2013 Rewind

It is almost 2014! Man, did this year go by fast! I was hoping to accomplish a lot on my blog this year. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As I have said multiple times this year, I failed. My life schedule was so different and more hectic than I am use to that I could not get time in to be a good book blogger.

My Goals for 2014 are to...

- Get up earlier ( to work out and to get reading in)
- Update My Blog More Often
- Not only to post consistantly but to schedule post WAY in advance
- Improve my Youtube Channel
- Work on my Fundraiser (this involves my company as well)
- Go to my Author Events
- Be a better blog reader (i.e read,comment and share other bloggers posts more)
- Read 115 Books.

As you can see I didn't make this years goal and I missed last years by ONE book (99 out of 100)! I felt 125 was a good goal since I read at a fast and consistent pace in 2012. Unfortunately, I got no where near my goal this year and I feel 115 for 2014 is still an achievement, even if I am not setting a higher goal than the previous one. 

58 is the total I read this year and I think you can see all but one or two in the links at the upper left corner. 

My Favorite Book This Year: TIE Princess Forever By Meg Cabot and Paper Towns By John Green

My Favorite 2013 Release : The Truth About You & Me By Amanda Grace

Book That Made Me Cry The Most: Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins

Book That Surprised Me: Nantucket Blue By Leila Howard

Book That Wasted My Time: FlyGirl By Syd Blue

Book That I Hated The Most: Mockingjay By Suzanne Collins

Book That Let Me Down: The Diviners By Libba Bray

Favorite Series: Bloodlines Series By Richelle Mead

Anyways. Thank you VERY much to  all those people who continue to still read my blog, who comment, subscribe and interact with me. It means SO much to me. Thank You and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As the Holiday's Approach and The Year Ends...

I think I have written a similar post a few times this year.. and every time I meant it. This year as been SO crazy busy for me, with my Mom and I's company launching, traveling a lot, family weddings, and starting my own new ventures...  with all of that my book blog has become neglected. I am sorry for that. Really I am.

I will post of few more reviews this month, but don't plan to be active much in December. This doesn't mean I am done blogging. In fact, I plan to start the new year better than ever. I have had a full year of crazy schedules, and I suspect my next few years will only get crazier... but I have begun to adapt and form a schedule... I have also turned to Youtube, as a source for becoming a better and more interactive book blogger. So thank you for being patient with me = )

Fairest of All : A Tale of the Wicked Queen

Summary:

"The tale of the young princess and her evil stepmother, the Wicked Queen, is widely known. Despite a few variations from telling to telling, the story remains the same--the Queen was jealous of the girl's beauty, and this jealousy culminated in the Queen's attempt on the sweet, naive girl's life. 
Another tale far less often spoken of is the one that explains what caused the Queen to become so contemptuously vile. Still, some have attempted to guess at the reason. Perhaps the Queen's true nature was that of a wicked hag and her beautiful, regal appearance a disguise used to fool the King. Others claim that the Queen might have hated the girl for her resemblance to the King's first wife. Mostly, the Queen is painted as a morally abhorrent woman who never loved another being during the course of her miserable life.
In fact, the theories about exactly what cause the Queen's obsessive vanity and jealous rage are too numerous to catalog. This book recounts a version of the story that has remained untold until now. It is a tragic tale of love and loss, and it contains a bit of magic. It is a tale of the Wicked Queen..."

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I's Recommend to My Husband

TB&TB

I choose my husband, because it is sort of a challenge. My husband isn't really a reader. Although EVERY year he finds a book he wants to read and convinces me to get it for him. I know he won't read it, but I still buy it for him, in the hopes that he will read! These are books, that I have read and if my husband were to magically become a reader .. I would recommend him to read and I think he would love!

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10.

Favorite Books in 2011

Favorite Reads In 2012

Favorite Reads In 2013

Favorites Read in 2013

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (#1)

Summary:

"A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob 16 to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs. The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive."

What a plot, what a plot...what a unique plot. 

That is all I can say.

The story obviously centers around several Characters. Jacob, his Grandfather Abe, Miss Peregrine and her Peculiar Children. Mainly, a girl names Emma. I like Jacob. I oddly like him, because their is nothing overly special about him. He knows his faults and where he can improve. However, he doesn't magical get strength for his short-comings or anything like that. Which I can respect. You don't see that enough in books. We learn about Abe more post-humously and there is still SO much more to learn about him. Miss Peregrine, is your typical matriarchal mysterious and stern headmistress and I love that about her. The peculiar children.. are just that peculiar and Emma's personality fits her talent perfecty.. a fiery temper that one. 

SO unique and a great unisex read.

Slower than I expected.

My feelings about this book are so very mixed. I liked it, but I want be dying to read Hollow City. More like something I will pick up if I see it on the shelves of my library. Now that isn't saying this book is bad, it isn't by any means. I just think this is one of those books, that had SO much hype, that I built up my own expectations of the book and it just didn't live up to what I imagined it would be. 

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London, #2)

Summary:

"When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…
There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…
But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery."

Starts off slow and is mainly a transitional book for the rest of the series. However, it has a great plot twist and I am very eager to see what book 3 has to offer!

Not a lot of character growth or crazy character involvement. 

While reading I was very intrigued, there is something about Maureen Johnson's writing that can do that, but there really wasn't A LOT going on. The book wasn't action packed and I was stumped with where the book was going to go. Which is when Maureen Johnson threw me for a loop! Now, I have no idea, where the book will be going. BUT I am very excited to find out! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels I Can't Wait To Read

Short Post.. I  only have these 3..

1. Isla and The Happily Ever After By Stephanie Perkins
2. The Fiery Heart By Richelle Mead
3. Nantucket Red by Leila Howland

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

Summary:

"“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before."

Man oh man! Maggie Stiefvater knows how to write a book! She does it in such a beautiful and lyrical way. The plot is very unique, with a bi twist I didn't even see coming.

I really love most of the characters, especially Stiefvater gives us different character POVS so we can really see who they are as person and how they developed to the characters we see now. They only character who really gets on my nerves is actual Adam and basically it is because he is the biggest "chip on the shoulder" character ever and it gets so UNBELIEVABLY annoying.

I think Raven Boys to date, is Stiefvater's best book yet! She mixes creepy and paranormal with Young Adult perfectly. Raven Boys really would make a marvelous Halloween read. I would most definitely recommend Raven Boys to friends, especially) since it is a gender nuetral read. It isn't just told from a male point of view or just a female point of view. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Unique Character Names I Love

AH! I LOVE this topic! I am OBSESSED with Names. I am always adding names to my list (for future babies) , that I think are beautiful and unusual and a few are even, from books!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I was "Forced" to Read

In middle school and high school I was not as big of a reader and it was mainly because most of the books I was reading, I was forced to read. Which once forced usually made me enjoy a book less, then I probably would have.. had I chosen it on my own.

Random Fact: I was in Honors English my sophomore year and then switched schools my Junior and Senior year, where we read the same books, I had read in Honors...So, some people thought I was uber smart. 

1. 1984  - Honestly, I HATE this book.

2.  Like Water For Chocolate - Summer reading...I skimmed through it.

3. Of Mice and Men - Aw, I actually liked this one

4. The Bell Jar - Yea...

5. The Kite Runner - I know it is an acclaimed book, but I heard it is really graphic, so I never actually fully read it.

6. To Kill a Mockingbird - I get it is a classic, but I am kind of over it.

7. The Crucible - What Bitches.

8. The Joy Luck Club - I enjoyed this book, more then I thought

9. Island of the Blue Dolphins - I have read this book several times throughout my years and man oh man mixed feelings for sure.

10. The Outsiders - This just makes me think "Throwback!" 

Is It Okay, Not To Buy A Book At A Book Tour?

Today, I was going to post my review of The Raven Boys By Maggie Stiefvater, I mean I only finished weeks ago and have been meaning to get this review done forever ago! I am also currently reading Maggie Stiefvater's Dream Thieves (#2 in the Raven Boys Series). So, it is kind of ironic that while on twitter this morning I saw her tweet a post where she answered a question, that a fan has asked...

Basically, is it okay to show up to an author event and not buy the book they are promoting, but to bring other books from that author?

I clicked on it, because I wanted know her opinions on the matter, as this is something I have done myself (although not often). Her answer surprised me a little though and not because it was bad or anything, but because it made me look at the whole situation differently. I mean I honestly, thought she would say... as I assumed all authors felt. "Of course not! We are just happy you are reading our books and supporting us!" I don't know why, I just felt that would be most authors feelings on the subject. Like I said, her answer made me see a different view and I probably won't go to Author Events and Book Tours unless I can buy the book they are promoting. What really bothered me though, was a paragraph she wrote about ARC's which is something I am guilty of, but I have only done it once.. and that author I did it too... was Maggie Stiefvater!

"And finally, a note on ARCs. I don’t mind signing advanced review copies — a lot of bloggers come through the line with them, and I know they are a cool thing to have. But I didn’t get paid for them to be printed. And the publisher didn’t get paid for them. An ARC is a $6-10 promotional tool that is a privilege all of us industry people enjoy. It’s not a book. And it makes me sad if you love the book enough to have me sign your ARC*, but not a real copy. I won’t ever show my Deep Sadness to you while you’re in the signing line, but trust me, I’ll be weeping AngstBuckets on the inside. And while it merely makes me DeeplySad, for debut authors or authors with one or two books out, loving an ARC but not buying it can be the difference between a publisher signing them for another book or not."

Yup, I am guilty of that! The thing is, I had JUST watched a youtube video where I talked about meeting Maggie Stiefvater and meeting her and how this moment was my first real engagement with an author and how special that moment was for me. (See Here) Now, I think of this moment, and it makes me really sad, to know I made her feel this way. The ARC I had given her was The Scorpio Races, which was REALLY REALLY special to me, because The Scorpio Races was my first Unsolicited "big time" ARC. I was SO SO SO excited when I got it, because for me it meant I had made it as a blogger. So, when I had the chance to meet Maggie and get it signed I was so stoked. Especially, when she noticed it was an ARC and said "oh you must be a blogger" and asked me how long I had been blogging for, what the name of my blog was and so forth. It made me feel REALLY REALLY good about myself and as blogger it was a milestone for me. Now, unfortunately that memory is tainted for me, I am actually crying as I write this (I am extra emotional right now, not trying to be a drama queen about it).

What I want to know is YOUR opinion on whether or not it is okay, and are you guilty of doing this too? Discussion time.. 

In My Mailbox (Number What?)

Gift

Beautiful Ruins By Jess Walter

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By Ransom Riggs

Bought

Halloween Night By Majoria Dennis Murray

Clifford's Halloween By Norman Bidwell

T.Rex Trick or Treats By Lois G. Grambell

NetGalley

Diamonds and Deceit By Leila Rasheed

Bird With The Heart of A Mountain By Barbara Mariconda

The Vigilante Poets Society of Selwyn Academy By Kate Hattemer

Georgetown Academy By Jessica Koosed Academy and Alyssa Embree Schwartz

Marie Antionette, Serial Killer By Katie Alender

Witchstruck By Victoria Lame