31 May 2015

Monthly wrap up for May

I can't believe that 5 whole months has passed already! It feels like it was just a blink of an eye. Even as I write this I can't help thinking that I get my diploma in a month - which was so far away three years ago. Time is flying by way to quickly for my liking! 
I can't say that May was the best reading month but I came across some spectacular books and I read a bunch of classics. One of my most anticipated releases of the year was quite disappointing though, and ended up putting me in a reading slump. However, I managed to read a total of 9 books during May and I was only disappointed by 1 - score! I also managed to read Never Never part two the day it was released, and now I have to wait for the conclusion - why do I do this to myself? Nevertheless, in May I read:
  1. The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  2. Wild Reckless by Ginger Scott πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  3. The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  4. 99 Days by Katie Cotugno πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  5. Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  6. The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed #2) by Page Morgan πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  7. Emma by Jane Austen πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
  9. Books, Blogs, & Reality by Ryan Ringbloom πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
The single novella I read was: 
  1. Never Never part two by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“

I didn't buy that many books in May, to be precise I only bought 3 and I've read all of them this month as well. I have to admit; I'm quite proud of myself!


I preordered 99 Days last month, but since I received it this month I'm counting it towards this months book haul!

Even though I finished it I was quite disappointed with 99 Days. I absolutely loved How to Love by the same author but this was just bad.

I treated myself to two classics after my first exam. I've wanted to read both for a while and it was definitely luck that I ended up finding them so cheap (2 and 3$). I even found an edition of Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie from 1960! You can't even buy it with that title anymore!
Between those two Ten Little Niggers definitely win - I didn't see the ending coming! I loved the first half of The Catcher in the Rye and was disappointed with the rest of it.


As for my June TBR I only my review books for the month:
This month I have 4 books from Hot Key Books; - Almost Grace by Rosie Rowell
- How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski
- Only We Know by Simon Packham
and lastly Being a Girl by Hayley Long - my current read.

I also received the Danish translation of Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins so I hope I can get to that as well!









Happy reading!

25 May 2015

Adult books for readers of YA

A while I go the blogs were filled with 'YA books for adults' or similar posts and I've been searching for posts with adult books for readers of YA and I simply haven't been able to find one so I'll just make one myself.

I'm not saying that I'm the best at this, but I've read a bunch of YA books and I've also read a bunch of adult books so I have some recommendations at least!

I recently read The Circle by Dave Eggers and it's a dystopia that, somehow, reminds me of Brave New World and I enjoyed that classic. I know teens, like me, don't really read classics, but Brave New World doesn't really feel like a classic and The Circle is basically a new interpretation of Brave New World and where our world is going. The Circle is really interesting and I think it's a great read for readers of YA. Bare in mind that The Circle is more science fiction-y than other dystopians.

When it comes to fantasy I definitely recommend The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson - it's high fantasy and utterly phenomenal! I have no idea how to describe it, but it's a mixture of the best of fantasy sprinkled with something extra. Even though I've yet to read the rest of the series I know that it's going to be just as, if not more, awesome than the first book.

If you like romance in books then you might want to check out these books;


These are definitely some of my favorite books. If you love Rainbow Rowell you should definitely check out her adult novels, I don't know which one I love the most but these are so good! 
Love Me or Leave Me by Claudia Carroll is quite funny; it's about a divorce hotel. You check in married and check out single. It's cute, it's funny and it was one of the first chick-lits I read. 
Accidentally Married and Reluctantly Married by Victorine E. Lieske is probably some of the funniest books I've ever read. Both of them have made me laugh out loud and my cheeks hurt so bad from smiling after reading the books. 

I often find that I don't really like YA contemporary but I really enjoy women's fiction or adult contemporary/romance.
Some contemporary adult books I've really enjoyed are How to be Good by Nick Hornby, Paper Swans by Jessica Thompson, The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes and The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion


Some other adult books I've really enjoyed are;


I read The Host by Stephanie Meyer because of a friend and I ended up loving it. It's fantasy but I feel like it fits somewhere in between YA and adult, but it's not exactly NA. It is quite good though. 
It's been a few years since I read Shutter Island but I remember loving it and being utterly mind blown after finishing it. It's so interesting and even though it deals with mental ilness it's far from boring! 
The Help is probably one of the more adult books I've read, it's set in the South and it deals with segregation and racial issues but I absolutely love it. It's a page-turner and the voices of the different characters are so clear - I definitely recommend listening to this as an audiobook! 
I read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 3 times last year because I chose to use it for an assignment and I loved it more for each time I read it. It's so relatable because the main character is in her late teens and we've definitely all been through some of the stuff Esther's been through. There's actually this 'new' YA book called Belzhar which is somehow an interpretation of The Bell Jar and at the same time the book, The Bell Jar, is a major part of the story. 
I just finished The Cuckoo's Calling and I feel like the mystery and crime genre is a great way to start reading adult books - mainly because adult mystery or crime books tend to be better than YA crime or mystery books, I think so at least. Some other mystery books I recommend are all of Dan Browns books - but mainly Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, he writes some great books!

Which genres do you prefer in YA and adult? Is there any other adult books you recommend for readers of YA?

22 May 2015

On reading multiple books at once

In the book community we often call this phenomenon of reading multiple books at once; 'book-affairs' or just 'affairs'. Because you can't stick to a single book. This definitely explains the guilty feeling you may have when you read more than one book at a time. I know that I for one sometimes feel like I'm neglecting the other books I'm reading and I definitely feel guilty and bad because of it.

When I first starting reading I couldn't even fathom the idea of reading more than one book at a time but now I, generally, read multiple books at once - mainly because I have so many books to get through. There is some downsides to reading more than one book at a time but I've found that I quite like it.

CONS
Some of the problems are; confusing yourself with the story lines, characters etc, the stress, indecisiveness when it comes to which one you want to read at that time and the feeling of guilt. I know not all have the same problems but these are definitely some that I've encountered while having my many affairs.

PROS
But what's the pros of reading multiple books then?
You can end up reading much more if you know how; I tend to have a current read in each format; an audiobook, an ebook and a physical book - and I also have a review book (no matter the format) going on with the other books. That way I can listen to the audiobook while working, cleaning or writing, reading the ebook on my phone, computer or tablet when I have a short break and at night I can read the physical book with a cup of tea. In the end I end up reading much more because I can take advantage of breaks and reading whilst doing something else - it's quite smart, if I do say so myself.
Some other good parts about reading more books at a time is you can switch between the books when you need a break from a certain book or you want to save or just devour the book slowly.

Personally I dislike reading big books because I feel like I miss out on so many other books while reading it so if I'm currently reading a big book I always have a smaller book on the side so I don't feel discouraged. It's one of the ways I get myself to read bigger books.


Advice when having these 'affairs'
  • Read different genres; it's easier to differentiate between the books if you, for example read a horror book, fantasy book and a contemporary book 
  • Different formats; I might be biased but this definitely makes me read more
  • Don't read an insane amount of books at a time! 
  • If some, or just one, of the books are on the bigger side keep a list of characters and notes so you won't forget - I have to do this every time I read a big book

Did I forget something or do you just want to add something? Tell me in the comments! 

20 May 2015

Wild Reckless by Ginger Scott

Series: N/A, Standalone
Publication date: March 17, 2015 (orig. February 25, 2015)
Publisher: Ginger Scott, self published
Genres: NA, Contemporary
Format: Digital review copy
Source: The author, Ginger Scott, in exchange for an honest review
Pages: 338


Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.

Instead, a nightmare took over.

It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.

Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.

Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.


And those things…they were the scariest of all.

Just like any other book by Ginger Scott this was a roller coaster of emotions. This is also a book, I feel, that you have to keep reading instead of putting it down because I definitely lost some of my interest in the story once I'd put it down for a couple of days.

This is probably one of the more 'tough' books from Ginger Scott; the life Owen has is awful and you definitely feel sorry for him. To see what he has to go through every single day and what that do to him is heart-wrenching and I definitely teared up at times.
Kensingtons life looks great to the outside but turns out that her life is also quite screwed up and it definitely surprised me the way that her life unraveled. You also feel sorry for Kensington but she's such a strong character that you don't really have to. She takes care of herself and takes shit from no one - and I quite admired her.
Their relationship is the biggest roller coaster of emotions I've ever encountered. It's packed with ups and downs and you kept rooting for them throughout the entire thing. Seeing Kensingtons will to keep them together is so admirable, even though he treats her like hell sometimes she doesn't back down or give up. Even though it is quite tough for our hearts to read about a relationship like that you come out on the other side and feel great - like you've been through it with them and everything works out in the end.

I don't really know if I cared that much about the actual storyline, my focus was probably on the relationship between the two main characters. Obviously the storyline is quite important and the reason as to why their relationship progresses like it does but you definitely care more about Kensington and Owen.

I ended up giving Wild Reckless a 4 star rating, I really enjoyed it when I was reading it but when I put it down I lost my interest quite fast and it was a bit hard picking it up again.



WARNING: not for delicate or sensitive souls - this book will wreck you.

17 May 2015

The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan

Series: The Dispossessed #1
Publication date: May 2, 2013
Publisher:
Hot Key Books
Genres: YA, Fantasy 
Format: Review copy
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Pages: 341

GoodreadsAmazonBook Depository


Ingrid Waverley is a young woman to be reckoned with. Faced with her brother's mysterious disappearance after an abrupt move to Paris, she is determined to discover what has happened to him. Soon she and her sister Gabriella are drawn into a Parisian underworld more terrifying than they could ever have imagined, but watching over them are two impossible (and impossibly handsome) young men. Luc is a 'Dispossessed', an ancient gargoyle whose sworn duty it is to protect the humans who inhabit his abbey. Nolan has secrets of his own too. He is a member of the Alliance - a shadowy group dedicated to keeping Paris safe from the demonic forces that threaten to destroy it.


Secrets, danger and hidden powers stalk the girls in this beautifully imagined paranormal romance that will keep readers gripped from beginning to end - and one thing is for sure - you'll never look at a gargoyle in the same way again...

I mainly requested this book because of the gargoyles, I've never read a book which was about gargoyles and I couldn't pass the chance - and I'm quite glad I didn't.

Weirdly enough The Dispossessed series encompass a bunch of things I dislike in books; angels vs. demons and love triangles -  just to name a few - but I ended up loving it anyway. Page Morgan really did a number on me.

There's a hierarchy in the book that you have to make sense of; first we have God, then us humans, then the angels, the gargoyles and the demons. The gargoyles are humans who have committed a sin - killing another human being - and then turned into gargoyles to protect humans. The gargoyles are practically slaves of the angels and they're not treated well. I love the idea that instead of being above us, the angels are below us - this created a different angle that I seem to love.
There's also a group called the 'Alliance' which is basically this society or group of demon hunters

Characters
We have 3 siblings, Ingrid and Grayson - the twins, and their slightly younger sister Gabriella or Gabby. Grayson is kidnapped and Ingrid and Gabby is set on finding him - which makes for a delightful tale! We also have Luc - the gargoyle who has to protect the Waverly family, Nolan Quinn and Vander Burke - the Waverly sisters' love interests.

Gabby is quite the character, in the beginning I disliked her quite a bit but in the end she turned out to be such a strong and admirable character.
Ingrid I couldn't figure out in the beginning but she's also a lovable character. She's intense in a good way, she stands up for herself and she is definitely not a damsel in distress. Yes, she freaks out at times but you would too if you were Ingrid.
Luc, I love Luc. He's trying so hard not to like Ingrid and I loved reading about that struggle.

Setting
I can't read a book set in Paris and not mention it! When I requested it I had no idea that it would take place in Paris (my favorite city of all time) in 1899 (a time-period which I love). I literally turned the first page and started squealing when I saw that it was set in 'Paris, 1899', if I'd known I'd probably requested it no matter what it was about.
Even though the town or setting doesn't matter that much in this book, there aren't really any descriptions of the town and they're only going to certain places in Paris, you still know that you're in Paris and that's enough for me. - I also enjoy the few French lines in the book, brings a smile every single time.

I was sure that this book was going to disappoint me, but this is just one of those books which seems so darn interesting that you have to read it! And even though this book is about angels and demons - which I didn't know at the time - I still ended up loving it.


6 May 2015

The Girl I Was Before - cover reveal and excerpt

I first heard about Ginger Scott back in 2014 and I've only read two of her books and I'm currently reading another, but the ones I've read so far have all been 5 star reads - my favorite is probably How We Deal With Gravity.

I have not read the Falling series yet though - The Girl I Was Before is the third book in the series, but since it's a companion series you can read them in whatever order you like.



THE GIRL I WAS BEFORE (Falling #3)
 NA Contemporary Romance
Scheduled to release: June 23, 2015

BLURB:
I’m the selfish one. I suppose that’s the nicest thing people say about me. I’ve heard the other things, too. “Paige Owens is a pretty girl with nothing else to offer. She’s just a good time at a party. She’s stupid, heartless, cold and useless. All she cares about is getting a guy to look at her. Why would anyone want to be her friend?”

Some of those things are true. Others were true. They’re all hurtful.

None of it matters.

I’m ready to make the hard choices. I’m ready to face the consequences. I’m ready to be the girl I was before, and I’m done being the one who lost her way.

I’m ready to become the girl Houston Orr sees when he looks at me.

Houston isn’t a star athlete. He doesn’t play in a band. He’s never going to be president, and his life is so far away from simple and easy it isn’t even funny. He wasn’t part of my plan. But I’m starting to think plans are overrated, and maybe our stories are what we make them. And mine depends entirely on me, and the choices I make...starting now.

Houston is my fairytale. He’s perfectly imperfect. He’s poetry and life. He’s truth and heartbreak, all rolled up in a tall body with dark hair, broad shoulders and green eyes that lull me into submission. He’s nothing I ever thought I wanted, but the very thing I need. He’s the only guy I’ve ever really loved, and he thinks I’m a princess. I fell into him, and now I’m holding on.

But sometimes life takes away our ability to choose. Sometimes...things aren’t in your control. Sometimes, it hurts to be selfless. My only hope is that when it comes time to choose, I get it right.

Welcome to my once upon a time and wish for happily ever after.

Excerpt:
I’m slow with my hand, and when she sees my fingers near her cheek, her breath hitches again.

“I like you, Paige,” I repeat, my voice a whisper, my lips close to her ear. I barely remember how to do this, how to do any of this, but every movement, every word with her right now feels so natural. “I don’t want to. You don’t want me to. But I do. And so do you. And we can keep fighting, and you can walk away from things, and you can yell at me when nothing makes sense and you don’t have anyone else to blame. I’m okay with that. I’ll be that guy. Even though part of me doesn’t want to. That part is fucking terrified. But the rest of me...”

I step back again, my hand fully on her cheek now, her weight resting on me, her eyes closed, lips still trembling.

“The rest of me just wants to kiss you,” I say, closing the inches quickly until my lips touch hers, surprise hers, claim hers and quell her fears all in one action. Her protest is short, and soon her hands find my shoulders and then my back and she pulls me into her. My hands are holding her face, and we both walk backward until her back is against my door.

I reach with one hand, frantic to find the doorknob, desperate to open the damn door. Panicked that if I break this contact she’ll stop, that she’ll slap me, that she’ll go back to not wanting to...anything. When I get the door open, we both fall inside, but our lips never part, our grip remains tight on one another. Reaching with one hand, I close the door behind us gently, not wanting to make any sound that could possibly get us caught.

This cannot be interrupted. It’s still too new, too at risk for being the only time I get to feel this. Goddamn does she taste like the most expensive drink I’ve ever had. Scooping her into my arms, I pull her even closer to me, until my legs hit the bed. I don’t want her to think anything other than this kiss is enough. I’ve thought about more. Fuck, I think about more twenty-three of my twenty-four hours, dreaming when I’m sleeping, daydreaming when I’m awake. But this kiss—it’s enough right now.





About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling author of eight young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, Wild Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she
often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot
quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard...the list goes on.) Ginger has
been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than
15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors,
scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work,
visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a
baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce
Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona
Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college
sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).


Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com /GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/the gingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube. com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.googl e.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Gi ngerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

4 May 2015

DIY: 'Review on a bookmark' bookmarks!

I stumbled upon the 'review' bookmarks from Knock Knock and I've been interested in something similar since I don't want to pay a lot for bookmarks I'm going to use once. Then I found these bookmarks from Wild Olive and even though they're quite cute they're not really what I'm looking for but it's great for inspiration!

I decided it would be best to make my own 'review on a bookmark' bookmarks and it's quite easy! I bought some large gifttags in SΓΈstrene Grene for a dollar and some watercolors (which is totally optional). I've made a bunch of different ones and my goal is to match each bookmark to the book it 'belongs' to.

I quite like that they're not just white, black or brown and I think they're quite cute with the ombre thing going on.

Now on to what this is actually about, the review part:

I have divided it into two parts: the 50 page mark and a part for when you're done with the book. I judge a book on the first 50 pages so I want to be able to put my thoughts about those pages on my bookmark.

I don't know if I'll be able to but I'll try to summarize the first 50 pages and then the entire book in a single word. I want to choose a smiley that explains my feelings towards the book, I want to rate the characters, the plot and the setting from 1 to 5 stars and then I can add whatever I feel like towards the end.
The colored bottom is for the final rating.

It's such quite a quick way to summarize your thoughts for a review!

I may change or add to it in the future but for now I'm quite happy with the result. But, if I should change it, what do you think I should do?