Book Review: Why Me?; By Sarah Burleton

rate } ♠♠♠♠
genre } non-fiction | biography | child abuse
release day } 27th September 2010
publisher } Kindle
format } e-book
isbn } B0044UHV9U
pages } -
source } bought
age group } pg 13+
interest } young adult | adults
challenge }
Buy @ Amazon.com | Nolly Book | D BookHaus

Why Me?
By Sarah Burleton

Via Goodreads
In the blink of an eye, Mom ran up behind me and pushed me into the fence. Instinctively, I reached out my arms to stop my fall and ended up grabbing the live fence. My hands clamped around the thin wires, and my body collapsed to the ground as the electricity coursed through it. I opened my eyes and saw my mother standing over me with the strangest smile on her face. “Oh, my God, I’m going to die!” I thought in panic.
Imagine never being able to close your eyes and remember the feel of your mother’s arms wrapped around you. Now imagine closing your eyes and remembering your mother’s tears splashing down on your face as she is on top of you, crying as she is trying to choke you to death. My mother left me these memories and many more during my traumatic childhood. After many years of struggling with trying to understand “Why Me?” I took back control of my life and started saying, “It was me, now what am I going to do?” The answer is my book, “Why Me?”. It is my childhood journey through the terrors of physical and mental abuse from first grade until the day I moved out. It is my way of letting the world know what was really going on behind closed doors.

My 2 Cents
The only reason I've picked up this book was... the reference Amazon Kindle was giving out via my account. (after reading The Child called It) I was in a what to read next dilemma since I was reading the last book through like a breeze. I couldn't just ignore the eyes on the cover.

So first impression was.. What the hell? Another memoir of a mother willing to beat her kid senseless? Not just physical, but emotional and mentally as well. She was also taught to shoplift. Her mother lied to destroy her socially as well. What irked me was when she gave her mother a second chance and her Mother just blew that one too. I didn't get how she won't take the way out, but I guess she was in a deep dilemma. Hardly anybody believe her, and with the ones who do, are just helpless.

Emotions aside...This book felt emotionally detached regardless it being a memoir of what was an abused child. Maybe she wished to just get through the book done and over with, I guess. It was a fast read.. but I ended up thinking she's way too focus on her everyday beating. Somehow keeping anything else in arm's length.

Overall, I hope the best for Sarah Burleton.

Btw: I found out there’s a sequel for this, “What It Is”; and I have started reading it. So far, all the absence of emotions has been showing up in this book.

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Book Review: Delia's Crossing (The Delia Series, No 1) by; VC Andrews

Delia's Crossing (The Delia Series, No 1)
by; VC Andrews

KIDNAPPED BY CRUEL FATE...

Secuestrado por sino cruel

After her parents are killed in a truck accident, Delia Yebarra's life is turned upside down. At fifteen, she leaves the rural Mexican village where she grew up and embarks on a new life in America. Coming to her wealthy aunt Isabella's huge estate in Palm Springs, California, should be a dream come true for a simple country girl like Delia -- so why does it feel like a nightmare?

A PRISONER OF DESTINY...
Un preso del destino

Her aunt refuses to acknowledge Delia's heritage, relegating her to servants' quarters with a licentious language tutor intent on exploiting a beautiful young foreigner. Her cousin Edward is kind, but cousin Sophia is cruel, manipulative, and resentful of Delia's smoky Latina looks. And just when Delia tries to embrace the life of a real American girl, a heartbreaking chain of events sends her spiraling back to a Mexico she hardly recognizes.... Will Delia find a place to call home?

Family saga | Mystery & Thrillers { genre
18 SX { rating
September 30, 2008 { date released
Pocket Star (432 Pages) { edition
Best Eastern { acquisition
Amazon.com { purchase @

Why exactly I picked out this book?
It has been a while since I have been reading V.C Andrews stuff, So I thought I just give it a wizz since these new Delia series are out and on sale. Yeah Yeah I know these stuff are written by her ghostwriters now but they are still as great.

My Thoughts ♠♠♠♠♠ ♥

This book spent a little time in my TBR piles, which shows how impatient I am when it comes to read this articular author for me. This book orbits around the character name Delia, who lost her parents at the beginning of the book while she was in the middle of class, which is the turning point of her life. Her grandmother couldn't take care of her, and surprisingly, her mother's sister, Delia's Tia Isabella offered to take her into her own care.

Migrating to America, Delia found out she has two cousins, namely Edward and Sophia. Edward is the kind one, and Sophia is the one who tries to make her life a living hell. Moving into a rich place, rich relative, Delia should be well off right? Nope! Her Tia Isabella doesn't really welcome her much into the family. Misfortunes after misfortunes follows her around, like the evil eye.

I love the plots, and I love the quotes within this book. The characters are lovable and hate-tables, which shows how into the book I was in reading it. I also love the cover. The plots are fast and really pulls you in once you've started reading. I have a hard time putting this book down when I have to do somethings.

Oh yeah.. due to the Spanish in this book, I have gone back to loving the Spanish talk =D

Would I recommend it? Yes! Absolutely!

Librarian Muse
Ok.. I need to correct a mistake some librarians have with VC Andrews books. Her books DO NOT belong in school libraries! Yes they are popular, but it is NOT suitables in any High school or elementary school libraries. Get it to your head! Why? Incest and Sexual nature of it. Yes, she is popular, but NO! do not have ANY VC Andrews in your school library! It however belongs in a public library though. Her books are just too great to not be in a library! ♥♥♥

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Book Review: The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1); By Lemony Snicket

rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
genre } teens | children | young adult | fantasy | mystery | dark humor
release day } 1st December 2000
publisher } Scholastic, Inc
format } hardback
isbn } 9780439206471
pages } 162 pg.
source } bought
age group } pg 13
interest } young adult | teens
challenge }
Buy @ Amazon.com | Nolly Book | D BookHaus

The Bad Beginning
(A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) By; Lemony Snicket

Via GoodReads Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
My 2 Cents Written not just for kids, but it’s an enjoyable book for any audience of all ages, this is a beginning of a different sort of children's literature. No goblins, no boogeyman, no ghost nor monster lurking under the bed. But mostly, telling a story of a harsh reality base fiction about 3 suddenly orphaned Baudelaires children; namely Violet (Inventor), Klaus (Bookworm, Brains) & Sunny (Biter).

Kids would love this. Adults would be appalled reading this but they would still read this. Reluctant readers would also love this book. It has all the ingredients they need.
It began with the horrible news regarding the demised of their parents in a weird fire that burnt down their house, leaving them with a fortune that's not spendable until Violet, the eldest, reach the age of 18. Mr Poe, is the one in charge of them until he found a guardian for the kids, which came the character Count Olaf. A count and an actor, who do whatever in his power to keep them as miserable as he could until he could touch their rightful inheritance. And when I say do whatever, I meant whatever! From serving them lumpy porridges, making them do all sort of chores, repairing the Count's manor and to wed the eldest child, Violet.

I have fallen in love with this series, and I couldn’t wait to start reading the next book. I was actually reading a breeze through this book. Lemony Snicket knew how to exactly pick on your emotions through his writing. I feel sorry for the kids and I do wish for their safety. (Yes… I’m officially emo with this book.) 

Oh! Heads up! This book is depressing. Darkly depressing. Count Olaf is an incredibly.. annoying and evil.

Another feature of this series would be the introducing of advance vocabulary for the kids, alongside its meaning into the context. It would be a great learning tool for any parents who would like to introduce some major words for their kids, without pulling out a dictionary.

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