Book Review - Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent

(Divergent #2)

Author: Veronica Roth

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia.

Published: May 1 2012

Pages: 525 pages (Paperback Edition) (Harper Collins)

Read: May 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

SPOILERS FOR DIVERGENT AHEAD!!

I HAVE DONE BAD THINGS.
I CAN'T TAKE THEM BACK, 
AND THEY ARE PART OF WHO I AM.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever... because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Book 16/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Insurgent is the sequel to the ever popular book Divergent. And it follows a girl called Tris as se fights against her superiors to save the world in which they know and make it a better place to live in this young adult dystopian fiction.

I hauled this book not too long ago, last month if I remember correctly after I just recently read Divergent. I really enjoyed Divergent and wanted to continue with the series even though I have heard, as I'm sure you all have, disastrous reviews and comments as the series progresses into Allegiant.

But back to Insurgent. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did with Divergent, 4 stars compared to 5 and there area few reasons for this, but the book still deserved a high rating in my opinion. I loved the plot, even if it was slightly predictable at points, but the action packed pages kept me going forward and there were some event, twists and turns which I did not see coming and came as a surprise. Basically it was because of the action packed entertainment and plot that gave this book a high rating. 

Because the characters were a different story. In Divergent, I admired both our main characters Tris and Tobias (Four) and was well attached to the characters. I cared about them. That doesn't mean that I didn't care about them here in Insurgent but I found quite often that I just couldn't stand either of them at different points throughout the book. Tris and Tobias's characters and personalities I felt changed completely and they made me feel down right annoyed with them. I ended up feeling more for characters which I despised in the previous book than the ones I had loved which was a massive surprise. Hopefully, when I read Allegiant, both Tris and Tobias won't annoy me as much as they did here. 

I expected the book to end the way it did (on a big revelation). I didn't know what that revelation would be but I suspected something big to end this book and it did. It also piked my interest again as I want to see how this story unfolds further into Allegiant. I want to see how this ends.

Here is a link to the book on The Book Depository as I am an affiliate there. Please consider if you are going to buy this book by buying it using the below link. Thank you!!
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781250007216/?a_aid=yabookaholic123

Book Review - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet

(The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale.

Published: February 7 2013

Pages: 452 pages (Paperback Edition) (Puffin)

Read: May 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

SPOILERS FOR CINDER AHEAD!!

This is not the fairytale you remember.

But it’s one you won’t forget.

Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. The police have closed her case. The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other.

Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive – when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.

As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels. Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner . . .

Book 15/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Scarlet is the sequel to Cinder in The Lunar Chronicles series and it follows a girl named Scarlet as she goes in search to find her grandmother, while Cinder, the cyborg, has the challenge of breaking out of prison and staying hidden so she can fight Queen Levana.

I picked up Scarlet because I loved Cinder so much that I just had to continue on with the series. And I just have to say this, Marissa Meyer is the best fairy-tale reteller ever I have come across so far in the journey I have taken in YA books. And also those covers just blow you away with how beautiful they are!

Scarlet is quite different from Cinder as we see from different perspectives in the book. We see through the eyes of Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder, Kai and some other characters which was a very nice change to the series, one that I enjoyed immensely. From the beginning of the book we swap from Scarlet's story to Cinders with most of the book dominantly about Scarlet though and I absolutely loved this story. The plot was so engaging and immersive. I got lost in all the twists, turns, betrayals, mysteries and action that filled this book up. 

And I loved the characters. I really did. Nothing makes a book than having awesome characters. You can have a great story but if you don't have great characters it's pretty much a slippery downhill slope. But as said above, I loved these characters. Scarlet was powerful, strong and confident heroine that also had flaws too. And I loved the mystery behind Wolf and his story. And of course we meet up with Cinder again which is an enjoyment in itself. After the ending of Cinder I just had to see what happened with her and I got to and was happy in the outcomes that happened. 

In the end I enjoyed every aspect of this book. As I said Marissa Meyer is just the best and I really can't wait to get my hands on Cress and Fairest (because this book really has me in the mood to read more about Queen Levana) but anyway, Cress is definitely going to be the next book I buy, if its in he shops that is...

To who I would recommend this book to?? Everyone, I think all of us YA lovers love a good retelling and well these books, this series is not just a good retelling, it's an awesome retelling!! So go enjoy this book ya'll!

 Here is a link to the book on The Book Depository as I am an affiliate there. Please consider if you are going to buy this book by buying it using the below link. Thank you!!
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781250007216/?a_aid=yabookaholic123

Book Review - Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Timeless

(Timeless #1)

Author: Alexandra Monir

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Romance.

Published: March 13 2012

Pages: 291 pages (Paperback Edition) (Ember)

Read: May 2015

Rating: 1 Star

When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

Book 14/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Timeless is a time travel story. That's all  can really tell you because well, I didn't get to finis the full book therefore this review will be extremely short.

I picked up this book because I thought that I would love it. I was intrigued by the blurb and the cover was pretty too but I was wrong. 

I was wrong on so many levels. I was only able to read to 28% of this book which frankly isn't that far. So the question is...why did I stop? I stopped reading this book simply because I didn't like it. I didn't like the opening, the writing style, the slow pace and most importantly I didn't like the main protagonist and I didn't want to waste time in reading a book that I just wasn't liking. 

I will therefore not be reading the next installment to this book which finishes off the duology (I think that it is only 2 books, I'm not sure), but that is just the way it is. 

But if you do want to check this book out, follow the link below to head over to its Book Depository page :)
Here is a link to the book on The Book Depository as I am an affiliate there. Please consider if you are going to buy this book by buying it using the below link. Thank you!!

http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780385738392/?a_aid=yabookaholic123

Book Review - A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones

(A Song of Fire and Ice #1)

Author: George R. R. Martin

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Fantasy.

Published: March 27 2014

Pages: 805 pages (Paperback Edition) (Harper Voyager)

Read: April 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must ... and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty. The old gods have no power in the south, Stark's family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

Book 13/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

A Game of Thrones is the first book in the high fantasy A Song of Fire and Ice series. It is an adult series revolving around many characters as they face each other and the supernatural to see who will win the Iron Throne.

I picked up this book because of the immense amount of hype surrounding the books and the tv show. Everyone wanted a piece of A Game of Thrones and I questioned on whether I should join this bandwagon or not until I saw the new HarperVoyager covers which sealed the deal. I needed these on my shelves.

A Game of Thrones is a long winding book, story wise. There is a lot of background, explaining and description to this story. So in honesty I felt that the story didn't exactly go as far as I was expecting in such a huge novel but that didn't cause me any problems really as the twists and turns to the story kept me hooked onto the pages. And all the details added to the vividness and the realistic feel that A Game of Thrones had. 

The characters also added a realness to this story. I really connected with many of the characters. But, I have to say that it was daunting at first. As each chapter passed and each one was told by a new character I wondered when we would stop seeing new perspectives. And in the beginning I did lose myself with remembering who was who as names of many people ran across the pages but I soon got over that and I began to know the characters individually and how they were related to each other or where they stood. 

As you can see from the 5 star review, I thoroughly enjoyed A Game of Thrones. It started out creepy, then had action, then became creepy again and ever the more action packed. I honestly cannot even estimate the number of how many people were murdered, killed, or even died in the 800 pages of this book. Speaking of the 800 pages, this book in a monster!! It took me about a month for me to read the full book and the sequel is even longer. I also felt drained after reading this book and had to take a small break from reading afterwards and even a longer break before returning to the series but I expect to be starting A Clash of Kings in the next month. But I also felt accomplished!

I would highly recommend this book for Fantasy lovers and for people who don't get intimidated from big books. I haven't yet seen the tv show so I don't know how well it sticks to the books but if you're like me you'd probably want to read the books anyway first before watching it because really what is the point in reading a book when you know what is going to happen?? It ruins all the fun!

So if you would like to purchase this book follow the link below to head to The Book Depository!! I am an affiliate there. Please consider if you are going to buy this book by buying it using the below link. Thank you!!

http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780007548231/?a_aid=yabookaholic123

Book Review - We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

We All Looked Up

Author: Tommy Wallach

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Contemporary.

Published: March 26 2015

Pages: 370 pages (Paperback Edition) (Simon & Schuster UK)

Read: April 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels:
The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever. 

But then we all looked up and everything changed. 

They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end. 

Two months to really live.

Book 12/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

We All Looked Up is a science fiction read about four teenagers who discover what it's like to stare death in the face as the prediction of an asteroid hitting the earth is all too evident. 

I picked up this book as an impulse buy. The buy three for the price of two offer was on and this book just piked my interest, with the fabulous cover and the blurb that held the possibility of the end of the world. To be honest I really just wanted to see how that disasterous topic would come across in this book. So it came home with me. 

The plot and story line to this book were much deeper than just an end of world scenario. It was about how people were labelled in today's society and to be honest no matter how many times people say that they don't judge and label other people, it is a constant thing seen. It was also about erasing those labels and he change people can make to themselves. Mostly though it was about how to live out your last days as best as possible. I found the story to be very interesting and I was intrigued the whole way through this book. I enjoyed the story twists and turns very much. 

I also enjoyed the characters. At first I was a little skeptical going into this book because it had four different perspectives from four very different people. But soon my fears dissipated as I realized I could connect with each character, I could easily tell them apart and I learned and cared about each persons life even though they all were drastically different. 

So overall, I liked both the characters and the plot line but I also liked the writing style. Tommy Wallach's writing was easy to read and fast to get through too. He also wrote as he thought in a way, showing characters true language barriers, even using cringe worthy lines at times, but all in the name of a character. 

One of the dislikes I had for this book was the ending. I have come across the way Tommy Wallach ended We All Looked Up in other books but somehow I don't believe this ending was right for this book. That's all I can really say without spoiling anything but for the people who have already read this you know what I mean.

In the end I enjoyed this book to give it 4 stars. I will more than likely re-read this book too, but I did wish for it to be a bit more sci-fi than it was really and possibly a bit more dark and brutal. But it was still a good book and a nice different perspective to the end of the world theme. I would recommend this book to people, especially for people who would like a light, contemporary read with little sci-fi in it. 

So if you would like to purchase this book follow the link below to head to The Book Depository!! I am an affiliate there. Please consider if you are going to buy this book by buying it using the below link. Thank you!!
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781471124556/?a_aid=yabookaholic123

Book Review - The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky Is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Romance.

Published: June 7 2010

Pages: 368 pages (Hardback Edition) (Walker Books)

Read: March 2015

Rating: 2 Stars

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, with a nearly magical grin. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding...

Book 11/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

The Sky Is Everywhere is a Contemporary / Realistic Fiction stand-a-lone about a teenage girl named Lennie who suddenly and tragically loses her older sister. The story of this book then follows Lennie as she grieves and learns to live without her sister. 

I picked up this book close to the time after it was released many, many years ago. It caught my attention because it was a special hardback bind up and because I was interested in the blurb. I was basically intrigued by the book and wanted to read it. 

The cover also drew me in. I loved the simplicity of the clouds and how it symbolised with the titles of the book also. So yes, if I  can remember, I think may also have been a factor as to why I picked up the book - the beautiful, simple cover. 

As mentioned above, the main plot to this novel was Lennie grieving about her sister and learning to live without her. But Lennie was someone who was a very destructive griever. She grieved by falling in love with her sister's boyfriend and doing very explicit things with him. She also falls in love with the new boy in town and has to juggle her cheating habits to make sure that one doesn't find out about the other. I'm sure you can all guess how that turns out...
As for how I felt about the plot. I just couldn't get into it. The story, the events that were occurring, I just couldn't. And plot wise, this book was a huge disappointment. 

The same can go for the characters. I understood where Lennie was coming from but I just couldn't like her as a character. She insistently got on my nerves along with many of the other characters including Toby, Joe and her grandparents, which left me not caring about any of them and just not connecting with them because of this. 

My likes in this book were very few and far between. I continued to read the book till the end which counts for something but I constantly had that nagging feeling of boredom and indifference while reading the book and just slumped through it.

And to bring up another error or dislike about this book, it was the writing style. I couldn't get into it. I have heard people saying that Jandy Nelson has a beautiful writing style but I just couldn't see anything special. Maybe that was due to me not having an interest in either the story or the characters. I'm not sure though. 

But in the end even though this book was not the one for me and I am still looking into reading Jandy Nelson's other book I'll Give You The Sun because of all the great things that I've heard about it. Maybe I shouldn't follow the hype but I'm going to anyway. Besides the cover for the book and the book itself is absolutely gorgeous, I don't think I'll be able to walk by it again without bringing it to the checkout.

For any of you who still want to read this book, don't let my review throw you off and let me know in the comments if you've read this book and what you thought. 

Here is a link to the book on The Book Depository as I am an affiliate there. Please consider if you are going to buy this book by buying it using the below link. Thank you!!
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781406354386/?a_aid=yabookaholic123

Read-A-Thon's Final Update

Read-A-Thon's Final Update

Bout of Books: 

For Bout of Books I was able to complete 2 books and start a third and get about almost halfway through that book.

I completed both Scarlet by Marrisa Meyer and Insurgent by Veronica Roth and started Parasite by Mira Grant. 

Crush Your TBR:

As Crush Your TBR was practically the end of Bout of Books I read 1 book for it. which was Insurgent by Veronica Roth as said above :p

RYBSAT:

RYBSAT didn't go to well for me because the first book I picked up was only alright and that was What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang. I then went on to finish Parasite by Mira Grant and started The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead
*** I did not stick with my tbr shelf that I chose for this. ***

As an end note I have 2 more read-a-thons happening next month!!! Yay!!
The first one is called the #TBRTakedown and it runs from June 1 to 7!!! Exciting :D I need to make a TBR asap!!
For more information on this one watch the video below of the host!! :D

The second is Crazy For Summer Read-a-Thon which takes place from June 21 to June 27 and is hosted by Crazy For YA.

Summer Reading Plan

Summer Reading Plan

And here it is, that time again, where I make a Summer Reading Plan!! (Not that I ever stick to them or anything, but still...)

Summer here in Ireland starts from the 1st of May and ends the 31st of July. And well, I have my holidays now from college since the 6th of May but I'm only making the list now so..... this is actually going to be from mid May, June, July and be until the end of August... That should give me enough time :P

And my Summer List is as follows:

Books I Own Right Now:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
3. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
4. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
5. Empire of Night by Kelley Armstrong
6. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
7. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
8. The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
9. The One by Kiera Cass
10. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
11. The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

Books I Don't Own (So I May Get To Read):

1. Cress by Marissa Meyer
2. Fairest by Marissa Meyer
3. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
4. An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
5. The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith
6. The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
7. The Heir by Kiera Cass

And that is it. Of course, this is not set in stone at all and may possibly change as the summer goes along...

TBR & Unread Books Tag

TBR & Unread Books Tag

Hey guys here's just a little tag that I found on Youtube, and I'll link the video down below, and just really really want to do!! It was created by Danni Darling and is just a really great tag about your TBR and unread books :)

Now onto the questions:

How many unread and read books do you have?

Unread - 128 Book XO

Read - 91 Books (Because of unhauled read books!! :P) 

The book that has sat on your shelf the longest?

That would probably be Jonas by Eden Maguire. I really ain't sure and Goodreads won't help me with this question because I started book buying before I joined Goodreads.

Number 1 book on your tbr that you want to read but haven't got around to yet?

In relation to a book that I've had for a while now - Dreams of Gods and Mosters by Laini Taylor

and

In relation to a new purchase - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

A book you want to read more than anything but don't own yet?

An Ember In The Ashes!! An Ember In The Ashes!! by Sabaa Tahir.

A book you don't remember buying but haven't read yet?

The Cursed Ones by Nancy Holder and Debbie Vigue. Where did this book even come from???

A book you have that you don't think you'll get around to reading but haven't gotten rid of yet?

Torment by Lauren Kate. I read Fallen, didn't exactly like it and don't have the motivation to pick up Torment or the rest of the series.... meh...

A book you feel guilty for not reading yet?

The Infinite by Lori M. Lee because well I pre ordered this book and then I received it early and then I never read it and I still haven't.... 

A book or series you heard about non-stop but have no interest in reading?

There are actually quite a few of these, but I think the most popular one would be The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I tag:

Noelia @ A Day In Bookland

Jayne @ BookingAwesome

Constance @ Craving Books

 

Bout of Books 13.0 - Challenge #2 & #3!!

Bout of Books 13.0 - Challenge #2 & #3!!

I fell behind with the challenges but I really want to do them so I'm just going to poat them all here in this one post :)

Challenge #2 - Character Face-Off

This challenge was hosted by Lulo Fangirl  and involves you picking two of your all time favourite characters and facing them off against each other. 

This is actually a really hard challenge for me because I always find these difficult and I know I'm just going to make it extremely hard on myself too. 

The characters I have chosen to go face to face are....... 

Will Herondale (The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare)

&

Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas)

Opponent #1 - Will Herondale

Will is a Shadowhunter set in the Shadowhunter world of Cassandra Clare's novels. He's time when in the past in the Victorian ages and he fights demons....

I like Will, simply cause who doesn't???? Damn the boy is confident, has that nice snarky and arrogant personailty, but he is also a book lover and a crazy romantic who is loyal and truly knows his faults.

But Will can be very stubborn and self sacrificing so.....those can be bad qualities.

Opponent #2 - Celaena Sardothien

Celaena is a badass assassin, also known as Adarlan's assassin and who can't love her. She is strong, independent, loyal and caring even with her assassin occupation. But Celaena can be vain and selfish sometimes too, but who isn't honestly???

Winner - 

(Can it be a Tie??? :P)

Nah, it's going to be Will Herondale!!

Simply because I love him so damn much and well he is my fictional boyfriend *wink* *wink*. But the other reason I chose Will is because I feel I know him better. I have read all The Infernal Devices books compared to only Throne of Glass and The Assassin's Blade for Celaena Sardothien. So simply, Will wins because I have a lot of stories left to learn about Celaena as I still need to read Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows etc, etc. But we haven't seen the end of Will Herondale in books either...... :D

Challenge #3 - Book Haiku

This challenge is hosted by Kristina Horner on her blog and involves writing a Haiku on the book you are currently reading. So I'm going to choose Scarlet by Marissa Meyer!!

Little Red Scarlet,

Where Has Your Grandmother Gone,

Time To Face The Wolf. 

Bout of Books 13.0 - Update #3

Bout of Books 13.0 - Update #3

Day 3 - Wednesday 13th May (Written on Thursday - 8.34am)

Book Reading - Parasite by Mira Grant / Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Number of Pages Read Today - 52pgs :(
Number of Pages Read In Total - 704pgs
Books Finished - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

General Thoughts:

I didn't get to read very much today because I was very busy going into town and doing stuff and I wasn't at home that much so... I hope to do much better on Thursday :)

Bout of Books 13.0 - Update #2

Bout of Books 13.0 - Update #2

Day 2 - Tuesday 12th May (Written on Wednesday - 5pm)

Book Reading - Parasite by Mira Grant

Number of Pages Read Today - 522pgs
Number of Pages Read In Total - 652 pgs
Books Finished - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

General Thoughts:

I read so so much today!! I am actually really proud of how much I read :) I even finished my first book and got to get a good bit into my second. But because I was reading all day, I didn't get to update... therefore this is why this is going up today :P

Bout of Books 13.0 - Update #1

Bout of Books 13.0 - Update #1

Day 1 - Monday 11th May (10pm)

Book Reading - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Number of Pages Read - 130pgs

General Thoughts:

I felt I didn't really get to read much today :( But I'm back continung reading once this is posted so maybe I'll get a bit further :)

Bout of Books 13.0 - Challenge #1

Bout of Books 13.0 - Challenge #1

The first challenge of the Bout of Books 13.0 read-a-thon is hosted over at the blog Writing My Own Fairy Tale and you can find the post about the challenge here. 

The challenge is simple, just answer the Bookish Survey!! So let's begin :D

1. How do you organise your shelves?

I organise my books depending on the mood I'm in but I do have some general rules when orgainising my book such as :

• All books in a series must be kept together.
• Where at all possible, heights of books on a shelf must be the same.
• Books must match or compliment each other on the shelf.
• Read and unread books must be mixed up together (or else I would be highly stressed due to my massive tbr!!!)

2. What is one of your favourite books that is not in your favourite genres?

I would have to say that one of my none favourite genres is Contemporary / Realistic Fiction and well I read Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson and it has become such a  favourite of mine that I even made Morgan Matson an auto-buy that I'm now looking for her previous books to buy and read. 

 

3. What is the last 5 star book you read?

The last book I gave a 5 star rating to was A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I really, really enjoyed this book and it was such a monster of a book too, but I still can't wait till next month to begin A Clash of Kings. 

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?

I'm most excited to read Scarlet by Marissa Meyer which I am currently reading and loving!!

5. What book do you recommend the most? 

I haven't recommended a book for a while now but I constantly recommended Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong and still do because I just picked up the sequel Empire of Night today and really can't wait to begin reading it!!

Read-a-thons A Go!!!!

Read-a-thons A Go!!!!

Isn't May 2015 just an awesome month!! There are so many great new releases and on top of that there are three amazing consecutive read-a-thons happening!!

Firstly there is Bout of Books 13 going from the 11th May to the 17th May.

Then there's Crush Your TBR happening from the 15th to the 17th of May.

And lastly there's RYBSAT running from the 18th to the  24th!!

And you can believe that I have my book schedule all set out. Here's what I'm hoping to read for each one!!

Bout of Books:

1. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
2. Parasite by Mira Grant
3. The One by Kiera Cass

Crush Your TBR:

1. Forsaken by Jana Oliver
2. The Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

RYBSAT:

1. What's left Of Me by Kat Zhang
2. VIII by H. M. Castor
3. My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
4. Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe???

I know I will probably not get to read even half of these books but hey we'll see how it goes!!!

So who else is joining in on any of the read-a-thons??? Let me know down below and say what you plan on reading too :)

April 2015

April 2015 Book Haul / Wrap Up / May TBR

April is over, well it was over a while ago during my hiatus hence why this post is late because I was on a hiatus for my exams and now they are over and who knows what is going to happen next year. Anyway onto the books.....

April 2015 Book Haul

I got 4 books this month... I know I'm terrible but I just had too. On the bright side I mentioned that after my exams I was going to go on a book buying spree but I've decided against that and instead decided to really tackle my tbr. But the four books that I got during the month of April were ....

• Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
• We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
• The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
• 
  

April 2015 Wrap Up

And so forth is my recap of the month of April:

What Was Read:

• The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
• We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 

(All Reviews To Come Soon!!!)

Project 10 Book

This is not working anymore so I'm going to decide on something new in the next coming months to help me with my book buying obssession and my immense TBR. 

Other News:

I had two book reviews this month and a spoiler discussion for a book all linked below :)

What I Saw and How I Lied Review

All The Bright Places Review

All The Bright Places Spoiler Discussion

And lastly I made a post about my most anticipated releases of April (which I have currently not bought any of them)

Challenges Progress:

Level Challenge:

11/50 - Level 1 & 2 Completed. On Level 3 - Books on my TBR the Longest!!

A - Z Challenge:

7/26

10 From The List Challenge:

5/10

Goodreads Challenge:

14/60 (7 Books Behind Schedule)

May TBR

I have none for this month but I am participating in a few read-a-thons so hopefully that will help greatly with my reading :)

Bout of Books 13 - This is me signing up!!

Bout of Books 13 - This is me signing up!!

Yay!!! It is Bout of Books time!!! I did this read-a-thon once before and finally I can do it again because it was so much fun the last time :D

Here's the official blurb!!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

I really can't wait to start!!! Look out for more information and all the challenges and games when the read-a-thon starts. Besides why don't you join too :)

The Goodreads Tag

The Goodreads Tag

As you may have already guessed this is a tag all about Goodreads and who doesn't love Goodreads!!! I do!! I don't know what I'd do without it to be honest..... 

Anyhoo I saw this tag on Youtube on a book bloggers channel which I'm subscribed to and you can find the video down below!!

Now onto the questions!!! Yay!!!

1. What was the last book you marked as read?

The last book I marked as read was Timeless by Alexandra Monir. In truth I didn't finish this book but I did try to read it which is the main thing. 

2. What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Parasite by Mira Grant!!

3. What was the last book you marked as TBR?

The last book I marked as TBR *goes to check* was Under A Painted Sky by Stacy Lee.

4. What book do you plan to read next?

I plant to read Scarlet by Marissa Meyer next!!! :)

5. Do you use the star rating system?

Yup I use the star rating but my rating is a bit more complex than the one on Goodreads. I find the Goodreads one to be quite vague. 

6. Are you doing a 2015 Reading Challenge?

Yes I am!!! I have set a goal of to read 60 books during the year of 2015. I have currently read 14 books which means I am 6 books behind schedule but I ain't too bothered about the Goodreads Challenge really. Yes I like to get it finished but I won't rush reading a book or anything just to finish the challenge.

7. Do you have a wishlist?

I have a wishlist!! It is a shelf on my Goodreads. But y wishlist changes every so often because I have to be absolutely certain that I want to read a book before I get it because my funds are running extremely low, so I often go through my wishlist and skim it down as I go.

8. What book do you plan to buy next?
The book I plan to buy next is Cress by Marissa Meyer because I have a buddy read coming up soon for the book but I also really want to get An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.

9. Do you have any favourite quotes?
I really ain't much of a quote person really.

10. Who are your favourite authors?
I have quite a good few favourite authors and have also gained a lot of auto buy authors too. Some of my favourite authors include Cassandra Clare, Richelle Mead, Rick Yancey, Laini Taylor, Sarah J. Maas, Cristin Terril, Kelley Armstrong and many many more....

11. Have you joined any groups?
I am currently in 5 group :) All which I love and I have also created a group on Goodreads which is near it's 2nd birthday!!! It is the YA Book Gang!! should anyone like to check it out :)

12. What do you use Goodreads for?
I simply use Goodreads for keeping track of books and for meeting friends on. Goodreads is great for finding out release dates and cover reveals and title reveals along with just ordering books and knowing what is what and where everything should be. I'm an organised person so this website helps a lot!!

13 *Added Question* Who is you most read author?

My most read author according to Goodreads is ......... Cassandra Clare with a total of 19 books. With Richelle Mead coming second at 10 books.

Now that this tag is complete I tag you to do this too, anyone that wants to that is.