My Thoughts: The Nerdy and the Dirty by B.T. Gottfred

Pen Lupo is sick and tired of hiding who she is. On the outside, Pen is popular, quiet, and deferential to her boyfriend. On the inside, however, Pen is honest, opinionated--and not quite sure that she's like other girls. Do they have urges like she does?

His classmates may consider him a nerd, but Benedict Pendleton knows he's destined for great things. All he has to do is find a worthy girlfriend, and his social station will be secured. Sure, Benedict is different--but that's what he likes about himself.

When fate intervenes, both Pen and Benedict end up at the same vacation resort for winter break. Despite their differences, the two are drawn together. But is there such a thing as happily ever after for a nympho and a nerd?


**Review copy received from Raincoast Books for an honest review***

It has been a little while since I have read a Young Adult contemporary. a few months for sure. This may not seem like a long time to some, but for a while, contemporary was my jam, and it was all I wanted to read. However, I overdosed and got bored with the genre, and needed a break. But, when I read the synopsis for The Nerdy and the Dirty by B.T. Gottfred, I was curious. The book sounded obnoxious and crazy, so I thought why the heck not.

I have to admit, I wasn't completely sure about this novel when I first started reading it, so much so, that I even thought this would be one of the rare occasions I DNF a book. However, I kept on, and am I ever glad I did. The Nerdy and the Dirty was such a fun read.

B.T. Gottfred tells a story about a quite the story about Pen, a teenage girl who finds herself thinking of all things carnal... a lot. Not being really sure what to do with said thoughts and the feelings they invoke, Pen believes she is not normal and to avoid scrutiny, she tends to keep her mouth shut and fades into the background. Benedict on the other hand,  is brilliant and totally socially awkward (his words). He lives and breathes his father's advice (who is a world renowned psychologist, and best selling author). Ben has decided it is now time to get a girlfriend, but, you must remember, Benedict is socially awkward.  So naturally, both Pen and Benedict, end up at the same resort for their winter vacation and you can just imagine what comes about.

 This book was laugh-out-loud funny. And awkward, so awkward.  Like anything to do with teenagers and sex should be. There are some really great insights into how teens think about sex and sexuality found in the pages of The Nerdy and the Dirty. I really appreciated this. Sex is a real thing, and teens are going to think about it, and they are going to be curious about it. So talk about it. The book also addresses how little female sexuality is discussed. Pen is seriously conflicted with how much she thinks about masturbating- and she is afraid of her feelings. This is so so so sad. The Nerdy and the Dirty really opens up the discussion on teen sexuality.

Benedict is a favourite character of mine in this whole story. He is SO honest. It's so refreshing. He's not a perfect character, as was mentioned earlier, he is completely awkward, and totally pompous. He has no filter and says the first thing he thinks of, whether it's appropriate or not. You know who he reminds me of, Don Tillman from The Rosie Project. This could easily be a prequel to the Rosie Project.

There were a couple of things that bothered me in this book. The beginning dragged a bit, and the writing seemed a little immature. I sort of felt like the author was filling space until the big event at the resort. I felt like that could have been done better. Pen could have used a little more development in the early stages of the book, and her relationship with her parents could have been explored a bit more. Those parts felt lacking to me.

Overall, I enjoyed The Nerdy and the Dirty, I liked how realistic the relationships were, and how illogical teenagers are, and I really appreciated how it opened up the sex talk. This book is for teens, 100%. Anyone 16 and under are really going to resonate with what's being said in this novel. And I think that's fantastic. It's got an important message to rely.  So, while it fell short for me in some places, it certainly doesn't take away from the overall story.

~Happy Reading Everyone.

Stefanie's October Wrap Up

What a month for me! I started blogging here and I can say that I feel somewhat comfortable with this whole blogging this. I think November will be a good month to really get into and grow more comfortable with the books I review (I might always second guess what books I review but I’m hoping I’m picking a nice mix of genres and authors).

Here’s what I Read:

I’m with Cupid by Anna Staniszewski
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender
And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
CJ’s Treasure Chase by Jessica Brody
Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors
Lucky T by Kate Brian
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (graphic novel)
Strong is the New Beautiful by Lindsey Vonn
Nightmares by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay
Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
Fearsome Foursome by Amicus Arcane

Book total: 12

Favorite Books Read

Check out my review here. 

Movies I Watched


I did a 31 days of Halloween movies, ranging from Netflix finds (#horror, Burying the Ex, The Voices, The Awakening) to Disney Channel classics (Halloweentown, Girl vs. Monster) to the ultimate Halloween classics it’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Hocus Pocus!















Things I Did

I went to see Dracula the ballet. The first half was amazing and had the coolest special effects, the ending was also so very well done. My only negative is the weird first scene in act two that was performed with a wolf or something. It didn’t make sense to me and I had no idea what was going on. Even with that it was probably one of my favorite ballets I’ve ever gone to.
Also because as you all know I’m Halloween obsessed so I dressed up as Wednesday Addams from The Addams family for work. I got a bunch of my coworkers to join in and we had enough for the entire Addams family. We’ve already started discussing for next year. Too soon, I think not!

Until my next review,

Stefanie 

October Recap

How? Oh how is already November? How?

If  I thought September was pretty low key, October was even more low key. Work was tough and took a lot out of me. I also played major introvert these last few weeks. Not a lot of human interaction outside of work and my house (so still a significant amount). So with all this "me time" you'd think I'd have a lot of reading time. Not really. I read enough. I also watched Gilmore Girls- a lot of Gilmore Girls. I'm pretty stoked for the revival in a few weeks.
 

October on the blog was pretty great. Stefanie joined the Just Another Story team. She's still getting into the swing of things and I have really enjoyed having her around. I participated in the #Spookathon this month. It was a lot of fun. I was pretty impressed with my reading that month- I read two whole books and one audiobook. Two books in one week is kind of epic for me. I probably could have fit one more book in, but like I said, Gilmore Girls.

The Books:

Number of books completed

10 

Physical books

5

Audiobooks

5

Physical Books 

The Layover by Whitney G (4.5 stars) 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (4.5 Stars) 

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (2 Stars) 

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris (3.5 Stars) 

The Nerdy and the Dirty by B.T. Gottfred (3.5 Stars)

Favourite  of the Month: 

I have binging pretty hard on Sarah J. Maas the last few weeks. She is one addicting writer. I read A Court of Thorns and Roses in September and thought I could take a break and read A Court of Mist and Fury later. Yeah, right. I devoured this book. It was crazy. It took the story to a whole new level. I loved it. So much fun. I am dying for the third and final (?) installment. 

 

Audiobooks: 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (5 Stars)
Wicked Bond by Sawyer Bennett (3.5 Stars) 

Dracula by Bram Stoker (4 Stars) 

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (4 Stars) 

Beautiful by Christina Lauren (2.5 Stars) 

Favourite of Listen of the Month 

Were you expecting something else? I am almost done my epic reread- well relisten. It's been SO great. Believe it or not, I have only read these last two books once- when they were first released. So I really loved reading all the little side stories that I had forgotten, and just the little nuances missing from the movie. Loved it so much. 

October's Posts: 

September Recap 

Something New

#Spookathon 2016 TBR

Stefanie's #Spookathon TBR and Currently Reading

My Thoughts: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

My Thoughts: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab 

Stefanie's Thoughts: Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

From Book to Movie: Dracula

That was my month, friends.  How about you? Read anything interesting? What were your favourites, least favourites? I love hearing about what you've been reading, so share it all with me.

~Happy Reading Everyone

 

Stefanie's Thoughts: Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

When Molly shows up on Castle Hangnail's doorstep to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the castle's minions are understandably dubious. After all, she is twelve years old, barely five feet tall, and quite polite. (The minions are used to tall, demanding evil sorceresses with razor-sharp cheekbones.) But the castle desperately needs a master or else the Board of Magic will decommission it, leaving all the minions without the home they love. So when Molly assures them she is quite wicked indeed (So wicked! REALLY wicked!) and begins completing the tasks required by the Board of Magic for approval, everyone feels hopeful. Unfortunately, it turns out that Molly has quite a few secrets, including the biggest one of all: that she isn't who she says she is.

Happy November! I've had Castle Hangnail on my shelf since last year when I discovered it through Chapters, but never got around to reading it in 2015, so I figured October would be the perfect month to read this. Then I discovered Disney is making it into a movie, so naturally I knew I had to read it immediately.

I found this book to be adorable. Even though it's targeted to more of a middle grade audience, I feel anyone could read it. The length might be a problem for a younger audience as it's 384 pages, but throughout, the story is illustrated with the occasional full page illustration, which I guess cuts down on the text.

The story is about Molly a witch who has come to fill the vacancy of Castle Hangnail's wicked witch. At first the castle's minions: Cook the cook and her son Angus, Pins a pincushion and resident tailor, Pin's talking goldfish, Minotaurs, Edward the suit of armor, and Serenissima, a part genie type creature. I had the best time trying to pronounce her name. Of the minions Pins was my favorite because who wouldn't love a talking pin cushion with a love for fashion equipped with a talking goldfish. I mean Pins makes outfits for the fish! Followed closely for favorite character is Cook because you don't cross Cook (at one point scones are baked out of vengeance) and when a character asks for a sandwich Cook quickly cuts them off saying there's cheese and crackers on the table.

Together the minions and Molly come together to save the failing castle and try to raise enough money so the castle isn't sold. They go through some rather funny tasks to raise money, some involving moles, a spell changing an animal into another animal and digging up a garden hoping to find something worthwhile to sell. Also you won't find the letter Q anywhere in the castle (read it to find out why) and the castle also comes equipped with a fabulous library filled with spell books galore.

The ending was fantastic and I can easily picture this being made into a movie. I hope Disney does a good job at keeping the charm Ursula Vernon has created and the fun atmosphere where magic flies freely and anything is possible. This was a great way to end October and I can only hope I read another great book like this one in November.

This was a five star read for me.

~Stefanie 

From Book to Movie: Dracula

‘Alone with the dead! I dare not go out, for I can hear the low howl of the wolf through the broken window’

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries about his client and his castle. Soon afterwards, a number of disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman’s neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the imminent arrival of his ‘Master’. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count Dracula and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing deeply into questions of human identity and sanity, and illuminating dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

Yesssss, this is the year of classics for me!! Well, this is only the second one I have read, but that's still two more then I ever thought I'd read.

I have been talking about reading Bram Stoker's Gothic horror for years, honestly years. The 1992 movie adaptation of this book (which we will be discussing later) is one of my top three favourite films ever. Therefore, I knew I needed to read this book. Well friends, it's happened, I have finally read it and I have a few thoughts.

The Book 

     

So, I am now realizing that reviewing a classic is impossible, I can’t do it. What I can talk about is my reading experience, while reading this book. I was pretty excited about finally reading Dracula, because in case you hadn’t noticed yet I am obsessed with the movie. So, I was excited to experience the awesomeness that brought my most favourite film. Dracula, written in 1897 and told through diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings. While this is featured in the film, it’s wasn’t a key factor and I wasn’t expected the entirety of the novel to be written this way. In fact, for the fist chunk I was waiting for the standard prose to begin. I think this waiting is what kept me from really digging into the book. 

Because the story was so familiar to me I kept waiting for certain things to happen, and they never did. I am going get spoiler-y here now- But there is absolutely NO love story between Dracula and Mina in the book. None. This is very different from what we see in the movie, the romance is a big deal. So I was little surprised not to see this in the book. The book focuses mostly on Lucy- Mina’s BFF- who gets bitten by Dracula and is in the process of transitioning. Much to the confusion and concern of her fiancé and his pals. Figuring out what’s happening to Lucy and how to fix is the key plot of this novel. Dracula himself is seldom in the novel, he’s alluded to more than anything.  

In the end, I really enjoyed Dracula- the novel. Once I got used to the way the story was being told, and the fact that the story was slightly difference than the one I knew, I able to experience this classic for what is was. Dracula was beautifully written- even this horror novel had some of the most amazingly beautifully written descriptions. While I was never scared when reading this novel, I could certainly appreciate why some people would be. This novel really would have pushed boundaries back in the nineteenth century.  Now that I am on a roll I feel like I have so much to talk about, however, I think this will suffice.    

 



The Movie

  

The Movie, oh the movie...I actually don't remember the first time I saw this movie, but I feel like I've loved it for a long time. 

You know what makes this movie for me- Gary Oldman as Dracula. Oh man, he was brilliant. I feel like I could spend so many words just gushing over how incredible Gary Oldman was. He brought so much to the character. I found I really hated Dracula, he did some really awful things. But, him and Mina, you just could not help but root for them. He didn't want to be bad right? The voice acting, also was crazily impressive.


Another key player in this movie for me was Sadie Frost as Lucy, she was obnoxious in a good way. Entitled and spoiled, slightly annoying. However, she was completely loyal to Mina and loved everyone. I found that Sadie Frost really brought Lucy to life in an amazingly authentic way.

I just love the whole concept  of the movie, I love the way it's filmed, all shadow-y and mysterious. A little campy, and I love the Victorian feel. I loved Anthony Hopkins at Van Helsing. His Van Helsing was different from book Van Helsing, more eccentric and erratic, but great all the same. I wasn't super thrilled with Winona Ryder as Mina- she was bit meh to me. I didn't like book Mina either, though. I also was a little meh about Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker. But having read the book, I understand Jonathan Harker a lot more, and I appreciate his character in a new way.

I could go on and on, about this movie. But I need to stop. Watch this movie, it's great, and read the book, it's also great. There you have it, my very discombobulated thoughts on Dracula. If you're still with me, I am impressed.

~Happy Reading Everyone! 

Stefanie's Thoughts: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

In this asylum, your mind plays tricks on you all the time…

Delia’s new house isn’t just a house. Long ago, it was the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females—an insane asylum nicknamed “Hysteria Hall.” However, many of the inmates were not insane, just defiant and strong willed. Kind of like Delia herself.

But the house still wants to keep “troubled” girls locked away. So, in the most horrifying way, Delia gets trapped.

And that’s when she learns that the house is also haunted.

Ghost girls wander the halls in their old-fashioned nightgowns. A handsome ghost boy named Theo roams the grounds. Delia finds that all the spirits are unsettled and full of dark secrets. The house, as well, harbors shocking truths within its walls—truths that only Delia can uncover, and that may set her free.

But she’ll need to act quickly, before the house’s power overtakes everything she loves.

Hi everyone! Apologies for my absence last week. It was my birthday over the weekend and I usually write my posts on the Sunday, which is why I didn't have anything up for you. Now that we're just that much closer to Halloween I'm full force reading everything spooky I can find. I'm currently reading Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon and just found out that it's currently in development for a Disney movie (Halloween + Disney = absolute perfection)!

Katie Alender is an auto-buy author for me and I saved Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall for this Halloween, knowing it would fit the mood.

I was really into the story when I first started it. I liked Delia as the main character and was instantly drawn into her narrative. The mystery behind the house kept me intrigued and I was on the edge of my seat trying to see if I could figure out all the mystery behind the house before it was revealed.

However, even though I loved the setting of a creepy old mansion that housed "hysterical girls", I felt the plot itself was a little slow and dry. I was bored throughout because nothing really happened. There were complete chapters where not a single thing happened; then we'd get the next chapter and I'd be back on the edge of my seat. This made the book feel almost too dramatic because it was like I'm going to throw in this twist but not follow it up until fifteen pages later.

The love interest Theo even let me down, because to me it wasn't a true relationship; I felt he was written for the convenience of having a relationship because that's what readers almost expect. Don't get me wrong, I love having a romantic interest but in my mind this would have worked perfectly well without it and just having Theo be one of the regular ghosts. I liked Theo by himself and hearing about his past was actually one of the highlights of the book.

Overall I felt letdown. I was expecting some horrortastic creepy book you normally find from Alender. If she hadn't been the author I think it would have been rated 2.5-3 stars but because Alender wrote it I'm giving it a 3.5 stars, because the ending really did wrap things (mostly) up nicely. I did find some endings were abrupt but we as readers aren't left with some major cliffhanger like The Walking Dead (sorry I don't watch that show but it was everywhere on social media as I was writing this).

Other #Spookathon Reads - Quick Thoughts

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova 

I wasn't feeling it and I'm skeptical if I'll read the next book in the series. I had a hard time getting into the story. It was perfect for the Spookathon though. I'm giving this one 2 stars.

And The Trees Crept in by Dawn Kurtagich

I had super high expectations for this one because her debut The Dead House was amazing. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it. This one had all the creepy aspects I wanted (including snakes in a toilet to a creeptastic manor) but the overall execution if it confused me. A lot of it felt it was randomly written and didn't all come together. The ending was great though giving this one 3 stars.  

I'm saving Fantastic Foursome for closer to Halloween. That's all form me this week. Talk to you guys next week! 

~Stefanie

My Thoughts: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives

If you have read my September wrap up I mentioned that a few local bloggers and myself started a book club of sorts. Well our first book for said club was This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. While only two of us actually read the book, props to Ola who is one third of The Autumn Bookshelf for being with me and finishing this book. I actually completed this one fairly quickly and I have a few thoughts about it.

This Savage Song is told from the perspective of our two main characters, Kate Harker the human girl determined to take over her father's empire, and August Flynn one of three rare breeds of monster, with the ability to steal one's soul with the sound of music. Both Kate and August are from opposing teams (for lack of a better word), one is monster, one is human. One is determined to be a hardened criminal, and the other wants nothing more than to be good and protect the community. Somehow, the two end up together in an attempt to figure what's going wrong with their beloved city.

What do I think? What do I think? Well, the first half was SLOOOOOW! Slow enough that if I wasn't so curious about August, I probably would still be reading it. Don't get me wrong, Victoria Schwab is a brilliant story teller, but she spends a lot of time setting the stage. Way to much time. I spent the first half of the book waiting for something to happen.  The second half of the book picks up a bit, but not in a big way. Really, the story was really kind of meh for me. I absolutely hate saying this, but it felt a bit generic. Not the most original plot I have ever read- aside from the city being overrun by monsters. That was pretty interesting, and the process in which the monsters were created (from intense acts of violence) was neat, this is probably why I gave this book a higher rating.

I had some trouble connecting to Kate. I didn't particularly like her- I didn't understand her motif for why she was the way she was. She was angry and rebellious and stand offish in a way and for reasons I just did not get. I found August and his situation way more interesting. August, our tortured monster, who lives his life day by day trying not to lose control and succumbing to the his volatile monster self, his instinct is to feed and he resists this urge like an alcoholic resists their vice. I really loved this part of the story. I also must admit I enjoyed the parts where Kate and August got to know one another and developed a better understanding of each other. I enjoyed seeing their semi-friendship grow. I am curious to see where that will go in the next book- Schwab has insisted that there is ZERO romance in this novel, so these two will simply remain friends, which I think is pretty cool.

Overall, I gave this book a 3.5 stars. The beginning was slow, I didn't like the female protagonist, and I wasn't super convinced with the story. However, Schwab's writing was lovely, I really liked August, and I thought the concept of the monsters was unique. Even with my sharing about all that I didn't like with this book, I am standing my my 3.5 star rating. I enjoyed the novel enough to stick behind that rating. And I am pretty sure I will read the conclusion to this duology once it's out next year.


~Happy Reading Everyone!