#Wintersrespite Wrap-up

The end of the readathon is here and I'm pretty sad it's over. I feel like I read a ton this week (even though I didn't exactly meet my goals). I wasn't able to finish A Game of Thrones this week but I did read other things in it's place. I just wasn't in the mood to read that kind of book this week. Check out what I was able to get through below!

1. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
537 pages

2. Fruits Basket
212 pages

3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
167 pages

4. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
448 pages

5. Fruits Basket Ultimate 2
30 pages

6. The Invisible Man by H.G Wells
47 pages

7. You by Caroline Kepnes
89 pages

8. A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin
86 pages

Page total is
1616 pages

#WintersRespite TBR

#WintersRespite TBR

It is time again for my favorite readathon of the year! That's right, it's #WintersRespite time! I haven't posted to this blog in approaching a year but I will always make an exception for readthong TBR's :-). If you also want to participate in this readathon (which you totally should) it is hosted by Michelle @thetruebookaddict or Season's of Reading. The link to sign up for the readathon ishttp://seasonsreading.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-winters-respite-read-thon-sign-up.html so go on! What are you waiting for?

This year I am up to my eyeballs in books. I have started and not finished so many books recently. I am currently in the middle of at least 20 books. Yes, 20. Call me crazy. So my goal this week is to finish up as many of those books as possible and get my total page count read high as well. So here are the books I'm hoping to finish this week. As always I set my goals pretty high.

1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin
I am 525 pages into this book out of 694. I have been watching the television show as I go through the book and can't wait to finish them both!

2. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
I am 222 pages into this one out of 434. This is an easy read and I would also love to finish the manga this week as well. 

3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I am 339 pages into this one out of 506. I would like to watch the movie as well as possibly the new series on Freeform once I finish this one. 

Those are all the books that I for sure want to finish this week but like I said, I am in the middle of 20! That means I'll probably read a bit out of some others as well. Hopefully I just don't try to start a new book this week! A few other books I might poke around in include...

*Wheat Belly Total Healthy by William Davis
*The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood

An Ember In The Ashes (A Review)

An Ember In The Ashes

by Sabaa Tahir

A Review

So what can I really say about this book that hasn't already been said. Honestly, not much. This book truly lives up to all of the hype that is centered around it. People have called it "fantastic", "amazing", and have been despreatly praying for a sequel and I totally agree with them on all fronts. 

I knew that this book was going to be a winner when I first understood that this book would have very little romance in it, and that I loved it anyway. If you know me you know that I am a huge romance reader and I usually wont give a book 4 or 5 star rating without a good dose of love. This book has esentially zero romance in it and I still loved it! I think that should speak volumes for how good this book is. 

When I first picked this book up I was expecting a really great high fantasy stand-alone. I was pretty excited about this because the amount of open series I am reading right now borderlines on the obscene. I also have decided that I don't want to read anymore new releases that are part of a series. This is because I either get so impatient waiting for the sequel to come out or I lose interest in the year or so that I am kept waiting. Therefore I was so excited that I could actually this book because it was supposed to be a stand-alone. Imagine my horror then when I am halfway through the book and find out that it will actually have a sequel. I was angry for about three more hours until I finished the book and found out that it NEEDED a next book. 

So now I am anxiously awaiting 2016 when we are supposed to get the next book in the series. I hope I don't lose interest between now and then!

Have a great day bookworms!

Purge: Rehab Diaries *A Review*

Purge: Rehab Diaries by Nicole Johns

A Review

Purge is a memoir about a graduate student named Nicole who suffers from EDNOS which means "eating disorder not otherwise specified". She doesn't meet the full criteria for either anorexia or bulimia but she frequently engages in either restriction or purging. This story is mostly about Nicole's journey in an eating disorder rehab as well as the other people she meets there. 

I have read a few other eating disorder memoirs including what some people would consider the quintessential anorexia book, Wasted by Marya Hornbacher. At the beginning of the memoir Nicole talks about how many eating disorder memoirs are not well written, and I would have to agree. They are usually lacking in direction and spend to much time angsting and whining. In this memoir however, John's uses her expertise as a college teacher as well as a writing student to write the perfectly blended memoir. 

Out of all of the other ED books I have read I think this one is the best. I loved that the author had EdNOS which is not frequently talked about. It's nice that she was able to bring some understanding to her readers about the disorder as many people with EDNOS are thought of as not having a serious condition because they may not be underweight. The writing also felt so real because you could tell that the voice of ED was constantly talking to Nicole and controlling her. However, you could also see that she was a rational and smart girl and she knew that her many health problems were truly scary. 

I liked this book so much that I am excited to start a new release about eating disorders called Elena Vanishing by Elena Dunkle. 

Have a great day bookworms! 

Hardwired by Meredith Wild

Harwired (The Hacker Series: One)

by Meredith Wild

A Review

I have to say, I am barley containing my excitement for this review and for this book! I have been highly anticipating reading this book for almost a year now. Don't ask me why. Maybe it was because I didn't want to read this too close to the 50 Shades of Grey series or maybe it was because I literally have a stack of library books sitting next to me at all times. Whatever the reason I put it off, I'm so happy I have finally started it. 

I have no idea whether or not to call this book erotica, new adult, or just plain romance. Whatever it is though it simply rocks! It has a lot of the same elements that the 50 Shades of Grey series has with a lot less drama. Let's just say that the main character Blake has a lot less issues than Mr. Christian Grey and bondage does not play a role in this book. The themes are generally the same though. Both books have extremely rich, sexy and smart main male leads that will walk through fire to protect their lady love (even if it can come across as a bit creepy at times). Let's just say that I am truly in love with both series (even though so far 50 Shades is my favorite)

I'm really excited to continue on with this series.

4 stars!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

by Mindy Kaling

A Review

Ever since I decided to start listening to this on audiobook I have been asking myself why. My only experience with Mindy Kaling is the brief couple of minutes that I watched her act in the movie No Strings Attached. After seeing that movie I had kind of a attachment of sorts to Mindy. I thought her character was adorable and likable and I wanted to know more. I didn't really want to commit to actually reading her book so I decided to listen to it instead. Really thats the best choice I probably could have made. I mean listening to it over reading it that is. 

I really enjoyed the first part of the book where Mindy talks about her weight and her childhood. There were some chuckle-worthy moments but it quickly went downhill from there. During the rest of the book I found Mindy to be less funny and more narcissistic and annoying. Mostly the book just shares random anecdotes and things that pop into Mindy's head.

Halfway through the book I decided that I wanted to know more about Mindy Kaling so I began to watch the first episode of The Office. I never even got to see Mindy on the show because I hated it so much I couldn't continue. Next I decided to watch the Mindy Project. I actually find this show to be quite funny and enjoyable and I will probably end up watching all the seasons. 

Overall, I thought this book was a bit boring, not very funny, and ultimately a waste of time.

2.5 stars

PopSugar Challenge: Things We Know By Heart

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015

Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

Read A book published this year

Synopsis from Goodreads.com 

When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all. 

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

I'm usually pretty hesitant about reading contemporaries since I usually do not enjoy them very much. This book however was an absolute delight. The characters were really likable, the plot was interesting, and I really enjoyed that there was a morally grey area to all of it as well. This book is definitely a cute love story but it is also hard hitting. It makes you examine the choices you make and the preciousness of life. It will also certainly make you cry.

I have no reservations in recommending this book. 

4/5 stars