Sunday, January 31, 2016

January 2016 Wrap-Up

Hey guys! First wrap-up of 2016!!!
January was such an epic reading month for me! I read ALL of my books on my TBR AND more. I read a total of 8 books this month. This is HUGE for me guys. If I can stay on this rate for the rest of the year I'll almost 100 books! And I'll be reading 11-12 books each month during the summer. I didn't set a Goodreads goal because I don't want that pressure, but I do want to read over 100, even if I'm not being held accountable for it.
But without further ado, here are the books I read in the wonderful month of January.

1. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
    Publication Date: October 20, 2015
    Rating: Infinity
    Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/01/lets-talk-illuminae.html
Let me start out by saying that if I had read this book in the final few days of December instead of the first two days of January, it would have been in my Top 15 of 2015 books. It would have been in the top 5, which is rare for a sci-fi.
I LOVED this book to no end. I thought I wouldn't be able to get into it because of the format, but I did and it was amazing! For more of my thoughts, check out my book talk.
But honestly, there were times when I gross sobbed...

2. Healing Power of Sugar by C.L. Stone
    Publication Date: November 24, 2015
    Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was hoping it wasn't going to be as slow as the previous two, and I was NOT disappointed. It was so fluffy and amazing and I loved it from start to finish.

3. Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
    Publication Date: December 3, 2013
    Rating: 5/5 stars
I bought the rest of the "Falling Kingdoms" series to marathon this month and I was not disappointed in them at all. I loved this book! It was even better than Falling Kingdoms

4. Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
    Publication Date: December 9, 2014
    Rating: 5/5 stars
This book was even better than Rebel Spring! What everyone says is true! The books really do get better and better! I loved this book so much. This series is quickly moving its way onto my top 15 list.

5. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
    Publication Date: September 18, 2014
    Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This book was so good and not what I expected at all! I loved the characters and there were times when this book genuinely freaked me out (in the good way)!

6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
    Publication Date: June 1, 1991
    Rating: Infinity
I've seen the TV show and I've read the first book and loved both so much! The book was so much better than the show though! I flew through it, which was surprising considering it was 630 large pages of small print. 
Absolutely loved it (especially Jamie Fraser)

7. Hide and Seek Her by H.B. Stumbo
    Publication Date: June 19, 2015
    Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It made me feel in ways I didn't think it would. It went in different ways that I expected. I adored it!

8. Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
    Publication Date: December 15, 2015
    Rating: 5/5 stars
These books continue to get better and better! I loved this book the most out of the four that are currently released! The feels were running so high in this one. And ugh that cliffhanger! Of course when I marathon the series none of the others have huge cliffhangers, just the last one when I have to wait for a year.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Let's Talk: Frozen Tides

Title: Frozen Tides
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: "Falling Kingdoms" #4
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: December 15, 2015
Date Started: January 24, 2016
Date Finished: January 30, 2016
Rating: 5/5 Stars

*Semi-spoiler free review*

Let's just jump straight into the four characters from my last post about this series, starting with Lucia.

LUCIA: So at the beginning I was 'meh' about Lucia. I really really disliked Lucia's actions. I thought she was being a whiny brat for most of the series and I didn't like her most recent decisions. But towards the end, I started sympathizing with her and I even started liking her more. This character just fluctuates so much with me because she makes terrible decisions and is a complete bitch but then turns around and does something good that makes me like her again.

JONAS: MY POOR BABY! Oh he lost someone again. And I feel so bad for him. I love Jonas to death so this is killing me. A lot. Honestly, so much happens to Jonas in this novel that it's hard to remember EVERYTHING. Of course, one major thing (you know what I mean) stands out. And my heart breaks for him.

MAGNUS: Magnus Magnus Magnus Magnus. I didn't really like Magnus very much in the first book because he was written more as a villain and angsty young adult, but he's been getting a lot better since then. And this book takes the cake! I love Magnus now! He's so flawed and perfect (that's a thing). What he did at the end of this book was just so on point.

CLEO: I love Cleo, as always. She's so strong with everything that happens around her. And what I really love is that she's got her pride, but sometimes knows when to let it go, which is something I can't do. I admire Cleo a lot. I want to be Cleo (if the whole war and stuff wasn't happening).

Now for other talk things. WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT ENDING?!?!?!?! I am not over it at all! I won't be over it! Why is it when I'm marathoning the series, the first 3 books don't have cliffhangers but the last book until the next one releases has a major cliffhanger? Why?! Ugh.

Okay, I lost a really good character in this book, and I don't know how I feel about that. I wouldn't say they were necessarily my favorite character, but I still really like them. And because their death caused others pain, that just makes it hurt more.

There were a lot of twists and surprises in this novel for me. Things I didn't expect to happen (like a certain alliance) or didn't like (like a certain marriage) happened. I'm not sure how things are going to play out in the next book, but a certain character came back at the end of this novel and I hope this turns the tide of the war to my favorites characters' side.

I really hope that something with King Gaius that happened at the end actually finishes through (you know what I mean). I NEED it to happen. I hate that guy.

There's not much I can say without spoiling and what I do say has to be vague to avoid spoiling as well. But I did really enjoy this book. These novels keep getting better and better with each one, and this series is slowly climbing up to be one of my favorites. I gave this 5/5 stars just like the other books, but I think the series all together is approaching an Infinity rating. We'll see how the next book (Crystal Storm) goes.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

The 5th Wave Movie Review

*Spoilery review*

I finally got to see "The 5th Wave" in theaters! There were some problems I had with it but other than that, I absolutely loved it!

     So, comparing it to the book, there were a couple problems I had. First off, they put a shirtless scene in there! Evan is bathing in the creek and Cassie goes looking for him and sees him shirtless. That wasn't in the book! It was definitely for all the teen girls out there who hadn't read the book to attract them to the movie.
      Where was Crisco? And the eye/orb? That whole scene was supposed to have an orb that Cassie runs from because it's about to explode. They didn't even chase after her. And Crisco was supposed to be in the ash pits but he wasn't. There weren't any ash pits!
     Another thing was we didn't get to see a lot of relationships develop that I wanted to see. We saw a little bit of Nugget and Zombie (Sam and Ben) but there was only one cutesy scene in there. A lot of what I loved about Ringer was that she was badass and she slowly developed a relationship with Ben, but we didn't really see that. We also didn't get a lot of what made Evan and Cassie such a good ship. In the book they have conversations and scenes that make me love them. But the movie didn't have hardly any of those. Maybe 1 or 2.
     Next we have the scene where Cassie finds out Evan isn't human. Like, what the heck. In the book, he tells her and lets her inside his mind kind of and she's able to understand him. In the movie, they're attacked and he becomes a vampire (not an actual vampire). I actually commented to my friend, "Okay Edward Cullen." Then Cassie points a gun at him and runs.
     Also, the reunion scene between Ben and Cassie was different. Firstly, they run into each other and have guns pointed and stuff. But then Ben goes, "Woh Cassie, it's me. Ben Parish. We went to high school together." As if she didn't know. But they run off to find Sam, which was adorable by the way.
     As they're looking, Evan freaking drops out of a vent and takes down a couple guards like a ninja badass. Then he's all "Who's this" and Ben goes "Ben Parish". And Evan raises his eyebrows and looks at Cassie and goes "Ben Parish?" And she nods and then he goes over and kisses her to 'mark his territory' because he feels threatened by Ben.
     Lol there was some things different with the movie. I feel as if they're gonna try and throw a love-triangle in there and cut Ringer out, but I hope that they don't do that in the next movie.
     Make no mistake about it, I loved this movie. Even if I had some annoying issues, I still loved it...

    When not comparing it to the book and just reviewing it as a movie, it was freaking amazing. Some scenes were so beautiful. The tsunami one, for instance. I was freaking terrified during that scene. When they were all running up the stairs to escape it, omfg. Or when the water came down on the glass building and there was a lady just standing there. I was in shock. And terrified, because I want to live in a coastal town.
     I also really loved the bus scene (both of them--blowing up and taking Sam), and I thought the blowing-up-the-base was done really well.

     All in all, despite the differences from the book, I still loved this movie. I will be rewatching it over and over again, and I will rush to the theaters to see the next one.

4/5 stars compared to book
5/5 stars when just reviewed as movie

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Let's Talk: Hide and Seek Her

Title: Hide and Seek Her
Author: H.B. Stumbo
Series: "Hide and Seek Her" series
Publication Date: June 19, 2015
Date Started: January 20, 2015
Date Finished: January 23, 2015
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: This novel was sent to me by the author for review. This is no way impacts my review.

*semi-spoiler free*

Let me first start out by saying that it took me a while to fully immerse myself in this book. I started it months ago and was only able to get 12 or so pages in because it hadn't picked up like other books I was reading at the time. But I put it on this month's TBR and KNEW I had to finish it this month.

I was only able to read a couple of pages a day until tonight, and then I fled through it. The entire thing I finished in just under 2.5 hours. It was fantastic, it was heart wrenching, and it was not what I expected but everything I needed.

The characters were amazing, and the backstory for them all was so intricately woven that I was in pieces by the end of this book. Of course I had small problems with it, but nothing that impeded my enjoyment while I was reading.

One thing that took it from a 5 star to a 4.5 star was it took a few chapters to pick up. And when I say this I mean it took a few chapters before Vance was introduced. And man, that was when I was sucked in. The next thing was that I thought it had a little bit of insta-love, which was actually justified in the end when we found out a lot of earth-shattering details!

This book was creepy but fluffy and I loved it. It's not my favorite book of all time, but it definitely ranks up there with the books I reread once or twice a year. I am excited to continue on with the next book in the series (duology?). Hopefully this will be soon but I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick it up.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It's not the typical fantasy YA books I read, but I loved it. I rarely read books of this genre, so it is very fresh--to put it mildly--for me.

Definitely deserves the rating it got, and for my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, a 4.5 star rounds up to a 5.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren


Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Let's Talk: Outlander

Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: "Outlander" Book 1
Publication Date: 20th Collector's Edition: July 5, 2011. First publication: June 1, 1991
Date Started: January 16, 2016
Date Finished: January 19, 2016
Rating: Infinity

*semi-spoiler free review*

Let me start out by saying that I have seen (and loved) the TV show. It was one of my top shows of all time, and the book was SO MUCH BETTER!!! I thought that the producers and writers did a really good job with the adaption, and the casting was spot on I think (probably because I watched it before I read it).
Honestly, I thought I loved TV show Jamie, but I love book Jamie so much better! He is more kind and funny and the fluffy feels I got from him were so fluffy! It's been said before, but I want a Jamie Fraser in my life. *sigh*

I am excited to continue both with the book series and the TV show. The writing was superb in this novel, and I blew threw it in 4 days. I stayed up until 11:30 most nights to read, because I didn't want to put it down.

Honestly, I loved the characters to death because they acted like they should. Sometimes when I've read historical fiction the characters have not been written as if they are really in that time period, because a 16 year old girl would not be able to storm a King's counsel meeting and then have him not get mad at her. That's not how those people acted in those times. But in this book, the characters were so believable!

So much happens in the book as well. The whole book is in the timespan of a year, which a lot of books are, but this one has all the nitty gritty details of that year--both good and bad. It definitely showed a lot of the hardships Claire went through when she went back in time to Scotland (spoiler: that's what this whole book is about).

There's really not much I can talk about besides I loved this book to death. I seriously need a few feels so I'm gonna go watch an episode of the show. Everybody, go read it!

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Let's Talk: The Raven Boys

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: "The Raven Cycle" #1
Publication Date: September 18, 2014
Date Started: January 14, 2016
Date Finished: January 15, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

*Semi-spoiler free review*

I went into this book with high expectations and really really hoping that I loved it. I was not disappointed. It was not what I expected, but I really loved it all the same. 

There were moments where I was freaked out a little bit, mostly because I wasn't expecting this book to have anything like that. I have no idea why, but I expected it to be fluffy when in actuality, it was a little dark. But I loved it!

I love Blue, and all the Raven Boys (Gansey, Ronan, Adam, Noah). I really hope that everything turns out with a happy ending for these boys. 

There's not really much I can say. It took a while to get fully sucked into the book, mostly because the writing was a little verbose at times. But when I did get sucked in I couldn't put it down (thus demonstrated by me reading 50 pages two days ago and 350 pages the next day). I stayed up until 11:30 to finish this (and eat dinner), which was late because I usually go to bed at 10. 

There were twists and turns I didn't see coming. There were times I was pleasantly surprised. There were moments where I was yelling about something and then the next I was whispering begging pleads to the author. Perfect.

The ONLY reason this book didn't get a 5/5 stars was because it took a little while to pick up. There was a solid 75-100 pages where Blue hadn't even met the others yet. I didn't get sucked in until about the time where things started getting weird (If you've read it, you know what I mean). However, if it had picked up sooner, this book would have been a 5/5 star read. I will be ordering the rest of the series very soon so that I can continue on.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren


Thursday, January 14, 2016

Let's Talk: Gathering Darkness

Title: Gathering Darkness
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: "Falling Kingdoms" series
Publication Date: December 9, 2014
Date Started: January 10, 2016
Date Finished: January 13, 2016
Rating: 5/5 stars

*Semi-spoiler free review...aka there will be tiny or barely-there spoilers*

Okay, so these books just keep getting better and better as they go on. Evidence being that Falling Kingdoms did not hook me as much as this book did. Everything changed so much, and I loved it. And the ending! Freaking heck (I censored it)!

Let's start with characters for this one...
CLEO: I just love Cleo more and more the longer I read her. She's growing into such an amazing character and taking risks. She's not perfect and she's not strong 100% of the time, which I think is sometimes rare with female protagonists. I'm very excited to see how she continues in the next books, especially her relationship with a certain someone (if you've read it, you know who I'm talking 'bout).

MAGNUS: Well, Magnus surprised me a couple times in this book, which was fantastic. Usually I can predict what Magnus is going to do based on past actions and his POV thoughts, but he still surprised me a couple of times--which I LOVED! Honestly, just like with Cleo, his character grew into amazing things. I'm nervous and excited to see how he continues on in the next book (especially with a certain someone).

JONAS: Literally perfect. I'm so glad he's made it this far (there's been a few close calls). He, like the others, is growing into something amazing. I'm loving his attitude and thoughts so much, it's not even able to be described. And I'm excited to see his relationship with a special someone grow (or lessen?). Not sure--I'm kind of torn. 

LUCIA: Wow, Lucia. What can I say? JUST LIKE THE OTHERS, she is growing and arcing and it's beautiful. In this book there were a few times where my heart bled for her, and then others where I was like "bitch what you doin'?" No joke, guys. The ending of this book made my heart break for her, but I can't say I'm surprised by what she did after that. I'm excited to see how this turns out.

Now onto other things. A few side characters (Ashur, Nic, Lysandra, Alexius, etc) made me feel so much! I'm so into these characters in this series! And I'm constantly scared that the next page will have them murdered! That seems to be a constant theme in this series!

The writing continues to impress me very much. The world-building and intricate backstories and how everything is tying together is just mind-boggling. I'm blown away by every twist and turn and unexpected thing that happens. Kudos to Morgan Rhodes.

One good thing is that these aren't left at big huge cliffhangers, but smaller ones that I can wait on. I like this.

That is all I have to say for today. I am not going straight into Frozen Tides because I have a lot of books I want to read besides this series and I need to decompress. Plus, if the next one ends at a cliffhanger I'd have to wait until December for the next. And I can't do that. Check out my 'Currently Reading' section to the right if you want to know more about the book I'm currently on.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren


Monday, January 11, 2016

All About: Audiobooks

So for the longest period of time I really disliked audiobooks. However, I'm mainly assuming this is because the audio of books I've read have been in school and it was an emotionless old man reading it and I was forced to either read along or get distracted from reading at my own pace by the emotionless yet loud old man.
But now I've discovered what true audiobooks are! They're really good storytellers reading you a great novel! I have yet to start an Audible trial, but I will once my new debit card comes in.

One of my most anticipated audiobooks is Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This audiobook is voiced by a cast of over 20 people! They also have a soundboard and amazing sound effects throughout the whole thing! I'm super excited to get this so I can listen to it in my car!

Another reason I am now excited for audiobooks is because I laid down in bed, and I really wanted to read, but I didn't want to actually read. I just wanted to absorb the story, and I immediately thought of audiobooks.
Also, with the amount of driving I do, I could have an entire book audiobooked in a week just driving to and from school and work. That's amazing to me! Plus, with all the great books out there and the fantastic voice actors, I will actually pay attention! My mind won't wander like a lot of times in school.

I highly recommend audio books, and I haven't even listened to one yet. My current want-to list includes The Martian by Andy Weir and Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (even though I've already read the book).

~
Thanks for reading. I know it was short, but I've been sick today.
xoxo
Lauren

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Let's Talk: Rebel Spring


Title: Rebel Spring
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: "Falling Kingdoms" #2
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
Date Started: January 7, 2016
Date Finished: January 9, 2016
Rating: 5/5 Stars

*semi-spoiler free review*

Well shit. This book was fantastic. I know this should probably sound like a professional review and not use cuss words or a lot of personal opinions, but that's basically how I operate.
This book was SO much better than the first, and I loved the first! There were many many more feels and deaths in this one. Things I thought weren't going to happen, happened. Things I thought that were for sure going to happen, didn't happen.
I did have moments of triumph reading certain scenes, but more often than not I was shocked senseless. 
Morgan Rhodes, you have done it again.

Some thoughts on characters (the POVs: Cleo, Jonas, Magnus, & Lucia)...

Lucia: My least favorite of the four. I didn't like her very much in the first book, especially after she did that thing with the thing (you know what I mean). Her development in this book was...interesting to say the least. I'm not too sure if I love her or dislike her yet...but there is that thin line between love and hate.

Magnus: I liked Magnus in the first book, then hated him but loved him at the same time. In this book I started liking him a little bit more, and I really really hope that this character development we saw in this one circles around again. 

Jonas: What can I say about Jonas that I haven't already screamed to the heavens? I love Jonas. I ship him and Cleo together so hard, especially after this book. He made some risky decisions in this one and they didn't already pay off. I do love his character arc, that is continuing to arc. It's going to end up a band and not an arc.

Cleo: She is my favorite. I've loved her since book 1, probably because she was the first POV I read. Also, she's not perfect, nor is what happens to her perfect. I love that. I am very excited to see how things turn out for Cleo. And I hope she gets with the person I want her to get with. Fingers crossed.

There's not much I can say about this book without both spoiling the first book and giving away some big details in this one. All I can say, though, is that I am diving right into the next book the moment I post this.

The writing was fantastic. Plot twists and betrayals and mind-blowing stuff happened at every turn, and everything set itself up so nicely for the ending/next book. I love how beautifully done some certain scenes were done (even if I hate that they were done). 

I really enjoyed this book and am very excited to continue on with the series. Up next Gathering Darkness

~

Thanks for reading. What are your thoughts on the Falling Kingdoms series?
xoxo
Lauren

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Let's Talk: The Healing Power of Sugar

Title: The Healing Power of Sugar
Author: C.L. Stone
Series: "Academy: Ghost Bird" #9
Publication Date: November 24, 2015
Date Started: January 2, 2015
Date Finished: January 6, 2015
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

*semi-spoiler free review*

First off, let me say the only reason it took me four days to finish this book was because I read Illuminae at the same time and it took a little bit for this book to pick up. 

Like the last couple books in this series, this novel started out rather slow. I didn't let that deter me, though. Going in, I was excited to get a book about Luke, mostly because we'd seen very minimal Sang/Luke in detail.The last couple were about Silas and Gabriel (my love). Now, it wasn't ALL about one boy, but we get to see a lot more of each boy when the story is a lot about them. I'm hoping the next one is Kota or Mr. Blackbourne, but I don't see a Mr. Blackbourne on happening for a long time.
I powered through the first fourth of this book before things really started to pick up. There were moments when I was really confused but, by the end, everything tied together. 
The ending was absolutely perfect and exactly what I needed. Just the last quarter of the book alone was great in itself. The amount of fluff that was going on in the book was awesome. I saw a lot of the fluffier side of Mr. Blackbourne, which I loved to no end. 
I can't really go into details about much that happened in this book, seeing as it's the 9th in a series, but I did really enjoy this installment. I hope that the next one is as good as this one, or better.

~

Thanks for reading! I do recommend this series, so please go check it out! First one is available on Kindle and iBooks for FREE!!! For free you should definitely check it out.
xoxo
Lauren

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Let's Talk: Illuminae

Title: Illuminae
Series: The Illuminae Files_01
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: October 20, 2015
Date Started: January 2, 2016
Date Finished: January 3, 2016
Rating: Infinity

This is the Bibliobsessed Book of the Month! Check out the "Book Club" tag for more information!

*semi-spoiler free*

     Holy f*cking sh*t!!!!!!!! That is all I can really say after finishing this book. I laughed, I cried, I yelled. There wasn't a whole lot I DIDN'T do.

     First off, this story is told entirely in emails, IM chats, case files, transcripts, reports, you name it. Which is why I was very surprised when I started having angsty feelings. I didn't expect as much angst and love as I did.

     Secondly, how the f*ck did I manage to follow this story so well? It's so complex yet simple!!!! I was able to understand it at all times, but I feel like I shouldn't have understood it so well. Hats off to Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff for making me--a science tech challenged person--understand all of this.

     Thirdly, I loved this book so much. I've already done a sh*t ton of research regarding the second one. Hopefully by mid-October this year (I wish it were now though) it will be published. It doesn't necessarily follow the same people exactly, but instead it follows new characters in a different place during the same events. But the sassy and brilliant characters I loved from this book will be in the next one! It's confirmed by Jay Kristoff.

The title of book two: Gemina.

     Okay, so the first 200 pages was pretty slow moving (compared to the rest of the book), I'll admit. Once I got to the 207-208 page mark, though, I was sucked in. And the last 150 pages was a whirlwind of emotions that I could not keep at bay!
     It read like any other story, and you could definitely follow the story. Lots of times I was floored by the sheer brilliance of this novel. I loved the ending so much you can't even understand.
     The relationships that developed in this novel were great. I loved Kady/Ezra and their background that developed even more in this book. I thought the interactions between Kady and AIDAN were fantastic, and I loved the way that whole thing turned out (not telling you much beyond that). There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and moments when I had to put the book down and take a lap around my room. There were also moments when I cried, which is exactly what a good f*cking book should do.
      The perfection that is this book is so overwhelming, and something that I did not expect (been saying that a lot).

     Basically what I'm trying to say is that this book was amazing. I'm so happy that it's a trilogy, and not just a stand alone, because I don't know what I would do if this was the ending we got (it was beautiful and not a cliffhanger but I needed more of what happens, no spoilers).

     Another point I want to make is if I had read this 4 days ago in 2015, this book would have been at least in the top 3 of my "Top 15 of 2015" post. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, or cry as much as I did. I didn't think I would form such an emotional connection because of the format. I also thought that because it was so hyped, I would have too-high expectations going in. NOT THE CASE!!!

     I recommend this book whole-heartedly, and I don't read a lot of Science Fiction. I own very little Science Fiction novels, and I rarely read a Science Fiction that doesn't tie in with dystopian or paranormal or fantasy. This was fantastic. If I could rate it more than 5 stars, I would.

     In fact, I love it so much that here are some links to places you can purchase this amazing book.
*Disclaimer: I am doing this because I want to, not because a publisher/author asked me to*
Amazon        Book Depository       Barnes & Noble           <--Go now and buy it!

~

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this talk on Illuminae (sorry for all the cussing, but it was such a good book that it warranted it). See you next time!
xoxo
Lauren


2016 Resolutions

Yes, I am jumping on the bandwagon of New Year's Resolutions! Although, I don't do New Year's Resolutions, so I'm just calling them resolutions. They just happen to be started at the beginning of 2016. Yup.
So I have some bookish and some non-bookish resolutions for this year. Let's jump right in.

Number 1: Write a blog post at least three times a week, with at least one book talk a week.
    This is kind of me trying to hold myself accountable if I don't post, seeing as I'm really trying to         get my blog up and running.

Number 2: Post at least one BookTube video per week.
    I've been extremely lazy with my BookTube channel, seeing as I haven't posted since August 31.         I've filmed, but I haven't edited and uploaded videos, thus making it another resolution for me.

Number 3: Stick with the Zombies 5k app.
    I have been telling myself I'll get into running shape for a year now. And it hasn't happened. But I       am hoping to go through with this (seeing as I spent a dollar on the app). Plus, I need to be able to       run a 5k so I can do the Copper Creek Triathlon, maybe. I might be in France when it's happening.

Number 4: Continue with my good sleeping schedule.
    Because of swim season, I was in bed by 8 or 9 due to waking up at 4 in the morning. I'd get               usually 8 or 9 hours of sleep, which was fantastic and just what I need during school. My                     resolution is to continue on getting at least 8 hours of sleep. I wake up at 6 every morning, so going     to bed at 10 should do it.

~

Well, those are my current resolutions that happen to start at the beginning of 2016. What are your resolutions?
xoxo
Lauren

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Christmas Book Haul!

Hello everyone! Christmas was just a week ago and it was so amazing for me. I got to see almost everyone in my family (dad's side and mom's side) and I also got to eat a lot of good food! But of course, let's not skirt around the bush. I got presents, and I gave them. My first paycheck (EVER) from my first ever job went completely towards Christmas presents, so I'm pretty proud of myself. But I received a lot of books and bookish items, as well as money and gift cards that I bought books with. Whoops.
I have 3 categories sorting the books. Category 1 is books I bought myself when I was buying gifts for others. Category 2 is books I received from others. And Category 3 is books I bought with Christmas money/gift cards.
Without further ado, here is my Christmas book haul...
Category 1
The first book I bought myself was Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Yes, I've already read it.

The second book I bought myself was Academy Ghost Bird: Introductions: Collector's Edition by C.L. Stone. 

Category 2
These next books I received from the same person, my grandmother. I picked them out and she bought them as my Christmas presents. Yay!

The first book is Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes.
Yup, I've read it.

The second book is Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder in UK cover. 
This cover is absolutely STUNNING.

The third book is Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini in UK cover.
Again, another amazing cover. 

The fourth book is Destined for Doon by Carie Corp & Lorie Langdon.

The fifth book is Ignite by Sara B. Larson.
Finished it, and LOVED IT.

And the sixth through ninth books are the entire Throne of Glass series (minus the prequels) by Sarah J. Maas in the beautiful UK covers.
I love this series and the UK covers, so I got 'em.

Category 3
I went to the bookstore two days after Christmas and picked some books up (four of them). I also got as many bookish items as I did books (bookish items ARE pictured on my Instagram account). And to top it all off I have 5 books coming in the mail, so I'll put those in as well.

Book 1 was Outlander: 20th Anniversary Edition by Diana Gabaldon.
Couldn't just get the boring original blue cover when this beauty was sitting
right beside it.

Book 2 was Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff.
Check out my "Book Club" tab to see a synopsis of this book as well as join me
in reading it during January!

Book 3 was Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
I believe I raved about this in my Wrap-Up for December...hmm...

And book 4 was The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson.
Book 1 floored me, so I picked this one up right away.

~

You could also just watch the video...

~

There you have it, my super amazing Christmas book haul. I am in no way trying to brag and I acknowledge that I am incredibly blessed. Thank you for reading.
xoxo
Lauren

(P.S. Stay tuned for a giveaway soon)

Friday, January 1, 2016

December 2015 Wrap-Up!

Wow! Last wrap up of the year guys! December was a pretty good reading month for me, compared to some months. I was on winter break but I also had finals so those balanced each other out.
I read a grand total of 6 books in December, not including books I am in the middle of.

1. White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
     Publication Date: February 25, 2014
     Rating: 5/5 Stars
So I picked this one up because I loved the Lux series by her and this one had good reviews and recommendations. All I can say is that this book made me fall in love with even more insanely hot book characters (*cough* Roth *cough*). The end of this book left me in tears and I almost threw the book across the room, but I couldn't because I was clutching it to my chest. *sigh*

2. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
     Publication Date: July 8, 2014
     Rating: 5/5 Stars
I had high hopes going into this book, and I was not disappointed. It did not turn out the way I thought it would, but that just made it all the better! I remember going into this book knowing there was a plot twist/something that would blow my mind, and I forgot. I was completely blindsided by the plot twist. This was me:
Except I didn't actually throw it.

3. Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout
     Publication Date: December 1, 2015
     Rating: 4.4/5 Stars
As I stated above, I loved the Lux series. So when this book was announced, I flipped the f*ck out. And then it was taken off Amazon and I was very confused, but it was released a week later and my confusion thoroughly increased. But I picked it up because I'm obsessed with the Lux series. 
I always loved reading the bonus chapters at the end of the first few books from Daemon's point of view, and this book was just ALL THE FEELS! I finally understood why Daemon was constantly a dick and I even sympathized with his actions. Of course, I sympathized with Katy more, but...ya know...

4. Ignite by Sara B. Larson
     Publication Date: December 30, 2014
     Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I got this book for Christmas and read it in 3 hours on the same day. I could not put it down, and I loved it. It was even better than the first book and the feels were even more pronounced. I was unable to put the book down the entire night, and I am actually ashamed to say I yelled a couple times when people tried to distract me from my book (my sister: I apologize...maybe). The ending left me crying but also laughing and happy, even though I was crying because of sadness. Rollercoaster of feels.

5. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
     Publication Date: December 11, 2012
     Rating: 5/5 Stars
I received this book for Christmas as well and sped through it. It was very interesting and I loved how it was told from the multiple POVs of people who were pitted against each other, because I understood all of the emotions of each of them and their actions. I cried, I laughed, I cursed. It was great. I actually am ordering the next three books (all at once) when I finish this post and will marathon the series in January. Whoop whoop!

6. Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
     Publication Date: October 21, 2014
     Rating: 5/5 Stars
Because the first book left me at such a cliffhanger, I snatched this up when I was at the bookstore a few days after Christmas. I love it, love it, love it. I can't really describe a lot without spoiling anything, but the characters gave me all the feels in this one. Tons of feels and shit!
I did, however, get spoiled on the biggest spoiler when I went to check how many pages it was and the biggest spoiler was the last sentence of the book. If I hadn't known that spoiler ahead of time, I would have been blown away and most likely thrown the book at the wall. It was so well done, and very subtle because I was looking for signs of what was going to be happening (because I was spoiled). God I loved this book. 

~

I read a lot of great books this month, all of them 4.5+ stars which usually doesn't happen. I know January will be full of amazing books as well, so I'm very excited for that! Thank you for reading.
xoxo
Lauren