This blog has officially moved to Wordpress! You can find the latest posts at www.blueeyebooks.com. Redirect coming soon!

Friday, September 30, 2016

R&R Review Friday: Until Then by Krista Noorman



Cornerstone #2

Goodreads Blurb:
"Growing up with a distant mother and absentee father, Michelle's childhood has been far from idyllic. Her only attention comes from her partying friends and the guys who are more than happy to give her the affection she longs for. But when one party goes wrong, Michelle's family hatches a plan to get her out of Chicago and away from her so-called friends.

College plans are low on Michelle's priority list, especially with no money to pay for it, until her grandparents offer to foot the bill for her entire tuition. There's just one catch. Michelle must choose between three schools - all hours away from Chicago and all Christian colleges.

Michelle's reluctant choice leads her to an unfamiliar place, where she's faced with new relationships and unexpected decisions that could change her life and her heart forever.

PG-13 for sensuality"


Thursday, September 29, 2016

Bookish Discussions: Banned Books


I think it's time for another bookish discussion!  If you haven't heard, the bookish community has been celebrating Banned Books Week which, this year, runs from September 25th to October 1st.

Now, what is banned books week, you ask?  Well, it's a week spent celebrating those books that are restricted for whatever reasons in schools, etc.  It could be for unapproved sexual content, differing political ideas, or topics that are deemed 'inappropriate' for societal consumption.  In the interest of free speech, we celebrate banned books week to recognize the existence of these topics and to find other books with different opinions than our own to read and expand our horizons.

I did a little research and there are so many books that have been challenged that I wasn't aware of and was a little confused by.  For example, Paper Towns by John Green was on the ALA's (American Library Association) list of Challenged YA Books.


Now, this made no sense to me.  Paper Towns doesn't have drugs or alcohol or anything of the sort in it.  It's about a kid who goes to find his love interest after she disappears and 'runs away' from her family.  Perhaps that's why it's been challenged in schools: for showcasing a child running away and being totally nonchalant about 'abandoning' her family.  To have a book be banned from a school because of that, however, seems ridiculous.  Others, I could understand.  Like 1984 by George Orwell.




This book contains content that questions the validity of the government, sexual topics that may not be accepted everywhere, and ideas about mind control.  While I don't approve of it being banned, I can understand it.

I went through the list on the ALA's website for Challenged YA Books and I found that I had read 22 out of their well over 100 listed titles.  I definitely have some reading to do!  These are the books I've read so far from that list:


If you'd like to see the whole list, click HERE.

The next question is, why would you go out of your way to read banned books?  My answer?  They've obviously been banned for a reason, right?  So what don't certain people who banned them want you to know?  Diversifying your experiences is always good and helps you build a more complex and realistic view of the world and of the minds of humanity in general.  Someone in the world wrote that book so they must have imagined it happening (or it did happen) somehow which makes it something you should be aware of as a member of the human race and a resident of planet Earth.

Have you been reading any books for banned books week?  Have you read many banned books?

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Meme Launch: 50/50 Friday


So guess what?  Carrie @ The Butterfly Reads and I are ready to launch 50/50 Friday!  Carrie originally had the idea and was asking for people to help with the idea.  I've always wanted to make a meme but I've never really had the time to do it myself so this was such a perfect opportunity.  Carrie and I have been working on it for the past couple of weeks, ironing out everything and such, and now it's finally ready!

It'll be a weekly meme every Friday, starting October 7th (the first Friday in October)!

The first topic will be:
Overrated/Underrated Book

So basically, you make a post discussing a book you think is overrated and a book you think is underrated!  Every week will be a different topic with the same slash symbol to show the 50/50 part (think opposites).

There's a new tab at the top of my blog that has all of the topics that we've decided on so far so if you'd like to build up some posts, go for it!  We'll also have a linky (think TTT or Stacking the Shelves) so everyone can see everyone else's posts and book picks!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Review Tuesday: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas


Throne of Glass #4

Goodreads Blurb:
"The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world."

Friday, September 23, 2016

R&R Review Friday: The Diary of V. Frankenstein by Steven J. Guscott


Stand-alone

Goodreads Blurb:
"The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.

Dr Victor Frankenstein thought he had seen the last of his monsters when they promised to stay away from humanity, but in the twilight years of his life his hopes are shattered.
Years after their departure, news of a horrific and seemingly inhuman massacre reaches him and he fears it is his ‘children’ who are responsible. With his natural son Vincent by his side, he vows to discover the truth and if necessary, to destroy his monstrous creations once and for all.
When Vincent becomes separated from his father, he meets Mary, an idealistic and free-thinking peasant, and John Idaho Thatcher, an enigmatic explorer-cum-cowboy with a strange cogged and wired waistcoat and steed like no other. Together, they must battle not only Frankenstein’s monsters who look to wage war on the living with their warped perceptions of humanity, but also their own fears and personal demons."

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Updates


I say, it's time for another update?  What say you?

So it's been about 3 months since I've returned and I've successfully completed 30 Days of Books!  I'm so glad I decided to finish it because there were so many awesome prompts that I wanted to answer!

1.  Next on the non-review posts!
Next up on the list is finishing the Fantasy Favorites (I didn't do two posts for that).  You may remember Fantasy Favorites was hosted by Olivia, Aly, and Igne and focused on you reading as much fantasy as possible and participating in the prompts!  Here's my introductory post.

2.  Reviews on deck.
I also have lots of reviews to publish (that I haven't written yet, but don't worry, it'll happen!).  Some of them include:




I currently have 39 books waiting for a review so hopefully I'll get rid of that pile by the end of the year!  I'll probably end up doing a mini review round up for a couple of them as I really don't have that much to say.

One more thing!

3.  You can read more of my writing!
I've started to post my writing from last year's NaNoWriMo!  Though I didn't finish, I plan to finish it during this year's NaNoWriMo.  You can find chapters every Thursday on Goodreads and Niume.


That's all for now!  I hope you're all having a wonderful September!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

WWW (12)

WWW Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading!  All you have to do is answer three questions:

1.  What are you currently reading?

2.  What did you recently finish reading?
3.  What do you think you'll read next?

I haven't done a WWW in a while so I thought I'd update you all on what I'm reading!

Currently Reading:

Goodreads Blurb:
"It's a hot, lazy day, perfect for a cookout, until you see those strange dark clouds. Suddenly a violent storm sweeps across the lake and ends as abruptly and unexpectedly as it had begun. Then comes the mist...creeping slowly, inexorably into town, where it settles and waits, trapping you in the supermarket with dozens of others, cut off from your families and the world. The mist is alive, seething with unearthly sounds and movements. What unleashed this terror? Was it the Arrowhead Project---the top secret government operation that everyone has noticed but no one quite understands? And what happens when the provisions have run out and you're forced to make your escape, edging blindly through the dim light?"

Why I'm reading:
I'm going to be doing a comparison of this book vs. the movie for October because who doesn't like spooky things in October?  The movie was also pretty weird so I'm curious about the book.  I'm only like a page in but hopefully I'll be able to finish it within the week.


Carlos Mann Trilogy #3

Goodreads Blurb:
"Logic Professor Carlos Mann sets out to murder Tiger Joy in her prison cell. Unfortunately, the gorgeous queen of human traffickers captures him and ships him off to the Yucatan, where the evil witch, La Bruja, uses all her powers to try to weaken and destroy him. Meanwhile, Alicia calls on friends both living and dead to help save her husband, and in the process she learns many terrible secrets that were born in the days of the great Mayan Empire … secrets that could save or even destroy Carlos and Alicia."

Why I'm reading:
This is my current R&R book!  I'm slowly whittling down the pile (as you could probably tell by the influx of R&R book reviews).  This is the third book of the series.  I'm currently halfway through!


Goodreads Blurb:
"Love at first sighting.

Life is a headache for 15-year-old Dan. This isn’t some kind of metaphor. Dan suffers from migraines that make just about everything he does unbearable. Added to that he’s lost almost everyone he cares about. So he feels lonelier than the last puppy in a pet shop.

But one day he sees a mysterious girl digging in the rubbish bins behind his house. Just by being near her, he finds that all his pain goes away. So he wants to see her again, of course. And get to know her. But she’s a bit strange. And her big eyes make her look, well, like an alien.

Does she really exist? Or is she just a figment of an overactive, under-loved imagination?
Close encounters of the romantic kind.

From Northern England to outer space, and from Dan’s bedroom to the sandwich shop over the road, ALIEN LOVE STORY is about a close encounter of the romantic variety. But there’s more to it than that.

This book is about discovering parts of yourself you never knew existed. It’s about coping with grief and somehow moving on. And it’s about how Dan breaks into a mad scientist’s lab to perform a daring rescue – but that bit comes much later.

For now it’s enough to know there will be excitement, adventure and kissing. Lots of kissing. We did say it was a love story, didn’t we? So fasten your safety belt, put on some background music and enjoy the book."

Why I'm reading:
This is a buddy read right now!  I acquired this book through a giveaway and am about halfway through right now.


Goodreads Blurb:
"Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time."

Why I'm reading:
I saw the trailer for the movie and I can't resist anything with Sam Claflin in it so I thought I'd read the book before I watch the movie!  I'm currently about a quarter of the way through.


Recently Finished:

Goodreads Blurb:
"Acclaimed historian Margaret MacMillan explores here the many ways in which history affects us all. She shows how a deeper engagement with history, both as individuals and in the sphere of public debate, can help us understand ourselves and the world better. But she also warns that history can be misused and lead to misunderstanding. History is used to justify religious movements and political campaigns alike. Dictators may suppress history because it undermines their ideas, agendas, or claims to absolute authority. Nationalists may tell false, one-sided, or misleading stories about the past. Political leaders might mobilize their people by telling lies. It is imperative that we have an understanding of the past and avoid these and other common traps in thinking to which many fall prey. This brilliantly reasoned work, alive with incident and figures both great and infamous, will compel us to examine history anew—and skillfully illuminates why it is important to treat the past with care."

What I thought:
I read this for school and I did like it for academics but it is pretty hard to get through if you're not explicitly interested in the subjects presented (the history in fiction and fiction in history).  I'll have a review up soon!


What I'm Reading Next:


Goodreads Blurb:
"Who knew the zombie apocalypse would be caused by something we all know is deadly...but that is also all around us? Two stories intersect as the world delves into chaos - Earl, a drugged out heroin addict constantly in search of his next fix, and a family struggling with the dramas of everyday life, get no reprieve during this zombie outbreak. Can any of them survive the deadliest game of all - survival against undead, each other, and the world around them?"

Why I'm reading:
This is the next R&R book up!  It's also perfect for the start of the spooky season as it's all about the apocalypse and zombies.


What are you reading?

Monday, September 19, 2016

30 Days of Books: Day 30 - Your Favorite Book Of All Time

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: your favorite book of all time


Goodreads Blurb:
"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times)."

Why I love it:
This is just such a beautifully written book with such a great message!  This was a really hard decision but I would reread this book any day!


What's your favorite book of all time?

Sunday, September 18, 2016

30 Days of Books: Day 29 - A Book Everyone Hated But You Liked

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: a book everyone hated but you liked

Black City #1

Goodreads Blurb:
"A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-old Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths."

Why I liked it:
So I read this waaaay back in 2013 which could have contributed to my high rating but I still remember really liking it.  I plan on rereading to reassess though!  The average rating on Goodreads is 3.77 while I rated it 5/5.  Read my review HERE.


What book have you read that you loved that everyone else hated?

Saturday, September 17, 2016

30 Days of Books: Day 28 - Your Favorite Title(s)

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: your favorite title(s)

A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

Goodreads Blurb:
"She stole a life. Now she must pay with her heart.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever."

Why I love the title:
This title tells so much about the series without giving anything away!  When I first read this book, I just thought it was a clever title, but after I read ACOMAF, I saw the thorns part!  Yes, thorns play a role in the first book, but it makes so much more sense when you read the second book!  I love titles that tell you a little bit of the story and give you little hints.



Goodreads Blurb:
"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times)."

Why I love the title:
This title just has such a profound meaning in the book and you don't understand until you've read it!  It's all about the small acts of kindness and 'light' that you can't see with your eyes but are ever present in the world.  This is just such a beautiful book.



Goodreads Blurb:
"The year is 490 AD. Fiery 16-year-old Elaine of Ascolat, the daughter of one of King Arthur's supporters, lives with her father on Arthur's base camp, the sole girl in a militaristic world of men.

Elaine's only girl companion is the mysterious Morgan, Arthur's older sister, but Elaine cannot tell Morgan her deepest secret: She is in love with Lancelot, Arthur's second-in-command. However, when yet another girl -- the lovely Gwynivere-- joins their world, Elaine is confronted with startling emotions of jealousy and rivalry. But can her love for Lancelot survive the birth of an empire?"

Why I love the title:
Again, this title plays into the plot so well!  The MC is referred to as a sparrow and this whole book is about her finding her voice and her place which is so amazing!


What titles do you love?

Friday, September 16, 2016

R&R Review Friday: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading


Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #1

Goodreads Blurb:
"Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as Kitty prepares for her next adventure - flying around the world!"

30 Days of Books: Day 27 - The Most Surprising Plot Twist Or Ending

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: the most surprising plot twist or ending


Goodreads Blurb:
"A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE."

Why the ending is crazy:
Like the blurb suggests, this book has such a crazy ending!  I really didn't see it coming but when I reread it, I saw all of the hidden hints the author left which is why I wasn't mad at all about the ending!  It was so brilliantly planned out and it came out of left field in the best way possible!


What book has the most surprising ending or plot twist that you've read?

Thursday, September 15, 2016

30 Days of Books: Day 26 - A Book That Changed Your Opinion About Something

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: a book that changed your opinion about something


Goodreads Blurb:
"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times)."

Why it changed my mind:
This book didn't necessarily change my mind on anything, more like it solidified my stance on how everything has two sides.  This book does a good job of showing both sides of the conflict.


Is there a book that changed your opinion about something?  And another question: are there any other books that show two sides of a conflict that you think I should read?

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

30 Days of Books: Day 25 - A Character Who You Can Relate To The Most

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: a character who you can relate to the most

This is actually such a hard question because I relate to a lot of characters!  One of my favorite characters, though, is:

Karou from:

Trilogy

Goodreads Blurb:
"Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?"

Why I love her:
In the first book, Karou is torn between her secret life working for a 'monster' and her human life on Earth.  She is constantly running off to do errands for Brimstone (her employer/father figure) and leaving her human friend behind.  It may pale in comparison, but I always felt this way with blogging.  I think my fellow bloggers can agree that it's weird to tell people about your blogging in real life unless they're other bloggers.  So I just wouldn't tell people and I would always have to leave or stay up really late to get my blogging stuff done and I couldn't tell anyone why.  It's because of that that I really identify with Karou.  She also feels really out of place which I can definitely identify with!


What character do you identify with?

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Release Day: SOS: Summer of St. George by Briana Gaitan


Goodreads Blurb:
"When we were 16, we made a pact.
When we were 17, we decided to follow through.
When we were 18, we decided to spend our final summer together.
Because at the end of the summer, we would show them.
Our deaths would show the world- they can’t treat us this way any longer.
This is our SOS, our Summer of St. George.
Murphy and her cousin Poppy have been BFFs forever. They share everything- including a birthday.
When they make a pact to commit suicide after high school, they decide to have one last summer of fun with NO consequences and nothing holding them back.
As the Summer of St. George begins, things don’t go as planned. Murphy doesn’t expect to fall in love and she doesn’t expect to find a boy that makes her want to live. His name is Liam, and after spending two years in the Air Force living in Japan, he's trying to integrate back into American society. As a self-proclaimed "Jack-of-all-trades" he knows things about Murphy that she isn't quite ready to admit to herself. And he is determined to haunt her, peel back layer after layer of lies until she can't run from the truth anymore.
This is our SOS, this is our Summer of St. George.


(Note: This is a YA/NA dark romance/ suspense novel for ages 16 and up. It is loosely based and inspired by Pride and Prejudice, but is not a retelling of the original story.)"


Meet The Author:
Briana Gaitan grew up in the South, but calls herself a geek at heart. She is a blogger,author,and fangirl who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, and Jewelry (bet you never thought you'd hear those three things in a sentence together) For fun, she loves watching any show on the SyFy channel, relaxing with her family, reading, and listening to indie music (sometimes all at the same time). Briana loves to write stories where there are no limits to the imagination. She is the co-author of the fantasy Ethereal Underground series and author of The Last Thing (the first in the Hollywood Timelines Series)

Connect:


Previous Books:
Briana Gaitan is the author of many other books including these three (all of which I have read and reviewed).

Hollywood Times #1

My review HERE.

Hollywood Times #2

My review HERE.


My review HERE.





30 Days of Books: Day 24 - A Book You Wish More People Would Read

I'm starting to do this again after a little hiatus called vacation.  I originally saw this on Jenni's blog (see her post HERE) and although I don't think the linky is still active, if you'd like, you can still make a post!  Just be sure to link back to Jenni!

Today's topic is: a book you wish more people would read




Goodreads Blurb:
"From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the twenty-first century’s great, unequal cities.

In this brilliantly written, fast-paced book, based on three years of uncompromising reporting, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human.

Annawadi is a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are electric with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees “a fortune beyond counting“ in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. Asha, a woman of formidable wit and deep scars from a childhood in rural poverty, has identified an alternate route to the middle class: political corruption. With a little luck, her sensitive, beautiful daughter — Annawadi's "most-everything girl" — will soon become its first female college graduate. And even the poorest Annawadians, like Kalu, a fifteen-year-old scrap-metal thief, believe themselves inching closer to the good lives and good times they call “the full enjoy.”

But then Abdul the garbage sorter is falsely accused in a shocking tragedy; terror and a global recession rock the city; and suppressed tensions over religion, caste, sex, power and economic envy turn brutal. As the tenderest individual hopes intersect with the greatest global truths, the true contours of a competitive age are revealed. And so, too, are the imaginations and courage of the people of Annawadi.

With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what connects human beings to one another in an era of tumultuous change, Behind the Beautiful Forevers carries the reader headlong into one of the twenty-first century’s hidden worlds, and into the lives of people impossible to forget."


Why You Should Read This Book:
At first, I was going to put I Am Malala but then I realized that a lot of people have already read that.  If you haven't, you definitely should but this prompt is about the little lesser known books.  This book is slightly lesser known but it's still really good and it's something I think everyone should read.  While it isn't the funnest read, there are some things everyone should be exposed to and the conditions in India are one of those things.  Read my full review HERE.


Have you read this or I Am Malala?  Did you enjoy them?  What books have you read that you think more people should read?

Monday, September 12, 2016

30 Days of Books: Day 23 - A Book You Wanted To Read For A Long Time But Still Haven't

I'm starting to do this again after a little hiatus called vacation.  I originally saw this on Jenni's blog (see her post HERE) and although I don't think the linky is still active, if you'd like, you can still make a post!  Just be sure to link back to Jenni!

Today's topic is: a book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't


Considering my TBR list is now 4,349 books long (I really need to go through it...), there are about 2,000 books I could list.  But here's the book I wish I had read a long time ago but it somehow slips my mind each time.

Under the Never Sky #1

Goodreads Blurb:
"WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers."


Why I want to read this:
I've heard some pretty good things about this book!  I added it way back in 2013 and somehow, I still haven't gotten around to it!  It doesn't hurt that the cover is positively gorgeous.


Have you read this book?  What did you think of it?  What is a book that you wanted to read a long time ago but you still haven't gotten to?

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Remembering 9/11 - The 15th Anniversary


Today marks the 15th anniversary of 9/11.  Living and growing up in the US, this event shaped my life and the lives of all of my fellow Americans, not to mention those who were impacted outside of the US.  We remember all of the firefighters, rescue workers, family members, and all those impacted by this horrific event 15 years ago.

30 Days of Books: Day 22 - Your Favorite Book You Own

Because this is me catching up, (see yesterday's post)  I don't believe Jenni has a linky up for this anymore.  However, if you'd like to join in, or get more information, visit Jenni's blog HERE.

Today's topic: your favorite book you own.


Why is this question a thing??  My philosophy for owning books is that I only buy them if I really want to read them and they aren't available at libraries or if I absolutely loved them and I'd want to read them again and again.  Therefore, a vast majority of the books I own, I love with all my heart!  So, here are a bunch of books that I love owning (in hardcover format):

Throne of Glass #0.5

Throne of Glass #2

Throne of Glass #3

Throne of Glass #4

Throne of Glass #5

I still have to buy a hardcover copy of Throne of Glass but I do have the ebook version which I love!


The Young Elites #1

Graceling Realm #2


I know, I know, that's way more than one.  And there are still some I want to put!  They all just look so lovely on my shelves and they feel like old friends to me.

What are your favorite books that you own?  Do we share any?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...