Book: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Author: Emily M. Danforth
Series: No
Number of Pages: 470
Source: My amazing sister

The Basics:When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship — one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to ‘fix’ her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self — even if she’s not exactly sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

My Musings:

The best part about reading are the characters and stories that stick with you, the ones you remember 10 years after you've read them, the ones you mention in random conversations. Not unlike a fond friend from high school that you mention everyone in a while because you loved them, because they were your person. Cameron is like that for me. I miss her. I miss her sarcasm, her doll house, her adventured with Jamie. I miss her.

The writing style is great; it never feels stuffy or awkward, it feels natural and real. Something that's been missing from a lot of books I've been reading lately. Danfroth creates really great character that are easy to fall in love with and relate to. The book is broken up into section one for every new part of her life. The book starts out when she is very young and we, as readers, watch her grow and mature, as she enters high school and eventually is sent of to a boarding school to "fix her". It was definitely was frustrating to see Cam go through all the homophobia and backlash to her sexuality. My heart went out to her and it was sad to see her go through that and be so helpless in those situations. I really hope that she is happy somewhere with a girl she loves.

For me, when I think of Cameron I think of two things:

1. Dollhouse
2. Movies

She is a much more complicated character than this but I loved her little quirks and hobbies and the way they were portrayed because it made her more of a person, a real person, somewhere in the middle of Montana, and that for me is one of the most beautiful parts of this book. The amount of detail in this book is impeccable and I loved that the author took her time to create a world and characters grounded in things everyone can relate to.Seeing her grow up made me more protective of her and even more involved in the story. Safe to say that characterization was on point.

The plot itself is just...it's great. I have laughed with Cameron, I have cried with Cameron. It has been a hard journey for her and I'm so glad that I read this book and went on this journey with her.

Overall this book was great. It's a book I really enjoyed but most importantly it's a story that I'll keep with me. It's beautiful and heartbreaking, its frustrating and satisfying. It's a book I think everyone should read. 

Blogtober: One Thing I Can't Live Without

If i'm going to be entirely honest with myself the very first thing I thought of was my ipod. I love music. There's not a day I don't use my iPod.  I love how it can be exactly what you feel, exactly what you want to say. I love being able to dance like on idiot with my headphones on. I love being able to rock out while doing homework. I love being able to listen to music when all I feel like doing is crying.

The fact of the matter is this I need music in my everyday life. Thus my one "can't live without out it item" is my iPod. Man, i've had the iPod for a really long time. I first got it in fifth grade and i'm now in 11th grade. That thing has lasted me 6 years. 6 solid years. Talk about the sentimental value that thing has.

I've taken my iPod everywhere with me. I took it to my first day of middle school. I listened to music on it while trying not to cry the week 8th ended. I woke up listening to music on it on the first day I started high school. I took it to Costa Rica with me when I went when I turned 15. It's been a constant little companion with me the last few years.

Also I doubt i'm the only one, but I tend to make a crazy amount of playlists for emotions, phases, to help me study, to help me write, hell I have my own blogging playlist. Those playlists are pretty awesome. And here comes my uber dramatic teenager scene: It's safe to say that my iPod and its playlists are pretty much my life in song form. I'd like to keep them.

It's weird, how long things last. My iPod's lasted me 6 years. I've had friendships last 10. I've known people for 3 years. You're only in high school for four years. Yet somehow, no matter how many times it falls or it freezes, it has manged to survive. And play my music.

I guess you could say that music is an essential part of my life. Music just has the power. Its a universal thing. A thing that can be anything, mean anything to anyone. That's some powerful stuff!

The Reading Habits Tag

Hi y'all! So I recently got tagged by the lovely Holly, Quills and Ivy. So here I am listening to The 1975 doing this tag. And while i'm here talking about being tagged, i'm going to tag people. I tag Erin at Serenity Books  Jayne at Fiction The New Reality  Krystianna at Downright Dystopian. So without further ado, here are my reading habits :)





1.Do you have a certain place for reading at home?
My room for the most part, but every once in a while when I want to feel more active i'll read outside. 
2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
Neither. I like to bookmark my favorite lines or scenes as I read with random scraps of paper, so book marking doesn't really help. I usually just remember the page number. 
3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter or a certain number of pages?
I can usually just stop reading. I don't like telling myself how much i have to read because then it just feels like homework, and pretty much sucks the fun out of it. If i'm really invested in a book then i probably won't put it down unless I absolutely have to. Another fun fact is  that if there's a particularly suspenseful or frustrating or a combination of the two i have to stop reading do something else because my fangirl emotions need a break. 
4. Do you eat or drink when reading?
 NEVER. I Actually i usually forget to eat or drink or really do anything if i'm REALLY into a book. Chances are i won't leave my room at all. Plus i hate getting greasy finger prints on my books, and being the klutz I am I would be waaayyy to scared I would drop stuff on my books.
5. Do you watch TV or listen to music whilst reading?
Somtimes music. You ever find a song(s) that goes perfectly with a book? Sometimes I do and it'll just play in the background. I like doing that for no other reason than I like combing my two favorite things, books and music. Plus i feel like if the music captures the book, it just heightens all the emotions. I won't watch T.V because I either get to invested in the book and ignore the T.V or get to invested in the show i'm watching and forget about my book. 
6. One book at a time or several at once?
One book at a time. I like dedicating myself to one book at a time because it allows me to appreciate it more. If i'm reading more than one I find myself comparing all the books to one another and I don't really enjoy what i'm reading. 
7. Reading at home or everywhere?
If possible, home, on my bed . But honestly i can read pretty much everywhere. A park bench, a store, in the car, at lunch, school, coffee shops (love this), upholstery stores (i've actually done this). 
8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?I 
In my head. Unless its a text book in which case i like reading that in my head sometimes and other times out loud in a British accent. 
9. Do you ever read ahead or skip pages?
I have skipped pages before, but I don't do it often. I usually do it if there's like pages long descriptions of things i don't feel are necessary. 
Ex) New Moon. I skipped a lot of pages because a lot of the pages and chapters where simply "I miss Edward" and i didn't need more than one page to understand that Bella missed Edward
10. Breaking the spine or keeping it new?
I don't like breaking the spine, but I kinda like having my books a little worn because you can tell they've been read. 
11. Do you write in your books?
No, but I sometimes write on random pieces of paper when I bookmark my favorite quotes. 
12. What are you currently reading?
I'm currently reading Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn't Fly by Stephen Graham Jones.
Imma start reading Broken by Tanille Edwards.

Also check out my interview with the lovely Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian: My Interview