So this month did not go at all, how I planned. I was totally expecting to be out of my reading slump and tackling my very ambitious 24 books for ARC August.
Well, that did not happen. I read 3 books and DNFed another 4. I blame my lackluster reading on a bunch of family stress.
Books I Read
Books I DNFed
So I really didn’t do as well as I wanted to, but I’m okay with that. I got rid of books that had been on my list for MONTHS, so YAY me.
If you did ARC August, how did you do?
I did one of these posts a long, long time ago, but I wanted to talk about it again.
Music has always been one of the loves of my life. Ever since the breakup, I’ve found solace in music. It’s helped me get my emotions out, it helped me feel more peaceful, more relaxed.
Ever since I started having problems with my knee a few weeks back, all the positive feelings about my ex have rushed back. Stupid I know, but he was my rock, my support and the person I wanted to spend my life with.
He was supposed to be the one to hold my hand through this.
Now he’s not around and I have to look to myself and my family to help me through whatever comes along with the knee injury.
Lately I’ve turned more and more to Taylor Swift and Adele for music. I can happily listen to the both of them for hours on end and they make me feel better, more relaxed.
Lately I’ve been drawn to Taylor Swift’s Begin Again. It hits me hard because I think I am finally ready to get back out there in the dating world.
I’m excited to begin again with someone else. Someone who truly deserves me.
This feature is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. It’s a way to showcase upcoming releases we’re excited about.
My Pick
Book Link: Goodreads
Synopsis
PAWN…CAPTIVE…QUEEN?
Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton’s niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person’s rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear…and ultimately, between life and death.
To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton’s secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she’s loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty’s survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after all.
My Thoughts
It’s no secret that I’ve really enjoyed this series. This is one of those series that just gets better and better as it continues. After the way Captive ended, I am DYING to see how things all end up. Plus that cover is perfection. Is it November yet?
This feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
It’s time to go back to school! Today’s topic is books that would be on our syllabus if we taught a certain subject. Mine is of course YA Tough Stuff. I’m sure most of you aren’t that shocked.
Mental Health Issues
LGBT
Sexual Assault/Sexual Abuse
Upcoming Releases
What books would you have on the syllabus if you were teaching a class?
Book Title: The Creeping
Author: Alexandra Sirowy
Published Date: August 18th, 2015
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers
Genre: YA Horror/Mystery
Standalone
Book Link: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Eleven years ago, Stella and Jeanie disappeared. Stella came back. Jeanie never did.
Now all she wants is a summer full of cove days, friends, and her gorgeous crush—until a fresh corpse leads Stella down a path of ancient evil and secrets.
Stella believes remembering what happened to Jeanie will save her. It won’t.
She used to know better than to believe in what slinks through the shadows. Not anymore.
Disclaimer: I received this book as an e-ARC from Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers in exchange for my honest review.
Review
I’ve been in an epic slump over the past few weeks. This slump included both reading and blogging, so I was definitely nervous to read this book. I really didn’t want the first book I’ve read in weeks, to be a disappointment.
Thankfully, this book was an awesome surprise.
With books in this genre, I put a lot of importance on the writing. I want to feel scared. I want to be intrigued. I want to be afraid of the unknown. Sirowy’s writing did that for me. I basically read 85% of the book in one day.
I was utterly captivated by the mystery and horror that Sirowy created. I won’t say much about the mystery & horror aspect because I want to avoid spoiling the book for those who haven’t read it yet.
What I wasn’t expecting was the romance. I loved, LOVED the romance. It was unexpected as there isn’t normally romance in books like this. But it was cute and sweet to see how this boy cared for Stella.
Stella did have a bit of a toxic friendship with Zoey. Zoey really drove me insane. She was judgmental and rude and mean, especially to the boy Stella falls for. Yet, Stella continues to defend her. That drove me insane. I understood that Stella felt this loyalty to Zoey, but I desperately wanted Stella to have a backbone.
The mystery of what happened to six year old redheaded Jeanie was captivating. I kept wanting to read more and more. I wanted to learn more about that day, but Stella couldn’t remember anything.
Until bits and pieces started coming back to her.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. It did remind me a bit of The Devil You Know by Trish Doller, which I also enjoyed. This book will be getting 5 stars from me.
Hi guys!
These last few weeks have been difficult for me. I’ve had family issues and then an injury that I don’t remember how I got. Add that to health insurance issues and I’m desperate for this crap to be all over.
I want things to settle down for all of us.
Which leads me to want to talk a little bit about blogging. I’m struggling with my reading. I’ve been stuck on the same 3 books for about a month. Not because I’m not interested in the books, but I have lacked the desire to read. I know I have so many ARCs, library books, and books I own, to read, but I just cannot get excited about them.
I’ve been binge-watching FRIENDS and America’s Next Top Model instead of reading and it’s been really good for me.
I don’t think I’ll be doing a blog hiatus or anything, but I’m not going to force myself to blog if I don’t want to. If I have a day or a couple of days or even a week without a post, that’s okay! I don’t want to post something that I’m not totally excited about. The minute I start to do that, I gotta change something up about the way I blog.
The last thing I want to do is get bored by blogging. I love blogging and I do not plan on stopping anytime soon.
Her life hasn’t gone as planned, but she’s about to realize that sometimes the best things happen when you stop expecting life to be a certain way…When Rose Morgan put off her college plans to help her mother through a difficult time, she thought it would just be a bump in the road of her journey. She got a job to help pay the bills and started picking up the slack at home. But three years later, her bumpy ride hasn’t smoothed out yet, and Rose feels stuck. She’s working at a job she hates and living with a manipulative mother. She’s tired of feeling like her life has stalled, tired of the resentment and anger building inside her with each passing day.
Then Declan Connelly appears in her life, and even though the hot Irishman is seriously tempting, Rose is determined not to let him in. She’s afraid to suck anyone into her bizarre life, especially someone who seems too charming for his own good. She soon learns there’s more to Declan than his sexy accent and charismatic personality, though. He’s a good man, and he wants Rose in his life, baggage and all. He’s got his own, and he isn’t scared away like she originally feared he would be.
Everything in Rose’s life is changing quickly. It’s finally her time–time to figure out what she wants and what her future holds. Time to get swept off her feet and not fight it. But when her plans might take her away from all the amazing new things in her life, including Declan, Rose has to make a choice. Is she willing to chase her dreams, even if it means letting go of love?
Marie Landry has the best job in the world—one where she gets to make stuff up for a living and shamelessly eavesdrop on everyone around her. She writes happily ever afters while dreaming about the day she’ll have her own epic love story to tell. Most days you can find her writing, reading, fantasizing about traveling the world, listening to U2, watching copious amounts of TV on DVD, or having grand adventures with her nephews and niece.
For more on Marie and her books please visit http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca. She also loves to chat with fellow book lovers, so feel free to tweet her @SweetMarie83 any time!
This feature is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. It’s a way to showcase upcoming titles we’re excited about.
My Pick
Book Link: Goodreads
Synopsis
There’s a reason they say “be careful what you wish for.” Just ask the girl who wished to be thinner and ended up smaller than Thumbelina, or the boy who asked for “balls of steel” and got them-literally. And never wish for your party to go on forever. Not unless you want your guests to be struck down by debilitating pain if they try to leave.
These are things Lennie only learns when it’s too late-after she brings some of her uncles’ moonshine to a party and toasts to dozens of wishes, including a big wish of her own: to bring back her best friend, Dylan, who was abducted and murdered six months ago.
Lennie didn’t mean to cause so much chaos. She always thought her uncles’ moonshine toast was just a tradition. And when they talked about carrying on their “important family legacy,” she thought they meant good old-fashioned bootlegging.
As it turns out, they meant granting wishes. And Lennie has just granted more in one night than her uncles would grant in a year.
Now she has to find a way to undo the damage. But once granted, a wish can’t be unmade…
My Thoughts
Kate Karyus Quinn’s first two books have been some of the most unique books I’ve ever read in my life. I’ve given them both high praise & very positive reviews. So of course I’m super excited to read this book. It looks like something I’ll absolutely love and I cannot wait to read it. Plus that cover is gorgeous!
This weekly feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish
This week we’re talking about the authors that we consider our auto buy authors. This list was pretty easy for me. I don’t think most of you will be surprised by the authors on my list.
Emery Lord
Brandy Colbert
Tess Sharpe
Stephanie Kuehn
Courtney C. Stevens
Jessica Verdi
Kate Karyus Quinn
Trish Doller
Suzanne Young
Corey Ann Haydu
Rachael Allen
So do we share any of the same auto buy authors? Be sure to let me know in the comments!
Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository
Synopsis from Goodreads
Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.
Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it’s normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. The two sixteen-year-old girls have two heads, two hearts, and each has two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.
But the girls’ body is beginning to fight against them. And soon they will have to face the impossible choice they have avoided for their entire lives.
Adventures in Reading 