The Fault in Our Stars Trailer!

I'm pretty excited for this movie and I have now read the book twice! I didn't like the casting when I first saw the movie poster because Ansel Elgort seems to have a baby face in this picture and it's not how I pictured Augustus Waters. But now that I've seen the teaser I think he was a good choice. 

It really seems like they're staying true to the book and I even like how they're using the same font and colors as the book cover.  It looks like they're doing a really great job!
This video interview of John Green talking to Nat Wolff who plays Isaac is really cute and a chance to glimpse the personality of the guy who plays one of my favorite characters in The Fault in Our Stars!

Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Title: The Promise of Amazing
Author: Robin Constantine
Publisher: Balzar & Bray
Release Date: December 31, 2013
Source: ARC
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

My Thoughts: 

Wren works at her parents reception hall where she is a waitress during weddings and other big events.  During a wedding reception she saves a teenage boy from chocking on a pig in a blanket and cuteness follows throughout the of The Promise of Amazing.  

A lot of people are saying that they didn't like The Promise of Amazing because it has a bad case of insta-love. While I can see why there are a lot of harsh reviews with insta-love running rampant in YA right now, I'm willing to let this slide.  There are a few other things that bothered me about this book. 

So we have the usual story of the plain girl with the beautiful best friends but of course the hottest guy inexplicably wants her. His friends don't really want to be friends with him anymore because he's acting all different and doesn't really want to party like he used to.  They don't want him to get too serious with this girl because they know that she will make him a better person.  

Wren was kind of annoying and she doesn't listen when people tell her that Grayson is bad news.  Of course she looks the other way when he confesses his academic crimes that were worthy of expulsion.  Wren starts by forgiving the little things in the beginning which makes it easier for her to forgive the big things when the shit hits the fan.  And the whole thing about how she calls Grayson Gray right off the bat without him even telling her it was okay for her to call him that.  For some reason that really bothered me. I guess I know a lot of people who don't like nicknames.  

I consider Wren to be a very big person for being able to give Grayson a second chance after she finds out what he was really doing with this friends.  If I was in her position I don't think I could do it, but hey, she saved his life and apparently she loves him.

Overall, The Promise of Amazing was an okay contemporary read.  It kept my attention and I wanted to know how everything was going to play out.  I give The Promise of Amazing 3 starts for being enjoyable.

Waiting on Wednesday (104)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Hitting the Shelves: March 04, 2014

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Why I want this: That cover is so gorgeous. I just won an ARC and I have to say that it is one of the most beautiful books I've seen in a long time :) I will definitely be reading it soon! 

Waiting on Wednesday (103)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Fire & Flood
Author: Victoria Scott
Hitting the Shelves: February 25, 2014

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.
Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepard

Title: Her Dark Curiosity
Author: Megan Shepard
Series: The Madman's Daughter #2
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Source: ARC

To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

My thoughts:

Sequels are always ify for me and it never fails. No matter how much I loved the first book I’m always hesitant going into a sequel because I have been completely disappointed in the past. So I was very hesitant when I picked up Her Dark Curiosity the sequel to The Madman’s Daughter. I absolutely LOVED The Madman’s Daughter and I didn't want anything to taint a really great story.

I went into Her Dark Curiosity completely blind. I didn't read the synopsis and I really had no idea where this book was going to pick up after that crazy ending of The Madman’s Daughter. Her Dark Curiosity picks up about six months later and Juliet is back living in London and has become the ward of one of her father’s co-workers/friends. I thought it was very convenient that she is now living in wealth and she has her best friend’s company again which allows her excuses to steal away to a low rent apartment where she is working on reproducing her father’s serum and trying to make it better so it can cure her. The first part of the book was slow going, the only interesting parts were the string of murders of people who had wronged Juliet in the past.

Why is Juliet crazy though? WHY? What is this attraction she has to that beast boy who changes into this horrible animal who has a very strong blood lust? I’m thinking maybe it’s the animal parts in her speaking to the animal parts in him. It could be something. But she has enough of a rational mind to know that she shouldn't be having such feelings for a murderer! But then she remembers how he kissed her behind the waterfall on the island and she literally remembers that like 10 separate times!!!

Luckily Her Dark Curiosity gets better towards the end and it turns into quite the adventure. There are some very shocking moments and some revelations that are going to make the third book very interesting. I have a feeling there might be some kind of half human half weird beast animal baby happening. But we’ll see! I’m excited!

I'm giving this book a 3 and that's being very generous.

What Does the Bookworm Say? Love Traingles

Hey! Welcome to this week's What Does the Bookworm Say? You can also read more of this discussion at Nite Lit Book Reviews, The Windy Pages and The Reader's Antidote. 

This week's topic of discussion is love triangles. Love or hate?

Oh love triangles. Love triangles are very popular in YA literature. But why? Why does the main character, who has never really every had a boyfriend in her life, now has the choice between two of the hottest guys she has ever met? Usually they're just mostly annoying and make the main character seem whiny and stupid. They're always such a stickey situation and they can really make or break a book. 

Most love triangles don't bother me as long as the main character can keep a good head on her shoulders about it.  And honestly I've never read a book where I have been truly torn between two love interests.  I usually always root for one of the love interests no matter what.  It's not hard for me to decide which team I'm on. So let's talk about some of the most popular love triangles in YA liturature.  

1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Team Adam. I still haven't read Unravel Me yet so I have a feeling that might change but as I'm writing this I'm team Adam.  I remember Warner doing some pretty awful things in Shatter Me. 

2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: Team Darkling.  I'm so devoted to team Darkling that I can't even remember the other guys name. Again I havn't read Siege and Storm yet but I don't think that's going to change.

3. Twilight by Stepanie Meyer: Team Jacob. Even though I was super sad when Edward dumped Bella's annoying ass, my heart of hearts has always been with Jacob.  

4. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Team Peeta! That's all.

5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: Team Chaol.  I've loved Chaol from the very first pages he walked on the scene.  Even though I can appreciate why people might like Dorian over Chaol, I can't help but absolutely loving Captain Westfall! 

What do you guys think about love triangle? Love or hate? Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Way We Fall

Title: The Way We Fall
Author: Megan Crewe
Series: Fallen World #1
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Purchased E-book

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.


And then you're dead.

When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Poignant and dizzying, The Way We Fall is the heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit as she challenges not just her fears, but her sense of what makes life worth living.

My thoughts:

I bought The Way We Fall as an ebook at least over a year ago and it turned out to be one of those forgotten book that took me forever to finally read. I was nervous going into because I thought that it might me about zombies and I just don’t do zombie books very often. But I’m definitely glad that I gave it a chance.

The Way We Fall is definitely a different kind of book. It’s written in the form of journal entries/letters written to someone whom she used to be good friends with. Kaylen lives on a small island near Canada where her father is a medical research scientist. It all starts with one or two sick people who end up dying less than two weeks after their first symptoms. The disease spreads very quickly and the whole island becomes quarantined because people are just dying all over the place.

I really liked The Way We Fall! It was very interesting and I really wanted to know what was going to happen and how it was going to end. Most dystopia novels that I read are all about the aftermath of some catastrophic even some ten to one hundred years later. But in The Way We Fall we see the world as it is now and watch as it turns to ruins because this disease is destroying the population. It’s quite fascinating and I’m very interested to see what happens to the island and the rest of the world in the later books.

Bout of Books 9.0 Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up!

I didn't officially sign up for the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon and I just wanted to read as much as I can without feeling the pressure of HAVING to read a lot of books.  But it turns out that I did pretty well and I can't wait for the next read-a-thon. So here's what I read:

Monday:

I was already 130 pages into Her Dark Curiosity so I read from page 130-368.

I also started The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and read about 30 pages.

Monday Total: 268 pages

Tuesday:

I continued reading The Coldest Girl in Coldtown until page 284.

Tuesday Total: 254 pages

Wednesday:

Read the remaining 135 pages of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

Started Reading Maus Vol. 1 through 100 pages.

Wednesday Total: 235 pages

Thursday:

Read the remaining 60 pages of Maus Vol. 1

Started reading The Assassin's Curse until page 224

Thursday total: 284 pages

Friday:

Read the remaining 74 pages of The Assassin's Curse

Friday total: 74 pages

Saturday:

I read American Vampire Vol. 1

Saturday total: 200 pages

So in all I finished Her Dark Curiosity and completely read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Maus Vol.1, The Assassin's Curse and American Vampire Vol. 1. 

Total page count: 1315 pages

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Most Anticipated 2014 Debuts

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's top ten topic is the 10 most anticipated 2014 debut novels.  I read mostly YA so it wasn't very hard to find 10 debut YA novels that I'm eagerly anticipating. So in no particular order:

Title: The Murder Complex

Author: Lindsay Cummings

Hitting the Shelves: June 10. 2014

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn't know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Title: Stolen Songbird

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Hitting the Shelves: April 01, 2014

For those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling comes another truly fabulous fantasy...

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

Title: Prisoner of Night & Fog

Author: Anna Blankman

Hitting the Shelves: April 22, 2014

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.
And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

Title: Side Effect May Vary

Author: Julie Murphy

Hitting the Shelves: March 18, 2014

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Title: Dear Killer

Author: Katherine Ewell

Hitting the Shelves: April 01, 2014

Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Title: Sekret

Author: Lindsay Smith

Hitting the Shelves: April 01, 2014

Yulia’s father always taught her that an empty mind is a safe mind. She has to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive in Communist Russia, especially because she seems to be able to read the minds of the people she touches. When she’s captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she’s thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power where she can trust no one.

She certainly can’t trust Rostov, the cruel KGB operative running the psychic program. Or handsome Sergei who encourages her to cooperate with the KGB. Or brooding Valentin who tells her to rebel against them. And not the CIA, who have a psychic so powerful he can erase a person’s mind with his own thoughts. Yulia quickly learns she must rely on her own wits and power to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.

Title: Red Rising

Author: Pierce Brown

Hitting the Shelves: January 28, 2014

Darrow is a miner and a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he digs all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of the planet livable for future generations. Darrow has never seen the sky.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better future for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow joins a resistance group in order to infiltrate the ruling class and destroy society from within. He will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Hitting the Shelves: April 01, 2014

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?

Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

Title: A Death-Struck Year

Author: Makiia Lucier

Hitting the Shelves: March 04, 2014

For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?

Title: Love Letters to the Dead

Author: Ava Dellaira

Hitting the Shelves: April 01, 2014

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

I'm so excited for all these books! Some I have ARCs of and others I already have on hold at the library so I don't have to be on a long waiting list! 2014 is going to be a good year!  

Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 04, 2014
Source: ARC

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.
In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

My thoughts: 

It’s probably coming as no surprise that I’m just going to rave about Cress! Marissa Meyer and her Lunar Chronicles are very popular here in the blogging community and on Goodreads. Not only is she one fantastic writer but she is also so very nice in person! She has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

I don’t know how it’s possible but I continually like the next book in the series more than the one before it. And since I thought that Cinder was an amazing re-telling of Cinderella and I gave it five stars, all the rest of the series has subsequently received 5 stars as well because they are epically amazing! I’m not going to go into a lot of details about Cress because I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

1. Characters: So good! Cress continues both Cinder and Scarlet’s story lines and manages to weave Cress into it! I also love Cress and her little romance that she’s got going on with someone I shall not name (even though it’s pretty obvious) and it’s totally the typical damsel in distress theme and it totally works! Cress totally reminds me of Rapunzel from Tangled just a little smarter and a little more naive.

2. Plot: It’s so intriguing! Cress has the story line that continues from Scarlet and now suddenly they run into Cress who is prisoner in a space satellite! The story just flows so seamlessly with the separate storylines, all the characters and a lot of action!

3. Romance: I’m a big fan of the romance in the Lunar Chronicles. No love triangles, no one fighting over each other and no insta-love. These characters get to know each other and find out the goods and the bads before they decide they’re head over heels in love.

So if you love this series so far then you’ll love Cress! It’s almost out! Just be a little more patient and then when it’s released, read it as soon as you can!

Waiting on Wednesday (102)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Love Letters to the Dead
Author: Ava Dellaira
Hitting the Shelves: April 01, 2014

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

So excited for this one and that cover is amazing! I love the typography for the title!

My December Book Haul!

Hey there! Welcome to this week's Stacking the Shelves! This awesome meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and we get to show each other the books we acquired this week whether bought, from the library or for review!

I got a few pretty awesome books this past month! Some that I just wanted so I purchased right there and some for Christmas!

Purchased:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Champion by Marie Lu

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh

Gifts from Christmas:

Locke & Key Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill

Fractured by Teri Terry

Where'd You go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Yay! So many good books so little time! 

What Does the Bookworm Say?: Reading Resolutions

Hey! And welcome to the very first edition of “What Does the Bookworm Say?” I've been blogging just over four year and I've really wanted to start up some kind of recurring discussion posts because there are so many great bookish things to talk about! So I enlisted the help of my blogger friends and this is what we have come up with. A twice monthly discussion post on Saturdays where we each talk about the same subject but it’s going to be awesome because I bet we will all say something a little different. So go check them out! Thuy @ Nite Lite Book Reviews, Kimberly @ The Windy Pages and Nicole @ The Reader's Antidote.

This week’s topic is: Reading Resolutions-yay or nay? If yay, what are your reading resolutions/goal?

When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions in my personal life I usually don’t make them. I figure that if I’m going to change something in my life I’m going to do it immediately instead of waiting until the new year. I’ll make little resolutions here and there such as: keep my room cleaner or check my email daily which I should probably try to do both of those more this year. But that’s about it.

When it comes to reading resolutions and signing up for reading challenges I am all about it! I love starting the year off fresh with new reading goals and a huge amount of motivation. I love giving myself reading challenges for the new year because it feels like I’m working towards what CAN be a satisfying accomplishment.

Because I have horribly failed multiple reading challenges in the past, I choose my reading challenges wisely. I choose ones that allow me a certain amount of freedom and I usually only go for the first level which is like 7 books per challenge. These challenges allow me to still read what I want while still satisfying the requirements. So here are my 2014 reading challenges/resolutions!

1. Personal Goal: 100 books

2. 2014 Full House reading challenge hosted by The Book Date

3. 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge hosted by The Blog of Erised

4. 2014 End of the Series Reading Challenge hosted by The Reader’s Antidote

5. 214 And So it Begins Reading Challenge hosted by The Reader’s Antidote

6. 2014 Graphic Novel Challenge hosted HERE.

Oh I’m so excited for all of these and I can’t wait to see how well I do this year! Now that I’m thinking about it I should have signed up for some sort of graphic novel reading challenge. So what do you guy think about reading challenges/resolutions? Yay or nay? Let me know in the comments!!

2014 Reading Challenges!

I feel like 2014 is going to be a really good year in reading, books and blogging! I have finally decided which reading challenges I'm going to participate in this year and I can't wait to get started on them!

As always I am challenging myself to read 100 books in 2014!

2014 Reading Challenge

Crystal (Elegantly Bound Books) has read 0 books toward her goal of 100 books.

hide

0 of 100 (0%)

view books

2014 Full House Reading Challenge

The Book Date is hosting the 2014 Full House Reading Challenge which sounds so fun and includes a variety of books! This is really going to force me to read a lot of genres that I don't read too often.

2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge

The Blog of Erised is hosting the 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge!

Because it's my first year participating in this challenge I'm only going for level 1: Recruit which is 1-6 books. I'm hoping to read about 6 dystopia books this year! 

2014 End of the Series Reading Challenge

My good friend Nicole @ The Reader's Antidote is, again, hosting two of her challenges from last year! The first one is the End of the Series Reading Challenge! For this challenge I have to read at least 7 books that are the last book in a series or trilogy. I'm excited for this one because I definitely have some series/trilogies that I need to finish already! 

2014 And So it Begins Reading Challenge

Nicole is also hosting the And So it Begins Reading Challenge in which I have to read at least 7 books that start a new series or trilogy and the book can be published any year as long as it's read in the year 2014. This will give me a chance to get involved in some really awesome series that I haven't had a chance to pick up yet. 

My reading in 2013 was absolutely abysmal and I failed in every single challenge that I gave myself.  I didn't even read my normal 100 books! I'm hoping to make up for it this year and I'm excited to see what the year has in store. It's gonna be a great year for reading!