Stacking the Shelves (117)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Borrowed from a Friend
Beautiful Bombshell- Christina Lauren

For Review (Thank you Raincoast)
Hunger- H.A. Swain (for review)
Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend- Katie Finn (for review)
My Last Kiss- Bethany Neal (for review)

Bought Used
Beautiful Bastard-Christina Lauren
Beautiful Bitch- Christina Lauren
Beautiful Stranger- Christina Lauren
Beautiful Player- Christina Lauren
Beautiful Beginning- Christina Lauren

Wedding Update 2.0

This is my second and likely second to last wedding update before the big day. We are a little under two months away from the wedding and I would like to think I am mostly done, but I feel like there is a lot of little details that will pop up as we near the day.

I went for my dress fittings today and they are both off to be altered. I decided to go with a ceremony dress which is a long, traditional dress which I absolutely love, but it is pretty heavy and being a summer wedding it is going to be hot, so I have a dress for later in the night for $50. It is a shorter, party dress that I found in the clearance section at a local bridal store. It was a little big, but the lovely lady who is altering the dress said she could take it in for me so I am pretty excited.

The last big thing I need to do is the seating chart. I have attempted a few times to do it and I abandoned this idea pretty quickly. I am having a hard time trying to think of where to seat people, I know they are only eating dinner and really it's not a huge deal but it is stressing me out a lot so I keep putting it off. I need to sit down and work on it over a course of a weekend and have it roughly done.

Let me know if you have any tricks to making the seating process easier. I would love some ideas :)

Beautiful Bastard & Beautiful Bitch- Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bastard
Author: Christina Lauren
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Series:  Yes
Rating: 4/5








Title: Beautiful Bitch
Author: Christina Lauren
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Series:  Yes
Rating: 3.5/5








Goodreads Summary for Beautiful Bastard:
An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. 
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate--and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative--completely infuriating--creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules--or outright smash them--if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

Goodreads Summary for Beautiful Bitch:
Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his girlfriend. But after he refuses to take no for an answer, Chloe and Bennett find themselves with two plane tickets, one French Villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

***This review may contain spoilers ****

This is a series I would never have seen myself getting into. It sounded interesting but adult romance is a genre I never really not into. I have tried, but it is not a genre I seek out often. I do occasionally pick up a book on a recommendation from a friend which is how I started this series. A lady I work with recommended it to me and gave me the first book and the 1.5 to read. I flew through both of them in two days.

There is a lot of mature content in this novel, if you could not already guess by the synopsis on the back of the book, but what really stood out to me about this book is that there was a plot and the main female character was not at all what I expected. In my limited experience in this genre, there seems to be a lot of female protagonist who are "inexperienced" and there whole life revolves around the love interest and the love interest is very experienced and has been with a lot of women and only changes because of the female protagonist and he is a complete control freak. This book was not perfect, Bennett is a complete control freak and really kind of a jerk, but Chole is a smart, funny and sarcastic character that does not take allow his controlling nature to completely change her, she stands up for herself against Bennett and dishes it right back to him. This was so refreshing to read a book where Chole was such a hardworking girl and was not looking for anyway to get ahead and that Bennett, although a slight jerk is not a complete man whore.

Chole is working towards getting her MBA and is working for Bennett Ryan who is a blunt and inconsiderate jerk. She thinks of poisoning him often, but restrains herself. Bennett has just moved back from France to take a vital role in his family's media company and when he tries to boss Chole around he learns that she is not going to take his blunt attitude. Over the course of the book they slowly fall for each other and the relationship progresses slowly, the ending was a little predictable, but overall I really enjoyed this novel. I am including my thoughts about both novels in this review since the 1.5 is quite short. In the next novel, Bennett and Chole are trying to have a healthy relationship while also trying to get the company office set up in New York City. Bennett decides to surprise Chole with a vacation to France so that they can have some time for just each other. The trip turns out to be a slight disaster, but in the end they both make it there and finally have their alone time. I also enjoyed the second book, but not quite as much as I liked the first book.

Stacking the Shelves (116)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I only have one book this week which is probably a good thing since I have a ton of books to read already.

Borrowed from the Library
The Pigman- Paul Zindel

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

 

Title:  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5








Goodreads Summary:
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

This book is worth all the hype and if you have not read this yet you need to because it is so good also this cover is super gorgeous. The only other thing I can say about this book is you need to pick this up immediately, that's all. I'm lying I have lots more to say.

Aristotle does not know how to swim and one day he meets a boy named Dante who teaches him how to swim. They are complete opposites, Aristotle is a angry teen, he has a brother who is in jail that none talks about while Dante is a only child and is a very happy-go lucky teenager. They become best friends which stands the test of time.

I really liked both of the main characters, but Dante was my favorite. I loved his attitude, he was so sweet and sarcastic. Aristotle was a much darker character, Dante brought out a much lighter and happier side to him but he was still a very moody character for most of the novel. I also love both sets of parents. They were very involved in their children's lives without being overly involved. The story also shows some background into the lives of the parents which was different and very interesting. 

The plot follows both main characters as they discover themselves. One of the boys struggles with his sexuality while the other boy seems to know exactly who he is and who he wants to be. This book is so beautiful and I need to own this so I can stare at it and re-read it again and again.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is run by Jamie at The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is Ten Bookish Things (That Aren't Books) That I'd Like To Own (new bookshelves, bookends, cool bookmark, a bookish shirt, etc. You can add things you DO own if you want).

1) New bookshelves- I like my bookshelves, but I would love for all of my shelves to match and also have some curved shelves so I can have my books all together.

2) Bookish shirts- I own one bookish t-shirt which is from Out of Print Clothing. I love it and I would love to own more.

3) Bookish mugs- There is a lot of awesome bookish mugs and I sadly own none currently.

4) Bookmarks- You can never have enough, there are so many pretty ones.

5) Divergent makeup set- This makeup is gorgeous and I also really like the nail polish. I have eyed this up a few times at my local Sephora.  

6) Bookish Key chain- This is from Pintrest and I stumbled across this bookish keychain. 

7) Kindle cover- My cover is ok, but I would love to own a fancier one. This is my current favorite here.

8) Bookish jewelry- There is a lot of different, gorgeous pieces I want to own. This one is my current favorite. 

9) Poster- I say this a lot to my fiance so I think I should buy this and put it in my book room :) 

10) Bookish tattoo- I love tattoos and I have one which is not bookish and I would love to get a bookish tattoo.

Stacking the shelves (115)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My pre-order came in this week and I am so excited to read it. It is so pretty and it came with a signed piece of artwork in the back which is so awesome. 

Gifted
Dreams of Gods and Monsters- Laini Taylor

Borrowed from the Library
The Sound of Letting Go- Stasia Ward Kehoe 
Something Real- Heather Demetrios
Panic- Lauren Oliver

For Review
We Are the Goldens- Dana Reinhardt

Bought Used (store credit)
The Alchemyst- Michael Scott
Burn for Burn- Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

The Here and Now- Ann Brashares

Title: The Here and Now
Author: Ann Brashares
Source: For review from the publisher
Series: Stand alone
Publication Date: April 8 2014
Rating: 2/5








Goodreads Summary:
Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth, but everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

I was super excited to read this book because I love The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series so I was hoping that this would be a good book since I loved other books she wrote I would like this one too but it was disappointing. 

Preena immigrated to New York when she was 12, but she did not come from another country, she came from a different time. Preena comes from a future where a mosquito born illness has become a pandemic and kills millions. She is sent to the past to right the wrongs that brought the world to ruins, but she has a hard time following the rules when she meets Ethan Jarvis.

The idea of time travel to save the world from a plague is such a different idea and I was really hoping to love this. I loved the idea and the plot, but the story and the characters was not developed as well as I thought it would be. I found the characters frustrating and I did not feel like there was a lot of character development. There was no characters that I felt that really made the story. Preena starts out as an awesome character and I liked her but then she starts making some really dumb decisions and it went downhill from there. The love interest, Ethan was not much better unfortunately. He sees a girl appear out of nowhere when he is fishing one day and he cannot stop thinking about her. He seemed like a curious and interesting character, but as the story progressed, like Preena he started making some not so smart choices and I fell out of liking him quite quickly.

The plot sounded super interesting and I feel like the story could have had way more action, but instead the time travelers seemed more focused on learning about how to fit in with the present day instead of actually trying to do something about the plague that is going to happen in the future.

This was a flop for me unfortunately. I did not enjoy this book sadly, 

Stacking the Shelves (114)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I acquired a lot of books this week and I am looking forward to all of them as usual.

Kindle
Talented- Sophie Davis (free on kindle)

Borrowed from the Library
Split Second- Kasie West
Manor of Secrets- Katherine Longshore
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe- Benjamin Alire Saenz

Borrowed From a Friend
Beautiful Bastard- Christina Lauren
Beautiful Bitch- Christina Lauren 

The Little Android & The Queen's Army- Marissa Meyer

This is going to be a super short review of both of these short stories which can both be found for free on Wattpad.



Title: The Little Android
Author: Marissa Meyer
Source: Free on Wattpad
Series:  Yes
Rating: 4/5







The first story story is a retelling of the little mermaid. This is a super short which I was hoping it would be longer since I think there is a lot more of this story that could be drawn out into more detail. There was so many interesting characters and sides stories that will hopefully be explored further.

Title: The Queen's Army
Author: Marissa Meyer
Source: Free on Wattpad
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5









The second short story is not one I would recommend if you have not read Scarlet because it gives a fair amount away. It is the story of a lunar named Z who is turned into a half wolf to become part of the queen's army. The story starts with Z being chosen and taken away from his family, the story progresses and show the progress of Z as he adjusts to life in the pack.

March Wrap Up

I am super impressed with the amount of reading I did this month. I used the last weekend in March for being lazy and reading the entire weekend.

The List
The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger (re-read)
Slated- Teri Terry
Blood Promise- Richelle Mead
Warm Bodies- Issac Marion
Don't Even Think About It- Sarah Mlynowski (kindle)
Sekret- Lindsay Smith (kindle)
Love Letters to the Dead- Ava Dellaira (kindle)
Ashes to Ashes- Melissa Walker

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

Books I own: 13
Borrowed: 7
E-Books: 5
Total: 20

Sekret- Lindsay Smith (kindle)
The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger (re-read)
Don't Even Think About It- Sarah Mlynowski (kindle)
Warm Bodies- Issac Marion
Ashes to Ashes- Melissa Walker
Slated- Teri Terry
Blood Promise- Richelle Mead
Love Letters to the Dead- Ava Dellaira (kindle)
No One Else Can Have You- Kathleen Hale
Clockwork Angel (graphic novel)- Cassandra Clare
The Shadowhunter's Codex- Cassandra Clare 
Diamonds and Deceit- Leila Rasheed
Crush- Nicole Williams
Meant to Be- Lauren Morrill
The Dark Heroine- Abigail Gibbs
The Here and Now- Ann Brashares (kindle)
Beauty Never Dies- Cameron Jace (kindle)
Chopsticks- Jessica Anthony
The Impossible Knife of Memory- Laurie Halse Anderson
The Truth About Alice- Jennifer Mathieu (kindle)

April TBR

I am really excited for my TBR this month. I went to see Divergent in March and I have been itching to re-read the book since.

The List

The Blessings- Elise Juska

Divergent- Veronica Roth (re-read)

Never Fall Down- Patricia McCormick (kindle)

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B- Teresa Toten

Night Film- Marisha Pessel (started-need to finish)
Manor of Secrets- Katherine Longshore
Split Second- Kasie West

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