Poems and Poets

Willing to plunge into ice-water, Watering my empty seed, Sowing seeds of forgiveness, Capable of forgiving life Willing to race across fire, Flaming, my heart will beat, Constant beats of joy, Capable of giving life happiness Willing to fly among smoke, Choked, my lungs will try to breathe, Breathe out my expressions, Capable of giving life meaning Willing to pound through wood, My wooden, numb arms moving, Rudimentary human movements, Capable of giving life purpose Willing to burn and freeze If only it would offer a purpose, A meaning, a hidden value Capable of destruction, If only it would offer a happiness, A forgiving nature To all of what was expressed

 Publication Date: September 5th 2017 Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Leo and Caleb aren't best friends. Then again, most siblings have complex relationships. When Caleb's angry though, his outbursts literally send Leo running. This violent behavior forces the family to relocate, to a new setting where Leo and Caleb both hope to prosper. Over time, Leo develops the ability to run fast and think ahead. He joins the cross-country and track teams at his new school, and even befriends a state champion. Learning from the best runner his age, Leo improves his skills and even meets a girl he has a crush on. Yet Caleb still hasn't managed to settle down in his new life. Leo's newfound peace won't last long, because Caleb's jealousy will soon start to show in violent beatings and scary behavior.

This will be the second-to-last post in my series on Italy ( this time for sure)! Today I'm sharing the interiors of some cathedrals in Venice- most likely the St. Mark's Basilica. I'm linking up with Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads for this weekly meme. She writes great book reviews so you should go check her out!

Publication Date: September 5th 2017 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary My Goodreads Rating: 2/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Charlotte and Frankie are ordinary, boring high schoolers who live with their almost-normal parents. They don't have a perfect body, or a soulmate (except maybe each other). They haven't had the perfect romance, the best adventure or the wildest party. They are just teenagers. Until Charlotte decides to document their lives in a book to prove how boring they are. Sophomore year is just the same as freshman year, her friends are still the same and she's the kid she always was. Or is she?

Hey guys- today's list is a bit of a freebie. Over at The Broke and the Bookish the only guideline we've been given is "Back to School". I've been wanting to do this list for a while- because my school began over a month ago! Today I'm listing my Top Ten Historical Fictions to Complement History Lessons. *All links are to my reviews (World War II and The Holocaust) 1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 2. Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein 3. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay 4. Annexed by Sharon Dogar 5. No Stars at the Circus by Mary Finn 6. The Siege by Helen Dunmore (Post-War Fiction) 7. Back Home by Michelle Magorian  (Non-Fiction) 7. Anne Frank- The Diary of a Young Girl 8. Smoke and Ashes- The Story of the Holocaust by Barbara Rogasky (Indian History) 9. Empire of the Moghul Series by Alex Rutherford Hope you guys check out these books if...

Hey guys! I'm linking up with Kathryn @ Book Date once again to update you all on my week. I had quite a good reading week. I finished two review books and started a third one (the last one that's been approved). I also finished a light read in between. Hopefully next week I'll have time to pick up The Dream Thieves, the second book in the Raven Cycle Trilogy I finished "Blood and Ink" by Stephen Davies.  It was quite an interesting take on radicalism and terrorism in Africa. I also finished reading "The 12 Dares of Christa" by Marissa Burt. I loved it so much- it's a great middle grade book. I devoured Allie Carter's Heist Society in one or two sittings. It was the perfect, light-hearted book to separate the two review books.  I'm currently reading "Far From the Tree" by Robin Benway. This is the last of a series of review books that were approved for me. I'm looking forward to picking up some books I...

This week I have some pictures of Venetian boats to share with you! Only a few pictures but they are quite bright and vibrant! Thanks to  Melinda  for hosting Saturday Snapshot every week!

Faithful to her Pride, Disloyal to her emotion She hides, she skulks, Away from prying eyes Eyes that tear her apart, Evaluating her soul, Eyes that mean well, That feel entitled to judge Faithful to her Pride, Trembling at a confession, She screams, she shouts To conceal her emotion Emotion that threatens, To make her vulnerable Emotion that is her truth, That needs to be expressed Faithful to her Pride, Scared of her reality, She pretends, she imagines To avoid her certainty -Poem Fanatic

Publication Date: 26th September 2017 Genre: Historical Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Daughter of a well-respected General, Elizabeth Schuyler is well-versed in the standards of social etiquette. Her family often entertains officers and messengers, but none of them leave as much of an impression as her future husband. Alexander Hamilton, soldier and aide to General George Washington, causes Elizabeth's heart to flutter and never really leaves her heart. She courts Alexander briefly and they marry quickly. Amidst the chaos of the American Revolution, Eliza and Alexander find time for their ever-growing family. After the war, Hamilton finds himself devoting more time to work and less to his health, as he becomes an essential part of the government. Hidden from the public eye, Eliza manages the house-hold, calms her husband and helps to stabilize her family. In the capital, she entertains regularly, socializing with the wives of ...

Before I say anything else- let me wish all the Indians reading this a Happy Independence Day! We celebrate our 70th year of Independence this year! Getting back to the post- I'm linking back up with the Broke and the Bookish for a Top Ten Tuesday post- the first after a break they took over the summer. My theme today is Young Adult books that are a must read- even for people with a strong dislike of Young Adult books! (All links go to my review) 1. Unbecoming by Jenny Downham 2. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia 3. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell 4. Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas 5. This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp 6. The List by Siobhan Vivian 7. Night Road by Kristin Hannah 8. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills 9. Mosquitoland by David Arnold 10. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga These were some of my all-time favourite reads. I think that any of these books will be enou...

Hey guys! I've had a busy few days. My sister just left for college for the first time- so naturally our house was a mess! I'm linking up with Kathryn @ Book Date to update you all on my reading. I finished reading a review book "Neighborhood Girls" by Jessie Ann Foley. I absolutely loved it- the review will be coming out sometime in early September. I didn't finish anything else this week, but I did start reading another review book."Blood and Ink" by Stephen Davies is a story of teen radicalization.  I began reading a light, non-review book "Heist Society" by Ally Carter. It seems like just the quick read I need now! Hope you guys all had great reading weeks too! Let me know all about your week in the comments below.

Hey everyone! I'm back with more pictures of my family trip to Italy in 2012, as a part of Saturday Snapshot (hosted by westmetromommyreads.com ). Today I'll be sharing some pictures of Piazza della Signoria in Florence. 

We dreamed, when we were kids, Of a love, Of a life We hoped, that when we grew, We'd have a fair chance At success, At life We dreamed, when we were teenagers, Of truths, that were concealed We hoped, that when we grew, We'd have a fair chance, At integrity, at truth We tried, when we were in between, To have a fair life, a truthful one We hoped, that someday We'd be better, we'd be stronger We dreamed, as adolescents Of world, we could believe in We hoped that if we worked, We'd have a fair chance, In a world that was ours We tried, when we were so lost, To have a compass, a moral one We hoped, that someday  Our world'd be lively not murderous We dreamed, when were sorrowful, Indignant at the world, Of a humane place for us to grow, For us to learn in We hoped, when we couldn't act, Of a power, of a protest To help us, make it possible, For us to live, a better life We tried, whe...

Publication Date: January 5th 2016 Genre: Young Adult My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Source: Own Copy I know that this is normally where I have a summary of the book- but this book is just so hard to describe without ruining the story. I'm going to say this- the story is about a school shooting. The Opportunity High School students find themselves locked in the auditorium after the principal's speech. A few minutes later someone starts shooting. "Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun". This book has been quite a controversial one. I've been through so many reviews and ratings and what I've understood is that people either hate it or love it. I absolutely loved it!

This week has been quite busy- but I'm happy to say I still managed to get in a decent amount of reading. I'm linking up with Kathryn @ Book Date to update you all on my reading week. I finished reading a review book by Michael Currinder, called "Running Full Tilt". I absolutely loved the book and its unique take on sports. I also finished reading "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon. I've been meaning to read this for a very long time- and I must say it was worth the wait! This has been my first non-review book in a while. I'm currently reading "Neighborhood Girls" by Jessie Anne Foley, another review book I received through Edelweiss.

Some of you may remember that in last week's Saturday Snapshot post I mentioned that I'd be sharing some more pictures of our family trip to Italy in 2012. I began the series knowing that there were some pictures that I'd probably never find. Luckily- last month, I found those pictures! Today I'll be sharing some pictures of our brief trip to Milan. (You can check out the rest of my series here. ) This meme is hosted by Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads Have a great weekend!