The Mason Jar by James Russell Lingerfelt Review | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just posted a written review of The Mason Jar by James Russell Lingerfelt however I've also done a video review so here is that if you'd prefer to watch the video review instead! Enjoy!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

The Mason Jar by James Russell Lingerfelt - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I’ve just finished a book I was sent for review a few months ago and I just fell in love with it! It’s called The Mason Jar and it’s by James Russell Lingerfelt.

The Mason Jar is about two young people, Finn and Eden. Finn now lives with his Grandad as he has lost both of his parents but has a very strong bond with his Grandad. Finn’s Grandad leaves letters for Finn in a Mason Jar full of advice and hope for his future.

While in his college years he meets Eden, a girl that stole his heart. He couldn’t imagine life without her and the two of them are inseparable! But one day Eden leaves without any clue of where she has gone or whether she will ever return.

Finn writes a book about his life with Eden and what he got up to after she left like going to Africa to work. A friend of Eden’s finds out about the book, reads it and tells Eden she needs to read it, so full of curiosity that is exactly what Eden does.

Years later Finn and Eden find themselves at a homecoming and the truth of why Eden left so suddenly starts to spill out.

I really enjoyed the warm feeling and atmosphere this story had. The writing was beautiful and gave off such a romantic vibe I couldn’t help fall in love with the characters very quickly. For me one of the elements I really enjoyed was the relationship between Finn and his Grandad. The had such a strong bond and that made me instantly engaged in their parts of the story. I would have definitely loved to have seen more of Grandad throughout the story however as I think some of the time that part of the story was overlooked slightly.

I really loved how Finn’s story was told and we really got to know Finn very quickly which helped my enjoyment to the story as I quickly became very attached to him. I would have loved to have read more about Eden’s life with Victor and find out more about what happened from when they were originally together as that wasn’t discussed as much however that would have probably made the story way to long so I do see why that maybe wasn’t touched upon as much.

As soon as we found out about the homecoming and that both Finn and Eden were going to attend, I couldn’t wait to read about how the characters would react when seeing each other. I was so excited to find out whether they would end up together or go their separate ways and it definitely made me never want to put the book down.

Because of the beautiful writing style and the instant connection I had to the characters I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more about these characters and how their lives progressed after the events in this book. Overall I’d definitely recommend it if you like romantic stories with beautifully written characters that will make you feel ever emotion under the sun.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

All The Books I've Read So Far | 2018

Hello Book Lovers!!!

As I haven't posted a video in a while I thought I'd just update you on all of the books I've read this year so far as I haven't done any wrap ups this year yet. So here is the video and I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Boy by Roald Dahl - Review

                                             

(Image from Google)

Hello Book Lovers!!!

It's been a while since I've posted anything and that's really just because I've been so busy I haven't really been reading anything, until now! I've just finished Boy by Roald Dahl which was a reread for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it again.

If you don't know what Boy is about, it is about Roald Dahl's childhood from when he was a baby up until he left his final school. We get to learn about his family and all the mischief he got up to with his friends and we also get to learn about the schools he went to and some of the awful teachers he had to face during his time there.

Roald Dahl was brought up in a time where the cane was still around and some schools were terrifyingly strict so although some schools are still strict now, it was interesting to see the change in which schools are run now compared to when Roald Dahl was in his school years.

This was definitely and interesting and insightful read and it is very clear from reading this that there is a very big generation change now to back then. (And some of the things from back then I'd say I'd prefer to some of the things now, lets just say I'm a one for tradition!).

I thought that the writing in this book although it is none fiction is still very child friendly and sometimes I'd forget that this is actually true stories about the authors life. This is a great book for all ages as it has the humour for the younger readers but also the history and facts and figures for older readers.

I have to say I did find myself laughing quite a lot and one chapter that stuck out for me was the chapter where the children play a prank on the sweet shop owner. You can picture the mischief like you were there with them and being part of the prank yourself.

Overall I think this is a great read for everyone and if you'd like to find out more about Roald Dahl's life throughout childhood I'd definitely read this. He also wrote another book after this called Going Solo which I will hopefully be reading very soon. This is about his adult years after where Boy left off.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Bout of Books 22 ReadAThon Vlog 2018 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've finally managed to upload my Bout of Books 22 ReadAThon Vlog from a couple of weeks ago! I'm happy with the amount of reading I did even though I didn't get everything read I'd planned to so here's my vlog of the week and I hope you enjoy it!

If you joined in with the ReadAThon let me know how you did as I'd love to know and I'll speak to you all very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

All That She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

A few days ago I finished All The She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher, my third and final book of the Bout of Books 22 ReadAThon! I really enjoyed this book but did have some problems with it.

If you don't know what this book is about, it's about a girl called Cherry who has a secret talent; she can see people's negative emotions but in physical form. Her friend from when she was 7 also had the same talent however he was taken away because of this and she hasn't seen him since.

Cherry also has a love for baking and soon finds out she can put positive feelings into her cakes to make her customers feel better about themselves. Of course nobody knows what Cherry is doing but because of their love for Cherry and her baking they always come back for more which in turn is helping the neighborhood become a happier place.

But then a guy called Chase comes along and realizes what Cherry has been doing as he also has the same talent, however he can see the positive emotions, not the negative ones. So he goes out to try to stop Cherry succeeding in her business by creating his own business doing a similar thing but with alcohol.

I really did enjoy this book and the characters within it and I love the magical realism elements to this story. Carrie's books are always unlike any other books I have read and I never know what to expect when going into one of her stories.

I loved the baking element to this story and coffee shops and the close neighborhood setting as I always find it to be really cosy. Those things always just create such a warm atmosphere and even when things aren't exactly going right, the story is still able to keep that cosy warm feel.

I loved the characters in this story, even Chase who isn't exactly the nicest person in the world, well to start with at least! He has a funny way with words so even when he isn't being very nice, he still has a humor about him that keeps you entertained. I also loved Cherry and her want to try to make everyone as happy as they can be. She has such a loving, caring nature and someone I'd definitely want to meet had she been real.

The one problem I had with this was the ending. I felt it was a bit too open ended for me and although I sometimes like open ended books I felt like this one didn't pack the same punch other books with open ends I have read have had. I just found it to be a bit disappointing however it does leave it open for a possible sequel which I'd love to see.

Overall I did really enjoy the story and the characters and the atmosphere this book created and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a cosy read with magical realism and a clever take on bringing emotions to life...literally!

Rating /5
4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Beauty and the Beast. Book of the Film - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just finished my second book for the Bout of Books ReadAThon and that was Beauty and the Beast. The Book of the Film! I really enjoyed this as I knew I would do. Beauty and the Beast is my favourite Disney film and one of my favourite films of all time.

If somehow you don't know the story of Beauty and the Beast (where have you been?!?!?) I'll write a synopsis for you now. This story is about an arrogant prince who lives in a castle and treats everyone in the castle terribly. One day at one of his parties, an old beggar woman enters the castle asking for shelter from the storm. The prince laughs and tells her her she is too ugly to be in his castle. But then she begins to transform into a beautiful enchantress and casts a spell on the whole castle turning the prince into a beast and all of the staff into animated objects because of the way the prince has behaved. (As we all know...'Beauty is found within')!

We then meet Belle who lives in a small village with her father Maurice. The villagers don't really speak to Belle as they find her strange from always having her head stuck in a book. The only people that talk to her are the librarian, the potter, her father, and of course the 'hero' of the village, Gaston. Gaston however is anything but a hero. He is an arrogant, self-centred piece of work and not someone Belle wants to be associated with. But Gaston has other ideas as he wants Belle to be his wife.

One day Maurice, Belle's father goes out into the woods on his way to an inventions fair on his horse Phillipe. But before long the two realize they are lost and as well as that they can here the howling of wolves approaching them. They manage to escape the wolves and end up at a huge castle. When they enter they don't expect that this will lead them to Maurice being captured and locked away by the beast.

Phillipe travels back through the woods to find Belle and Belle knows instantly that her father is in trouble. So she goes through the woods to the castle with Phillipe. Seeing her father locked up she soon finds out that whoever has locked him up has sentenced him to life there. But to save her father she swaps places with him not fully knowing what she has let herself in for.

The Beast is horrible to Belle and treats her terribly however the enchanted objects help Belle and make sure she has enough clothes and food. What Belle doesn't know however is that if she can learn to love the Beast then the enchantment on the castle will be lifted and the Beast will become a prince again as well as all of the enchanted object becoming human again.

I love this story like I said before and the book brought it to life just as much as the film does. I love the storyline and how magical it is and I love the atmosphere this story creates. I can also feel the magic within the words that are written and I think Elizabeth Rudnick adapted it to book form very well.

I also love all of the characters in this story, even Gaston who is awful! He is just so stupid that you can't help but love him at the same time. I also really love Mrs. Potts as she is such a mother figure to everyone, not just her son Chip who I also love and is my favourite character in this story. Cogsworth and Lumiere, the Clock and Candelabra are also fantastic characters. They are the comedy of the story and it just wouldn't be the same without them.

What is great about this story is you can enjoy it at any age. It is just as magical reading it at 23 as it was seeing the film for the first time when I was a very young child. I couldn't recommend this story more and I highly recommend you read the book and see the film as it really knows how to bring out the magic in the story as well as in the characters.

Rating /5

5

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx