2015 Book Goals!

Hey bookworms! So with the new year right around the corner, I decided to set some book related goals for myself seeing as there are some things I need to complete when it comes to books such as finishing series, starting new ones, catching up on my TBR pile etc. So here are my book goals for 2015!

1. Goodreads Reading Challenge

So with this year going to be a bit busy for me than what I'm used to, I don't want to set an overwhelming reading goal for myself. So, I'm going to set a safe goal of 70 books for the year. That way I won't feel too overwhelmed with reading. No one wants that!

 

2. Book Buying Limit

 

I only started buying books at the beginning of this year and in just 12 months, I've obtained over 130+ books! Kind of awesome! But anyway, with a ton of amazing books coming out in 2015, I wanted to save money so that I can purchase most if not all of them. So, for every three books I read, I'll reward myself and buy ONE or TWO books if there is no new release that I want to buy. This way, I prevent a serious binge buying of books. Not only that, but I'll only be buying sequels to some series/trilogies that I still need to complete. So not only will I be buying fewer books, but I'll also get that much closer to completing a uncompleted series.

 

3. Find a Good Vampire Series/Trilogy

 

Ever since the release of the Twlight books and movies, I've been a hater towards vampire books, seeing as the ones I ran into were all either really stupid or incredibly cheesy and unreadable. But as a lover of books, I refuse to believe that there's no good vampire books out there in the world. So this year, I will be going on a year long journey to find one really good vampire book series or trilogy that will win a proud spot on my bookshelf!

 

 4. Read "Iffy" Books

 

Allow me to elaborate. There are certain books that I kept my distance from for a really long time for various reasons. The Percy Jackson series is one of them. Seeing as it's a middle grade series, I didn't bother picking up the books even when the first movie came out. This year, though, I decided that I would at least give this series a chance since it is loved by people of all ages.

 

The Hunger Games trilogy is another one that I tried very hard to stay away from. I actually was going to read these books before the first movie came out, but all the hype, the fandoms, the posters, the merchandise, and ultimately the over-obsessed fans ruined the books for me. They ended up becoming a taboo subject for me and everyone who knows me knows that. This year, however, I decided that I'm at least going to read the first book and give it a go. I'm not promising that I'll finish all three books but I'm at least going to try it out.

 

 

This book was one I didn't mean to stay away from but ended up doing anyway. I didn't really enjoy the first book at all and the movie was one I don't have any interest in watching again. I have so many people tell me that the second book in this duology is better than the first. I do want to pick up this book within the year, though when I'm not sure, but I will give this second book a go and we'll see what happens then.

 

5. Start My Most Anticipated Series

 

Throne Of Glass Series

There are quite a few book series that I really want to start that I haven't yet. All these books are ones that have been at the top of my wishlist for a while now, so, enjoy!

 

The Mara Dyer trilogy

 

The Grisha Trilogy

 

 

The Rebel Belle Series

 

The Archived Series

 

Anna Dressed In Blood Series

 

Wake Trilogy

 

His Fair Assassin Trilogy 

 

Asylum series

 

 

So that's it everybody! Those are my book goals for 2015! Please NO SPOILERS on the books listed above thank you! So do you have any book goals? Leave a comment down below and let me know! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Rating: PG

Genre: Romance, YA Fiction

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Page Count: 290

Stand Alone Novel

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Published: June 1, 2009

 

According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer.

 

Review:

PROS:

1. Have you ever read a book that you loved so much with everything inside of you . . . that you hated it? Because that's exactly what this book was for me. Other than shattering my heart, blowing all the tiny pieces to the wind, regluing them all together, having it smashed with a sledgehammer, and putting the pieces back together again, this book was a really good read. Get ready for Anna and The French Kiss meets The Fault In Our Stars.

2. Okay, rant over. The characters in this book were so amazing and unforgettable that I probably won't be able to stop thinking about them for weeks! I loved the main characters, Frankie and Anna, and the friendship they had with each other. I really loved the other characters in this book as they were all so loveable, enjoyable, funny and adorable in many ways.

3. The storyline for this book is so emotional that I had to put the book down multiple times because I couldn't handle the emotions and heartbreaking scenes that were threatening to break my heart once again. The story was so romantic and sad, heartbreaking and hopeful and the scenes that played out were strung together so well and nothing felt forced or out of place. This book was just beautifully written and all the puzzle pieces for this story were just so perfectly fitted and the climax and ending of the story were just too perfect for words.

4. I really loved the romance in this book and how it played a bigger part in the book without being too overwhelming and cheesy. I felt like the romance was a big part of the story in more ways than one because through it, the characters got to grow and get to know themselves as well as used the romance to open up and reveal not only dark secrets but also used the romance to help piece together their lives and broken relationships. I loved how it was a lot more than just a summer fling or an insta-romance but a very moving part of the entire story.

5. I think this story is perfect for anyone who has lost a loved one, in this case a sibling, child or close friend. Of course, it's also perfect for anyone who wants to read a very beautiful and heartbreaking romance about finding strength to carry on as well as learning to let go and learning to keep moving forward no matter how hard it seems to do. It had its funny moments, its incredibly sad moments, its silly moments and its hopeful moments. It's a book that will make you cry but also teach a very valuable lesson, one you have to read this book to find out for yourself what it is.

Age Recommendation: 14+

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

End Of The Year Book Haul 2014 and Wrap-Up!

As always, I went a bit crazy this month with the book buying but hey, at least it wasn't like November! That month was crae crae! Anyhoo, here's my book haul for December so enjoy!

 

 

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick- HPB- $3.99

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket- HPB- $5.49

Bang by Lisa McMann- HPB- $6.99

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler- HPB- $1

Fade by Lisa McMan- HPB- $4.99

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen- HPB- $3.99

Heist Society by Ally Carter- HPB- $3

The Death Cure by James Dashner- Wal-Mart- $8.99

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle- Wal-Mart- $9.47

Grace Mercy by Robin LaFevers- HPB- $7.99

An Abundance Of Katherines by John Green- HPB- $4.99

Asylum by Madeline Loux- HPB- $3.99

 

NOT SHOWN IN PICTURE:

The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Laroux- HPB- $3.99

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot- HPB- $4.99

 

December Wrap-up!

Atlantia by Ally Condie (Click For Review)

Elixir by Hilary Duff (Click For Review)

Days Of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor (Click For Review)

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Click For Review)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Click For Review)

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle (Click For Review)

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (Click For Review)

 

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this wrap-up and book haul! See you guys in the next chapter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Rating: PG

Genre: Sci-fi, Dystopian

Score: ⭐⭐⭐

Book #2 of The Giver Quartet

Page Count: 215

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin



Published: 2000

 

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given the task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world- and to find out what exists beyond it.

Review:
PROS:
1. Living up to The Giver is a pretty hard thing for this companion novel to do since the first book was just so good in many ways! This book definitely had it's pros and cons but I honestly thought this was still an enjoyable read. Needless to say, this book wasn't as good as the first book but I still liked reading it.

2. The characters in this book are just as enjoyable as the first book. I really loved the main character Kira and thought she was a good female lead for the story. I also enjoyed the other characters strung throughout the book and really liked seeing their personalities grow and thought they were fun and sometimes witty.

3. The storyline was very simple to follow but still had a bit of mystery so as not to be predictable. I really liked how simple it was with the writing and the climax and other scenes that had you wondering how certain things added up. It wasn't overwhelming or too simple to the point of it being boring.

4. I really loved the world that this book is set in. I really loved how the people thought about certain things and what they saw as right and wrong. It was a bit twisted and sometimes disturbing but interesting. This book perfectly depicted a form of a broken society and I applaud that.

5. This was a very small book so it takes no time at all to read but I really wanted there to be more. I really wanted to know where Kira finds herself after the end of the book and where her friends and family end up as well. I'm really excited to pick up the third book in this amazing quartet.

CONS:
1. Even though I really liked reading this book, I didn't love it as much as The Giver. As I said before, it's a hard book to live up too and I felt like Gathering Blue had a chance but didn't exactly deliver on it. At times, the book got a bit slow and I would've have liked to see more action just like in the first book.

Age Recommendation: 10+

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!



Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Rating: PG

Genre: Romance, YA Fiction

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Page Count: 352

Stand Alone Novel

Publisher: Speak: The Penguin Group

Published: October, 8, 2008

 

An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista. A trio of today's bestselling authors- John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle- brings all the magic of the holidays to life in three hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance and kisses that will steal your breath away.

 

Review:

Pros:

1. I thought since Christmas is right around the corner, literally tomorrow, I thought I would pick up a holiday read this month. I really loved this holiday read for many reasons but I'll just try to name a few so as not to make this review way too long for you beautiful people!

 

2. I'm a huge John Green fan and was excited to find this book in which he wrote a short story in but I was also excited to see that Maureen Johnson also had a short story in this book. I love her book 13 Little Blue Envelopes and I was excited to read her story as well. I've never read anything by Lauren Myracle but after reading her story, I fell in love with her writing! All three stories were hilarious and romantic as well as fun and just so darn cute! It was so hard trying to determine my favorite short story because of that! The writing for the stories was just so easy and funny to read, and I'm in love with this book. I'll definitely be reading this again next Winter!

 

3. The characters were all so cute and loveable. For the authors to have written such heartwarming characters in just 100 pages each, I'd say that's just pretty amazing! It was hard to choose my favorite characters as well because they were all so enjoyable to read about and I loved all of them, from the first page to the last. They were funny, sarcastic, caring and loyal in the funniest yet sweetest ways. I honestly could go on for hours talking about these characters!

 

4. This book had such a heartwarming and romantic Christmas feel to it that I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves the holiday season regardless of it is indeed the holiday season. If you're late to the holiday reading party, I would still recommend this book for a Winter read. It's perfect for someone who loves a cute, funny and romantic read that has just a little holiday flare to it.

 

5. One thing I just really, really loved above all was when all the characters interweaved with each other. I just thought that that was a perfect way to connect the stories together. I also really loved how the characters ended up meeting each other as well and thought that was a perfect touch to this amazing book!

 

Age Recommendation: 12+

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter! Oh, and happy holidays!   

Top 10 Books Of 2014!

Hey bookworms! I've been getting a lot questions on social media as to what were some of my favorite reads this year! I read a ton this year so it was really hard to limit the amount to my top 10 favorite books of 2014. Some of these books were released this year and some where just new reads for me. So, let's get this list started!

 

10. A Million Suns by Beth Revis

This is the second book to the Across The Universe trilogy and I fell in love with this book! I thought the first book was an okay read and didn't expect to love this one way more!

 

9. Siren by Tricia Rayburn

 

I fell in love with this book from the very first page and it was my first book I ever read about sirens. It was so romantic and very mysterious!

 

8. The Selection by Kiera Cass

I love any dystopian read and this trilogy is one of my favorites! It was a modern day princess story and I loved it!

 

7. The Giver by Lois Lowry

This was a very quick and somewhat vague story but left so much room for my own imagination and I just love it so much!

 

6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I just loved this fairytale retelling about Cinderella! I loved the dystopian aspect and the magical element and darker feel of the story!

 

5. Four by Veronica Roth

As a huge Divergent fan, I was really excited for this book! It did not disappoint me at all and it could easily be the best book in the series!

 

4. Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is one of my favorite contemporary reads of all time! It was so romantic, funny, witty and heartwarming and put a huge smile on my face!

 

3. Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi

I've said it once and I'll say it again, this book is a masterpiece! This book was very adventurous, romantic, and just beautiful!

 

2. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Need I say more?

 

1. The Young Elites by Marie Lu

This book is by far the best book I read this year!! It was good and hooked me from the very first page and was so action packed, it was fantastical and had a little romance and was a darker read that I really, really loved!

 

That's all bookworms! What was your favorite book of the year? Let me know on social media and in the comments down below!

 

Bonus Pick!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

You really thought I wouldn't include this in this post? People these days . . .

Elixir by Hilary Duff

Elixir by Hilary Duff

Rating: PG

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Page Count: 327

Book #1 of the Elixir trilogy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: 2010

 

Seventeen-year-old Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and prominent politician, she has become a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a world that allows her to travel to many exotic places. But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea begins to notice eerie, shadowy images in her photos of a strange and beautiful young man- a man she has never seen before. When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries-old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives- and their futures.

 

Rating:

Pros:

1. I'm a fan of the amazing Hilary Duff and I was excited when I found this book by her. It's a bit older and I wished I could've found it a bit sooner seeing as it only took me a day to read this book. This fantasy love story hooked me from the very first page and I barely even put it down once. I couldn't wait to get to the last page of this book to see how it ended so let's get this review started so you can know why!

 

2. The writing for this story was very easy to fly through which is something I love finding about a book. Even when there wasn't really anything going on in a chapter, the writing made it seem very important to the story, at least in my opinion. It was simple to read and I actually loved the size of the font in my copy, it's a weird pro but I really enjoyed it.

 

3. I really enjoyed the characters in this book as well. They weren't my favorite group of characters but I still really enjoyed getting to know them and find out more about them. I found myself laughing out loud when it came to certain characters, there were two in particular that I found so loveable and funny and I love a book with a character that makes me laugh. They were all fun and I can't wait to get more of them in the second book.

 

4. The story line for this book was interesting as well. I really liked how everything seemed very mysterious until almost the very end of the book when all truth is revealed in one chapter. It was very mind blowing to say the least. There was a ton of mystery and things that didn't quite seem to add up which made me that much more invested in reading the story to see where it went. I also really liked that there were main factors that the story revolved around, only ending up to be just small pieces of a bigger picture.

 

5. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read for me and I think for anyone else who wants a fun fantasy read, this one you might want to consider picking up. I'm excited to pick up the second book in this trilogy so look out for that review soon!

 

Cons:

1. The only thing I didn't really like about this book was the romance. I would have loved to see the romance built up from when Clea and the mysterious man meet for the first time. I thought that the romance between them wasn't as anticipated as I would've loved for it to be and I felt like it was almost insta-love when the two characters finally were alone hallway in the book.

 

Age Recommendation: 14+

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!