Monday, November 30, 2015

November Wrap-Up and Book Haul!


First and foremost, I want to say that I barely purchased any books this month which I'm very proud of myself for being able to do! Part of the reason was because of gift shopping, art supplies that I needed for class and a million other things of the sort. But enough rambling. Here are all the lovelies I added to my ever-growing book collection!


The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket (ASOUE #6) -Library- $1
Self-Immolation by Joe Kamm- Sent For Review-
The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón- Library- $1
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's #2) -Half Price Books- $2
The Rose Society by Marie Lu (The Young Elites #2) (Signed Copy) -Half Price Books- $2
Winter by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #4) -Amazon- $13.99

And now for the wrap-up!
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And now for CD's!

We Love Disney- Wal-Mart- (gift for a friend)
Pentatonix Deluxe Edition- Target- $15.99
DNA by Little Mix- Library- $1
Narnia Soundtrack- Library- $1

So that's my month in books and CD's! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Review: Self-Immolation by Joe Kamm

Self- Immolation by Joe Kamm
26242551
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Biographical
Score: ❤❤❤❤
Page Count: 210
Stand Alone
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: September 3, 2015

In 2001, the van that I had been living in for a year burned to the ground near Tijuana, Mexico. Five years later, I found myself bedridden after a car accident that paralyzed my left leg. Self-Immolation is a biographical novel that weaves together these two events in a detailed account of my search for love and meaning as a young man and my struggle to overcome my self-destructive nature.

I was sent this book for an honest review by the author. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

Review:
PROS:
1. Since I've been in a very long and drawn out reading slump these past few months, I've been wanting to try reading a book out of my preferred reading genre so when I was asked to review this book, I jumped at the chance thinking this was exactly the type of read I was looking for. I wasn't sure what this book would end up doing for me but I was happy to check it out nonetheless. Here's my review:

2. The first thing that I really loved about this book was the fact that it held nothing back. It was very truthful and honest and raw about the events that took place as our main character Joe goes on quite the journey in order to find something worth living for. I loved how the different troubles that he found himself in added to his development as a person and offered some valuable lessons that I think we can all learn from. This book takes you through the ups and downs of self-discovery as well as gives an insight on a deeper outlook on life and all it has to offer. 

3. The book isn't perfect but at the same time, that's what makes it as great as it is. As you read about the troubles and people and obstacles that Joe has to face, you get a sense of the type of person that he is and get to see how much development he actually goes through while going on his one-year journey with just his van and guitar to keep him company. His self-destructive nature brings him into contact with so many different people going on different walks in life and it was really cool to see that. I loved the different varieties in the people we got to meet throughout this book.

4. Overall, it was quite a different read than what I'm used to but I still really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book that will take them on a journey across America that can teach you a few things on life, finding what's most important in life and might even teach you a few things about yourself. 

The reason why I didn't give this book a five-star rating was because I don't usually read biographical books so it was a little slow for me personally. But if this book peaked your interest, I would suggest picking this one up for sure!

Follow Joe!

Get this book on Amazon for Kindle of Paperback!

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu (The Young Elites #2)

The Rose Society by Marie Lu (The Young Elites #2)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Score: 4.5 stars
Page Count: 395
Book #2 of The Young Elites trilogy
Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: October 13, 2015

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.
But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

Review:
PROS:
1. So if you've read the first book in this amazing series by the one and only Marie Lu or you're on Tumblr or Instagram- who isn't?- then you probably know that the previous book left many fans crying, heartbroken, excited and all around a roller coaster of emotions. Which is cool. So obviously when the sequel came out, I was extremely excited to find out what would happen next to my beloved characters on their newest journey. Let's get started:

2. Assuming you've read the first book- which if you haven't then you shouldn't be reading this review, because, you know, SPOILERS- then you know that when we last left our hero-gone-dark-side Adelina, she had struggled to stay the hero when her powers were only fueled by the pain, anger and fear of herself and those around her. In the previous book, she was very much confused about who she was becoming, what she was capable of doing and overcome with grief towards a fatal accident that she caused. In this book, however, Adelina is back and more powerful than ever and ready to fight back against her enemies and the friends that betrayed her. She becomes such a dark and powerful character that you honestly can't help but both cheer for her and hope that she has a change of heart. Adelina really makes some amazing development once she decides that she's not about to let the kingdom she loves fall to ruin to those who only want to attack her and her people, the malfettos. I love her character to no end and I love that we also get introduced to new characters such as new elites and reintroduced to characters from the first book. 

3. The world building and the writing is just so great in these books to me personally. I love Marie Lu's writing style and how she's so easily able to portray her characters and the world around them so beautifully. I loved that the characters were so unique and different from each other and how they all had different personalities that really defined them. I love the world and how medieval it felt so much and I couldn't help but get incredibly excited to get back into the city of Estenzia when I picked this book up. I really recommend this series to any fantasy lover that wants awesome characters, unique super powers, murder, action, flying beasts and exciting content that never slows. 


4. Overall, this book was just such an awesome installment in the series and it makes me yearn for the third book. I didn't like this book as much as I loved the first, but only because I was only getting to know everything there was to know about the characters and the world in the previous book, which made it a more exciting read than the sequel. I still loved this book though and I really, really hope that The Young Elites goes into development for a book-to-movie adaptation. That would be amazing. I highly recommend this series if you love a good villain-in-training. 


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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Allegiant Trailer and Playlist!

OMG!!!!!!!!!! IT'S HERE!!!!


So if you couldn't already tell, I'm EXTREMELY excited for the new trailer for the third installment of the Divergent film series "Allegiant" and I might have watched it three times back to back when it was first released . . . I'm a fangirl. Don't judge me.

Now that you know that I have slight obsession with this trilogy, to celebrate my excitement for this trailer, I thought I would share with you guys a list of songs that remind me of these books and movies. And because, you know, it's Shailene Woodley's birthday today so it's perfect time to fangirl even more about this movie.

NOW FOR THE SONGS!!! GET YOUR HEADPHONES!

1. Cold Blooded by JoJo



2. Confident by Demi Lovato



3. Fire n' Gold by Bea Miller



4. Run by Eppic & Black Prez



5. Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence



6. Runaway by Charity Vance



7. Heroes by Alesso



8. Fight Song by Rachel Platten



9. Water by Pentatonix



10. Battleships by Daughtry



So are you as excited about this movie as me or not? Which of these tracks is your favorite? Tell me all of that in the comments! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Edgar Allen Poe Novel Reveries Unboxing!


Hello everybody! Today I have a very special unboxing for you guys (well, my first unboxing) of some pretty awesome items that I won in a giveaway that Soudha over at Of Stacks and Cups hosted a few weeks ago! Be sure to check out her blog because she holds some of the coolest giveaways. Anyhoo, here are the items that I won! Yay me!*

P.S. I NEVER WIN ANYTHING.

So first up, we have my favorite item of the package: The necklace. I'm a sucker for necklaces and rings and own way more than I really need of both things. I'm a girl, I love my jewelry. I'm so in love with this awesome mini book necklace because it's obviously E.A. Poe themed but I actually own a complete works bind-up myself that rests on my coffee table that I just love reading out of every now and then. I love the colors and the craftsmanship is really good. Everything seems to be sealed nicely in a sort of glaze that ensures it won't get damaged by water or other liquids. The chain is strong and so is the eye hook and jump ring, which is awesome because I tend to break my chains. It's a comfortable length as well and not too bulky, which was the case of a lot of mini book necklaces that I came across. Needless to say, I LOVE it.



Next we have an awesome bracelet that has one of my favorite Edgar Allen Poe quotes on it. I love these cuff bracelets because you don't have to struggle with hooking it onto your wrist. The silver feels nice and strong and it's also easily sized to your wrist by squeezing the sides or tugging on them should you need to adjust it. Despite it being easy to resize, it feels very secure which makes me more comfortable knowing it won't be slipping off my wrist over and over again, I have very small wrists so the fact that I can pinch the sides as much as I need to without struggling is a thumbs up from me!




QUOTE: "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."



Now we have probably the coolest bookmark ever. I've always loved these awesome metal hook bookmarks because they're just so unique and come in many different shapes and sizes and themes. I love this one because it's so detailed and very Halloween themed. It almost reminds me a little bit of Jack Skellington because of the pumkin's face. I really love collecting bookmarks so any addition to my ever growing collection of them is very welcome. I love the detailing of this one because of the stars, the sun, a rainbow, clouds and the shooting star. Just gorgeous!

And last but not least, a delicious smelling soap. What more could you ask for? I was actually on the lookout for a new bar of soap so I was very happy to have received this. The packaging is really nice and the ingredients are very good for your skin so that's a definite plus. It also smells so nice and I just can't wait to use it!

Thank you once again to Deneé for sending these items my way! I plan on purchasing more from her shop in the future (probably when I need a new bar of soap) and you should check out her shop too. She has such awesome items like up-cycled book purses, more quote bracelets from your favorite books, a Fault In Our Stars themed music box as well as others and so much more. I can't wait to see what other items this talented lady puts up on her store and neither can my wallet.





Etsy Shop: Novel Reveries
Website: NovelReveries.com

Thanks to Soudha and Deneé for being awesome! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

*DISCLAIMER* I was not asked to write a post about these items or the shop. I'm simply posting this because I want to and I also want to help support the Novel Reveries shop. 

Monday, November 9, 2015

Review: Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
Page Count: 301
Stand Alone
Publisher: Chicken House Ltd
Published: May 9, 2009

It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.

This is my story.

A letter from nowhere. 


Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? 

The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

Review:
PROS:
1. I've been wanting to read this book for the longest time and was recommended time and again of this book and told just how amazing it is. So when I stumbled across a copy at my local bookstore, there was no way I was just going to walk away without the book in my hands. I finally got around to reading it so here's my review!

2. THE WRITING. Oh man, like what even?! I loved the writing style so much in this book for many reasons. One is just how unique and different it is since it's Gemma writing a letter to her captor. I loved how you felt so in tune with her story and even felt like you were part of the story yourself, experiencing all the things that Gemma was and following her on her journey back home and her fight to survive. It was beautifully written as well and the emotions that were felt were just so touching and meaningful. I loved everything about the writing style and thought it made such an interesting read.

3. I also really liked the characters. I liked Gemma's character because she was brave and had to figure out how to escape her captor and find a way back home alive. She's a fighter and was very strong in her situation. I also thought Ty was an interesting character to learn about, even though he kind of freaked me out at times. His story is very emotional and makes you connect with him on an emotional level. It was such a good time for me to get to know the characters and see what exactly made them tick and find out why Gemma was Ty's target for six years and even watch as Gemma starts to care for her captor. 

4. I really loved where the story went and how it played out from beginning to end. I loved that you get thrown into the story right on the first page, I mean with Gemma getting kidnapped on page five. There was no hesitation on that part and I really liked being able to follow the things that the characters did right off the bat and watch as Ty tries to get Gemma to understand him and to even love him. The story is just so intriguing and even though the cliffhanger ending kind of killed me, I still loved every second of it. It was a roller coaster ride for sure. It had me hooked so badly that I honestly couldn't put it down and when I had to, I blamed the world. I just wanted to read the whole thing and not do anything else.  

5. Overall, I NEED to see a movie for this book like now. I think it would make an awesome one! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a little something different while also being hooked into an intense adventure of a book. If you love thrillers, this is the book for you. 

Follow Lucy!

I hope you guys enjoyed my book review! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Most Anticipated November YA Releases!



It's the beginning of a new month and that means even more awesome books coming our way. I'm really excited for this month because of the variety of genres that will make this month an interesting one for reading. So here are the releases I'm most looking forward to!



23310763Title: The Anatomical Shape of a Heart
Author: Jenn Bennett
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends
Add It To Your Shelf!

Synopsis: Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?


20550148Title: Need
Author: Joelle Charnonneau
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Add It To Your Shelf!

Synopsis: 
"No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better."

Teenagers at Wisconsin's Nottawa High School are drawn deeper into a social networking site that promises to grant their every need . . . regardless of the consequences. Soon the site turns sinister, with simple pranks escalating to malicious crimes. The body count rises. In this chilling YA thriller, the author of the best-selling Testing trilogy examines not only the dark side of social media, but the dark side of human nature.
 


24892774Title: The Lies About Truth
Author: Courtney C. Stevens
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Add It To Your Shelf!

Synopsis: 
Sadie Kingston, is a girl living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can’t move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent’s brother, Max.

As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him — even if Max is able to look at her scars and not shy away. But when the truth about the accident and subsequent events comes to light, Sadie has to decide if she can embrace the future or if she'll always be trapped in the past.


13206900Title: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) 
Author: Marissa Meyer
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Genre: Dystopian, Retelling, Science Fiction
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends

Synopsis: Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?


23257464Title: The Game of Lives (The Mortality Doctrine #3)
Author: James Dashner
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Synopsis: Michael used to live to game, but the games he was playing have become all too real. Only weeks ago, sinking into the Sleep was fun. The VirtNet combined the most cutting-edge technology and the most sophisticated gaming for a full mind-body experience. And it was Michael’s passion. But now every time Michael sinks, he risks his life.

The games are over. The VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences, and Kaine grows stronger by the day. The Mortality Doctrine—Kaine’s master plan—has nearly been realized, and little by little the line separating the virtual from the real is blurring. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box—if Michael can figure out who his friends really are.


Sunday, November 1, 2015

NaNoWriMo Update #1


Hello potential NaNo buds! That time of the year has finally come! No, not Halloween or Christmas. I'm talking about the magical month of NaNoWriMo! In case you don't know what that is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month and it's pretty awesome. Basically it's a challenge to give you that extra push in order to start writing that novel of yours every day for an entire month with a goal of 50,000 words or more or less. Numbers don't count! As long as you're writing, you've already won. I've been a participant twice now (this being my second time) and I seriously love doing it. So without making this intro too long, here's my first update for day one of NaNoWriMo!


So this month, I actually had no idea what I even wanted to write. I had a few ideas but none of them were really concrete decisions. I'm still trying to wrap up another story I'm currently writing so I wasn't really sure if I'd even have time for NaNo this month. Then, one night I was wide awake and tossing and turning when an idea hit me and in the morning, I was already designing a cover art for my new story. I meditated on my story idea and when the day finally came on Halloween, the day before the beauteous start of NaNoWriMo, I decided that I would take my idea and turn it into something real. So even if you're just finding out about this, or you're still not sure what you want to write, it's never too late to join. Whether you start today or next week, as long as you're writing what you want, then that's good enough for everybody.

Seriously though, if you didn't know about NaNo, just click the link above to get more info on it and sign up to start writing your novel. It's so much fun and I promise you'll love it. Well, you'll be satisfied once the month wraps up.

Now I'm not saying it's all sunshine and roses. My first year doing NaNo was fun at first but then I started getting a little stressed out. I started falling behind a little on my word count and a few times I had no idea how to continue my story. I'm the type of writer that goes in without a solid layout of whatever story I'm writing. I'll have a few things mapped out in my head and what I want the story to end up being but overall, I'm pretty much winging it in between. I envy those who pretty much have a script for their stories. TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!! 

Even though it's only my second time doing NaNo, I've learned quite a lot from my first time. I learned how to discipline myself when it comes to writing regularly. Whether I write ten thousand words one day or a hundred, they get me that much closer to completing my story. Now if I'm being truthful, I pretty much banged my head on the wall whenever I didn't write anything one day. I felt like a complete failure and like I just failed my entire family and cried all day. But that's just me. I learned that as long as I write SOMETHING, then it still counts.

Another thing I learned is that I need quite a lot of coffee and music to keep me going and a little time away from the computer also helps get the juices flowing. If you're having trouble figuring out where to go from the first sentence, pop on your favorite CD or get a cup of joe or tea or Kool-Aid to freshen yourself up. Maybe even grab your favorite snack or take a walk to the store to get those things. I get inspired by the things around me. I get inspired by movies, t.v, music, the weather, other books or even dirt. Yes, that last one happened once. Anyway, the point is: there's inspiration EVERYWHERE! Just take a look around and see what you find.


And then you have the writer's block. You know, when you want to write so badly and yet nothing comes to you and you just stare at your screen waiting for something magical to happen and yet nothing does and you feel like this:  ➡➡➡




You're not alone. We feel the pain just like you do sometimes. That's when it's time to step away from the keys or put down the pen and go do something other than write. I know you're probably thinking, "Isn't the whole point TO WRITE?" Well, yes. But I found that hanging out with my friends or family or just watching Netflix helped inspire me a little and pushed me out of the writer's block. Do something that gets you out of the house if you can. The world can be very interesting and you might experience something that gets the gears going again.

I'm no NaNoWriMo veteran and I'm still learning how to fully get through it but the bottom line is just to write that story of yours and don't give up until it's finished! Don't worry about whether it's at it's best, you can edit stuff later. Just let your heart tell you what to write and don't let that little critical voice in your head get to you. It's annoying anyway so why listen to it when you're writing?

So as of this first update, I'm currently at a little over 2,000 words and I plan on writing more later today. I'm super stoked about the story line I decided to go with and I can't wait to post it to Wattpad for the world to read. Hopefully I'll be able to complete NaNoWriMo again this year and have another story that I'm proud of. So what's your piece of advice for writing? Leave a comment down below because I think the writers of the world would love to know! Including me. Write on bookworms! See you at 50,000 words!