I have not been able to finish any books in the month of September. I know, I Know, how horrible am I? Anyways, I have come up with a new process to help me read more. It involves me reading more than one book at a time. It can be as many books as I like or can fit in the weekend. The process is simple... On a Saturday and Sunday: 1. Pick a book you have started or a new one. 2. Read 100 pages 3. set it aside and pick another 4. read 100 pages
It will definitely help me with my burn outs with books, which happens all too often. I won't get so bored so fast either. I'll be able to finish more books by the end of the month as well. I am also keeping a reading log in a journal I made. I mark off chapters as I read them. It will also have number of pages, my rating of the book, dates started & finished, favorite character, least favorite character and a quote. I'm hoping that since I am such a mood reader, I will be motivated to read more using my journal. On to the books I have started so far! 1. Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson (This book is such a process, it's gonna take me a bit. I'm almost 700 pages in.) 2. Cruel Prince - Holly Black (currently have already read 105 pages today) 3. Truthwitch (I am also 105 pages into this book.) I have so many more that I know I will start today, but I am not sure which. But the important thing is, is I completed my goal of getting books to 100 pages each today. I won't have to pick them up for 100 more pages until next weekend (of course I can read during the week, I just know it won't be 100 pages). I'll also be taking advantage of audiobooks during the week through the overdrive Libby app. Since I work on a computer all week, audiobooks will help me get through even more books while I work. What's your reading process like?
Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.
Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie―no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, is an empowering novel for anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family.
My Review:
This book was absolutely adorable! I read this book in one sitting. It was a fast read for me and I am so glad I read it. The fact that the characters were so relatable helped me devour this book. I love the diversity shown in this book. I have been craving more realistic characters that are autistic. It doesn't happen much in the literary world. This book was a breath of fresh air.
Taylor is autistic, just like me. She was my favorite character. I loved how the author portrayed her without making her stereotypical. Taylor went through the same things that I go through every day with the social anxiety, the shutdowns and the meltdowns. I was so glad to see that she was able to have a happy ending. Totally loved Jamie as well, he is such a great friend that didn't push her past her limits but helped her gain confidence in certain areas of her life.
Charlie's character was so awesome. I loved how within a short amount of time she was able to grow so much. She broke barriers that are hard for people that are watching your every move and judging everything you do. I like that she was able to stand up for herself against society. I'm glad she was able to finally be herself at the end of the book and find love!
This book was absolutely one of my favorites this year. If you need a light read, with a happy ending, definitely pick up this book!
So, for this months reading list, I'm going to try and keep it realistic. I have been on a big fantasy kick. I started The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and I am HOOKED!
For some reason, it just seemed too scary of a book for me to pick up. Maybe it is the fact that it's like 1000 pages! But, WOW, why didn't I read this sooner. I'll be working on the book through out the month. I'm about 300 pages in already.
If I do happen to finish it this month, then I will start the second book, Words of Radiance.
But, other than those two books, I will be trying to get to these books:
Vampire Knight Manga 1-5
These wont be hard to finish, I can get through one pretty quick. I absolutely love the anime and I have heard that the manga is pretty different.
Lastly, I figured I would choose one or two YA novels.
I honestly am not sure which ones I will choose since I am a mood reader. Let me think on this a minute...
Fortunately, there are tons of books on my shelves that I haven't read yet. A good number of the books are ones people are obsessed with. I chose Truthwitch by Susan Dennard and Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. I know, I know, why haven't I read them yet? Because I am horrible.
So that is my September TBR! Still a tad unrealistic for me. I am not sure if I will be able to get to the two YA books. I will definitely try though.
Print Length: 401 pages Publisher: Del Rey (January 28, 2014) Publication Date: January 28, 2014 Sold by: Random House LLC Language: English Buy Here: Amazon Book Depository Synopsis: "I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them." "I live for you," I say sadly. Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more." Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so. My Review: This book honestly took me a bit to get into. It had somewhat of a slow start but once it picked up, oh boy. It was a great read! It definitely had a Hunger Games vibe to it, but it was so much more scientifically advanced. The setting was Mars and people can literally change everything about the way they look. There were castes based off the color of your skin. They weren't the normal skin colors we see in todays society. People were Gold, Pink, Red, Blue, so many other random colors. Which I found to be very interesting how he separated them. I do love that it alludes to today's prejudice based on color of their skin. People in this book are still looked down upon. Darrow had to be changed, not just skin, but eyes and hair, just to be recognized as who he was pretending to be. Even names suggested rank, which is highly odd. There were so many badass females in this story as well. Mustang was my absolute favorite. Seeing that plot twist that involves her, sent me through a whirlwind. I felt that she was such a strong character for what she dealt with in the game. She was very clever and doesn't let a man walk all over her, which I thought was awesome. The whole plot in this book was highly intriguing, and I love Darrow. I'm excited to see where this story takes him.
This month was a big book buying month. I had a bit of extra cash so I splurged a bit. I bought 14 books this month. Five of them were contemporary novels, the rest, well they were fantasy. Let's get down to the books!
I went to Cedar City for a day with some family. We checked out a few places with books. They only have one book store. Main Street books. They have used and new books, so It was cool to check out. I only got one book from there. It looked like a brand new copy but was only $9.00. The book is Nemesis by Brendan Reichs. Here is the front of that store.
I also went to Dollar Tree and found five books. I was surprised to find the books I found. I found 'Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between,' by Jennifer E Smith; '10 Things I Can See From Here,' by Carrie Mac; 'Black Dove White Raven,' by Elizabeth E. Wein; 'Finding the Dark in the City of Light,' by Ann Jacobus; and lastly 'The Rosie Effect' by Graeme Simison.
For all the other books I went to Target and Barnes and Noble. My two favorite stores! At Barnes and Noble I bought the big chunker of a book 'The Way of Kings' by Brandon Sanderson, which I am already reading. I'm hoping to get through it. Such a big book. I also picked up 'The Poppy War' by R. F. Kuang, 'Legendary' by Stephanie Garber, 'The Queens of Innis Lear,' by Tessa Gratton, and 'Spinning Silver' by Naomi Novik. At Target I was able to get 'Furyborn' by Claire Legrand, 'Catwoman' by Sarah J. Maas, 'The Cruel Prince' by Holly Black.
It's a good amount of books, more than i really even needed. It is now added to my never ending TBR pile! (Which is slowly going down... sort of.) What books did you get this month?
Glad you asked! Booktube-a-thon is a week long readathon that is hosted by Ariel Bissett. This is the fifth year for this event and it is the first year for the event that I will be participating in it. I am super pumped to start this read-a-thon. Check out Ariel's video below to see what it is all about!
Here are the challenges!:
1. Let a coin toss decide your first read.
2. Read a book about something you want to do.
3. Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.
4. Read a book with green on the cover.
5. Read a book while wearing the same hat the whole time.
6. Read a book with a beautiful spine.
7. Read seven books.
I will upload a post on the blog as much as I can. I will also be on twitter and instagram posting and uploading photos and doing the daily challenges. I am super excited to get reading. I'm not sure if I will be able to read all 7 books but, there won't be anybody to stop me from trying! Lets see what books I have to tackle, shall we?
1. Let a coin toss decide your first read.
So for the first book I decided to just pick two books and do a coin flip. The other book (or the losing book) won't be a part of the list I end up reading.
It is between:
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
Both books are about 200 pages and will be a fairly short read which is great for a readathon.
The coin toss decided:
2. Read a book about something you want to do.
This one was a bit difficult to choose for me. There is so much that I want to do. One thing though that stuck out for this book is the fact that she is a hacker. I love computers and I'd love to be able to learn how to code and hack and do all that stuff (like Charlie from Supernatural). So I came across Warcross by Marie Lu. Synopsis: For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.
3. Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.
The book I chose for this one is a book that has a lot of hype. The movie just came out on blu-ray/dvd. I also decided that I would listen to this book on Scribd during work. Which will make it a lot easier to get done. The book is 6 hours long and I work about 9 hours a day. I'll be able to finish it easily. This book is Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Which is also known as Love, Simon.
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story—wrapped in a geek romance—is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli.
4. Read a book with green on the cover.
I didn't have many books to choose from that had green on it, surprisingly. And I wasn't going to read Heir of Fire AGAIN. Well, yet, anyways. I luckily had one book with tons of green on it that I have not yet read. I have heard great things about this book as well, despite it being on "James Patterson's presents:" books. (I am not a fan of him) The book though sounds really cool because it has a dark, gruesome, premise. That book is Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
5. Read a book while wearing the same hat the whole time.
I have two hats I can use for this one. I have a Louise (from Bob's Burgers) rabbit ear hat, or my baseball cap. I also have a cowboy hat buuuut I decided not to use that one. Depending on how hot it is, I'll be able to choose which one I wear. Since that challenge doesn't really have anything to do with the book itself, I was free to choose any book. I really needed to get to the second book in the "An Ember in the Ashes" Trilogy by Sabaa Tahir. I thought it was a perfect way to read this book by putting it in this readathon.
Synopsis: After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.
Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both. 6. Read a book with a beautiful spine.
I had a good number of books with a beautiful spine. They were mostly hardcovers and I just felt like reading paperbacks instead. I also decided to go with a book that doesn't have the greatest reviews on Goodreads. It only has a 3.12 rating. That is not the greatest. I do know that every reader is different and I really wanted to give this a chance without really knowing why people hate on it. Sarah J. Maas blurbs it so I figured it can't be that bad. I chose Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. It really has a gorgeous spine. I love the color purple and I love the Galaxy look on it.
Synopsis:
Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader. But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two. Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.
7. Read seven books.
For my last book... This one was difficult. It took me all weekend to decide what book I wanted to read or re-read. At first I thought I would continue V. E. Schwabs "A Darker Shade of Magic" Trilogy with the second book. I'm not quite finished with the first book though. Or I could read a really tiny book but, I didn't have that many to choose from. Then I took a look at Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I read this YEARS AGO. And I never finished the series. So, I am going to re-read it and finish the darn series.
Synopsis:
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.
Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.
That's my list! Hoping to get through all books. I will be reading and reviewing them on this blog, so be sure to check it out through out the week. Also follow me on twitter and instagram (links on the side) and stay up to date with the progress of my reads.
The acclaimed New York Times bestseller! Welcome, welcome to Caraval—Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of the unbreakable bond between two sisters. It’s the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world...
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.
My Review:
This book.... oh my lordy!
This book got me out of one of my biggest book slumps ever! I mean I have read very few books this year but dang. This book makes me want to read more. It was so fast paced and so intriguing that I didn't want it to end. Scarlett did however, bug the crap out of me. The whole time I felt like she was so focused on getting married to get away from her father that she didn't even see the fact that Caraval was literally her ticket to get away from her father. It was all she could focus on. I felt that she could have been too dang dramatic. My face every time she talked about getting her sister and leaving to get married was just of so much annoyance.
I'm just so glad that her character does a lot of growing during this book. It was like a lightbulb went off in her head. The magic in this book was so creatively done. I love how the author made it something that makes you a different person depending on how you use the magic. It reflects you. So if you're going to be a devious person in the game with the magic, once it's over you're still going to be a horrible person. BUT! The great thing is, is that you can change yourself, which Legend himself does. Tella is my favorite character of this book. I instantly fell in love with this character. She is so much smarter than her sister gives her credit. I do love that Scarlett protects Tella so much but it was awesome to know Tella was doing the same for Scarlett. She wanted Scarlett to experience life outside of her fathers island with an adventure, not to a marriage with a man she only knew from letters. I love Julian. I knew he was going to be the love interest from the beginning but it was interesting to see how she played it off, as he started with Tella... or so we think. Julian also does a lot of growing in the novel even though we don't get a whole lot of his back story. He is definitely a new book boyfriend of mine. The plot twists involving Julian I somewhat kind of felt would happen but wasn't sure exactly what it would have been. It was a crazy plot twist for me.
With so many amazing twists this book gave me, I cannot wait to start Legendary. It was such a spell-binding, page turner that kept me up late hours of the night just so I could see what happened next. I didn't want it to end. You seriously need to read this book/series if you have not yet. So picking up the next book on payday!
