March 2016 Wrap-Up and Stacking the Shelves

Blogging did take a bit of a back seat for me in March. Since writing my mood blogger post a couple of weeks ago, I’ve started to change how I approach writing reviews and other posts. I’m following my moods a lot more - when I get in the mood to write, I write, and when I want to do something else, I stop - and it’s actually working! I’ve managed to catch up on quite a few posts that I needed to write and it’s always an awesome feeling to see things being crossed off the to-do list. I’m getting there with commenting, too, but that’s something that’ll just take a bit more time I think.

Right when I’m slowly getting back into a blogging mood again… I’ll have to step away for a couple of weeks. We’re off on holidays next week – going back to Walt Disney World, woohoo!! It really does become an addiction! We’re also stopping in Memphis on the way, so that’ll be interesting :) – so I just wanted to mention I’ll be absent from the blog for a little while. I have got a few posts scheduled while I’m gone so it shouldn’t be a complete ghost town around here while I’m away! I took the plunge on Thursday past and created an Instagram account for my blog and, Wi-fi permitting, I’ll try to take a few pictures while I’m there and upload them. Let me know if you’re on Instagram, I’m trying to find all the book bloggers I know so I can to follow! I’m @journeythroughfiction :)

I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes this weekend.

My March Book Haul

I bought four books this month – I have been trying to be on my best behaviour with going on holidays in April. I know I’ll end up in Barns and Noble and any other book shops I stumble across and I’ll end up going a bit mad, so I tried to show a bit of restraint before I go!

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton // The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine // Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Books I Received for Review

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi // My Mad Fat Diary by Rae Earl

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Griffin for all of these!

I read and reviewed Dreamfever by Kit Alloway last month, but I wasn’t expecting to receive a physical copy of Dreamfever, and oh my gosh, it was the best bookish surprise I’ve gotten all year! The cover is even more gorgeous in reality than on screen, and I absolutely love it! Thank you so, so much for it, you made my day when it showed up in the post!

Books I Read in March

I read 6 books this month, which is pretty good. Red Rising was by far my favourite, and the rest ranged from really good to underwhelming.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown – 4.5 stars
Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor – 2 stars
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh – 3 stars
Winter by Marissa Meyer – 3 stars
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly – 4 stars
The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule – 3 stars

TBR-Jar Updates

My TBR jar pick for April is Possess by Sarah Dalton. I had intended on reading this one last year, and it completely went out of my mind! Hopefully I’ll get to it soon. I didn’t make any progress on the back log of TBR books in March… I’m putting it down to pre-holiday distractions. Well, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking with it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend! Happy Reading!

February 2016 Wrap-Up and Stacking the Shelves

I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes this weekend.

What I Read in February

I read 7 books in February, and I hope to finish one of my current reads over the next few days. It was a really good reading month overall, despite having a rough start when I abandoned The 5th Wave. I might give it another chance in the future, but for some reason it wasn’t working for me right now.

Partials by Dan Wells – 1 Star – My annotation experiment failed. But I did succeed in recording precisely why I disliked the book… so, erm, yay?? I’ve learned my lesson. Stay away from pencils. They can cause all kinds of rage. Who knew?!

Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter – 4 Stars – If you like the Shadow Falls and the Shadow Falls: After Dark series, then you’ll love this one!

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins – 4 Stars – I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to complete some series, and the Hex Hall trilogy was one of those I listed. So… check!

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance – 2.5 Stars – Not what I was expecting. It sucks, as this is one of my favourite Urban Fantasy series, and I was fairly certain I’d love Reap the Wind.

Dreamfever by Kit Alloway – 4.5 Stars – This was an almost-5-star read. If you like the concept of being able to dream walk, then give this series a go. It’s awesome!

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski – 5+ Stars – This was one of the most satisfying conclusions to a series I’ve ever read. That’s all I’m gonna say! Promise!

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine – 4 Stars – I liked this one a lot more than the previous two, but I’m unsure if I want to continue the series. Myrnin is the only character I have any sympathy toward, but I’m not sure investing the time in reading another nine books is really worth it for one character…

Currently Reading

Red Rising by Pierce Brown – I’ve only read a couple of chapters, but so far, I really like it. I'm trying to keep my expectations in check even though I have seen LOTS of praise for the trilogy, so I'm expecting good things. Hopefully I'll love it!

Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor – I started this book a few weeks ago… and haven’t gone back to it since. Erm… oops?

What I Bought This Month

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

Received For Review

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury UK and St. Martin’s Griffin for these!

The New Pottermore

Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen lots of talk on both Twitter and Youtube about the updated Pottermore and people being sorted into different houses since the update. That kind of freaked me out! The old sorting quiz sorted me into Gryffindor, and not gonna lie, I like being a Gryffindor! It didn’t make a lot of sense to me initially, what with the bravery thing and all, but the more I learned about the houses the more I’ve come to agree with it. See, here’s the thing, the only other house I have any affinity toward is Slytherin. It was the house I instantly thought I’d have the least leanings toward, but actually… *cough* it sounds a bit like me!

So, this past Monday I finally plucked up the courage and redid the Pottermore quiz. Annnd… It's official. I’m a Gryffindor again! (YEEEESSSSSS!) Buuuut, I was curious. I did find a full sorting house quiz you can take with all the new Pottermore questions included, and it’s meant to be a bit more accurate overall. So, I took the quiz. (Shocking, I know!) And… these were my results:

77% Gryffindor and 69% Slytherin, humm? Ha! Can’t say I’m that surprised. Best face up to it: I’m a Gryffindor with a healthy dose of Slytherin. Best of both worlds, then, eh? *waggles eyebrows*

My March 2016 TBR Pick

All Our Yesterday’s by Cristin Terrill

I'm still behind on my TBR picks, but I did make a little progress by completing both my November and December picks. I didn't get along very well with Partials by Dan Wells, but Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine was a lot better. I had originally intended chipping away at the Morganville Vampire series until I had completed it… but right now, I’m unsure if I want to continue. I’m satisfied with how this book ended, and there’s a little nagging voice at the back of my head insisting that this would be a good spot to step away. I’m conflicted :/ If you’ve read the entire series, any advice would be appreciated! Should I give the seventh book a shot? I don’t want to regret continuing on if I end up being disappointed further down the road.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fab weekend, and Happy Reading!

January 2016 Stacking the Shelves and Wrap-Up

I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes this weekend.

Re-Cap

Well, so far, 2016 has sucked.

A few weeks ago, I got in the mood to marathon all the Harry Potter movies – one movie each night for eight nights. Sounds kinda perfect, right? I made it to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban… and the next day Alan Rickman died. I haven’t had the heart to continue watch the movies since. I didn’t read the books until I began blogging, but the movies were always there, you know? Honestly, it still hasn’t fully sunk in yet. Not to forget Lemmy and David Bowie, too. What else can you even say…?

What I Read in January

Currently, I’ve read 6 books this month, and I’ve started reading another three. After almost two years of pining to reread this series, I finally gave in and reread The Hunger Games trilogy. I was a tiny bit worried I wouldn’t love it as much this time, but I actually love it even more now. I’ve watched the movies quite a few times apiece, and in a way, what happens in the movies has taken over some of my memories from the books. There were SO MANY things I completely forgot about. Like Peeta having two older brothers. (HOW DID I NOT REMEMBER THIS?!?!) Oh, and Cato’s horrific death. I vaguely remembered it was bad, but just not how bad. Poor Cato. And Finnick... just Finnick! *Sobs* I’m so glad I reread the series, it was exactly what I needed right now. I’ve remembered exactly why The Hunger Games will always be one of my all-time favourite series, and why Katniss and Peeta are two of my all-time favourite characters. I understand Gale a bit more now, but I still don’t like him. Actually, I think I dislike him even more. He was tolerable in The Hunger Games, but in Catching Fire and Mockingjay…

The only downside to my little reread-fest is feeling like I’m teetering on the edge of a reading slump. Or, more accurately, I’m on the edges of an epic rereading binge! I’m eyeing so many of my favourite books and trying to see when I can squeeze in a bit of time to devour them again. Things got a bit drastic this past week… You probably know I’m in the ‘my books shall always be pristine and annotation free’ club, right? Well. You see. I had a moment. On Thursday I wasn’t in the mood to read either of the books I’d started reading, so I picked up one of my TBR-picks from last year, Partials by Dan Wells. There was a pencil sitting right there, looking all tempting and irresistible … and I began annotating and underlining like crazy. It was … strangely liberating. It’s not going to become a thing. When I woke up Friday morning and saw the levels of desecration I did to the poor book the night before, well, I, umm, put it this way, I promise to be gentle in the future.

Read:

Currently Reading:

Books I Bought

I did buy eight books this month, but only six have shown up. (Boooo!) I’ll include the other two in my February Wrap-Up post, but isn’t it typical that the two books that haven’t show up are the two I was most looking forward to reading! Why, Post, why must you torture me so??

Oh, but I did get both Winter and Six of Crows, so it's not all bad!

Winter by Marissa Meyer // Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Frostbite by Richelle Mead // The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins // Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

For Review

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for both of these!

TBR Jar Updates

I did make a promise in my resolutions post at the beginning of the year that I’d keep my TBR Jar picks updated each month. So, here we go! Each month I have been choosing a book to read, but I haven’t been keeping up with the reading the book part. These are the picks so far that I haven’t read:

Yeah. Not doing to good, eh? I did begin reading (*cough* A.K.A. scribbling on) Partials, so that’s a start! I don’t really mind when I get around to the other three, I just want to clear them off my TBR shelf, and soon!

What have you been up to this month? What was your favourite read? Thanks for stopping by, have a fab weekend, and Happy Reading!

October 2015 Wrap-Up

Firstly, Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great October. This month I took part in the Blog Ahead 2015 challenge. If you’re unfamiliar with it, the aim is to get ahead with writing blog posts, and to schedule the posts after the challenge ends. This is my second year participating, and overall, I’m calling this year a HUGE success. As of today I have 11 posts scheduled in advance, and a further 8 in various stages of draft-hood. Considering I’m a non-planner, I’m really pleased! Going into the challenge I knew I wasn’t going to complete all 31 posts, so I’m really happy with what I’ve managed to get done. If you were participating, how did you do?? I hope you completed all your goals!

This week I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes.

Books I Read in October

October was a quite a slow month – only 4 books, 5 when I finish The Falconer later on today. You know that horrible feeling when you’re convinced a reading slump is just around the corner? I’ve been feeling like that all month, and I really hope I don’t fall victim to one again. I do have quite a few ARC’s and review requests haunting me right now, and they’ve been playing on my mind a lot. I know I need to read them, but, gosh, all I want to do is curl up and read Ink and Bone, which will be quickly followed by A Darker Shade of Magic!

Books I Bought This Month

I did quite a bit of bookish shopping this month, which is never really a bad thing!

Oblivion by Kelly Creagh

It won’t be much of a surprise that I began reading Oblivion right after it arrived in the post. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and so much more. I suspect this book is the cause of my almost-reading-slump. It’s the last book in the Nevermore trilogy by Kelly Creagh, and I haven’t felt this gutted about a series ending before. I'm in denial. I don’t want to say goodbye to the characters! I need more books! *Sobs*

Endgame by C.J. Daugherty // The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

I was really lucky to get eARC’s for both of these books earlier in the year and I kinda needed to get my hands on the physical editions. We’re all occasionally guilty of this, I think!

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine // City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

I’m determined to keep chipping away at the Morganville Vampires series. I finished reading the fifth book this month, so hopefully I’ll get this one read in November / early December. After I finished reading Lord of Misrule, I couldn’t help thinking 5 down, at least 10 more to go. It’s a bit intimidating. (Help me!) And yep, I’ve got City of Glass! I really hope I like it. I’ve heard it’s the book in the series to get you hooked, and I've promised that I’ll read the first three and then make a decision if I’ll continue on with the remaining books. I want to love this series – I really, really do – so I hope City of Glass is awesome.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

This cover. Oh my heart, I love it so much! It’s one of those gorgeous textured covers, and I almost don’t want to touch it and ruin it. But, sacrifices have to be made because I can’t freaking wait to read it!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab // The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

I’ve heard lots of awesomeness about V.E. Schwab’s books, so I have pretty high expectations for A Darker Shade of Magic. The Sin Eater’s Daughter, on the other hand, I’ve seen quite mixed things about. I really hope I at least like it!

On the Blog Recently

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Review: The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

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11 Book Series I'll (Probably) Abandon

The Reading Habits Tag

What have you been up to this month? Any plans for Halloween? And any tips on preventing a reading slump setting in?

Have a fab weekend, and Happy Reading!