January Reading Wrap Up

The Month I Read 31 Books!

January was a great reading month for me, I set a goal to get a kick-start on this years reading, the goal was to read one book a day in the month of January, and I DID IT!  And, of the 31 books I read, 10 of them were re-reads!

 

Best Book of The Month:

If you are a fan of The Lunar Chronicles, you HAVE to read this one!

 

Favorite New-To-Me Book(s) I Read In January:

 

These two books stood out to me this month for completely different reasons, but they were both AWESOME books that I would definitely recommend!
Watch for reviews of both of these books in the next few weeks :-)

 

 

 

Complete List of New-To-Me Books I Read This Month:

 

List of Re-Reads I Read This Month:

Novellas Read:

I don't usually read novellas, however, because I enjoyed The Winners Curse I did read this one:

Currently Reading:

What did you read this month? Have you read any of these? What was your favorite book of the month? Recommend it to me!

This Is How It Ends (Book Review)

This Is How It Ends
Jen Nadol

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published October 7th 2014 by Simon Pulse

 If you could see the future, would you want to? After the disturbing visions Riley and his friends see turn out to be more than hallucinations, fate takes a dangerous twist in this dark and suspenseful page-turner.

Riley and his friends are gearing up for their senior year by spending one last night hanging out in the woods, drinking a few beers, and playing Truth or Dare. But what starts out as a good time turns sinister when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. Those who dare to look through them see strange visions, which they brush off as hallucinations. Why else would Riley see himself in bed with his best friend’s girlfriend—a girl he’s had a secret crush on for years?

In the weeks that follow, the visions begin to come true...including a gruesome murder. One of Riley’s closest friends is now the prime suspect. But who is the murderer? Have Riley and his friends really seen the future through those mysterious binoculars? And what if they are powerless to change the course of events?  


Review:

The synopsis for this book sounds epic...

-Group of friends? Check.
-Murder mystery? Check.
-Paranormal sounding something that can see the future? Check.

Unfortunately, after the first half of the book or so this book lost its charm. It became a mish-mash of genres/elements that in the end, none of them made sense.

Group of friends.
Yes, the group of friends part of this book did work out well. I don't seem to find many YA books where there was a large group of friends that all were interesting and unique. However, I would have liked the friends a lot better if some of the friends did not turn out to be liars and backstabbing snakes.

Murder mystery.
What happened here? When it happened, I thought WOW, this is going to turn out great....But then it went nowhere. There were a few elements to the investigation/mystery but not enough to be a mystery book.

Paranormal sounding something that can see the future.
There are no fantasy/paranormal elements in this book, the author tries to make everything perfectly logical and in the end that part of the plot felt weak and sort of like an afterthought.


Finally, I hate (and I mean hate) an open ended book. Really, really hate. To the best of my knowledge this is a standalone book, however, what about the loose ends? (I am not going to say was not tied up because I would consider it a spoiler). There were a ton of loose ends left by the end of this book and I would have liked closure on at least some of them.

Ignoring my negative review above except for the last paragraph, I did enjoy this book. It is entertaining enough, but it had SO much more potential. I won't be expressly recommending this one, but I wouldn't stop anyone in their tracks if they picked it up either.

Reading Jane Austen

This post is aftermath thoughts on an experience I had recently in which the person I was talking to, when I said that Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, asked what Pride and Prejudice was.

(You can imagine my shock)

Ahhh bookish problems in the real world.

So, I decided to do a post on why I love Jane Austen and her books, and how you too can enjoy them too.

To start off , Jane Austen said this:

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen

Obviously a true book queen herself.

And, if you are doubting her romantic heart and amazing male characters:

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
― Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you.”
― Jane Austen, Persuasion

“If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
― Jane Austen, Emma

Now read those again and try not to smile. I dare you.



If you haven't read Jane Austen, but want to, continue on for a few simple steps to make your reading experience more enjoyable.


I know that the biggest problem I have seen with people trying to read Jane Austen's books is with the language. It can be difficult to understand...So here are a few simple steps to read Jane Austen.

1. Watch the movies first!

Yes, I actually just suggested you watch the movies first. But not just any of the movies. I personally recommend the 1995 mini series Pride and Prejudice (not only because it is the only one out there that is worth it), but because in that mini series they talk almost exactly like they do in the book. So, if you are interested in getting used to the language. Watch the movie first!

2. Take it slow!

You don't need to read Jane Austen at the same speed as you do everything else. Take it slow! Whenever I am reading a book that is a hard read, I set a goal (either chapters or pages) to meet every day.

3. Don't overwhelm yourself!

You don't have to only be reading Jane Austen. Set in place the goal above, meet it, and then read something else for a while!

4. Have fun!

Jane Austen is my own personal favorite, and I know if you are reading this post you probably know what Pride and Prejudice is, you might even have read it (so you are probably not in the shoes as the person mentioned above). But I encourage you to try her out.

Have you read Jane Austen? Ever met anyone who asked you what Pride and Prejudice was?

Captive (Blackcoat Rebellion #2) Book Review

Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)
Aimee Carter

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published November 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?



Review:

I liked Pawn, and Captive was a very anticipated book for me. The thing about the Blackcoat Rebellion series is that quite a few parts in it reminds me of other books/series I have read before. And although the idea is unique, I feel as if it gets lost in the dystopian black hole to me.

However, the plot is exciting and fast paced. A thrill of a ride that never stops being thrilling. Fun to read, plot twists that surprised me, I enjoyed the plot of this book.

But Kitty Doe. I mean come on. I wanted to yell at her SO MANY TIMES! She makes stupid mistakes after stupid mistakes the entire book. REALLY. I love characters with flaws, but I don't like my characters where I yell at them over the same things over and over again.
Ok. Done with the rant.

Ignoring my rant above, this is a good sequel. One worth reading.  I am looking forward to reading The Blackcoat Rebellion #3 (Queen) to hopefully see if Kitty shows some character growth. I would give Captive 3/5 stars for being an exciting read. Looking Forward to Queen in 2015!

Discussion Time!!! Is It Just Me?

I have been reading a lot of fantasy/paranormal books lately. Mainly because it was/is my goal to finish The Vampire Academy series and get up to date on the Bloodlines series before The Ruby Circle releases in February, but also because I missed out on a bunch of 2014 Fantasy releases that I am now reading to make up for lost time.

For example, in the last month or so, I have read Mortal Heart by Robin LeFevers, Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, books 4-6 in The Vampire Academy series, books 1-3 in the Bloodlines series, The Hobbit, AND The Winners Curse. I am currently reading Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes, and the next book on my to-read list is Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch.

That is a ton of  fantasy/paranormal books. Normally I try not to do this, why? Because by the end of reading all of these awesome books in all of their very different worlds, the worlds start to mesh together. I don't have this problem with contemporary books for some reason, only Fantasy, Dystopian, and Paranormal. After reading a bunch of the same books in the same genre, I find myself enjoying the books less and less.

Or, to put my emotions in gif form....

 

Yeah. That's pretty accurate. Too many of the same type of books in a short amount of time makes me bored and overwhelmed.


So, my question to you is......Do you find yourself having this same problem? Is it just me? And did this post make any sense at all?

Breaking the Rules Book Review

 

Breaking the Rules (Sequel to Pushing the Limits)
Katie McGarry
Published December 8th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so... different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who’s never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything — except the one thing Echo’s just not ready for.

But when the source of Echo’s constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants — even as foster kid Noah’s search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn... seriously epic.  



Review:

There is no end to my love for Katie McGarry's writing. From the very first time I read Pushing the Limits, to Dare You To, and all the way through Crash Into You and Take Me On, I have enjoyed each and every story told. So, when I heard that a sequel to Pushing the Limits was coming out, I was ecstatic! More Noah and Echo is a Christmas present all by itself.

Going into Breaking the Rules I was expecting the best. And when expecting the best, many times you end up being disappointed because the best is not what you get. However, this was not one of those times.

The truth? I had no problems with Breaking the Rules. None at all. After finishing, I looked back and realized I don't have a thing to complain about. The relationship between Noah and Echo was a beautiful continuation, yet also entered into a different part of their lives. You get to see Isaiah and Beth, which satisfied me in itself.

Breaking the Rules concentrates on a road trip Noah and Echo take after graduation from High School and before entering college. So this is an older theme than what was first introduced in Pushing the Limits. But there are no problems with this. I loved seeing the different more mature sides between Noah and Echo.

I lied above, I do have a complaint about this book. The complaint is that it ended, I wish it never had. The beauty that is Katie McGarry's writing is wonderful to read, and the relationship between Noah and Echo is amazing to say the least.

Check out my reviews for previous books in the Pushing the Limits series:

        Crash Into You                                         Take Me On

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday - The Last Time We Say Goodbye

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

The Last Time We Say Goodbye

+ Learn how to win a SIGNED copy here!

Expected publication: February 10th 2015 by Harper Teen

 

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series? Did you like it? Are you looking forward to this one?