I made a P4A video!

And it would mean the world if you checked it out :)

It would help tons if you watched it, and clicked on the little like button and voted. Be an angel :*

Thanking you

Loads of love from Raven and Beez

Raven: Narnians in Hogwarts

I had read the lion, the witch and the wardrobe about a year ago so naturally I didn't remember half the story when I decided to read the whole series for once and for all in the right order. 

While re-reading this book, I came across this one part which made me think that maybe I'm turning into one of those English teachers who dwell too much on the colour of a curtain in the book...


This was the paragraph (it's in the first chapter) that got me thinking:

"It's an owl," said Peter. "This is going to be a wonderful place for birds. I shall go to bed now. I say, let's go and explore tomorrow. You might find anything in a place like this. Did you see those mountains as we came along? And the woods? There might be eagles. There might be stags. There'll be hawks."
"Badgers!" said Lucy.
"Foxes!" said Edmund.
"Rabbits!" said Susan.

I think it's pretty clear what I'm hinting at but I want to give a huge lecture on it anyway.
As you just read, the animals Peter mentions are animals that are mostly identified with honor, royalty and independence, clearly hinting that that is how Peter's personality is. 

The same goes with the other characters.

Badgers are said to be loyal, honest and truthful creatures and we know that Lucy is exactly that way.

Edmund mentions foxes, cunning creatures who will do whatever they can to get whatever they want.

Susan says rabbits. Now, at first I thought she said rabbits cause they are very pretty and cute creatures so maybe it was her physical characteristics that was being referred to but that would be unfair as the other characters respective animals described their personalities.

So I did a little googling and found out that rabbits are identified as creatures that provide comfort, abundance (of love?), nurture and fertility. (I also ended up watching bunny videos for about an hour because of this)

This also got me thinking that maybe I could classify them into Hogwarts houses.

Peter obviously belongs in Gryffindor, Susan in Hufflepuff, Edmund in Slytherin and Susan in Ravenclaw (I had doubts about her being in Ravenclaw, I thought she also might be Hufflepuff but she is the only one that provides most of the smart suggestions)

So there it is, my little weird and random post about how I'm going to start tutoring people in literature.

Lots of love and rabbits,
Raven~

 ~Books we're psyched to read in 2016

We are not ones to make plans for the new year.

New year, new you - that's the kind of crap we don't engage ourselves in. We are more of a when-the-epiphany-comes type of people.

But-but, another year means more books and more tbr* piles to go through- and here are the books we're psyched to read in 2016!

*To those who are new to the reading community, it means To Be Read.

~~~Special mentions come first~~~

~The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Releasing on April 26, 2016

 

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

In a starred review for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Kirkus Reviews declared: "Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering close."

Beez: This book is my reason for surviving- I need to read this before I die so I need to be alive for it. Because it's Maggie, I have no doubt it'll be amazawonderful and it'll blow me to bits and end up killing me and if that's the way I have to go, I couldn't be gladder (is that even a word?).

Raven: I agree with Beez. We have been waiting for this book for so long! (The third book was released on October 21, 2014! That is an eternity ago) This is the last and final book in the Raven Cycle series so we want to read it to know how it ends but we also don't want to read it because then it will be the end... you get me?

~Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The sword of summer by Rick Riordan

 

Released on October 6, 2015

 

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

Raven: I can't wait to read more of Rick Riordan. I love Loki... so that's one of the reasons for me being pumped about this Norse Mythology series. I have heard that Magnus is sassier than the sass master a.k.a Percy which is really hard to believe but then again it's Rick Riordan we are talking about here.

Beez: Apart from being a Rick Riordan book, I want to read this book because it's the start of another Rick Riordan story. I loved how the Percy Jackson series started and I remember all those moments where Percy was such a baby and he had no idea what was going on and he was all like pen-is-sword-i-am-halfblood-whut. Need. This. Book.

~~~Standalones~~~

 

1. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

 

Released on September 12, 2000

 

Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before.  Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable.  As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.

A poignant story of one college student's romantic coming-of-age, Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.

Raven: This will be our first Haruki Murakami book ever. We have heard a lot about this author and after doing some research and asking some of you amazing people (our followers are imaginary) about which book we should begin with to embark on a beautiful Murakami journey, we have been suggested to read Norwegian Wood. I can't wait to watch the movie after reading the book. My hopes on this book are so high that a part of me is afraid that I might dislike his writing or just the book in general. I don't want it to be one of those books that has a lot of hype and fans and you go in wondering how much you are going to love it but then end up being deeply disappointed (looks at tfios and the maze runner).

Beez:  It's about time we read Haruki Murakami and Raven says everyone says to read this one first, so that's what we gonna do. I can't wait. I wonder if I'll like it, love it, meh it or hate it. Basically everything Raven said.

2. We all looked up by Tommy Wallach

 

Released on March 26, 2015

 

Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels:
The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever.

But then we all looked up and everything changed.

They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end.

Two months to really live.

Beez: I have high hopes about this book!! I love the premise and even though it's very cliche, it's that type of cliche if it's written well, it could be amazing. And i like the title.

Raven: I don't really know what to expect from this book. Beez is the one who is really excited to read it. All I can say is that the blurb sounds interesting.
 

3. The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

 

Released on June 1, 1998

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray was a succès de scandale*. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895. Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only Dorian's picture bears the traces of his decadence. A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society. The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a disturbing portrait of an individual coming face to face with the reality of his soul.

*Something that gained popularity due to its scandalous nature.

Beez: This is one of my all time favorite books - it has a special place in my heart. I love this book so much since the 4th grade and now I'm not in school anymore(!)- and I have never completed it. Obviously, it's time to change that.

Raven: Of course, we had to add a classic to our list of books for this year. This is the only novel that Oscar Wilde ever published. I have read his short story 'Canterville Ghost' and absolutely loved it. I do realize that this will be very different but I look forward to it nonetheless.

4. The rest of us just live here by Patrick Ness

 

Released on August 27, 2015

 

What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

Beez: *drumroll* Another YA book with an interesting blurb. I want to read this partly because of my obsession with ordinary people and extraordinary things and partly because of this Epic Reads video . Like Raven, my last Patrick Ness book (also More than this) was a miss but I'm willing to wait after this book to set my opinion in stone on his writing.

Raven: I tried reading 'More Than This' by Patrick Ness and didn't really enjoy the writing style and the plot BUT THIS BOOK SOUNDS SO GOOD! I really hope I like it.  

5. 1984 by George Orwell

 

Released on July 1, 1950

 

'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities. Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent - even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101 . . .

Raven: THIS BOOK! I can't wait to read this book. It is so old but so good (at least that's what I think by reading the blurb) These days when people talk about Government Surveillance and how internet privacy has been breached, people often refer to Big Brother from this book. *SUPER EXCITED TO READ IT*

Beez: A dystopian novel written in 1950? Count me in.

~~~Series~~~

1. Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

 

Released on August 7, 2012

 

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Beez: This book promises badass-ery and it is for that reason that I must read it.

 

Raven: This is a book that has been on my tbr for the past year and this year I finally plan to read it. I feel ashamed to say that I haven't even started the series even though it sounds very promising. 

2. Cinder - The Lunar Chronicles #1 by Marissa Meyer

 

Released on January 3, 2012

 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Beez: I really like fairy tale retellings and I'm super excited to read this one, especially since I've heard only magical things about it. And it has the added advantage of having sci-fi, which is always a plus, and with the fairy tale, extremely interesting. 

Raven: I have heard so many good things about this series. I have never read a fairy tale retelling before so I can't wait to dive in.
 

3. Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

 

Released on June 7, 2011

 

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Raven: We have already read Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children but we still included it in the list because we hope to finish the other two books in the series. I absolutely loved the first book.

Beez: The ending of the first book was literally- rowing off in a boat into the horizon. To know further...read the next book. I guess I'll be doing that then. 

4. Legend Series by Marie Lu

 

Released on November 29, 2011

 

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Beez: You can't name a book Legend and have a minimalist cover and have a name like Marie Lu and not expect me to think badass. And since I love badass stuff, you can't expect me not to read it. And also because Raven has bought the entire series, there is no way I am not reading it. *best friend privileges*

Raven: I bought this whole series at once (something I've never done before) which is why I was worried that I might end up being disappointed. So I cheated a little and read the first page of Legend and thankfully I really like the writing style and it starts off very interestingly. Again, looking forward to reading this too.
 

5a. The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

 

Released on September 16, 2008

 

Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there's always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Beez: I'm not going to mention bad ass here because i already have way too many times. But this book sounds very interesting and thriller-like and I really want to read it. Not to mention the fact that the first book is just sitting on my shelf, staring at me....

Raven: I have already read this series but Beez insisted we include this series in the list. I still haven't read Spider's web cause I am very skeptical about it being written by someone else but then I really want more Lisbeth. The last book ended with so many possibilities.
 

5b. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

 

Released on October 1, 2009

 

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with colour once more?
In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage - Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

Raven: Brandon Sanderson will be coming to the Emirates Lit Fest this year in March and I NEED to finish this series before meeting him. And I have forced Beez to read it too. (Also the 5th point was divided into a and b because of Beez. She really wanted it to just be 10 in total with only 2 special mentions. Her brain works in mysterious ways.)

Beez: Sometimes (or all the times), you got to do what your best friend a.k.a mother tells you.

 ---------------------------

This is the list of all the books that we definitely want to read before the end of this year. Honestly, our tbr is the only thing we prepare beforehand, we just wing everything else in life. 

Make no mistake, these are NOT the ONLY books we will be reading this year. There are lots of other books that are either going to be released or have been on our tbr for god knows how long. We hope you keep looking forward to our never-ending reviews.

This is Raven and Beez,
signing out~ 

P.s. If you're ever the interested, we'd like you to know that we are shifting our blog to another plaform but we will keep updating this one too!
www.ravenandbeez.wordpress.com