Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday | The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Expected Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Pages: 384
Find on Goodreads


Goodreads Description

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Why I'm Waiting


I want to start by saying look at that cover! It's simplistic but so beautiful! I went to Bookcon this past weekend and they were giving out ARCs for this. I was sad that I wasn't able to get one. I haven't read Nicola Yoon's debut novel Everything Everything yet but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I definitely plan on reading that soon but everyone's praise for this authors writing has me extremely excited to check out her next novel. 

I haven't seen too many reviews on this book yet and I think that's because ARCs just started going out but there have been a few. The reviews/quick thoughts that I've already seen have been amazing! Of course that's gotten me even more excited. Hopefully I'll have another opportunity to get an ARC but if not (and honestly even if I do) I will definitely be picking up a copy when it is published. I might even preorder it. If you can't tell, I'm really excited for this! Why is November so far away?

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim



Happy Tuesday and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday! As always this weekly feature/meme is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim. I tend to pick up random books more when I make bigger purchases, especially from Book Outlet. I don't have a long paragraph to write this week so I'm just going into it.







Sunday, May 15, 2016

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan | Review

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 1, 2006
Genre: Middle Grade, Greek Mythology, Adventure, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 279
Source: Purchased
Find on Goodreads




Goodreads Description

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

My Thoughts


I'm not sure why I waited so long after I read the first book in the series before picking this up. Not really the best decision I made. However when I started this, I fell right back into the story. I already knew what to expect so I was able to just accept the story for what it was and not try over analyze it. I loved being back with Percy and everyone else, along with some new characters. Almost from the beginning of the book Percy is already getting into some trouble. This is also when Tyson is introduced. I love Tyson! He's so sweet, innocent, and even protective at moments.

As to be expected this book contains another epic adventure. They don't go to as many places as they do in The Lightning Thief but more types of creatures in their world were introduced. Family secrets and a hint of where the rest of this series might be going was also revealed.

There were some situations that I felt like could have been avoided. Different characters made some questionable decisions or didn't really take the time to think things through. I think most, if not all, of those moments had something to with Clarisse. Honestly, I couldn't stop myself from laughing at her though while I internally rolled my eyes through those scenes. Those avoidable moments paired with how long I took to read took away some of my enjoyment of this book.

Old friendships and bonds are tested while new ones were formed. Another great installment in the series and I can't wait until I get to the rest of the series!


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday | The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Expected Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Pages: 480
Find on Goodreads


Goodreads Description

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.


Why I'm Waiting



I've only ever read the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and honestly that is reason enough for me to check out any of her other work. The Lux series offered endless amounts of entertainment while still touching on some serious topics. For that series alone I going to try to read Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn book that has been published at least.

With all that being said, the summary sounds really interesting. From the description there seems like the main character might have some type of lingering trauma from some type of abuse. I feel like this is going to be one of those contemporaries that's going to give me all types of feels because of the problems the two main characters need to work through and because of the romance I'm sure will be included in this. I'm really excited for this release!

Top Ten Tuesday: Websites (Sorta) I Love That Aren't About Books


If are reading this most likely you are like me and can spend hours on the internet searching book related things, especially since I discovered Book Outlet. I can spend 30 minutes just browsing through their selection. However, thanks to the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish I'm going to be talking about what I love to do on the internet when it isn't related to books. The topic was about the top website we love that aren't about books but since I don't spend a lot time on specific websites I'm going to split main categories and a miscellaneous one. This is going up late but I still wanted to get this up. Now that all the details are out of the way, let's get into it.

1. Pinterest: I'm sure this will probably make some other lists (depending on how people decide to do their list) but I had to include it on my own. I don't spend as much time on Pinterest as some other stuff but when I get on there I find myself scrolling for long periods of time.While I do enjoy searching for book related things I use Pinterest for a lot more than that. Here are just some of them:

- interior design ideas - photography/art - recipes - DIYs - hairstyles - inspirational quotes

2. Youtube: I think this where I spend most of my free time on the internet. Today you can pretty much find anything you want to watch. I'm going to share some of my favorite non-bookish creators.
  • Alex Aiono - This is a new favorite of mine. He's an amazing serious and he covers songs from different genres and sometimes even mixes genres in covers.
  • XUrbanSimsX - If you love the sims and don't think it's weird to watch other people play (my mom makes fun of me every time she sees me watching it) then I think you should check her out. She's my favorite person to watch right now because she puts so much thought into each family she creates and makes each video she posts a story instead of just playing.
  • I am a self proclaimed foodie and I love to cook so these are some of my favorite cooking channels to watch that I know of: Rosanna PansinoBrothers Green EatsSORTEDfood, and Laura in the Kitchen
3. Miscellaneous
  • The Sims 4 Forums: If you can't tell already I love the sims. Every now and then I like to go to the forums because they have a section where people post stories about their current family or they create stories to share with the community.
  • Anything Buzzfeed: Whether it's their youtube channels or the actual website, this is something else I can spend hours on since they cover such a wide variety of topics.



What are some of your favorite non-bookish website?

Monday, May 9, 2016

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick | Review

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 13, 2013
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mental Health
Pages: 288
Source: Purchased
Find on Goodreads




Goodreads Description
Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.

My Thoughts


Going into this book I didn't really know what to expect. I had a general idea of what the story was about and I had seen quite a few good reviews on it. Like I usually am with books that have a lot of good books I was worried that I wouldn't like it. However I'm glad I didn't let that worry stop me from reading this.

The book opens up and the reader is immediately immersed into Leonard Peacock's reality. Already knowing what the main character plans to do, we are let in on his thought process as he starts revealing exactly what he plans to do. During the day we follow Leonard as he starts to put his plan of gifting items to the people he cares about most. Through the interactions with these people and the flashbacks mixed into everything, we start to learn more about Leonard. The truth is, Leonard is just a lonely kid that wants to be noticed and truly cared for. The further along you get into the story you start to understand what the big secret is that Leonard has been carrying and at least partially why his behavior is so strange and why he gets really defensive when certain things are said.

I did have a small problem with the foot notes included in this book. While they did add to the story, they were a bit distracting for me. I felt like they pulled me from the story, especially when they didn't seem to add anything to the story. I felt the same when it came to the letters for a while. When the first came it was so sudden and there was no explanation so I was confused. After the first letter I was more prepared when they came up but I still was pulled from the current story line and it made me question a few things about where the entire story was going. Once I finally found out what the letters were and why they were included I really appreciated them and in their own way, the letters signified hope.

I was equally disappointed and appreciative of the ending. There wasn't enough of a solution for me. I was a little let down that there wasn't a clear shift to healing in certain areas of his life. However, that's why I appreciated it because there is never an immediate solution to a problem, especially after only one day. This is such an important book! I think everyone should at least give it a try.


Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

Monday, May 2, 2016

April Wrap Up

I was just talking to someone about how it seems like the older I get, the more time seems to fly by. Even though it doesn't seem like it's been that long, I'm quickly approaching my first year of blogging. I can't believe it! April was a pretty good month. My nephew was born and I went back to my home state and was able to see most of my college friends. April was also a good reading month for me. I think I read more during this month than I've ever read in a month. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I participated (somewhat) in 2 readathons this month. Now that I've finished with my intro and let's get into the wrap up and what's coming in May.

New to My Shelves


I'm a little ashamed of the amount of books that I purchased during April. It's too many to post pictures of all them. If you want you can check out my video where I talk about the books I got in March and April, but most of the books in the haul were purchased in April.

Books I Read



Saga Volume 2 (4.5 stars) | Saga Volume 3 (5 stars)


Saga Volume 4 (5 stars) | Saga Volume 5 (5 stars)


The Sea of Monsters (4.5 stars) | Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock ( 4 stars)


Food Wars Volume 1 (4 stars) | The Deal (4.5 stars) 


Merman in My Tub (2.5 stars) | Addicted to You (3.5 stars)

Currently Reading




2016 Reading Challenge


As of right now I have read 23 books towards my 50 book Goodreadsn reading challenge. According to Goodreads I'm ahead of the pace I should be reading to reach my goal and that's thanks to the graphic novels I went through at the beginning of the month. I know I have for sure finished another book for the Finishing the Series challenge. I decided to update all my challenges at the end of the month so I will be doing that sometime during the week. 

Coming In May


The first thing I want to mention is a readathon that a book blogger/booktuber that I follow has created/ is hosting in May. Ashley @ Bookish Realm is has created the Mental Health Awareness Readathon which will be taking place May 16-22nd. I'm going to be participating in this readathon and I thought some of you might be interested. If you are interested in this and want to see the challenges check out her announcement video for all the information. Ashley also made a twitter account for this readathon so make sure to check that out as well.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I'm working on getting stuff together to try to go to Book Con on May 14. It is really last minute but since I'm from Chicago and some other plans fell through I decided to try to go and see family that weekend. If anyone that happens to come across this post before and you are going let me know and maybe we can try to meet up.



How was April for you guys? Anything fun or exciting happen?