A Look Back At June

Kindly Taken From Jamie @ The Perpetual Pageturner

Image From June

June In One Word

 HOT!

5 Things That Happened In June:

1. Celebrated My/Our 1 Year Anniversary (of marriage)
2. Attended My SIL's 2nd Bridal Shower. She had a Northern California one and A Southern California One.
3. Went to a Richelle Mead Book Signing!
4. Went To A Leigh Bardugo Signing, which also had LOTS of other great writers (post to come)
5. At that signing I met ANOTHER book blogger! Gillian Berry from Writer of Wrongs! YAY!

6 Songs That Were Most Popular On My Ipod This Month:

1. Feel So Close (Radio Edit) By Calvin Harris

2. Bottoms Up By KeKe Palmer

3. Pom Poms By Jonas Brothers

4. We Can't Stop By Miley Cyrus --- I tried to avoid listening to this song

5. My Songs Know What You Did  By Fall Out Boy

6. Boys Round Here By Blake Shelton and Pistol Annies

Top 2 Books I Read This Month:

1. Forever Princess (#10) by Meg Cabot
2. The Indigo Spell (#3) By Richelle Mead

Most Popular Review This Month

Most Popular 5 Blog Posts Overall This Month

1. A Book Lovers Dream Giveaway
2. The GREAT, Great Gatsby Post
3. Top Ten Tuesday: Best of 2013 (So far)
4. Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Travel
5. Review: Gameboard of the Gods

3 New Obsessions In June

1. Hart of Dixie 

2. DailyGrace Youtube Channel

3. Origami Owl

2 Things I’m Looking Forward To In July

1. 4th of July! 

2. Hopefully Company Launch?

Getting To Know You, Saturdays! - 10 Random Things

Every Saturday I plan on doing a personal VLOG video where you get to know about ME!

As a person and NOT just a blogger. I hope you enjoy! (and Yes, I suck at using Photoshop... I know)

If You Have Any Questions or Suggestions...

Comment Below or Go Here

Another Reminder ONE Day Left To Enter The Book Lover's Dream Giveaway!!!

If You Want To Win Lots of Books, Book Related Items and an AttachaPack... Click Here!

Forever Princess (Princess Diaries #10)

Summary:

"It's Mia's senior year, and things seem great. She aced her senior project, got accepted to her dream college(s), and has her birthday gala coming up . . . not to mention prom, graduation, and Genovia's first-ever elections.
What's not to love about her life? Well . . .Her senior project? It's a romance novel she secretly wrote, and no one wants to publish it.Prince Phillipe's campaign in the Genovian elections isn't going well, thanks to her totally loathsome cousin Rene, who decided to run against him.Her boyfriend, J.P., is so sweet and seemingly perfect. But is he the one? And her first love, Michael, is back from Japan . . . and back in her life.
With Genovia's and her own future hanging in the balance, Mia's got some decisions to make: Which college? Which guy? How can she choose? Especially when what she decides might determine not just the next four years, but . . . forever!"

As some of you may know, I have had a love/hate relationship with this series. Mainly, because of my attachment to the movies and struggling to like the books because they were pretty different. As I have read the series though, I have grown to really love it and Forever Princess sealed that fate for me, made me a diehard fan, made me want to buy the box set ASAP! (I have yet to do that, but will soon I am sure) So, of course my undying love for this series, would occur at the final book of the series! I am HOPING that maybe Meg Cabot will make a spin off to the series. That she will follow Mia into her adulthood of Princessdom, because honestly I am not ready to let go right now and I didn't see that coming. Really, I didn't. It could be cause Michael came back and all that tension! Seeing Mia older and someone I can relate to more. Mentally and Age-wise. It's a combo of those but PLEASE Meg Cabot write more!!!

A fair amount happens in the book and I was taken aback , but the almost 2 years we skipped ahead. Since, the  other books usually only have a few weeks difference between them or a summer. So, there were times I had to remind myself of the gap, which kind of took me out of the story for a minute. This also may be, because I read Princess Mia right before jumping into Forever Princess, so I personally didn't have that gap to separate me, as many other reads did. My only gripe with the book is that is was written in present time... (2009) ((Although, I swear it was published in like 2012)) And The Princess Diaries (Book 1) was written in 2000. There is a nine year difference, which is being represented in the book as a 4 year difference and the jump to me was pretty obvious.

I want to say more, but in fear of spoiling anything, I will leave it at that. Like I said, I am obsessed and does ANYONE else want Cabot to write a spin-off?



3 Days Left To Enter!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best of my 2013 Reads (So Far)

1.

 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

 7.

8.

9.

10.

The Book Lover's Dream Giveaway!

HERE

Princess Mia ( Princess Diaries #9)

Summary:

"A princess on her own . . .
Mia has been invited to speak at a gala for Domina Rei, an elite society of powerful businesswomen. But what could she possibly have to say? Now that Michael has broken things off, Mia can barely get out of bed, and her parents are making her see a "therapist." School, where Lilly still refuses to speak to her and Lana suddenly wants to be bff, is a total nightmare. Even J.P.'s efforts to cheer Mia up (he's being really sweet ) aren't helping. What's a royal to do?
Just when things couldn't get worse, Mia uncovers an old family secret, a long-forgotten diary of a teenage princess of Genovia. It could be just the thing to help Mia write her speech--but it might also change the fate of the Renaldos forever."

This series as really grown on me and Princess Mia only made me love it more. I felt Mia's pain and loved watching her blossom and come into her own. To see JP's, Tina's and Boris support was so sweet  and I loved the addition of Lana to the group. Normally, I wouldn't like this but Cabot did it in a way that flowed nicely with the story line and Mia's transformation. As usual Lily drives me crazy and I did not miss her one bit. As always there are always hilarious hi-jinxes and moments of suspension which made me throughly devour this book. My only slight complaint is that even though I did like the Princess Amelie aspect of the book, I felt Mia's decision regarding it was actually very naive and immature, even though it isn't portrayed that way. I also, noticed that this book starts to get a little more modern and there were small instances that didn't really flow with when the book was originally written in the early 2000's. In conclusion, I am so stoked for Forever Princess, but wish it wasn't the last book, i feel there is SO much more!



Do Not Forget to Enter This GIVEAWAY!

D

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

Summary:

"For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.
Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever."

Plot: Okay, I obviously see the Twilight similarities. Not just cause of the wolves, but because of the "insta-love" that Shiver has. It kind of takes you aback and is a little overwhelming, but the sensible parts of your brain should get over it. I liked that these aren't your average werewolves, and I want to learn more. There were some parts of the plot line that seemed off to me and I wouldn't say this is STRONG writing, however Stiefvater has a way with her writing that is genuinely beautiful. It always reminds me of a whispered song.

Characters: There are really only two main Characters Sam and Grace, everyone else might as well be the scenery. I liked both Sam and Grace and we get a pretty general understanding of who they are as people in Shiver, but I hope we learn more about them in the next 2 books. Same with the rest of the characters that were introduced. I am dying to know more about both Grace and Sam's parents.

Pros: Beautiful Writing Style and intriguing plot lines.

Cons: Felt Rushed and at times jumpy.

Final Thoughts:  I was definitely drawn into Shiver and I can see why the serious was very popular , but I want to see progression and growth in the series. Not just with the characters but in the writing as well.



If You Haven't Already....

HERE

Top Ten Tuesday: On My Summer TBR List

Hosted By The Broke and Bookish

1.

2.

3.

 4.

5.

6.

7.

 8.

9.

10.

Check Out The Book Lover's Dream GIVEAWAY!

A Book Lovers Dream Giveaway!!!

Hello!
As some of you know, My Mom and I have a company called AttachaPack. In the next month we will be getting ready to Launch and to kick that off, we have combined my love for reading and our backpacks, for one heck of a giveaway!

The BOOKS!

- 13 Little Blue Envelopes By Maureen Johnson
- Heist Society By Ally Carter
- Holes By Louis Sachar
- Meant To Be By Lauren Morrill
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By Ransom Riggs
- Nantucket Blue By Leila Howland
- Paper Towns By John Green
- Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan
- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
- The Alchemyst : The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel By Michael Scott
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Vampire Academy By Richelle Mead

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3)

Summary:

"In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next."

Plot: Oh, how the plot thickens! Mead lays the romance, mystery and action on thick in The Indigo Spell. I really could feel Sydney's struggle in this book, between being who she was raised to be and the loyalty she feels she needs to uphold and between being herself and how she personally feels. I also, love that Mead didn't make this predictable for me. Minor things were predictable but all the major plot lines, I didn't see coming! As usual for Richelle Mead, well done.

Characters: Normally Mead, writes her books around all characters but Indigo Spell was really based on Sydney and Adrian. With Marcus and the teacher coming in a close second. There isn't a lot of Jill or Eddie in this book. The growth both Sydney and Adrian made as characters was amazing and will give readers a huge sigh of relief!

Final Thoughts:  Oh La La! I didn't want to put the book down, I badly wanted to know what was going on, mainly with Sydney and Adrian but even with Marcus Finch. I am dying to know more! I enjoyed getting to see some of my favorites for the VA series in this book as well. Just to give a little glimpse into how they are doing. Overall, Indigo Spell is by far my favorite of the Bloodlines Series, so far.

Meeting Richelle Mead

Last Wednesday, I was pretty stoked for the opportunity to meet Richelle Mead. I LOVE her books, I was almost done reading Gameboard of the Gods and she wasn't doing many appearances. The signing was at the Barnes and Noble in Santa Monica. It was a wrist banded event, so it was quite full and I sat towards the back, but that is okay.

A cool little surprise is Margaret Stohl was at the event and even introduced Richelle, she stayed for the whole thing and even most of the signing. I saw a couple people go up and talk to her and take pictures with her and she seemed to be a super nice and relaxed person. I did not go up to her, but maybe that is just because I am kind of weird and feel like I am bothering them. 

Richelle started talking about Gameboard of the Gods and how the book had been in the works for 10 years and was almost her ideal world. She talked about how she thought it was in interesting concept about a world where religion was banned, but where people in general are spiritual and how would they handle not having religion.  She told how Justin March was based on a colleague in college who basically they would always lose on nights out and who all the girls in other departments hated because of his womanizing ways.

After that they moved on to talking about Vampire Academy and the development of the movie. Which wasn't anything too different then want we already know about it. Besides that Richelle did say she has fangirled over some of the movie scenes, that she has seen.

Through meeting her and listening to her, I learned that she is a very quite and reserved person with a dry sense of humor. She is really sweet and we didn't talk much but she did say she respected book bloggers/reviews and they fact that they have to be honest about their opinions. Although, I assured her I hadn't wrote a negative review of her books (I don't think I have at least!)  She signed 3 of my books and then my Vampire Academy box set. With that being said I had a great time and met quite a few other FanGirls at the signing. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads

Hosted By The Broke and The Bookish

1.

Everything about this book says beach read, mainly because it is set in Nantucket during summer.

2.

Lay out on the sand and listen to the waves as this memoir takes you through a roller coaster of emotions

3.

Wasn't a huge fan of this book, however it does have all the makings of a great beach read!

4.

Summer in the Hamptons... CHECK!

5.

Chick Lit Made for the beach

6.

If you are looking for a little darker beach read, than flesh eating horses of the sea, is right up your alley

7.

Going back to the olden days, in modern time.

8.

Sunny, Fun, LA

9.

Relax and Enjoy

10.

Well, any Nicholas Sparks book will do right?