Stacking the Shelves #7

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

I'm doing a bit of a twist on this and talking about some books that I have added to my shelves in the past. I'm tentatively calling it "Signed Book" Saturday, because I'm going to focus on my collections of signed books!

Today's author that I'm featuring is Veronica Roth!

I've never actually met Veronica, though it's quite literally on my bucket list to meet her someday. Embarrassingly enough, I own 3 copies of Divergent, 2 copies of Insurgent, 2 copies of Allegiant, a copy of Four and a copy of Divergent in German. And that's not even counting my eBook copies of the series.

My favorite book in the series is definitely Divergent. I've read it just about a million times!

My dad was sweet enough to order me some signed copies of her books after I couldn't make it to see her at Yallfest (I think).

Which book is your favorite of the series?

Stacking the Shelves #6

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

I'm doing a bit of a twist on this and talking about some books that I have added to my shelves in the past. I'm tentatively calling it "Signed Book" Saturday, because I'm going to focus on my collections of signed books!

Today's author that I'm featuring is Becca Fitzpatrick!

I've actually never met Becca, though I somehow have a pretty hefty collection of her books! The amazing Adele (@ Persnickety Snark) got me Black Ice from BEA 2014 last year, and my dad got me the Hush, Hush series as a gift (way back in 2010, wow). So my collection is completely because of the generosity of others--thanks, buds!

My favorite book by Becca Fitzpatrick would have to be Black Ice! I love the mystery, the romance, and the tension.

Without further ado:

Have you read Becca's books before? If so, what's your favorite book by her?

Stacking the Shelves #5

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

I'm doing a bit of a twist on this and talking about some books that I have added to my shelves in the past. I'm tentatively calling it "Signed Book" Saturday, because I'm going to focus on my collections of signed books!

Today's author that I'm featuring is Katie McGarry!

I've met Katie at two different events: Apollycon 2015 and BEA 2015. I'm in love with her books and I've reviewed both Take Me On and Nowhere But Here on the blog! She writes fantastic characters with complex relationships. I never want to put her books down!

I think my favorite would definitely have to be either Crash Into You or Nowhere But Here. It's a close tie, but I love me some Isaiah and Rachel...

Without further ado:

From Apollycon 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From BEA 2015

Have you read any of Katie McGarry's books? Which is your favorite?

Stacking the Shelves #4

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

I'm doing a bit of a twist on this and talking about some books that I have added to my shelves in the past. I'm tentatively calling it "Signed Book" Saturday, because I'm going to focus on my collections of signed books!

Today's author that I'm featuring is Jennifer Armentrout!

I've met Jennifer at many events (including Bookcon 2014, Apollycon, and BEA 2015), so I have a fairly big collection of her signed books.

She's super fun, super sweet, and super genuine. She's honestly a book machine, and I admire her so much! She's probably one of the authors that I have the most books from. I have 12 of her books and love her style, humor, and characters.

I've reviewed Fall With Me and Scorched on the blog. But my favorite would have to be Obsidian--I love me some Katy and Daemon with sexual tension!

So without further ado:

From Bookcon 2014

From BEA 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From BEA 2015

From Bookcon 2014

From BEA 2015

From Apollycon 2015

From BEA 2015

"Waiting On" Wednesday #5: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that give us those book tingles!

Today's WoW pick is an exciting and wild time travel piece by one of the loveliest authors ever! Unfortunately, like with Truthwitch, we have a long wait ahead of us...

This Wednesday, I'm waiting on Passenger by Alexandra Bracken! It shares a book birthday with Truthwitch and will be out on January 5, 2016.

I have an ARC that I'm itching to start reading. The book sounds like a captivating blend of genres: historical, romance, fantasy, science fiction, you name it! I'm so excited to see what Bracken has in store for us.

Here's the Goodreads synopsis for those who haven't heard of Passenger:

Violin prodigy Etta Spencer had big plans for her future, but a tragedy has put her once-bright career at risk. Closely tied to her musical skill, however, is a mysterious power she doesn't even know she has. When her two talents collide during a stressful performance, Etta is drawn back hundreds of years through time.

Etta wakes, confused and terrified, in 1776, in the midst a fierce sea battle. Nicholas Carter, the handsome young prize master of a privateering ship, has been hired to retrieve Etta and deliver her unharmed to the Ironwoods, a powerful family in the Colonies--the very same one that orchestrated her jump back, and one Nicholas himself has ties to. But discovering she can time travel is nothing compared to the shock of discovering the true reason the Ironwoods have ensnared her in their web.

Another traveler has stolen an object of untold value from them, and, if Etta can find it, they will return her to her own time. Out of options, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the mysterious traveler. But as they draw closer to each other and the end of their search, the true nature of the object, and the dangerous game the Ironwoods are playing, comes to light -- threatening to separate her not only from Nicholas, but her path home... forever.

Just look at that cover... with a cover that beautiful, I can't imagine how amazing the actual book is going to be! I'm so excited for this novel, and I hope I've sucked a few of you into the rapidly developing Passenger fandom.

What books are you waiting on this Wednesday? Share in the comments!

"Top Ten" Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity and/or Diverse Characters

Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Each week, The Broke and Bookish host the Top Ten Tuesday discussion. They provide a bookish prompt and  other bloggers are welcome to share their "Top Ten" in the specific topic!

Today is a Tuesday, which means it's time for a Top Ten! Today's topic is "Top Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters."

I'm hurrying through this off the top of my head so there will only be 8 books today!

The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong
The Masked Truth features a cast with a wide range of neurotypical characteristics, including PTSD, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, etc.








Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt
Dream Things True includes a romance between Alma and Evan, two characters of vastly different socioeconomic levels. Alma and her extensive Hispanic family also help to celebrate diversity.



Soundless by Richelle Mead
Soundless, though a fantasy standalone, features Chinese folklore. The characters are all Asian, surrounded by Asian culture.








Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Ten includes two types of diversity: racial and neurotypical. TJ is African American and Minnie has an anxiety disorder (and bipolar disorder, I believe).



The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
The Wrath and the Dawn, as a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights, features both ethnic characters and a rich ethnic setting.








Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Maybe Someday features multiple disabled characters. A few are deaf, while another I believe has cystic fibrosis.



North of Beautiful by Justina Chen
North of Beautiful features an Asian hero to our blonde heroine. He also had a cleft lip, which I think celebrates even more diversity!








Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Perfect Chemistry, like Dream Things True, features characters who are of different socioeconomic levels and of different races. However, while the latter features a Hispanic heroine, Perfect Chemistry features a Hispanic hero.

What are your top ten books that celebrate diversity?

"Waiting On" Wednesday #4: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that give us those book tingles!

My past few WoW books have been ones that I've already read ARCs of. Today's post features a book that I have not read yet. So I'm just as clueless and eager as all of you!

I'm totally dying to read this book. I have a copy but haven't picked it up yet because it doesn't release until January. Yes, you heard that correctly: January.

Today's pick is Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. The release date is January 5, 2016, so buckle up for a long wait!

 Though I'm not an official Witchlander (I sadly didn't get picked for the street team), I'm a Witchlander at heart! So I'm super excited to share this book with you guys. The virtual support for Truthwitch is absolutely insane. There's an official Twitter account for it (@Truthwitch) and there's always someone gushing about it, no matter what time or day it is. Welcome to the fandom!

Here's the Goodreads synopsis for those who haven't heard of Truthwitch:

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Though I haven't read Dennard's other books, I absolutely adore her. She's one of the sweetest authors that I've ever met. Despite everyone's excitement over getting a copy of Truthwitch at BEA, she was still humble enough to doubt that people would show up to her signing. She's so down to earth and genuine. I can't wait to read what she's cooked up for us in this highly anticipated fantasy!

What books are you waiting on this Wednesday? Share in the comments!

"Top Ten" Tuesday: Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Each week, The Broke and Bookish host the Top Ten Tuesday discussion. They provide a bookish prompt and  other bloggers are welcome to share their "Top Ten" in the specific topic!

Today is a Tuesday, which means it's time for a Top Ten! Today's topic is "Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession."

This is going to be a bit of a repeat from my "Stacking the Shelves" posts, but I shall post nonetheless. The last ten books that came into my possession are as follows:


From #booksfortrade:
1. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
2. Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland
3. Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4. Pivot Point by Kasie West
5. Zodiac by Romina Russell
6. The Jewel by Amy Ewing
7. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
8. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han
9. In Honor by Jessica Kirby

Other:
10. Chasing Impossible by Katie McGarry*

*Chasing Impossible is an exclusive offer that came with the preorder of Nowhere But Here that I'm super excited about!

What are the last ten books that came into your possession? Share in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves #3

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

This week's books are all from Ollie's, a stellar bargain store. I got 5 books (4 of which are hardcovers) for only $12.99. That's less than the cost of one hardcover at a normal retailer! Is that amazing or what?!

Purchased:

Virals by Kathy Reichs

Origin by Jessica Khoury

Legend by Marie Lu

Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Have you read any of these? Which ones do you recommend?

Have you been to Ollie's?

What did you stack your shelves with this week?

Waiting On Wednesday #3: Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that give us those book tingles!

In case you didn't see my WoW post last week (featuring The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong), I'll give you a recap. I'm going to do a little bit of a twist, since I've been reading so many books that don't come out until the fall. I'm featuring books that I've already read in my WoW posts to help build up the hype and do some pre-review gushing. I'll be including some excerpts from my upcoming review!

This week's pick is Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall. It comes out October 20, 2015, and I'm so pumped. It's such a cute and fun read.


Here's the synopsis:

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.

Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane’s Magic 8 ball can’t give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.


Such a great read--I definitely recommend preordering. At the top of the list of books I'm waiting on!

Some excerpts from my upcoming review:

"I laughed in almost all of the scenes! If I wasn't laughing, I was definitely grinning like an idiot. Signs Point to Yes was just one of those feel-good books that makes you want to skip around in the sunshine and chase rainbows."

"The writing style, the dialogue, and the characters just really clicked for me."

What books are you waiting on this Wednesday? Comment below!

"Top Ten" Tuesday: Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Each week, The Broke and Bookish host the Top Ten Tuesday discussion. They provide a bookish prompt and  other bloggers are welcome to share their "Top Ten" in the specific topic!

Today is a Tuesday, which means it's time for a Top Ten! Today's topic is "Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read."

I've gotten super behind on my reading due to school so there are a bunch of these. I'll try to limit the list. Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaar Tahir

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas (I've only read Throne of Glass, none of the subsequent books)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (or any of the other books by her)

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

The Knife of Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Legend by Marie Lu

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

...and soo many more! I actually owns a lot of these. Like I own Alexandra Bracken's entire series and two (!) copies of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I just need to buckle down and finally read them!

Which of these books do I absolutely have to read? Which of them is the most egregious offenses?

Which books haven't you read that are super hyped?

Stacking the Shelves #2

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted every week (typically on Saturday) by Tynga's Reviews.

Today's post is going to feature all the books I recently traded for. I've been completely addicted to the #booksfortrade tag on Twitter for the last few weeks. Last week, I finally buckled down and traded. Though I haven't received all of these books yet, I'm going to throw them in here anyway. These are all the books that I will eventually own thanks to trading!

Traded with #booksfortrade (but haven't arrived yet):
Pivot Point by Kasie West (thanks, Miranda @seguined!)
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout (thanks, Casey @littlered630!)
Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (thanks, Ryan @ryanbada)
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han (thanks, Jacklin @jacklinu)
Zodiac by Romina Russell (thanks, Jocelyn @novelsandnecklaces)
Every Day by David Levithan (thanks, Sandy @faeriexflash)
Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini (thanks, Maryssa @towesandpeeks)
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (thanks, Raquel @bsweetreads)
In Honor by Jessi Kirby (thanks, Raquel @bsweetreads)
Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland (thanks, Raquel @bsweetreads)

Have you participated in #booksfortrade? What's the best book/ARC you've gotten through trading so far?

By the way, happy 4th of July to all the Americans in the audience!

Waiting on Wednesday #2: The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that give us those book tingles!

So I'm going to do a little bit of a twist on this "Waiting On" Wednesday post. You see, I've been reading a lot of ARCs that won't be released until the fall. I've written the reviews, and I've queued them up for the month before the pub date. I did the drill.

But it makes me so sad to have to wait so long before I can share my feelings about these books with the world. So I've come up with a solution! I'm going to feature these books in my WoW posts (since technically I'm still waiting on them) and slip in a couple excerpts from my review to start building up the hype.

That means that this post is essentially going to be a pre-review gush session for The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong. I read the ARC last week and absolutely fell in love with the book. If I'm completely honest, I still have a book hangover. It's such a fantastic concept and it's so well-done.

Here's the synopsis:

Riley Vasquez is haunted by the brutal murder of the couple she was babysitting for.

Max Cross is suffering under the shadow of a life-altering diagnosis he doesn’t dare reveal.

The last thing either of them wants is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp alongside five other teens with “issues.” But that’s exactly where they are when three masked men burst in to take the group hostage.

The building has no windows. The exits are sealed shut. Their phones are gone. And their captors are on a killing spree.

Riley and Max know that if they can’t get out, they’ll be next—but they’re about to find out that even escape doesn’t equal freedom.

This book comes out October 13, 2015. Everyone should preorder this amazing novel. You won't regret it! Definitely at the top of the list of books I'm waiting on.

Some excerpts from my upcoming review:

"And the plot... wow. The Masked Truth was the perfect example of a hold-your-breath, grasp-your-chest, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller."

"It both started and ended with a bang--truly captivating, page by page."

"It was so amazing to read something so spot-on. Armstrong dealt with the mental illnesses in the novel in the most real and open way, starting such a serious discussion about such an important topic."

What books are you waiting on this Wednesday? Comment below!

"Top Ten" Tuesday: Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Each week, The Broke and Bookish host the Top Ten Tuesday discussion. They provide a bookish prompt and  other bloggers are welcome to share their "Top Ten" in the specific topic!

Today is a Tuesday, which means it's time for a Top Ten! Today's topic is "Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2015."

I've also thrown in some excerpts from my reviews of the books--this way you can get a taste of why they're in my top ten! In no particular order, here they are:


The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
"Boecker honestly captivates with her interpretation of 15th century politics. I loved the interaction between magic and politics. From the Thirteenth Tablet (which made magic illegal) to their young king (whose parents died of a plague started by magic), magic was deeply rooted in the entire story."


Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
"As always, Katie McGarry flawlessly constructs her characters. The people in her novels have as much depth as the Mariana Trench. Every character has so many layers; it's amazing. There are no simple stock characters in McGarry's books. They're all complex, as are their relationships."

Confess by Colleen Hoover
"Overall, this book was a fantastic story of healing and redemption. With traces of addiction, guilt, and family, Confess was one of the most moving books I've read all year. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone and everyone, with no reservations."

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
"I loved everything about this book. From the characters to the setting to the world Aveyard created to the fierce politics. I loved Mare. No matter her flaws, I was rooting for her. And I still am. The characters reached a new level of complexity."

Take Me On by Katie McGarry
"There is no spineless damsel in distress that the boy saves. It's never one-sided. The couples always save each other. There's always an amazing sense of balance."

All Played Out by Cora Carmack
"I think that one of the greatest things about the Rusk novels is that no couple is the same. Carson and Dallas, Silas and Dylan, Mateo and Nell: they're all different people with different dynamics. I love that. Each book is a new adventure, a new story."

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
"The plot, setting, and lore behind the events was exquisitely presented. The story was completely original and kept me at the edge of my seat. Very interesting."

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
"I'm not sure that I've ever read a book that had as much of an impact on me as All the Bright Places did. The writing was absolutely flawless. I felt the characters in my bones."

Alienated by Melissa Landers
"Alienated has everything you could ever think to ask for in an alien romance. It has a spunky, intelligent, compassionate, and independent heroine. It has a swoon worthy, coarse-but-then-sweet, cocky, and evolving love interest. It has an absolutely captivating conflict, in which the author combines politics, science fiction, and teen angst."

The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong
"It was so amazing to read something so spot-on. Armstrong dealt with the mental illnesses in the novel in the most real and open way, starting such a serious discussion about such an important topic."

And those are the top ten books I've read so far in 2015!

What are your top ten books you've read in 2015 so far?