Year in Review 2016 Edition

I read a total of 23 books in 2016. My goal was 40, so I really fell short. Life happened.

Here are a few stats:

-Shortest Book:

The Walk Up Nameless Ridge by Hugh Howey

It is a whopping 12 pages. I was interested in Hugh Howey's writing style. I had heard good things, but I believe the topic just wasn't for me. I gave the short story a 3 stars.

-Longest Book:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Second Chance Summer is 468 pages. This is my second novel by Matson. I have also read Amy and Rodger's Epic Detour. SCS is very different from AARED. It is about a young girl and her family who find out tragic news about her father. The family decide to go away for the summer to spend quality time together. I rated this a 3 stars.

-Most Popular Book on Goodreads I Read: 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

My review on Goodreads:

 "ACOTAR is a awesome book. I enjoyed reading it, however I do have a few issues with it. It took me so long to finish. I believe that some of the story was drug out. Feyre drove me nuts. I hated that she continuously put herself in harms way. I kind of got a Twilight vibe. Overall all it was a fun and enjoyable read. I've heard such amazing things about the second book that I'm excited to read it."

I gave it a 4 stars. 

 -Least Read Book on Goodreads:

I Hate Fairyland Volume 2 by Skottie Young and Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Illustrator)

I freaking LOVE this series. It is about this "little" girl who is trapped in Fairyland. In Volume 1, Gertrude is searching for a key that will send her back home. Obviously, she hasn't found the key. She is a kickass, ruthless character who wants nothing more than to leave Fairyland. Everyone should read this series. It is my favorite graphic novel series. I gave it a 4.5 stars. 

 

-My Favorite Book of the Year:

The Girl in 6E by A.R. Torre

This book is completely unforgettable. It is definitely for an older audience. Boy oh boy is it an eventful ride that keeps you reading until the very end. It is labeled as an exotic thriller about a young woman who is addicted to killing people. She has locked herself in her apartment to prevent herself from hurting anyone. If that doesn't sound interesting, I don't know what does? I, of course, rated it 5 stars. 

 

It has been a while since I posted anything on my blog. This year a goal of mine is to do more things that make me happy. This blog is something that I really enjoyed working on. So for the year of 2017 I will try to keep this updated. 

I will start by listing a few of my bookish goals for 2017:

-I would like to read 30 books this year. A kid and a full time job is a lot, so 30 seems very doable.

-I have to finish 4 series. (One of those has to be Winter from the Lunar Chronicles)

-Make reading more of a priority. I need to spend less time on social media and more time reading.

-Buy less books

-Read book 1 of the Harry Potter series (I have never read the series before, and I feel like I'm really missing out).

All four of these seem reasonable. Although, I do have a few gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. I have my eye on a few new releases that I'm excited for.

My next post will be about my favorite books that I read last year. 

Until next time,
Bre

November Wrap Up:

Wrap Up:
# of books in November:  4
Read in 2014: 36

Challenges:
Books over 400 pages in November: 1
Books over 400 pages in 2014: 9
Classics: 0
Diverse Authors in November: 1
Diverse Authors in 2014: 4

 Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White 

This novel is hard to summarize, so here is the Goodreads' synopsis: Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.
Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.

I did enjoy this book, but I felt like I got lost in some of its politics. I would sometimes catch myself skimming, and I would have to force myself to reread. Flinn and Jessamin are awesome together. Eleanor is Jessamin's friend in the novel, and she is awesome. I would love to be her friend. The magic system was interesting. I do wish we got more of it. I guess the "twist" early on in the book, so that also might be a reason I didn't enjoy it as much. Overall, this book was just ok for me.

 

(more like a 3.5 stars)

Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank

Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling is about Chess and Shannon's friendship told in verse. Chess and Shannon are both diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Shannon has had it for a while, but Chess just found out she has it. Chess is freaking out and completely in denial, and then Shannon becomes here roommate. They are opposites  in every way. The story follows their struggle with the disease, and how they learn to cope with it together. This story was good, nothing spectacular.

 

(once again a 3.5 stars)

Fables Volume 1 by Bill Willingham & Lan Medina 

Fables is a graphic novel where Snow White's sister, Rose Red, goes missing. Snow White enlists the help of Bigby Wolf to help find her sister. I loved this fairytale world. I am really starting to enjoy retellings. The art in Fables was awesome. It matched the story perfectly. I will definitely continue with this series. 

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 

Rainbow Rowell is becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. She sure knows how to craft a beautiful love story. Cath and Wren are twin sister that are huge Simon Snow fans. Simon Snow is like Harry Potter in their world. They both decide to go to the same college, but Wren needs some space. The story follows Cath and her journey through her first year of college. Regan and Levi are the best friends a girl could ask for. I LOVED this. One of my favorite things about this book is Cath and Wren's relationship with their dad. It reminds me a lot of my my dad, my sister, and I. After having just an average reading month, this was just what I needed. I wanted to give this book a 5 stars, but the Simon Snow excerpts knocked it down. I found myself skimming and skipping over them because I needed to know what was happening with Cath and Levi. The ending was just ok for me. Rainbow's endings to Fangirl and Eleanor & Park left me NEEDING more. I can't wait to read Landline.

 

 I have already read one book this month. I'm currently reading A Thousand Pieces of You. I will also be reading My True Love Gave to Me and Dash and Lily's Book Dares for my book club. I would love to know what books you read this month. How are you doing with your Goodreads goal? 

Until next time,

Bre  

Septemeber & October Wrap Up:

Wrap Up:
# of books in September/October:  5
Read in 2014: 32

Challenges:
Books over 400 pages in September/October: 1
Books over 400 pages in 2014: 8
Classics: 0
Diverse Authors in September/October: 1
Diverse Authors in 2014: 3

September:

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex takes place in a world where the death rate is higher than the birth rate. Meadow is trained by her father to protect her family in this cruel world. All of the training pays off because Meadow has to literally fight to get a job to help support her siblings. In town, Meadow runs into a boy named Zephyr and things start to get crazy. Zephyr is programmed by the government to assassinate whoever they need to get rid of. I am a fool for dystopian, so of course I LOVED this book. I read it really fast because I had to figure out what was going to happen next. It is a bloody, action packed dystopian that I would highly recommend.

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

I enjoyed this book. All the catty drama was extremely over the top and unrealistic, but for some reason I loved it. Burn for Burn is told in three different perspectives. All three of the girls pick a person that have wronged them in the past and decide a revenge plan for each one. I will say it was predictable, but I still read it super fast. Overall, I would describe Burn for Burn as Mean Girls meets the O.C. & Mean Girls with a tad bit of Carrie mixed in.  

October:

The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners is about a young girl, Evie, who moves to her uncle's house in New York in 1920, and while she is there a series of murders occur. Evie's uncle is recruited by the police to help with the murders, and Evie tags along. I don't want to spoil anything, so I don't want to give away too much. The 5 words I would use to describe this book are spooky, paranormal, mysterious, long (578 pages), dark.

 A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

A Little Something Different is unique because it is told from 14 different viewpoints and none of them are from the couple. A few of the viewpoints are from Maxine, the waitress at the dinner Gabe and Lea always eat at, the bench they always sit on, a squirrel that sees them together all the time, a few of their close friends, the lost goes on.  I enjoyed the different perspectives in this book, but I wished we would have gotten more of Gabe and Lea together. It just seemed like the book was building to something awesome, and we did not get enough of the "awesomeness" that we had been waiting on. Overall, it was a cute, fluffy read. I recommend it if you are looking for something light and entertaining. 

Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller

Nightmares! is a middle grade adventure story that will have you wishing you had more. It is about a young boy whose mother passed away and his father remarries. Charlie has a reoccurring nightmare that this witch is going to take his family from him, and he is certain the witch from his nightmares is his step mom. I loved Charlie. He was a great male lead that you couldn't help but root for. I also loved all the nightmares, but felt a few might be a little too creepy for middle grade readers. I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves spooky adventure stories with an awesome male lead.

I am currently reading Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White. I know this month I will be reading Fangirl and Mockingjay. What will you guys read in November? What did you read in October? How are your reading goals going? 

Until next time,

Bre

Creatures of the Night Book Tag 

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would do this tag. The original tag was created by Katytastic on Youtube. CLICK HERE  to go watch her video. In this tag there are 10 creatures that you have to chose a favorite book character to match them to. You guys will get the gist. Let's get this tag started : )

THE CREATURES OF THE TAG
 

1. Vampire

I loved this book. In this world, the vampires are badass. They live in places called Coldtowns, and the humans are terrified of them. Holly Black does vampires the right way. 

2. Werewolf

I am stretching this one a little. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a "creature" in this book. It is described as a "werewolf-esk." You guys will just have to read it to figure out what it really is. 

3. Zombie

Reboot is a different take on zombies. Wren died and was brought back to life by the government. She is now a indestructible solider that is sent out on missions. Reboot is one of my favorite dystopians.

4. Ghost

I just finished this book a few weeks ago. It follows a girl who is trying to hunt down the ghost of a serial killer.

5. Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster

Nightmares! is a middle grade novel that follows the story of Charlie. He is convinced that his stepmom is a witch, and he will stop at nothing to prove it to everyone. I loved this story. It was a great adventure story about a young boy learning how to move on. 

6. Fairy/Fae

I have only read the first book in this series, but I do know that fae play a big part in this series. I really enjoyed ToG. It was the first book I have ever read that has a lead female assassin.

7. Demon

I haven't read this book yet, but I really want to. I have heard AWESOME things.

8. Angel

In this series, the angels are bad, and Raffe is no exception. I LOVED this book. 

9. Alien

Katy is a book nerd who moves next door to a family of aliens. I was extremely surprised with this series. If you haven't read it, you should definitely give it a try.

10. Superpowered human

Sooki Stackhouse can hear everyone's thoughts until one day she meets a man named Bill. From there craziness ensues. 

Hello Bibliophiles,

I decided to do the A to Z Bookish Survey. It was originally created by Perpetual Pageturner. CLICK HERE to go see her responses. I'm excited, so let's jump right in.

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Sarah Dessen with a whopping 6 books.

Best Sequel Ever:

I have to go with Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I loved it so much more than The Huger Games.

Currently Reading:

I'm in between books currently. I can't decide if I want to start Illusion of Fates by Kiersten White or World After by Susan Ee.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

I loved water with crushed ice. But other than that I'll drink whatever.

E-reader or Physical Book?

I love physical books!!

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Sawyer LeGrande from How to Love by Katie Cotugno. Sawyer was a bad influence on Reena, but I still couldn't help but to love him.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

 The Sound of Us by Ashley Poston. It was a cheap ebook, so I bought it. It turned out to be great! You guys should give it a try.

Hidden Gem Book:

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepard. I LOVE THIS BOOK : )

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Discovering Booktube and book blogs.

Just Finished:

Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I don't like non-fiction.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer (756 pages)

Major book hangover because of:

 Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Number of Bookcases You Own:

2 : )

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Catching Fire

Preferred Place To Read:

I love to read on the couch or in my bed.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.”

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Reading Regret:

I wish I would have read Harry Potter when everyone else in the world did.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

I have a ton of series I need to finish, but I would have to say the one I feel the most pressure to finish is The Mortal Instruments & The Infernal Devices.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd, The Help by Katherine Stockett, & The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

The Madman's Daughter

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

I can't wait for the third Mara Dyer book. The Retribution of Mara Dyer.

Worst Bookish Habit:

Not finishing series. It is a serious problem.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs 

Your latest book purchase:

My True Love Gave to Me (the UK edition) It is beautiful : )

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

This survey was a lot of fun. If you haven't done it yet, you totally should. 

Until next time,

Bre

July & August Wrap Up:

I'm sorry guys! I have been absent from my blog for about a month because of computer problems (mostly). I'm back and ready to dive in. Even though I was away from my blog, I was still reading. I read 8 books between the two months. Let's get started with the wrap up.

Wrap Up:
# of books in July/August: 8
Read in 2014: 27

Challenges:
Books over 400 pages in July/August: 1
Books over 400 pages in 2014: 7
Classics: 0
Diverse Authors in July/August: 0
Diverse Authors in 2014: 2

July

 

Saga Volume 1 By Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples 

Saga is the first book in a series of graphic novels. I loved this novel. I was blown away at the artwork.The art is pretty graphic at some parts, so I wouldn't recommend the series to a younger audience.  It was such a fast paced read that I read it in one day. The story follows a guy and a girl who are from different planets who fall in love. Alana ends up breaking Marco out of prison and

the craziness begins.

 

Saga Volume 2 By Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
 Volume 2 was epic! I LOVE this series so much. If a kick ass science fiction fantasy graphic novel sounds like something you might like, then I suggest you pick these up.

 

Point of Retreat By Colleen Hoover (Slammed, Book #2) 

I read Slammed in June, and I fell in love with the story. The characters are awesome, and they are extremely realistic. I love everything about these books. They made me feel all the feels. They are classified as New Adult, but don't let that deter you. They are amazing. 

If I Stay By Gayle Forman

I already posted a review on this book. CLICK HERE to check it out : )

The Beginning of Everything By Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything is about a boy named Ezra who was a high school tennis player. Ezra got into an accident and shattered his knee, so he will never be able to play sports again. The story describes how Ezra handles his "new" life outside of tennis. One thing that I really enjoyed about is that the story is told from a male POV. With that being said, I had quite a few problems with this book. Ezra and the main girl character, Cassidy, really annoyed me. I think this book was trying too hard to be hipster and that took away from the story. 

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham 

I LOVE VERONICA MARS!! I watched the TV show religiously, so when I heard about this book I freaked out. I listened to the audiobook because Kristen Bell narrates it. I loved it. It made the experience sooooo much better. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version of this. The story itself was great. Veronica got into trouble while trying to solve a mystery, imagine that. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to get my hands on book 2. 

Throne of Glass By Sarah J. Maas

  I enjoyed this book, but I do feel like the hype made my expectations too high. Don't get me wrong I love all the characters and the plot, I wish there was more action. Celaena Sardothein is a kick ass female protagonist. I wish we could see her in action more frequently. WARNING: there is a love triangle. As of right now, I don't have a definite team. I really enjoyed reading Dorian's parts. Chaol is pretty awesome, but a little too dry for me. I do have a new "favorite to hate" character, Kaltain. Ugh she is extremely annoying. I can't wait to see what book 2 has in store.

How to Love By Katie Cotugno 

Reena falls in love with Sawyer. It is a messy complicated relationship because Sawyer is battling some of his own demons. Sawyer ends up packing up and leaving town, and Reena has no idea where he is going. When Sawyer left, Reena found out she was pregnant. The story is told from two different timelines. It flashes back and forth between before Reena got pregnant and two years after the baby is born. At first the rotating between before and after was a little hard to follow, but you pick up on it fast. Honestly, the alternating timelines made the book for me. I loved it, and I highly recommend it.

I don't have any planned books for the month of September except for Burn for Burn by Jenny Han. I am reading that for my book club. Other than that I will just read whatever I feel like reading. What did you read this month? Have you read any of the books I read? 

Until next time,

Bre