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This one is mine :

The ENFP personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike Explorers, they are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd.

Test Yourself :)

Find Your Personality

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Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Rating: Five stars

Sara's review:

Author Morgan Matson’s debut novel, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, tells the story of one girl’s journey to self discovery. The novel is told in a traditional narrative including scrapbook sections with keepsakes from the road. Morgan Matson lives in Venice, California and is a road-trip veteran; she has driven cross-country three times. Matson used her own road experience to write Amy and Roger’s story.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour takes readers on a unique tour throughout the United States. So grab the snacks, buckle up, and get ready to take off with Amy and Roger for a trip of a lifetime.

The novel begins with summer vacation three months after Amy Curry’s father dies. Amy has a less than ideal home situation - her family has split itself across the continent. Amy is directed to travel from California to the East Coast in the family car. Amy is supposed to meet with her mother, who has been living apart from Amy while Amy finished up school. Amy’s mom enlists Roger, an older boy that Amy used to play with when she was younger, to assist her on the road trip to her new home. The two are set up with hotel reservations, money, and a specific plan from Amy's mother on how to travel across the US in four days.  However, Amy decides to step out of her comfort zone and not follow her mother’s plan. Amy and Roger select a path through the states to deal with personal issues in each of their lives including stops to see old friends.

The personal growth in this book is exceptional, both Amy and Roger learn new things about themselves and each other along the way. Amy transforms from an aloof girl drowning in guilt to one who comes out of her shell and finds happiness in life.  Their relationship is different than most seen in young adult contemporary romance, instead of having an instant relationship; Amy and Roger develop gradually with mounting attraction.

Amy and Roger meet quite a few people on their journey. Each and every one of Matson's characters had a story allowing readers to form a connection.                One of my favorite parts of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour is the setup. Each chapter begins with a quote relating to the state of moment they were in. Then, after the two visit each state, there is a scrapbook section consisting of playlists, scrapbook-style layouts of pictures, and handwritten notes.  The playlists, mostly created by Roger, are carefully created to match the mood of the trip. Most readers are familiar with the songs, and those who are not will find themselves discovering new favorite bands. These elements add to the realistic element of the story: you are made to feel as if the road trip actually took place.

To me, the most interesting part of the book was that Amy and Roger get to visit Kentucky. It was hilarious to observe them fighting over how to pronounce “Louisville” and reading about their love of sweet tea and Waffle House. Aside from that, the adventures they go  through are fun and memorable.  Amy and Roger travel to Yosemite, drive on the Loneliest Road in America and hike a pair of sneakers on a tree along the way, visit Graceland and graffiti the wall and more.

            Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is one of the most touching and entertaining, books I have read. Despite the serious issues it addresses, it is never downbeat; it’s bittersweet and humorous in just the right places. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoy a realistic witty fictional journey. 

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How To Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

How To Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Rating: Five stars

Sara's review:

Natalie Standiford’s strange and wacky novel How to Say Goodbye in Robot made a big splash in the young adult genre. How to Say Goodbye in Robot is the story of Bea and Jonah who form a special kind of love, which is not seen in everyday literature. How to Say Goodbye in Robot does not follow the ordinary recipe of boy falls for girl then boy and girl automatically become a couple; a whole other route is taken. Standiford, author of the popular Space Dog and Dating Game series, and other chapter books and teen novels, has concocted the perfect blend of humor, quirkiness, and brutal honesty to create a unique novel.

The main character, Beatrice (or Bea), constantly moves around the country due to her parent’s troubled relationship. Luckily, her senior year may provoke an end to the constant move, as Bea and her family make one last stop in Baltimore. The new private school she goes to is small, making her status as the new girl well known. Bea meets the mysterious Jonah known as Ghost Boy. Jonah is the school outsider, who mostly keeps to himself, and no one really understands why. Beatrice sets her mind on becoming friends with him; she sees something in him nobody else seems to notice.

Beatrice quickly takes on the persona of Robot Girl as a result of her family pressures that leave her struggling to show her emotions, afraid to grow attached to people and places, and left believing she is actually the cold, emotionless person everyone thinks she has become. When reading interactions between Beatrice and Jonah, you almost feel like you are intruding on a private conversation.  The chemistry Bea and Jonah progresses throughout the pages. The two do not show their love through make out sessions and mush; it is more hard core feelings.  Personally, the novel reminded me how emotional connections are more important than physical ones are. The protagonists have so many flaws and complications, but that is what makes them so good for each other. What makes their relationship so different is that they are more than friends, not lovers, but they certainly each fill a hole in the others' lives.

Every character has a distinct personality. Personally, my favorite characters are the characters on the Night Life show. The Night Life Show is a radio special where insomniacs interact and help each other.  I enjoyed the radio show; it was hilarious and fun to "listen in" to. Bea’s mother was another standout character, her obsession with chickens and getting "sick" all the time made her an entertaining character. She easily fit in with the rest of the quirky cast of the book. Readers are able to form a quick connection with each character, and in the end, you become so attached to Bea and Jonah it is hard to part with them.

The writing is something readers might have to adjust to; it is formed of short sentences and quick thoughts. But the writing instantly captivates readers, allowing How to Say Goodbye in Robot to be a fast read. The novel is not a fluffy romance, but a serious, and quite hard to put in one specific category.

I personally have mixed feelings about the ending because it is almost indescribable. Readers are left feeling a bit heartbroken, but certainly touched. How to Say Goodbye in Robot takes an ordinary plot of a not so ordinary girl moving to a new town, and twists it into something completely new. The book presents a mix of unique character, roll on the floor laughing moments, and a special kind of love.  How to Say Goodbye in Robot is a book that should be on everybody’s reading list. 

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compassio:

(by Flo de Rosnay)

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bookmania:

Wall quote in The Bookshop located in Wigtown, Scotland. (via bookoasis; photo by Alex H Wolf)

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rachellah:

storybook lovers by i-ray on Flickr.