Monday 31 December 2012

Reading Update (2)

So I've decided not to do these every Monday, but simply when I feel the need to do them (mostly on Mondays). Anyway, this week I want to talk about a few things.

I have finished North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, as well as Rebel Heart by Moira Young. You can see my thoughts on North of Beautiful on my Goodreads. My feelings for Rebel Heart are still a little mixed up, so I'll hopefully have a review posted soon. I've also been slacking and haven't finished my Hobbit movie review yet, despite seeing it more than a week ago! :-/

I have just started reading Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle. I am on the first story, The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, but am really looking forward to reading John Green's story. I also intend to start reading Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce in the next few days. Maybe even today, if I feel like it (unlikely, but maybe).

I also feel the need to say that I haven't read any of my December reads this month. I haven't read His Dark Materials trilogy, nor have I read A Christmas Carol (which was because I couldn't get it from the library by Christmas). So, I am definitely deciding what I'm going to be reading in the month much closer to the month. Therefore, I am unsure if I'll stick to my January list either. I will probbly be reading His Dark Materials then, as well as Sisters Red, Let it Snow, Angelfall, the Selection, and the Girl of Fire and Thorns. However, these are all "maybe's" except Let it Snow and Sisters Red.

Don't forget to follow my blog and check for my Hobbit movie review. :)

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Reading Update (1)

Hello! From now on, every Monday, I will be posting a reading update which will simply detail the books I've been reading and what book I am currently reading. I'm doing it on a Wednesday today because lately I have been doing Christmas posts.

I am currently wrapping up North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. I am enjoying the story and I love Terra's search for the true meaning of beautiful. I am finding there are some frustrating moments but I understand why they are there. Just over midnight this morning I finished the stories in the Spirit of Christmas by Marley Gibson and Cecil Murphy (and various authors), and it was a beautiful collection of inspiring stories. Before that, I read Crossed by Allie Condie... if you'd like to see my (very jumbled-up, very angry) thoughts, than you can check out my Goodreads review. As for books I plan to read, I'm super excited to read Rebel Heart by Moira Young (the sequel to Blood Red Road), Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce, and Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle.

Comment below on your thoughts about these books, and the books you're currently reading!

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Top Ten Books/Authors I am Thankful For + Books I Received this Christmas (Countdown to Christmas)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful day filled with holiday cheer! For Top Ten Tuesday's freebie and my Christmas Countdown, I have decided to mix two Christmas topics: What authors/books I am most thankful for (this was the topic during Thanksgiving which I missed, but it also applies to Christmas), and a random topic I created: books I received this Christmas! Enjoy. :)

Top Ten Books/Authors I am Thankful For and Books I Received this Christmas
December 25, 2012
  1. J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter: I love her, and I love HP, and the series is the most amazing I have ever read. It challenged me when I was younger, and still continues to awe and inspire me whenever I think about it. Which is still often. 
  2. Uglies quartet by Scott Westerfeld: Not only were these novels amazing stories, but also taught and portrayed important underlying messages about beauty in society today. 
  3. Underground to Canada by Barbara Claassen: This book opened by eyes about what slavery was like in the USA during that time period, and for that I am very grateful for Barbara Claassen's amazing story that portrayed this to me. 
  4. Blood Red Road: Because this book was just THAT good. 
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: This opened my eyes to the horrible things that have happened and could happen on our earth. Not only that, but this book alone introduced me to a whole new genre of books that has now became one of my top favourite genres. Because this book introduced me to a genre, I have discovered sooooooo many amazing new books that I loved! Plus this book was amazing, and I am thankful to Suzanne Collins for writing it. 
  6. The Rainbow Fairy novels by "Daisy Meadows": It just occurred to me today, since I read these so long ago and I of course didn't pay attention to stuff like that then, that Daisy Meadows HAD to have been a pseudonym (to be honest I would've been scared if it wasn't, considering these are the "rainbow fairies" books we're talking about). Goodreads proved me right. Anyway, this is on my list because they are the first books I ever read. Well, real novels, really, and I am grateful for them for easing me into reading to become the obsessive book-lover I am now. :D
Books I Received this Christmas:
  1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: I already own a very old copy, but this copy goes with my new set of...
  2. 3. 4. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien! I am so happy! I wanted this so badly, and now I have the complete set! I am definitely even more encouraged to read these novels in the spring. Awesome!!!
Thanks for reading! I am so grateful for my beautiful Lord of the Rings set I just received and the aforementioned books on my other list, as well as many, many more. Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy Holidays!

Monday 24 December 2012

Countdown to Christmas- Dec. 24

Today is Christmas Eve, which means another countdown to Christmas post. Today I have decided to show my favourite Christmas reads from when I was in elementary to middle-grade school. Keep in mind these are all children's novels, so definitely not anything I would've judged too harshly or critically at the age I read them.

Dancing Through the Snow by Jean Little: This is one of my favourite books from middle-grade! It is a sweet and touching story with a good message for kids. I remember loving this book because it was entertaining with a satisfying storyline. Recommended age: Age 9-12.

When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke: I remember this book being read to my class when I was in elementary school. It was a fun, fantastical novel with characters which I loved to hate, and I remember loving the names of the characters! I also loved the awesome illustrations to break up all the text. In fact, I loved the book so much that I begged my mom to buy it when I got home. Don't ask me how I remember all this. Recommended age: Age 7-10.


On Christmas Eve by Ann M. Martin: This is probably my favourite childhood Christmas book of all. Full of grief, death and loneliness, but also hope, life, and family, this book really made an imprint on me. For years I read it every Christmas to get immersed in the story again. I loved the characters, and the book nearly made me cry. Recommended age: Age 9-12.

Thanks, I hope you enjoyed this post. Merry Christmas!

Sunday 23 December 2012

Countdown to Christmas!

Now that it's December 23, I thought I'd do three days of "Christmas Specials". The first day (Christmas Eve Eve) I have chosen to talk about three Christmas books and one potential book that I would really like to read in the years to come (maybe next year, maybe in a few years).

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn: This book was recommended to me by a few friends who have read it, and though it is not a "Christmas" book so to speak, it takes place in the wintertime and it sounds like a heart-warming romance for the season (even though I don't read a lot of romance... oh well, there's a first for everything). 


Ex-mas by Kate Brian: This sounds like a hilarious book perfect for the holidays. Hopefully this will be entertaining and a fun read because I'm sure I'll be reading lot's of sci-fi and high fantasy during November. I really hope this is good, because I have high expectations. 

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry: The author's name makes me think of a certain chocolate bar, but the novella sounds like a short and sweet and I've heard versions, but would love to read the real one. It sounds really cute and will hopefully fill me up with some more Christmas spirit. 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: So this may or may not be on this list because hopefully the book will be in from the library by Christmas. Probably not. So I really want to get my act together and get this on hold next year so I can read it! :)

Don't forget to check for tomorrow's blog post!

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

Hosted by the Broke and Bookish (link in sidebar), this meme features a topic in which you list your top favourite books, authors, etc. within that topic. Check out the Broke and Bookish blog to join in. :) And I am going to cheat with this one and list series instead of just one book sometimes ;).

Top Ten Books I Read in 2012
December 18, 2012
  1. Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld: I read this series over the summer after hearing about it numerous times. The series was consistently amazing. The world-building, plot, characters, and everything were very, very well done. My favourite in the series was between Uglies and Extras, Specials following close behind, and Pretties still a very good book but not quite as good as the others (in my opinion). 
  2. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I finally read The Hunger Games!!! The first book was absolutely amazing, I was blown away by Collins amazing writing skills and original ideas. The second book, Catching Fire, was an impressive sequel to the Hunger Games, but not quite as amazing. The trilogy was concluded with the final book, Mockingjay, which overall was a fine book but to me was a bit disappointing. All in all, however, I loved the series!
  3. Blood Red Road by Moira Young: This book surprised me with it's amazingness. Sure, I thought it would be a good book, but not as good as it was. I read it in maybe two days and I couldn't put it down. I'm waiting anxiously for Rebel Heart to come in from the library. Anyway, the original concept and fast-paced action landed Blood Red Road the third spot on my top ten favourite books/series of 2012.
  4. Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker: I finally read this! I can't believe how long I waited. I loved this book so much! For more of my thoughts, check out my recent reflection on the novel. 
  5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: Love love love!!! There was awesome description in the novel and I love Middle Earth! Gollum and the riddles was definitely my favourite part of the book. Though sometimes I found myself a little bored, I loved the archaic language and the parts with action were really great. All in all, I loved the book. I can't wait to see the movie!!!
  6. Divergent/Insurgent by Veronica Roth: I'm so glad I decided to read this! Full of action and suspense, this book was another book I finished in about two days and couldn't stop reading once I started. The second book, Insurgent, was not a disappointment, and I hope that in the last book of the trilogy Roth will develop her "world" more and explain more aspects of the dystopia society.
  7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman: I haven't read a fairytale in a very long time, so I decided to place this on hold after wanting to read it for a long, long time. I saw the movie, but it was a long time ago so I didn't remember anything about it. This novel has action, romance, phenomenal characters, sword fights, great backstory, and hilarious, charismatic narration. I loved the book, and I can't wait to re-watch the movie.
  8. Variant by Robison Wells: After this book was recommended to me by Brianna at The Book Nook (http://booknook24676.blogspot.ca), I put it on hold from the library, after being warned of  the extreme cliff-hanger ending. I waited to read it before I got the sequel, Feedback, and then read them both consecutively. I loved Variant, it was packed with suspense and action, but the sequel really fell flat for me. But that's ok, because Variant still ranked high enough to be on this list!
  9. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder: This was a dystopia novel which reminded me a tiny little bit of Uglies (though the ideas were very, very different) about a girl named Trella who is a scrub and accidentally leads a revolution. The book was very well-written with great action, though quite slow at parts, and an interesting premise. I'm really glad I read this in 2012.
  10. Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick: So sad! The final book in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series, which I've been slowly reading over the years! I love all the characters, so it was amazing to follow all five of them through their lives from Grade 6 to Grade. I'm still in denial that this is the last book. 
Onto the honourable mentions! Other books I read and enjoyed this year include Entwined by Heather Dixon, the Riley Bloom series by Alyson Noel, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, the Awesome books by Neil Pasricha, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and the Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan. 

That's it, everyone! 

Monday 17 December 2012

Underground to Canada Reflection

I read Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker quite a long time ago this year, but I felt the need to write a reflection now because I realized how many things I had to say about the book.

This book is extremely historically accurate, so not only are you reading an amazing story from a gifted writer and getting to know the great characters, you are also learning about the time period. This book was gripping with it's beautiful, stunning phrases, such as "daylight peeled away the shelter of darkness" and "[the mockingbird] It preened among the shimmering, sun flecked leaves, before bursting into loud-clear song".

Now let me discuss opinions. I found that some people did not enjoy the book as much because they found it disturbing and racist. Yes, I agree they were treated absolutely horribly and what was happening was wrong, but the purpose of the book is to explain what it was like for the slaves and awful people were to them. Though the tone of the book was sad, grim, and definitely emotional, I found that the story really connected with me because of it, meaning I had a better understanding of the characters and I felt touched by the story. And even when I felt like crying, I found it made the book even better. I was able to think about the experiences of slaves in America and how Canada was like the beacon of hope. This novel is definitely one I will never forget.

Some people also talked about the lack of action, but I have to disagree. There was plenty of adventure, and just an equal amount of dialogue, action, and beautiful poetry to make the novel and plot all come together. I warn you though- there are many sad parts.

I would definitely recommend this to everyone, whether you like historical fiction or not, however, if you are uncomfortable reading about the cruelty to the slaves, you might not want to pick this up.

I rated this book 5 stars out of 5 and really hope more people read this sad but amazing story.

Thursday 13 December 2012

Just books :)

This post is just about the books that I've read this month, am planning to read this month and my "most anticipated" books. In my planning, I said I was going to read His Dark Materials and A Christmas Carol, but I may not read the whole trilogy of His Dark Materials because I have chosen to read some other fun, more festive books along with some other novels I've been planning to read this month but didn't really "announce". Checkmarks beside the book means I have now/already read it.

Short Collections 
The Book of (Even More) Awesome by Neil Pasricha √
The Book of Holiday Awesome by Neil Pasricha √
The Spirit of Christmas by Cecil Murphey and Marley Gibson
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Novels
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan √
Crossed by Allie Condie
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
POTENTIALLY:
The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman. That'd be nice. :) But I doubt it'll happen.

Top 7 Most Anticipated To-Read Books (not on my list above):
  1. Angelfall by Susan Ee: I've heard crazy amazing things about this book, and I only saw one rating on Goodreads below a four star (it was a three star), and almost everyone rated it 5 or 4.5 stars out of 5. I just am so excited to read this book!!!
  2. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen: I reallllllyyyyy want to read some Sarah Dessen books! I really can't wait for this one. 
  3. The Host by Stephanie Meyer: Sounds so good! I think I marked this as a January read. I'm not interested in Twilight, but this sounds great. I'm not going to hold it against the author, especially because I haven't even read Twilight. 
  4. Rebel Heart by Moira Young: Ah, come in from the library already! I need this book. :O
  5. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder: This book looks soooooo good! I loved Inside Out and Outside In by the same author, and though this concept sounds totally different (it's fantasy not science fiction), it still sounds as good, if not better, than the other books I've read by her. 
  6. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: I haven't read a fantasy novel in a while, I've been a little caught up in science fiction after discovering dystopia via the Hunger Games and the Uglies series. The synopsis sounds really cool, even though there are people who are on the fence about the book. But that's ok. It looks good to me. 
  7. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa: I am a bit wary of this book because of the wayyyy overused topic in YA literature: vampires. Come on people, come up with something original! That being said, I have heard that many people have echoed my thoughts on this topic, and were thrilled and surprised when the book turned out to be more realistic of a vampire apocalypse, and creative as well. It sounds really dark and exciting, so I really want to check this out. 
Thanks for reading! :) What books are you reading, or planning to read? Please leave your comments below!

Tuesday 11 December 2012

A Quick Bookish Survey

Created by The Broke and the Bookish, this is a short little survey about current books. :)



The book I'm currently reading: Can't say I'm getting into Crossed. I'm only 46 pages in, but I'm finding it slow and tedious. I'm feeling like I'd rather be reading something else, so I'm reading The Book of (Even More) Awesome by Neil Pasricha as well, which is a great in-between book I'm enjoying. It's a nice break from all the novels. :)


The last book I finished: I believe that was the Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, a very enjoyable read and the third in the Heroes of Olympus series. I loved the mythology! Highlights of November included Variant by Robison Wells, Inside Out/Outside In by Maria V. Snyder, Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick, and Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.



The next book I want to read: Decisions, decisions! With a giant stack of books sitting on my drawer, it's hard to decide what to choose. But I'm going to have to go with a book I've been looking forward to for a long time and finally saw in the paperback section at the library. Yep, Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. What a beautiful cover.

The last book I bought: Now, I don't buy books much, but on the day it was released, I bought the Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I am not going to read it for a few years, but I love having the beautiful book on my shelf, and knowing that I bought a first edition. :)


The last book I was given: A very, very long time ago. But I think the last novel I was given was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. A longggg time ago.




Hope you enjoyed this! Check back for future posts. :)

*All images from goodreads.com

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2012

This is a meme I have been doing for the past two weeks hosted by the Broke and Bookish (link in sidebar). Anyone can join in, so check out their blog to see the requirements. Anyway, getting on with it. :)

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2012 (in no particular order)
December 11, 2012
  1. Suzanne Collins: Can you believe it? I finally read The Hunger Games in 2012. I loved the first book, the series was great as a whole, and I also read the first book in her children's series, Gregor the Overlander, out of curiosity. I would love to read more of her books if she chooses to write and publish more.
  2. Scott Westerfeld: LOVED the Uglies quartet. LOVED. Essentially this was the series that really, really sparked my interest in sci-fi, though the Hunger Games prompted me to read more dystopia. Anyway, I have heard of his other books such as "Peeps", which sounds great, and I like his writing style, so I really would like to read more of his books.
  3. Moira Young: Loved her style of writing and unique, fast-paced plot. Definitely a re-read book. Can't wait for Rebel Heart to come in and I will definitely check out any other books she writes. 
  4. William Goldman: This man is a genius. A genius. I probably won't read his other books, but he totally had me fooled for so long in his plot, and I love his story-telling ability. 
  5. Maria V. Snyder: I read Inside Out and Outside In this year and loved Snyder's ideas and concepts within the novels. I am very excited to read her Poison Study series and her Glass series. I will definitely be reading more of her works in 2013 after becoming interested in Inside Out this year.
  6. Veronica Roth: Divergent and Insurgent were awesome and action-packed, and I loved the plot Roth created. I really like her writing style. 
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien: Finally read the Hobbit! I'm craving more Middle Earth, but I really want to be ready to dedicate to it when I read the Lord of the Rings. I love Tolkien's archaic language and story-telling prowess. 
  8. Neil Pasricha: Sure, he doesn't write novel novels, but his "Books of Awesome" really put me in a good mood when I read them. If he ever chooses to write more "awesome" books, I would love to read them. I can't wait to read the Book of Holiday Awesome this Christmas and I'm really enjoying the Book of Even More Awesome.
  9. Maggie Stiefvater: Though I didn't really like Lament, I still added Stiefvater to this list for one specific reason: her other books sound amazing. The Scorpio Races and The Raven Boys in particular sound great, though I'd like to read her most popular Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I also love her poetic, beautiful language she uses in her books. 
  10. Barbara Smucker: I got around to reading Underground to Canada this year, despite owning it for a very long time. I loved the book so much, and the language was so eloquent and beautiful. It was just one of those times where I had to write so many lines down in my journal because I loved them so much. Smucker's poetic writing style and excellent portrayal of the time period of slavery made the novel amazing for me, therefore earning her a place in my top ten favourite authors I read in 2012. 
Thanks for reading! Look out for another TTT next Tuesday! 

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Top Ten Books You Wouldn't Mind Santa Giving You

As promised. :) Remember this meme is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, you can check out their link in the sidebar.

December 4, 2012
Top Ten Books You Wouldn't Mind Santa Giving You
  1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- Love this series, definitely books I would like to re-read someday, which is why I'd like to own the series. 
  2. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
  3. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
  4. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
  5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling- Would love to have these three companion guides as reference books to the Harry Potter series. 
  6. Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
  7. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
  8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I would love to have the first book, the one that started them all. 
  9. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien- By the way, I am not cheating because, although it is often called a trilogy, the Lord of the Rings is actually one book split into three volumes. So there. Anyway, this is a classic series that I haven't read, but would love to have so I can re-read, and seriously, it's the Lord of the Rings!
  10. A surprise! :) - Oh sure, I could think of another book to put as my tenth, but I think it would be awesome to just buy or receive a random book that I wouldn't expect to be getting. :)
Hope you enjoyed this post. 

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2012 (I know, I know!)

I have decided to participate in a weekly meme (Top Ten Tuesday) hosted by The Broke and the Bookish (brokeandbookish.blogspot.ca) every Tuesday, in which they will post a topic such as "Books I Can't Wait to Read", and then participators will choose their top ten books fitting this topic. I meant to do this last week, but it slipped my mind, so I have decided to do two this week- November 27 and December 4. The December 4 list will be a different post... No one likes too much text (I know, I'm guilty of that...).

November 27, 2012
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2012
  1. Untitled (Divergent #3) by Verionica Roth (September 26, 2012...I wish... 2013)- Ohmygosh I need this book! I loved Divergent and Insurgent and the ending made me want to scream. Anyway...
  2. The Archived by Victoria Schwab (January 22, 2013)- Beautiful cover. High Goodreads rating. Engaging, intriguing synopsis. YA science fiction/fantasy. What else could I hope for? 
  3. The Program by Suzanne Young (April 30, 2013)- This is a new series which I am super excited for. It is a young adult dystopia/science fiction novel and the synopsis on Goodreads sounds awesome. 
  4. My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton (2013)- I am really excited to be reading some more fairytale retellings, so this book sounds amazing. I read the extremely short synopsis on Goodreads and am already hooked. This is right up there with some of the books I'm most excited to read (released in 2013). 
  5. Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (September 10, 2013)- I actually want to read this book so bad! When I first added the book on Goodreads just a few days ago, there was no cover. And now there is! Ah!!! Anyway, this novel is fantasy with Greek mythology, which I love so very much, so this book is definitely one I want to read super bad!
  6. Mind Games by Kiersten White (February 19, 2013)- Originally saw this on the Broke and the Bookish top ten list. It sounded very interesting, and I love new dystopia series! So I had to add this to my most anticipated books of 2013. 
  7. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan (October 2013)- As I dive into the Mark of Athena, my need for the next book becomes bigger... I am certain he's going to end it with a cliff-hanger. 
  8. POD's by Michelle K. Pickett (June 4, 2013)- This book has a great Goodreads rating of the beta readers who have already read it. Not to mention the synopsis sounds awesome. Really awesome. Totally the type of book I would love, so I'm super excited. 
  9. Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr (May 7, 2013)- Gasp! More mythology (I know... three books on my top ten). This one is Norse myths, which I am super excited about because I have never read about Norse mythology before. I have never heard of K.L. Armstrong, but I have heard of Melissa Marr and intend to read her "Wicked Lovely" series. Anyway, this book sounds really awesome!
  10. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (2013)- Sounds like an interesting concept... I am very excited. And I enjoy the name. And it's very sci-fi-y. I'd love to read this. *sigh* If only they'd announce a publication date...
Note: After I had made most of my list, I saw that The Archived was on The Broke and the Bookish list. However, I actually had no idea it was on there! I found out about this book through my amazing Goodreads recommendations (thank you Goodreads!).

Don't forget to check out my December 4 TTT list. :)

Monday 3 December 2012

November Book Haul- Reviews

Hello everyone! As the beginning of December continues, it's time to review my November library book haul. I read 9 books this month. Nine books! Crazyyyy.


If it says "Title Text" at any point, I have no idea what that's about, but it's showing it in the preview.