Poems and Poets

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is hosted every week by Kathryn @ Book Date. I'm trying to update you guys every week regardless of how much I've read- but I'm happy to report that I got in a decent amount of reading this week! I finished reading "I, Eliza Hamilton" by Susan Holloway Scott- a historical fiction I received through Edelweiss. The book doesn't come out till late September, so you'll have to wait awhile for my review. I also finished reading "Nothing" by Annie Barrows, another review book I received through Edelweiss. I didn't enjoy this book as much, but it got much better around the end. I am currently reading "Running Full Tilt by Michael Currinder- you guessed it- yet another review book! I'm loving this one much more than I expected to, and my review should be out sometime in August. I'm quite happy with this progress, especially since this week was my first week of school! Le...

Publication Date: August 1st 2017 Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Olivia wakes up confused in a hospital bed. After a week-long coma, she can't remember the accident that brought her to the hospital. What she soon figures out however, is that she's lost four precious years of her life. She can't remember starting- or graduating- from my high school. She doesn't remember her boyfriend Matt. She doesn't remember why one of her best friends is no longer in touch with her. She realizes that she's quite different as an 18-year-old and struggles to figure out who she really is. With a constant army of people supplying her with memories she doesn't know she had, Olivia needs to hear from her savior to figure out the truth. Olivia feels different with tight-lipped Walker, the man who rescued her. As she determines whether or not she still loves Matt, she finds herself getting closer to Wa...

All right, so this will be the last Saturday where I'll share with you pictures of Mexico- at least for a while anyway! Hopefully, next week I'll be sharing some more trips of our family trip to Italy! I know I ended the series, but I've come across some more great pictures to share with you all! Thanks Melinda , for hosting this every week!

Wreak havoc, On the institution  That tells you, you need them Let them know, You will be yourself, Regardless of who you depend on Declare yourself, A beauty, a genius, A protege, a star Without their official recognition Don't count on going far, Without the authority's name, Emblazoned across your chest Know that you can do it, With perseverance, If you proclaim that you can -Poem Fanatic

Publication Date: 21st February, 2012 Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Borrowed' Aristotle is a confused teen with an elder brother in prison- who no one ever mentions. He barely has a relationship with his ex-veteran father and prefers to be alone all the time. Dante is a smart teen with a unique perspective on life. He gets along great with his parents and adds his own flair to everything. He's artistic and science-oriented at the same time When both immigrant teens meet one summer day, they begin hanging out unsure of where their friendship will go. What they discover is a relationship that lasts a lifetime and the opportunity to make a difference in each other's lives.

Hey everyone! I'm linking up with Kathryn@Book Date again this week to share an update of my reading week with you. I finished reading " The Gallery of Unfinished Girls" by Lauren Karcz - a young adult book I received for review from HarperCollins through Edelweiss. I finished reading  "The Secret History of Us" by Jessi Kirbi - another YA book I received for review through Edelweiss. You can expect my review by 30th July 2017.  I'm (still) currently reading "I, Eliza Hamilton" by Susan Holloway Scott - a historical fiction about Alexander Hamilton's wife, another Edelweiss review copy. (This counts as a Big Book for Sue's challenge) I began reading "Nothing" by Annie Barrows , (Review copy) a story about young book lovers that has me really intrigued. I haven't had much time for regular reading this week, but next week I hope to pick up  "The Dream Thieves" by Maggie Stiefvater.  I hop...

Publication Date: 25th July 2017 Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Mercedes Moreno is an award-winning artist- who hasn't been able to paint anything decent for over a year. Her painting Food Poisoning #1 won her first place at the County Art Festival, but since then she's had a lack of inspiration. This could be because her Puerto Rican grandmother is comatose after suffering a stroke. It could also be because she is in love with her best friend Victoria, but is too afraid to tell her. Regardless of her struggles, art worms its way into Mercedes' life. A piano shows up on her doorstep one day, and a mysterious artist moves in next door. She gets invited to the Red Mangrove Estate. At the Estate, Mercedes paints and creates like never before. The only problem is that she can't take her work, emotions or "newfound clarity" outside the Estate. As she struggles to deal with her life, Merce...

Hey guys! Today I'll be sharing with you some pictures of a short trip we took to Puerto Vallarta back when we were living in Mexico. This is thanks to Melinda who hosts Saturday Snapshot every weekend @ Westmetromommyreads.  Have a great weekend, and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Purge, and in doing so, Discover the forgotten That were deemed redundant Yet for some reason,  The redundancy didn't motivate  The purger at the time, To dispose of the object Now, purger debates; At the time, I felt the need To hold on, but not grasp it Will I ever grasp it? Purge, and in doing so, Discover the memories That were deemed embellishments Yet for some reason, The embellishments didn't make it, To the disposal process Now the purger debates; At the time, I felt the need To hold on, but I have never grasped it Will I ever grasp it? Discover and debate,  As part of the purge For afterwards, The purge will fade away -Poem Fanatic

Publication Date: August 1st, 2017 Genre: Young Adult, Thriller My Goodreads Rating: 3.5/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Lee has just broken out of juvenile prison after taking the fall for her perfect friend. On the run, she encounters a homeless shelter called the "Crystal Castle" where she takes up refuge for a few days. Suspicious of the "too good to be true" environment, Lee discovers that the groups of homeless children disappearing have some inexplicable link to this secret society. After moving away from the shelter, she finds an unexpected ally. Tomi is a young artist and hacker- who has deep knowledge of the cities abandoned buildings and the dark web. Using these skills, Lee and Tomi find perfect hide-out spots to unravel the mystery of the secret society. The further Lee gets from them, the worse damage the society does to the outside world. Is there anything Lee is supposed to be doing to stop it? Can she stop it? Will she risk her...

I know I missed last week's update, but I didn't really have much to share. I've decided however, to keep everyone updated regardless of how many books I've finished. I finished reading " Holding Up the Universe " by Jennifer Niven . Look out for a review- sometime in August! I have a lot of books to get through that I've been meaning to review but just haven't yet. They're all great books- so I really want to share them with you! I also finished reading " The Ready-Made Thief " by Augustus Rose . It's a thriller that I received through Edelweiss. You can expect this review on Wednesday (19th July). I am currently reading "I, Eliza Hamilton" by Susan Holloway Scott , another review copy from Edelweiss. This one is a historical fiction about the family of an American Founding Father. I know nothing about this time period, so I'm excited to get into it! I hope you all enjoy your weeks and read plenty of gr...

Hey guys! Unfortunately, I'm not ready to start my next series for Saturday Snapshot, so I thought I'd share some more pictures of our weekend trips in Mexico! While we were living there, we took a trip to Taxco. Here are some of the animals we saw! *This meme is hosted by Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads

To paint requires the stroke, Of a dark-tinted brush,  For the completion of a masterpiece To compose requires the touch, Of a discordant note,  For the rendition of a melody To narrate requires the voice,  Of an obvious villain, For the context of a tale To dance requires the landing, Of a heavy foot upon the floor, For the movement of a piece To act requires the pain, Of a guilt-stricken character, For the drama of the play To learn requires the mistake, Of a well-meaning student For the betterment of a life The discordance, That comes naturally, And that cannot be feigned Must not be reprimanded This darkness is but a blimp On the light that shines, From all our efforts, And the knowledge we gain, From our temporary discordance -Poem Fanatic

Publication Date: September 3rd 2015 Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Own copy Three women and three secrets create one compelling story in Jenny Downham's Unbecoming . 17-year old Katie falls in love with the wrong person- or so she thinks. She keeps up her secret tryst without revealing the identity of the one her heart yearns. Caroline, Katie's mother, is rigid and strict and afraid of her past becoming her present. Her confusing childhood has taught her to constantly protect her children. Mary, Caroline's mother, makes a startling  reappearance in her daughter's life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's following the death of her husband. Still capable of breaking all the rules, Mary is not your usual grandmother. Katie spends her summer caring for Mary, attempting to learn about her mother's disgruntled attitude towards her. As Mary struggles to grasp her memories she reveals her family's secrets to Kati...

Bless the child, Who believes in innocent, untarnished beauty, Who revels in the glow that surrounds What they believe to be a natural  Artistic sentiment of expression Insufficient, is what we begin with, What we are given, is nothing, But a seed that we must grow well Enough to harvest and cultivate beauty Bless the adult,  Who foresaw this disastrous outcome, This unnatural craving,  for decadence upon our lives Tinker not a machine or automation, But your very self, to ensure A new being as lavish as you wish That you shall have to maintain Bless the artist,  Who gave into this greed, and tinkered with themselves truly, But who emerged more than a shadow The beauty that makes a difference, Remains without perfection Ultimately, struggles with the concept Should this beauty emerge,  It shall be forever yours, Undiluted and pure But never the innocent beauty, That a child perceives -Poem...

Hey guys! Last week, I finished my series about my trip to the UK in 2009. This week, as I usually do in between series, I'll be sharing a post about a short trip. This was a trip we took to Valle de Bravo (Mexico) also in 2009, when we were living in Mexico City. Here are some pictures of the Monarch Butterflies we saw there: Two of the many dead butterflies on the ground *This meme is hosted by westmetromommyreads.com Have any of you visited Valle de Bravo? Perhaps you've visited some other place in Mexico? Let me know in the comments section below!

Publication Date: March 31st 2003 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Source:  Own Copy Francesca has recently shifted to St. Sebastian's, a formerly all-boys school. The school has recently made the shift to co-ed, but students frequently forget that the girls are a part of the school. She surrounds herself with girls, but finds friends only in a dorky musician, passionate activist and rumored slut. She can't find any boy she'd rather hang out with. The burping and farting masters are disgusting and the serious prefects are way too self-absorbed. Just when Francesca needs her the most, her uber-confident mom is diagnosed with acute depression. Her family doesn't want to talk about it, her dad pins everything on her and her younger brother is sent away to live with their grandparents.

I had a decent reading week- and by decent I mean I finished two books. Not a great reading week, but hey- at least I finished a few books right? I finished reading, and uploaded my review of "Secret Sisters" by Joy Callaway. I absolutely loved this historical fiction about the formation of the first sorority. This was my first DRC (ever)! I also finished reading "See you in the Cosmos" by Jack Cheng. I haven't reviewed this one yet, and unfortunately I have a lot of reviews to get through before I get to it. Maybe I'll just bump it up on my list because I really enjoyed this one as well! I'm currently reading my second DRC, "The Readymade Thief" by Augustus Rose. It's an interesting concept, but I haven't made a lot of progress yet. Hopefully you guys made more reading progress this week than I did. I'm afraid I'm still seven books behind on my reading challenge- and I only have a few more days of summer left to ...

We're starting a new month-and unfortunately ending a series here on my blog. For the past few weeks, I've been posting about my trip to the UK  back in 2009 every Saturday, as part of Saturday Snapshot hosted by Melinda . Today, I'll be sharing with you guys the last post in that series. I debated whether or not to publish this post for a while, because I can't remember where we took these pictures! I decided to share them with you anyway though- so I hope any of you hoping to visit the UK will forgive me for not providing you with details! Perhaps someone who lives in the UK will be able to help me out with the locations?