The Reader Problems TAG

Whoohoo! Another tag! I was tagged by the amazing Claire @Cover to Cover. I love these because you get to know me better, and hopefully I'll get to know you too! Let's go ahead and get started...

1. You have 20K books in your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?
A bit embarrassing, but mostly what I can get my hands on. Whatever comes first at the library, usually, and then I try to read a few reviews of books I'm planning to read and the ones that are getting stellar reviews are the ones I usually read. Sometimes it's just the little things, like covers or authors I know a cool protagonist name.

2. You're halfway through a book and you're just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed? 
Quit. I usually try not to quit, solely for the purpose of being able to rant about how bad the book was later, but sometimes there is just too good of a book waiting for me on my shelf and if it's not working halfway into a book, it ain't working...ever.

3. The end of the year is coming, and you're so close but so far away from your Goodreads reading challenge? Do you try to catch up and how?
I really don't care how many books I read. My goodreads reading challenge is actually fairly unrealistic and I purposely set it higher so I'll try to reach that, at my best. Usually though, I just try to read as much as possible and make sure that I don't have times when I'm not reading. But I would rather soak in a good book than rush it for a challenge. 

4. The covers of the series you love do not match. How do you cope? 
The Throne Of Glass Series is my example for this one. It annoys me so much that the 1st one's cover is unlike any of the others. Even though it bothers me incredibly, what can I do? If I think it will be good enough, I'll read it. 

5. Everyone and their mothers love a book you really don't like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings? 
A bit confused on how "mothers" got in here but anyway. Goodreads is so great because you have the widest spectrum of people who all have different opinions. But you know, that's one of the reasons I blog is to see if others think the same about books I've read. 

6. You're reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal with it? 
I don't cry much during books in general, and if I do, it's usually in my room when everythings a bit quiet because I think thats when I really get immersed into my book. But if that were to happen, I would plow through it, tears or no tears. 

7. A sequel of a book you love just came out, but you've forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip to the sequel? Try to find a synopsis in Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!

Me when Insurgent came out a long time ago. And Prodigy. I reread Divergent and Legend because I'd tried to read Insurgent without reading Divergent again but I didn't understand anything. 

8. You do not want anyone borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask? 
My books are my babies. I literally interrogate people when they ask if they can borrow a book. If they are trustworthy...maybe. But usually I just tell them that I don't have that book or if they know that I do, that I would rather not because someone else is borrowing one of my books right now. I know. I'm a bad person. 

9. Reading ADD. You've picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump? 
Read one of the Harry Potters. It gets me up and running and into an intense reading mode. If I'm desperate, I'll read all seven. I swear, they're magic when it comes to this. (wink wink)

10. There are so many books coming out that you're dying to read! How many books do you buy? 
I actually don't like to buy new books. I'm a person that buys books only after they've read them. I borrow books from the library usually and if I loved it, I'll buy it.
Unless it's like If I Stay, which had 52 holds on 4 copies. I bought the book first then. It turned out to suck though, so that wasn't exactly positive. :)

11. After you've bought the new books you can't wait to get to, how long do they sit in your shelf before you get to them? 
Ahhhh that's hard. It's kind of like getting new clothes, but different. With new clothes, I think everyone has an urge to wear all outfits possible with them for the next few days and then start incorporating old outfits, but since my TBR list is always so long and I always have books sitting on my shelf waiting, I say at least 2 days, at most 3 weeks.

Thanks for reading! 
I am tagging: 
Emmy @Paperback Princess
Lilly @Passive Aggressive and Pensive
Melissa @Melissa Lee's Many Reads

and anyone else who would like to! :) 
Ciao for now!

1 year anniversary!

So...On this January day in 2015...my blog has turned 1 year old! SQUEE!
I've had an amazing time, getting this blog started and figuring out the basics and trying new things out. 
It started with just an idea that I wanted to keep track of all the books I was reading, and put it to some use where I could be potentially helping others as well. The fact that I've gotten this far is pretty awesome. 
Yes, my blog is still a baby. Yes, it's not as successful as many other blogs. Yes, it may not have the most refined content or amazing design. But every post truly comes from my heart, because it makes me really happy to be in a community of people who have the same passion and to connect with all sorts of new bloggers. 
Thank you to everyone who ever bothered to stop by my blog, whether it be a returning friend, or someone who clicked it on accident, you still make my day. 
I will continue to try to make this blog the best it can be, and thank you for looking at this post and being a part of the journey. 
Rock on!

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant to Read but Didn't get to

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish where we post 10 of our favorite things in each category.

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant to Read but Didn't get To 

1.The Young Elites

You do not know for how long I have wanted to read this book, but I don't know, I guess I just never got to it. I would love to read it soon though!

2.The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

I have heard absolutely amazing things about this book and how heart-wrenching and possibly life-changing it was. May I read? Please? 

3. I'll Give You the Sun

Also another one I've been hearing such great things about from everybody. Why haven't I read any of these books?

4. Side Effects May Vary

Kinda sad story here...I had the book IN MY HANDS. But I didn't read it. And I continually want to punch myself because of it. 

5. The Scar Boys

A newbie on my TBR list, but a good one. Something about books with music in them just get me, even though I don't like playing it myself.

6. The Art of Secrets

Another one that I'm really excited about. The cover was so beautiful, so i'd been meaning to read it. 

7. 100 Sideways Miles

Andrew Smith is so real and funny and scarily heart-warming. 

8. When I Was the Greatest

You would have to be blind to not see the beauty of this cover, and I'm totally judging the book by it. And its stellar reviews.

9. A Thousand Pieces of You

This looks so good! Ahhhh why do all of these sound fantastic?

10. Girls Like Us

Friendship stories are my favorite, and a lot of people have liked this book. 

Do you know anything about the books I have yet to read on this list? Any others on yours?

Conversion Review

Title: Conversion
Author: Katherine Howe
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Fantasy

Blurb: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane comes a chilling mystery—Prepmeets The Crucible. 
 
It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.
 
First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.
 
Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago . . .
 
Inspired by true events—from seventeenth-century colonial life to the halls of a modern-day high school—Conversion casts a spell. With her signature wit and passion, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe delivers an exciting and suspenseful novel, a chilling mystery that raises the question, what’s really happening to the girls at St. Joan’s?

Me: I want you to scroll up and look at the genres this book fits into. It's pretty crazy. I think that that was the thing that made it so fascinating. It blended together a lot of diverse aspects, but melded them really smoothly.

The Ups: This book was addicting. I mean, ADDICTING. I read it for 5 hours straight last night. The thing is, I can't really place my finger on what it is. I think it's a mix of the suspense and the way the book was written. Howe's writing was very realistic but also extremely sharp and to the point, which made it even more confusing to see how the book would unravel. She would also just set the mood perfectly, with a witty cliffhanger at the end of a chapter or a perfect depiction of the illness and the symptoms. 

The entire scenario that was happening was so original. The thought of relating it back to the Salem Witch Trials was haunting and frightening and I literally got goosebumps every time it went back to 1706. I felt like St. Joan's was my school and these things were happening to people around me and it was so intense. I felt like I was completely soaked into the story. 

The characters were also a huge part. I felt like I knew each and every one of them, but not in a good way. I feel like as a reader I was on guard to see who the culprit was, and although I had my suspicions, I was prepared for a total twist. 

All in all, this book just kept me hooked and my brain spinning to the point where I just could not put it down.

The Downs: I predicted who it was from page 30. The strange thing is, I feel like that should have ruined the book for me. But instead I feel like it kept me going even more because I wanted to see if I was right or not, and even when it was, I got a sense of like "Yes, I knew it! ACCOMPLISHMENNTTT!" and not, "Seriously bro that was so obvious." Even though it turned out much better than I would've thought, I would've loved it if there was a huge twist that absolutely blew my mind. 

Overall: A riveting novel that kept me hooked until the very end...really haunting and chilling.

Rating: 4 kisses! 

Ingrid Review

Title: Ingrid
Author: Lynnette Kraft
Publisher: New Wrinkle
Genre: Fiction

I was asked to review this novel by a relation of the author, but opinions are all my own. 

Blurb: (from goodreads) The village of Scot is on the brink of change, and its people are in need of hope, but hearts must first change, and difficult sacrifices must be made. Ingrid Harrison is sixteen years old and completely mute. Her silence has become a barrier to happiness. But will the silence she’s always resented be the voice that changes everything?

Ingrid is a character driven juvenile fiction, especially tailored to illustrate courage, sacrifice and the power of forgiveness. The backdrop is a charming village setting mixed with a bit of the supernatural. The characters are complex and likable. The story goes places the reader doesn’t expect and the inspiration is lasting.

Me: A very fresh, cozy read that was unlike what I've been reading lately. 

The Ups: Being so accustomed to either action-filled sci-fi's or drama-crazy contemporary's, this book was such a nice break that was actually very awarding. I could tell that this book was written with humbler thoughts than just making money or trying to appeal. It was trying to send a message.

I really liked the overall tone of the book. It was very homely, loving, innocent, almost like a fairytale. It made me feel like characters I'd never even met were family.

That's the next thing. All the different characters were so lovable, yet so real. They had huge flaws but in the end they were all good people. My personal favorite was Adair, because who can't love the cute guy who devotes himself to being best friends with a shy mute girl no one understands? The entire Harrison family (Ingrid's family) was so kind and bright. The characters' love for each other and their connections felt incredibly genuine and real.

I also loved Scot in general. I think it might fit into one of my favorite book settings of all time. The small village that didn't have much visitors but loved one another very deeply and the whole sense of community...I devoured it. I wanted to live in Scot, and I could totally picture the small village. The way it was described and written made me feel like it was home.
There was a very strong message in this book: love. The whole book was full of it, and I think that rather than annoying or sappy it was very genuine and heart-warming.

The Downs: That being said, I feel like Ingrid as a character could have had a bit more depth. The story is told in 3rd person, which doesn't always reveal everything that a character is thinking, but I think that as a protagonist, Ingrid could have done more.
Before anything else, I think that it should have shown her character arc better and made the transition evident. I knew that Ingrid had changed and had grown, but it was not shown through emotions and I didn't feel like it showed. 
In general, I would have liked to have been in Ingrid's head a bit more. I think that the point was that she had been so accustomed to not being noticed because of her muteness that she had learned to kind of keep it inside, but I think that rather I would have enjoyed if I could know what she was thinking because we had no way to find out otherwise. 

Overall: A very lovely, fresh book with a phenomenal setting and tone, but could've used more from the protagonist.

Rating: 4 kisses!

Top Ten Most Anticipated Novels of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish where we post 10 of our favorite things in each category. 

Top Ten Most Anticipated Novels of 2015

It's supposed to be debut novels, but I found that most of the books I'm waiting for this year are sequels and by authors I know and love. 

1. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Doesn't quite have a cover yet, but I am literally killing myself waiting for this novel. The sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I can't wait to read a new novel by Jenny Han. 

2. Fairest/Winter

You do not know how excited I am for these books. They are the best fairytale retellings I have ever read and I absolutely love all the characters.

3. Firefight

So pumped for this novel. It's getting phenomenal ratings and actually comes out officially today!!!Give. Me. Now.

4. Vanishing Girls

Another Lauren Oliver novel? Yes please. It's a novel about sisters, and I always love those stories because there is so much drama and interesting plot.

5. The Last Time We Say Goodbye

I've never read a Cynthia Hand novel before, but this one looks worthy. About a girl with an enviable life whose brother commits suicide, I'm prepared with the Kleenex.

6. Stand Off

Ladies and gentleman, it is true. There is a sequel to Winger. Please...can we have a moment of silence just to let this sink in. 

7. The Witch Hunter

This, is a debut novel. It looks like an awesome fantasy book, and I can't wait to read it. Witches, pirates, and ghosts, oh my!

8. All the Bright Places

Okay, the blurb is saying this is for fans of The Fault In Our Stars or Eleanor and Park. Done deal. The cover is perfect, the characters sound perfect, I can already tell the book will be perfect. (P.S. Also released today!)

9. Under a Painted Sky

Ooh historical fiction yay! About a Chinese-American struggling to reach her dreams and a runaway slave...I already love it. 

10. Carry On

I must admit I'm not a fan of fanfiction...most of the time. In this case, I am totally all over the book. Simon Snow fanfic? Another Rainbow Rowell novel? YUS.

What are you anticipating? Any suggestions on more books to read?

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future Review

Title: Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
Author: A.S. King
Publisher: Little Brown
Genre: Contemporary, Magic Realism

Blurb: (from goodreads) Would you try to change the world if you thought it had no future?

Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities — but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she’s never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way... until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person’s infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying.

A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women’s rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she’ll do everything in her power to make sure this one doesn't come to pass.

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.

Me: This book was one of a kind. It struck me in a very beautiful and personal way.

The Ups: First, the feminism. It was stated bluntly and very straight-forwardly. King didn't swerve around the topic, and instead that was one of the biggest concepts in the book. I actually got an opportunity to talk to A.S. King briefly about feminism and it was awesome.  The little things, like the girl asking the guy out or the hero being a girl in the war (the Sniper) were not accentuated in any way but you could tell the feminist ideas were imbedded into the story. 

Another thing that really struck me about this book was the character arc. Glory really became a different person throughout the story. She starts off as not being able to see a future for herself, but during the book ends up making one without even realizing it. It's not often that a character can make such an obvious journey, but I think the thing that made it so powerful was that Glory herself didn't realize she was changing, because she was putting all her thought into the changes that were to come.
I don't think anyone can incorporate magic realism into a story and make it as mature and strong as A.S. King can. Her books with magic realism in them are never immature and always make you question and think.
Another thing that I really liked was the entire concept of destiny and the future. I hadn't really thought about it that much before, but along with Glory I began to think about the world and how everyday decisions change our future.

The Downs: That being said, it wasn't as good as A.S. King's other books. All of her other ones, besides Reality Boy, which I DNF, were amazing and I was actually expecting a lot out of this book, but it didn't meet all those expectations. The general concepts of the book were very admirable and in some terms, very brave but the actual book wasn't that interesting.
The character arc was awesome and wonderfully imbedded, but I didn't connect to the character. It wasn't like I didn't like Glory, she just didn't make me feel for her. I didn't really fully know what she was feeling and often times felt a bit annoyed with her.
The plot was also a bit...slow. It dragged on and on, and the only interesting parts were in the visions Glory saw. There was no action happening. The actual life of Glory happening then didn't have much action or interest, and like I said, since I didn't really connect with Glory, things that happened to her didn't really make me feel the way she did.

Overall: A very brave book with great concepts, but lacking in action. 

Rating: 4 kisses!