Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Teaser Tuesday [September 16]


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. All you have to do is grab your current read, open to a random page, and share two teaser sentences (that don't give too much away).


This week's teaser is brought to you by the zombie-infested first book in the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy:

"Just as my brain screamed for this hot oil to leave my skin, for my heart to slow, that I could take no more, a howl of pain erupted from Joseph's mouth. The lines of blue lightning stopped. The darkness was gone."

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (page 184)

Thursday, September 11, 2014

August 2014 Wrap-up


Alas. Thanks to school and work, I was not able to read as many books as I did in July...



☆☆☆☆






1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: As The Little Book Club's "Male Protagonist" pick of the month, I was EXTREMELY excited to dive in (and not just because it was the first time I had ever participated in any sort of "official" book/reading club). Ready Player One was a very fast-paced, action-packed read, and I definitely agree with all of the hype surrounding the story and author. It was a bit difficult to get into at times, though I blame that on my inability to understand anything too tech or Science Fiction-y. This was definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far.




☆☆☆☆





2. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke: In preparation for the sequel's release, I picked up the first book in the Between duology and loved it just as much the second time around! Tucholke's writing is creepy, suspenseful, gothic and beautiful, and I adored every single one of her characters - Violet in particular.




☆☆☆☆





3. Between the Spark and the Burn (Between #2) by April Genevieve Tucholke: This series is so dark and odd. I love it! Though the ending was not what I was expecting—and originally hoping for—I found myself enjoying it just as much as the first. It was very creepy and I liked seeing Violet's relationships progress from the beginning of book one to the ending of the second. Tucholke has quickly become one of my new favorite authors and I look forward to seeing what else she has in store for her readers.




☆☆☆☆





4. Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by Stephanie Perkins: While I did not enjoy this book as much as the other two, it was nice to see all of our favorite characters return to the City of Love and reconnect after a year—and a million changes—away. I was all for the quirky, awkward Isla at the beginning of the book, but once she and Josh began dating, she really started to get on my nerves. The ending wrapped up a bit too nicely and seemed a little insincere but, overall, I really enjoyed the conclusion to this wonderful series. I definitely plan on rereading these books sometime soon.




☆☆☆☆☆





5. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan: I did not realize just how much I needed this in my life until its release. Greek mythology is extremely difficult to get into—I love all of the stories, but the lengthy, text-filled books are so dull... I can never get past the first few chapters. This book, however, was hilarious and informational and I finished it in about a day. Oh, how I've missed Percy's wit!


. . . . 

August Stats:

Read 5 books
Read 1,706 pages

GR's 2014 Reading Challenge:

Read 47 of 70 books
Currently on track

Upcoming Releases:

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes -- September 2, 2014
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang -- September 9, 2014
The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey -- September 16, 2014
Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter -- September 30, 2014




We are one month closer to some of my most anticipated releases of the year. I can't wait!

Monday, September 1, 2014

BOOK HAUL [collective]


As you may or may not have noticed, there has been a severe lack of book-hauling on this blog. It began in April—after purchasing only a few, meager reads—and ended yesterday, when I looked at my bookshelf and went: "Holy shit, I have accumulated a lot of books." So, here you go. A book haul.





1. Anatomy of a Misfit (ARC) by Andrea Portes
2. Between the Spark and the Burn (Between #2) by April Genevieve Tucholke
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
4. City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare 
5. Conversion by Katherine Howe
6. Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer
7. Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
8. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige 
9. Find Momo: A Photography Book by Andrew Knapp
10. Four (Divergent novellas) by Veronica Roth
11. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
12. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
13. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
14. Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna #3) by Stephanie Perkins
15. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
16. Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid 
17. Love and the Zombie Apocalypse by Chelsea Bellingeri
18. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
19. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
20. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
21. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
22. Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer
23. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 
24. Shugo Chara! (Volume #3) by Peach-Pit
25. Shugo Chara! (Volume #4) by Peach-Pit
26. Shugo Chara! (Volume #5) by Peach-Pit
27. Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo
28. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
29. The Archived by Victoria Schwab
30. The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed #2) by Page Morgan
31. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass
32. The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab
33. Through the Ever Night (Under The Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi

NOT PICTURED:

35. Marco's Story (The Dispossessed #1.5) by Page Morgan
36. No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.1) by Danielle Paige