29 November 2013

Pulseit: 31 days of reading!!

From SimonTEEN's facebook account:

"We're excited to announce #Pulseit's #31daysofreading

Starting at midnight on December 1 & for the rest of the month of December, Pulseit.com will feature a different book each day as a FREE read for 24 hours! Plus, you can enter to win 
a copy of the book of the day by liking the #31daysofreading book of the day post on our SimonTEEN Facebook page!

You can see the schedule for all #31days here:http://bit.ly/pulseit31days

And don't forget to tune in each day to Facebook to enter! For giveaway rules, see: http://bit.ly/teenfbrules
"


I am definetely going to take advantage of this!

27 November 2013

Things for a bookish room

Since I am moving soon, and I am getting a totally new room (the only thing from my old room that I am going to keep is my bed). So I thought it would be fun to share a few bookish takes on rooms and decor.

Book Clock
I actually already got this clock. My dad bought it for my 16th birthday this year :)

Book Mirror by Paola Navone
This mirror would look so cute next to a bookshelf or a stack of books!

This would be a great DIY room decor. (: Reminds me of Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Name a Potterhead who would not LOVE to have this in their room!

Etsy shop selling bookish candles
A library scented candle! I believe you can also get one that is bookstore scented!

Bookish
A book lamp! Perfect for late night reading..

Bookish drawers.
How cool is this?!??!? I want that!

26 November 2013

Winter reads!

Since I love Christmas, I thought it would be great to do a recommendation post with books that are perfect for Wintertime!

This list includes classics, contemporary, childrens, spin-offs / retellings etc.

Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings, #4)


First we have Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce which is a retelling of "The Snow Queen" by H.C. Andersen (which is another story you could read). This is tecnically the 4th in a series, but since it is only a "companion" series you can read this as a standalone - if you like.



Dash & Lily's Book of Dares





Then we have Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I read this in February and I had to give it 5 stars because I seriously enjoyed it. It is set during the Wintertime and it has a sweet romance in it. AND BOOKS.



Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances




Let it Snow by John Grenn, Lauren Myracle and Maureen Johnson is another cute christmas book which contains 3 holiday romances. I can honestly say that John Green is the only reason why I bought this book, and I cannot wait to read it.



How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Yellow back book)


I love Dr. Seuss - The Lorax is my all-time favorite movie - so How the Grinch Stole Christmas is an obvious choice. It is such a light read and such a fun one too. I love reading it aloud and making funny voices for my baby brother.



A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books




A Christmas Carol and other Christmas books by Charles Dickens. I watched the adaptation with Jim Carrey in it back in 2009 and I loved it. Since then I have had an obsession with a Christmas Carol, so this is a perfect book since it contains other books by Dickens too. I believe there a 5 in total.


I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas




I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas. I found this a while back and I thought it was such a weird idea that I just HAD to buy it. So apparantly zombies are in for Christmas too!









Claus: Legend of the Fat ManThe Indie Eclective: The Holiday Collection
Claus: The Legend of the Fat Man by Tony Bertauski. A book about SANTA! I think this has another angle on the whole Santa-thing, but I am not sure.








The Holiday Collection from the Indie Eclective. A bunch of short Christmas stories wrapped in one FREE EBOOK.


Twas the Night Before Christmas






Twas the Night before Christmas and other Christmas Stories. This contains about 30 different stories about Christmas (it also contains A Christmas Carol)
If you want to read an adaption of "Twas the Night before Christmas", then check out "Twas the Zombie Attack before Christmas"


14 November 2013

The "How I Read" Tag!

This tag was created by Enya from EnyasCorner on youtube.

1. How do you find out about new books to read?
Watching book videos on youtube or through goodreads. 

2. How did you get into reading?

I got bullied a lot when I was younger and I did not have that many friends. So books were my comfort.

3. How has your taste in books changed as you've gotten older?

I have branched out A LOT more than when I was younger. Back then I almost only read fantasy or something about witches and wizards. Now I have read a book in almost any genre.

4. How often do you buy books?

Often, at least a book every week I think, sometimes more. 

5. How did you get into Bookblogging?

I started watching videos on youtube and then started reading bookblogs, and I just thought it would be fun to write and share my love for books.  

6. How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?

I get frustrated and cannot stop talking about it and getting even more frustrated. But for the most part I think the ending is perfect but it still kills me because I wish it could end differently. *cough cough* Allegiant and Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2) *cough*

7. How often have you taken a sneaky look at the back page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?

When I was younger I always read the very last page of the book, but now I only sneak a peak on the very last word (weird habit). But mostly I avoid any kinds of spoilers.. I hate spoilers... Some idiot spoiled the ending in Allegiant for me -.-'

13 November 2013

Series Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (Spoiler Free)


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives.

Author Bio
Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

The Review
First I have to say, I REALLY like those covers! They match and they tell something about the story. 

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, getting to know Tris, Four, Will and Christina. Getting to know the different factions and what they stand for. Truth be told, I had not read the summary, and I liked going into the book without knowing everything. 

I really liked watching Tris find herself and experiencing Four and hers relationship. Seeing both of them evolve throughout the series was great. Since Tris come from Abnegation where you do not even hold hands or kiss before marriage, it was extremely interesting to see her reactions and how she acted in the relathionship. 

There are 5 factions:  Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave) and Erudite (the intelligent). In the "World of Divergent: Path to Allegiant" instalment, you get to know more about the different factions. You get to read their manifestos - which is seriously interesting. 

My favorite part about the series is probably the factions. Although Allegiant seriously change the vision on factions and divergence - but that is beside the point. I have no idea why, but the idea that the world is divided in 5 different factions, and you belong to one of them is such a new point of view. I can see some of my friends fitting into Dauntless and Erudite, and my best friend fitting into Abnegation perfectly! In my head, this is a new take on the houses in Harry Potter - everything is related to HP in my world. 

The whole series is extremely actionpacked and there definetely are some people you are just born to hate. 

As I said before, Allegiant changes Divergent and Insurgent for you completely. If you read Allegiant and then choose to re-read the series, you cannot look at the world with the same eyes again. It seriosly changes EVERYTHING about the world of Divergent. 

Extras

Which faction do you see yourself in? Have you read the series or are you planning to? 

12 November 2013

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

4 to 16 Characters
Series: Standalone
Publication date: November 7th 2013
Publisher: Lemon Sherbet Press 
Genres: YA, contemporary
Format: Ebook
Source: Netgalley 



Fifteen-year-old Jane Shilling’s best friends don’t know her real name. In fact, they don’t know anything about her at all. Jane’s life has collapsed in the last few years; following the death of her mother, her father turned to drinking, and Jane is reeling from the double blow. To escape, Jane devises a number of online personas, each with a distinct personality, life history, and set of friends. But things become trickier when she finds herself drawing close to some of her online friends, and winds up struggling with the question of how to maintain a real friendship while masquerading as a fake person. With the help of Gary, a socially awkward classmate and competitive Skeeball player who is Jane’s only offline friend, and Nora, her therapist, Jane begins to sift through her issues. The only catch is that that involves taking a long, hard look at what her life’s like when the computer is shut off, and that’s a reality she’s been fighting for years.

This book starts out slow, but then it seriously hooks you. I could not put it down, I had to know what happened between her and Gary - and if there even happened anything. 

I loved getting to know Jane's "alter egos", it was so interesting. At a time I also had a lot of names I used on the internet, and I can totally relate to Jane thinking it is easier when she is Rachel, Ethan or another person. Things get easier when you are not doing it yourself. 

There was times when I laughed out loud and people would look at me like I was crazy, and there was times when I could not help to say "aaaw". This book is packed with emotions. 

I adored the Jane that she becomes. She evolves through out this book with the help of Gary and the fandom. When she reveals her secret is probably one of my favorite parts, it changes her. 

Gary, Gary, Gary. He is so sweet and awkward - in a way he reminds me of my boyfriend. 

I think a lot of teens can relate to this book and I really, really recommend it. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read it. 


Want to read an excerpt of this book for free? Click here

11 November 2013

Series Breakdown

I found this post on Book Revels, which was originally found on Queen Ella Bee Reads' blog. So since I am having a bit of a hard time figuring out which series I am currently reading, have finished, given up on etc. This post is totally ideal and perfect!

Series I've dropped
Matched by Ally Condie
Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Cousins' War by Philippa Gregory
Numbers by Rachel Ward
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Tomorrow by John Marsden
Carbon Diaries by Saci Lloyd
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Series of which I have the next/last book but haven't gotten to yet
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick RiordanRazorland by Ann Aguirre

Series I've completed
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Mates, Dates by Cathy Hopkins
Anna by Kendare Blake
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Robert Langdon by Dan Brown (I think it is done.....)

Series I'm up to date on and am (im)patiently waiting for the next installment of
The Program by Suzanne Young
Slated by Teri Terry
Legion by Kami Garcia 
IFICS by Julia Crane
Miss Peregrine by Ransom Riggs
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Series I'm currently reading but have not yet the next/last book 
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Fairytale Rettellings by Jackson Pearce

Debating whether I should continue or drop
Heist Society by Ally Carter
The Walking Dead by 

Series I want to read
Benny Imura by Jonathan Maberry
Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong
The Shining by Stephen King
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Last Survivors by Susan Beth Pfeffer
James Potter by Norman G. Lippert
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Gone with the Respiration by Lia Habel
The Chemical Garden by Lauren DeStefano
Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
Penryn and the End of Days by Susan Ee
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Gods and Monsters by Kelly Keaton
Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Legend by Marie Lu
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence 
Tales from Lovecraft Middle School by Charles Gilman
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood
The Grisha by Leigh Bardugo
The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks
Earth Girl by Janet Edwards
The Diviners by Libba Bray
 Breathe by Sarah Crossan
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Taken by Erin Bowman
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Many-Worlds by Anna Jarzab
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Goddess War by Kendare Blake
Parasitology by Mira Grant

As you probably can tell, there are a LOT of series I want to read... But I am waiting for them to be finished to I can marathon them, I HATE waiting on books. 

5 November 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: sequels I can't wait to get my hands on

eeeerh 9.... sequels




So the 2 first to picks do not even have covers yet... So here are the covers for the first books. Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (review here) and Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Outpost (Razorland, #2)


Outpost by Ann Aguirre, which is the sequel to Enclave. I really enjoyed the first book and novels, so I am looking forward to read the sequel. + the conclusion to the trilogy just came out October 29th
Fractured (Slated, #2)


Fractured by Teri Terry, I really liked Slated - which is the first book in the series - but there was just something missing. I hope to get some answers in the sequel. The third and final book comes out next year!




The Final Descent (The Monstrumologist #4)



The Final Descent by Rick Yancey, the final book in the Monstrumologist series. This is a quite spooky series, but I really like it. The atmosphere and everything is just described wonderfully.


Fractured Innocence (IFICS #2)

Fractured Innocence by Julia Crane - which does not even have a summary or release date yet! I recently made a cover reveal post on this book and I wrote a review of the first book in October. 
Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings, #4)



Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce. I believe this is the final instalment in this companion series. I really liked the first 3 books and this re-telling is actually based on a danish one called "the Snow Queen" from H.C. Andersen. 
Hollow City (Miss Peregrine, #2)



Hollow City by Ransom Riggs the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.





4 November 2013

2014 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

This reading challenge is hosted at Socrates' Book Reviews, and it is the perfect challenge for me since I seriously have to finish some series!

There are some guidelines:

1) All books that are part of a continuing series qualify (i.e. Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, James Patterson's Alex Cross, etc. etc.)

2) It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 10 books in a series to complete it, it qualifies (i.e. if you only need to read one more Sookie Stackhouse book to complete the goal, that's fine) The goal is to complete a series from wherever you are up to until the last published book.

3) The qualification period is January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Books must be read during this time frame to count.

4) Take the button above and post about it. Use the Mr. Linky below to sign up and make sure you link it directly to your post about this challenge. 

5) If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us what you are reading. Or you can join my Goodreads group for this challenge by clicking here
IF YOU WANT TO LINK UP YOUR REVIEWS OR, FOR THOSE WITHOUT A BLOG, LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.

6) Any format of book counts - audio, ebook, etc.

7) You should choose the series you want to finish before the challenge begins, but it isn't necessary. It's fine to change series during the year - as long as you complete whichever series it is.

8) Choose a level....
Level 1 - Complete 1 series.
Level 2 - Complete 2 series.
Level 3 - Complete 3 or more series.

I have chosen level 3 since I have a lot of series and I know that at least one of the series I have only 1 book left. 

The series I have chosen to finish (the list can be expanded through out the year):
  1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
  2. Razorland by Ann Aguirre
  3. Slated by Terri Terry
You can sign up here if you want to join the challenge.

3 November 2013

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge


This challenged is hosted at Bookish and it is about reading all the books you have accumulated but still haven't read. 

There are some guidelines:
  1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014.
  2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, as long as you review the book you've read! (On your blog, Amazon, Random Buzzers or Goodreads/Shelfari!)
  3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Short stories and novellas are OK, too! Only books released in 2013 and earlier! NO  2014 ARCs and 2014 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
  4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
  5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBRPILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
  6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
  7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
  8. On the 20th of each month we will post a wrap-up post, here, on BOOKISH. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this monthFor each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)
  9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 
  10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a GRAND PRIZE giveaway
  11. You don't have to follow Bookish Blog to join the challenge, but you do have to follow us to be entered in giveaways!
I will be participating at level 4 meaning 31-40 books. Every book I read from my bookshelves will count towards this challenge. Library books or ebooks will not count!. 

See my "challenges" page if you want to see how well I am doing.

You can sign up here, if you want to join this challenge too.

1 November 2013

Bookish Website #1: Pulseit.com

Have you guys heard about pulseit? I heard about it on youtube, Jesse the reader kept talking about it, so I finally checked it out.

Basically you get to read free books and excerpts - doesn't that sound great? The only thing you got to do is become a member and that's it!

The full books are only available for a limited time (about a week). This week it is Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card (available until 11/11) and Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano Some weeks there are more books, but there is at least 1 every week.

Some of the excerpts are:

and there is a bunch more! (See all the books here

My username is AmandaEmma

+ if you sign up to the newsletter from SimonTEEN you get a free book! 

Cover Reveal!: Fractured Innocence (IFICS#2) by Julia Crane

That cover is beautiful! And this and the first book in the series MATCH! Could it be more perfect? You can add it to goodreads here and find Freak of Nature (IFICS #1) here + if you want to read my review of the first book, you can read it here.

Blurb from the first book:
Freak of Nature (IFICS, #1)Donate Body to Science. Check.
When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.



I really liked the first book, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. 


Author Bio 
Julia crane is the author of the Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination. Although she’s spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.

Author Links:
Twitter= @juliacrane2 (https://twitter.com/JuliaCrane2)