Book Haul - August!

These are the books I've bought since my last book haul back in April(?) There are a lot. I'm need to retrain myself or soon I'm going to buried under books that I haven't read. 

Books Shown -
1) Withering Heights - Emily Bronte
2) Divergent/Insurgent Box Set - Veronica Roth
3) For Darkness Shows the Stars - Diana Peterfreund
4) Chopsticks - Jessica Anthony
5) A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
6) Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me - Kristen Chandler
7) The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June - Robin Benway
8) Ripper - Stefan Petrucha
9) Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World - Abigail Reynolds
10) The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey
11) My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
12) The Vicious Deep - Zoraida Cordova
13) Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell
14) Mastiff - Tamora Pierce
15 & 16) Linger and Forever - Maggie Stefvater
17) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
18) Days of Blood and Starlight - Lani Taylor

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

*I had this all ready to go this past Tuesday but for some reason it was never posted. Oh well! I'll put it up anyway. Silly me!

Top Ten Tuesdays are created by: The Broke and the Bookish

This Top Ten Tuesday is all about books or series that are complete, but you could have read more about that character or that world. I love this idea because so often I want a story to keep going!

This is a rather short list because I have a lot of series that I haven't finished. Therefore, I want more of the story, but there is more story already promised.

1) Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce - I have always been interested in the years in between when the Song of the Lioness series left off and when Alanna and George have children. Alanna seems much older to me in the Immortals series, and I always wanted to know what happened in those years between the two series.
*Really I could read more about any of Tamora Pierce's worlds because they are some of my favorites. 

2) Harry Potter  by JK Rowling - I think everyone wants to know more about the wizarding world! Ever since I heard that Rowling has written a biography of Remus Lupin (unpublished) I am dying to read it. I've always wanted to know more about the world and see it from a different perspective than a young hero. I think it would have be really awesome to see more of Harry as an adult or any child's home who grew up as a witch or wizard would be awesome!

3) The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini - At the end of this series I thought there was so little resolution and so little information about Eragon and what happened to him that I simply wanted more explanation about him and his life. (Overall I thought this series ended on a dumb note and I wanted a better ending for such a long series.)

4)  Persuasion - by Jane Austen - This is my favorite Jane Austen novel and when I read it I never want it to end because they always end as soon as the couple gets together.  In some ways I always want there to be more interaction between Wentworth and Anne at the end. I love them so much and I just want more lovely communication between them.

5)  My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - I want more story because this story was SO good, and it was complete so in another way I don't want more of it. I can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.

6)  Hunger Games by Susan Collins - In a lot of ways I would have loved to see more of how Katniss recovered from what happened and more about her life after.

7) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I just want another whole book about Anna and St. Clair because they are just so cute.

July in Review

So far in July I have learned that the surest way for me not to read something is for me to tell the internet that I am going to read it. I read a lot of books in July, but most of them weren't the ones I said I was going to read! I normally do not post a TBR list for just this reason, but I thought with my vacation I would try. It didn't work out at all. Over half the books I said I was going to take to the beach did not even make it into my suitcase.

The Books I read during the Booktube-A-Thon: 
 1) The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Tamora Pierce 
2) Chopsticks - Jessica Anthony 
3) Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins 
Books I started but didn't finish: 
Defiance by CJ Redwine 
Eon - Alison Hutchinson 

At the tail end of the Booktube-A-Thon I left for a week long vacation to the beach! I did a lot of reading here as well. 

Books I Finished while on vacation  and not for the Booktube-A-Thon
1) Eon - Alison Hutchinson 
2) The 5th Wave- Rick Yancey 
3) My Life Next Door- Huntley Fitzpatrick 
4) Defiance - C.J. Redwine 

Other Books I Read this Month 
1) Beautiful Darkness- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 
2) In the Hands of the Godess- Tamora Pierce (reread) 
3) Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E.L. Konigsburg 
4) Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World - Abigail Reynolds 

So overall I read 11 books this month! I had a lot of fun watching the Booktube-A-Thon videos that people posted. I never posted anything because even though I participated in the reading portion of the event I did not have time to record and edit videos during that week. 
I'm very behind of reviews and I'll be working on this as much as I can as soon as I can. My schedule has been super hectic because I started work at a new job full time. (This keeps me super busy) 

Books I Started in July 
1) Mansfield Park - Jane Austen  
I've tried to read this so many times, but I always get stuck. Even so, I am going to try to read it again because it feels like a challenge. I'm still struggling a little bit though. 
2) Gravity - Melissa West 
I've only read 30 or so pages of this and I have mixed feelings about the writing and the main character so far...

I promise I'll be posting some real reviews soon! I know I am super behind! 

Booktube-A-Thon/My Beach TBR

Next week is the Booktube-A-Thon which I am going to participate in as much as I can.

Booktube-A-Thon TBR

1) Days of Blood and Starlight by Lani Taylor (513 pages)
2) The Return of the King - JRR Tolkien Finish a Series or Triology Challenge (278 pages)
3) Mansfield Park - Jane Austen Read a Classic Challenge (396 pages)
4) The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Tamora Pierce Reread Challenge (228 pages)
5) Fallen - Lauren Kate Read a Book that's been on your shelf the longest Challenge (452 pages)
6) Divergent - Veronica Roth (487 pages)

At the tail end of the Booktube-A-Thon I'll be heading to the beach and be reading even more! These are the books I'll be taking along then.

1) Bloodhound- Tamora Pierce
2) For Darkness Shows the Stars - Diana Peterfreund
3) All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin
4) Eon - Alison Goodman
5) Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins

Hopefully I can get through most of these right? I'm excited to get some serious reading done over these next couple of weeks.

Happy Reading!

Weekend Reads!

This is just a little update to keep you informed of what I am reading this month so far. (and to tell you I'm still alive since I haven't posted in ages.)

This weekend I swear I am going to work on reading Mansfield Park because I will finish this book this time! I swear! I've tried several times, but this time I am determined. I'm about 50 pages into it and I've only ever read about 100 so I'll be working on that.

I also want to start reading Days of Blood and Starlight by Lani Taylor. I might make this part of my Booktube-A-Thon reading list if I don't finished it before then. I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I snatched this up right after I finished it. I cannot wait to read it!

What will you be reading this weekend?

June in Review

I haven't been posting a lot this month because I've been really busy with traveling and work! Hopefully next month I'll be able to get more reviews and posts up in general.

Books I Finished in June 

Peter and the Starcatchers - Berry and Ridley

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne Valente
Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake 

Seraphina - Rachel Hutchens
The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
The Night Circus - Erin Morganstan
       My Review Here
Peter and the Shadow Thieves - Berry and Ridlley 

Books I Started in June

 Black Notice - Patricia Cornwell 

Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce (this is a reread that I've been craving!) 

In July I'm going to try to participate in the Booktube Read-A-Thon which you can find out more about HERE! I am also hoping to read a lot when I travel to the beach this month! So I hope to have a lot of books to show you over the next month. 

    

Review: The Night Circus

by: Erin Morgenstern 

Published: September 2010

512 pages   

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.


I am so far behind with reviews. I need to catch up!

The Night Circus was a fantastic read. I always thought this book was YA, but after I read it I saw it was often considered a book for adults. Even so, I think YA readers would enjoy this story. I certainly did! I will warn you though this story is slow paced and I think that could turn some readers off. There are definitely moments where I felt like I was waiting for something to happen and there are not many flashy action sequences. The book is slow paced, but it captivated me. Morgenstern had a great way of describing the circus that made you feel like you knew everything and nothing about it at the same time. The time line jumps around and even the point of view changes throughout the story which took some getting used to. While it does create some confusion, I think it added to the mystery of the book and overall I enjoyed it.

I think one of my favorite things about this story was the slow development of the romance. So many stories introduce two characters so early before you know each character by themselves.In this story I felt like I knew Celia and Marco independently before they even met one another. For much of the novel Celia and Marco are only concerned about the other because of the competition they have been entered into. When romance finally does blossom, I thought their reasons for falling in love were so understandable and believable. Their meetings and actions are incredibly romantic and beautifully described as well. I was swept up by their story and thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the book.

There is so much mystery though out the book as well. There was no point in the book where I was sure what was going to happen or who all the characters were. The circus itself changed constantly though out the novel and I was always interested to see what would be added. There were enough mysteries to keep me guessing and interested through the entire novel. Each character is unique and while I never felt like I knew everything about the characters, I cared about all of them. The circus performers have a wide variety of interesting talents and there are more acts than what you would expect at a normal circus. Marco and Celia's talents are also a great take on magic and something unique and interesting. The circus itself is fascinating and has a personality of its own as well. The ending is fantastic because somehow all these bits and pieces of story about the circus all fit together in the end.

I recommend this for anyone who is willing to be patient and slow down to enjoy this story. While it is slow, I think it is definitely worth the time to read it. It is one of my favorite books of this year so far!

Rating: 5/5

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2013!

Top Ten Tuesdays are created by: The Broke and the Bookish

I've read 37 books so far this year! I've found some great ones, but its hard to order them so these are my favorite ones of this year. They are not in any particular order.

1) The Night Circus by Erin Morganstan - I was actually very surprised to love this book as much as I did. It was enchanting and the writing was absolutely gorgeous. Even though it is slow paced, I thought the author did a great job of making magic seem like something that could really happen.

2) A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness- I adored this book and it was just a fantastic read. I would suggest that anyone read this book because it deals with tough stuff in a great way.

3) Howls Moving Castle - Diana Waynne Jones- I've been dying to read this forever and I loved it! I didn't even realized how involved I was until the very end of the story! It was fabulous!

4) Friends with Boys - Faith Erin Hicks -  I have not read many graphic novels, but this is one of the best ones that I've read. It was a light read and the artwork was clear and interesting.

5) Clockwork Princess- Cassandra Clare - This was a great final book in a fantastic trilogy! I don't want to give anything away. However, I will say that the ending of this series was not what I was expecting and it made me like the series even more!

6) Beka Cooper: Terrier - Tamora Pierce - I love Tamora Pierce and I put off reading this book for too long. I really enjoyed it. It was a new spin on one of my favorite fantasy worlds of all time.

7) Opal - Jennifer L. Armentrout - This book was fantastic and fast paced just like the entire series. Such a cliffhanger though! I cannot wait for the next book.

8) Daughter of Smoke and Bones- Lani Taylor - I will label this book my favorite book of 2013 so far. I loved the writing style and I loved the story. It was so enchanting and unique.

9) Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake -  This book came to my attention because of several blogger and vloggers. I love Supernatural and this book reminded me of that show! Loved it!

10)Serephina - Rachel Hartman I struggled to get into this story for a while, but once it had me pulled in, I could not put it down.

I loved all these books and cannot wait to see what comes in the second half of 2013.

May in Review

Month in Review is the format I use to share the books I read this month as well as books I started and plan to read in the next month. 

Books I Finished This Month (10) - all of these titles have been added to my 2013 Shelf on Goodreads and have star ratings there. 

1) Pushing the Limits by Katie MacGerry - A great contemporary novel. See my thoughts here!

2)  Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs 

3) Terrier by Tamora Pierce
4) Opal by Jennifer Armentrout
5) Iron King by Julie Kagawa
6) Shadows by Jennifer Armentrout
7) Monday Mournings by Kathy Reichs
8) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor - This was a fantastic book! I enjoyed it very very much and I posted a review here.
9) The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien
10) Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

Books I Started This Month 

Under the Dome by Stephen King 

The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making by Catherynne M. Valente 

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien 

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Review - Pushing the Limits

by Katie McGarry

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.


I'm fairly picky about which contemporary books I read. I'm more of a fantasy type of gal rather than contemporary, but I ended up really liking this book! I was in a reading slump after only reading one book last month. At the beginning of this month I picked up this book and it pulled me out of it.

Echo and Noah both have tough situations to deal with and they both have to struggle with events that have changed their lives forever. The pacing of this book worked really well for me. McGarry uncovers enough through the course of the book to keep you on the edge and interested so the plot doesn't drag at all. I was quickly pulled in by Noah and Echo who are both awesome characters on their own but even better together. Their romance is fiery and forbidden (which is one of the best kinds) and it develops throughout the book while both characters come to terms with the hardships in their young lives.

One of my favorite things about this book the the writing and the duel perspective that McGarry used. During this book Kate McGarry switches between Echo and Noah's point of view which works really well for this book. I think it would be really each to misunderstand one of the main characters in this novel without that extra insight into their thoughts and actions. Normally switching point of view in contemporary novels can be annoying to me, but I think it worked really really well in this book.

This book is fun to read! It is defiantly something I would like to read on the beach or at the pool. Alas I read it in my bedroom during the beginning of May when it was still chilly, but I think it would be a great summer read. The contemporary romance was easy to get into and both story lines are intriguing. Echo and Noah pull you in. Echo can't remember everything, but she is also afraid to remember. She just wants to get back to how life was before the incident with her mom. Noah is trying to get his brothers back and trying to cope with living in the foster care system. Neither one of them can go back to the lives they had before, but they are both trying to get back some normalcy. Both of them are keeping secrets and I could not stop reading until I found out what they were hiding.

This story is one of my favorites that I've read so far this year and I've already added this awesome contemporary to my favorites list. I recommend this for sure!

Rating: 5/5

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie

Top Ten Sequels I want to read! 

Top Ten Tuesdays are created by: The Broke and the Bookish

A big topic in the book community lately seems to be the finishing of series. I have started so many series and just read the first book. I have a lot of sequels that I really need to read so I though I'd list 10 of them to motivate me to pick them up. 

1) Days of Blood and Starlight by Lani Taylor - I literally finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone and ordered this book at full price in order to get it ASAP. I cannot wait to read it and I probably will tear through it even thought the next book in the series doesn't come out until 2014

2) Beautiful Darkness- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - I read Beautiful Creatures earlier this year and I am dying to read this, but the end of the first book was really chaotic and I don't really remember what happened so I'm going to have to skim that again before I pick this up.

3) Bloodhound- Tamora Pierce. The first book in the Beka Cooper series just made me happy and I enjoyed it so much. I love Tortall and I cannot wait to get back to that world.

4) Linger - Maggie Stiefvater - I really want to read this book and finish this series, but I just haven't pick up the second book yet. Maybe someday it will just magically fall into my lap. I just always seem to forget about it when I am shopping for books.

5) The Dark Monk  - Oliver Potzsch - I read the Hangman's Daughter  last year and  the beach and loved it. I can't wait to read this at the beach this year.

6) Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - I know this isn't technically a sequel, but I have the book and I loved Anna and the French Kiss sooooo much that I am dying to pick this up as fun read this summer.

7) Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick - I have this book. I just haven't read it even though I've started it multiple times  

8)  Back to the Divide - Elizabeth Kay - I love the first book as a child and I have reread it. Now I just need to read this one and the final book in order to complete my childhood.

9) The Iron Daughter- Julie Kagawa - I've started this and Meghan is really starting to get on my nerves so we shall see how long this book lasts.

10) A Storm of Swords- George RR. Martin - I am so far behind reading this series. Everyone else is done and I'm only starting book 3. They are just so intimidating even though I love these books!