Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Most Anticipated Books of 2015 (So Far)

These are my most anticipated books of 2015 (so far). I know this is going to barely scratch the surface of the books I want to read in the new year. I am listing the ones I know for sure I will need to read in 2015. I even have a hold on a few already from the library in anticipation of the release.

Fairest by Melissa Meyer. If you are a fan of The Lunar Chronicles you know why this is a must read. 

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. The awesome people who run EpicReads have been talking this one up so it's already on hold at the library.

Confess by Colleen Hoover. I am a new fan of Colleen Hoover and I cannot wait for this book.

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige. I'm a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz. It is one of my favorite movies of all time and this series puts a dark twist into the story that is spectacular. 

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. If you have not read The Bone Season you need to read it immediately then sadly have to wait for the sequel like the rest of us sad mortals. 

Empire of Night by Kelley Armstrong. This is the sequel to Sea of Shadows which was awesome and you should read it then when the sequel comes out read it too. 

What are your most anticipated books of 2015 (so far)? 

Monday, December 29, 2014

Top Ten Books of 2014

These were my top reads of 2014. I absolutely loved these books and I am so glad I picked them up this year. I also noticed I owned all of these books except for three which is pretty awesome also. 

1) Saga V1,V2,V3 by Brian K. Vaughan (Slightly cheating since they are a series but I am counting them as one).

2) Breakable by Tammara Webber

3) Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth

4) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz 

5) The Enchanted by Rene Denfield 

6) Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

7) Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 

8) Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund 

9) The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson 

10) Thousand Words- Jennifer Brown 



What were the best books you read in 2014?

Friday, December 26, 2014

Review of The Other Story By Tatiana De Rosnay

Title: The Other Story
Author: Tatiana De Rosnay
Source:  Borrowed from the library
Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5









Goodreads Summary:

Vacationing at a luxurious Tuscan island resort, Nicolas Duhamel is hopeful that the ghosts of his past have finally been put to rest… Now a bestselling author, when he was twenty-four years old, he stumbled upon a troubling secret about his family – a secret that was carefully concealed. In shock, Nicholas embarked on a journey to uncover the truth that took him from the Basque coast to St. Petersburg – but the answers wouldn’t come easily.

In the process of digging into his past, something else happened. Nicolas began writing a novel that was met with phenomenal success, skyrocketing him to literary fame whether he was ready for it or not – and convincing him that he had put his family’s history firmly behind him. But now, years later, Nicolas must reexamine everything he thought he knew, as he learns that, however deeply buried, the secrets of the past always find a way out.


The novel is about a man named Nicholas who has written a best selling book loosely based around his time when he lost his passport and found out his nationality is not what he thought. He finds out his father is from Russia and he writes a novel called The Envelope. 

Nicholas tells his agent when he is heading a remote island with his girlfriend that he is going to write another novel but since writing The Envelope Nicolas has not been able write anything. He has been lying to everyone around him and just enjoying the glory of people on the street recognizing him. 

The main character is not a like able guy at all. He is very full of himself and thinks the world should revolve around him. His ex-girlfriend broke up with him because of the way he acted after The Envelope came out. His new girlfriend is a quite, passive girl who seems to follow everything he does. The other character's, including Nicholas's new girlfriend is not an enjoyable person. The plot was interesting, but for such a small book it took me a long time to read it. I was pretty disappointed overall with this novel. I feel like not a lot happens besides watching Nicholas run from his problems. I was frustrated often and when I put the book down I did not feel an urge to pick it back up. This is getting a 3/5 from me since I did enjoy the plot and her writing, but the characters were uninteresting and frustrating. 

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (145) Christmas Edition (Part 1)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Me and my husband did our Christmas early since our week is packed with working, and Christmas between our two families. My sister and I also exchanged gifts a little early this year too. I will likely have another Christmas haul :)


Gifted

Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn
Dark Places- Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects- Gillian Flynn
Across the Universe- Beth Revis 
A Million Suns- Beth Revis 
Shades of Earth- Beth Revis
The Body Electric- Beth Revis 
Roadie: My Life on the road with Coldplay- Matt McGinn
A Wild Sheep Chase- Haruki Murakami 
* My secret Santa at work included a Chapters gift card and my sister also included a chapters gift card with her gift of books. 

Borrowed
The Bone Clocks- David Mitchell 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Reading Resolutions for 2015

I love to put down my goals for the new year. I find it helps a lot and I like going through my goals from the year before and see how much they helped me.

Last year my goals were read one e-book a month (failed at this one), read one of my own books for every book I borrow (I succeeded some months, but not all), finish incomplete series on my shelf (I finished some but not all of the books I wanted to finish), read everyday (mostly succeeded with this one) , stick to my monthly TBR (mostly succeeded with this one), re-read books ( I did good until the last part of the year), read big books (I didn't do as well as I wanted on this one), get out of my reading comfort zone (accomplished) and my last goal was to only buy as many as I read (failed).

This year my goals are:

1) Read 200 books (including comics and graphic novels)
2) Stick to my TBR 
3) Read at least one e-book a month
4) Buy less books (I am trying to buy 5 books a month)
5) Read one book off my shelf for every book I borrow
6) Donate more books- if I don't want to read it just give it away
7) Read books that have been sitting on my self for a long time




What are your reading goals?

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (144)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I got a lot of books this week (mostly from the library) so I am hoping to get a ton of reading done this week :)

Borrowed from the Library
Fingersmith- Sarah Waters 
Endless Night- Francois Rivere, Franc Leclercq 
Don't Look Back- Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Push- Sapphire 
The Other Story- Tatiana De Rosnay
Big Little Lies- Liane Moriarty 

Bought Used
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe- Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss

Bought New
Ghostwritten- David Mitchell
Sweet Peril- Wendy Higgins
Pregnant Pause- Han Nolan


What did you get in your mailbox?

Friday, December 12, 2014

Review of the Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue

Title:  The Boy Who Drew Monsters
Author:  Keith Donohue
Source: ARC for review from publisher
Series:  Standalone
Rating: 4/5








Goodreads Summary:
 
Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition running wild in the dunes. And the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
 

I was sent this book by the publisher through a Goodreads group I am apart of for an honest review. The novel is about a young boy named Jack Peter who has Augsburg's. His parents struggle to understand him and his mother contemplates having him put into an institution. Jack becomes obsessed with drawing pictures and his parents encourage him until strange things start happening in the small town they live in.

Jack Peter nearly drowned with his best friend, Nick when they are seven in the ocean. Jip as his father calls him is terrified of leaving the house and has refused to do so without being dragged out. Nick keeps going to Jack Peter's house because his parents tell him to even though he find the little boy odd.

The parents in this novel were all pretty awful in their own ways. Jack Peter's mom wants ti lock him up, his father stays home with him but seems to be more concerned about the comings and goings of Nick's mother. Nick's parents are drunks who do not seem to notice their son at all and constantly bring him to Jack Peter's house.

The premise of a little boy being able to draw monsters and bring them to life is completely strange but unique. This book is super creepy. I liked the idea but the actual story was a little dragged out, there was a lot of story lines and characters that were brought in that did not seem to have a point at all. Overall it was interesting but not

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Review of Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

Title: Finding Cinderella
Author:  Colleen Hoover
Source:  Free on Kindle
Series: Standalone/ companion to Hopeless series
Rating: 4/5








Goodreads Summary:

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.
When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairy tales.
One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.


This is the third book I have read by Colleen Hoover and like the other two books she did not disappoint. The premise of this story is about a boy who finds himself with a free period due to an administrative error so he hangs out in a janitor's closet to make sure none knows he is not in a class. One day when he is sitting in there a girl comes in crying, they never exchange names, they just hang out together and he gives her the nickname of  Cinderella. The story fast forwards a few years and the same boy just dumped his girlfriend and meets up with two friends (Holden and Sky) where he meets Six who is unlike any girl he has met before.

This book is fast paced, short but makes an impact. I found the plot twist to be pretty obvious, however it did not make it any less emotional when the characters figured it out. It made me curious to read Holden's story in Hopeless which I purchased quite awhile ago for my kindle.

I am fast becoming a huge fan of Colleen Hoover and I own two more of her books that I have yet to devour and I cannot wait to read these stories. The only recommendation I have for this is if you are interested in Hopeless I would suggest skipping this since it does feature characters from that novel also. The opening portion does advise this but it also does indicate that you can read this book first, but I felt like I would have enjoyed it a little more if I would have seen Daniel through Holden's POV first.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Review of The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Title:  The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Author:  Michelle Hodkin
Source: Bought new
Series:  Yes
Rating: 4.5/5















Goodreads Summary:

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.
She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.
She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.
Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
Retribution has arrived.



This is the final book in the Mara Dyer trilogy. I was super excited about this book even when the release date got pushed back. I absolutely loved the first two books, but the third book was a little anti-climatic for me.

The POV is mostly from Mara until we get near the end of the book then we start getting chapters in Noah’s POV which we did not get in the other books which confused me. The other issue I found with this is if I did not read the name at the top of the chapter I would not have known it was Noah and not Mara. The voices were very similar. I also found Noah and Mara were not the kick butt characters I was used to. Mara was needy and heavily relied on the character around her to support her every step of the way which is not a reflection of the first two books at all.

In the plot I also found some off references that made me question the plot. At one point Mara, Stella and Jamie make a Hunger’s Game reference about district 12. This completely pulled me out of the story and made me question when they would have time to read/watch the Hunger Games movies between running for their lives and being locked in a “treatment facility”.  I know it’s silly but it pulled me out of the story and made the story line inconsistent. I also felt like some of the chapters skipped almost. The characters would be in one setting then without any explanation they would jump to somewhere new. I re-read a few pages over again to ensure I did not skip any pages, it felt like it got cut out but the plot hole was never repaired.

Overall I loved this series, but the third book was disappointing. There is a lot of story that has not been explained or any guidance given to where the story is going or where the characters are going from here. The story feels incomplete. 

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (143)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Borrowed
The Husband's Secret- Liane Moriarty
The Calling- James Frey

Friday, December 5, 2014

November Wrap Up

This month I did not get a lot of reading done. I was really sick and I had a hard time getting into a few books this month.

The List
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece- Annabel Pitcher
Obsidian- Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Bronze Horseman- Paulina Simons
The Demon King- Cinda Williams Chima


The other goals I setting for myself this month:
1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate at least one book
3) Re-read at least one book

Borrowed: 7
Books I own: 7
E-Books: 2
Total: 14

Inedible Dawn Metcalf 
Annihilation- Jeff VanderMeer 
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece- Annabel Pitcher 
Y: The Last Man Volume 3- Brian K. Vaughan 
Obsidian- Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Kiss of Broken Glass- Madeleine Kuderick
Shadows- Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Horrorstor- Grady Hendrix
The Stepford Wives- Ira Levin
City of Heavenly Fire- Cassandra Claire
Honey and Clover V2- Chica Umino
In A Handful of Dust- Mindy McGinnis
Herman, You Can Get In the Bath Now- Jim Unger
Rumble- Ellen Hopkins

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Stacking the shelves (142)- Birthday Edition

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I have a gigantic birthday haul this year since my amazing husband took me to the Book Outlet store and then also paid for my books plus my dad gave me some cash for my birthday and the rule is we can\t spend it on bills so I went to Chapters and got some more books and a blanket :)


Gifted

Thirteen- Kelley Armstrong 
Slammed- Colleen Hoover
Point of Retreat- Colleen Hoover 
The Gathering Storm- Robin Bridges
Eleanor and Park- Rainbow Rowell (Collector's edition)
Slide- Jill Hathaway 
A Separate Peace- John Knowles 
Mistborn: The Final Empire- Brandon Sanderson
The Faerie Ring- Kiki Hamilton
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
You Don't Know Me- David Klass (repurchase- my original copy is beat up from many re-reads)

Bought Used

Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher 
The Girl You Left Behind- Jojo Moyles
The Paris Wife- Paula McLain 
Girl, Interrupted- Susanna Kaysen 
Gameboard of the Gods- Richelle Mead

Bought New

The Diviners- Libba Bray
The Retribution of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkin
Mortal Heart- Robin LaFevers 
All the Light We Cannot See- Anthony Doerr

Monday, December 1, 2014

December TBR

It's crazy that this will be my last TBR post of 2014. December for me is always a crazy busy month with family gatherings and Christmas so I am going to try not to put too much pressure on myself.

The List 
The Boy Who Drew Monsters- Keith Donohue 
The Bronze Horseman- Paullina Simons 
The Retribution of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkin
Mortal Heart- Robin LaFevers 
All the Light We Cannot See- Anthony Doerr
I'll Meet You There- Heather Demetrios 

The other goals I setting for myself this month:
1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate at least one book
3) Re-read at least one book

Monday, November 17, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (141)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I got some awesome books this week, but my posting has still been lacking. I am still trying to kick this cold. 

Borrowed from the Library
Horrorstör- Grady Hendrix 
In A Handful of Dust-Mindy McGinnis
Remember Me- Romily Bernard
City of Heavenly Fire- Cassandra Clare (Again- didn't get to it last time)

Kindle (Free books)
The Darkest Minds- Alexandra Bracken
Mud Puddle- Robert Munch

What did you get in your mailbox?

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Review of Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

Title: Inedible 
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Source: Ontario Blogger Meetup goody bag
Series:  Yes
Rating: 1/5









Goodreads Summary:

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.


This cover is what first grabbed my attention with this book and then the synopsis sounded interested. The story as a whole fell flat for me as a whole unfortunately. 

The main female protagonist was a whiny, wimp and she drove me crazy. Ink was not much better, I also felt like the story was not explained well. There was a lot happening but not a lot of explanation as to why it was happening or how Ink basically became Ink.

This book took me quite awhile to get through and I will not continue on with the series.


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (140)

I am really sorry about the lack of posting this week. I got hit hard with a awful cold/flu and I was not doing much of anything besides sleeping. The good news is I got two books in the mail this week plus my awesome husband went to the library for me (he's a keeper).

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

For Review
The Boy Who Drew Monsters- Keith Donohue
I'll Meet you There- Heather Demetrios 

Borrowed from the Library
Y: The Last Man volume 3- Brian K. Vaughan
Rumble- Ellen Hopkins
Kiss of Broken Glass- Madeleine Kuderick
The Dolls- Kiki Sullivan 
Annihilation- Jeff Vandermeer 


What did you get in your mailbox?

Monday, November 3, 2014

October Wrap Up

This list looks like I read a crazy amount, but a lot of these books were graphic novels and comic books. I bought a lot of comic books from the local used bookstore who is closing down and so I tried to read them shortly after buying them to keep my TBR from growing too much by my additional purchases.

The List
The Demon King- Cinda Williams Chima
The Bronze Horseman- Paullina Simons
Inedible- Dawn Metcalf
Rules of Civility- Amor Towles
Horns- Joe Hill

The other goals I setting for myself this month:
1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate at least one book
3) Re-read at least one book

Borrowed: 14
Books I own: 13
E-Books: 3
Total: 27

Bird Box- Josh Malerman
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams 
The Crane Wife- Patrick Ness
Astro Boy: Movie Prequel- Scott Tipton
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe- Fannie Flagg
Horns- Joe Hill
Rush- Lucia Jordan
The Farm- Tom Rob Smith
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (The Magic Within #94)- Tania Del Rio
Divergent: The Ultimate Quiz Book Game- Sarah Davids
The Kiss of Deception- Mary E. Pearson
Inside- Alex Ohlin 
Lucille- Ludovic Debeurme 
Honey and Clover Vol 1- Chica Umino
On The Fence- Kasie West
Essex County Vol 1- Jeff Lemire 
The Graveyard Book Vol 1- Neil Gaiman 
Dark Horse Comics (incl James Bond part 3/4, Godzilla Blast From the Past part 1/2, Who is X Part 3/ 3 and Predator part 1/3)- Multiple writers
Yolo- Lauren Myracle
Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile- Bill Willingham
3:AM Kisses- Addison Moore
Fantastic Mr. Fox- Roald Dahl
Vampires of Manhattan- Melissa De La Cruz
In The Island- Tracey Garvis-Graves
Top Secret Twenty-One- Janet Evanovich
The City of Ember- Jeanne DuPrau
Top Secret Twenty One- Janet Evanovich 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

November TBR

My TBR for September and October completely flopped so I am switching the books on my TBR in the hopes I get through my TBR this month.

The List
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece- Annabel Pitcher
Obsidian- Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Bronze Horseman- Paulina Simons
The Demon King- Cinda Williams Chima


The other goals I setting for myself this month:
1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate at least one book
3) Re-read at least one book

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (139)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

This is a pretty small haul this week but I am trying to keep up with my library books and my owned books TBR.


Borrowed from the Library

Vampires of Manhattan- Melissa De La Cruz 
Yolo- Lauren Myracle 
Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile- Bill Willingham 

Kindle (Free on Kindle)
3:AM Kisses- Addison Moore

What did you get in your mailbox?

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Review of Horns by Joe Hill

Title: Horns
Author: Joe Hill
Source: Bought on kindle
Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5









Goodreads Summary:
At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.
Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.
But Merrin’s death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .
Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge. . . . It’s time the devil had his due. . . 


This is such a strange book and I honestly I could not describe this book. This review will be quite short because I have no idea how to explain this. The only thing I can say is I enjoyed this book more than the first book in his Locke and Key series.

The story follows Ig who is dealing with the death of his girlfriend, Merrin. He is also living with everyone blaming him for her death. Ig wakes up from a night of drinking with horns on his head which gives him the ability to see peoples deepest and most disturbing desires.

I admit this book sounds so weird but it was so good. I laughed a lot in this book with things Ig came up with and this book made me mad and sad. It is not what I expected at all from this book. It is unique and like nothing I have read in a long time. 

I hope more people will check this book out, especially with the movie coming out soon. Please let me know if you enjoyed this novel as much as I did.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (137)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I visited my favorite used bookstore again this week. I am buying up all the books I was interested in since he is closing up shop and I think it is going to take some time for me to find a new shop. I know 2/3 remaining shops are close to where I work, but I have never had as much luck with them as I do at my favorite one.

Bought Used
American Psycho- Bret Easton Ellis
Essex Country Volume 1- Jeff Lemire 
The Stepford Wives- Ira Levin 

Bought New
Rush- Lucia Jordan (free on iBooks)
The Rosie Effect- Graeme Simsion

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Review of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (The Magic Within #94) by Tania Del Rio

Title: The Magic Within #94
Author: Tania Del Rio
Source: Bought used
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5









I picked this comic book at my local used bookstore for 25 cents a couple of weeks ago. It sounded interesting and I liked the TV show (and the PC game- I am probably dating myself a bit here but oh well) so I picked it up. It is part of a huge comic book series and when I got home I realized this was also part two of a set but I decided to read it anyways and I really enjoyed it.

The story follows Salem the cat who is telling his story of what could have been. I am not sure what happened in part one, but I found the story was engaging enough for me to follow the story without having ever read any of the other comics in this series. I enjoyed the look into Salem's back story since the show says he sentenced to be a cat by the witch counsel for trying to take over the world. The comic book divulges more information into that story and I really enjoyed it.

This hit me with a lot of nostalgia for this show, I never watched it in order, but I remember catching it occasionally on TV and it made me miss it. I really enjoyed this and I hope I stumble across more of the comic books in the future. 


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Review of Rush by Lucia Jordan (mature content book)

Title: Rush
Author: Lucia Jordan
Source: Free on iBooks
Series:  Yes
Rating: 2/5









Goodreads Summary:
Kendra is a bundle of nerves when she walks into the office of Sebastian Montoya. To say his reputation proceeds him is be a gross understatement. Immediately she sees that the larger than life architect has an even bigger ego. The mystery that surrounds him is hypnotizing. There is just something about him that draws her in. He oozes sexuality and his lilting Spanish accent makes her insides flutter. But as she learns, architecture isn't his only talent. A hot and steamy night at work leads to far more than she could ever expect. But does Kendra have what it takes to deal with the pressures that come with her day job while allowing Sebastian to handle her at night? 

This is a super short review for a short book. I am going to get straight to the point and say I did not enjoy this novel. I found it was exactly like reading Fifty Shades of Grey, but Christian Gray was a Spanish man named Sebastian Montoya and Anastasia is Kendra.

I am not the biggest fan of erotica, but I am trying to read more outside of my comfort zone, but the similarities were too much for me to really enjoy this in the least. I could understand using the same concept, but it unfortunately felt like the author only changes the names. I did read the synopsis of the next book and it sounds like it starts to make it's own story so I would recommend this to fans of erotica because I think if you like the genre this would be a quick read I would however not recommend this to someone dipping their toes into this genre, especially if you have already read Fifty Shades of Grey.  

Please let me know down below if agree or disagree and why. Have a great day!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (136)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Happy thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. I hope your having an awesome day with your family. I am having a dinner at my house tonight with my husband and his side of the family and my family also. I hope to get lots of reading done tomorrow since I am off. 

Borrowed from the Library

Lucille- Ludovic Debeurme 
On the Fence- Kasie West
Inside- Alex Ohlin

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Review of Bird Box By Josh Malerman

Title: Bird Box
Author: Josh Malerman
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5









Goodreads Summary:
Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news. But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street. Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent. The phones stopped ringing. And we couldn't look outside anymore. Malorie raises the children the only way she can; indoors. The house is quiet. The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows. They are out there. She might let them in. The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall. Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them. Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything.

I kicked off October with a spooky book. I have been in a bit of a reading slump so this was a quick, creepy read. 

The premise is there is a sudden sickness that breaks out that causes people to become violent after they see something and commit suicide. The world slowly shuts down as people start hiding away and blocking themselves from the outside world. Malorie is the character giving us a view of the world. It flashes between the present day and when the disaster started.

Malorie is not a the most likable character. She is harsh with the children and she lives in complete fear of the outside world. Malorie gives a lot of insight on how things started, but in the end we really do not know what cause the sickness. There is some theories are thrown out there about what caused it but there is nothing concrete really given.

I liked the book but I did not love it. It had some creepiness to it, but I was hoping for more.  

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (135)

I just found out yesterday by favourite used bookstore is closing so I used up my credit and got a pile of books from him since he's always given me good prices and been such a nice person. I am really sad that he is closing up shop, he has been my go to since moving to this city and I am sad to see him go.  He was also selling off his comic books for 25 cents each so I picked up a few that sounded interesting.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


Borrowed from the Library

Kiss of Deception- Mary E. Pearson

Gifted
Simpsons Comics WingDing- Matt Groening
Herman You Can Get in the Bath Now- Jim Unger

Bought Used

City of Ember- Jeanne DuPrau
By Nightfall- Michael Cunningham
The Time In Between- David Bergen
The Thinking Women's Guide to Real Magic- Emily Croy Barker
Lust- Robin Wasserman
Honey and Clover Volume 1- Chica Umino
Honey and Clover Volume 2- Chica Umino
Honey and Clover Volume 3- Chica Umino
Sabrina the Teenage Witch- Tania Del Rio
Conan the King #35- Don Kraar
Daredevil #297 (Last Rites Part 1)- Stan Lee 
Batwoman: Elegy #854- Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III
Astro Boy: Official Movie Prequel- Scott Tipton
SilverHawks Comic #4- Steve Perry
SilverHawks Comic #6- Steve Perry
Air Raiders #4- Star Comics 
The Wizzard of Oz L. Frank L. Baum (2nd copy)
The Third Twin- Ken Follett
Solar- Ian McEwan
Dark Horse Comics (including James Bond part 3 of 4, Godzilla Blast From the Past part 1 of 2, Who is X Part 3 of 3 and Predator part 1 of 3)- Multiple writers


What did you get in your mailbox?

Friday, October 3, 2014

September Wrap Up

The List
The Demon King- Cinda Williams Chima
The Bronze Horseman- Paullina Simons
Noughts and Crosses- Malorie Blackman
Inedible- Dawn Metcalf
Rules of Civility- Amor Towles
Ready Player One- Ernest Cline (re-read)

The other goals I setting for myself this month:
1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate at least one book
3) Re-read at least one book

Borrowed: 14
Books I own: 2
E-Books: 0
Total: 16

Noughts and Crosses- Malorie Blackman
The One- Kiera Cass
Y: The Last Man, Volume 2: Cycles- Brian K. Vaughan
This is Water- David Foster Wallace
Ready Player One- Ernest Cline
The Half Life of Molly Pierce- Katrina Leno
2 a.m. At The Cat's Pajamas- Marie- Helene Bertino 
Everything I Never Told You- Celeste Ng
Matilda- Roald Dahl 
Say What You Will- Cammie McGovern
I'll Be Seeing You- Suzanne Hayes
Cain's Blood- Geoffrey Girard
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers- Mary Roach
Knife Edge- Malorie Blackman
Big Fish- Daniel Wallace
Visions- Kelley Armstrong 

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

October TBR

This is a lot of carry over from September because I did not get as much read off my own shelves as I would have liked.

The List
The Demon King- Cinda Williams Chima
The Bronze Horseman- Paullina Simons
Inedible- Dawn Metcalf
Rules of Civility- Amor Towles
Horns- Joe Hill

The other goals I setting for myself this month:
1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate at least one book
3) Re-read at least one book

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (134)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My local Goodwill bookstore had a 50% sale so I bought a few books plus they were giving away free trees so that's a bonus.


Bought Used

Return of the King- J.R.R. Tolkein
The Devil and Miss Pryn- Paulo Coelho
Sarah's Key- Tatiana De Rosnay
Rescue- Anita Shreve

Bought New
Sex on the Moon- Ben Mezrich

Borrowed from the Library
The Crane Wife- Patrick Ness
The Farm- Tom Rob Smith
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe- Fannie Flagg