COMING SOON TO TEEN SCENE READING *UPDATED*

REVIEWS:
Alice in Zombieland & Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
Love Story & Forget You by Jennifer Echols
A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson


SPECIAL POSTS:
February Book Haul

March Book Haul
Best Books of 2014
2014 Reading List
College Textbooks 5.0

College Textbooks 6.0

January Book Haul 2015

 

JANUARY BOOK HAUUUUUUULL!!!!

 

In this month's book haul we have:

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Triton by Anna Banks

Modelland by Tyra Banks

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Silver Shadows by Richelle Meade

Will the Real Abi Saunders Please Stand up by Sara Hantz

Top Ten Clues Your Clueless by Liz Czukas

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody (SIGNED! Didn't realize that when I bought it)

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle

How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles

How to Ruin my Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles

It's not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Prom Night From Hell by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Normally, This Would be Cause For Concern by Danielle Fischel

Defy by Sara B. Larson

All Fall Down by Ally Carter

December Book Haul 2014

 

(Forgive the picture. I can't rotate it.)

 

In this month's book haul:

Live Original by Sadie Robertson

The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Rebels by Accident by Patricia Dunn

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

On the Sixth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me..

6 Geese a laying!

The Seventh story in My True Love Gave to Me is Krampuslauf by Holly Black.

I really loved this story, and I wish with all my heart that it was a full novel. I've never read anything Holly Black, although I have heard of her. After reading this story, I'm going to be sure to check out her other books because this story was really great. It was mainly a New Year's story, but it did have a small amount of Christmas. I loved the plot and the characters and learning about what Krampuslauf really is. Definitely recommend.

5/5 Stars

On the Seventh Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me..

7 Swans a Swimming!

The sixth short story in my True Love Gave to Me is Your Temporary Santa by David Leviathan.

I've heard of David Leviathan before, but never read any of his books. After reading the short story, I don't care for his work and don't care to read any more of it. It was a shorter story than the others, and there wasn't much to it. I wasn't impressed, and I don't recommend it.

1/5 Stars

On the Eighth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me..

Eight Maids a Milking!

The fifth book in My True Love Gave to Me is It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins.

I loooove Stephanie Perkins, so I couldn't wait until I got to this story. So far, this story is my favorite, and I think will probably be the favorite of others. It's so cute and sweet and is written greatly. What was unique about the story was that it was centered around hoarding and a Christmas tree lot. If for nothing else, pick up this book for this story. It's so, so worth it.

5/5 Stars

On the Ninth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me..

9 Ladies Dancing!

The Fourth story in My True Love Gave to Me is Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han.

This is (so far) the shortest of all the stories, but still cute. I'm a fan of Jenny Han, so I was really excited to read the story. What I liked most about it was that it took place in the North Pole, something the previous stories haven't taken place. It had a different ending than I expected, but I liked it and I think it worked. My only wish was that it was longer.

4/5 Stars


On the Tenth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me..

10 Lords a Leaping!

The Third story in My True Love Gave to Me is Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena.

Once again, I'd never heard of Matt de la Pena nor know what he's written, but after reading his short story, I've decided he's an author I want to look into. His story was sweet and I love the way he writes. It seems like his writing centers around Mexican culture, and it was interesting and educational. His story is what helped me really get thrown into the book.

3.5/5 Stars

On the Twelth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me..

12 Drummers Drumming!

So the first short story in My True Love Gave to Me is Midnights by Rainbow Rowell.

I wasn't sure what to expect for this short story because I have never read anything by Rainbow Rowell. I hear that she's an amazing writer, but I've held off from reading her books because they are in third person. I really don't like third person books. They are slightly hard to relate to, and my mind wanders if it's not in first person.

Anyway, I was still excited to read the story because I wanted to know if it was worth reading her other books. After reading the story, I was a little disappointed. First of all, it's a New Years story, and I wanted to read about Christmas. Despite the setback, I didn't let that affect my opinion. I just didn't like the story all that much. I think it had a good concept, but I feel like it was lacking something although, I don't know what. And I didn't really like the characters. It was a cute enough story, just not for me.

3/5 Stars

Twelve Days of Christmas

So in honor of Christmas and the Christmas anthology book I've bought featuring authors like Stephanie Perkins, Jenny Han, Ally Carter, and many more, I've decided that I'm going to review each short story individually for the next twelve days! Be sure to check back every day to see which story I'm reviewing, and be sure to join in the holiday fun!

Creatures of the Night Book Tag!

So this tag has been going around Booktube, and I wanted to join in on the fun. There are different catagories that go along with a Halloween theme, and what you do is pick your favorite book or character to fit the category. I'm really excited about doing this one since Halloween is TODAY! So let's get started!

1. Vampire

I haven't read a whole lot of vampire books, but the ones I have read have sucked after reading Twilight. So. Twilight is definitely my kind of vampire book. (And before you ask, Team Edward ;)

2. Werewolf

I actually don't like werewolves at all. I've only read three werewolves books. Twilight, Shiver, and The Mortal Instruments series. Shiver is the most boring and pointless book I've read in my life, and The Mortal Instruments isn't really focused on werewolves, so again the Twilight series it is! But for the sake of not picking the same book over and over, I'm going to go with New Moon.

3. Zombie

I haven't read one zombie book, and I don't really want to. Zombie's aren't my thing, but I guess if I had to pick one, I would pick Alice in Zombieland because I like the idea of retelling Alice in Wonderland.

4. Ghost

By far the best ghost book I've read has been the Mediater series by Meg Cabot. I read the series when I was younger, so they really had a spooky factor to them, but nothing could make me stop reading because of the hot ghost Jesse. *Swoons*

5. Witch/Wizard

I don't read witch or wizard books, so I don't have a favorite. But for the sake of the tag, I'm going to switch witch to alchemist and say the Bloodlines seires.

6. Demigod

Of course, my favorite demigod is Percy, but because he's everyone's favorite, I'm going to name my second favorite demigod and that is Leo from the Heroes of Olympus series. He's funny and sarcastic, and I really love his character.

7. Fairies

I loooooove books on fairies, and by far my favorite series is The Iron King series by Julie Kagawa.

8. Demons

I do not read books with demons, but I do read the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series, so I'm going to go with that. (I don't consider the "demons" in the books as demons demons. They seem more like monsters to me.)

9. Angels

I don't read a whole lot of books with angels, but I do really like the A Fractured Light series. I didn't like how the series ended, but it's still a good read and series overall.

10. Boyfriend

We all know boyfriends can be creatures of the night, and this category was made for Calvin from the new book Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick. I don't want to give much away, but once you read the book you'll see what I mean.

11. Aliens

BY FAR THE BEST BOOK IVE EVER READ THAT CONSISTED OF ALIENS IS THE LUX SERIES BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT AND IM WRITING IN CAPS BECUASE ITS SERIOUSLY SO AMAZING AND MAKES ME EXCITED.

12. Human with Superpower

This is kind of a hard category because most humans with a superpower were really a supernatural that just didn't know it. So instead of picking someone that turned out to be a werewolf or fairie or shadowhunter, I'm going to pick someone that was able to face their fears... Tris from the Divergent series! Facing your fears is a superpower, right?

13. Dinosaur

To be honest, I don't know why this is in the tag, but I'm just gonna run with it. So here. Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff. This was a book I had as I child, but I didn't like it much. I don't recommend it.

And there you have it! The Creatures of the Night Book Tag! I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween. Don't get into any trouble, and eat all the candy you can!

Book Blitz: XY by Shanta Everington

 

Would it possible to live without gender?

Fifteen year old Jesse lives in a world where babies are born neither male nor female – Compulsory Gender Assignment is carried out at birth. Will the secret she closely guards be found out? Boyfriend Zeus, mother Ana’s Natural Souls, and new friend Ork, leader of We Are One, pull Jesse in different directions, forcing her to make her own mind up about who she really is.

 

Cover quote:

"A highly original and thought-provoking dystopian novel. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it!”

Luisa Plaja, Chicklish, the UK’s Teen Fiction Site

 

Excerpt:

“I think Zeus might have a crush on you,” says Randy over breakfast the next morning.

The family are in the kitchen, sitting around the big, old, oak dining table, a hand-me-down from one of Ana’s friends. Most of their belongings are cast-offs. They are used to relying on the charity of others connected to Natural Souls. Ana has set the table with cereal, orange juice, toast and home-made preserves.

“Shut up,” says Jesse, spooning muesli into her mouth.

“Seriously. Didn’t you notice the way he kept watching you yesterday when you came out into the garden with your tight top on? I don’t think it was just your lemon ice lollies he was drooling at!”

Jesse feels her heart beating a little faster. Zeus is nice, she thinks, but nothing can happen. Zeus is one of the Nine Per Cent. He wouldn’t want her. At least not until afterwards. If she goes through with it.

“I know you like him!” continues Randy in a sing-song voice. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him your secret!”

“Randy,” says Ana sharply, pouring milk into her bowl. “Don’t wind your sister up before school.”

“I’m not!” protests Randy, rocking his chair backwards and stuffing toast into his mouth. “I’m just saying!”

Jesse carries on eating, feeling her cheeks burn.

Randy gets up from the table and whispers to Jesse on his way out of the kitchen, “He likes you, he likes you!”

Once her brother is out of earshot, Jesse turns to her mother.

“Mum, can I ask you a question?” she says, playing with her spoon, turning it over and over and watching her reflection morph into something grotesque.

“Anything,” says Ana.

“How old were you when you had your first boyfriend? I know it was different for you. You weren’t born like us but…”

“I was fifteen,” replies Ana without hesitating. “The same age you are now. His name was Jack. He was a friend of my brother’s too. He was born like you but he was a boy by the time I met him. It didn’t last, of course.”

“What happened?”

“You mean why didn’t it last?” asks Ana, absent-mindedly picking crumbs up off the table. “We were just kids. First love. It wasn’t even love. When George died, well…  Jack’s family moved away. It’s just as well or I wouldn’t have met your father and there would have been no Randy or Jesse.”

She looks up at Jesse with a bright smile. Sometimes Jesse wonders what lies beneath her mother’s happy face.

“I wish Dad was here,” says Jesse. “I wish he hadn’t left us.”

“I know, darling, but we have to be strong for one another. Think about what I said about seeing Maya again soon. Now, you don’t want to be late for school, do you?”

Jesse gets up and takes her plates to the sink before grabbing her school bag and heading over to school. Today she has history, biology, religious education and sex education. It will not be a good day. Her bag weighs heavily on her shoulder. She thinks about the text books it contains and what they are teaching her.

About the Book:

Publication date: 5 June 2014

Genre: Young adult (Dystopia)

Author: Shanta Everington

Paperback: 152 pages

Publisher: Bridge House (Red Telephone Books)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1907335323

ISBN-13: 978-1907335327

Formats: Paperback and e-book (Mobi only)

About the Author:

Shanta Everington is the author of seven books, including three young adult novels – Give Me a Sign, Boy Red and latest release XY (joint winner of the Red Telephone Books YA Novel Competition). She has had all sorts of jobs in the past, from baking vegan muffins and working as a private tutor to appearing as a guest agony aunt and running a teen sexual health helpline. With an MA in Creative Writing with distinction, Shanta currently teaches Creative Writing with The Open University. She lives in London, UK, with her husband and two children.

Links:

Publisher website: http://www.trtpublishing.co.uk/xy.html

Author website: www.shantaeverington.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShantaEverAfter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanta.everington

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/XY-Shanta-Everington/dp/1907335323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403088848&sr=8-1&keywords=9781907335327

Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1P1RPU

Goodreads page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1419856.Shanta_Everington

 

Zeus by Kamery Solomon

My sister had read this book a while ago and had been suggesting it to me for a while, so when I saw that it was free on the nook, I went ahead and got it.

I am so glad I got it.

This book was pleasantly surprising and was super fun to read. It didn't wow me when I was first reading it, but by the time I hit a certain point I decided that I loved this book. The book first starts out with Karly moving to Las Vegas which I think is super cool because Las Vegas is my hometown. It was great to read a book that took place in Vegas and I liked the fact that Kamery was able to allow the book to take place in Vegas, but not be about Vegas. Karly was a relateable character for me because she was going to college at UNLV and I'm at that point in my life, so it was nice to be able to be like, 'Hey yeah, I totally know what she means about saving her AC and her car power to save money'. Karly was going though everything that I'm going through in my life right now and I've never had that happen to me while reading a book.

Zeus was an interesting guy. To be honest, I didn't like him in the beginning. I thought it was super weird that after the club he just showed up at Karly's house. And then the thing with the flowers... it made me really uncomfortable about Zeus. But, surprisingly, Zeus turned things around and I ended up loving him. It was cool to see how him and Karly interacted with each other and how Zeus reacted when they talked about Greek things and the weather. I also really like Kamery's take on Zeus. The Zeus I always see in my head is the one from Disney's Hercules, but this Zeus was completely different. And when he came in to save the day with his lighting bolts... hot.

Another thing I liked about the book was that Kamery included Greeks gods that aren't commonly known. We always hear about the major gods like Hera, Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon, but Kamery also featured Nike and Morpheus. The action scenes were great and intense and I really enjoyed them. The book didn't lag for me in anyway and I felt like all the chapters and scenes fit with the book and weren't there just to fill spaces. This was a great book that I'd definitely recommend. I was absorbed in it the whole time and finished it the same day I downloaded it. I've already downloaded the next book in the series and have already started reading. If you get the chance to download this book-do it. You won't be disappointed.

15 Book Confessions

1. I always hated reading until seventh grade when Twilight was being passed around.

2. I have too many books for my bookshelf that the shelves droop down. I also have books scattered around my room.

3. I always finish a book. Even if it is terrible and I absolutely hate it-I will finish it.

4. My bookshelf kind of has an order to it. The top shelf is my favorite books, the second and third shelves are just whatever books fit, but I put my least favorites on the bottom.

5. I treat my books like they are babies. They’re handled with the upmost care.

6. When I’m reading a hardcover I have to take the jacket off. Have to.

7. If I’m not falling for the main guy or hero in the books, I fall for the villain or the hero’s friend.

8. I’ve never been to a book signing, but I have about four or five signed books.

9. I’ve never won an ARC :(

10. I’ve won (so far) four books from entering giveaways.

11. I love to recommend books to people. I always have a list in my head ready to go.

12. I don’t lend my books out to people because I hate to be parted from them and I don’t trust the people to treat them as well as I would.

13. Every year I make a list of books that are coming out that I want to buy.

14. Meg Cabot, Rick Riordan, Ally Carter, and Lacey Weatherford are my favorite authors.

15. Somehow I always end up reading the books AFTER the seeing the movie.

College Textbooks 2.0

Since I am a college student and am required to read textbooks, I figured why not rate and review them? These reviews are taken from my past reviews as the semesters went by, so unfortunately some of them are a sentence long and aren't helpful at all. It's been too long since I'd read them to write a useful and decent review, but here are my textbooks read in Spring 2013:

1. Western Civilization Volume 1: To 1700 by Gavin Lewis

 

Too much information that I felt could be left out. Was a drag to read. (1 Star)

 

2. Hospitality Law: Managing Legal Issues in the Hospitality Industry by Stephen C. Barth

 

	I loved this book. It was enjoyable to read and I wasn't bored while reading it. It wasn't a burden to have to read like some other texts. (5 Stars) 3. Introduction to Management in the Hospitality Industry by Clayton Barrows   Not very interesting. (1 Star)

College Texbooks 1.0

Since I am a college student and am required to read textbooks, I figured why not rate and review them? These reviews are taken from my past reviews as the semesters went by, so unfortunately some of them are a sentence long and aren't helpful at all. It's been too long since I'd read them to write a useful and decent review, but here are my textbooks read in Fall 2012:

1. Professional Management of Housekeeping Operations by Thomas J.A. Jones

Very enjoyable book. I learnt a lot and had a good experience with it and the class. (4 Stars)

2. Tourism: Business of Travel & Goodes World Atlas by Pearson

I loved this book. It held my attention and it was filled with helpful information and maps. (5 Stars)

3. Astronomy Today by Eric Chaisson

I absolutely HATED this book. It was so confusing and hard to read and didn't hold my attention at all. If you're a science major, I'm sure you would love this book, but if you're someone like me who is only taking the class to fulfill a science credit, it will most likely be mind draining. (1 Star)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Back-Story: I read a great review on this book when it first came out, but I was kind of unsure if I wanted to read it or not. A while later I read a review on Lola and the Boy Next Door and read that book. After I read Lola and the Boy Next Door I decided to go ahead and give Anna and the French Kiss a chance.

Review: I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. It was funny it was sweet it was swoon-worthy it was amazing. I loved the writing and the characters. Stephanie Perkins has this quirkiness about her writing that I can’t help but love. The book is well paced and never boring and it’s easy to fall for the characters. What I liked the best about the book was that Étienne and Anna’s relationship started off as friends. They weren’t immediately after each other and it was a nice change of pace from other books. Another thing I liked was that Étienne wasn’t perfect. The main girl in a lot of books often meets a guy and he’s perfect. He has perfect hair and teeth and clothes, but in Anna and the French kiss Étienne is short with crooked teeth and he’s terrified of heights. I liked that he didn’t come off as a guy that every girl wants. It’s true that every girl wanted him, but he wasn’t displayed that way. He was average and normal and that’s what made him perfect. This book made me want to book a flight to France and go find me an Étienne, and I so wish I could.

Looks: I love the cover and how Anna and Étienne are shown. I just wish we could see Étienne’s face and I wish there was the blond band in Anna’s hair. I love the title a lot because it goes perfectly with the book.

Content: Some language but I can’t even hold it against it because this book is that good.

Likes: Everything. Anna. Étienne. The city. Étienne. The humor. Étienne.

Dislikes: Not a thing.

Overall: If you haven’t read this book you are deprived.

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Back-Story: I’m a huge fan of Rick Riordan and have all his mythology books. I bought the Mark of Athena the day it came out, but I only started reading it a couple days ago. And boy, I am sad that I waited this long to read it!

Review: I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. This is by far the best book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The characters are great and I loved the Percy and Annabeth interactions. I liked the sort of rivalry between Percy and Jason too. Leo is one of my favorites and it was nice to read from his point of view. There’s a lot of action and romance and a little bit of a love triangle. The ending was shocking and I can’t wait for House of Hades to come out.

Looks: I love the cover because it shows Jason and Percy charging each other and it really shows the relationship between the two. I like how the owl is in the middle of it and I love the title of the book. It’s really fitting and goes along with the rest of the books.
Content: There’s a lot of action and romance. There’s also a lot of Rick Riordan’s humor.

Likes: I liked that there was a lot of character development and the book was action packed. I never wanted to put it down and it left me wanting more.

Dislikes: Jason annoyed me a little bit in this one and I hope he redeems himself in the next book. There was also a few typos which kind of bugged me, but there was only two or three so I’ll let it slide.

Overall: This book is amazing and if you haven’t read it yet then you need to do yourself a favor and read it. Now.

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

Back-Story: I am a huge fan of Rick Riordan. I have all of his Percy Jackson books, Heroes of Olympus books, and The Kane Chronicle books.

Review: I liked this book a lot. It’s my second favorite (the second one book being my first favorite) and I really enjoyed how the things evolved and how their final battle was. The book had Riordan’s humor like all his other books and it was quite enjoyable. I’m sad that the series is over, but I’m really happy with how it ended.

Looks: I love all of Rick Riordan’s covers and this one is nice and goes along with all the other covers.

Content: There’s a lot of action and a lot of things go on at once and sometimes it’s hard to keep up, but you still get the just of things and don’t really miss out.

Likes: I love Sadie’s character and I love Setne even though he’s evil. I also love Walt and Anubis and even though I was rooting for Walt to win Sadie’s heart I’m happy with how things ended up.

Dislikes: I didn’t dislike anything except the fact that the series is over.

Overall: This is a really good series for anyone to read because all of Rick Riordan’s books (Percy, Heroes of Olympus, and Kane) are clean. There are no cuss words and nothing sexual. There’s lots of action and some romance, but it isn’t the kind of romance geared for older audiences. The characters are around fifteen and are just getting into the dating world which makes these books good for kids that age and older people that don’t want to read about how hot a guy is and how much a girl wants to make out with him. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book especially to fans of the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series, and even to people that want a light romance instead of hot and heavy.

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

I don't know what to say about this book. It was interesting and fast paced, and it was disappointing and boring all at the same time. The book starts out at a party and then leads to Norway and fishing boats. It's all good and interesting learning about how weird the people are acting, and the interactions between Elsa and Tuck. But then you get to the middle and it's just boring.

One of the things I didn't like was that Tuck would never let Elsa fight. He always tried to get her to stop and prevent her from fighting. While it's romantic that he doesn't want to her get hurt, it was annoying that he wouldn't let her do anything remotely dangerous. To me, a guy has to treat a girl equally and if she wants to fight, let her fight.

Another thing that was annoying was that within what seemed like 12 hours, there were so many confrontations. It basically went like this:

6:00 PM Confrontation with Astrid
6:30 PM Follow Astrid
7:15 PM Confutation with Astrid
7:45 Follow Astrid
8:30 Confrontation with Astrid

I kid you not. That is literally how it went. Confrontation, follow. Confrontation, follow. And each time nothing interesting happened.

What should have happened was a confrontation and a follow, then go home and form a plan before coming and fighting her. There was also a surprising twist with Tuck that I feel like could have been played more, and annoyingly, the twist was never solved in the book. We read about the plot twist and that's it. It annoyed me to no end because we go through the rest of the book like it never even happened when obviously it was a big deal. The author could have made that twist come sooner and gone into more detail and more drama. I'm not sure if there's going to be a second book or not. I've tried googleing and checking goodreads, but I can't find an answer. The book leaves an opening for a second book, and I think a great plot for it would be the twist with Tuck. I hope there will be a second book because it's a refreshing change to have Norwegian Mythology instead of Greek. If there is a sequel, I will definitely read it and I even recommend this book because overall it was good, but it could have been better.