the two walls. It's a smooth merge from one side to the next. I like the shelves under the window, and the only thing that would make this perfect would be a window seat. The wood has a light colour and matches with the floor. Perhaps a little too matchy, but it's nice.

le book review number fifty~ mostly harmless

title: mostly harmless
author: douglas adams
series: hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (#5/5)
personal star rating: 4.98/5 stars


from the back cover:
"The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy has, in what we laughingly call the past, had a great deal to say on the subject of parallel universes. Very little of this is, however, at all comprehensible to anyone below the level of advanced god and, since it is now well established that all known gods came into existence a good three-millionths of a second after the Universe began rather than, as they usually claimed, the previous week, they already have a great deal of explaining to do as it is, and are therefore not available for comment at this time . . ."


first sentence:
"The history of the Galaxy has got a little muddled, for a number of reasons: partly because those who are trying to keep track of it have got a little muddled, but also because some very muddling things have been happening anyway."

review:
this book overall was probably my favourite. i liked it a whole lot. everything tied together and everything ended in a way that was unexpected but in a way that it also couldn't have ended any other way. i found it to be easier to follow along and to see how everything tied together.

le book review number fourty-nine~ so long and thanks for all the fish

title: so long, and thanks for all the fish
author: douglas adams
series/standalone: the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy #4/5
personal star rating: 4/5 stars

from the back cover:
"From the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy:
"and then, one Thursday, nearly 2,000 years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change, a girl sitting on her own somewhere in Rickmansworth suddenly realised what it was that had been going wrong all this time, and she finally knew how the world could be made a good and happy place. This time it was right, it would work, and no-one would have to get nailed to anything.
Sadly, however, before she could get to a phone to tell anyone about it the Earth was unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace by-pass, and so the idea was lost forever. This is not her story..."
But So Long and Thanks for all the Fish is.
At least partly...
Arthur Dent finds her in the last place in the universe he would expect to find anything but which 3,976,000,000 people will find oddly familiar.


first sentence:
"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun."


review:
I really liked reading this book. It was different from the other three earlier books and seemed to be easier to follow. I found it to be entertaining and enjoyable. I like this series. There's not much to say about it, just that it was good. I'm a bit indifferent about this series. It's good but I don't know how I'm feeling.

my shelf this monday~ (18/6/21012)

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen came today!

Despite the fact I've read it already, my excitement is not at all diminished because this is now in my possession. And it was on sale when I ordered it which makes it so much better.

I finished reading so long, and thanks for all the fish. I have to still write a review, but I haven't had time. I have to finish Mostly Harmless by Friday because that's when the school library says it's due for the year so I'll have to finish that no matter what.

Anyway, I have 3 exams to write between now and next monday (1 on thursday and 2 on the monday), so until next monday, I'm only getting mostly harmless read.

feature friday~ bookcases (8)

I love the diamond shape these shelves have. I love how it spreads across the whole wall. I would love to have this in my house. I really like many books you could put in these. It adds a whole new look to the classic squares. These are perfect.

le book review number fourty-eight~ life, the universe, and everything

title: life, the universe and everything
author: douglas adams
series/standalone: series - the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy book #3
personal star rating: 4/5 stars

from the back cover:
The Answer is Forty-two... so what was the Question?
Since the improbable became a way of life for Arthur Dent, he's not surprised to find himself stranded on prehistoric Earth in a miserable cave. But when he hitches a ride out of the past and finds himself back where he started, he begins to wonder whether his life is ever going to make sense.


As the fate of the entire universe rests in his hands, Arthur is about to discover a secret about life, the universe and everything - it's really staggeringly, stupidly unfair.


The third book in Douglas Adams's legendary Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy plays fast and loose with facts, face and physics and is, like the universe itself, infinitely funny.

Note: I liked this cover better than the cover from the book I read.

first sentence:
"The regular early morning yell if horror was the sound of Arthur Dent waking up and suddenly remembering where he was."

review:
I'd like to say I enjoyed this book immensely. However, I did not. Maybe it's because I've had so much to study that I haven't had the time to enjoy these books and thoroughly enjoy them, it's more "I have to finish this before the end of the school year or I'll have to wait until September." But they are really good books, I can't figure out why I'm not enjoying them as much as I want to. Maybe my expectations were too high. Anyway, these are good books. Read them.

my shelf this monday~ (11/6/2012)

There isn't much new on my shelf. I finished reading life the universe and everything but I didn't bring it home from school. So I'll write a review for that tomorrow if I remember to grab the book from my locker.

So on my shelf of books to get finished are the last two books in the hitchhiker's series and hopefully the two books from the series of unfortunate events series.

And maybe I'll read something that's on my shelf but due to exams coming up next week i'll probably not get much read. That's why i haven't had many reviews - too much exam studying.

So anyway, what are you reading this week?

feature friday~ bookcases (7)

Feature friday on a saturday? I'm only a day late.

I love the design of this bookcase. I love the colours and the clocks on the middle shelf. I would leave the clocks and put books all around on the other shelves. I love the map that hangs on the wall beside and the pink chair and table adds to the decor. I also love the long curtain. This would look good in a sitting room where the sun shines inside. It's very bright and beautiful.

Found at: http://www.k-furniture.com/modern-bookcase/luxury-italian-cabinets-high-end-bookcases-by-nella-vetrina/

le book review number fourty-seven~ the austere academy

title: the austere academy
author: lemony snicket
series/standalone: series - series of unfortunate events (#5)
pages: 221 pages
personal star rating: 4/5 stars

from the back cover:
"Dear Reader,
If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school. Don't. For the Baudelaires, school turns out to be another miserable episode in their unlucky lives.
Truth be told, within the chapters that make up this dreadful story, the children will face snapping crabs, strict punishments, dripping fungus, comprehensive exams, violin recitals, S.O.R.E., and the metric system.
It is my solemn duty to stay up all night researching and writing the history of these three hapless youngsters, but you may be more comfortable getting a good night's sleep. In that case, you should probably choose some other book.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket


first sentence:
"If you were going to give a gold medal to the least delightful person on Earth, you would have to give that medal to a person named Carmelita Spats, and if you didn't give it to her, Carmelita Spats was the sort of person who would snatch it from your hands anyway."

review: 
This book was good but it wasn't as good as the earlier books. It took me longer to get through and story itself got almost boring at points. The series is still good but it didn't have me wondering and waiting for more. This is just a short review since it's in a series and there isn't a lot to comment on except that it was an alright book.

my shelf this monday~ (4/6/2012)

What's new on my shelf this week?
I plan on reading the hitchhiker books that I have from last week. I have to start studying for exams and teachers have been assigning a ton of homework for us to get done before the end of the school year so I don't know how much time I'll have for reading.

Anyway, what are you reading this week?

feature friday~ bookcases (6)

What really drew me in about these shelves is the fireplace. I also love the table in the front. It would be perfect to have favourite books surrounding the centerpiece of a wall fireplace and be able to have hot chocolate on a winter day. I really like the colours as well and the simple design of two squares and two rectangles. I really like this design.