My Favorite Summer Reads - Summer 2013

Since the first week of school is coming to a close, I thought I'd look back over what my favorite books I read this summer were. This summer I read quite a few books and most of them were excellent! I wanted to mention 5 that I thought were my favorites from this summer (and maybe a couple of honorable mentions that I couldn't quite ignore)

1) The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
I love this book and even though it is a little dense it quickly pulled me in. It was intreiging and rather unique (at least I've never read anything like it before) I loved the element of illusion and the setting of a circus was fantastic. Even though a large chunk of this book was set in the winter months and in Europe rather than on the beach, I read this really quickly and thought it was a great book to read on vacation. My Full Review is Posted!

2) Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake 
This book was right up my ally because I love Supernatural the TV show. This is a fast paced adventurous story that is violent and dark but somehow still makes me laugh out loud.

3) Opal - Jennifer Armentrout
I love this series and the fourth book is on its way to my house as I write this! I cannot wait to see where the next book goes because this one ends on such a cliffhanger! I love Katy and Daemon's romance and I never put these books down because they are so fast paced!

4) The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey
Is there anyone out there that hasn't read this book this summer and loved it? I feel like everyone was pushing me to read it and I'm so glad I did! This book is fantastic and so thrilling. I read it on the beach over two days and loved every sun soaked second of it. Definitely Recommend!

5) My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
This is one of the cutest contemporary stories I've read in a long time. The characters are great and the story is so easy to relate to. This was another great book I read on the beach and this might by my favorite book of this summer! Watch for a review to follow soon!

Honorable Mention

Serephina - Rachel Hartman 
This book is fun and engaging. I thought it was very well developed and thought out. The world felt real and it had depth to the story. I loved this book and really enjoyed the writing as much as the story! My Review

Lola and the boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins 
If you liked Anna and the French Kiss, I think you'll like this book too. I adored this story and it is full of cute moments just like the first one. I think I am one of the last people to read this, but I would recommend for sure! It is quick, easy and very sweet.

Review: Defiance

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Published - August 2012

418 pages

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

I was anticipating this novel for a while, like most of the book I read because I've had it for a bit. I had purchased it when it was on sale for Kindle and I was excited mostly because of cover appeal. I didn't know anyone who had read it and I didn't see any reviews from people I trust. I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was meh? I was disappointed a little bit. 

While I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it could have been a little more developed. It was a little repetitive and I thought there was a lot of description about the world and the monster that had destroyed the society. It felt a little flat though and it lacked complexity. The author drops a lot of terms in about the society, but a lot of times I felt like I should already know what they were. Even when terms were first introduced they weren't really explained. This made me disconnected from the story and less interested in the traditions of the society. It didn't feel like the author had a solid picture of the society she was introducing me to. Instead it seemed like some things were made up as a means to an end for the plot of the story. 

I couldn't quite connect to the characters either. I liked Rachel and Logan, but again, I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the friendship/relationship rather than introduced to it. At the beginning of the story Rachel is assigned to someone to be her caretaker and by the way Logan and Rachel react I thought the two of them are next to strangers. Later I started to realize they were fairly close acquaintances, but their relationship seemed to be uneven throughout the book. One minute they are really awkward around one another and the next they seemed to be deeply in love with one another. Even so, I think their romance works. They complement each other in a lot of ways. One is a lot of the brains and the other is a lot of the brawn. (Their relationship dynamic reminds me a lot of Peeta and Katniss) I liked Logan's back story and how that drove him to protect Rachel. Overall I'd like to see where they go from here, and how they will adjust to the changes in their world that they helped bring at the end of this book.

Even though I had some issues with this story, I think I will be checking out the sequel. I really was intrigued about what happened to Rachel's father and by the end of the story I was invested in what will happen next. I'd like to see a little more world development and just better description of the society. That was what really lacked in this story for me. Even so, I thought the idea was good and it already has me hooked to see what will happen to Rachel and Logan.

Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Stars

Find on Goodreads

Mansfield Park Read Along Part 1

I just like to talk about books as much as I can manage and this month there is a read-along and discussion going on about Mansfield Park over at The Book Rat. These are some getting to know you questions.


1) Was Mansfield Park the first Austen book you read?
No. I do not think that is a bad thing either. It is, in fact, the last one I finished.

2) Is this the first time you've read Mansfield Park?
This is the third attempt and the first successful one. I started Mansfield Park in the middle of July because I anticipated being unable to finish this book or at least not being able to keep up with it. I did finish the book at the beginning of the month and I was very surprised. I'm not exactly reading along now but...I was meaning to. 

3) How many other Austen books have you read?
All of them except her unfinished work. Persuasion is my favorite.

4) Will you read more of them/reread them?
Last year I read Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice during Austen in August. Maybe I'll read Emma and Persuasion. I like to reread them. I learn something new every time and as I get older I realize more about the time period and empathize with the characters more.

5) Do you or will you read Austen adaptations?
I have and will read Austen adaptations. I think they are fun and also bring a fresh perspective to a classic story.

My responses to Mansfield Park

• What were your initial impressions of the story? Not just the characters and their respective situations, but also the style and tone - if you've read Austen before, do you find Mansfield Park to be very different in any significant ways? I don't think the writing style is different than any of Austen's other novels. It has the same kind of format and same basic plot idea. Even so, it is much more difficult for me to stay interested in this story. 
• Going more into the characters now, Mansfield Park's inhabitants are pretty universally considered Austen's hardest to love. What was your response to them through the first half of this story? Do you feel for any of them? Hate any of them with a vehemence beyond that which you normally reserve for fictional characters? And if you try to look at them objectively, do you have any more sympathy (or disgust) with their actions and behavior? Even though almost all the characters in this novel are some version of horrid, I don't hate all of them. I dislike Mrs. Norris, but I have a soft spot of Sir Thomas because he eventually tries to take Fanny under his wing a bit. I think the one that disgusts me the most is Mary Crawford. From very early on she knows Edmund is going to be a clergyman and is appalled by it. Yet, she continues to put herself in his path. She denounces his profession and I think if his characterization was stronger and he argued with her in a more spirited way it could be interesting. Instead I think Edmund comes off as a prude rather than someone who firmly believes in his frutue. Mary Crawford is the one I hate rather than Mrs. Norris. 
• Fanny is often considered to be a very milquetoast, frustratingly passive heroine. Do you agree with this perception of her? Do you find yourself making excuses for her or holding things against her? Or do you feel that Fanny is underestimated as a character? Consider the scene in the Rushworth's park, as Fanny sits for hours, waiting to be noticed again, while everyone around her seeks their own amusement. Fanny is so frustrating to me because so much happens around her, but nothing happens to her (at least not at this point). I do make excuses for her because I wouldn't be very assertive either if Mrs. Norris was constantly picking on me. STILL I find her very frustrating and she just seems too passive to be the main character of a novel. I know I shouldn't try to hold her up against Austen's other heroines to compare her immediately but I kept thinking WWED? (What Would Elizabeth/Emma Do?) They just wouldn't have stood by to be forgotten quite as easily as Fanny does. Julia strikes off on her own to find everyone else as soon as she can while Fanny sits and is easily forgotten by everyone else while they explore Rushworth's property. 
• "The Play" and preparation for it is one of the most telling and pivotal scenes in Mansfield Park - discuss your reaction to the entire Lover's Vows storyline: what it brings to light in the characters, what changes and ruptures it causes among them, things that amused or irritated you, etc. Did your feelings about any of the characters change as a result of The Play? How did you feel about Fanny during this whole incident? Would you have liked to see the play - and its aftermath - without the intrusion of the returning Lord Bertram? Fanny is incredibly dull, but she does stand by her principles as well as her disposition allows her. Even when Mrs. Norris heckles her she disagrees with the play and stays out of it as best she can. Obviously the Crawfords seem more devious after the play because of how Henry plays the sisters against one another and how Mary toys with Edmund. Rushworth is obviously worthless after he is hopeless during the rehearsals. During most of this part of the book I was actually bored because it just is a lot of bickering and improper behavior that just seems rude. This section actually ends on the most dramatic note, Sir Thomas' return! 
• Many of the relationships we've been introduced to so far are very contentious: Maria and Julia, sometimes Tom and Edmund, Mrs Norris and everybody. And in fact, the story starts with a rift in the family. What do you make of the "friendships" and family dynamics in the story, and of the changes wrought by the entrance of the Crawfords? I think the friendships and family relationships seem fragile at the beginning of the story especially between Fanny and most of her family. She constantly worries she will do something to offend and will be sent away as a result. However, when the Crawfords join them, I think it makes all the relationships appear shallow and transparent. Maria's engagement seems even more about marrying for advantage, Edmund's friendship with Fanny is weaker and many of the other relationships are weakened by the entrance of the siblings. 
• Is there anything else you'd like to talk about from Volume One? Can someone please explain why Henry Crawford was considered such an expert on landscaping? Did I miss this in the novel or is it weird to anyone else?

Tag 3# - Completed Series

This tag is a lot of fun and really easy to do. You simply go through your shelves to see how many series you have completed! I've finished 15 series! Is that a lot? It feels like a lot. 

My Completed Series include: 

1) Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (of course!)
2) Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collings
3) The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
4) The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare
5) Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
6) Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray
7) Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
8) Luxe Series by Anna Godberson
9) Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce
10) Immortals Series by Tamora Pierce
11) Protector of the Small Series by Tamora Pierce
12) Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce
13) The Circle Opens by Tamora Pierce
14) Trickster's Series by Tamora Pierce (Listed as the Daughter of the Lioness Series on Goodreads)
15) Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

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