3/12

March Wrap-up, Haul, and TBR

Books Read

This is going to be a very short post because I am in a dreaded reading slump. I finished Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and started The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry. I have yet to finish this book and am about ¾ of the way in. I really wish I read more but I’m not one to force myself to read unless I have a deadline. So, we’ll see when my slump ends.

March Haul

I received Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart from Scholastic (Thank You!) it is a middle-grade historical novel based in the Midwest about a boy who goes on a search for his horse. I had my eye on this book for a couple months now and was surprised to receive it in the mail.

               

My March Reading List

1.       Finish The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

2.       Sudden Mission by Guy L. Pace

I decided to keep it small since I’m in a slump but hopefully I can read more than this!

Currently Reading: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Next Post: Full Review of Cress by Marissa Meyer

The Wrong Day

Books, And the Songs to Listen to While Reading Them

I know, I know, it’s Tuesday. The lighting isn’t good enough to take pictures so I decided to do a post I created a while ago for my blogging class instead of my next review. Music is one of my favorite pastimes because like books, it transports you. I have compiled a list of songs that represent the characters, plot, or mood of a book.

Characters

Wolf - The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

           Songs:  Human - Of Monsters and Men & Raised by Wolves - Family Force 5 

           

            Celaena Sardothien – Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

            Song: Semi-Automatic - twenty-one pilots & Upgraded - Capital Kings

           

            This song represents three heroines. All of who become part of something bigger than themselves and later accept they are in the middle of it all or the cause of it all. Tris Prior – Divergent Series by Veronica Roth, Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Celaena Sardothien – Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. It could apply to so many more but these are three well-known heroines.

            

             Song: I Of The Storm - Of Monsters And Men

Books

            The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

            Song: Hometown - twenty-one pilots

            All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

            Song: Flaws – Bastille

            Divergent by Veronica Roth

            Song; Lean On – Major Lazor (feat. MO & DJ Snake)

I have linked all the YouTube videos in the song titles. They are all lyric videos and the songs are “clean”.

Currently Reading: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Next Post: Full Review of Cress by Marissa Meyers

First Out of Twelve

January Wrap-up, Haul, and TBR

         It’s the end of the first month of 2016 and five days till my birthday. This month I read three books, and accumulated six. In this post, I’m going to talk about what I read, what books I received/bought and the books I’m going to read in February.

Books Read

The first book I read is one I received for Christmas from my parents. It is the second book in The Lunar Chronicles titled Scarlet written by Marissa Meyers. Scarlet was sooooo good and I will gush further about this book in my next review post.

            The Second book I read is an indie novel that was sent to me by the author for review. The book is The Warrior Spy by Dony Jay. It is a military thriller novel and the first I’ve ever read in that genre.

            The Last book was my TBR challenge jar pick which was “Finish a book you started in 2015." The book I chose was All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. I started this book in November but was not really getting into it so, I put it down. I’m so glad I took a break from it. Because, going back to it, I love it so much more!

January Haul

Here is a list of all the books I got in January and where I got them.

Eleanor by Jason Gurley- Sent to me through Books for Bloggers by Penguin Random House.

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer- A Christmas present from my friend

Pride + Prejudice + Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith- I bought this on Amazon with a gift card I won.

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas- An early birthday present 

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit- Also bought with my gift card.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- Bought because I needed it for school . . .

My February Reading List

           #1 on my list is Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. #2 is Eleanor and #3 is my TBR challenge which is “A book with a non-human character.” I’m going to pick Cress (Lunar Chrinicles #3) by Marissa Meyer. This series is so amazing! This book a few non-human charcters such as a Iko (the droid), Wolf (The wolf hybrid), and Lunars (a race of people who live on the moon). I want to see what happens next SO bad. I may or may not have cheated and looked through my jar to find a TBR that fit this book instead of picking one at random . . .

Currently Reading: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Next Post: Full review of Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Miss Maas

If you read the word assassin what image comes to mind?

Don’t get too attached now, because I’m about to change things. But don’t worry, it’s for the better. Now, I want you to take that image, put it on the floor, and smash it with your heel. Enter your assassin’s replacement : Celaena Sardothian; avid reader and bookworm, lover of food, also, one of the most feared people in all the land.

         In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

         The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Does that sound amazing or what?

Celaena is probably one of the most unique characters I have ever come across. Maas totally annihilates the typical heroine. She takes a selfish, enslaved assassin and turns her into something so relatable you forget that everyone is afraid of her. Oh, and did I mention she has a soft spot for puppies?

So, here is our first look at Celaena when we start the book. She has been a slave in the Endovier Salt Mines for over a year. She is unexpectedly summoned and escorted by the Captain of the Royal Guard. 

Being lead through various underground tunnels and stairwells, she contemplates the reason for this…surprise visit. Celaena concludes that she is to be hanged and when they come to a halt in front of two large red-and-gold doors she grows restless. But what she finds behind those doors make her heart freeze in her chest…

Sarah J. Maas takes us on a journey with a girl who, at first, is focused on one thing: Escape. As the story grows and the plot deepens secrets about the strict Kingdom of Erilea are revealed. Celaena surprises everyone, even herself with what she is truly capable of and she discovers that there is more to her magically desiccated kingdom than meets the eye.

Not only does Maas know how to imagine a great plot and characters she knows how to write them. That is what makes this book such an amazing reading experience. You can have tons of great ideas, but you must know how to write them and that’s what makes them come alive.

Language: Mild-2-3

Alcohol/drugs: There is a character who smokes a drug to ease her migraines. She does misuse it and has some unpleasant side effects.

Violence: 7.5

Sexual Content: There is some mentioned lustful looks and a kiss or two

Spiritual Content: This is a high fantasy novel with make-believe religions and revolves around magical elements.

Currently Reading: The Warrior Spy By Dony Jay

Next Post: Full Review of Dark Horizons By J.T. Colgan (A Doctor Who novel)