Recent Reading Round Up!

Well I am 12 books closer to my goal of 100 for the year, and I found some real gems this time around...

 

THE STORY: Colin Singleton has been dumped 19 times, each time by a girl named Katherine.  So he sets out on a journey to explain the phenomenon mathematically, and also to find himself.

This one was by far my favorite this time! First of all, I love John Green! There is seriously something wrong with you if you can't appreciate this man's ability to tell a story!  I fall in love with every one of his characters and this time was no exception.  It was also one of the very few books I've read that actually made me laugh out loud!  I mean really laugh.  All I will say is the "fight scene"...HA! Definitely pick this one up and give it a chance.  You won't regret it.

THE STORY: A girl named Mira runs away from home to a place called Beau Rivage where she discovers that she has been cursed in the way of Sleeping Beauty!

I love all things fairytale and this was no exception.  It had a cool modern take and delved into the stories that aren't often told ( I won't reveal which as it could be considered a spoiler if you know the tale!).  There was a seriously dark edge to it but also plenty of happily ever after to go around.  Exactly my cup of tea!

THE STORY: A group of misfit teens battling their own demons come together to fight and to make the most of their time spent in a mental health facility.

This one was full of quirky loveable characters and absolutely ridiculous but seriously entertaining events.  If you love all things wacky as I do, this one is for you!  Though crazy as it was, it touched on a lot of very important issues.  I am all about spreading awareness for the battle that people with mental illness face.

THE STORY: A girl with extraordinary psychic abilities finds herself at a school where she is surrounded by students with similar talents.  It appears that fate has intervened, especially when she falls for a mysterious boy who is so not what she expects.

I, like the main character, was thrown for a loop here.  To avoid spoilers, let's just say I did not expect the boy to be what he turned out to be.  There are two more in the series and I'm still debating whether to continue or not (in fact I've had the second book from the library collecting dust in my room for a bit now).  I am a total sucker for love stories though, and especially the fantasy ones, so I'll probably read the rest.  The strong female characters were a nice element too!

And now of course to satisfy my smut addiction!

The concept of hate/love is one I think many readers will enjoy, here.  It was refreshing!  No weak females or co-dependent males in this story!  Chloe is an absolute bitch and I love it and I totally hated Bennet...in the very very beginning that is...

If you're looking for a guilty pleasure and some quick easy reads these are gold right here.  Christina Lauren is one serious kick-ass duo!

I'm not sure how I feel about this trilogy overall.  It was very much like Fifty Shades and its many successors.  The underlying story lines were pretty disturbing at times, but I do love a couple who defies all odds to be together!

HAPPY READING FOLKS!

Bookswept

Three books in three days.  That's just how I roll. Haha. {And that's also why I've been up to my neck in last minute school work...}

First up: Before Now by Cheryl McIntyre
Found this one thanks to the lovely YourNextRead website.  You type in a book you love and it gives you others like it.  Best. Thing. Ever.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit, even with the predictable ending.  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for happy endings!  And as with most novels of this type, I fell in love with the bad boy- Park.  Cause how can you not?! There were some nail biting moments and it will break your heart just a little.  But those are the best kinds of stories!  Random side note: the beginning scenes between Jesse Lucy and Bree are a little odd and almost turned me off to the book at first.  But once you swallow the weird dynamic you're getting something good.

Next on the list: The Ever After of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorenson
First things first- I LOVE Micha Scott.  Not because he's a gorgeous tattooed emotionally damaged musician (although all of the above are freaking fantastic when we're talking man crushes).  No; it's none of those things that make him one of my all time favorite novel guys.
I love him because of the way he LOVES Ella.  I mean she shuts him down for how long?  Puts him through the ringer in every possible way.  And still he treats her like the sun shines out of her ass!  No matter what, he is hers and she is his.  Who doesn't want a love like that?!?!  I'm so glad Sorenson gave us this sweet wrap up of their story.  I will miss these two dearly!

And finally: Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin
Ok so this is something I stumbled upon while on a long winded Barnes and Noble search binge.  You know the "customers who bought this item also bought this" thing at the bottom.
It's unlike anything I've read before, in the sense that it's a coming back together after years apart story, not a fighting tooth and nail to work out being together angsty story.  And I loved it.  Liam and Josie are that high school sweetheart southern couple.  They are torn apart when Liam struggles with the possibility of a stagnant go to college together with all their friends as football players and cheerleaders and then go on to that white picket fence kinda life-Josie's dream. {Jeez that was a run-on if I've ever written one.  Bear with me.}
What he doesn't know, and doesn't find out until ten years later, is that he and Josie have a son.
It was a sweet story of family and home sickness and most of all love and I'm so glad I tried something different.  Liam was the older but just as bad and sexy version of the Parks and Michas of my favorite books.  But there is just nothing like a man's fight for his child and their family to make a girl fall in love!

Until my next binge! Happy reading everybody!

A

I eat books.

I love love love to read, but it makes me particularly happy to do it when I know there are a million and one other things that I know I should be doing instead! Here's a list of all the books I've consumed recently. Definitely recommend checking them out!

1. The Edge of Always- J.A. Redmierski
{Been waiting so long for this one! Beautifully heartbreaking and sweet follow up to The Edge of Never.}

2. Of Trition- Anna Banks
{Everything wrapped up in a nice happy ending package-just the way I like it! But now we await Of Neptune- some serious twists must be in store!}

3. Real and Mine- Katy Evans
{Why is dangerous so sexy?! Calling all hopeless bad-boy addicts. This one is for you ladies}

4. Eleanor and Park- Rainbow Rowell
{First love between seriously quirky high schoolers. Is there anything more sweet?}

5. The Beginning of Everything- Robyn Schneider
{One of the critics featured on the back cover predicted young girls all over would fall in love with Ezra Faulkner. You sir, we're correct.}

6. The Infinite Moment of Us- Lauren Myracle
{Talk about book boyfriends- you'll be routing for Charlie from the beginning of this one! And it'll bring you back to that summer after high school graduation. Ahhhh the possibilities of those fateful days}

7. The Vincent Boys- Abbie Glines
{I should probably invest in a therapist. Her we go with the bad boys again. And it's not only the bad boy, this one will actually make you want to crush the Golden Boy with a pickup truck! There ain't nothin like a sweet southern gentleman- who is actually a total bad-ass! *sigh*}

As we speak, I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series from book one. I think I need a break from romance for awhile. My boyfriend has probably just about had it with the fictional character comparisons...{why can't you be a big muscled boxer from Alabama who makes me mix tapes? <\3}

Anyways, happy reading folks!

Book Review: Of Poseidon

Loved, loved, LOVED this.  Fantasy and doomed forbidden romance in one.  That's my s***.  Hahaha.

Anyways, when I picked it up, I was under the impression it would be some kind of modern retelling of Greek mythology (FYI: Greek mythology is also my s***.)  It was not.  

However, I was not disappointed.  I was excited to delve into a story with mermaids.  I've read about angels, vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies...other strange non-human things...you name it.  I love to try somethin new!  

Predictably, I fell in love with Galen. I mean come on! A boy who's willing to give up his one true love- and to his brother for that matter-for the sake of doing the right thing for other people? I too have a completely self-destructive self-detrimental (is that even a real phrase?) conscience! Galen is my kinda guy. 

Of course, there was much more to it than a swoon-worthy mer-man (that just doesn't sound logical...haha).  It was just a good story...created such a beautfully fantastical world.  I mean for one... I would freakin love to find out I'm secretly a mythical creature!  This is one of the reasons I love to read so much.  Books offer such astounding possibility for life.  You just never know what can happen.  

But really I loved  the heroine Emma in all her plain-old human-ness (someone get me a dictionary!) too, just for living her life when everything she thought she knew about herself and her life turned out to be wrong.  That's something we can all learn from and aspire to, I think.  

Ok...I know...I get far too emotionally invested with book characters, hahaha! But seriously, read it!

Been Doing Quite a Bit of Reading...

Book Review: Because it is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (All These Things I've Done).  So I was pretty bummed when I got into this one.  She's in Liberty, she's out of Liberty...She's with Win, they're broken up...she's done with chocolate, she's running a chocolate business.  Oh boy, is my head spinning! Way too much back and forth.  I like Anya, her tough attitude and her willingness to do anything for the ones she loves.  But her story was too jumpy for me to get into this time.  I'll still try the final installment.  I'm hoping it's much better.

As always, I say don't take just my word for it.  Try it out!








Book Review: Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

I very much enjoy modern re-tellings of the classics.  Particularly the Shakespearean ones.  To quote the author...the man could tell a story!  This one was no exception.  I loved what she did with the characters, especially that she made this Ophelia's story.  The sometimes crazy extent to which we will go for the ones we love is something we can all relate to, you know, minus the running around stabbing and poisoning people (er, hopefully...?).  And though I am a self-professed sucker for doomed bad boys, I was with Ophelia all the way on this one.  I couldn't wait for her to dump Hamlet's crazy ass!!  Remember ladies...it is never okay for your boyfriend to tackle you and choke you out in the back of a limo!  Even if he is a super handsome prince! Hahaha, this one is most definitely worth checking out.






Book Review: Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin

A very cute, magical love story.  And a quick read too, which is always a plus for me.  My only complaint is that the ending wasn't the happiest!
Any woman can agree, we are each much more than just one person. On any given day or time we may be someone or something else.  We do a million things at once, we dress up, experiment with makeup and hairstyles, and we play much more than one role.  For this, you''ll love Margaret.  She's the fairy tale representation of every one of us...what would happen if everything each one of us is, split into different versions of ourselves!
I just love the mind of Gabrielle Zevin!







Happy reading!

The Fault in Our Stars.

Okay, okay, okay! This was one of the BEST books I have ever read. It was beautiful and real and terribly heartbreaking all at the same time. It's the books that elicit overwhelming emotion, the ones that make you think about the things you never want to, the ones that force you to re-examine what you think about life and remind you to appreciate all that your life offers you- those are the books  that I fall in love with. And I fell in love with Hazel and Augustus' story, from the sweet beginning to the devastating end.

If you have not read this book, do it now. You won't regret it. And the story will stay with you forever. 

Memoirs of a Geisha

So I've finally finished it. I haven't taken so long to read a book in years. I just could not get into it. And what a disappointment that is, because everyone and their mother seems to love the book. Don't get me wrong, I love to know things and to learn. So I did enjoy all the details about the geisha lifestyle. And I did really love the way it ended up with the chairman. I'm a complete sucker for a love story! That almost made the whole thing worth reading to me, just to get to that. Overall it was interesting and with a lovely twist, and many of the characters did evoke strong emotions in me (see my earlier post about wanting to slap Hatsumomo!). I'm glad I read it, but I really wish I could have found what was so special about it to so many people!

Book Review: Pushing the Limits

I was really excited to read this book. It's constantly popping up on my "what you should read next" lists and recommendations. I finally got ahold of it once the library request came in. And I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed. I didn't fall in love with the characters. Except maybe for Mrs. Collins (a tough love, dedicated to her job bad-ass...kind of what I hope to be as a nurse!).  I could definitely feel for Noah's situation-I too love my siblings more than the air I breathe and would put my life on hold for them. But beyond that, I just couldn't get into it.  The story felt rushed. It lacked the angsty romance-ha I will forever be a YA fic gal-that brought me to adore the stories of Travis and Pidge, Ella and Micha. Sure there was some of that. But I felt like the story was more about the two of them coming to terms with their issues and then just happening to get together along the way.

It fell short of my expectations, but of course don't take just my word for it. Everybody's different. I always try things despite the buzz!

Next on my list is Memoirs of a Geisha, which I hear phenomenal things about.  Everyone who reads it seems to love it. But of course, I'm always the weirdo and I'm having the hardest time getting into this one too! To be fair I am in the very beginning. And most of the problem is that I want to give Hatsumomo a fine slap across her pretty little powdered face. And Chiyo too for that matter-when the eff will she learn?! (Note: I get far too emotionally involved with books). Anyways, I won't give up just yet.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Night all.

Another awesome book found!

So I've just finished Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Fantastic! If you love doomed paranormal romance mixed with action, suspense, and some plain old ghost stories you'll love it too. I've been waiting very impatiently for the last installment of the Mara Dyer series and this eased some of that- though briefly. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book of the series, Girl of Nightmares. Check it out!