Stacking the Shelves (65)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I tried my best not to buy any books this week but I found some awesome deals so I had to buy them. I also bought my first graphic novels. I have always gotten them from the library but now I own three!


Bought New

Kindle
Unbreak My Heart- Melissa Walker ($1.99)
Grave Mercy Robin LaFevers (3.99)
Monument 14 ($3.99)

Chapters Bargain Section

Slice of Cherry- Dia Reeves ($4.99)
Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins ($4.99)

Bought Used

The False Prince- Jennifer A. Nielsen ($1.49- I got a super deal on this so I grabbed it).
Sin City- Frank Miller
Bone: Out of Boneville- Jeff Smith
Batman Arkham Asylum: Madness- Sam Keith
Under the Hawthorn Tree- Ai Mi
Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Jeff Kinney
The Fellowship of the Ring- J.R.R. Tolken
The Two Towers- J.R.R. Tolken
Winnie The Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories and Poems- A.A. Milne

Borrowed from the Library

Fragments- Dan Wells
Mila 2.0- Debra Driza 
Quicksilver- R.J. Anderson
Fun Home- Alison Bechdel
Fuse- Julianna Baggott

What did you get in your mailbox?

March Wrap-Up

Graphic novels: 9

Library books: 22

Books I own: 6

Audiobook: 2

E-Books: 1

Total Books read: 28

 

 

This month I read...

 

Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat

Shatter Me- Tahereh Mafi (Re-read)

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town- Nick Redling

The Archived- Victoria Schwab

Beautiful Creatures (Manga)- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Asunder- Jodi Meadows

Anya’s Ghost- Vera Brosgol

Sailor Twain- Mark Siegel

Out of Easy- Ruta Sepetys

Cinders and Sapphires- Leila Rasheed

Who Done It: An anthology- Multiple authors

Audition-Stasia Ward Kehoe

Paris: A love Story- Kati Marton

Zita the Spacegirl- Ben Hatke

The Lives We Lost- Megan Crewe

Unravel Me-  Tahereh Mafi

Bake Sale- Sara Varon

Giants Beware!- Jorge Aguirre

Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel- Richelle Mead

Reached- Ally Condie

Monsters of Men- Patrick Ness

Requiem- Lauren Oliver

Tell The Wolves I'm Home- Carol Rifka Brunt

Hana- Lauren Oliver (re-read)

Annabel- Lauren Oliver

Raven- Lauren Oliver

Fun Home- Alison Bechdel
Arkham Asylum: Maddness- Sam Kieth

 

 

 What are you reading this month?

Audition- Stasia Ward Kehoe

Title: Audition
Author: Stasia Ward Kehoe
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5















Goodreads Summary:

When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she's chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent.

Thoughts:

I love books about dance and I love books in verse. A book in verse and dance? yes please. This book does take at least 100 pages to get into, I felt a little lost in the beginning and it took me awhile to get into the story and want to care for these characters.

The story follows Sara who wins a scholarship to study ballet. She gives up her friends and living with her family to move to the school to become a professional dancer. Sara struggles to become apart of the school, the girls at the school have been together since the beginning and she feels out of place, she soon falls for Remington who is a choreographer at the school. Sara feels special with Remington, he calls her his muse. The relationship between Sara and Remington starts out as a slow burning passion, Remington is dating the school's physiotherapist Jane but he loses interest in her and takes an interest in Sara instead. Jane still stays in the background, making Sara about her relationship with Remington. I was not a fan of Remington, he seemed so sweet in the beginning but he soon started to lose his charm. Sara starts to feel different about dance. She starts contemplating a life outside of dance, Remington keeps her close so he can take ideas for his dance from her.

Sara feels torn between her life at the school and a life outside of school.  Sara's family is trying to provide her with a life outside of dance while Remington tries to keep her close.  This story was really sad and also very hopeful. I really enjoyed this novel, I loved the personal growth that Sara goes through and how she did not let anyone make any decisions for her. She made her own choices.

I adored this book, I picked it at random after reading a really good review on Goodreads regarding it. I gave it a 4/5, I wanted to give it a higher rating but the slowness in the beginning is keeps me from giving it a higher rating.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Title: Blankets

Author: Craig Thompson

Source:  Borrowed from the library

Series: No

Rating: 5/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodreads Summary:

Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith.

The first thing I notice about this book is how much of a beast this book is. It is massive but I read it in a day.  It is amazing. I bloody loved this book. The art was amazing, so much details in each photo. The story just grabbed me and I just wanted to stop everything and read it all day long. I did manage to squeeze in about 40 minutes of reading in on my lunch today which was pretty awesome.

This is a hard book to summarize. There is so much that happens that it is really hard to pin point the big plot points. The story follows the sibling rivalry of two brothers, as the brothers get older the story follows the oldest boy. This has a very large religion portion of it which I was a little weary about but the author made it work.

Craig and his brother Phil are forced to share a bed. They hate sharing a bed when they are little, Phil according to Craig hates to sleep and keeps him up and pees the bed while Phil just wants his brother to play with him. Craig starts becoming the main narrator and Phil fades into the background, only appearing when Craig tells a story about his childhood. Their parents were very religious and the story shows many characters who shaped Craig with their views.

This book was not on my list at all but it quickly got added after I read so many good reviews on it. I want to own a copy so I can read it whenever I please. Loved it so much. A 5/5 from me.

Stacking the Shelves (64)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I tried really really hard not to buy any books this week but of couse I did. I only bought two for myself though and the rest are for our wedding centrepieces. My fiancee propsed with a book so he thought it would be nice to include them in our centrepieces. Love him :)
Bought New (Kindle)

Cursed- Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Prince- Kiera Cass

Borrowed From The Library

Giants Beware!- Jorge Aguirre

Bake Sale- Sara Varon

Vampire Academy Graphic Novel- Richelle Mead

Requiem- Lauren Oliver

Tell The Wolves I'm Home- Carol Rifka Brunt

The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman (Audiobook)

Leaving Paradise- Simone Elkeles

Title: Leaving Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
Source: Bought new
Series: Yes
Rating: 4.5/5















Goodreads Summary

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

These books are like super sweet cookies, I absolutely love them but I try not to have too many. Simone Elkeles is an author I know that her books will always be good. I am so terrified to read the next books in her series because I am terrified I will not love it as much. I of course was not dissapointed with this book. I purchased this on a whim. It was on sale for $2 so I thought why not.

Caleb is just getting out of juvenile jail where he spent a year of his life after he got behind the wheel of a car and hit Maggie Armstrong. He is learning to re-adjust to his life on the outside. His family does not know how to treat him. I found that Caleb was a little bit of a jerk in the beginning. He falls back into the groove of his old life and seems to fall in the same crowd as before. Maggie feels like an outsider since the accident. She is doing everything in her power to leave Paradise as soon as possible. Maggie was a frustrating character. I felt bad for the things she had to go through but at times I felt like she pulled the poor me card a lot. I completely understand she feels like nothing will ever be the same but I wanted her to realize how much she was missing out on my hiding in the shadows.

I loved the plot. Bad boy getting out of jail and starting at the high school of the girl he hit? Drama galore and of course a good story. I always know how these books are going to end but I am still always so eager to read it because I know I will be sucked in instantly. I loved the twists this book had, so much more of that night was revealed. Information starting to fall into place making everything make more sense.

This book was an amazing deal at $2 and for someone looking for a contemporary I highly recommend this book. It was a one sitting book, and I think I will finally get over my fear and read the next book in this series because I have to know what happens next with Caleb and Maggie and of course between Caleb's sister and Maggie. So much stuff needs to be said still. I gave this a 4.5/5.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Jamie The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten Tuesday topic is books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread. I am so bad for this. I do this a lot but I am trying to remedy this.I have way more than 10 but I choose the top ten ones that I know I convinced my fiancee I NEEDED to have immediately.


1) Unravel Me- Tehereh Mafi

2) The Evolution of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkins

3) The Space Between Us- Jessica Martinez

4) Nightshade- Andrea Cremer

5) Beautiful Disaster- Jamie McGuire

6) The Demon King- Cinda Williams Chima

7) Fourth Comings- Megan McCafferty

8) Shine- Jeri Smith-Ready

9) Forever- Maggie Stiefvater

10) Easy- Tammara Webber

Stacking the Shelves (63)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

This week I bought more books and got more books from the library. It's an addiction that I am still unwilling to give up.

Bought New (Kindle)

Remberance, Vengance, and Timeless by Michelle Meadows

Small Medium at Large- Joanne Levy (A little over $2, why not)

Escape from Sobibor- Richard Rashke

Perfectly Dateless- Kristin Billerback (Free on Kindle)

Borrowed from the Library

Blankets- Craig Thompson

Anya's Ghost- Vera Brosgol

Zita the Spacegirl- Ben Hatke

Audition- Stasia Ward Kehoe

What did you get in your mailbox?

Cinders and Sapphires- Leila Rasheed

Title: Cinders and Sapphires
Author: Leila Rasheed
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary

 

Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.

 

Thoughts

I have not watch Downton Abbey (yet) and I heard a lot of reviews that referred to this book as being like the show. It was a slow start for me and took me quite awhile to get into it fully. I loved the prologue but chapter one was a little bland to me, once I got farther in and the drama started I could not put this down. I finished this at work between phone calls because I had to know what happened next. I had five pages left I was dying to read. This book makes me excited for the sequel and the TV show.

Characters

All these characters were amazing. I never got frustrated with any of them, I thought Ada was a great female protagonist at a turn where women are starting to get more rights. She is stuck between wanting to honor her family and follow traditions and becoming a independent women, she tries to do the right thing but she is not as innocent as she first appears. I loved her relationship with Georgiana. Rose was also such an amazing female character struggling with being a house servant and wanting more for herself. Of course there is the boys too, Sebastian and his brother Michael. Sebastian has his own secrets he is trying to keep while Michael struggles with his feelings for someone he knows he could never be with. Charlotte, oh that girl deserves a paragraph to herself but I will keep it short and say she is such a sneaky, horrid character.
 

Plot

I loved the storyline for this, again it did take some time to get into the setting but the description made me feel like I was there at Summerton learning about all these characters and getting an insight into their lives. I loved the big moments in history that were covered in this novel, having a foreign student attend a prestigious school and allowing women the right to an university education. I loved the setting and the plot, there was so many twist and turns in this novel and it gave a stark insight into what was considered acceptable in 1912.
 

Conclusion

I wish more people would read this book, I think anyone with an interest in historical fiction would enjoy this book a whole lot. I loved the point of views from everyone. Ada was the main protagonist but a lot of other characters got their own voice to show a twist in the plot from their point of view. I wish the pace was a little quicker in the beginning so I am giving this a 4/5 due to the pace being a little slow in the beginning but this was a solid book and I hope more people read it and love it as much as I did.

Beautiful Creatures (Graphic novel)- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Thoughts

So I have the hardcover of this sitting on my bookshelf. It's signed by both authors and I got it for super cheap on Bookcloseouts but I still have not read it. I don't even want to admit how long it has been sitting there. It's bad, so to encourage myself to get to this faster so I picked up the graphic novel at the library.

I really enjoyed that this was a graphic novel but I can also understand how the novel itself got mixed review. I think if I would have read the novel before the graphic novel I might not like it as much but this has fuled in interest in getting to this book soon.

Characters

I hope that I will get more out of the characters from the novel, I felt like I got a lot of the story but I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I liked that it was from the point of view of Ethan. This provided a completely different view to the story. Lena was a character I am not completely sure I understand or like. I found her a little frustrating at times but she did seem to care for Ethan and her family which made me like her a lot more than I thought I would in the beginning. I really liked the secondary characters, I loved how the authors brought all the characters together in such an intricate way and I look forward to reading the novel and finding out more about Ethan's and Lena's families.

Plot

This was quite a plot driven book for me,  the art made the story flow. I loved the mix of supernatural elements with a historical twist. It was really unique and I was completely sucked into the story. I loved every bit of it. The twist in the story kept it from just being a YA romance novel. I saw so much potential in this story and the art brought it to life for me and kept me hooked until the end.

Conclusion

Once I read the novel I will compare the two, I the graphic novel helped me to focus on the plot and I hope reading the novel I will be able to get more out of the characters. I thought this was really well done and I read it in one sitting.  I gave this a 4/5 and I hope I will love the novel and movie just as much.

Stacking the Shelves (62)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I again bought way to many books as usual. I am trying to reduce the amount of books I own so instead I fill my Kindle. Yes, my goal is not going well so far. I also decided to get a ton of books from the library because I clearly don't have enough to read already.

Bought New (Kindle)

I Shall Live: Surviving the Holocaust Against All Odds- Henry Orenstein ($1.99)

 

The Last Jew of Treblinka: A Memoir- Chil Rajchman ($2.99. The title sold me on it).

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town- Nick Reding ($2.99). Already read this and loved it!

The Space Between- Victoria H. Smith (Free on Kindle)

The Beautiful and the Damned- F. Scott Fitzpatrick (Free on Kindle)

This Side of Paradise- F. Scott Fitzpatrick (Free on Kindle)

The Secret Of Ella and Micha- Jessica Sorensen ($1.99)

I Hunt Killers- Barry Liga ($1.99)

Impossible- Komal Kant (Free on Kindle)

Borrowed from the Library

The Archived- Victoria Scwab.  (Review to come)

Beautiful Creatures (Manga)- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. (Review to come).

Cinders and Sapphires- Leila Rasheed

Out of Easy- Ruta Sepetys

Who Done It?: An Anthology- Jon Scieszka

Sailor Twain- Mark Siegel

Paris A Love Story- Kati Marton (Audiobook)

Reached- Ally Condie (Audiobook)

The Lives We Lost- Megan Crewe

Gifted

My amazing fiancee surprised me with a new BBC documentary because I have a obsession with documentaries, especially BBC documentaries. He bought me Africa on blu-ray which I am super excited to start watching.

Speak- Laurie Halse Anderson

What did you get this week?

Discussion Post: Re-reads

This is a question I am always curious to find out the answer to. I personally feel like I do not do this enough. I feel guilty if I re-read a book because I feel like I should be reading the unread books on my shelf (I have a lot) but I also feel guilty if I loved a book and bought it and I never pick it up again.

I used to re-reads a lot more but since I started blogging I can only think of two books of the top of my head that I have re-read. The first being Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor to prepare myself for Days of Blood and Starlight and I just finished re-reading Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi.  I feel like I have discovered so many great books and I want to read them all but then I don't have time for my old favorites.

I am trying to find a balance between new and re-reads.  I tried to read a re-read a month last year and failed epically. I am trying again this year but I have done horrible in the two first months so I put two re-read in this month to try to get caught up. I hope to add another re-read to my TBR next month.

Am I the only person who feels this way? Please let me know and if you have a method to balance please share it so I can try it out and see if I can find a better balance.

Asunder- Jodi Meadows

Title: Asunder
Author: Jodi Meadows
Series: Yes, second book
Source: Borrowed from the library
Rating: 3.5/5
















DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Thoughts

It took me over half way thought this book for me to get hooked. I loved the first one and eagerly awaited the sequel but I was really underwhelmed by it. I will check out the third book to complete the series but I was hoping for something more out of this book.

Characters

Ana seemed to regress as a character in this novel in the beginning. I found her really whiny and she was hard to connect with. I found her asking for a lot from Sam and her friends but really not putting herself out there for them in return. She wowed me a lot more in the first novel and I was looking for that fierceness in this novel. I was a little disappointed in Sam also, he started to ignore his friends and only ever spend time with Ana which was frustrating to me and also to characters in the book. I felt like he was constantly trying to get her to love him. I love Ana + Sam but I was hoping to see some development outside of them being a couple. I know I am being nit picky about Ana and Sam but I just wanted more from them. I did fall in love with a character and he seriously rocked this book. Who you may ask was this said character? It was Chris of course.  I loved how selfless he was and how sweet and kind. Just so many things. He accepted Ana even though he had history with Sam. I just loved this character so much. Plus he was the one in charge of the beautiful roses so how could you not love him?!

Plot

It continues from the first book with the plot. Ana finds she might not be as alone as she first though and dark secrets are revealed about the past of the citizens of Heart. It was quite dark, like the first book it left me wondering where the story is going from here.

Conclusion

I expected a lot more from this book than it provided, but I am hopeful that the third book will provide some answers. It took me over half way to get hooked to the story again but the ending was strong and makes me want to find out what is going to happen to Ana know. I know I am ranting a little bit and maybe I will love this book more after the third one but for right now I am giving a 3.5/5.

Stacking the Shelves (61)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I bought more books this week. I got rid of three bags of books so to reward myself I bought more books for my Kindle because I am completely obsessed with my Kindle. I am such a huge fan and I think everyone should own one.

Bought New (Kindle)

1984- George Orwell
A Long, Long Sleep- Anna Sheehan
Isolation- Dan Wells
Leaving Paradise- Simone Elkeles
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom- Christopher Healy
The Miseducation of Cameron Post- Emily M. Danforth
Scarlet- A.C. Gaughen
Everneath- Brodi Ashton
Never Fall Down- Patricia McCormick

Borrowed from the Library

Friends with Boys- Faith Erin Hicks
Asunder- Jodi Meadows


What did you get in your mailbox?

March TBR

This month I have a short list again because I have a bad habbit of not following the TBR I set for myself.

 

I am hoping to read....

Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat

Monsters of Men- Patrick Ness

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkins (Re-read)

The Evolution of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkins

Shatter Me- Tahereh Mafi (Re-read)

Unravel Me- Tahereh Mafi
Asunder- Jodi Meadows

 

 

What are you planning on reading this month?