November 2014 Wrap-Up

Is anyone else freaking out about how quickly November has flown by?? I can’t believe Christmas is within sneezing distance, and naturally, I have absolutely nothing sorted out yet and the panic is beginning to set in!

November started out really well – I signed up for Blog Ahead, and I managed to fly through posts the first week, but the second week was more of a struggle. Unfortunately, life decided to become a little manic, and I didn’t have any free time to blog for nearly a week and a half. These things happen, but I do feel terribly guilty not replying to comments and visiting back. I managed to finish off Blog Ahead with two weeks of posts scheduled in advance. I was hoping for three, but with the unforeseen stuff that happened, I’m happy!

And on Les Books front...

This happened:

As of writing this, I’m four books behind schedule with my Goodreads challenge. I really wanted to beat my score from last year, but it’s looking a little shaky at the minute. And yep, the panicking is setting in again!

Sadly, I didn’t have much reading time this month. Some days I was just too tired to read more than a chapter or two before bed. Add in reading Heir of Fire and I was so apprehensive to start a new book! I can’t move away from the Throne of Glass world, and I’m stuck thinking of those books continually. I ended up rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and I loved it even more this time around. I really hope I can continue on with the next couple in the series over Christmas. I’m so hesitant to plan anything for December… we all know how crazy that month can be!

I just finished up rereading Pride & Prejudice yesterday (well, technically at 2am. Haha, you try stopping reading that book when Lizzie and Darcy are about to get their happily ever after… so not going to happen!!) I’m so glad I got my P&P reread in this year!

December

I don’t think I’ll be posting as often in December, and honestly, over the past week I was considering taking the entire month off, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away from blogging for that long! Christmas/New Year week I doubt I’ll be posting anything, and will probably take the week off. We all know unexpected things crop up when Christmas is on the horizon, and I hope to take things a little easier so I can enjoy Christmas without worrying too much about what’s happening on the blog.

Most Popular Posts on the blog in November

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

My decision to DNF: A Few Little Changes

Ten Books on my Winter TBR

Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I really hope everyone reading this from the States had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Have a great week, and happy reading!

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I’ve been nominated by Tracy @ Cornerfolds for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award! Thanks so much, Tracy, and I love all your questions, and if you haven’t visited her blog before, go, go, GO! You won’t regret it, I promise :)

The Rules

• Thank the blogger that nominated you, and link back to their site.
• Post the award’s logo onto your blog.
• Answer the 10 questions you’ve been asked.
• Nominate 10 other bloggers and ask them 10 questions.

What is one book you won't ever admit to liking?

Erm, well, this is a little awkward. I can’t think of any book I’m ashamed of liking! I wear my heart on my sleeve too much, and it's pretty obvious when I like or dislike something... And yeah, this can cause all kinds of awkwardness!

Who is your top book boyfriend?

*Panics* Just one?! Oh gosh, this is HARD! Ok, I can do this. It should be easy right? Just name a character. Any character. Umm… Right now, I’m slightly (Ok, extremely) obsessed with Morpheus from the Splintered trilogy, so I’d probably choose him.

But… there is Peeta. How could we forget Peeta?! And Dex. Oooh and Chaol! And Mr. Darcy… And Perry and Roar! (Yeah… Maybe I require a male version of a harem (a he-rem??) for book boyfriends?)

What is your most treasured book?

I don’t have one particular book that means more to me than the others… so I guess it’s all of them!

What is one movie that you think was better than the book?

Ahh, I knew there would be an embarrassing confession coming in this post! Ok… here it is: I don’t watch many movies. There. I admitted it. I don’t have the patience to sit still for two or three hours. Hell, I can’t even read for more than an hour without getting antsy!

Have you ever written a super embarrassing fanfic?

Hand on heart, I can honestly say, nope! I've never written a fanfic. That I'll admit to anyway... *mwahaha*

Do you prefer character- or plot-driven books?

Definitely character driven. It goes without saying that I crave a nice balance of both, but if the characters capture my full attention and I end up really connecting with them, they can definitely help smooth over any plot issues I have.

What is your favorite social media outlet for blogging?

Would Goodreads count? If it does, then yes, Goodreads! Other than that, I kinda suck at social media... I have twitter, but I don’t use it as much as I should do. It just doesn’t come naturally to me!

Does your family read your blog?

No clue! Most of them know about it, but I have no idea if they actually read it. So, erm... If you ARE family and are reading this… Welcome, welcome… but you are making me self-conscious… but yeah, hello!

How many books have you reviewed this year?

Now you’ve put me on the spot!

*Runs off to count*

I’ve posted 68 reviews on the blog so far this year. Wow, that's a lot more than I realised!

What is the best giveaway you've won as a blogger?

The only giveaways I’ve won since blogging are from Goodreads, and I think I’ve won four over the past year or two? The best was a signed hardback of The Bell Between Worlds by Ian Johnstone. I don't have many hardbacks, and a signed one is extra special!

My Questions

1) If money was no option, where would you travel to, and why?

2) Physical or eBooks? And why?

3) Your favourite bookish couple of all time is…?

4) And your favourite character of all time?

5) If you could ask one author to continue writing a series that’s already ended, who (and what series) would you choose?

6) Do you play a musical instrument? (And if not, do you wish you had learned to play?)

7) What is the last book you read that gave you all the feels??

8) Upcoming 2015 book you can’t wait to read?

9) Tea or Coffee? Pick one. The catch? It’s the only thing you can drink for the rest of your life…

10) Describe yourself in five words.

My Nominees

Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm

Cait @ Notebook Sisters (Soon to be Paper Fury)

Eileen @ BookCatPin

Val @ The Innocent Smiley

Sharon @ Sharon’s Book Nook

Rachel @ Confessions of a Book Geek

Kirsty-Marie @ Studio Reads

Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense

Angela @ Angela’s Anxious Life

Chrissi @ Chrissi Reads

And YOU! If you haven’t done this tag and would like to, consider yourself tagged!

WoW #36: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Expected publication: February 24th 2015

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From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic.

Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands.

There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped.

A personal ambassador who is really a smuggler? Parallel dimensions? Multiple Londons? Lots of magic? Said smuggler was out swindled?? Yep, I’m sold! I love the concept, and I kinda need to know what happened to Black London! Plus, I love the cover, so that’s always a nice bonus! My only little reservation is it seems like there could be lots going on all at once… *fingers crossed* it doesn’t become an issue.

What do you think of A Darker Shade of Magic? What books are you waiting on this week?

Ten Books on my Winter 2014 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish.

For my Winter TBR I’ve chosen books that are already on my bookshelves that I haven’t read. I NEED to get through some of these! I’m thinking of cutting out all ARC’s for the near future and sticking to books I already own. We’ll see how long that little resolution lasts, but I can try and stay away from the temptation!

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine

I think I was supposed to read The Assassin’s Blade before reading the main three Throne of Glass books. Oh well! I loved Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire, and I’m keeping The Assassin’s Blade to tide me over until book 4 is released! The novellas will probably rip my heart out, but I’ll endure it for this epic series!

I’m going to read The Raven Boys pretty soon – I’m thinking of starting it this weekend. I have a sort-of-but-not-set-in-stone plan to read a few more Harry Potter books over Christmas. Of course, now that I’ve said this, I’ll probably do the exact opposite! I reread Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone last week, and I loved it even more the second time around, and I do think this is the perfect time to continue on with the next book.

The Dead Girls’ Dance I’m really looking forward to, and I totally blame the Morganville web series! Ever since I watched them, I’ve been thinking of continuing on with books two and three. I loved Amy and Rogers Epic Detour and I really hope I love Since You’ve Been Gone just as much.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Gone by Michael Grant
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

I’ve owned Gone for nearly two years… and I haven’t read it yet. Yeah, I definitely think it’s time I read it! I’ve had Anna Dressed in Blood for quite a while now, and I was planning on reading it over Halloween, but that didn’t happen. The other three – I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You, Unspoken and Dangerous Girls – are pretty recent additions to my shelves, and I’m really looking forward to trying them.

What books are you planning on reading this Winter?

Leave a link to your TTT post if you have one, and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Reading!

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: Anna and the French Kiss, #1
Format: Hardback, owned
My rating: 3.5 / 5
Setting: Paris, France
Pages: 372

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Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

-- As seen on Goodreads

Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Title: Boundless
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly, #3
Format: Paperback, owned
My rating: 4.5 / 5
Pages: 434

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The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

-- As seen on Goodreads

WoW #35 - Dove Arising by Karen Bao

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Dove Arising by Karen Bao

Expected publication: February 24th 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction

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Phaet Theta has lived her whole life in a colony on the Moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar.

Then her mother is arrested.

The only way to save her younger siblings from the degrading Shelter is by enlisting in the Militia, the faceless army that polices the Lunar bases and protects them from attacks by desperate Earth-dwellers. Training is brutal, but it’s where Phaet forms an uneasy but meaningful alliance with the preternaturally accomplished Wes, a fellow outsider.

Rank high, save her siblings, free her mom: that’s the plan. Until Phaet’s logically ordered world begins to crumble...

Suspenseful, intelligent, and hauntingly prescient, Dove Arising stands on the shoulders of our greatest tales of the future to tell a story that is all too relevant today.

I’m so excited about this book! First off, I really like the cover. It’s a little plain the first time I looked at it, but the more I see it, the more it’s growing on me. And the blurb! I love YA Sci-fi, and this sounds so good! For some weird reason, it kind of reminds me Under the Never Sky… only set on the moon. I think it’s the greenhouse and a colony thing. And it looks like there are multiple bases as well. That trilogy is one of my favourite YA trilogies, so I have pretty high hopes this will be amazing!

What do you think? What books are you waiting on this week?

Top 10 Sequels I Can't Wait To Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish.

Sequels, sequels, sequels! It feels like they’re everywhere, with new trilogies and series popping up left and right! I feel like for every series I complete, I start at least another 10! I will admit that I’m hopelessly addicted to series. I love getting to know the same characters of the course of several books.

All of these books are To-Be Released Sequels, and half the books don’t have covers yet, so it’s going to look a bit sparse! I’ve split the list into books with covers Vs books without covers, just to make it look a bit prettier! They're in no order, and all links are to Goodreads.

Throne of Glass #4, #5 and #6 by Sarah J. Maas

Winter by Marissa Meyer

End of Days by Susan Ee (AKA, Angelfall, #3)

Endgame by C.J. Daugherty

There really is only one thing to be said about these six books:

On a slightly depressing note, four out of these six books will end some of my favourite series of all time! I know they’ll have to end eventually, but it’s still incredibly difficult to accept!!

Ensnared by A.G. Howard // Reap the Wind by Karen Chance
Twist by Karen Akins // Oblivion by Kelly Creagh
Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

Thank goodness Ensnared is set to be released in January. I NEED more Morpheus in my life! (*But... glares suspiciously at Jeb on the cover*) I’m really hoping the new year will be set up on the right foot with this book. Right now, Ensnared is my most anticipated release of 2015 - I cannot WAIT!

Reap the Wind was supposed to be released right now, but alas, it didn’t happen. It’s been pushed back to release dates unknown. I can be patient… sorta. As long as this book has plenty of Pritkin and Cassie in it, it’ll be worth it!

Twist is book two in the Loop series, and I’m so thankful there isn’t a year or more wait time until it’s released! Oblivion is the third, and as far as I know, the final book in the Nevermore series and this is reminding me that I need to hurry up and get Enshadowed! I loved Nevermore so much, but when I saw Oblivion being pushed back, I thought there wasn’t any rush to read book two yet. At least that’s only one book! With Shadow Study, I need to read an entire trilogy before I tackle it! It’s book 4 in the Study series, and continuing on Yelena and Valek’s story, but it looks like the Glass trilogy takes place in between.

So, there we have it, some of the sequels I’m pining away for and will most likely rip my heart out when I read them!

What sequels made it onto your list? If you have a TTT post, leave a link so I can stop by, if you like!

Review: Upside Down by Lia Riley

Title: Upside Down
Author: Lia Riley
Series: Off the Map, #1
Format: eARC, kindly provided by
publishers via Netgalley.
My rating: 3 / 5

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If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying goodbye to painful memories—and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she’ll pretend to be a carefree exchange student. Everything is going to plan until she meets a surly surfer with hypnotic green eyes, and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he slunk back to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He’s never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. A single semester abroad won’t cover something this serious. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once-in-a-lifetime . . . or if there’s a plane to California with her name on it.

-- As seen on Goodreads

Sunday Post #14 - Nov 1-14

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap what has happened on the blog, what is upcoming and anything everything in between.

Nov 1 - 14 Re-Cap

Can you believe we’re half-way through November!? This year has flown by! I hope everyone had a fantastic week! Don’t you just love it when loads of little things crop up to distract you from your plans? And then these seemingly little tasks end up taking hours instead of minutes… Le sigh! Yep, always the way isn’t it! This month I was focused on Blog Ahead, and I made great progress the first week, but this week didn’t really go as planned… I didn’t get nearly as much time as I was expecting to write blog posts. It happens, but my goodness it can be so frustrating! Then, to add to my wonderfully un-productive week, we’ve had a storm system hovering over us for the past couple of days and the internet decided to go on the blink! It’s only at times like these do you realise how dependent (and addicted!) you are on it!

On the Blog Recently

Blog Ahead 2014 Updates: Week One and Week Two
Teaser Tuesday: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Review: Eternal and Unbreakable by C.C. Hunter
Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Top 10 Books I Want to Reread
A Few Little Changes

Books I Read

I’ve read a few books that I absolutely loved recently! One of my favourites was Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. I was told after I had finished Throne of Glass that CoM would be even better - and yes, it really IS so much better! I’ve continued on with Heir of Fire already, and even though it’s a much slower paced book, I’m really enjoying it so far. Unhinged is still haunting me though. I love finding books that stay with me long after I’ve finished reading, and I've become a little obsessed with the Splintered trilogy! January can't come quick enjough - I NEED Ensnared!!

I completed the Unearthly trilogy this month, and it’s always a bittersweet moment when a series or trilogy ends. I really enjoyed Boundless, and while I had one or two little issues, I thought it was a great ending to the series. Over Halloween I read a couple of contemporary books (yeah… I don’t know how my moods work either!) I liked Anna and the French Kiss… but it didn’t blow me away as much as I was expecting. I think I went in with WAY to high expectations. I’ll continue with the next two books, but I'll keep any and all thoughts about them in check this time!

eBooks I Bought

Esker by S.T. Bende

Only one book this week, and after all the books I bought last month I need a week or two with a smaller haul! I am little obsessed with Norse Mythology… so this should be perfect! I’d love to read it straight away, but realistically it’ll be a while until I get around to it. That’s the trouble with ebooks… I tend to overlook them in favour of the physical books I have stacked around the house!

Posts I loved

Parajunkee shares some Great Sites for Free Stock Photography

Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense shares her thoughts on Emotional Reading

Ashley @ Nose Graze reminds us that We Blog For Ourselves

Kristen @ My Friends Are Fiction asks If a book makes you ugly cry do you rate it higher?

Soundtrack for the Week

Hypnone – Katatonia
YouTube // Spotify

Have a great week, and Happy Reading!

Blog Ahead 2014 - Week 2 Update

After a really good first week to the challenge, I thought I’d be able to fly through lots of November posts and be able to concentrate on advance posts earlier than I planned. Realistically, I should have known this week would be a lot harder than the first week! My motivation levels slipped a bit, and in honesty, I didn’t dedicate enough time to write extra posts.

Progress:

My goals for this week involved Top Ten Tuesday, Waiting on Wednesday and review posts, but sadly, I didn’t get that much progress done. I have roughly drafted out two TTT’s, but I’m nowhere near putting all the pieces together to make the posts final! I completed the reviews I had drafted up last week, but both of these are for November. I have begun drafting up a third, but I’m not really feeling the review writing inspiration I need at the minute!

I mentioned last week that I was considering holding back a couple of reviews, and I ended up going along with it. I’m glad I did! I’ve been set into the routine of aiming for two reviews every week religiously, and having the little bit of breathing room with skipping a day has helped take the pressure off. I definitely won’t be doing this long term – my OCD tendencies will kick in soon and that little voice will be demanding I get back to my usual schedule!

Week 3 Goals:

Well, after a not as good week, I’m pretty much going to say…

- Anything!

In seriousness though, the two TTT’s I’ve drafted should be doable, and maybe I’ll be able to write up my first review scheduled for December... Provided my last two November reviews get written. I’d be happy if I can get at least these posts done!

How has your progress been this week?

Thanks for reading!

A Few Little Changes

Over the past couple of months, one topic has been brooding away at the back of my mind, and it’s DNFing (Did-Not-Finish) books. There have been so many awesome posts about this subject and in honesty, I’ll be echoing what’s already been said if I write a post on the Yay-or-Nay sides of the argument.

It’s taken me a while to process my thoughts, but, I’ve come to a decision that works for me. It’s not one that I’ve taken lightly, but I feel like I need to do this.

I’m going to give myself the option to DNF any book I begin reading that isn’t working for me.

Let me explain why I’ve come to this decision…

Sometimes… reading can feel like a chore

Before I blogged, I didn’t feel like I had any time-frame to read a book within. If it took me two weeks to read a book I wasn’t in love with… so what? I felt like I had all the time in the world to keep going. I’ve only DNF’d one book in my life, (a Kindle freebie), and two more that I’ve put aside that I intend to pick back up at some stage.

What’s changed? Well, blogging

I feel like I have to read ‘X’ amount of pages each day, just to get a book completed to get a review written for the blog. I want to love every one of those pages, but if I’m not connecting with the story or writing style, I force myself to keep reading. It’s something I didn’t consciously start doing, but now that I’ve realised I’m doing this, something HAS to change. Reading is a favourite hobby of mine and I don’t want to end up resenting my ‘escape’.

My reading time is limited

I only have so many hours of ‘me’ time every day, and it’s becoming harder and harder to fit both reading and blogging in with everything else I love doing. I usually get about an hour a day to read. On a good day, I can manage two. This isn’t a huge amount of time, and when I’m struggling to read a book I don’t like, I’m beginning to feel like I’m wasting those precious hours. I’ve found that writing-style is what I struggle most with. For the most part, I can continue on reading when I don’t connect with characters, but if the actual style of the book is irritating me, I have such a hard time to find the motivation to continue on.

The grey area of ARC’s and review requests

Even the thoughts of abandoning an ARC makes me feel guilty! I’ve been very lucky so far. I might have disliked a couple of ARC’s I read, but I managed to finish the books. But, that little voice of “what if?” keeps getting stronger.

How long will this luck last?

I’m not naïve enough to think I’m going to love every ARC I read. Eventually, the day will come where I won’t be able to tolerate another word… then what? I force myself to continue on, getting angrier and angrier, every second word will bother me, I’ll want to annihilate the characters and wish I could unleash Celaena Sardothien into the book to do my bidding, and by the end I’ll be spitting fire and brimstone.

Now, while I might enjoy getting my ranty-pants on every now and then, I never enjoy hitting publish on those reviews, and I usually go back and tone it down. I WANT to love and gush over every book. This is totally unrealistic, and I feel it’s just as natural for readers to dislike a book as it is to love a book. Ultimately, this is what made me make this decision.

I feel like this decision to DNF is more a precaution, rather than something I’m going to be doing every other week.

I need to give myself the option to walk away if things become unbearable. I know I’m going to feel guilty about it, but if I’m curious about the story in the future, I can always come back and give it another shot.

Do you DNF? Have you DNF'd an ARC, and how did you feel about it? Do you share your thoughts on why you DNF'd?

WoW #34 - Rook by Sharon Cameron

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Rook by Sharon Cameron

Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Scholastic

Genres: Young Adult; Science Fiction

Teaser Tuesday: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

It was a freedom that she was still working for, because even though she’d tasted it only for a heartbeat, it had been the most exquisite heartbeat she’d ever experienced.

She took a steadying breath and looked him in the eye. It was time.

“The king sent me to kill you.”

-- Crown of Midnight, page 83

Title: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass, #2

Add to Goodreads

Crowned by Evil.
Bound by Duty.
Divided by Love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.


Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom...

-- As seen on Goodreads

What do you think? Have you read the Throne of Glass books and what are you reading this week?

Leave a link to your post so I can stop by, or tell us in the comments, Happy Reading!

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered, #2
Format: Paperback, owned
My rating: 5+ / 5

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Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

-- As seen on Goodreads

Blog Ahead 2014 - Week One Update

My Blog Ahead Goals:

I can’t believe how quickly the first week of Blog Ahead has gone by! Right now I’m aiming for 15 extra posts, but I really hope I can manage a lot more. I don’t want to put too much pressure on my shoulders, and there is a little reason why I don’t think I’ll realistically be able to get all 30 extra posts done. As of starting the challenge, I only had one scheduled post for November. Technically, I’ll be writing up way more than 30 posts this month, but the majority won’t exactly be ‘advanced’ posts, unfortunately!

If I had to choose a main goal for the challenge, I’m aiming to get posts for the weekdays in December scheduled in advance, and then any other spare posts I can write up. My goal of 15 posts would equal three full weekday weeks taken care of, and I’ll be very happy with that result!

By the end of the month, I’d love to have the following completed:

- 6 Reviews (at least)

- 4 “other” posts, discussions etc.

- 8 Top Ten Tuesdays

- 4 Waiting on Wednesdays

Plan:

My plan of “attack,” so to speak, is to tackle this in two stages:

- The first two weeks of the challenge, my main focus will be on posts for November, and then

- The last two weeks should be free to concentrate on all my “extra posts” for Blog Ahead.

Naturally, this isn’t set in stone, and I’ll be writing posts as my mood dictates and when inspiration hits.

With reviews, I try and read two weeks in advance. Usually, the books I read in the first two weeks of a month will appear on the blog at the end of the current month. Then, the books I read in the last two weeks of a month will be on the blog the first two weeks of the next month. Currently, I have four books read that I haven’t reviewed, but these reviews will most likely be posted in November.

I’m debating whether to hold back on posting my usual two reviews a week and cut it down to one per week, just for this rest of the month. This would allow me to have more reading time, and hopefully as a result, a bigger bank of reviews I can save up for December/January. I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I might hold back a review here and there, and see what happens.

Getting away from reviews, I love all the upcoming Top Ten Tuesday topics, and I think now is the perfect time to start chipping away at them. I usually do TTT’s every other week, but I don’t usually write them this far in advance! I also have my eye on four 2015 release books that I want to use in Waiting on Wednesday’s, so I’d like to tackle them as well.

Week One Goals:

- As many November posts as I can get done.

- 2 Top Ten Tuesday Posts

- 2 WoW posts.

Progress:

I’m pretty happy with everything I got done this week. I have 5 posts completed in advance for November which is going to help so much as the challenge progresses. I roughly drafted two reviews, but I need to polish them up more before I begin formatting and scheduling them.

For Blog Ahead, I’ve completed the 2 WoW posts I wanted to, and they’re scheduled in advance. It’s such a weird feeling to have posts completed that far ahead! I’ve drafted up both Top Ten Tuesday posts I planned to work on. I have to put the finishing touches on one, but it’s 95% done. The other will take a little more work, adding links, images and what not, but they’re almost done.

Seven completed posts and four drafts in a week… I’m happy! Now, I just wish I could bottle the essence of this organised person I've become, and keep this motivation in reserve for future use!

My Week Two Goals:

- More November posts.

- 3 Top Ten Tuesday’s

- 2 WoW’s

- 1 “other” post.

Thanks for reading!

WoW #33 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Expected publication: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's

Genres: Fantasy; Retellings; Young Adult

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Top 10 Books I Want to Reread

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish.

Way back in the day, before I began blogging, and way before I joined Goodreads I reread quite a lot of books. I loved rereading! You notice so many new things that didn’t register on the first read, and for the most part, you get to know the characters even better. Unfortunately, blogging doesn’t allow for rereading time. Heck, some days it barely allows for quality reading time, let alone rereading time!

Hand on heart, I’d love to reread all the books I rate 4 – 4.5 starts or higher at some stage. According to Goodreads… that would be rereading around 147 books. Yeah, like this will realistically happen :( Choosing 10 books will be cruel, but I’ve managed to do it… sort of! I’m including entire series/trilogies as one place, so I guess the “real” total of books would be a lot higher than 10!

These are in no particular order, and the links below the book covers are to Goodreads.

Night School Series by C.J. Daugherty // Experiment in Terror Series by Karina Halle // Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen // Emma by Jane Austen // Angelfall by Susan Ee

I LOVE the Night School series! When I read the first book, Night School, I really liked it and put it aside with a 4 star rating… but it was one of those books that kept haunting me. I kept thinking about it! For weeks, and even months, after I read it I would start thinking about it again. Every time I walked by it on my bookshelf, I had to pick it up and flick through the pages and everything about the story would come flooding back, and I realised I loved the book so much more after reading it than while I read it! Each book has gotten better since, and I’m hopelessly addicted to the series! There is only one book left, and it’ll be terrible to say good-bye to Allie, Sylvain, Carter and the others. Sigh!

The Experiment in Terror series is one of my all-time favourite series. It's a 9 book series with lots of novellas attached, so it would take a bit of time to reread them all again. Someday, I’m determined I’ll be able to own the entire series in paperback, and that will be the perfect excuse to reread them!

I used to have the habit of rereading Pride and Prejudice every year… unfortunately, that hasn’t happened this year. It’s the first year I’ve ever missed out too, so that kinda sucks! I’ve never reread Emma, but I loved it almost as much as I loved Pride & Prejudice. I’d love to see if I think the same the second time reading it.

I was always a little sceptical of angel books before I read Angelfall. I don’t know why, they just didn’t really appeal to me! But, oh my goodness, this book single-handedly ruined any and all future angel-themed books for me. NONE of them have lived up to this since. I love the Unearthly series, but Angelfall still wins, hands down, barely a contest.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins // Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder // Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar // Splintered and Unhinged by A.G. Howard // Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Hunger Games are the books that made me realise I LOVE the dystopian genre! I’ve intended to reread all three books so often, and it doesn’t look like I’ll get the chance to in the short term either. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll still love them!

I loved Poison Study! I’m a little scared to reread it though, but I do think I’ll love it the second time. I really want to see both Yelena and Valek back where it all began, and see if I still feel the same about the book. Raw Blue was one of those books that I liked, but didn’t necessarily love. Looking back now, I have no clue why I didn’t rate it higher than I did! I definitely need to reread it at some stage and see if it matches my memories.

Splintered, Unhinged and Throne of Glass are very recent reads, but if I wasn’t blogging, I know that once I reached the last page I would have instantly started reading again. I LOVE these books so much, and both series are firmly added to my all-time favourites list. I’d be so happy if I was able to push everything else aside and curl up with beauties again.

What do you think? Any books on my list you’d like to reread?

Leave a link to your TTT post if you like, so I can stop by!

Blog Tour Reviews: Eternal and Unbreakable by C.C. Hunter

Title: Eternal
Author: C.C. Hunter
Series: Shadow Falls: After Dark, #2
Format: eARC, kindly provided by
St. Martin's Press. This didn't influence
my opinion in any way.
My rating: 3 / 5

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All her life, Della's secret powers have made her feel separated from her human family. Now, she's where she belongs, at Shadow Falls. With the help of her best friends Kylie and Miranda, she’ll try to prove herself in the paranormal world as an investigator—all the while trying to figure out her own heart. Should she chose Chase, a powerful vampire with whom she shares a special bond? Or Steve, the hot shapeshifter whose kisses make her weak in the knees? When a person with dark connection to her past shows up, it’ll help her decide which guy to choose–and make her question everything she knows about herself.

-- As seen on Goodreads

Sunday Post, #13 and Stacking the Shelves, #11

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. This week I'm linking my recap post to both memes.

My Week

Hi everyone, I hope you had an amazing week! For the past month, I was really looking forward to Halloween. I had lots of books earmarked that I thought I’d love to read around the end of October, and then… meh. Halloween just sort of… happened. I don’t really know what I was expecting… ghosts dancing a jive or zombies doing the can-can… but it was all very anti-climactic! I really regret not reading those spooky books back in September when I was actually in the mood to read them. Naturally, according to my bookish moods, contemporary reads are exactly what’s called for on the run up to Halloween. Mmhumm. Yep. I think my moods and I need to have a little chat!

A Monster Quiz?? I love Quizzes!