Weekly Wrap-up | June.25.2017

June 25, 2017June 25, 201721 Comments

Weekly posts

Audiobook Monday | June.19.2017

Book Review | Wuthering Heights

Top 10 Tuesday | Top 10 Series I’ve Been Meaning To Start But Haven’t

Roar | Why I Loved the Romance

I’ve Been Nominated | Blogger Recognition Award

First Lines Friday | I wait for the police in the study …

Currently reading

The Copper Promise (The Copper Cat #1) by Jen Williams

I continued reading The Copper Promise. It got pushed to the backburner for a while but now I am focusing on it more. I just reached the 30% mark and it is a very interesting and enjoyable read. I love Wydrin and her snark. I love the brutal stuff … AND DRAGONS! So basically ALL GREAT THINGS! I am very much looking forward to reading more of this story over the following week.

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

I literally JUST started this book! I finished a re-read of This Savage Song a few days ago and I am so ready for this book to tear me apart in all the best ways! Schwab is masterful in her writing and storytelling and this series has been no exception ❤

Hearts Are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson

I was provided a copy of this book by author Candace Robinson and so far so good. This book starts out with a very personal and heart wrenching story of loss that had me literally tearing up. I am just at the half-way mark on this story now. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this story over the next couple of days. AND LOOK AT THAT ADORIBLE COVER ❤

Wires and Nerve Vol. 1 (Wires and Nerve #1) by Marissa Meyer

I haven’t had the time to really commit to this one yet, but I have read through a few pages and flipped through the artwork. I MISS THESE KIDS SO MUCH! I have a feeling this graphic novel is going to have me re-reading The Lunar Chronicles in no time!

Finished Reading

This Savage Song (Mosters of Verity #1) by Victoria Schwab

The was a re-read in anticipation for Our Dark Duet! The first time I read this book I didn’t love it. I felt like it was lacking in that indescribable something. However, this time around had me questioning myself pretty hard because I LOVED IT! I was able to feel and experience moments I didn’t even remember from my first read through! After my first read I rated this a 3/5 stars. After my second and most recent read, I rated this 5/5 stars! I also have to mention that this series has now been entered into my BEST AUDIOBOOKS list for recommendations.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

This was my second attempt at a Kasie West book and … well … meh. I still havn’t found that perfect KW book that pulls me in and has me feeling the feels … so maybe it’s just not for me. Her books are sweet but they read a little too young for me? I don’t know. Anyway this one ended up being a 3/5 stars rating from me. It was enjoyable but sort of bland and I had an issue with the overabundance of the word “rich” and the prejudice the MC related to the term. If there had been a bit less of this, I feel like I would have enjoyed this book a lot more.

Weekly Outlook

This next week I will be finishing up a few things on my Currently Reading list and adding a whole lot of new reads to the list! I will be starting a buddy-read of Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas (FINALLY!) with the lovely Chelsea @ The Suspense is Thrilling Me (Check out her blog and most recent post!) and Solomon @ The Bookish King (check out his blog and most recent post!).

I also look forward to posting a lot of new reviews! I will be adding my bookish bestie to the blog as a guest reviewer soon which should be great! She reads more contemporary books while I tend to sway more toward the fantasy genre. I think this will be an awesome new partnership and allow me to get more reviews up on the blog in both genres. We also have a new idea for a fun conversation style buddy read review feature.

I’ll be Florida bound this Friday so I might be a little more sporadic in my posting starting then through the following week. But I will try to stay on track 🙂

As always, I wish everyone a happy and enjoyable week!

What books are you currently reading? What books did you recently finish reading? What do you have planned for the upcoming week?

I would love to hear about your week as well! Comment below!

Book Review | Fangirl

June 22, 2017June 22, 20174 Comments

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Hardcover, 438 pages

Published September 10th 2013

2.5/5 stars
Maaaaaaybe 3?
Nope … never mind … I won’t be swayed by the hype … solid 2.5 no higher

In a Word: Meh

And here we find ourselves yet again. Another hyped out of this world book that makes me question myself and my ability to enjoy books. I’m ~~not~~ sorry, but I don’t get it. *sigh*

And so, I will start this review with a short story of my own …

You know that moment when you are telling a story and suddenly realize … it’s boring as fuck? Well, some odd years ago, my friends and I (after hearing a comedian remark on the subject and coin the phrase to be mentioned) started using the phrase “… and then he stabbed him” as a means of pointing out that very moment. You know what I mean. You are going along, telling a fabulous story when you notice … nobody’s listening and … Oh shit, this story is actually really not great *insert* “… and then he stabbed him”.

Well … this is precisely how I think Rainbow Rowell should have finished this book. Just slap a big “… and then he stabbed him” on the end and done. Because this book was a snooze fest.

Honestly, there is no way I would have made it through this book if it hadn’t been an audiobook.

Continue reading →

Audiobook Monday | June.19.2017

June 19, 2017June 19, 201719 Comments

Monday is the day I get my life together … cleaning the house, grocery shopping, you know … all the boring adulting type things. So needless to say … I don’t get a lot of reading time in. Luckily I have a bit of an obsession with audiobooks which happen to be the perfect way to read and adult at the same time! So I have decided to start posting about my audio-reads on Mondays when I can.

So, what am I listening to this Monday?

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie

Release date: October 2, 2014

Duration: 06:42:15

(Goodreads Synopsis possible series spoilers):

“Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.”

Thoughts

Well … I don’t hate it … so there’s that. I did think about DNFing it a time or two though.

Honestly I just can’t stand how many times the MC says the word “rich” … which is to say “aweful”. It is obvious that there is a prejudice thing going on here and it is driving me a bit insane. I think the concept is fine … for me it is literally coming down to the quantity of times the whole rich thing is brought up. It is basically every other sentence. It’s too much. Tone it down ok. Thanks.

If that was toned down, I think I would enjoy this book a lot more. It is cute and I like this Kasie West book a lot better than By Your Side.

What are you reading today? I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below!

Weekly Wrap-up | June.17.2017

June 18, 2017June 19, 201711 Comments

Weekly Wrap-up has moved to Sunday … because poor Sunday has been a bit neglected by me.

Weekly posts

Book Review | Gemina

Audiobook Monday | June.12.2017

Mid Year Book Freak-out | Book Tag

Book Review | A Court of Thorns and Roses

Top 10 Tuesday | Top 10 Favorite Fathers in Fiction

Book Review | The Notebook

Burn, Rewrite, Reread | Book Tag

Seven Deadly Sins | Book Tag

Book Review | Everything, Everything

First Lines Friday | Victor readjusted the shovel on his shoulder …

Book Review | When Dimple Met Rishi

Saturday Morning Cartoons | Vol. 1

Currently reading

The Copper Promise (The Copper Cat #1) by Jen Williams

I continued reading The Copper Promise with a fellow GR friend and reviewer (Follow her Instagram @haileesbooksandstuff). I am enjoying this book but I have been reading through it in tiny bits at a time. But still a lot of snark, a lot of brutal stuff, and definite Indiana Jones vibes … AND DRAGONS! So basically ALL GREAT THINGS! I am very much looking forward to reading more of this story over the following week.

Hearts Are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson

I was provided a copy of this book by author Candace Robinson and so far so good. This book starts out with a very personal and heart wrenching story of loss that had me literally tearing up. I am already connected to the MC in this book and look forward to the romance (I SEE THE SHIP! I SEE IT!). I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this story over the next couple of days. AND LOOK AT THAT ADORIBLE COVER ❤

Finished Reading

R oar (Stormheart #1) by Cora Carmack

I HYPED THE FUCK OUT OF THIS BOOK! Like seriously I hyped it so hard you have no idea! If you follow me on Goodreads … then you already know! This book is so good! SO GOOD! My thoughts are all the hell over the place right now so I’m sorry for the epic fangirling. I was literally up all night last night reading this book! As in … I have not been to sleep yet and it is now 8:30am so I guess I won’t be sleeping. WORTH IT! This world is amazing, the magic system is epic, the shipping is SO FREAKING GREAT! I CRIED AND LAUGHED AND SO MUCH TENSION! Omg this is the least comprehensive paragraph even created! I have no chill right now. Oops.

This book was super refreshing for me after a sea of fantasy disappointments this year. So nice to be surprised with a new release finally! I LOVE THIS BOOK … omg I have been fangirling so hard you have no idea! askljfijeflQWTQ# UQ$EJejfiojf! 5/5 stars!!!!

Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2) by Morgan Rhodes, Michelle Rowen

This week the Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League finished reading this book. We are going to take two weeks off before starting Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3). I have not yet rated this book but somewhere in the 2.5? 2? Department?

The Black Witch (The Black Witch #1) by Laurie Forest

One of my Most Anticipated Book Releases of May 2017. I was finally able to really sit down and finish The Black Witch this week and I really enjoyed it! Like it was so good! This book has a slow build plot and a character driven plot, but these happen to be things that I like. It takes a while for anything substantial to happen, but there are definitely more subtle things building throughout as you read. This story is extremely well written and really well developed! Intricate world building, intricate political structure, intricate character relationships, and really heavy and important topics … all in a story of friendship and college and shippy goodness. There has been a lot of recent controversy over this book, and from my own experience and research, this controversy has been completely misrepresented and unwarranted. I will be working on my extremely long and detailed review of this book this week … so be prepared! I gave this book 4.5/5 stars … maybe even 5/5.

When Dimple met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

One of my Most Anticipated Book Releases of May 2017, this book is full of cute interactions and cultural discussions which I did enjoy, but overall I ended up not loving this book. It wasn’t terrible, but the plot fell super flat for me. And … I had some rants. You can read my review for a more in-depth account of my likes and dislikes. I gave this book 2/5 stars.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I listened to this book as an audiobook this week while doing things around the house. The narrators I thought did a really good job, but at the end of the day … I simply did not connect to this story in a positive way. I had a lot of issues with the plot and I just didn’t care about the characters at all. You can read my review for a more in-depth look at my likes and dislikes. I ended up giving this book 2/5 stars.

Weekly Outlook

This next week I will be finishing up a few things on my Currently Reading list and adding a whole lot of new reads to the list!

I also look forward to posting so many new reviews! I will be adding my bookish bestie to the blog as a guest reviewer soon which should be great! She reads more contemporary books while I tend to sway more toward the fantasy genre. I think this will be an awesome new partnership and allow me to get more reviews up on the blog in both genres. We also have a new idea for a fun conversation style buddy read review feature.

As always, I wish everyone a happy and enjoyable week!

What books are you currently reading? What books did you recently finish reading? What do you have planned for the upcoming week?

I would love to hear about your week as well! Comment below!

Book Review | When Dimple Met Rishi

June 16, 2017June 16, 201714 Comments

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Hardcover, 380 pages

Published May 30th 2017

2 stars

*SOME SPOILERS*

Well …
a lot of hype … and …
sort of meh at best actually

The Story

(Goodreads synopsis):

“A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.”

Continue reading →

Book Review | Everything, Everything

June 15, 2017June 16, 201711 Comments

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published September 1st 2015

2 stars

I really did not love this book really at all … oops?

The Story

Madeline Whittier lives in a bubble. No seriously she suffers from SCID, also known as bubble boy syndrome. She has never left her house, her bubble. She has no friends except her mother and nurse. She is alone. Until one day, a black clad, daredevil boy moves in next door.

(Goodreads synopsis):

“My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.”

Continue reading →

Seven Deadly Sins | Book Tag

June 15, 2017June 15, 20171 Comment

Woohoo! Ok so I am such a book tag lover it’s not even funny! So I was excited to be tagged for this one by Destiny @ Howling Libraries (check her out!). I was able to track this one down to a video that is no longer live so unfortunately … I will not be able to link to the creator of this tag. Sorry!

GREED: What are your most expensive and inexpensive books?

Expensive

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

This book is probably one of the most expensive book splurges on my shelf … mainly because I insisted on preordering the signed UK cover version and paid quite a bit more for overseas shipping. BUT LOOK AT IT!!! IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

Inexpensive

My least expensive would be one of the many free Kindle books I own or ARCs provided my publishers or authors. I’m just choosing one at random here to highlight … how about …

The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element #1) by Kat Ross

Which was a free Kindle book at the time (actually as far as I know it still is) and I plan to read this one soon! I have actually seen some really good reviews.

Continue reading →

Top 10 Tuesday | Top 10 Favorite Fathers in Fiction

June 13, 2017June 14, 20178 Comments

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly tag hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s prompt is…

Top 10 Favorite Fathers in Fiction

Father’s Day is this upcoming Sunday so let’s take some time to discuss some pretty amazing fathers in fiction! I am also extending this list to father figures as well because I think these guys deserve some recognition both in fiction and in real life!

But can we take a moment to mention the lack of amazing father representation in fantasy books? I didn’t realize it until I started sifting through my read list but way too many fathers are either dead, or evil? We need more positive father representation in fantasy.

To Kill a Mockingbird (To Kill a Mockingbird #1) by Harper Lee

I don’t think you can make a list of fabulous fictitious fathers without including Atticus Finch, who is definitely one of the greatest book dads of all time!

This man is a shining example of integrity. He is an excellent roll model even when he questions his worth as a single father being judged by his community.

(Goodreads synopsis):

“The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.”

Continue reading →

Mid Year Book Freak-out | Book Tag

June 12, 2017June 12, 201732 Comments

I was mentioned over on A Court of Books and Love (check it out!) on this book tag and it seriously looks like a lot of fun! So I’m joining in 🙂

This is normally where I would mention the creator of the tag, but I have researched and researched to no avail. It seems the original creator’s identity has been lost to the internet so whoever you are … I’m sorry!

Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2017

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V. E. Schwab

THIS BOOK OWNS MY SOUL!

Oh. My. God. This book was so beautiful and intricate and action packed! I laughed, I cried, I felt ALL THE FEELS! This book was one of my top 5 most anticipated book releases of 2017 and WOW!

My actual post read comment was:

“What turns a book into a knife that carves out a piece of your heart and then becomes a part of you? Because … this book is now a part of my soul!”

This whole series was a major surprise for me but quickly became an obsession. I felt like it got better and better and BETTER with every book. Obviously I gave this book 5/5 stars ❤

If you have not given this series a chance and you like magical worlds and intricate plots and characters … I encourage you to give Shades of Magic a try! NOW! GO!

Continue reading →

Audiobook Monday | June.12.2017

June 12, 2017June 12, 20175 Comments

So, what am I listening to this Monday?

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Robbie Daymond

Release Date: September 9, 2015

Duration: 06:44:00

(Goodreads Synopsis):

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. ”

Thoughts

I started this book around the early part of this past week. So far it has been a decent read. I feel like I know where this is going but I am interested to find out. I don’t think this is going to be a 5 star read for me because I don’t feel super connected, but the narration is really well done. The main problem I have with this as an audiobook is that apparently this book has several graphics of notebook entries and such which does not translate into audio well. I actually find these breaks in the audio to be distracting and fragmenting to the story. I might pick up the physical book at some point to see the illustrations as they were intended.

I am very interested to see how this book translates into the new movie though. Anyone see it yet? Thoughts?

What are you reading today? I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below!