Monthly Update: May 2014

May Update 2014

Currently Reading:

1. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Books Read in May:

1. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
2. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (re-read)
3. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
4. Animal Farm by George Orwell
5. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
7. Hung Up by Kristen Tracy
8. Just One Night by Gayle Forman

June TBR:

1. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
2. Re-read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
3. Finish City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
4. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
5. Five Summers by Una LaMarche

Goodreads Reading Challenge Progress:

I have read 34 books toward my goal of 50, and according to Goodreads I am 14 books ahead of schedule!

New Books I Bought:

1. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
2. Hung Up by Kristen Tracy
3. We Are Liars by E. Lockhart
4. Five Summers by Una LaMarche
5. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
6. Just One Night by Gayle Forman (e-book format)

TBR Jar Pick:

I have yet to finish my TBR Hat pick yet. I still have to read Finale, which is the last book in the Hush, Hush saga so after that I will be done! I’m super excited to pick my next book, so be on a look out for my TBR Hat update post, which will wrap-up my thoughts on the Hush, Hush saga overall and mention the next book I am going to read.

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I had a great reading month again! I’m so proud of myself and I hope to read a lot of contemporary books this summer. I didn’t however do a good job on not buying books this month… Whoops.
Oh well, who cares, I GOT CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE! I’m in the middle of reading it and it’s SO GOOD. I can’t put it down. I just want to read all day, screw school. Just kidding, school is important everyone!

But City of Heavenly Fire is more important…

Thanks for reading! If you’re apart of the Mortal Instruments fandom then tell me your thoughts on City of Heavenly Fire below! NO SPOILERS THOUGH. I cannot stress this highly enough, don’t ruin books for anyone, it really isn’t nice. Nope, nope, nope. If you’re not apart of the Mortal Instruments fandom, then that’s okay, what are you planning on reading this month?

You should totally read The Mortal Instruments if you haven’t by the way…

Bye! Happy reading!

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Buy all the books mentioned above at the Book Depository, free shipping worldwide!

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Just One Night by Gayle Forman Snippets

Hello bookworms! If you’ve been on my blog for a while you will know I am a HUGE fan of Gayle Forman, I love all of her books, but my favorite will have to be Just One Day. In a previous post I wrote about how Gayle Forman is writing a novella called Just One Night which will be about what happens to Willem and Allyson after the door opens. (Read about it HERE!)

If you don’t know what I’m talking about Allyson and Willem are characters from Gayle Forman’s book Just One Day and Just One Year. If you haven’t read them yet you totally should, I very much recommend them. I fell in love with Allyson’s story in Just One Day but Willem’s story in Just One Year was amazing as well.

Just One Night comes out on May 29th, but if you’re like me and you can’t wait for the novella to come out then do not fear! Gayle Forman is doing a segment on Penguin Teen’s YouTube channel called, “Goodnight Stories with Gayle Forman” on there she reads little snippets from the novella each night.

↓↓↓↓↓↓ You can check them out below! ↓↓↓↓↓↓

Doesn’t it sound amazing so far? I’m so excited, I can’t wait to read it! These are only three of the videos Penguin Teen posted, but I assume that there will be more so make sure to keep checking on their YouTube channel for more Just One Night snippets!

May 29th is so close yet so far away! Who else is excited? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

Buy Just One Night

Barnes and Nobles
Amazon

Buy Just One Day

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

Buy Just One Year

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

Just One Night comes out on May 29th

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Let’s be friends!

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The Mortal Instruments (Books 1-5) | Series Review (Spoilers)

The Mortal Instruments series (books 1-5) by Cassandra Clare
(City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls)

*Warning Spoilers! Read at your own risk!*

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Clary Fray thinks she is just an ordinary teenager living in Brooklyn. She learns that the group are Shadowhunters, secret warriors that protect the world from demons. Clary is drawn to the terrifying world where she soon learns that everything is not what it seems. Clary slowly begins to learn the truth about her family and is thrown into this magical world of demons, werewolves, vampires, fairies, warlocks and battle that will decide the fate of the world.

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In honor of City of Heavenly Fire coming out in a couple of days I thought I’d share my review of The Mortal Instruments series before it comes out. This review will contain spoilers of all the books in the series minus City of Heavenly Fire because I have not read it yet. Be on the look out for my review of City of Heavenly Fire when I finish reading it!

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The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare wasn’t like any of the YA books I’ve ever read. What really annoys me are the people who compare this (or any) book to other books like, Twilight, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, or anything else. All stories are unique in their own way they might have similarities, but they aren’t the same and they shouldn’t be compared as the same thing.

What I love about this series is it’s not just about the romance. What I mean is you see these huge bestselling books and you think, oh it’s just another cliché romance story. Don’t get me wrong I love a good romance story when I read one, but sometimes too much romance in a book annoys me. When I was younger (like 4-6th grade) I absolutely loved romance novels, but now that I’ve read so many of them I don’t know why but they have really been starting to annoy me. Every time characters say “I love you.” to each other I just cringe and I have to put the book down for a while. For example, Halo by Alexandra Adornetto really got on my nerves, Bethany and Xavier just fell in love too fast and I found the romance super annoying. Also, was I the only one who liked Jake better? Sorry Halo fans.

But I digress. The Mortal Instruments is anything but just a romance story. It has action, humor, some drama, it was very well-rounded and such page turner I was always at the edge of my seat wondering what was gonna happen next. It’s a book you can really relate to. I mean I’m sure none of us are awesome badass shadowhunters like Clary Fray, but if I put myself in Clary’s shoes I would have done everything she did. Some people say her actions were very rash, and yes, they were, but her mother was taken from her and she just basically found out her whole life was a lie, I would have trust issues too.

What I also really like about this series is that it’s probably the only series, for a long time that the romance didn’t make me cringe. While I was reading I actually wanted Cassandra Clare to speed it up and get on with the kissing scene, which, by the way was totally worth the wait.
Plus the ending of City of Bones, I was so shocked, and heartbroken, that’s how hard I fell in love with Jace and Clary the books were perfect and I wouldn’t change anything. And the action in the story, I never thought I’d ever be someone who loved action stories but now I can’t get enough of it. As the books progress you can really see the change in Clary she’s not that normal girl, she’s a shadowhunter and I just love her growth throughout the series.

So a little about the characters!

Clary Fray: She wasn’t just a damsel in distress (another thing in books that annoys me) she was feisty and never felt sorry for herself when things got tough and her whole world was falling apart she never gave up and kept pushing forward that’s something I really loved about her and wish I was more like. She’s just someone people can relate to and love.

Jace (Wayland? Morgenstern? Lightwood? Herondale?): Jace, gosh where do I begin with Jace? He’s cocky, handsome, smart, strong, hilarious, and those are many things that make so yummy and hot. But his vulnerable side, the  side he shows Clary that has to be his best trait.

Alec Lightwood: I love Alec, sometimes I wondered what was going on with him, but I really do love Alec. I like how he’s not the stereotypical “gay” guy it was very refreshing to read. (I ship Malec so hard…)

Isabelle Lightwood: Oh gosh don’t get me started on her, I’ve always loved Isabelle from the very beginning of the books. She was such a badass and I love it! When she talks about how she doesn’t give her heart to guys ’cause she knows hearts are fragile and can be broken easily I felt we finally got a glimpse at the real Isabelle that underneath all the badass she has a strong vulnerable side that doesn’t come out often.

Simon Lewis: Oh my gosh, I just love Simon! I loved him so much that it was heartbreaking knowing that Clary will never love him that way. And when he’s heartbroken I’m heartbroken.

Jonathan Morgenstern: Is it bad that I really like him? He and Valentine are the best villains ever.

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The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare is such a unique story that really shouldn’t be compared to any other YA story. I have so many obsessions but these books have really changed my life. If I had never read them I don’t think I would have ever found out that “fandoms” existed let alone be apart of so many of them. Cassie has changed my life without even realizing it. So thank you.

So to the people who ignored the spoiler warning and went ahead and read this review anyways, if you haven’t read The Mortal Instruments yet I strongly suggest you to go to the bookstore right now and buy the whole series. If you were hesitant to pick up this series I hope my review has changed your mind.

Comment below your thoughts on the series! Are you excited as I am for City of Heavenly Fire?

5 out of 5 stars

★★★★★

Buy The Mortal Instruments series (books 1-6)

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

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City of Heavenly Fire is out now! Buy it here.

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Let’s be friends!

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Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2) by Becca Fitzpatrick | Book Review

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Second book in the Hush, Hush saga

*Warning* Spoilers for both Hush, Hush and Crescendo. Read at your own risk.

Synopsis:

Nora Grey’s life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn’t pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it. A mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He’s more elusive than ever (if that’s possible) and what’s worse, he seems to be spending time with Nora’s archenemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn’t been acting so distant. Even with Scott’s totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him – despite her lingering feelings that he is hiding something.

If that weren’t enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get the answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything – and everyone – she trusts.

—–SPOILERS! ——
*Warning* Ranting ahead.

I wanted to kill everyone.
I am not even sugar-coating anything. I just wanted to punch everyone character in the face. Nora especially.

Nora is like the girls in horror movies that you scream at not to open the door or not to go down into the basement, but they do it anyways. The only thing with Nora is I found her five hundred times worse. At least the girls in the movies knew they couldn’t handle everything by themselves Nora on the other hand tries so hard not to be “weak” that she’s reckless. There’s a difference between being a strong independent person and just being downright stupid. When someone tells her to do something it’s always, “No way! I can take care of myself!” and then a few pages later she gets hurt and needs Patch jumping in to save her. Nora, you can’t take care of yourself, is it really that hard just to listen to what someone says for once in your life? Didn’t think so.

She was constantly annoying me and Becca Fitzpatrick kept adding pointless drama between her and Patch. Nora would say something stupid to push Patch away and then go on and on and on for pages and pages about how much she loves and misses him but also hates him. And there’s more, she also blamed everything on Patch. She didn’t stop once to think maybe it was her fault their relationship was so screwed up. She expected him to just run back to her and apologize for something she did. Um, what? Get your act together and stop being a whiny bitch.

Now Patch wasn’t all that different. He also made their relationship pretty screwed up too, but I guess it was mostly the archangels fault that he ended up “dating” Marcie Millar. But even so I can’t get over how Nora has no right to be so jealous. She’s the one who broke up with him. And yes, I know she blamed her decision on the archangels but still she truly didn’t think her and Patch were ever going to work out she would’ve tried harder to get over him and stop being so jealous. I know Marcie is her all time enemy (which I honestly do not get) but she makes it seem like he broke up with her and he didn’t. Furthermore, Nora doesn’t TRUST him and always makes assumptions without actually stopping to ask him. How can she expect a good relationship when she’s constantly thinking Patch is trying to kill her?

Another thing that bothered me was Becca Fitzpatrick’s constant need to describe cars. I don’t really care about car details. You could simply write “he drove a black car” or something and I’d totally be okay with that. But no, it has to be a full on explanation of the car. It’s a really minor thing but I think I was so pissed off at this book that I was looking for anything else to make me more mad.

There were so many times I just wanted to chuck the book out the window. I just couldn’t handle it. I’d list more of my problems with this book but then this wouldn’t be a review.

It would be a full on rant. 

Which it probably already is, but I will say I did actually like one character in this book. 

And that would be Marcie Millar.

Now I gave Hush, Hush 4 stars in Goodreads but now I’m starting to rethink my decision and wonder if it was just me forcing myself to like the book without actually stopping and looking at all its flaws.

In short, I was very disappointed with this book. I’m sorry if I was ranting on about your favorite series but I just personally couldn’t handle it. I will however continue with the series, I really hope it gets better. Feel free to comment your thoughts on Crescendo or your overall review of the Hush, Hush series please try to keep things spoiler free though!

1 out of 5 stars

★

Buy Crescendo

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

Buy the Complete Hush, Hush Saga

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

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Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick | Currently Reading

I just started reading Crescendo which is book two in the Hush, Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick. I started the Hush, Hush series sometime last year but I didn’t own Crescendo yet so I had to give the series a little break. Okay, a huge break but I’ve picked up the series again, since this book was actually my TBR Jar pick, and I will admit that I’m not really liking it so far. I find Nora a bit annoying which really sucks since she’s the main character and I’m only listening to her thoughts. However, I am only on page 50 (or maybe a little farther) so maybe the book will get better, and I’ll actually like it.

I don’t really remember Hush, Hush all that well, I gave it four stars on Goodreads so I assume I really liked it. But I am starting to question if my review was an honest review or if I was forcing myself to like it because everyone else was in love with it.

My Other Thoughts On The Book

Patch is still mysterious as always and though it really bugs me, because I’m the type of person who asks a lot of questions, it’s apart of who he is and I’ve learned to accept that. Plus let’s face it, his mysteriousness is apart of his charm. Also, who is this Scott guy? He’s also very mysterious along with his mother. What is going on with them?

Thanks for reading, if you would like tell me your thoughts on Hush, Hush and Crescendo or your overall review on the Hush, Hush series in the comments. No spoilers though! I’m not done the books yet!

Buy Crescendo!

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

Buy the Complete Hush, Hush Saga

Book Depository
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles

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Let’s be friends!

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Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs (Spoiler Free)

Hollow City by Random Riggs
Sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Synopsis:

Hollow City is the sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. The book starts off in 1940, immediately after Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children ended. Having just escaped their now destroyed island Jacob Portman and his new found peculiar friends must  journey to London to save Miss Peregrine an ymbryne who is stuck in her bird form, while also being chased by hollowgast and wights. They must try and find the last ymbryne that hasn’t yet been captured, Miss. Wren before it is too late. Along the way they meet new friends and discover a menagerie of peculiar animals, Jacob also has to try and learn to control and develop his newly found peculiar powers. Like the previous book Hollow City if filled with beautifully unique vintage photographs.

———–Spoiler Free!———–

I liked this book better than the first one, in Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children I found the story a bit confusing because I was getting used to the new terms and there were so many characters introduced at one time that it was very hard keeping track of them. But in Hollow City I got more used to the terms used and the characters and it was a much more enjoyable read, plus the characters in Hollow City were so much more badass, it was so epic! So many plot twists though, so many. I was constantly on the edge, wondering what would happen next and also fearing for their lives.

We meet many new characters in Hollow City and I fell in love with almost all of them. There were some that annoyed me. The brother’s and Althea were my absolute favorites though. They were so awesome and I found myself constantly cheering for them. 

You can really see how much Jacob has grown from the first book to this book, before he was having a life crisis. His grandfather had just died, the man he looked up to, and he wasn’t sure what he was doing with his life. And in this book he finds his purpose and he embraces it instead of running away.

I am a little bit concerned with Jacob and Emma’s relationship and how it’s going to work but I guess we’ll see!

I like how Ransom uses the photographs in his books, that’s what makes them so unique but sometimes I felt that he was trying too hard to incorporate some of the photographs and that he was changing the stories to fit the photographs. However I am still very excited to read the third book!

4 out of 5 stars

★★★★

Buy Hollow City!

Book Depository
Barnes and Nobles
Amazon

Buy Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Book Depository
Barnes and Nobles
Amazon

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Monthly Update: April 2014

On my blog I plan on doing monthly updates. These updates will happen at the beginning of every month or at the end of every month and they will include:

• What I’m currently reading
• All the books I had read the previous month
• What I plan on reading this month
• How I’m doing with my Goodread’s reading challenge
• A list of books I had bought last month
• And my TBR (to be read) jar pick

~–Okay, let’s get started!–~

Currently Reading:

1. Hollow City by Random Riggs
2. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Books Read in April:

1. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
2. Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader by Cassandra Clare
3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
4. Just One Year by Gayle Forman
5. The Heiresses by Sara Shepard
6. Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Books I Want to Read in May:

1. Hollow City by Random Riggs
2. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
3. Re-Read City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
4. CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare
5. Just One Night by Gayle Forman

Goodreads Reading Challenge Progress:

I have read 26 books out of my goal of 50 books, so I’m a little bit more than halfway done! According to Goodreads I’m also 10 books ahead of schedule!

New Books I Got:

1. The Heiresses by Sara Shepard (I won it in a Goodreads giveaway!)
2. Vampire Academy books 1-6 by Richelle Mead
3. Cress by Marissa Meyer
4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
5. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
7. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

TBR Jar Pick:

The book I picked from my TBR hat was actually Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. You can see me picking Crescendo from my TBR hat on my Instagram @mybookacademy. I read Hush, Hush sometime last year but I didn’t have Crescendo on my bookshelf yet so I had to give the series a break. After a while though I completely forgot about Hush, Hush so I’m very excited to pick up the books again!

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April was a pretty good reading month! Though I will admit I’ve been buying too many books. I mean 12 books in ONE month, crazy! I’ll probably cut down on book buying and wait a while before I go back to the bookstore, which shouldn’t be hard because I don’t exactly live near a bookstore… Oh and yes! I have a TBR jar, well it’s a hat because I didn’t have a jar…but anyways, I always have a hard time picking what book I want to read next so I decided to make a TBR jar to help me when I’m stuck and don’t know what to read. I’m picking one book out of the hat every month because sometimes I actually know what I want to read and don’t want to feel overwhelmed  *cough* City of Heavenly Fire *cough*

Thanks for reading! I hope you also had a good reading month!

Goodbye April. Hello May.

Happy reading fellow bookworms!

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Let’s be friends!

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