May TBR

May TBR

Here are the books I am planning on reading in May. 

1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I'm about half way through this one and loving it!

2. Unclaimed by Laurie Wetzel

I'm also half way through this one and it is sooo good!

3. Vampire Knight Vol 9-14 by Hino Matsuri

4. Fire by Kristin Cashore

5. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

6. Things We Know By Heart by Jessie Kirby

7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 

So I admit I'm 99% sure I wont finish this one this month but I'll put it here for motivation!

What are you planning on reading this month?

Have a great day bookworms!

April Wrap-Up

April Wrap-Up

This month was so amazing because I actually read all the books I said I was going to read except one! YAY! *dance dance* That one book was Outlander by the way. I swear I'm never going to make it through that monstrosity. 

Okay onto the books I read this month!

1. Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
2 Stars

2. The Graceling by Kristen Cashore
4 Stars

3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab
3 Stars

4. Vampire Knight Vol 4-8 by Matsuri Hino 

5. With the Light 2: Raising an Autistic Child by Keiko Tobe
3 Stars
6. Ms. Marvel No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
3 Stars
7. Ms. Marvel Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson
3 Stars
8. The Walking Dead Vol 1 by Robert Kirkman
4 Stars
9. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (Audiobook)
2 Stars
10. Passive Aggressive Notes by Kerry Miller
2 Stars
11. Warm Up (Vicious 0.5) by V.E Schwab
3 Stars
12. Losing It by Cora Carmack
4 Stars
13. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
3 Stars
14. Paper Towns by John Green
3 Stars
15. All Cats Have Aspergers by Kathy Hoopmann
4 Stars

Have a great day bookworms!

PopSugar Challenge: Paper Towns

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015

Paper Towns by John Green

Read a Book That Became a Movie

So pretty much everyone has heard of this one. Ever since reading Looking for Alaska earlier this year I have basically been boycotting John Green. I can't even describe how much I hated that book. Between Green's love of existentialism and overly quirky characters, I was pretty sure I would never like one of his books again. I decided to read this book though when the Reads with Friends group on Goodreads held a readalong. Alas, Paper Towns wasn't all that bad. It might even have been mildly entertaining.  

The Good: 

1. Radar and Ben- These characters are seriously likable and are so much more than the stereotypical tropes I'll talk about later.

2. This book was seriously laugh out loud funny. Who doesn't like that?
3. Black Santas 

The Bad:

1.. Margo Roth Spiegelman and Quentin- Yuck, these were terribly unlikable characters. Margo was pretty much Alaska and that should tell you how much I hated her character.

2. Too much existentialism- Okay John Green, we get it already. 

I gave this book a 3/5 star rating because I did like some of the characters, the book was funny, and ultimately I did want to know what happened to Margo. However, the main characters were too unlikable and there was way too much philosophy for it to be truly enjoyable. Overall it was a forgettable book. In fact, I am already forgetting how it ended and I JUST read it. How sad that it was that anti-climatic. 

I only have one more John Green book sitting on my shelf (An Abundance of Katherine's) and I have never been so happy at the idea of never having to read a particular author ever again!

Have a great day bookworms!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Wrap-up!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Wrap-Up

This readathon was super disappointing for me. Kentucky has the mother-load of allergies so I spend most of the day in a headache induced stupor. Because of this I only got one book read. Hopefully the next one will be better. #boughtofbooks is soooo soon!

1. 

PopSugar Challenge: Graceling

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Read a Book With a One Word Title

“When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?”

 I feel like I am the last person to have read this book. It's just like me to be the last on the bandwagon. I'm glad I jumped on though. 

Graceling is about a world in which some of the population is "graced". This can mean that they have special abilities in any area like cooking, fighting, or even mind-reading. Our main character, Katsa, is a graced fighter and is used to carry out her kings dirty work. When she meets Poe, another graced fighter, she finds not only common ground but a good friend. Will Katsa and Poe's relationship be able to weather protecting Princess Bitterblue while also trying to come to terms with Poe's true grace. 

I can't tell you how intrigued I was by the plot of this book when I picked it up at the library. I wasn't actually planning on reading it but I was instantly taken in by the idea of people having "graces". I mean what person doesn't wish they had Katsa's extraordinary powers. 

I fell in love with the first 100 pages and couldn't get enough of Poe's adorable arrogance or Katsa's strength and persistence. I was throughly amused and hoping that this would be a five star read. Sadly, after the pair left King Randa's court I began to get a little bored. I found myself not wanting to pick up the book for long periods of time or being tempted to skip over large passages. I'll just say it, the book definitely dragged in the middle. 

Despite its slowness, I still throughly enjoyed this read. I think it's honestly because I adored the cast of characters so much. You almost can't help but love Poe, Katsa, Raffin, and Bitterblue. 

I just recently found out this is a companion trilogy and I'm so excited! I must admit that I was hoping for a continuation of Poe and Katsa's story but I truly do love Bitterblue and am looking forward to hearing her story (and secretly hoping Katsa and Poe make an appearance). 

4 Stars!

“I'll teach you how to defend yourself, how to maim a man. We can use Po as a model.'

'Wonderful,' Po said. 'It's quite boring really, the way you beat me to death with your hands and feet, Katsa. It'll be refreshing to have you come at me with a knife.” 

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

TBR

Ohhhh it's that time again. Readathon time! It's been awhile since I last participated in a readathon so I'm more than a little pumped. I generally spend most of my Saturday reading anyways but it will be more fun with people to chat with. We are also supposed to get hit with a big storm so what could be better than a rainy, reading, hot chocolate kinnda day? 

Okay so onto the TBR!

1. Graceling by Kristen Cashore

I have been trying to finish this book for a month or two now. Hopefully this will be the day!
(edit: I actually finished reading this right before the readathon! Oops!)

2. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I'm about halfway through this book and loving it!

3. With the Light Vol 2 by Keiko Tobe

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I know with certainty that I wont finish this book but since I have been reading it for awhile now it would be good to put a dent in it. 

So that's my TBR. It's not nearly as large as some people but it's pretty ambitious for me. Hey, I gotta have ample time for napping as well. :-)

Will you be participating in the readathon? What will you be reading?

Here's the link to the sign up page for the readathon:

http://24hourreadathon.com/2015/03/26/april-2015-reader-sign-ups/

PopSugar Challenge: The Start of Me and You

PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge 

Read a Book That Makes You Cry
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord 

“Okay," he said, leaning closer to me. "I have a proposition for you." Dear God, let it be marriage, I thought.”

It's been a year since Paige's boyfriend died and she is still having trouble getting back to her life. She hates when people give her "the look" and she doesn't want anyones pity. Her junior year has just started though and with it comes new possibilities. All of which she knows she will be sharing with her three best friends. Can Paige really begin living her life again and can she find a new love after such a horrible loss?

Okay, so if you read my blog you know that I am not a huge fan of contemporary. Much of it seems the same and has a feeling of being a bit too young for my 25 year old self. While this book does have the same basic feeling and concept of many other YA contemporaries, I can still say that I enjoyed it. 

What made the book so different from others for me is the unique friendships. I found myself yearning for the three best friends that Paige has. Their relationships with eachother are the ideal. Each one of them is there as a support for each other no matter what. The romance is also very cute in this book but it does take a backseat to the friendship. 

I picked this book for the "Book that made you cry challenge" because it did just that, It made me cry! Between Paiges boyfriend dying, parental phobias, boy troubles, and a bit of PTSD I really couldn't help but having a little waterworks. I just think that is a sign of a well written book if it can get you to care so much about a character that you would cry for them.

Overall this book is pretty generic like most other YA contemporaries that I have read. However, it is enjoyable because it goes slightly beyond the typical and makes you feel something for the characters. 

3.5 stars!

Losing It (REVIEW)

Losing It by Cora Carmack

A Review

“Sex.
I was going to have sex.
With a boy.
A hot boy.
A hot BRITISH boy.
Or maybe I was going to throw up.
What if I threw up on the hot British boy?
What if I threw up on the hot British boy DURING SEX?” 

Losing It is about our main protagonist Bliss and her V card. Yes, she is still a virgin at 22 and she pretty much believes this to be a crime. See the thing is that Bliss just isn't interested in guys or relationships. That is until she meets the sexy and smart Garrick in a bar. This is supposed to be just a one night stand but what if Garrick is everything she's ever been looking for? What if he is also the forbidden fruit?

I truly loved this story and thought that it was adorable. I love Bliss's enternal monolouge and her stream of consciousness thoughts (like the quote above). She just talks in a way that is so darn relatable.

The characters are all cute and funny and the entire book is light and fluffy. I know many of you might be thinking that all "New Adult" books seem the same and I would have to agree with you to an extent. I mean it's usually girl and boy fall in love, there is some issue, boy and girl have lots of sex! Haha. This one really isn't any different but it is just so cute that I couldn't help but love it. 

I was also really happy that I got to read this with my new subscription to Scribd.com. This is a pretty awesome website that has a lot of popular books to read for a cheap monthly fee. The rest of the companion series is on the site plus the Losing It novella and I seriously can't wait to have time to read them. These kind of cute romantic books are kinnda like crack to me. :-)

4 stars!

Top Ten Tuesday: Inspiring Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday: Inspiring Quotes 

This series of top 10's was created by The Broke and the Bookish and there is a great new topic every Tuesday. I will put the link to her blog below so you can check her out and all of the other great Top 10 posts!

So this weeks topic is "quotes that inspire you". If you are reading this right now you can see that I did not post this on Tuesday. I am pretty much in love with quotes though (I have hundreds of them "liked" on my Goodreads) so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a whole post based on them.

Okay, let's get to it!

1.I wonder if that's how darkness wins, by convincing us to trap it inside ourselves, instead of emptying it out. I don't want it to win. 

-Jasmine Warga My Heart and Other Black Holes

2. Don't worry. They're all against me. But I have one advantage: they don't know what they want. I do.

-Ayn Rand The Fountainhead

3. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human. 

V.E Schwab Vicious

4. "I don't think..." Then you shouldn't talk said the hatter. 

Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland

5. I had one rule: respect. For me, my family, and for my friends...It might sound hypocritical to the women that have passed through my apartment door, but if they carried themselves with respect, I would have given it to them. 

Jaime McGuire Walking Disaster

6. A building has integrity just like a man. And just as seldom. 

Ayn Rand The Fountainhead

7. "Do you mean to tell me that you're thinking seriously of building that way, when and if you are an architect?"

"Yes"

"My dear fellow, who will let you?"

"That's not the point. The point is, who will stop me?"

Ayn Rand The Fountainhead

8. Surely you've seen through that particular stupidity. I mean the one that claims the pig is the symbol of love for humanity--the creature that accepts anything. As a matter of fact, the person who loves everybody and feels at home everywhere is the true hater of mankind. He expects nothing of men, so no form of depravity can outrage him.

-Ayn Rand The Fountainhead

9.All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring.

-Chuck Palahniuk Invisible Monsters

10. Stupid people are dangerous. 

-Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games

As you can see I find Ayn Rand very quotable. I could have easily made these 10 all about her but I thought it would be more fun with some variety :-)

Have a great day bookworms!

http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html

Top 5 Wednesday: Most Frustrating Characters

Top 5 Wednesday: Most Frustrating Characters

This weekly meme is hosted by Lainey at gingerreadslainey. I will put a link below for the Goodreads page if you wanna check out all of the other fabulous Wednesdayers!

So this week is all about characters we find frustrating. I honestly don't find too many characters to be frustrating but I think I can come up with 5. 

1. Bella Swan. I feel like this is probably a pretty standard response. I mean she can just be so DUMB. The entirety of her existence depends upon whether or not a guy likes her which is just annoying. I did enjoy these books though for what it's worth. 

2. Any of the characters from Looking for Alaska. Yes, I absolutely hated them all but I guess I would have to put Alaska right there at the top. 

3. Rebecca Bloomwood. Holy cow I absolutely hated this character. It was actual torture to read an entire book about such a self-obsessed and terrible person. 

4. Mia from the If I Stay duology. I just found Mia very unlikable. She really wasn't concerned with anyone but herself and she pretty much treated Adam like crap. 

5. Tris Prior. I actually do like Tris a lot but there is such a thing as too stubborn. Her willingness to constantly put herself in danger was a little troublesome at times. 

Well there you have it! Those are my most frustrating characters (that I can come up with right now). Who do you think is the most frustrating character you've ever read about?

Have a great day bookworms!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1608567-complete-list-of-wednesday-ers

PopSugar Challenge: A Darker Shade of Magic

PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge

Read A Book With Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab

“I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it."

"Seen what?"

Her smile widened. "Everything.”

 

A Darker Shade of Magic could not have had a more delightful plot if it had tried. The story is set in a place called Red London. It's a place where magic thrives but is respected and used with reverence by the people. There are other London's though including Grey, White, and Black. Grey London has long ago forgotten about magic, White London is dying and the people there seek to dominate magic, Black London has succumbed to magic and now ceases to exist. Our main character Kell, is Antari which means he can travel between the London's using blood magic. He is one of only two Antari left. At the start of his adventure he meets a girl named Delilah Bard (an aspiring pirate) when she steals a black rock he has recently come upon. The black rock is pure magic and power and it has come from Black London. If the wrong people get ahold of this rock it could be disastrous. Kell and Delilah must find a way to get it back through the doors to Black London but at what cost? 

As you can tell from the synopsis, this book has SOOO much potential and because of this it was my most anticipated book of 2015. After reading it though I can say that I am disappointed. I truly wanted to love this book and I thought I would. I mean who could not love a story about pirates, different worlds, and magic? I must be a monster right? Well I still do think the plot is amazing and the characters were intriguing. I believe it was the writing in the end that didn't live up to my expectations. 

Talking about and critiquing someones writing style is so personal and every person will have a different feeling about it. It is such a intangible concept and is so hard to put a finger on and say "oh yes, this particular thing is what I don't like". However, I will say that even though the plot was one of the most intriguing I've ever heard of, I still found myself putting the book down after only about 15 pages and forcing myself to pick it up again the next day. The characters were also paper thin and they felt unrealistic. For example, Lila is only a pirate and Kell is only Antari. No other faucets of their characters were revealed. I have found that if you can't truly care about the characters then you probably wont be able to like the book. 

I read Schwab's other adult novel, Vicious, at the beginning of the year and honestly felt the same way about it. The characters were very one dimensional and the writing just didn't pull me in. I constantly felt like I was in a theatre watching a play from afar instead of being right in the writings action. I must say though that Schwab certainly knows how to come up with unique plot ideas. They are fresh and pretty amazing if I do say so myself. Overall though I just wish they were executed a little better. 

I still gave this book a three star rating even though I probably normally would have given any other book like it a two star. I just couldn't though given how much I like the IDEA of this book. I feel like I will always think of it fondly just based on it's plot alone, no matter how poor the execution was. 

Have a great day bookworms! 

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Wanted to Start Yesterday

Top 5 Wednesday 

Books You Wanted to Start Yesterday

This blog series was created by Lainey at gingerreadslainey and there is a Top 5 Wednesday group on Goodreads. Here is the link if you want to check out other Top 5 blog posts or videos: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1608567-complete-list-of-wednesday-ers.

This weeks topic is books that you wanted to start yesterday. I could honestly probably list at least 20 books for this topic so I guess let's get on with it!

1. Hook by K.R Thompson

I have wanted to read this book every since it came out! It interests me because I am a huge Captain Hook fan when it comes to OUAT and this book is about his backstory! I could not be more excited. 

2. Captive in the Dark by C.J Roberts

This is a dark and gritty novel about sex trafficking and romance. I know those two things don't sound like they go together. I need to fill the void that 50 Shades of Grey left!

3. The One by Kiera Cass

I read the Selection the beginning of this year and fell in love with it! Unfortunately I have yet to pick up this second book. 

4. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This is the same problem I am having with The One! Grrrr

5. Lying out Loud by Kody Keplinger

I wish I had read this yesterday but it hasn't been published yet!!

Have a great day bookworms! 

Top 10 Tuesday: Characters You Want to Check-in With

Top 10 Tuesday

Characters You Want to Check-In With

The top 10 Tuesday blog series was created by the people over at the Broke and the Bookish. I will link their site down below if you want to check them out. This weeks theme is characters you want to revisit. This means characters that you want to catch up with after the book or book series has finished. All of the books or series that I mention below have characters in them in wish I want to know more. There are so many books in which I wonder what happened to the characters after the books ended. Let's get on with it them!

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is definitely my number 1 book for this theme. I so badly want to know more about what happened in the life of Katniss, Peeta, and their children. The ending of this story wasn't wrapped up very well and I feel like I NEED to know more!

2. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

I would love to know what college is like for Wesley and Bianca and whether or not they stay together for the long haul. Keplinger's new book, Lying Out Loud is coming out soon though so I hope that there is a bit of Wesley and Bianca in it. 

3. Beautiful/Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

I need more Travis and Abby in my life. Need I say more?

4. Vicious by V.E Schwab

SPOILERS!! I would really like to read about what happens to Eli after he is arrested and whether or not Victor still has his powers after he comes back from the dead.

5. All three of Stephanie Perkins novels

It would be so cute to read more about Anna, Lola, and Isla and I would pretty much pick up anything written by Stephanie Perkins at this point. 

6. Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling

Okay, so pretty much everyone thinks I'm crazy because I'm not absolutely in love with his series. However, I am just as interested as everyone else to know what happens in the adult lives of all the characters. I would love to see everyones jobs, marriages, and kids. Just generally life after Hogwarts. 

7. If I Stay duology by Gayle Forman

SPOILERS!! The end of Where She Went has the main characters getting back together near the end of the book.  This means that between the first and second book we as readers get only a small glimpse of the romantic relationship between the two. I would love to have a whole other book just talking about life after they found each other again. 

8. Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L James

Do Christian and Anastasia stay together or does their infatuation die down after a time?

9. The Twilight Saga by  Stephanie Meyer

I'm not actually a huge fan of this series. I am interested though in learning more about the later years of Edward and Bella's relationship. Since they are immortal I feel like there is still plenty to find out about them. 

10. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

This is another story where the family is immortal. I wish I could see more of what became of Winnie and the Tuck family's life.

http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html

The Story of my Life by Helen Keller (REVIEW)

The Story of My Life

by Helen Keller

A Review

When I was a little girl I saw a movie adaptation of The Miracle Worker. I remember being amazed by the story that a teacher could teach a deaf and blind girl how to read, learn, and communicate. I remember thinking that it was a simply amazing feat and one that I would have previously considered impossible. When I saw on Goodreads that Hellen Keller herself had written an account of her own life, I knew I had to read it. I decided I would listen to this on audiobook. It is in fact the first time I have ever listened to a audiobook.

The Story of My Life tells of Hellen's experiences from the earliest she can remember up until she is 22 years old. I was totally engaged in the first several chapters as she tells of her young life before she was able to communicate. Even the early portions about her teacher Annie Sullivan were interesting. I am disappointed to say however that as a whole, the book was a total flop in my opinion. Hellen spends so much time talking about the plots of every book she has ever read and reads us verbatim much of her correspondence (even though I will admit I skipped through much of these letters). This ends up making much of the book dull and dry. It seems that Hellen unknowingly decided to put every small detail of her schooling into her writing while she left out the things that would have been more interesting. I can remember thinking that her own account of her life was so much different from the movie adaptation I had watched. Perhaps her story would be better told by another due to the fact that she was so young when much of the interesting stories would have taken place. It is very likely that Hellen isn't about to remember enough about that interesting time in her life. 

As a person I respect Hellen Keller very much and I know that she is an amazing person who has triumphed over so much adversary. However, her book simply wasn't to my liking. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. 

Have a great day bookworms! 

The Walking Dead Volume 1 (REVIEW)

The Walking Dead Days Gone Bye

by Robert Kirkman

A Review

I decided to pick up this comic book series on a whim. I really don't like zombies and I have never seen the show. Honestly my expectations were pretty low. I am so glad I decided to read this though because it was really good!

This first volume of The Walking Dead (for anyone who like me has been living under a rock) is about a group of humans trying to survive what could only be called a zombie apocalypse. 

There isn't much in the way of backstory in this volume but that is honestly what is most interesting about it. It keeps you guessing and makes you want to keep reading in order to find out how the world became populated almost entirely by zombies. The characters are also an interesting bunch too with a curious dynamic and a lot of drama. 

I will definitely be continuing with this series. 

4 out of 5 stars from me. 

Have a great day bookworms!