Book Review: Skin by Donna Jo Napoli

4/5 Stars 352 pages
Published August 6th 2013 by Skyscape

A beautiful and very memorable story of a teen girl who one day wakes up to find that her lips, and then more spots on her body, have turned white. She has vitiligo, and she just has to learn to live with her new skin condition, among everything else going on in her life.

A book about self acceptance over all, Giuseppina lives with a little brother who calls her a slut, and at school her friends and other kids judge her for wearing makeup to cover up her spots. Basically, this book is just a story of life on a day to day basis. She goes to school, she starts dating an old friend, and she struggles with her own body image, while trying to keep it secret. I loved how realistic it was, and I found that to be a really nice change of pace from the other books I’ve been reading lately. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a feel good story without all the bells and whistles, and anyone who’s 16+.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here.

Thanks for reading! And don’t be afraid to show your true self to the world! They’ll love you for it.

Book Review: Grounded (The Grounded Trilogy #1) by G.P. Ching

An amazing story of finding yourself when you think you’ve found all that there is to find. Lydia is a girl with a power inside her that’s well hidden on an Amish Community. So well hidden in fact, that she doesn’t even know she has it. That is, until she ventures off on her own into the world beyond their little slice of heaven, into a post apocalyptic, futuristic world. I knew immediately that it had potential to be one of my new favourite books.

5/5 Stars 407 pages
Published November 11th 2012 by Carpe Luna Publishing

September 2052, fireman Frank finds a baby in a rain storm. But after seeing who’s left her, he runs straight to an Amish colony and never looks back. There, she grows up Amish, never wondering about anything other than her chores and future husband, until her father suddenly falls ill and is put in a medical facility off colony. Then, her best friend convinces her to go off colony with him in an old tradition. What should be the most exciting part of her young teenage life is turned upside down when she becomes a human lightning rod.

The next thing she knows, the police are there arresting her, claiming she’s a scamper, whatever that is, and haul her in for testing. This book is something that I have never read before. It takes these two completely different world that really don’ seem like they should be able to blend together, like oil and water, and somehow the author is able to mix them seamlessly. I really can’t believe that I haven’t read something like this before, and honestly, I can’t wait to jump right back into the series. If you think you would like it, definitely give it a shot. I won’t forget it anytime soon.

Photo by Frank Cone on Pexels.com

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author on Twitter, you can here!

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great day, and pick up a book for a little bit today!

I Sold Some of my Paintings!

I’m really happy and I’ve been meaning to post on my blog again, so I’ll tell you all about it.

I’ve been trying to get back into painting, and not being such a harsh critic on myself. I stopped doing art for a long time because of it. But it’s suppose to be relaxing, and it’s supposed to be fun. So when I notice myself stressing about it, I force myself to relax. It’s been going well so far.

Anyways, I’ve been really into painting Pokemon. They’re so cute, there’s so many of them, and I just love them. How could I not paint them? And I’ve been posting them on Kijiji because, why not? And nothing happened, and then yesterday it did.

This grandma messaged me wanting to buy some of my playstation games I had up for sale, some dvd’s, a huge bag on lightbulbs, and six of my pokemon paintings. She said her grandson just loved them and that I’m doing great and should keep doing it. It just made me feel really happy. I told my grandma about it first because she’s the one who told me to put them on Kijiji, and she was so happy about it. She sent me some money to get some more supplies. I love her so much!

Anyways, I have been painting jars and I got new supplies today and I’m really excited to keep making things. I hope you’re having a great day!

Nervous

Ive been recently making really good friends with the wildlife around my house. The bunnies, the skunks, the birds, the gophers, and the stray cats and squirrels too. This orange bunny is still nervous around me though and won’t let me feed her like the other one does though.

.

Skunk Family Mukbang

Skunk Family Mukbang

Book Review: Where The Road Leads Us by Robin Reul

5/5 Stars 304 pages
Published April 6th 2021 by Sourcebooks Fire

An amazing story of teenagers growing in the people that they need to be to succeed, Where The Road Leads Us quickly became one of my new favourites. With an eccentric storyline and vibrant characters, I’m sure anyone who gives this book a chance will feel the same as I do, and need a physical copy for their collection.

Following two teenagers, Jack and Hallie, they have very different lives. We see them meet and go on the adventure of a lifetime to really find out who they are and what they really want inside, blossoming along the way and getting tangled in a little romance too. What more could you ask for?

Jack, a lonely boy missing his brother and his parents, and following his father’s footsteps because he feels like he has to. Going on a road trip to find his missing brother because he just needs someone to talk to about life. And Hallie, a girl with an illness that’s put her family in debt, forcing everyone to work more to keep up with her meds, because they love her and want her healthy. But she’s been too scared to really live her life. So she goes on an adventure that doesn’t end up being anything like she expected.

Photo by Bob Ward on Pexels.com

Though I’m usually into more paranormal types of fiction books, it’s really nice to take a break once in a while and read something like this and really fall in love with not only the characters but the story itself. I couldn’t ask for more, to be honest, and I think it’s a perfect read for anyone looking for a feel good book, aged sixteen ad up. Definitely check it out if you get the chance! I’m obsessed for sure.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author on Twitter, you can here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and having a great day. Live your life a little!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.

I Love Painting?? Who Knew

Hey everyone! I’ve been kind of spotty with my posts here, but I hopefully have a good excuse. Okay, well no excuse is a good excuse, so I’m going to do better next week. But in the meantime, I have something to show you!

I used to really enjoy painting, but when I was in school, it was so constricted and kind of felt overwhelming because I wasn’t ever able to paint what I wanted, but lately I’ve been getting back into and it’s really fun.

I have this column in my living room that just bothers me to look at, It’s twisted the wrong way, and it makes it almost impossible to open some of the drawers on that side of my desk, but I wanted to spruce it up and make it something nice to look at. So I’ve been painting little things all over it. Worse case I don’t end up liking it and I paint over it, but best case it’s something that everyone enjoys.

I started with a picture of hamtaro, and it’s just been growing from there. It’s really fun to do, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to cover it with little pictures in the future. I also picked up little canvases, and I’ve been painting on those too. I’m glad I have something fun to do like this that doesn’t stress me out. That being said, I think I’m done with my little book break, and I want to get heavily back into that too. So look out for more regular posts from me in the future!

Thanks for reading, I hope you’re having a great day! What are some hobbies you enjoy?

-Aurora

Planet Paradise by Jesse Lonergan Review

Not really sure what I was getting myself into, Planet Paradise is a really cute graphic novel, for what the story really is. I loved the art, and really disliked everyone but the main character, but I think that’s the point. Short and sweet, I really enjoyed this book.

4/5 Stars 128 pages
Published November 17th 2020 by Image Comics

Following a person on their way to Planet Paradise with a whole slew of tourists who have also been put to sleep in chambers on a rocket, something goes wrong and it crashes down to a planet inhabited by vicious dinosaurs. They’re forced to fend for themselves and not only save their own life, but also those left alive, including a very unfriendly ship captain. But things aren’t what they seem once everything seems back on it’s way up for our hero.

There isn’t really much to say about this book, it was a nice and chill read despite the story content. I really feel for the main character, and I hope that their vacation goes better for them, as well as the rest of their life. If you’d like something short and unique to fill the gap in your reading list, than you should definitely think about checking this book out.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Origami Farm: For Beginners by Anne (Andy) Passchier Review

4/5 Stars 96 pages
Published October 14th 2020 by Dover Publications

I’m going to be honest, paper crafts haven’t always been my thing. And I wouldn’t really say that they are now. But for some reason, I thought it would be fun to try with a beginner origami book, and boy was I right. I had so much fun making these crazy looking little animals, and I can’t wait to do it all again with the safari book.

I don’t really think that all of the designs in this book are for beginners, but I think maybe with a little practice on the easy and medium ones you’d be able to get to the hard ones, but I don’t recommend trying to do them right off the bat because yikes. Mine did not turn out at all. But that’s okay. This is really the only time I’ve tried to do origami other than making those little paper star things everyone was obsessed with in elementary school, and I think that this book was a fun little stepping stone.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so through my Amazon Associates link, here.

And if you’d like to keep up with the creator, you can follow them on Instagam here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re having a great day and enjoying my horrific looking origami animals.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu Review

5/5 Stars 256 pages
Published October 22nd 2019 by Lion Forge

Though this book looks like just another cute baking story from the outside, inside it’s actually quite intense. That being said, it does still have adorable art and bright colours, and well, reading it just made me feel good. A story of long lost friends turned lovers, who have to also fight demons with magic. What more could you ask for?

 

Nova is seemingly an average girl who works at her grandmothers’ bookstore, and although she’s happy to be that person, she’s anything but. Sporting bright blue hearing aids, she’s more than she seems, and is also a witch who knows many crazy spells. One day a woman buys a book, just another normal day, until her friend stops by and tells her that there’s a white wolf staring at her. This changes everything.

 

Before she can give it another thought, she heads into the forest. Turns out, the wolf is her old friend Tam, who’s a

werewolf. She’s been trying to take down a demon by herself, but cant access her wolf magic, and has been stuck as a wolf for the last month. Isn’t that exciting?

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

This story is a little more different than most, with the main characters being a witch who’s hard of hearing, and the other a non-binary werewolf. Everyone has their own quirks after all, and it really lead for an interesting story. I especially liked how those things weren’t any kind of big deal for the people around them, especially the magic parts.

 

Overall I really enjoyed reading this, and I’m glad I got the chance to check it out. It was a fast read, and a sweet one at that, and I would love to have a copy for my collection. Definitely check it out if you get the chance, even if you’re not into stories like these! I think this could change your mind, with how cute it is.

 

If you’d like to grab a copy for yourself, you can do so here.

Here are some links to the creators Twitter accounts, if you’d like to keep up with them.

https://twitter.com/angrygirLcomics

https://twitter.com/suzusaur

 

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think below.

Hope you have a good day!