Caragh Reviews - Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider

Published - 1st September 2013
Publisher - Simon & Schuster
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: In one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra's knee, his career as a jock, and his social life. No longer a front-runner for homecoming king, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra's ever met— achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures. Together, Ezra and Cassidy discover flash mobs, buried treasure, secret movie screenings, and a poodle that might just be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby. But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: If one's singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

This book has been re-named for some ridiculous reason so if you're unfortunate enough not to come across the original title (which I ADORE) then it's new name is The Beginning of Everything. 

This is probably, definitely going to be a biased review because honestly, if it was possible to rate books more than 5 stars (in Goodreads terms) I would totally max the crap out of the rating. I quite simply, absolutely and completely maniacally LOVED this book.

The cover of Severed Heads, Broken Hearts was the first thing that grabbed my attention, and then the cover & blurb quote both made references to John Green/Augustus Waters and I was sold immediately. The blue and the mixing of black and white in the centre is very TFioS which naturally turns heads now but to give a more substantial reason of why I picked the book up - it actually sounded interesting. I'm also happy to report that the blurb on the back of the book really does contain the essence of the book itself.

The story is told from Ezra's POV and so the laugh-out-loud humour is of course his too which makes it a genuinely funny and interest story. Severed Heads, Broken Hearts dives straight into it and within a couple of pages the "twist" is already thrown at us. I've said this multiple times now but I honestly just couldn't stop laughing at the beginning. Ezra is gorgeous, loveable and completely down to earth so that anyone can relate and his transition from Top Jock to Debate Nerd is heartwarming and also painful at times. All of the characters are well written, even side characters who don't really mean anything to the story but definitely add something to Ezra's learning curve. 

Another thing I particularly enjoyed was the pop culture references scattered throughout! Stuff like that really gets me going as it appeals to my own nerdy side. My favourite character by far was Toby. His reaction to the 'severed head' situation and the way he was more than happy to invite Ezra back into his life like they'd been best friends forever was brilliant and I wish there were more genuine people like him. His references to Doctor Who and his memorabilia were probably what won me over the most - nerd, remember? ;)

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts just felt really genuine and was a completely refreshing read in comparison to everything else i've read recently which falls just short. It had everything I was looking for, it was GREAT, quick and fun read and prompted me in the right direction to go on a reading binge. I would definitely recommend this one!

Top Ten Tuesday | Books Read In 2011

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is: Top Ten Books I Read In 2011

(I may be cheating a little by lumping series' together :P)

1. Morganville Vampires - Rachel Caine

2. Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw

3. Paper Towns - John Green

4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green

5. Evermore - Alyson Noel

6. Beastly - Alex Flinn

7. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

8. Good Morning, Midnight - Jean Rhys

9. The Color Purple - Alice Walker

10. Let It Snow - Green, Johnson & Myracle

I'm in no way disrespecting any of these authors as I love them ALL, but 2011 wasn't a great year for my reading pile! I pretty just much read series' of books rather than stand-a-lones so it was difficult to choose. I read ELEVEN of Caine's books in 2011! Hopefully when it comes to posting my 2012 reading list, it will be a little more varied :)

Sick/Ill Book Tag

I love these book tags! I tag whoever reads this ;) As always, link me to your answers in the comments as I love seeing what people come up with :)

This tag is the Sick/Ill book tag. As the owner of an autoimmune disease myself, I thought this one could be fun/different to anything else. The aim of the game is to pick a book that suits the description of the condition.

A total of 9 illnesses whose symptoms mirror how a book made you feel:

1. Diabetes: a book too sweet, like really sweet.
Let It Snow - Green, Johnson & Myracle.
Such an adorable book, containing three short stories (one by each other). Very sweet and easy to read. 

2. Chicken Pox: a book you've read once, and will never pick up again.
Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L.James or any autobiography.
Reading that book once was more than enough for me! Also autobiographies are really interesting to read but I can't see myself ever re-reading one.

3. Influenza: the flu a contagious book that spreads like a virus
The Study Series - Maria V Snyder
Since buying these books, i've gotten five other people to read them and LOVE them. I will forever push these books on to people :)

4. The cycle: a book you read every month, year or often
Harry Potter Series
I think every Potter fan re-reads these often! :)

5. Insomnia: a book that kept you up all night.
Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer & The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
The Twilight books were just so easy to read that I soaked them up. I'm an unashamed Twilight fan and they would probably still keep me up all night!
Johnson's book was just brilliant and I could not rest until I had the story finished.

6. Amnesia: a book that's forgotten and failed to leave a powerful impression in your memory
The Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
I really need to finish this series! It's not that I didn't enjoy what i've read so far - I honestly just keep forgetting that i'm in the middle of it. It's just not powerful enough to make me want to finish I guess.

7. Asthma: a book that took your breath away
The Fault in our Stars - John Green
Beautiful writing, fantastic characters and a plot line that literally takes your breath away. This is a total must read.

8. Malnutrition: a book that lacked food for thought
Hush, Hush / Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick
I recently reviewed Crescendo and as I explained there - there's just nothing to these stories so far but I can't stop eating them up! Sometimes, I just can't argue with the critic in me, and I just have to sit back and read...:)

9. Travel sickness: a book that took you on a journey through time or space or to a specific local on the map
Eragon Series - Christopher Paolini
(With the exception of Inheritence, which I am yet to read).
I read these a few years ago whilst I was in hospital. Not really a 'travel' journey, but a journey none-the-less. They're just wonderful stories that anyone can get into and I hope that by the end of the year i'll have read the final installment to complete the story!

Review // The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely re-written.

The Fault in Our Stars is the book of the year! Nerdfighter, Vlogbrother and spectacular author John Green has created a masterpiece with Hazel's story. From the first page, Green grabs your attention and the voice and character of Hazel was identifiable to me. We are told at the beginning (not a spoiler because it's in the blurb!) that Hazel has terminal cancer and so we immediately know that this story is going to be a journey of some kind. I never expected that journey to be mine though.

There are some beautiful and thought-provoking quotes within this book that I would love to share with you guys but i'm honestly one of those people who believe you should discover things like that yourself as words have different meanings to everyone. In true Green style, this heart-warming and heart-wrenching story that follows Hazel is also incredibly funny. Hazel, Augustus and Isaac have wonderful sense of humours that add to the wonderful characters that they are. They take on a life of their own and the words on the page become so much more than that. I urge all readers to experience this book and please let me know what you think of it.

Goodreads Challenge 15/50
Debut Author Challenge 2/5
Dystopian Challenge 4/5
Paranormal Fantasy Challenge 2/5

Review // Zombicorns - John Green

Zombicorns by John Green was never written to be a published thing. From what I remember, it was written for charity. This book is not available for sale but it can be found online for free. I don't have time to look for the link right now but if you can't find it, i'm willing to send it by email. Just ask in the comments.

I didn't enjoy this story as much as I do the other books he has written but I think that's because it's so short and I didn't get into it enough. However, I DID still like it and it is some powerful writing.

Green makes some beautiful comments on society and what it means to be a person. Although in true John Green style, it's not overloading at all and humans are compared with dogs in an amusing but thoughtful way.

Another of my personal favourite moments is when Caroline shouts, “LEEERRROOOY JEEENNKKIINNNSS!” Despite the fact that two teenage girls are literally fighting for survival in a world gone mad, there are still huge elements of fun. (Leroy Jenkins being a video that went viral.)

Zombicorns successfully shocked me towards the end and its twist (if that's the right word to use) came out of nowhere for me. That doesn't happen very often.

This should be a definite read for any nerdfighter and zombie lover and also for those who just want a quick short read :)

Goodreads Challenge 12/50

Chick Lit Challenge 0/5
Debut Author Challenge 2/5
Dystopian Challenge 3/5
Paranormal Fantasy Challenge 2/5

Let It Snow - Green, Johnson & Myracle

Beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicoloured lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you only see in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss with a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.
Thanks to three of today's best-selling teen authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle - the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance and breathtaking kisses.

Followers of my blog will know that I am a big fan of John Green and his books so it probably comes as no surprise that this book was no exception and I 100% love it, and recommend it.

Aside from that little note, this is not just a John Green book. A collaborative effort between Green, Johnson and Myracle turned into something magnificent and will now forever be my favourite Christmas book, and top 5 all year books.

Let It Snow is three completely different stories that occur at the same time, same town and has mentions and appearances from characters in each of the stories, so you can always get a little fix from the previous one. I know that was a good thing for me anyway as I really didn't want to leave the characters from any of the stories once i'd grown to love them.

The writing styles of Green, Johnson and Myracle all seem quite similar to me. This is a GOOD thing as they are continuously easy to read, follow and love. I'm not sure if this is intentional or a happy chance as I haven't yet read any more of Johnson or Myracle's works.

The stories contain a heavy amount of snow which is WONDERFUL. I live in a very rainy place where snow is practically a myth, so to get the feeling of a real white Christmas filled with adventure was perfect and made me want to snuggle up in pjs whilst reading. The adventures are exciting and unpredictable too!

As the blurb suggests, there is a lot of teens and a lot of romance - but not in the tacky way that some books have. The characters are genuine, real and identifiable and as I keep repeating - so very LOVEABLE!

I'm sad to have reached the end of the book in such a short time (literally just a couple of hours) as I couldn't put it down, but I loved every word on every page and I wish more great authors would do collabs like this. In fact, Let It Snow is probably the only reason I have any Christmas spirit at all this year :)

An Abundance of Katherines

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an over-weight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and may finally win him the girl.

John Green's Printz award winning book, An Abundance of Katherines, as the books i've read previously by him, didn't fail to win me over.

As with Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, I instantly became involved with the main character and just couldn't get enough from him! Colin is a character that almost everyone can relate to. I know that I definitely struggle with the possibility that I might not do anything that matters. To a degree, everyone wants their Eureka moment and so we're routing for Colin to find his, and hope that it works out.

The plot itself is something else that people can identify with. Growing up, loving and losing is all an experience that eventually makes us who we are, but there is always someone from the past that makes you think about past/present/future decisions, and sometimes it's very difficult to let go of that.

Following Colin's story was exciting, interesting and sometimes a little bit crazy. As the blurb suggests, Colin is working on a Theorem. Obviously, this includes a LOT of maths and Green provides all of the details in either footnotes, general explanations, diagrams and an appendix dedicated to the math work. Don't be put off though! The math isn't essential to the story and you're invited to skip over it if it doesn't interest you and the story isn't effected at all. It is an interesting read though - even for a maths hater like myself.

As always, (well, so far!) I highly recommend this book and the writing style is similar to his other books so please check them out if you enjoy this one!

Green's new novel "The Fault in our Stars" is available to pre-order EVERYWHERE, NOW! All pre-orders are GUARANTEED to be be signed by John himself.

Currently Reading: Dark Flame - Alyson Noel
Books Read In 2011: 46

Quick Update

It's almost 7am and i'm going out with the flatmates (minus Buzz - MISS YOU!) in 6 hours but I felt like I had to update before turning off the laptop.

I'm close to finishing both The Color Purple AND a new book I got as a present (and became top priority) An Abundance of Katherines so hopefully within the next week there will be at least one review on here and tallies will be back in business! I'm gonna get 10 minutes reading in before I finally drop off to sleep anyway. Good night Bookworms.

Paper Towns - John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificent, adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she opens his bedroom window late one night and summons him to join her on an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to find that Margo has not. Always an enigma, she now becomes a mystery and Q soon learns that there are clues to be followed in his search for Margo.

As a John Green fan and a very proud Nerdfighter and follower of the Vlogbrothers, I have been wanting to read this book for SO LONG. I was a little worried that i'd built it up too much in my head and would end up disappointed but I was wrong. It was everything I had imagined and more.

Q's journey to the end of his senior year and his quest to find Margo is inspiring and touching. Everyone wants an adventure and Q definitely got his. About halfway through I had started imagining that something terrible was going to happen (probably due to reading Looking For Alaska!) but although there was a surprise, it was more heartwarming than anything else. I can't honestly write the review I want to about Paper Towns because there no words for how much I loved it and I wouldn't do it justice.


Currently Reading: The Rainbow - D.H.Lawrence & Blue Moon - Alyson Noel
Books Read in 2011: 36