Stacking the Shelves #8

Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received in the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: March 25 - March 31

Received from Paperbackswap.com:
Sun-Kissed Christmas by Katherine Applegate


Eon by Alison Goodman


Received from local used bookstore:
The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie


To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds


204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber


What did you get this week? Leave a link below and I'll come check it out!
See you soon!

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Book Blogger Confessions #3

Here's what it's all about: "Started in January 2012, by Karen - For What It's Worth & Tiger - Tiger's All Consuming Media & now co-hosted with my good friend Pam from Midnyte reader, Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about blogging/bookish topics. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.

Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers!"

March 31st Topic: How does blogging effect your *real* life? Are friends and family supportive? Do you find that blogging cuts into family time? How do you strike a balance between the two?

So, how does blogging effect my real life? It's pretty much a daily thing for me to work on my blog; whether that be with scheduling new posts, writing down meme schedules, adding new elements to my blog, and most importantly reading!

I do know how to limit myself though. Definitely gotta get school work done first, and then I try to put in a half our or hour a day for my blog. The way I see it is, if people are taking time out of their schedule to read my blog, then I should take the time out of my schedule to keep it up to date (sort of hypocritical since this post is late! But I was on vacation! We all deserve a break every once and a while)

My family is super supportive of my blogging! They all follow me and help me out with suggestions here and there. My dad really helped with the layout of my blog. One evening we just sat down and for about 3 or 4 hours fixed up HTML here and there and created a whole new look for my blog. My mom will read my posts and talk to me about certain things on my blog and my sister will often help me promote some of my posts through her Pintrest. 

I actually haven't told any of my friends about my blog. No one outside my family knows about it (well, besides people on social media that I don't know on a personal level). I just feel like my friends wouldn't take it seriously (they're not big readers) so it's sort of my own little secret.

I don't think my blogging cuts into family time. It's like asking if reading cuts into family time. Sure, my parents will ask if I want to come watch TV with them but most of the time I'll say "No! I'm reading!" (Total nerd, I know) But I often end up multi-tasking while I'm blogging like watching TV at the same time, or listening to music, etc.

Like I said before I definitely limit myself on how much blogging I do each day, but it's not completely consuming that I never leave my room, and remain a hermit forever. 

What are your thoughts about blogging and family/friends? Let me know in the comments below!

See you soon!

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Sanctuary for a Lady by Naomi Rawlings

Synopsis from Goodreads: The injured young woman Michel Belanger finds in the woods is certainly an aristocrat. And in the midst of France's bloody revolution, sheltering nobility merits a trip to the guillotine. Yet despite the risk, Michel knows he must bring the wounded girl to his cottage to heal.

Attacked by soldiers and left for dead, Isabelle de La Rouchecauld has lost everything. A duke's daughter cannot hope for mercy in France, so escaping to England is her best chance of survival. The only thing more dangerous than staying would be falling in love with this gruff yet tender man of the land. Even if she sees, for the first time, how truly noble a heart can be….

Number of pages: 281
My review: Holy cow. This was really, really good! I was surprised that it was so good to because I have never read a romance novel before so I expected it to be all sappy and lovey dovey but it wasn't! This is a historical romance, so there was definitely more explaining needed for the historical side which I really liked because it was like I was getting a history lesson right along with the story. I also love historical fiction anyways so anything with a smidge of romance is always good.
I also didn't expect the novel to be so deep and well written. I guess I have a lot of incorrect prejudices towards romance novels and this book pretty much dispelled them all. Like I said it was deep, well written, great characters who actually had some depth, and a believable plot. I think the believable plot was what sold me the most on this book. It wasn't something where I kept thinking "That would never happen!" I actually felt like this story was stolen right  from the diary of some French lady during the late 1700's and early 1800's and that I was reading all about her life.
I loved the plot twist in the last quarter of the book. Total shocker (read it to find out what it is!) Isabelle sounds like such a sweet and sincere girl and I found myself connecting with her a lot. She was so selfless and always wanted to help others out and I found that very admirable. I also liked her spunky spirit where she never took no as an answer and she didn't back down to a challenge.
Michel was a great male lead. I really liked how the story would sometimes switch over to his point of view (not directly, but third person) and he would voice why he was going through these mood changes. Of course, it was confusing for all the other characters, but I liked that he had valid reasons behind his actions, and didn't do things willy nilly without an explanation.
Overall, I really loved this book and gave it five out of five stars on Goodreads! I think this would be appropriate for teens who are in high school or a little older, and for adults as well. Very sweet story, with awesome history context, and relatable characters. Also, the novel has religious references throughout it, but as a non-religious person, I didn't feel at all like they took away from the story, in fact I rather liked how their devotion towards God affected some of their actions and helped move the plot along smoothly. Job well done Naomi Rawlings!
The one thing that I didn't like about this book? The cover. That is not how I imagined either character and I found it was tacky and typical romance novel-esque. But that's how most romance novels are and I'm not sure if the masses like that, or if it's a marketing tool, but don't let the cover scare you away it's a really great read!
See you soon!
Paige

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Book Collectors Tag!

It's been about 8 months since I've done a tag, and I ran across this one on Youtube and love it! So here we go!

1. How many books do you own?
Is too many an answer? Because I have 423 *gasp* and that doesn't even count all my old children's books!

2. How long has it taken you to accumulate your collection?
I've been reading since I was probably in pre-school and before that, so basically all my life! As for the YA books though? Those have been collected since like 6th or 7th grade I guess (seeing as how I'm a senior in high school now that's a good amount of time).

3. How often do you buy books?
Once a week? *cringe* I know I buy WAY too many, but my used bookstore has such good sales! (like how last week I got 12 books all for $1! How do you beat that!?) But I'm trying to ban myself right now I promise!

4. What is the first book you remember buying?
I honestly don't remember. But I do have extremely fond memories of browsing Borders, used bookstores on vacation, and just other nerdy stuff that would completely bore you to tears.

5. Last book that you purchased?
Here's the whole long list you can see, because trust me, it is never just one book...

6. Longest book you own?
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell it's 1024 pages! (And I've read it! Great book!)

7. Shortest book you own?
Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares by Frank Murphy it's a whopping 48 pages! I've had this book since a kid and couldn't bear to part with it after all these years..

Hope you enjoyed!
See you soon!

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How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles

Synopsis from Goodreads: Moshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home. 

Unfortunately for 16-year-old Amy Nelson, “moshav” is not Hebrew for “shopping mall.” Not even close. Think goats, not Gucci. 

Going to Israel with her estranged Israeli father is the last thing Amy wants to do this summer. She’s got a serious grudge against her dad, a.k.a. “Sperm Donor,” for showing up so rarely in her life. Now he’s dragging her to a war zone to meet a family she’s never known, where she’ll probably be drafted into the army. At the very least, she’ll be stuck in a house with no AC and only one bathroom for seven people all summer—no best friend, no boyfriend, no shopping, no cell phone… 

Goodbye pride—hello Israel.

Number of pages: 234
My review: This book had it all. It was a light fluffy read (perfect for the summer, obviously) funny dialogue, and a cute little romance spun throughout the whole tale. Amy was the typical spoiled brat, who felt that because her father was never around when she was a child, gave her the right to backlash everything he said/did (which, okay, maybe it does give her the right. That's a subjective topic).
Anyways! Moving on! Amy really is a sweet girl deep down, and at this point in her life, portrayed through the book, she is going through a lot. And some of her lines are really hilarious! She's not always deep and thoughtful like some of the characters in Simone Elkeles' other novels but Amy's personality is unlike anyone else I guess! She brings a breath of fresh air to the novel and brings out the best (and worst) in everyone so that you can see all the characters true personalities. Amy also doesn't feel fake or forced so it's nice to be able to relate to a strong female character.
The male protagonist, Avi, is a little forgettable (I had to go look up his name in a few Goodreads reviews). He's a typical male guy in a YA novel; hot, muscular, foreign(?), takes his shirt off a lot, and, in my mind, utterly impossible and he would never glance at us mortal women. Let alone Amy, who let's face it, is a little annoying. But we all have to have something to strive for right? Something to lust after?
The story line was pretty light and fluffy. Like cotton candy, too much of it will make you sick. Don't get me wrong I really, really liked this book but I thought the plot was just a little predictable. There was some instances where there were amounts of action (rafting anyone?) but the rest of it was just a little bland. It was kinda like the Rachel Hawthorne novels that I've read, where no one is super deep, and the plot is good, just a you kinda feel like something more would happen.
Needless to say I liked the book and will finish the rest of the series, but this series is definitely not as good as Simone Elkeles' other novels like the Perfect Chemistry series or the Leaving Paradise duo-logy. Also, I think the covers are SUPER tacky!
See you soon!

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Top Ten Tuesday #12

Check out all the info here at The Broke and The Bookish's blog.
March 19: Top Ten books I recommend the most

Like I've noticed on a lot of other people's lists, I take a lot of consideration into recommending books to people (depending on their tastes, what they've read previously, etc.) But if it's just a general question of "What do you like? What should I read?" or something along those lines than check out the list below:

1. The Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles

It's definitely one of my favorite series, and has it all...romance, hot guys, oh la la!

2. The Night World series by L. J. Smith

Vampires, tons of romance and action!

3. The L.A. Candy series by Lauren Conrad

Really light and fluffy summer read, with back stabbing, movie stars, and HUGE personalities 

4. The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Great series with a strong female protagonist and lot's of teamwork, and did I mention hot guys and angels?

5. Miss Match series by Erynn Mangum

Another strong female protagonist and the whole series is really sweet with slight Christian references (that aren't overpowering enough that even non-religious folk like me can really enjoy the book!)

6. Really ANYTHING by Syrie James

Often their are historical twists, romance, awesome leading women, and just really sweet sweet stories perfect for winter

7. A variety of classics

I always encourage people to read classics (food for thought anyone?) because they're usually REALLY good and have deeply emotional messages

8. The Last Survivors trilogy by Susan Beth Pfeffer

End of the world, dystopian, slightly scary and possible setting? Sign someone up for this series because it's fantastic!

9. Anything by Rachel Hawthorne

More light and fluffy summer and winter reads with slightly predictable plots but you totally forget about that fact when you laugh along with the quirky guys and gals in these books

10. The Death by Bikini Mysteries by Linda Gerber

I must have summer on the brain with all the excellent weather we're having here in SoCal, but this is seriously a great trio of books with action and adventure and mystery galore! 

What's on your list? Leave a link below so I can come check it out!

See you soon!

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Stacking the Shelves #7

Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received in the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: March 18 - March 24 

Received from library:
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton


Received from Paperbackswap:
Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne


Received at local used bookstore $1 bag of books sale:
Be Not Afraid by Robert L. Wise
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Christmas Belles by Sylvia Andrew
Short Straw Bride by Dallas Schulze
My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgens Clark
Murder in the Chateau by Elliot Roosevelt
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
Headhunters by Jules Bass
Dim Sum Dead by Jerrlyn Farmer
Christmas Stalking collected by Charlotte Macleod
Between a Wok and a Hard Place by Tamar Myers
Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly




Leave a link below of your own list!
See you soon!

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The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis from Goodreads: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Number of pages: 619

My review: Okay so forget that Stephenie Meyer wrote this. Forget about Twilight, and forget all other biased opinions you have on that whole franchise and Stephenie Meyer herself. Done? Okay, when you DON'T consider all that this is a pretty decent book.

However, when you DO consider that, then it's definitely a step above Twilight, but still not as good as some other sci-fi novels. 

The main problem I had with this book was it moved impossibely slow. I truly think that a third of the book could have been cut out and I would have enjoyed it just as much; probably even more. Let me break it down for you:

The beginning was pretty good. I liked the buildup and all the introductions. There was enough there to keep me interested and keep me reading.

Fast forward about 200 or 300 pages? The story starts to drag on and on and on and on and- well I think you get the idea. It tried to be exciting and have little plot buildups here and there but it just didn't work. I wanted the story to move a lot faster and I almost gave up on the whole book because the middle chunk was slowly killing my brain cells.

Now, the last quarter of the book? Really good. Things start picking up, there's a little more action, a little more romance, it was good. Not great, but a solid "good".

The last 50 pages? Excellent. Best part of the whole book and made the boring middle part totally worth the read. Finally something was happening, and there was A LOT more conflict and romance going on. If the whole book had been like this I would easily have given it 5 stars (As it is, I only gave it 4 on Goodreads).

I still think Stephenie Meyer needs to work on her writing skill (and definitely the chemistry between characters) but it definitely surpassed the Twilight saga, and all that horribleness, that I hope to never return to. 

I definitely can't wait for the movie and hope that it's a little more exciting than what I drudged through in the middle 300 pages of the book.

What are your thoughts on the book? The trailer looks fantastic so are you going to go see the movie? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!

See you soon!

P.S. If you're currently reading through The Host and feel a little frustrated, listen to the audio book, that helped a ton and was how I managed to pull through until the end! Also, I'm definitely "Team Ian". 

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Top Ten Tuesday #11

Check out all the info here at The Broke and The Bookish's blog.
March 19: Top Ten books I HAD to buy...but are still sitting on my shelf

1. Matched and Crossed by Ally Condie
2. A Million Suns by Beth Revis
3. Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad
4. Monster High and Monster High 2 by Lisi Harrison
5. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
6. The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
7. Gone and Hunger by Michael Grant

8. City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
9. Maximum Ride #7: Angel by James Patterson
10. Paper Towns by John Green

What's on your list? Leave a link below and I'll come check it out!
See you soon!

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Book Blogger Confessions #2

Here's what it's all about: "Started in January 2012, by Karen - For What It's Worth & Tiger - Tiger's All Consuming Media & now co-hosted with my good friend Pam from Midnyte reader, Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about blogging/bookish topics. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.

Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers!"

March 17th Topic: What is important in design for the blogs you follow? What features/elements do you appreciate? What are big turn off's?

Something extremely important for me is just a nice clean blog design. Nothing too flashy, and yet something that stands out among the rest; something memorable. Also, nothing with a ton of buttons, and advertisements on the sides of the blog that deter away from the actual blog content. Basically, I like to think that less is better, not more.

Features or elements I appreciate are direct page links at the top of the blog, and also an easy method for following the blog (I don't like to hunt for pages where reviews are, or how to follow the blog or contact the writer). And a really easy blog to navigate around is much appreciated!

Big turn offs? Black backgrounds!! I abhor that! It's so hard to read! Either that, or a white background with some really hard text or font color to read. And pretty much what I said above; lot's of buttons, blinking icons, tons of advertisements, and not a lot of blog content. Basically, if half your blog is just book advertisements, and hardly any review posts, then it's a huge turn off. I came to your blog to read reviews, not be spewed ads at. I like ads sometimes because that's how I find out about new books, but half a blog full of the stuff is a bit too much for me.

What are your thoughts? Leave a link below to your post, or with your thoughts! Thanks!

See you soon!

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Stacking the Shelves #6

Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received in the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: March 10 - March 17

Purchased from local $1 bookstore:
Sweet Valley High #2: Secrets by Francine Pascal
Sweet Valley High #5: All Night Long by Francine Pascal


Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors


Paperbackswap.com:
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley


The Next Always by Nora Roberts


Won in a giveaway on Goodreads:
Centurion's Daughter by Justin Swanton


What did you get this week? Leave a link below and I'll come check it out!
See you soon!

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