Search Results for: read-bait

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | July into August 2016

Posted August 1, 2016 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 10 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. This reading month got off to a good start, I’d say. I finished a few books really early on and kept being in the reading mood through the rest of the month. I struggled during the readathon a little because I found myself not exactly in the mood for certain books.This feeling kind of continued through the rest of the month – I read some MEH books and that impacted my reading mojo. I’m well on my way to finishing my Goodreads Challenge early! Average rating for books read in July: 3.86 stars All book covers link to their Goodreads pages Best of the Best • Pleasantly Surprised • Disappointed All of the books read this month: Average rating for books reviewed in July: 3.77 stars My final Secret Sister package from Ginger was perfect. I can’t believe this round is already over! Insanity. She filled it with my favorite snacks (Oreos, Sour Patch Watermelons, Junior Mints), two books I’ve been super excited for, bookmarks, and some cute sticky notes/paper. I’ve loved receiving her thoughtful packages because she always seemed to intuitively know when […]

Top 10 Most Anticipated Romances for the Second Half of 2016

Posted July 30, 2016 / Book Lists, Features / 11 Comments

As you (probably don’t) know, one goal I had when starting this blog was to feature recommendation lists for people seeking new books to read within different topics. Top Ten Tuesday kind of took over for this area for me, which is perfect, but sometimes I like to create my own. The Contemporary Romance Challenge hosts a monthly topic to partake in. Past topics this year: Anticipated Early ’16 Romances • Recs for Newbies • Favorite Tropes • Favorite Contemp Romances Ever • Underrated Romances Here’s July’s topic: Anticipated Romances through the EOY I love sharing a few sentences straight from the synopsis to really show you why this book made it on my list. Sometimes certain parts of the book summaries just go right to my heart and insist I add the book to my TBR right away. Kind of like my read-bait! Enjoy the shippy goodness below. A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody “So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her.” → Groundhog Day/Before I Fall kind of deal that I LOVE Cherry by Lindsey Rosin “Four best friends make a pact during their senior year of high school to lose their virginities—and end up finding friendship, love, and self-discovery along the way.” → I can smell the sex-positivity from a mile away Game On by Michelle Smith “But when he needs a way to stay on the team, she proposes a plan: […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #99: Bookish Motivation

Posted July 26, 2016 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 9 Comments

Ten Things Books Have Inspired Me to Do 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 topic is the Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About After Reading Them. I have actually done this topic in the past on the blog and remember having so much fun with it. (The topic was actually inspirational quotes but I had just posted favorite book quotes, so I mixed it up!) I’m excited to revisit this idea because there are plenty of other books I’ve read since then that inspired me to do things. Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick inspired me to start my read-bait blog series up again I love books about reunions and this one was no exception. Any time characters get together after spending years apart, especially if there were some big secrets being hidden… I’m all about it. This inspired me to start my read-bait series up again because I had taken quite a break from it for a while. Adventure Time Volume 1 inspired me to finally read comics and graphic novels Before Scribd changed their memberships up, I came across this comic and just randomly started to read it. It was the final push I needed before I started […]

Mid-Year Blogging Update and Goals

Posted July 2, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 11 Comments

HOW????? Seriously this year has flown by. I can’t believe we’re already in the warm months, let alone being halfway done with 2016. I feel like we all say this all the time, but it’s so true – where does the time go? I love doing recaps because I’m lame, so obviously I’m here to sum up my 2016 reading life so far! I also will revisit some of the bloggy goals I created and catch up on progress. As you see in my monthly wrap-ups, I keep my stats updated each time. The spreadsheet I use is definitely the reason for my organization. I use this time of year (in addition to the end of the year) to REALLY go all-out with my stats. It also helps me create new goals or update existing ones. I may decide I really should read more fantasy or more books from my own shelves. I’ll highlight all of the books I’ve read so far in general too. All of the Books Read So Far Random Fun Smallest book read: We Should All Be Feminists (49 pages) Largest book read: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (759 pages) Most read author: Lemony Snicket (13) Books read 300 pages or under: 28% Books read over 300 pages: 72% Most pages / books in a month: 7108 pages / 23 books in April Least pages / books in a month: 4271 pages / 12 books in May I always wish there was some master list of my favorite blog posts from each year […]

ARC Review: A Season for Fireflies

Posted June 27, 2016 / Book Reviews / 6 Comments

I tore through this book pretty quickly – it was a really easy read for me and frankly just what I needed at the time. I have some issues with it overall and really think the book could have benefitted from 50-100 more pages. We don’t get enough information about her life before the accident to FEEL anything. There’s one small section of the book where we see her quit drama club, ignore her friends, and keep secrets (her mom’s drinking) from everyone. All of this basically happens in one afternoon. In that same day, she meets the popular girl, Kylie, and they kind of hit it off right away. The book jumps ahead to a year later, where her and Kylie have been best-friend-ing it up. She’s ignored her other friends and moved on from them for what feels like no reason at all. Kylie is apparently vague about her life and Penny enjoys being able to ~hide things~ from her without feeling guilty. THIS is why she completely reinvents her life? I just didn’t buy it. The romance was super meh as a result of everything above. Before she abandons her friends, she has a budding romance with one of her friends, Wes. Something is about to happen between them when she says BYE EVERYONE and moves on to bigger and more popular things. Why!? I literally don’t get it. Because she didn’t want them to know about her mom’s drinking? It just seems kind of stupid to […]

ARC Reviews: Meet Me Here and Autofocus

Posted May 26, 2016 / Book Reviews / 4 Comments

I love books that take place in one night. The character just graduated or has one night left before college or is leaving for some reason, and they spend all night with their friends making memories. It’s just a fun plotline to me and definitely read-bait. This book definitely had that element. On the other hand, it had some military plotlines that don’t resonate with me as much. I loved one book involving PTSD and loved it, but read another with someone in the military and didn’t enjoy it very much at all. They can be hit or miss I guess but it’s just not a topic that interests me. So, you could say I went into this book with mixed expectations. Thomas is shipping out the morning after graduation, to follow in his brother’s and father’s footsteps. It’s something he’s kind of always wanted to be a part of but also feels forced into because of the familial expectations. The story takes place the night of/after graduation and kicks off with him coming back into contact with his childhood best friend, Mallory. She has some complicated things happening on her end, and the two of them set off to complete some childhood missions. The book travels with them (and other friends, relatives, and new acquaintances) across town. Thomas is planning on running away by morning instead of shipping out because he doesn’t want to be “messed up” like his brother is now that he’s home from the war. I’m […]

Blog Tour | Review: Where We Fall

Posted May 4, 2016 / Book Reviews / 8 Comments

Review I mentioned this book back in my recent read-bait post. The synopsis called out to me because I love the stories about coming home, reuniting with old friends, and uncovering past ~secrets~ of some kind. I knew this book would need to be read immediately, so I’m happy to take part in the blog tour (they always give me a kick in the pants to read books I’m excited for, instead of getting bogged down in other things!). Honestly though, “For the first time in seventeen years, a trio of once-inseparable friends find themselves confronting past loves, hurts, and the rapid rush of a current that still pulls them together…” is so ridiculously ME; I can’t even deal. The book started off with a bang – it kept me interested right from the beginning. The main character, Abby, had hit an emotional rock bottom and was dealing with the consequences within her family. Her husband, Ryan, and daughter, Juliana, are very close; it weighs on Abby quite a bit that she can’t and doesn’t have the same kind of relationship as they do. There was a LOT going on within the first 50 pages of the book! As the synopsis promises, someone from their past returns home and derails everything even further. I liked when Lauren was introduced because she provided some more background about how the three of them shifted around and lost touch. Wondering about their backstory was the driving force for me. This is really character-driven story. […]

Exploring YA Mystery/Thriller Novels

Posted April 22, 2016 / Discussions, Features / 9 Comments

I’ve recently gotten into reading some more mystery/thrillers than usual. I’m not a person who likes to be creeped out while reading, so I used to avoid them. (Notable exceptions are obviously two of my all-time favorite book series… whoops?) There’s just something fun and appealing about them lately. My Goodreads shelf is over 150 books strong for this genre, but I’ve only read a handful. So… as much as I enjoy reading them lately, I find it VERY hard to give them a strong rating. Usually this comes from a few different factors that I’ll talk about below. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve really liked quite a few too! There are some elements that I consider read-bait for me, too. Let’s chat about young adult mysteries, mmmkay?I have three main issues when I read YA mysteries. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve generally enjoyed most of the books I’m going to talk about below… but some major elements of each story just don’t work for me. It’s been obvious across a few books and I’ve noticed it a lot lately. Examples: When • Gone Too Far Arguably my biggest issue lately is that I cannot connect to the characters. The main reason I can’t connect with them is because I’m naturally suspicious of everyone. Usually I can get comfortable with the main character because, chances are, they’re not a suspect. I suspect EVERY side character of being involved (because come on, how many times has it been the best friend who […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin – March 2016

Posted April 1, 2016 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 10 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. This month was a whirlwind. Sometimes I was stuck on one book for a few days; other books I finished within a couple of hours. It was nice to have a mix, but I have to say – I stressed myself out a little too much this month. I neeed to relax on my ARC borrowing because this month was chock-full of June and July releases. Kind of insane, considering what month it is… Oh well, moving on! Average rating for books read in March: 3.8 stars All book covers link to their Goodreads pages Best of the Best • Pleasantly Surprised • Disappointed All of the books read this month: Average rating for books reviewed in March: 3.84 stars Secret Sister Project I swear, my Secret Sister is a mind-reader. The day I received this package, I was thinking about how badly I wanted to read 17 First Kisses soon. Insane timing! She also sent along some of my all-time favorite candies, which were eaten way too quickly. My favorite hot chocolate was perfect when it (ugh) snowed again the following week! She also gave me this […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #83: Best Recent Books

Posted March 29, 2016 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 16 Comments

Best Books I’ve Read Recently (4.5 or 5 stars) 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. I actually just had a post planned for last week involving a similar topic. After some adjustments, I was able to get ahead and make it this week’s TTT instead! I love being able to highlight favorite recent books because I feel like books always need love. A lot of these books are actually not even released yet, so keep your eyes peeled for them when they’re out! Hopefully you’ll add them to your early TBR list 😉 Please note that the months below show when I read the book, not its release month. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This book is also one of my favorite books ever, I’d say. Just like 2015, there’s a good chance that TJR takes home the “favorite book of the year” award. I know there are still 9 more months left for some favorites to pop up… but I dunno. This one could take the cake. I absolutely love her writing style. Everything about this book was relatable – from relationship issues to spending time with family to treating yourself instead of focusing on other people for once. Even though I personally wouldn’t spend a year […]