12/30/2014

Top Ten Tuesday || Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week we are talking about our goals and resolutions for 2015. They can be bookish, blogging, or just some regular old resolutions/goals. I'm going to share both some bookish and some blogging goals and resolutions. 

1. My first goal is actually my GoodReads challenge goal-thing. That goal is to read 46 books. This year my goal was 25, and I passed that by a bit - I actually ended up reading 64 books. I'm still setting  my goal under 50 books, because I think that number is a little bit scary, and therefore I'm taking the number down a bit.

2. My second goal/resolution is a pretty common one among book people. That is to buy less books. Now I don't actually spend a lot of money on physical books, which is good. However, since getting my eReader in August, I've been throwing money around - money I don't really have. So I want to buy a little more, and try to limit my book buying to new releases I absolutely "need".

3. The third resolution is to get more organized blog wise. I started this blog in October, which was a very busy month for me, and I haven't really taken the time do do all that much about this blog. And I really want to. I don't necessarily want to plan posts down to a T, but I do want to just have an overview over what the heck I'm doing.

4. This goal is kind of a follow up to number 3, and that is to post more reviews. In the time I've had this blog I've posted 3 reviews. That's not really a lot. And it's not that I don't want to, I just don't get very far in the process. I write down notes and all my thoughts. But getting from that, to a full legible post is a lost art for me.

5. The fifth goal is to participate and complete challenges other than my goodreads challenge. I've made a post about the challenges I've signed up for, and you can check that out here.

6. The sixth is to be more social in the community. I'm shy, and that shyness extends to the internet. So 2015 is going to be the year where I comment more on blogs, and interact with more bookish people on twitter or goodreads. 

7. This resolution might sound a little odd, but it's an important one (in my eyes). I want to keep track of new releases. I rarely know when books come out, I miss the release, and don't realize it until months after. I just want to at least keep a track on when my anticipated books come out. I don't need to buy the releases, but just know that they are now available. 

8. Here is a goal that I need to complete. I want to read the Harry Potter series. Yeah, I have not read father than book 2, and that needs to change. I don't own them, so they have to be borrowed from friends or checked out at the library, but I will read them. 

9. The last (yeah, I don't actually have ten resolutions.) is a couple of random challenges. I've been jotting down random little challenges that I think would be fun to try from time to time. I've settled on ten challenges, and I'll pick one out at random when I fell like I need a guideline to which book I should read. The challenges are:

·      Read a book with over 500 pages
·      Read a book that became a movie – and watch the movie
·      Read a book that came out in my birth year
·      Read a book that someone else picks out
·      Read a book I was supposed to read in school, but didn’t (whoops)
·      Read a collection of short stories
·      Read a book that‘s won an award
·      Read a book by an author I haven’t read before.
·      Read a Classic
·      Re-Read one of my 2014 favorites

(after I'd been jotting these down for some time, I saw Katytastic's video about her TBR Jar challenge.
I saw that video after setting these, and I just wanted to disclaim that I'm in no way trying to snatch the idea, and claim it as my own.
The challenges are a mix of my own, and some found all over the internet.  Just an fyi)

So these are my resolutions and goals for 2015. What are some of yours?

|| 2015 Reading Challenges

This is the first year I'll be participating in any reading challenges, and therefore I've tried to limit myself, and not sign up for too many. I've decided to participate in 3 challenges, which I think is a decent number, and not all to overwhelming. Also, the challenges here can actually overlap a bit here and there, so that might be a bit of help to actually complete them all. As of right now, I haven't picked out any books for the challenges, and I'm not sure I'm going to. In fact, I'm quite horrible at following TBR's and already set lists. But who knows? I might end up making some sort of possible list at some point.


The first challenge I'm participating in, is the 2015 Mythology Reading Challenge. I'm a sucker for all kinds of mythology, and this challenge is just the one for me. It's hosted by Lili over at Lili Lost in a Book. For rules and detail check the sign up post. There are four levels you can commit to, and I'll be participating on the 'God Level' which is 6-10 mythology books.



The second challenge is going to be the LGBT Challenge. I read a decent amount of LGBTQ+ books, and therefore I thought this would be perfect. It's hosted by Cayce over at Niji Feels and you can read all the details and sign up over there. There are four levels as to which you can participate, and I've decided to participate at the OMNIVOROUS BOOKGLUTTEN level, which means that I am to read 10+ LGBT books from any genre.



The third challenge is going to be the 2015 Library Challenge. I love my library, and I spend a good amount of time there. This challenge is hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey. All the information about the challenge can be found over at her blog. I've decided to participate at the Rookie level, which is to check out 6-11 books. I might check out a great deal more than that, but I thought it would be a good starting place.

So these are the challenges I've decided to take on. Are you participating in any Reading Challenges in 2015?

12/14/2014

|| All I Want For Christmas Is Books


'Tis the season to be jolly? Right? Anyway, it's December, which means that Christmas is here basically. What an intro there, really beautiful. As many other people's, a big part of my Christmas wish list contains books.

All but one of these books are in English, the Metallica one is in Danish, which, can be a bit hard to find where I'm from. The bookstores in my area doesn't really have a big selection when it comes to English books, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any of these in my local bookstores. Therefore, even though books are a big thing on my wish list, it's usually not the things I get the most of.

Anyway, these are all book I've wanted for a long time, and as far as I can remember, most of them are new releases of 2014. There's a mix of genres, but they are basically all YA books.

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt: This is a book I've had my eyes on since last year, but I've just never decided to pick it up. Therefore I thought it would be a good thing to put on my wish list - also, it's quite a beautiful book.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: I read Morgan Matson's 'Amy and Roger's Epic Detour' and I fell in love with it, and her writing. I've heard a lot of great things about this book, and I'm sure it will be a fabulous read.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson: This sounds so damn interesting, and I've heard a shit-ton of amazing things about it. If this is not underneath my Christmas tree, I'm very sure I'll be buying it in January.

Everything Leads To You - Nina LaCour: Another book that's been on my wish list ever since it came out. I've seen a lot of great reviews on this book, and that's just made me want to read it even more. And the cover really is beautiful.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins: Pretty book is pretty, and with what I've heard, Pretty book is pretty good too. The plot sounds intriguing, and I thought it would be a lovely gift to have under the tree.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega: This one - this one is a book that has been very high on my wish list. However, I've never actually picked it up. Not actually sure why, but I just haven't. It sounds pretty darn awesome, and pretty darn creepy. Just what I need.

Winger by Andrew Smith: This book comes with such high praise. I have heard nothing but good things about this book, and I really need to have this in my possession soon. So, therefore I thought it would be a perfect wish for Christmas.

Metallica: Den illustrerede historie: The only non-fiction book on my list, but a book I really want nonetheless. I'm a huge Metallica fan, and this would be a perfect thing for my collection (which isn't all that big - but still).

Conversion - Katherine Howe: Last but not least we have this one. I've heard some pretty mixed things about this book, but I still really want to see what everything is about. It sounds so very interesting, and I'm very excited to see how this is going to unfold.

So there you have it. My Christmas wish list - at least the bookish part. Are there any bookish things on your wish list?

12/05/2014

|| November Wrap-up & December TBR

Better late than never, right? Anyway, I'm here today to share with you all the books I read in November. This month was a busy one - I was teaching third graders all of November, and on top of that, I had a huge exam paper to write. However, even with all that business, I still managed to read 10 books. I have absolutely no idea how I managed that, but somehow I did. I read some pretty decent books this month - there were some that disappointed a bit, but there were also some that I absolutely love.






















One Man Guy - Michael Barakiva
This book was a really fast read. I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to people who want a different kind of contemporary read. This book is LGBTQ and it's got a great diverse cast. I had a some problems with it here and there, but not something that was a huge deal breaker to me.

Kamikaze Boys - Jay Bell
I have read quite a few things from this author before. I've really adored his writing in the past, and I did with this book as well. However, the story didn't really do that much for me. It was a good story, but that was just about it.

Almost Like Being in Love - Steve Kluger
This book was so much fun. I have a review up on the blog of this book already, so I'm not really gonna talk that much about it.

The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
This book I was really excited to read. However, I might have hyped myself up a little too much, because this book ended up being just fine for me. I liked the characters, and I loved the whole concept. I think I was expected there to be more Ripper than there actually were. In the end I was left with a feeling of wanting more, and therefore I will be continuing on with this series.

Y: The Last Man, The Deluxe edition book one - Brian K. Vaughan
This graphic novel I had heard a lot of things about. I must admit this wasn't really my thing. The writing was great and the illustrations were pretty cool. However, the story was just too much. It felt like they try to do so many different things, and in the end, to me, they all fell a little flat. I might read the next installment, next year, but I'm not sure.

The Before Now and After Then - Peter Monn
This was kind of a random pick. Someone on my Goodreads feed had just reviewed this book, and I thought it sounded interesting. And boy was I glad I picked this one up. It was a phenomenal book, and just what I needed. This book made me cry, and it made me laugh out loud. The Characters were amazing, and all in all I just really loved this book.

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me - Julie Anne Peters
This has been on my TBR from the moment it came out. The premise of this book is really interesting, but the execution of it didn't work for me. Out of all the characters only one of them was likable to me.

Cinder - Marissa Meyer
This is a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, but have just never gotten to before now. I enjoyed the book, I really did, but there was just so much going on, that it got a little confusing at times. At least to me. Also, it was very predictable, and the plot twists didn't do that much for me. However, I do want to continue the series, because I¨m very excited to see where this story will go.

Gracefully Grayson - Ami Polonsky
This was a new release of November, and I'm so glad I picked it up. It's a middle grade book, and boy is it an important book. It is easy to understand, which I think is really important when the book is targeted towards middle graders. The story is beautiful, and so well told. I would really recommend anyone to pick up this story.

Wait For You - J. Lynn
So, this book was another random pick. I needed something quick to read, so I thought a contemporary new adult book would be good. And it was. This was a good story and it was well executed, it just wasn't something that completely blew me away. I might continue this series, but I'm not completely sure yet.




So on to my December TBR. This month I want to try and see if I can cross some more physical books off of my TBR pile. The picture shows all the book I really want to read, however that small pile might change. I read based on my mood, and I might not be in the mood for any of these. Actually there's a 90% chance that I'll deviate from this. But I figured I needed to have some sort of direction for the month, hence this pile.


So, did you read anything good in November? What is on your TBR on December?

12/02/2014

Top Ten Tuesday || Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week we are talking about all those book we look forward to in 2015. For this list I've tried to exclude debut novels, simply because there's going to be a Top Ten Tuesday topic about 2015 debut novels in January. It was hard choosing just ten, but I managed to do so.




Tonight the Streets Are Ours - Leila Sales
This book sounds really interesting. I read This Song Will Save Your Life earlier this year, and I really loved it. Therefore I'm really excited for this book to come out.
Expected publication date is September 15th 2015

I only heard about this book a couple of days ago. The concept of this book seems really interesting, and like something I haven't read before.
Expected publication date is June 16th 2015






The Fill-In Boyfriend - Kasie West
I haven't read a Kasie West book before, but I've heard a lot of great things about her writing. It sounds like a really good and fun contemporary. Well, maybe not "fun-fun", but still.
Expected publication date is May 5th 2015

I have heard a lot of people getting excited by this book, and when I read the synopsis, I must admit that it got me too. This sounds amazing. Again, I haven't read any of Sarah J. Maas' books, but I do have Throne of Glass on my December TBR
Expected publication date is May 5th 2015

I've seen this book (arc) around the book-blogging world for some time, and I've heard some good things about it. Luckily, the publication date is not all that far away.
Expected publication date is March 24th 2015

Magic and historical fiction. This is bound to be awesome. I know a lot of people love Victoria Schwab's writing, so I'm really excited to get my hands on this. Also, the cover is really beautiful.
Expected publication date is February 24th 2015

Norse mythology + Rick Rioardan - I need this book. I'm currently reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and I am loving it! So, I was really excited when I found out that Rick Riordan was writing a series based on Norse mythology. I'm Scandinavian, come on, I'm bound to be excited. (not that it has anything to do with that, anyway). Sadly, this book is really far away - all the way to October.
Expected publication date is October 6th 2015


All Fall Down - Ally Carter
Another book I haven't heard all that much about. However, I was browsing around Goodreads, and I came across this one. The cover look pretty cool, so I decided to look at the synopsis, and wow. This sounds really cool. Also, it's not that far away - the publication date that is.
Expected publication date is January 27th 2015




The Game of Love and Death - Martha Brockenbrough
I haven't actually heard people talking about this one. Again it was just one of those books I found while browsing Goodreads. It sounds like a love story right after my own heart. Maybe not one I would want for myself, but one I would love to read.
Expected publication date is April 28th 2015





The Witches of Echo Park - Amber Benson
Urban Fantasy, and witches. It's not something I would usually pick up. However, it's gonna be a new year, so it would be the perfect time to broaden my reading, and this book sounds like something that could help with just that.
Expected publication date is January 6th 2015

11/22/2014

Book Haul || November 2014

So, it's that time again. Book haul time. I know that November isn't exactly over yet, but I know that I will not be buying any more books this month. The reason for that is, that I'm basically out of money. I have a little left for the rest of the month, and that's going towards a movie ticket so I can go see Mockingjay next week.

So, this month I held back on the book buying a little bit. I only bought six books, which is a lot better than the last two months. In this haul I've got a mixture of eBooks, physical books, and books I got from the library. All in all I have ten books to show you guys, so here we go.

Bought, physical books:

I haven't bought any physical book since I got my Kobo, so I thought it was time to do just that. I've been lusting after My True Love Gave to Me ever since it came out, so why not get it? And the second book is Gracefully Grayson by Amy Polonsky. This book sounds so interesting, and I can't wait to read it.

Library Picks:

Next up I got two books from the library this month (not including a ton of books for school). I've already read Y: The Last Man, and I'm very much looking forward to reading the The Titan's Curse. I set The Titan's Curse on hold sometime last month, but it didn't arrive at my local library until about three days ago.

Bought, eBooks:

I got four eBooks this month, and I've actually already read three of them. I've been trying to cut down on my eBook buying, and I think it's been working. Compared to last month where I probably bought around ten, this is pretty mild. 

Freebies, eBooks:

Last, but definitely, not least, I have two freebies. I have a tendency to just browse the section on Kobo with all of the free ebooks, and sometimes I come back from that browse with a ton of new ebooks. However, this month I only found free eBooks that I thought I'd get. Well, not really. I actually got a shit-ton of free classics this month as well, but I don't really feel like showing all of them

So that was my November book haul. Did you get any cool books this month?

11/16/2014

Review || Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger

Title: Almost Like Being in Love
Author: Steve Kluger
Format: Ebook
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT
Rating: 
Summary:
A high school jock and nerd fall in love senior year, only to part after an amazing summer of discovery to attend their respective colleges. They keep in touch at first, but then slowly drift apart.

Flash forward twenty years.

Travis and Craig both have great lives, careers, and loves. But something is missing .... Travis is the first to figure it out. He's still in love with Craig, and come what may, he's going after the boy who captured his heart, even if it means forsaking his job, making a fool of himself, and entering the great unknown. 

Told in narrative, letters, checklists, and more, this is the must-read novel for anyone who's wondered what ever happened to that first great love.

Thoughts:
Before I even get into my thoughts about this book, I need to say this. I read this as an ebook, which I now realize was a bit of a mistake. The formatting gets screwed up some, and it can make it a little annoying and hard to read. Therefore, if you want to read this, I would recommend picking it up as a physical copy.

Almost like being in love is a story about first love. Is is a bit cliché? Yes, it is, but that's the beauty of the story. The author took a bunch of different clichés, mixed them all together, and this is the result. It’s all about Travis Puckett, the nerd, and Craig McKenna, the jock, who fall head over heels in love in their senior year of high school. This book is funny, sarcastic, and so very quotable. This book has a very romantic comedy feel.

“It doesn't matter what people thinks of you as long as you know that your heart and head are in the right place.” 

The beginning of the book is so beautiful. We get to see the two of them fall so desperately in love and how that changes them, and I love that. It almost made me want to go out and fall in love.
The middle of the book was a little slow at places. At times I just wanted the story to move on a bit, despite the book still being adorable and funny.  

The ending of this story bothered me a bit - it just felt completely anti-climatic, and I actually had to re-read the ending, because I couldn’t believe that was the ending. It just fell a little flat for me. However, I really enjoyed the epilogue, and I feel like the story got the right ending, that all the characters deserves, after all.

I really adore both of the characters. Travis was really all over the place, and I thought it was fantastic. He was such an interesting guy, and I loved it when we saw the story from his point of view. Not to say, that I didn’t like Craig’s POV, but I did enjoy Travis’ just a bit more. You really grow to love both main characters, and you don’t want to part with any of them. I really love the two of them together. As friends they're sweet, but as lovers they are amazing.

“Falling hard for somebody makes you do things you never thought you'd do before. Like pulling off an A in History or finally facing the truth about yourself” 

This book made me smile, laugh, and it even made me cry a bit. It’s a lovely story, and I would definitely recommend you pick this one up if you feel like reading something sweet and funny.