Month: May 2015

Bookmark Lit Bulletin – May 2015

Posted May 31, 2015 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 9 Comments

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin was created to wrap up each month and prepare for the next. I share my life happenings, book haul, books I read and reviewed, posts I shared, challenge updates, and more from the previous month. I also let you know what may be coming up on the blog in the coming month. You can read past bulletins here and learn more about the feature here. Holy moly. May was extremely busy. I was jam-packed every weekend and the weeks went by so, so fast. I know I say this LITERALLY every month, but how is it already over?? I just pulled out my Erin Condren to double check what the heck happened because I already forgot. OKAY GO. The first weekend of May was a birthday party for Chris’s cousin’s son. (I think this is called first cousin once removed?) He turned three and he’s ridiculously cute, so that was a pretty fun time. His family loves to show up super late to parties though, and we’re getting pretty sick of it. The following weekend we decided to make a day trip up to Boston! We visited Quincy Market and Assembly Row (new Legoland Discovery Center!). We were disappointed that the Discovery Center is only for kids though. We were able to get into the store though… The next day was Mother’s Day, where we had to jet between three different events. I have to say, I’m always sad about being a child of divorce on holidays where […]

Blog Tour Review: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

Posted May 29, 2015 / Book Reviews / 5 Comments

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler Publisher: Simon Pulse Release Date: June 2nd 2015 Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Retellings, Chick Lit The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak. Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one. Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . . This book was one […]

Review: The One That Got Away

Posted May 28, 2015 / Book Reviews / 6 Comments

I’ve started to get really picky about how and when I buy books. I’ve been focusing on buying books that I’ve already read and loved, because I don’t like the idea of owning a book and not loving it. I don’t often buy books unless I think for sure that I’m going to love it or if its in a series I’ve been reading and I want all of them. ANYWAYS, this book had been teasing me at Target for a couple of different trips and I couldn’t resist picking up a copy. I’m obsessed with the cover, it had some great reviews, and it just seemed like a book I’d love. I’m so, so glad I bought a copy. The first line of this book immediately told me I’d love it: “Every woman has one. That name you Google at two o’clock in the morning. That intoxicating connection that somehow never solidified into anything real; that particular memory you still visit every now and then, for that guaranteed hit of pure, sugar-packed dopamine. It’s that story that starts with ‘There was this one time’ and ends, reluctantly, with ‘but I guess…’” I loved Sarina’s voice right away. I could tell that she was going to be funny and unique, and that she would make me love this book no matter what happened. Unlike some readers, I really wasn’t nervous about the relationship in the book. I don’t mind books where there’s cheating or falling in love with someone else […]

Book Buddies Review: The Program

Posted May 27, 2015 / Book Buddies Reviews, Book Reviews / 2 Comments

Book Buddies is a discussion-style review that takes place with one of my two buddies. (Learn more and see past reviews here) We both read the book and then have a private discussion about it. We post our discussion as a review on the last Wednesday of each month. You’ll be able to see our similar/different opinions on the overall book, characters, writing style, etc. – just like a regular review. The first half our discussion will take place right here, and the second half will be on Kaitlin’s blog! (Link at the bottom) View Kaitlin’s part of the discussion here. Some spoilers ahead! A lot of dystopia books seem to offer some kind of warning or moral about today’s society. Do you think this society, with The Program and the suicide epidemic, could happen in our world? Kaitlin: This is a question I tend to ask often about the society when reading a dystopian book. Honestly, yes I do think that this could be a possible outcome of our society in the future. Suicide and depression is what I believe to be a national issue that is in our society. People killing themselves due to bullying, mistakes, a mental disorder, etc. There are things like therapy but does that seriously help? Obviously, therapy and other things won’t prevent all suicide, With technology advancing more and more, the pills people took during the Program could be invented. It really intrigues me as well because in this book, it seems that the people that are causing depression […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #41: Beach Reads

Posted May 26, 2015 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 18 Comments

Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make lists of our top ten books based on that week’s prompt… and then we stalk other people’s answers to add a million books to our TBR. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Links go to Goodreads or my review. I LOOOOVE THISSS TOPICCCCC *twirls* For real though, my favorite time of year for reading is SUMMERTIME. I save allll of the beachy, road trip, summery contemporary books for June, July, and August. These types of books are my favorite and I make sure I read them when the weather matches! Reading on the beach, outside, on my porch, by the pool, in the pool – you name it, I’m there. Reading. All summer. DAMN why did I change my career ideas to something year-round, 9-5? Someone go back and punch high-school-Lauren in the head. Check out my summery shelf on Goodreads and my summer book recommendation list (pardon the formatting and ugliness – it’s an old post. Also you will not be surprised to see that I have more than ten books on this list… duh. If you haven’t read The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for! …well, unless you have an aversion to love triangles. I binge-read this series maybe 3 summers ago and have wanted to revisit ever since. […]

Inside & Out #7: Amber from YA Indulgences

Posted May 25, 2015 / Features, Inside and Out / 9 Comments

Admiring book covers and bookmarks, shared by you! Welcome to INSIDE AND OUT. This feature includes two of my absolute favorite book-related things: bookmarks (inside) and book covers (out)! I’ve invited guest posters to share their favorite book covers and bookmarks here on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Sign-ups are always open (see bottom of post)! Check out past posts here. Amber from YA Indulgences Twitter: @YAIndulgences| Instagram: @YAIndulgences Tell me a little about yourself: Hi everyone! I’m so happy to be here! I guess I’ll give you the basics for my life. 🙂 I’m 23. I began writing poetry when I was in middle school, which expanded to short stories in high school. I’m a Christian and went to Christian college for two years. I’ve had four blogs in the past, YA Indulgences being the only one to not quickly die out. 🙂 I figure it makes sense given the awesome community there is so I couldn’t just leave. For fun I like to listen to music, binge tv series, and go for walks. I’m also known to be quite quiet and sarcastic. If you can figure out how that works, let me know. 😉 Talk about your blog (what you blog about/kinds of books, features, etc.): My blog is primarily a Young Adult blog. I want to eventually bring in some adult books and classics as well every once in a while. My favorite genre of book within the YA umbrella are contemporary whether they be romances or books that deal with serious issues. […]

Reading Recap #3

Posted May 23, 2015 / Features, Reading Recap / 6 Comments

Because my reviews are usually posted at least a month after I finish the book, I never really talk about what I’m currently reading or just finished reading. This Reading Recap feature will let you know the the books I just finished reading and listening to, as well as the books I’m currently reading and listening to. Past recaps here! Kissing in America by Margo Rabb | I just finished this book Friday morning, right before my blog tour review post was due. Talk about procrastination. I really liked this one a lot! The main character could be a bit intense and annoying at times, but it was kind of addicting and had GREAT messages. I love that family, friends, and overcoming fears trumped romance in this book. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer | This book was for the YA book club I started in my area! We thought it would be a good first pick because Picoult is a well-known adult fiction author, and would provide a nice segue into YA if people hadn’t read it yet. This book was… pretty good. I think we all agreed it was VERY young and silly, but it did a great job of mirroring a fairy tale. We had some issues with plot holes but it was extremely readable and quick. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler | Yet again, my expectations crush my bookish dreams. When will I learn? This was a book that I was HIGHLY anticipating and was really excited […]

Blog Tour Review: Kissing in America

Posted May 22, 2015 / Book Reviews / 7 Comments

I really, really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down. I love when a book can completely set the scene and give me plenty of things to relate to. I’ve been liking the format of “five reasons to read” for reviews sometimes, so without further ado… Five Reasons to Read Kissing in America 1. The Road Trip This is definitely the kind of book that gets me in the mood to travel. I love the idea of taking a cross-country road trip and am absolutely determined to do it someday. I have to say, I wouldn’t enjoy the exact same trip that these girls had, but it definitely gave me some inspiration! The story centers around Eva and her best friend Annie traveling to California. They’re headed to a TV competition for Annie to win scholarship money, but Eva organizes the trip with the purpose of visiting Will, a boy she’s been falling for. I loved reading about the two of them traveling the country, stopping and meeting some interesting characters, and exploring a lot of feelings. I love when books motivate me to get up and DO SOMETHING. 2. The Friendship Annie and Eva had a really strong relationship. I loved that they were both incredibly smart and talked about way more complex things than people their age. Eva made some mistakes, especially at the end, but Annie was always there to listen and help her. I can’t imagine Eva being an easy person to be friends with, but […]

Head vs. Heart – Reading, Rating, and Reviewing

Posted May 21, 2015 / Discussions, Features / 28 Comments

I loved Shannon’s post – and quiz! – about this topic recently, and it sparked the same kind of discussion in me. Her quiz supported what I already knew about myself. (Book cover links bring you to my review.) Do you read, rate, and review books based more on your HEAD or on your HEART? In Shannon’s post, she shared that she thought all bloggers are located on a head vs. heart spectrum when reviewing books. Most people lean one way or the other, but there are some that fall towards the middle of the road. Some people can stay unbiased in their reviews, while others either lean towards their emotions OR critical analysis. It got me thinking about how I usually try to fall in the middle, but gravitate more towards my heart over my head… BUT this can vary completely throughout the whole “I’m going to read this book, rate it, and post a review on my blog” process. Following your head or your heart can alter the three stages of the bookish process: reading, rating, and reviewing. Reading Being a book blogger is hard. We always talk about how it feels like the love of reading dwindles as you (a) start being influenced by other readers and books you may not have found before, (b) get more and more review copies, and (c) try to keep up with challenges, schedules, and pub dates. I try as hard as I can to read only books I genuinely have an […]

Review: Saint Anything

Posted May 20, 2015 / Book Reviews / 18 Comments

It wasn’t until I started filling out my rating report that I knew that this book could be considered a favorite. I got to the end of it and was completely impressed, AS USUAL, but just didn’t feel like it had a SPARK that made me say “this is hopping onto my favorites shelf.” It’s the kind of quiet YA book that I’ve been absolutely loving lately. (Read Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway as soon as its released; you’ll know exactly what I mean.) It has some really heavy themes but there’s not a lot of your typical drama that gets associated with some young adult contemporary books. It was so refreshing. Her family has issues that they need to deal with – A LOT more issues than your average family – but it was still a very subtle (maybe that’s not the right word) story that impressed me regardless. I can completely see why Dessen has said this book took her a long time to write and was particularly challenging. I’ve always thought that Sarah Dessen was the queen of contemporary because she could perfectly blend family, friendship, and romance all into a perfect story about imperfect characters. This book was no exception to that, although the romance part was definitely subdued compared to the rest – which I loved! It was built up organically through little glances at each other and moments of “what-if,” but didn’t compare to the themes of friendship and family. It had its rightful […]