Month: November 2016

Seasonal TBR Moods

Posted November 30, 2016 / Discussions, Features / 10 Comments

Like a lot of people, my mood reading can really pick up depending on what season it is. I know Cristina talked about this at one point so I know I’m not alone! (Since I started putting this post together forever ago I’ve seen more posts like this, but I can’t remember who!) I traditionally read a lot of summery, beachy books during the summer (duh) and gravitate towards fantasy books in the winter. Some of the other seasons are less obvious because the weather isn’t hugely different. I started thinking, though, about how different months of the year and seasons can impact my reading. This doesn’t only include the weather – I’m also talking about readathons or monthly challenges. I think the biggest factor in my reading can be the season. Depending on the weather (and the location that I’ll be reading in!), I’ll gravitate towards specific genres to fit those ~vibes~ outside. In the summer, I’m all about fluffy contemporaries or stories that take place on a beach or in a beachy town. I don’t like to think too much during the summer because the weather is usually too nice for that shit. I love sitting out on my porch or laying on the beach while I read. There’s just something about that season that makes me happy I hoarded all of the summertime books throughout the year, no matter how much I may have wanted to read them otherwise. I love the fluffiness or the beach settings so much. I like to […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #117: Holiday Gift Guide

Posted November 29, 2016 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 15 Comments

Ten YA Books I’d Buy My Sister for Christmas Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. This week’s TTT is a Holiday Gift Guide freebie (ten books to buy the YA lover in your life, 10 books to buy for your dad, etc.). I’m loving these open-ended freebies! My little sister is 14 years old – soon to be 15 in April, holy shit – and she reads a lot of YA along with me. She has some similar books on her “TBR” and there are some I’d like to buy for her this year for Christmas. I usually get her Lego sets and I’ve already bought her a pair of Lularoe leggings for Christmas, so I don’t go the book route. In any case, here are 10 books I’d buy her!My little sister, Jordyn, loves the Harry Potter books (as everyone should) and tends to read a good amount of contemporary as well. She loves any books about fanfiction and books with “nerd” in the title because she feels like she is one! (No shame in that game.) She is obsessed with YouTubers and uses the word “ship” on a regular basis, with just about anyone/anything. She’s one of us! She does color guard in the high school band and is very […]

ARC Review: Heartless

Posted November 28, 2016 / Book Reviews / 9 Comments

Initial Excitement I think it’s pretty obvious why I was excited for this one! I adored the Lunar Chronicles series by Meyer and was SO ready to see how she would work in a different world! I love that she is staying with retellings, because clearly she’s great at them, but I am definitely intrigued to see where she heads from here. Will she keep them going?! Anyways, I have been waiting for an Alice in Wonderland retelling that I’d love. I had super mixed feelings about the last one I read but I kind of loved that world. (I need to reread one other Alice retelling series again because I LOVED it back in the day.) So, in any case, you could say I was pumped for this book. I saw lots of people who were excited because of Marissa Meyer, but nervous because they don’t enjoy Alice retellings as much. Quick Summary Cath is just a normal girl in Wonderland when the King of Hearts sets his sights on her for marriage. She quickly determines she isn’t interested him and instead wants to open a bakery with her best friend/maid Mary Ann. She also (just as quickly) falls for the court joker, Jest. They have a bit of a secret love affair while the king continues to court her. She has to find a way to break it off with the king and make her ~dreams come true~ instead. BUT we all know how the Queen of Hearts turns out, right? Storytelling, Setting, and […]

2016 Holiday Books & Celebration

Posted November 25, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 14 Comments

In previous years, I have really cozied up in the holiday season and done a lot of Christmassy reading. I absolutely love letting the snow fall outside and reading holiday books with a nice cup of hot chocolate. I am a very indoorsy person during the winter months, let me tell you. As always, I have to include a TBR post for this holiday season and share what I plan on doing on the blog. I like to read and review the books quickly so you may have some recommendations before it’s too late. (Most of my reviews are scheduled weeks or months out, which wouldn’t help you read holiday books during the actual holidays.) You can see past TBRs, readathons, and wintery graphics from 2014 and 2015 if you’re curious. I love featuring holiday-themed reviews that start at the end of November and end before New Year’s. I hope it gives people enough of a shot to get some last-minute holiday recommendations while they’re in the mood! I started a new holiday cheer-o-meter feature last year, where I rate the book on how much holiday-related cheer and feels it brings to the table. Some books I read are more winter-focused while others are full-on Christmas stories. I also include a little graphic to tell you quickly the holidays that are involved in the story. If you’re looking for something more specific, I’ve got you covered. In each review, I want to let you know just how holiday-oriented the story is, as well as […]

Three Things

Posted November 24, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 4 Comments

As you know, I sometimes steal borrow from lifestyle bloggers when it comes to more personal features around the blog. I know it’s my job to blog about books here, but I do love sharing some more info about myself from time to time! I saw this post on a new blog I started following and she grabbed it from someone else, but I ended up adding a few more of my own as well to make it a longer. Feel free to join in but share the credit around 🙂 Three things I’d never give up | Books, pizza, football This is kind of easy for me off the top of my head but there are countless other things I’d never want to do away with. I’m thinking tacos, margaritas, coffee, Friends, crab rangoon, Netflix… Ugh. And obviously I didn’t include people in this because let’s stick with the things here. Three favorite vegetables | Onions, corn, lettuce I love salad so I have to include lettuce here. Give me all the ranch dressing, please. Otherwise, I am one of those weird people who LOVES onions of all kinds – cooked or uncooked. I don’t care. I also just love corn for some reason. Veggies aren’t my favorite overall but these are my picks, dude. Three favorite fruits | Blueberries, clementines, strawberries I had to add this question in because it seemed like a no-brainer. I have to say that raspberry is my favorite fruity FLAVOR but I would pick these three actual […]

Review: The Amateurs

Posted November 23, 2016 / Book Reviews / 2 Comments

Initial Excitement I think everyone knows at this point how I feel about Sara Shepard? If you don’t, check this post out. I’ve read all of her YA books/series and 1 out of 3 of her “adult” books. She’s one of my favorite authors because her books are so quick and easy to read; I’m second-guessing my theories of whodunnit until the very end. I knew that reading this book would further propel me out of my reading slump, so it was released at the perfect time. I’d also like to point out that any book set in Connecticut is going to make me excited! Quick Summary Five years ago, a high school senior named Helena disappeared from her backyard in Connecticut. Her case remained unsolved and amateur detectives on the Case Not Closed website recently opened it again. Helena’s younger sister, Aerin, posts for help and Seneca is on the case. She used to be obsessed with it and is ready to dive in with two other members of the board – Maddy and Brett. They all head up to Connecticut over spring break to help Aerin, learn more, and hopefully crack the case. Storytelling, Setting, and Feels If you’ve read other Sara Shepard books you’re probably sitting here thinking that it sounds the same as her other series. Yes, they all seem to involve some kind of mystery and/or murder, a group of teens coming together to solve it, and other drama along the way. I have to say – […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #116: Thanksgiving

Posted November 22, 2016 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 12 Comments

Ten Things & Books I’m Thankful For Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. This week’s TTT is a Thanksgiving Freebie where you can talk about books or things you’re thankful for. I wanted to combine the two (I’ve done this in the past, where I’ve talked about books, people, and authors I’m thankful for, as well as which characters I’d spend Thanksgiving with). It’s been a shitty month, to say the least, so I hope putting together this positive post puts a smile on our faces. These are in no specific order! (Do you really think I like pumpkin-flavored things more than my friends? Actually, hmmmm…..) Chris I’m always, always thankful for Chris. I love spending time with him and having a partner who makes me laugh every single day. Whether we’re just sitting on the couch watching a movie or doing separate things (reading and video games), going out on a hike, spending time with friends or family, or heading out on some kind of adventure… we always know how to have the best time. We’re almost always on the same page and hope for the same things out of life. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s been four years and other times it feels like it’s […]

Library Love | November

Posted November 21, 2016 / Features, Library Love, Weekly Memes / 10 Comments

I’ve been wanting to share some library hauls on the blog, since I don’t usually include them in my monthly wrap-ups. I just show the books I acquired for keeps instead of the ones I’m renting 😉 However, the library has been really fantastic lately. I go through phases where I use it A LOT and phases where I forget it exists somehow. Whenever the mood strikes, I’ll share what I’m working on from the library during any given month. I haven’t done one of these since April so I thought it was due time… since I went crazy last time! The Choices We Make by Karma Brown | I adored her debut so incredibly much. I’m really nervous this one won’t hold up, but I’ve seen nothing but great reviews so far! I’m sure I’ll need to pick this one up when I’m in the mood to cry again, because good lorddddd did her first book make me SOB. Interference by Kay Honeyman | This was added to my hold list on a whim (I think someone posted a review that I saw?) and recently came in. I love anything football related. The really broad comparisons for this one make it seem like it’ll be similar to another favorite of mine (Jane Austin + football), so we’ll see! Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas | No-brainer. I decided to hold off on buying the audio of this for now so I can test out actually reading one of the books in this […]

What Does a Perfect Weekend Look Like to You?

Posted November 20, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 12 Comments

These are a few of my favorite things Sometimes I read lifestyle bloggers’ posts and wish I started that kind of blog instead. I actually have one out there in cyberspace that I don’t use because I don’t have time for two blogs. I started working on a post for 2017 on here where I talk about upcoming ~changes~ on this blog that reflect that need for more personal stuff. Don’t worry; the breakdown is probably still going to be 90% books and 10% my life. Sometimes I just feel the need to write a post and let my thoughts spill out of my head. I’m sitting here on my couch under a comfy blanket, with a holiday candle burning and football on the TV. I can’t believe it’s only 6:30PM right now; it gets dark way too early nowadays. I was convinced the early games were actually the late games and it’s really like 10 at night right now. Earlier, I made dip to eat with chips and cooked chicken drumsticks in the crockpot. We ran some errands in the morning before the 1:00PM football games. Yesterday, we went for a super long hike (got lost lol) before our end-of-year Lego club meeting. We had a lazy Saturday night where we watched countless episodes of The Office and went to bed early. The night before – on Friday- we went to Target to get some snacks for our hike and ate leftover pizza for dinner. These super lowkey weekends are perfect in […]

Review: Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies

Posted November 18, 2016 / Book Reviews / 6 Comments

Initial Excitement Do you ever NEED a book so much, you just can’t believe how perfectly it fits in to your mood? I have been in such a weird reading mood/slump for the past month and a half, for essentially the first time since I started blogging. I was intrigued by this book from the moment I saw it because it sounds exactly like a rom-com I’d love. However, when I sat down to pick up this book for the first time, I just knew it would break my slump and make my reading heart happy again. I was right, thank god. Quick Summary Harper finds out that her summer is going to be better than expected. She ends up getting an internship with Shift magazine (kind of like a Seventeen) in New York City as a dating blogger. She didn’t apply for that internship and has essentially zero dating experience, but she goes for it anyways. She lives with her awesome aunt in a gorgeous, huge apartment, makes new friends at the office, and deals with the “little white lies” she has to tell about her dating history. Storytelling, Setting, and Feels Harper was definitely the classic “clumsy and often clueless” main character that can be really irritating for me to read about. I have to say, the author pulled this character off better than I expected. I hardly ever found myself annoyed with Harper – with a few exceptions of course – and that made for some fun, light reading. […]