August 2013 Wrap Up


These wrap up posts are inspired by Katie's Book Blog and Perpetual Page Turner

Picture from August



Posts:
Classics Retold Sign Up: Pride & Prejudice retellings


I also created The Random # Survey as a fun way to show off what books you have on your shelf.  Anyone can do it.  You just pick a number.  Count that many books on your shelf.  When you land on your number use that book to answer the question then keep counting until you get to your next book and answer the next question.  It's a lot of fun to read everyone's answers!

Over and under hyped books (video)
A-Z Survey


Reviews:
Hopeless (5 Stars) Video Review: No Spoilers
Obsession (5 stars)
Anatomy of a Boyfriend (4.5 stars)
Eve (3 stars)


Books Read But Not Reviewed:
The Fault In Our Stars
Monument 14
Reboot
Across The Universe
Anatomy of a Single Girl
As They Slip Away

What happened this month?
1. My big sister from my sorority had her bridal shower!
2. I ate out for the first time in 9 months and didn't die.
3. Saw my brother in law perform at a benefit concert for a local theater.
4. Found some awesome used bookstores with my cousin.
5. Went to one of my best friend's baby shower!
6. Saw The Mortal Instruments movie (LOVED it! Except the ending was terrible)

Seriously Series Update:
 I started yet another series...Obsession by JLA is part of a series.  Did you know that?  I didn't!  I also started the Eve Trilogy, Reboot, Monument 14, and Across the Universe.  Ooops.

Favorite quote from a book I read in June? 
Hopeless by: Colleen Hoover 
“And while I could sit here and feel sorry for myself, wondering why all of this happened to me..I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to wish for a perfect life. The things that knock you down in life are tests, forcing you to make a choice between giving in and remaining on the ground or wiping the dirt off and standing up even taller than you did before you were knocked down. I'm choosing to stand taller. I'll probably get kicked down a few more times before this life is through with me, but I can guarantee you I'll never stay on the ground.” 
― Colleen HooverHopeless

A to Z Survey



AtoZsurvey
Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner created this fun survey for us bloggers to get to know each other better.  It inspired me to make up my own type of survey that's in the works right now.

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Sarah Dessen hands down.  I own all her books except for three and I reread them often.  She's one of the few author's I auto-buy too.

Best Sequel Ever:

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi- The writing got even better if that was possible and the characters grew so much and I fell for Warner!

Currently Reading:

Just finished Anatomy of a Single Girl.  Not sure what to read next.  Any suggestions?

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Either hot tea or iced tea.  I like regular, peach green tea, ginger green tea, or even passion fruit.

E-reader or Physical Book?

It's weird. I love me some physical books, yet I read faster when I read ebooks.  But maybe that's because the only ebooks I read are mostly romances which tend to go faster anyway.

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

Tucker from Unearthly series.  He's just so sweet and family oriented and adorable.  

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Golden by Jessi Kirby.  I didn't want to read this because the cover isn't appealing to me, but it was chosen as the Book BFFs book of the month.  I'm glad I read it because it's awesome.

Hidden Gem Book:

Every Little Piece by Kate Ashton I never would have tried this one if I hand't been part of the blog tour for it.  It was really good!

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

This will sound silly, but creating a twitter account for my blog.  Until I did that I didn't realize how many people had book blogs and that there was this whole community out there.  It really started everything for me.

Just Finished:

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I want to try more Historical Fiction before I completely write it off, but I really don't like Steam Punk in particular.  I also haven't felt like reading much Adult Fiction lately unless it's personally recommended to me.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Probably one of the Harry Potter books, but I just started Anna Karenina the other day and that's like 1,000,000 pages so that'll win.

Major book hangover because of:


There's a reason it got 4.54 rating on goodreads.  GO READ IT NOW!!!!

Number of Bookcases You Own:

Just one for now.  When I move I'll get more for sure.  I eventually want a library in my future house.  Maybe like this.

Or This

Or This

Ya I basically need to marry a beast to get Belle's library one day.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Before blogging I never knew what to read so I just reread my old books.  I've read this one a bunch.

Preferred Place To Read:

I like to read outside.  Especially the park or the beach.

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

“And while I could sit here and feel sorry for myself, wondering why all of this happened to me..I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to wish for a perfect life. The things that knock you down in life are tests, forcing you to make a choice between giving in and remaining on the ground or wiping the dirt off and standing up even taller than you did before you were knocked down. I'm choosing to stand taller. I'll probably get kicked down a few more times before this life is through with me, but I can guarantee you I'll never stay on the ground.” 
― Colleen HooverHopeless

Reading Regret:

Reading adult fiction or choosing not to read at all because I thought I wasn't supposed to read YA anymore once I reached college.  I wasted time when I could have been reading amazing books!

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

I just created a FictFact account to keep track of all my series, but I guess the one I want to finish the most is Gone by Michael Grant.  I only read book 1, but I really liked it.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

I'm not sure what my answer will be a few days, months, years from now, but my current favorites are:
    
These books just made me feel alive by pumping so many emotions through me all at once.  I will definitely reread them many times.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

All Jennifer L Armentrout books.  If I could I'd become her publicist because I push her books on anyone I can.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Speaking of JLA...this little gem comes out in a week or so and I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER!

Worst Bookish Habit:

Tricky! What I deem as my worst bookish habit or what you all would? haha. I already laid out mybook crimes and you guys cringed so I’ll just go with what I deem it to be…overdue library books! ALWAYS. I can never get it there on time!

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

Your latest book purchase:

Crown of Embers by Rae Carson. I loved The Girl of Fire of Thorns and got book three for review and then I saw this one was on sale!

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

The Program by Suzanne Young. I was going to put it down before bed but was like “what’s one more chapter?” and then uh oh…it’s 3am.

{Review} Hopeless by: Colleen Hoover

Pages: 327
Publication date: December 19, 2012
Publisher: Atria Books
How I got the copy: Won from a giveaway
Rating:  5 Stars
  
     
From Goodreads:
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies.In this #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, author of Slammed and Point of Retreat, Sky meets Dean Holder, a guy with a reputation that rivals her own. Holder has the ability to invoke feelings in Sky she's never had before. In just one encounter he leaves her terrified yet captivated and something about him brings up a rush of memories from the past that she’s worked so hard to bury away.

Sky knows Holder is nothing but trouble and tries to keep him at a distance, but he is adamant about learning everything he can about her. Sky finally caves to his unwavering pursuit, but she soon finds out that Holder isn't the person he's been claiming to be. When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life changes forever.

Over-Hyped & Under Appreciated Books

Some amazing books seem to slip between the cracks and no one ever mentions them.  While other books that are just okay are hyped up, made into movies, have merchandise sold for them, are on everyone's blogs, etc.  I'm not sure why this happens, but it makes me sad that some of these books are not talked about more.


What do you think?  Did I miss any good books that are under appreciated?  What about any hyped books I didn't mention?


{Review} Eve by: Anna Carey

Pages: 336
Publication date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen
How I got the copy: Bought (Hardcover)
Rating:  3 Stars
  
     
From Goodreads:
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. 

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.
Plot: 5/10
Characters: 5/10
Setting: 5/10
Pacing: 6/10
Style: 7/10
Cover:  The colors drew me to the book right away.  I especially love the font and the way that it looks like the girl is running.  But I'm confused why the bridge doesn't have cars on it.
28+50=78 (3 Stars)


     My first thought upon finishing this book?  Crap, now I have to buy the rest of the books in this trilogy.  I find this funny for two reasons. 1. I didn't even want to read/buy the first book. and 2. For the first 100 or so pages of this book I hated the main character.  But somewhere along the lines I became engrossed in this story and captured by the suspense.  I couldn't stop reading.  

     Eve is frustrating at first because she is so naive.  It makes sense and I'm glad the author was true to the character, but there were so many times I wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into her.  I was so relieved when she realized her mistakes and I even cheered when she finally grew some courage.  

     Caleb was a great addition to the story, but that's all he really was.  Just an addition.  I kinda wish it had been split POV between the two of them because I felt he had a lot to tell and I wanted to know him more.  I also thought it would be nice to see what the world was really like through his eyes since Eve is so sheltered in the beginning.

     The world building is really interesting in this one.  I was having trouble with it because I found holes in the logic of it, but once I got past that I realized it was an interesting idea and just let my hesitations go.  I liked that the author took literature examples and twisted them to fit what the king wanted the girls to think.  Like how "Romeo seduced Juliet and led her to her death" because he wanted the girls to fear all men.  I hope book two and three explain more about this world and how the plague started it's destruction.

     If you like Delirium, The Host, Uglies, or Article 5 you should try this book.  And the best part is that all three books are already out so we don't have to wait to continue reading!  This one definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, and wanting more.

The Random # Survey

fun

Jamie's A-Z Survey inspired me to make up a survey!  This is a way to share your bookshelves with other bloggers.   If you decide to do it please link back to this post.

How to participate:

1. Pick a number.  
Keep in mind how many books you have.  If you have one bookshelf like me you may want to keep it between 1-10.  If you're like Book BFF Angela and have a bunch of bookshelves you may want to pick between a higher range like 1-50.  

I used Random.org and got the # 8!

2. Go to your bookshelf and count that many books until you reach your number. Answer the question with that book.
(I counted 8 books in and got Delirium).  So I used Delirium to answer question 1.  

3. Count the same number of books from where you left off and answer the next question.
 Then I counted 8 more books after Delirium and got The Evolution of Mara Dyer and used that book to answer question 2.  You get the idea...

4. Repeat until you finish the survey
If you land on a book you haven't read yet pick the closest book to the left that you have read and then count on from there for the next question.  You can also add a picture of your bookshelf!


The number I chose: 8

1. What do you think of the cover?
Delirium
Is that a head of lettuce growing out of her ear?  I wasn't very happy when they did the cover changes for this series.  I don't think the girl's face and a random plant have anything to do with the series.  Anyone else agree?

2. Write a review in 140 characters or less.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer:
Best sequel I've read in 2013 since it was fast paced, romantic, funny, original, creepy, and a mind f*ck.  Also, Noah is hot. Go read it! 

3. How or where did you get this book?

Apollyon:
I won it from a giveaway at Synchronized Reading!

4. Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

HP & The Goblet of Fire
This is so hard!  I guess my favorite character is Ron.  I would say Hermione, but she was annoying in this book with the whole House Elf freeing thing.  And Luna doesn't show up until Order of Phoenix.  So Ron because he's funny and a loyal friend.

5. Recommend this book to a fellow blogger you think would like it.

The Collector
I think Melina from Pretty Nifty YA Reader would like this because she liked Daemon in Obsidian and they are very similar characters.  They've got that over confident yet good guy thing going on.

6. How long ago did you read this book?

Exiled
I just read this during the BookTubeAThon actually.  I really liked it and want to continue the series soon.  It was one of my favorite Male POVs ever.

7. Name a favorite scene from this book. (NO SPOILERS)

Sweet Peril
The scene where they "bake brownies and do laundry" *wink* *wink*.  Did I mention how much I <3 Kaiden?

8.  Open to page 87 and pick a random quote to share (NO SPOILERS)

Anatomy of A Boyfriend


9. How did you hear about or discover this book?

Easy
I think I just saw it around the blogosphere.  But then I read this author's other books Between the Lines and now I'm a fan of all her writing.

10. If you could redesign the cover what would you do?

Last Summer
Something a little more true to the book.  In the book she helps him overcome a drug problem so I would make the cover a little darker--a stormy day on the beach.  Maybe show her holding him or something.

11. Name your least favorite character in this book and why?

The forbidden Boy
It's been so long since I've read this, but I always love the guys in Hailey Abbott's books so I think it's safe to say Remi the love interest.

12. Fill in the blank.  If you like ________ then you should try (Your Book).

If you like Wanted or The Bourne Identity (the movies) Then you should try The Syndicate.

I cheated and used movies because I couldn't think of a book that's similar.  I guess the closest thing would be Exiled by MR Merrick.

13. Name one cool thing about this book (under the dust jacket, map, font, photograph, etc.)

The Host
It's hard to see in this picture, but I like that the eye is reflective on the dust jacket.  I could stare at it all day even though that face gives me the creeps.

14.  Where is it set and would you ever want to visit that world/place?

Pride and Prejudice
England! I def wish I could visit the area that it's really set in. 

15.  Who is it deticated to?

Someone Else's Fairytale


Now tag 3 bloggers you want to do this survey.
make sure to let them know you tagged them! 

I tag: 
Michelle from In Libris Veritas

You don't have to be tagged to do the survey.  That's just for funsies.








Top Ten Tuesday #29

Hosted by: Jamie from Broke and the Bookish

This Week's List:
August 13: Top Ten Books set in X setting

I chose:

VA / HH / HP / EG / HB / LFA / AATFK / DC / W / H
Seriously.  Who doesn't love a good boarding school book?  The top row are paranormal, magical, sci fi schools.  The world building in those books are phenomenal.  I wish I could go live at Hogwarts or learn how to fight with Alex or do magic at Hex Hall.  

The bottom row books are more realistic settings.  Anna and the French Kiss gets bonus points because it's in another country which makes it even better.  I really want to read Winger.  I hear it's reallllly good.  And I just got Haven from a discount book store so I'll be reading that one soon.

What are your favorite boarding school books?   


{Review}Obsession by: JLA

Publication date: May 31, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
How I got the copy: Bought
Rating:  5 Stars
  
    
From Goodreads:
This is a stand alone novel that is an adult spin-off
of the Lux Series
 You do not need to read a Lux book to read Obsession and vice versa.

He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Setting: 10/10
Pacing: 10/10
Style: 10/10
Cover:  Not sure why they're naked in a field, but the cover does capture the essence of the novel...sexy times.
47+50=97 (5 Stars)


     Jennifer L Armentrout can't write romance...said no one ever.  Seriously, this woman is the queen of steamy scenes!  My devotion as a fangirl for Daemon and Aiden has never faltered, but I think they need to scoot over because there needs to be room for Hunter now.  

     After reading the Lux series, never did I expect to fall for an Arum.  JLA took his dark side and somehow made it attractive.  Although at times he was really frustrating.  I was right there with Serena when she wanted to throw things at him.
 
    The plot was not lacking either.  Sometimes with romance novels there's hardly any plot development.  Not only does this book take us deeper into the world of the Arum and Luxen, but it also gave us a sneak peek at what Daemon is up to after the end of Opal.  I kind of wish he had been in it more.
     While I love the snark that JLA writes in all her novels it kind of starts to feel like they're all the same characters with the same voices.  Katy and Alex are very different, but their humor is similar.  And I felt like Serena was an adult mixture of those two.  Daemon and Hunter were very similar in their cockiness and protectiveness.  

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