Search This Blog

Friday, July 21, 2017

24-Hour Read-a-Thon

I've been seeing these 24-hour Read-a-thon's all over the place and I thought they looked incredibly fun and I wanted to join in. So, fully stocked with yummy iced coffee, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, my reading glasses for when my eyes get tired, and plenty of water...I'm ready to do this!




* It is 5:00 pm on Friday, July 21st. I have officially started my Read-a-thon. As I type this I am currently listening to the audio book of 'Talking as Fast as I Can' by Lauren Graham. I only have about 20 minutes left on this one, but it's still reading!

Up next I'm going to jump into 'The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue' by Mackenzi Lee. I'm only about 60 pages in and I look forward to finishing this fun and funny story. I'll keep updating as I go along :0)


* It is now 8:36 pm and I'm only at page 231 in Gentleman's Guide. This book is dragging and wordy and I really wish more were happening at this point. Feeling this way at almost halfway through isn't giving me a lot of hope. I'm going to put this one down right now, because if I keep trying it will be the only thing I read this whole 24-hours.

I think I'm actually going to pick up a graphic novel, next. I just got 'Spell on Wheels' in the mail today and I'm really excited to read it.


* Took a short break to make myself some dinner. It was buffalo shrimp and it was delicious. Just before eating I finished Spell on Wheels and I loved it! I need more, which makes it extra sad that I couldn't find any evidence that they are going to make any more of them.

Now I'm trying to choose between 'Throwing My Life Away' by Liz Czukas, 'It Happened One Doomsday' by Laurence MacNaughton, and 'Matchpoint' by Elise Sax.


* It's 7:42 am and I just woke up. I only ended up making it until just after 1 am last night, then I crashed hard. I finally decided on 'Matchpoint' and read 60 pages before I passed out. It's the second in the series of these mystery/romance books and I'm definitely enjoying it. It's got a lot of humor, but there is also murder. So, you know, it balances. Hopefully, now that I'm well rested, I should be able to fly through the rest of this in a couple of hours and pick up my next book!


* It's 12:27 pm. I just finished 'Matchpoint' and I forgot how funny this series is. It's been ages since I read the first one and this one was just as good. I took a break for food (Kodiak Cakes, those things are the best!) and such for a little bit this morning. As much as I love reading, it seems my attention span for just sitting and reading constantly, is not very long. I had to walk around and find people to talk to. It helped. Only 4 1/2 hours left in my 24 hours, so I'll be picking something else up and depending on length I might be able to finish it :0)



* 5 pm on Saturday, I made it! I read a 'Spell on Wheels' (which I loved), 'Throwing My Life Away' (this was super cute and I adored it), and 'Matchpoint' (funny and I will likely pick up the next one in the future). I finished the audiobook of 'Talking as Fast as I Can' (and it was amazing!) and read almost halfway into 'The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue' (which I'm not sure when I'll actually get to finishing). Total page count is 913 pages.

This was really fun, but also tested my patience. Apparently I am not good at doing things consistently for many hours at a time, but I'm pretty proud of what I did end up reading and I think I am up to doing one of these again in the future!

Saturday, July 1, 2017

June Book Haul + July TBR :0)



What I Got 
+ 
What I'm Reading





June Book Haul:

Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein [Review]
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
The Astonishing Mistakes of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone
Altar of Bones by Philip Carter
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde




July TBR:

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
God Save the Queen by Kate Locke
Throwing my Life Away by Liz Czukas
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Perfect Ten by L. Philips
Switched by Amanda Hocking
It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton




What books did everyone else pick up in June? What's everyone planning to read this month?

Friday, June 30, 2017

Mid Year Book Freak Out

I've been seeing this tag all over booktube and was really into it. I don't have a booktube channel, but I DO have a book blog, so I figured I could work with that. Technically it is a tag, and technically no one has actually tagged me for this, but I really like it and want to do it anyway. With the internet anything is achievable :0)

So far in 2017 I have read 40 books, which has already surpassed my Goodreads goal for the year and, at the rate I've been reading, I think I might be able to hit 80 before the year is up! This is my first attempt at a tag, though it's not my first go at a book round up sort of thing, so I think we'll be okay. Here goes nothing!




1. BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2017?


I had so much trepidation going into this book and I don't really know why, but in the end it didn't matter, because this book knocked it out of the park for me. I loved the characters, I loved the story, and I LOVED the circus!


2. BEST SEQUEL OF 2017 SO FAR?


I've only read three sequels this year and none of them really wowed me, but of the three P.S. I Still Love You was definitely the front runner.


3. NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO?


This one may be cheating a little bit, since I already have this on my kindle and have read the first couple of chapters, but of the June releases this is the one I am most excited about!


4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF THE SECOND HALF OF 2017?


Adorable title, adorable cover, and a premise that is totally up my alley. I cannot wait to get into this one!


5. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?


I picked this one up almost immediately after reading and enjoying the heck out of the first book in the series, but this one just didn't work for me. It didn't really hold my interest and I almost didn't even finish it. The series had such a strong start for me, but after reading this one I'm not so eager to read through the rest right away.


6. BIGGEST SURPRISE?


I had an audiobook credit I needed to use and this popped up on my recommended list. I decided to give it a go, but I wasn't really expecting much. Well I was very pleasantly surprised. I loved the crap out of this book and promptly purchased the adorable paperback copy as well as the sequel, which I plan to read very soon!


7. FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR (DEBUT OR NEW TO YOU) ?


This book was awesome! I had never read anything by C.B. Lee before, but I am such a fan now and I can't wait for the second book to come out!


8. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH?


Oliver Flagg, be still my heart!



9. NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER?


Coco Chanel Jones, hands down! I dare anyone to read this book and not fall in love with Coco Chanel Jones. She is sassy, fierce, and fabulous. I think she needs her own book!


10. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?


I think this one is kind of a no brainer.


11. BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?


I know I said Oliver was my newest crush, but I kind of have two, and Lincoln is the other one. He wasn't the only thing I loved about this book, though. Anise, her best friends, her dad, and her cousins all made this such a wonderful book and I was all smiles when I turned that last page!


12. FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION YOU’VE SEEN THIS YEAR?


I've seen a couple of adaptations this year, but this was definitely my favorite so far!


13. FAVORITE REVIEW YOU’VE WRITTEN THIS YEAR?


I loved this book and in turn I loved writing a review for it. Spies, lies, and guys loving guys (what could be better? Or rhymed in a more delightfully cheesy way?)


14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU BOUGHT OR RECEIVED SO FAR THIS YEAR?


For obvious reasons... *swoon*


15. WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?


And The Magicians series by Lev Grossman!


A lot of great books so far this year, so not so much, but I can't wait to see what's to come the rest of this year :0)















Coming Up For Air by Miranda Kenneally


Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: July 4th, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

*eGalley provided by publisher for honest opinion*


Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win?



Miranda Kenneally has been a favorite of mine since I read Catching Jordan years ago. To this day, Catching Jordan is my favorite of her books, but Coming Up for Air is a close second for me. I loved how this story, which I heard is the last one in the Hundred Oaks series, kind of mirrors Jordan's story. Once I turned the last page it definitely felt like we came full circle. 

I'm such a fan of best friends to more romances, and even before they started the more stuff, I loved the relationship between Maggie and Levi. They were so fun and adorable together. Everyone should be so lucky to have such an awesome best friend. This one revolves around the sport of swimming, and I know next to nothing about competitive swimming, so it was cool to learn a little bit while I was reading. I had no idea it was so intense. Competitive swimmers have some serious dedication.

This was another Miranda Kenneally win for me. Loved the whole story and the epilogue at the end!

Monday, June 12, 2017

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone


Publisher: Redhook
Release Date: October 20th, 2015

If it were up to me this book would be called Hilarious Things That Happened That Were Not At All Dahlia's Fault -- or HTTHTWNAADF, for short.


OK, I probably shouldn't have taken money from a mysterious eccentric to solve a theft, given that I'm not a detective, and that I am sometimes outwitted by puzzles in children's video games. I probably shouldn't have stolen bags of trash from a potential murder suspect. Arguably-- just arguably, mind you-- it may have been unwise to cos-play at an event where I was likely to be shot at.


But sometimes you just have to take some chances, right? And maybe things do get a little unfortunate. What of it? If you ask me, an unfortunate decision here or there can change your life. In a positive way, just so long you don't killed in the process. Admittedly, that's the tricky bit.


I picked this one up on a whim. I've been taken with mysteries as of late and this one had the added draw of geekiness and laughs, so I decided to give it a go and I loved it. Dahlia Moss is hilarious. I genuinely laughed out loud throughout the story and was thoroughly charmed by Dahlia and the other characters that popped up all over her world. 

I don't personally have any experience playing an MMORPG,because of this, and the fact that a large part of this story revolves around such a game, I was a little concerned it would affect my enjoyment of the story. It did not. In fact, I particularly enjoyed hearing about the world of Zoth and how these games unfold. Dahlia comes across a lot of people during her time playing detective and they were all so darn entertaining. I was especially charmed by Dahlia's roommate Charice. I never knew what she was going to come up with next, but it was always hilarious and oftentimes very helpful. And she had some of the best lines. 

I don't know if I'm completely sold on the romantic direction this series seems to be taking, but that may also have something to do with the fact that I was hoping for an endlessly awkward law enforcement office to get his moment in the sun. I refuse to give up hope. There is still time!

I actually listened to this one on audio book and it was a phenomenal listen. The narrator did a fantastic job with all of the characters and I'm sure her delivery contributed in large part to all of those times I laughed out loud. I haven't decided if I'm going listen to book two or read it, but I did order physical copies of both books, because I need to have them around for subsequent re-reads. 

Go forth and follow along as Dahlia tries to uncover the 'Bejeweled Spear of Inifinite Piercing'!


*Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman


Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: May 2nd, 2017

*I received an e-copy via Netgalley for an honest opinion


Anise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn. But when a serious car wreck leaves her aunt, a single mother of three, with two broken legs, it forces Anise to say goodbye for the first time to Santa Cruz, the waves, her friends, and even a kindling romance, and fly with her dad to Nebraska for the entire summer. Living in Nebraska isn’t easy. Anise spends her days caring for her three younger cousins in the childhood home of her runaway mom, a wild figure who’s been flickering in and out of her life since birth, appearing for weeks at a time and then disappearing again for months, or even years, without a word.

Complicating matters is Lincoln, a one-armed, charismatic skater who pushes Anise to trade her surfboard for a skateboard. As Anise draws closer to Lincoln and takes on the full burden and joy of her cousins, she loses touch with her friends back home – leading her to one terrifying question: will she turn out just like her mom and spend her life leaving behind the ones she loves



I loved that this book was, at it's heart, about family and what it means. Anise could be completely bratty and self-centered at times, but when it really came down to it she was there for her family. She came to learn that everything isn't just about her, but that there are other people whose feelings and needs matter. Since she has always lived in the same place, I think it was really great to see her plopped in the middle of somewhere completely foreign to her and watch her figure out a little more about herself and about life. I also really appreciated the fact that her mom never showed up in the book. I think that would have been too cliché and unrealistic, but even though she never came, I like that we got to see Anise sort out her relationship with her mother and come to terms with it in some ways. I loved the attention shown to the importance of friendships and being there for people, even when it's not the easiest choice to make. There were definitely times that Anise didn't always make the right choice, at least initially, but she did a lot of growing up during this story and it was an awesome thing to read.

The romance in this was absolutely adorable and Lincoln is one of the best characters I have read in a contemporary YA novel. I loved his attitude and the way he took on life despite the curve balls it has thrown him along the way. He is just an all around nice guy, but not in that boring way nice guys can sometimes be portrayed in books and movies. He is funny and spontaneous and here to take on life. Anise definitely grew from the short time she knew him in this novel, and I feel like she will grow to become an even better person for having him in her life.

Contemporaries are a favorite of mine, but even so, I can still get pretty critical. Especially when stories just start sounding like different shades of the same basic premise. That was not a problem with Girl Out of Water. It felt new and exciting, and I had so much fun reading it. Definitely recommend!



*Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads

Friday, June 2, 2017

Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein



Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

*I was sent a copy of the book by the author for review*

June wants high school to end and real life to begin. Oliver is soaking up senior year’s glory days. They could have coasted through high school, knowing about—but not really knowing—each other.

Except that their moms have arranged for Oliver to drive June to school. Every. Single. Day.

Suddenly these two opposites are fighting about music, life . . . pretty much everything. But love is unpredictable. When promises—and hearts—get broken, Oliver and June must figure out what really matters. And then fight for it.

I adored this book. I was hooked by the synopsis and then heard countless people raving over how great of a contemporary it was, so when I got the chance to pick it up and give it a go I was so excited. One of the things that stood out to me right away was Oliver. From things we get from June, we think Oliver is going to be a high school jock stereotype, but right from the beginning he shows that there is definitely more to him than that. I guess for me, it made him seem like more of a real person. He had substance. Of course, June wasn't exactly her stereotype, either. It took a little longer to get that out of her, but the more time Oliver and June spent together, riding to school or otherwise, the more we got to see their common ground.

I loved how Oliver would keep bringing his ideas for a senior prank to June, and how she would keep explaining to him how it wasn't a good idea because it could harm someone or something. The two of them had the cutest banter and conversations on their rides to school. Oh man, the prank that the senior class finally decided on, so damn cool! I don't even remember if my senior class pulled a prank, but if we didn't it was nowhere near as awesome as this one, because something this cool I would have remembered.

Sure, it could be considered cliche, and sure, it's a pivotal moment in a lot of teen stories, but I love that everything kind of came to a head at prom. I am a sucker for proms. If it was socially acceptable to crash them as an adult, I might do it. I love the cheesy decorations, requesting favorite songs from the DJ, and putting on the pretty clothes. So the fact that we got to see prom and a little prom drama, I was all over that. 

I don't have anything but nice things to say about Shuffle, Repeat. I loved so many characters and loved to hate some others. It felt like real kids in a real high school and I could totally see myself hanging out with any of them. Oliver and June left me with a smile on my face and the urge to hit repeat on this one sometime soon.


*book cover and synopsis from Goodreads

Monday, May 22, 2017

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich


The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 16th, 2017
*Received advanced copy via Netgalley for review*



There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.


Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?

Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.

What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.

I love romance and I love spies, so present me with a book about two male spies tasked to win the heart of one very special girl, or die, and I am there. Hint at the possibility of the two males, competing for this one girls love, falling for each other and I am living for that story. The Love Interest had me at the book blurb and getting my hands on it became my top priority and it delivered one heck of a fun story.

Going into the book I knew what I wanted to happen and I knew what the rules of the situation the characters were in dictated, unfortunately, those two things were not interchangeable. So through the entire story I really had no idea what was going to happen in the end. Of course, this made the story that much more enjoyable, because not being able to predict everything that was going to happen made it that much more excited when it finally occurred.

I really liked the way this story poked fun at some of the most common stereotypes and tropes in romance novels. Calling them out, in the way that it did, was so much fun. You could acknowledge that, yes, this is so ridiculous and yet this character is going to fall for it anyway, but at the same time still appreciate that it's what we love about these stories.

I adore Caden. He's so naive sometimes, but he's also pretty self aware. He knows how he feels and he's pretty sure who he is as a person, even though it goes against his very purpose, but he also knows what he has to do to survive. I have to admit, Dylan took me a ride of emotions, because I kept flipping back and forth on whether or not he was trustworthy. This definitely affected how I felt about his character, but ultimately I ended up respecting him and his choices.

I am eagerly awaiting what Cale Dietrich has in store for us next and if you like spies, romance, action, satire, and having your emotions played with, I urge you to check out The Love Interest. I don't think you'll regret it!


*Cover photo and synopsis from Goodreads*

Thursday, January 19, 2017

By Your Side by Kasie West


By Your Side by Kasie West
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: January 31st, 2017
*Galley received from publisher for honest opinion*


When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.


Only he doesn’t come. No one does.



Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

I don't know about everybody else, but being trapped in a library, for a long weekend, sounds like the a dream come true. I'm pretty sure I'd be perfectly fine all alone in that library, with all of those books, but if you want to throw in a cute and broody boy, I'm good with that, too! I'm fairly new to Kasie West books, but I've had fun reading the few that I have, and this one was another fun one. 

I really liked that even though this was mostly a cute, fluffy read, it also had some real issues woven into the story. Autumn is a go-getter and a rule lover, but she also suffers from pretty serious anxiety. Being trapped anywhere isn't great for a person who suffers from anxiety, and it's made worse for Autumn because she only ran back into the library to use the restroom, so all of her stuff is in her friends trunk on the way to a party. Oh, and it's winter, so a big empty library is not exactly cozy. 

Enter the mysterious Dax, who lives in a foster home and for reasons he isn't really up to sharing, was planning to stay in the library for the weekend. Autumn doesn't know much about Dax, but considering they only have each other for the time they are stuck in there, they do get to know one another a little and start to realize maybe surface judgements don't really mean anything. 

I kind of thought, okay hoped, that the whole book would be them stuck in the library, but I'm glad we got to see Autumn and Dax outside of those walls. We got to see how their lives really were so different and it was no surprise they hadn't really known each other before, but it was also nice to see how their time trapped together played into their lives after. 

This was cute, fun, and fluffy, but also had some substance and I had a great time reading it. My favorite Kasie West book is still P.S. I Like You, but this one is absolutely worth a read :0)


*Cover Photo and Synopsis from Goodreads*

Thursday, January 12, 2017

The Pants Project by Cat Clarke



The Pants Project by Cat Clarke
Release Date: March 7th, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

*Galley provided by publisher for honest opinion*



"My name is Liv (Not Olivia)... I'm not technically a girl.


I'm Transgender. Which is a bit like being a transformer. Only not quite as cool as cool because I probably won't get to save the world one day."

A Transformer is a robot in disguise. Liv is a boy in disguise. It's that simple. Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy, but with his new school's terrible dress code, he can't even wear pants. Only skirts.

Operation: Pants Project begins! The only way for Liv to get what he wants is to go after it himself. But to Liv, this isn't just a mission to change the policy- it's a mission to change his life. And that's a pretty big deal.


This was fantastic! Liv was charming, flawed, funny, confused, and so full of heart. I think it's really important for kids this age to have books about these types of topics, whether it's something they are going through themselves or not. In my opinion, this book in particular is great because Liv is such a relatable character. He truly is just a regular kid who gets in fights with his little brother, acts bratty toward his parents, and has to deal with immature classmates. Deep down he is just trying to figure out who he is and how to be that person, which I think is true for all of us at one point or another.

I adored all of the scenes with Liv's family and thought it was really great that we got to see how big of a role they played in his life, and how much they just wanted Liv to be happy. Whether you have two moms, two dads, or a mom and a dad, parents are parents and Liv's were really fantastic. They love their kids for exactly who they are and that's really the best any kid can ask for in their lives. And don't get me started on Liv's little brother, Enzo, that kid cracked me up. 

I think my favorite thing in the book, though, was the friendship between Liv and Jacob. At first Jacob seems like your typical popular kid, but that is so far from the truth. Jacob didn't have time for mean kids or their games and he was just so good at letting it all roll off. Once we really get to know him, I don't think there was any point in the story that made me doubt how good of a person Jacob truly is.

This is definitely a worthwhile read. And I'm not going to lie, it made me cry a couple of times, but it was good crying :0)



*Book cover and synopsis from Goodreads


Thursday, January 5, 2017

2016 End of Year Book Survey :0)











This wonderful survey was created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner and I thought it might be fun to give it a go this year :0)




Number Of Books You Read: 75
Number of Re-Reads: 1
Genre You Read The Most From: It was a pretty even split between Romance and YA


best-YA-books-2014


1. Best Book You Read In 2016?

I'm going to do two books, but they are from different genres. One is romance, which I read all the time, and the other is a thriller, which I barely ever read.

'You' by Caroline Kepnes
'When Joss Met Matt' by Ellie Cahill

I absolutely loved both of these! 'You' took me completely by surprise and it's a little love/hate, because I felt pretty terrible about loving a character that is actually such a horrible person...haha. 'When Joss Met Matt' was just adorable and funny and so wonderful!


2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

'Every Heart a Doorway' by Seanan McGuire. The premise on this was absolutely amazing and there were things about the actual story that lived up to some of my expectations, but over all I was very underwhelmed by this story. I may still pick up the next installment, but I probably won't rush to it.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I've actually got two here, as well. I read both 'Illuminae' and 'Simon vs. the Homosapien's Agenda' in 2015 and spent a large part of 2016 bugging people to read them both, because I absolutely adored each of them.

 5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?

I started 'The Bone Season' by Samantha Shannon in 2016 and I am pumped to read the next books in the series. It was such an interesting world and I am so curious to see where it goes. The best series ender I read in 2016 was 'Sweet Reckoning' by Wendy Higgins. That books worked for me 100%, I don't think I had any complaints about how this series wrapped up.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?

Ellie Cahill (aka Liz Czukas)! I've actually got a couple of her books on my shelves, but I never read her until this year. If all of her books are as adorable as the first one I read, sign me up!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I don't love historical fiction and I rarely read anything that is even the slightest bit historical. However, I have found that if I listen to historical fiction novels I seem to enjoy them more. That said, I listened to 'The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August' and really enjoyed it.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Hands down 'You' by Caroline Kepnes. This book made me feel weird things about myself and gave me all kind of crazy emotions, but I loved it and *cringe* I loved Joe.

 9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

 This one is  a tie between a couple of 2017 releases and 'When Joss Met Matt' by Ellie Cahill.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?

 I was kind of underwhelmed by the book itself, but I LOVED the cover for 'Carry On' by Rainbow Rowell.

11. Most memorable character of 2016?

 Broken record, thy name is Sarah, but my most memorable character is definitely Joe Goldberg from 'You' by Caroline Kepnes.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?

 'The Wall of Winnipeg and Me' by Mariana Zapata. This sucker is huge, but I could not stop reading and never got bored.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?

 'Wrecked' by Maria Padian was such a thought provoking book. It gave such an interesting take on perspective and packed some pretty powerful insights.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?

Shortest was 'Fortunately, the Milk...' by Neil Gaiman (160 pages)
Longest was 'The Wall of Winnipeg and Me' by Mariana Zapata (673 pages)

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

I may be the only one who was surprised by this, and perhaps it was because I listened to the audio instead of reading, but I did not see the plot twist coming in 'Everything, Everything' by Nicola Yoon.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Garrett and Wellsy from 'The Deal' by Elle Kennedy. This was my one re-read for this year and I still love them. They are my favorite couple of the Off Campus series.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Devon and Foster from 'First & Then' by Emma Mills, in fact, toss in Foster and Ezra from the same book. This all comes down to Foster. That kid was all kinds of amazing. I love him!

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

'The Upside of Unrequited' by Becky Albertalli. This one doesn't come out for quite some time, but her debut last year was one of my favorites and this sophomore novel did not disappoint.

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

'Spontaneous' by Aaron Starmer. The person who recommended this to me was actually a publicist at ALA Annual. I had not previously even heard about this book and they had a shelf of them sitting in their booth and I basically was all 'Holy yellow cover, batman' to my best friend and the publicist heard me and kindly came over to explain it was a YA about spontaneous combustion and that it was awesome. She had me at spontaneous combustion.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?

 Porter Roth from 'Alex, Approximately' by Jenn Bennett. I still just really want to snuggle him.

23. Best 2016 debut you read?

 Umm...I don't think I actually read any 2016 debuts in 2016...shame on me.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?


25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

 'P.S. I Like You' by Kasie West. Secret pen pals for the win!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?

 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

 'Mothership' by Martin Leicht & Elsa Neal. This was a completely random read for me this year, but it was so silly and charming.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

 'Catch a Tiger by the Tail' by Charlie Cochet. That ending, oh my heart!

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?

 I'll say 'Nimona' by Noelle Stephenson, because it was the only graphic novel I read this year.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

'Dark Matter' by Blake Crouch. Not because I didn't enjoy the book, but because in the end what I wanted to happen isn't what was in the book...



looking-ahead-books-2015



1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?

'Six of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo. I actually started this one (barely) in 2016, but for all kinds of reasons, I didn't finish it. I am actually planning to read it and the sequel 'Crooked Kingdom' this year.


2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)?

 'By Your Side' by Kasie West, because I only read her for the first time in 2016, but she makes my contemporary loving heart so happy.

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

 I cannot only pick one, but I could answer this question with huge list, so I will choose two from all the ones I am eagerly awaiting.

'The Love Interest' by Cale Dietrich and 'My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen' by David Clawson. Eeeep!!

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017?

 'Thick & Thin' by Charlie Cochet

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?

 Get more active in blogging, start participating in some weekly features again, and more consistenly reviewing all of those books I'm reading.

6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

'Geekerella' by Ashley Poston. This book spoke to my geeky little heart so, so much. I adored it and want to live in it, and it has inspired me to get my butt back to MegaCon again this year :0)

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Top Ten 2017 Debuts I am So Stoked to Read!



Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's topic: Top Ten 2017 Debuts I'm Excited For



And Now for the Books.....


1. The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich This is essentially everything I could possibly imagine wanting in a book. At least from what I can gather with the synopsis. I cannot wait to get my hands on this beauty!



2. My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen by David Clawson This book. It sounds quirky and fantastic. I am all in for some fairy godmother wisdom!



3. Perfect Ten by L. Phillips I will admit, I was initially drawn to this book because of the unicorn on the cover, but once I read the synopsis I knew this was absolutely my type of book. I absolutely adore quirky m/m romance.



4. Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts Quite different from my previous picks, but I have found myself drawn to fantasy more and more each year and I love the idea of a story following the bastard children of royals.



5. Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman Real talk, I've actually already read this one, but it was one of my most anticipated and it didn't let me down. I can't wait for my finished copy.



6. A List of Cages by Robin Roe I have heard so many amazing things about this book and I am always on board for a good family focused story.



7. Final Girls by Riley Sager I don't read a lot of horror/thriller novels, but something about this one just spoke to me. I will likely be reading in the daytime with all the lights one...just saying.



8. Shadow Run by Adrianne Strickland They had me at 'Firefly'. I dig a good sci-fi and this one promises lots of action.



9. Dreadnought by April Daniels I only just found out about this book and I have already pre-ordered it. Thank goodness it comes out at the end of this month. I am so here for a story about a girl who gets super powers after she sees a super hero die. So cool!



10. City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson This book sounds so unique. I like the vengeance angle and I'm curious to see how it all plays out.





I am really feeling so many of these LGBTQ+ debuts we've got coming our way this year. I only really got into this genre within the last year or so. I never read it because in a lot of ways I wasn't really exposed to much of it, but it also felt a little out of my comfort zone. A friend urged me to read one of their favorites a couple of years back and now LGBTQ+ are some of my favorite reads. I am so glad we've got so many wonderful sounding options coming out this year. 

What is everyone else looking forward to in debuts for this year?!?



Cover images from Goodreads











LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...