I’m BACK!!!

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, Megan Jacobson, Passenger, Their Fractured Light, This Shattered World, Yellow

So, three weeks ago, I said I was taking a one week break that was possibly going to turn into a two week break.

I honestly didn’t expect it to become a three week break, but here we are.

So…what happened in January?

The YA Book meet was on again at Dymocks, this time talking about historical YA books.

Picture taken by Emily

Then I, along with the other youth group leaders at my church, went to NextGen16, which is a week long conference all about how to become better youth leaders. It’s a pretty fun week.

After getting back from NextGen, we went to visit my grandparents who live in QLD, and we spent a week there. The week mostly consisted of shopping and playing Rummy, but we did also go to Movie World, which was fun.

And last week was the book launch for Yellow, by Megan Jacobson.

And that was pretty much my January. I also have my uni timetable now, and this semester is looking pretty full-on, so don’t expect to see me around much, though I will do my best to post whenever I can.

Confession time

I was going to mention the books I read in January, but then I realised…I didn’t read any.

Like, I let an ENTIRE month go by, and I haven’t read a single book.

So, instead of talking about the books I read, I decided I should examine the reasons (*cough*onlyreason*cough*) I didn’t get any reading done.

As those who follow me on twitter may be aware, I recently discovered the TV show Heartland. I read the books that this TV show is based on back when I was 12/13, and while I can’t really remember anything that happens in the books, I do remember loving them, so when I discovered that there was a TV show, I had to watch it.

I then discovered that the show is already half way through season 9.

Three weeks later, and I have completely caught up (which is even more impressive when you realise that I couldn’t watch any of it for the 5 days I was at NextGen), and I’ve now gone back to the beginning and am rewatching the whole thing.

So, no, I haven’t really had the time/motivation to do any reading.

However, I did buy stuff

I bought four books in January, which I am quite impressed with.

This Shattered World, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Their Fractured Light, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Passenger, by Alexandra Bracken
Yellow, by Megan Jacobson

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So…that was my January. One month of 2016 gone. How was yours?

Stacking the Shelves: The Yearly Edition 2015

Tags

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Alexandra Bracken, Alienated, All Fall Down, All the Rage, Ally Carter, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Amie Kaufman, Amy Ewing, An Ember in the Ashes, Barry Jonsberg, Because You'll Never Meet Me, Bright Before Sunrise, Brigid Kemmerer, Champion, Cloudwish, Courtney Summers, Cynthia Hand, Dawn Kurtagich, Dead of Winter, Demon Road, Derek Landy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, Ellie Marney, Every Move, Every Word, Far From You, Fiona Wood, Fleur Ferris, Frostbite, Half Wild, Happily Ever After, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Illustrated Edition, Hold Me Like a Breath, Holly Black, Illuminae, Illusions of Fate, In the Afterlight, In The Skin of a Monster, J.K. Rowling, James Smythe, Jane Austen, Jay Kristoff, John Flanagan, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Julie Kagawa, Justine Larbalestier, Kady Cross, Kathryn Barker, Kerstin Gier, Kiera Cass, Kiersten White, Kresley Cole, Laini Taylor, Lair of Dreams, Lauren James, Lauren Oliver, Leah Thomas, Legend, Leslye Walton, Libba Bray, Lisa M. Stasse, Maggie Stiefvater, Magnus Chase, Magonia, Margo Lanagan, Maria Dahvana Headley, Marie Lu, Meagan Spooner, Megan Miranda, Melinda Salisbury, Melissa Grey, Melissa Landers, Miss Mayhem, Pandora Jones, Panic, Percy Jackson, Pittacus Lore, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Prodigy, Queen of Shadows, Rachael Craw, Rachel Hawkins, Ranger's Apprentice, Razorhurst, Rebel Belle, Red Queen, Renee Ahdieh, Richelle Mead, Rick Riordan, Risk, Rogue, Ruby Red, Sabaa Tahir, Sally Green, Sarah J. Maas, Sea Hearts, Shadow Kiss, Shiver, Sisters of Blood and Spirit, Skulduggery Pleasant, Soman Chainani, Sophie Jordan, Soulprint, Spark, Star Wars, Stephanie Oakes, Stray, Susanna Clarke, Tess Sharpe, The Darkest Part of the Forest, The Dead House, The Diviners, The Dream Thieves, The Fate of Ten, The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, The Forsaken, The Girl at Midnight, The Heir, The Iron Warrior, The Jewel, The Last Time We Say Goodbye, The Next Together, The Raven Boys, The Ruby Circle, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The School of Good and Evil, The Scorpio Races, The Sin Eater's Daughter, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, The Wrath and the Dawn, These Broken Stars, Thicker Than Water, Tiffany Schmidt, Trish Doller, Uninvited, Vampire Academy, Vanishing Girls, Victoria Aveyard, Way Down Dark, Where the Stars Still Shine

Stacking the Shelves is a thing where we talk about the books we’ve collected in the past week. These can be bought, delivered, ARCs, ebooks, etc.. Pretty self-explanatory.
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tygna’s Reviews

When I did this last year, it was so much fun I just had to do it again.

So, here are ALL the books I obtained throughout the year 2015.

Books Bought:

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton
Illusions of Fate, by Kiersten White
Hold Me Like a Breath, by Tiffany Schmidt
An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir
Illuminae, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Magonia, by Maria Dahvana Headley
Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard
The Ruby Circle, by Richelle Mead
The Diviners, by Libba Bray
Lair of Dreams, by Libba Bray
Way Down Dark, by James Smythe
The Darkest Part of the Forest, by Holly Black
Pandora Jones: Admission, by Barry Jonsberg
The Last Time We Say Goodbye, by Cynthia Hand
Razorhurst, by Justine Larbalestier
Alienated, by Melissa Landers
Sea Hearts, by Margo Lanagan
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, by Stephanie Oakes
These Broken Stars, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahdieh
The Dead House, by Dawn Kurtagich
Vanishing Girls, by Lauren Oliver
Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes, by Rick Riordan
All Fall Down, by Ally Carter
Ruby Red, by  Kerstin Gier
The Sword of Summer, by Rick Riordan
Rebel Belle, by Rachel Hawkins
Miss Mayhem, by Rachel Hawkins
The Fate of Ten, by Pittacus Lore
In the Afterlight, by Alexandra Bracken
Every Word, by Ellie Marney
Every Move, by Ellie Marney
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling (new edition)
Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope, by Ian Doesher
Vampire Academy: Graphic Novel
Frostbite: Graphic Novel
Shadow Kiss: Graphic Novel
Legend: Graphic Novel
Sisters of Blood and Spirit, by Kady Cross
Far From You, by Tess Sharpe
The Sin Eater’s Daughter, by Melinda Salisbury
Uninvited, by Sophie Jordan
Soulprint, by Megan Miranda
In The Skin of a Monster, by Kathryn Barker
The Girl At Midnight, by Melissa Grey
The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater
The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater
Risk, by Fleur Ferris
Ranger’s Apprentice #1, by John Flanagan
Because You’ll Never Meet Me, by Leah Thomas
Skulduggery Pleasant books, by Derek Landy
The School of Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani
Dreams of Gods and Monsters, by Laini Taylor
Rogue, by Julie Kagawa
Happily Ever After, by Kiera Cass
The Heir, by Kiera Cass
Half Wild, by Sally Green
Prodigy, by Marie Lu
The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J. Maas
Box Set of Puffin Classics, various authors
Harry Potter Illustrated edition

The Shiver Trilogy, by Maggie Stiefvater
The Scorpio races, by Maggie Stiefvater
Champion, by Marie Lu

Books Won:

The Jewel*, by Amy Ewing
Spark*, by Rachel Craw
The Iron Warrior, by Julie Kagawa
Demon Road (signed ARC), by Derek Landy
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
Cloudwish, by Fiona Wood
In the Afterlight (signed), by Alexandra Bracken

I also somehow ended up getting a bowling ball.

*Won in 2014, received in 2015

Miscellaneous:

ARCs and Review Copies (requested and surprise):

Bright Before Sunrise, by Tiffany Schmidt
Where the Stars Still Shine, by Trish Doller
Stray, by Rachael Craw
The Next Together, by Lauren James
Thicker Than Water, by Brigid Kemmerer
A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, by Stephanie Oakes
The Sword of Summer, by Rick Riordan

Books I got through BooksForTradeAU:

Pandora Jones: Deception, by Barry Johansberg
Pandora Jones: Reckoning, by Barry Johansberg
The Forsaken, by Lisa M. Stasse
Cinder (ARC), by Marissa Meyer (Not pictured)

Presents (Birthdays, Christmas, etc.):

Panic, by Lauren Oliver
Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith (and Jane Austen)

Books I got for free (through various means):

White Time, by Margo Lanagan
All The Rage, by Courtney Summers
The Lost and the Found, by Cat Clarke
This Raging Light, by Estelle Laure
Pompidou Posse, by Sarah Lotz
Dumplin’, by Julie Murphy
Running Like China, by Sophie Hardcastle
We All Looked Up, by Tommy Wallach
Hidden, by Marianne Curley
The Astrologer’s Daughter, by Rebecca Lim
Lifespan of Starlight, by Thalia Kalkipsakis
State of Grace, by Hilary Badger
Cooper Bartholomew is Dead, by Rebecca James

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So…that was all the books I got my hands on 2015.

How was every one else’s year?

TTT: New-To-Me Favourite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Derek Landy, Ellie Marney, Every Breath, Holly Black, Jodi Meadows, Laini Taylor, Orphan Queen, Rachael Craw, Skulduggery Pleasant, Spark, The Darkest Minds, The Darkest Part of the Forest

Top Ten Tuesday is a thing where we get given a topic, and we have to list our ‘top ten’ things for the topic. Pretty self-explanatory.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This Week’s Topic: Top Ten New-To-Me Favourite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

1. Rachael Craw
Guys, can you believe that I only read Spark THIS YEAR??
THIS YEAR, GUYS!!

 2. Alexandra Bracken
And same with The Darkest Minds! Only this year? Seriously?

3. Derek Landy
Ahh, yes. If you’ve been following me for a while, you may have noticed that I read the entire Skulduggery Pleasant series this year. (And I talk about the experience here)

4. Ellie Marney
OH MY GOSH WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ EVERY BREATH???
Actually, I figured out why…it’s because NOBODY TOLD ME it was a Sherlock retelling.
You’re all fired.

5. Holly Black
Ok, not technically new to me this year…I tried reading Tithe last year, but I didn’t make it past the first couple of chapters. However, when Holly Black came to Aus, it was recommended to me that I try The Darkest Part of the Forest.
Which I did, and I loved it!

6. Laini Taylor
Daughter of Smoke and Bone was fabulous. I have no idea why I haven’t read the rest of the series yet…I own them all.

7. Jodi Meadows
Orphan Queen was FANTASTIC!! Seriously, absolutely loved it.

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 So, there’s only 7 authors on this list…there would have been more, except I specifically did not include authors who debuted this year.

Who was on your list?

Dear Book, I know nothing about you, but I need you

Tags

A Darker Shade of Magic, Alexandra Bracken, Amie Kaufman, Illuminae, Jay Kristoff, Passenger, Renee Ahdieh, Susan Dennard, The Wrath and the Dawn, Truthwitch, V.E. Schwab

Has anyone seen all the hype surrounding a book and gone OH MY GOSH I NEED THIS BOOK, and then when you tell your friends about it and how much you need it they’re all “What’s it about?”

And you just…

Since this happens to me all the time, I thought I’d compile a list of books I desperately need, even though I have no idea what they’re about.

Illuminae, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

As far as I can tell, everyone who’s read this book has absolutely loved it…and so I need it.

Even though I have no flippin’ clue what it’s about.

Like, none whatsoever.

I just need it.

Passenger, by Alexandra Bracken

All I know about this is that Alexandra Bracken wrote it….and that’s more than enough for me to need it.

And look at that cover *gazes adoringly*

 

 

Truthwitch, by Susan Dennard

Wow, do I need this book!

Again, no clue what it’s about, but that cover and that title and everyone says it’s awesome and OH MY GOSH JUST GIVE IT TO ME!

 

 

The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahdieh

Like, what even is this book about?

I don’t even know. But I’ve heard great things.

 

 

 

A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab

I have heard many a good thing about this book…still have no idea what it’s supposed to be about, but check out that cover!

And that title…it beckons to me.

 

 

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Now, just to clarify, I don’t actually want to know what these books are about…I love surprises.

But this does happen to me way too often, so I have to know: does this happen to anyone else? Or do you all look at the blurb before deciding how much you need it?

TTT: Auto-buy Authors

Tags

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Alexandra Bracken, Cynthia Hand, Hex Hall, Julie Kagawa, Keira Cass, Lament, Maggie Stiefvater, Michelle Hodkin, Rachael Craw, Rachel Hawkins, Rebel Belle, Sarah J. Maas, Shiver, Spark, Stephanie Oakes, Talon, The Darkest Minds, The Immortal Rules, The Iron Fey, The Last Time We Say Goodbye, The Mara Dyer Trilogy, The Raven Boys, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Selection, Throne of Glass, Unearthly

Top Ten Tuesday is a thing where we get given a topic, and we have to list our ‘top ten’ things for the topic. Pretty self-explanatory.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This Week’s Topic: Top Ten Auto-buy Authors

Regardless of whether I have money or not, you can be pretty sure I’ll buy the newest book from these authors:

1. Sarah J. Maas
Having read all the Throne of Glass series, and ACOTAR, I can truthfully say I will probably love anything this woman writes.

 2. Rachael Craw
Everyone should know by now that my love of Spark knows no bounds. And I am sure this love will continue with any other book Rachael Craw decides to write. (She’s amazing, people!!)

3. Julie Kagawa
I searched for ages to find The Iron King, wanting desperately to read it. And I was in no way disappointed. Since then, I have been able to get my hands on all of Julie Kagawa’s books, and I have loved them all.

4. Maggie Stiefvater
Ok, I really don’t think I need to explain this one. I need The Raven King like I need air.

5. Alexandra Bracken
I cannot believe it took me so long to get around to reading The Darkest Minds! I loved it so very much, and am VERY excited for Passenger.

6. Kiera Cass
It’s funny, that the only reason I read The Selection was because my sister wanted to read it…I may have barely given it a second glance otherwise, and wouldn’t that be disappointing.

7. Cynthia Hand
With the exception of the very beginning of Unearthly, I absolutely ADORED the Unearthly trilogy, and The Last Time We Say Goodbye was pretty amazing too. I can’t wait to see what Cynthia Hand writes next.

8. Rachael Hawkins
It took me WAY too long to find Hex Hall, but it was worth the effort. And the Rebel Belle trilogy has been just as good so far.

9. Michelle Hodkin
The Mara Dyer trilogy was so fantastically creepy! I’ve actually been wanting to reread the series for a while.

10. Stephanie Oakes
Ok, so she’s only got one book out so far…but it’s a darn good one. I am very excited to see what’s out next.

TTT: Books I’ve read so far in 2015

Tags

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Alexandra Bracken, An Ember in the Ashes, Fleur Ferris, Half Wild, Magonia, Maria Dahvana Headley, Markus Zusak, Michelle Hodkin, Rachael Craw, Rachel Hawkins, Rebel Belle, Risk, Sabaa Tahir, Sally Green, Sarah J. Maas, Spark, Stephanie Oakes, The Book Thief, The Darkest Minds, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

Top Ten Tuesday is a thing where we get given a topic, and we have to list our ‘top ten’ things for the topic. Pretty self-explanatory.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This Week’s Topic: Top Ten Books I’ve read so far in 2015

1. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

2. The Darkest Minds, by Alexandra Bracken

3. Spark, by Rachael Craw

4. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas

5. Rebel Belle, by Rachel Hawkins

6. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, by Stephanie Oakes

7. The Retribution of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

8. Half Wild, by Sally Green

9. An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir

10. Magonia, by Maria Dahvana Headley

Bonus: Risk, by Fleur Ferris

TTT: Books I’d Love to see as movies

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, Cynthia Hand, Half Bad, Kasie West, Kylie Fornasier, Legend, Maggie Stiefvater, Marie Lu, Masquerade, Pivot Point, Rachel Hawkins, Rebel Belle, Sally Green, Sarah J. Maas, The Darkest Minds, The Raven Boys, Throne of Glass, Top Ten Tuesday, Under the Never Sky, Unearthly, Veronica Rossi

Top Ten Tuesday is a thing where we get given a topic, and we have to list our ‘top ten’ things for the topic. Pretty self-explanatory.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This Week’s Topic: Top Ten Books I’d love to see as movies

1. Rebel Belle, by Rachel Hawkins
When they said ‘Legally Blonde meets Terminator’, they weren’t kidding. Honestly, the whole time I was reading this, I was thinking ‘how good would this be as a movie?’.

2. Pivot Point, by Kasie West

3. The Darkest Minds, by Alexandra Bracken

4. Masquerade, by Kylie Fornasier
Just for the costumes alone I would want this movie.

5. Half Bad, by Sally Green

6. Unearthly, by Cynthia Hand

7. Legend, by Marie Lu

8. Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas
Umm…because…Throne of Glass…duh.

9. Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi

10. The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater
Ok, I was a little hesitant adding this to the list, because it is just so amazing, but I think that if it was done well, it could be just as amazing as a movie.

Series Review: The Darkest Minds

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, In the Afterlight, Never Fade, The Darkest Minds

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: The Darkest Minds

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Dystopian

Synopsis (book 1): When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a government ′rehabilitation camp′. Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America′s children, but she and the others had emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now on the run, she is desperate to find East River, the only safe haven left for kids like her, and she joins a group of other runaways who have escaped their own camps. Liam, their brave leader, is falling for Ruby, but she can′t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all Liam. But there are also other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government.

Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice – and one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

How I got these books: Christmas presents

The Short Version:

Holy WOW! Absolutely amazing.

TTT: All Time Favourite Authors

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, Brigid Kemmerer, Cara Lynn Shultz, Cynthia Hand, Julie Kagawa, Kiersten White, Lauren Oliver, Maggie Stiefvater, Marie Lu, Michelle Hodkin, Rachael Craw, Rachel Hawkins, Richelle Mead, Sally Green, Sarah J. Maas

Top Ten Tuesday is a thing where we get given a topic, and we have to list our ‘top ten’ things for the topic. Pretty self-explanatory.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This Week’s Topic: Top Ten ALL TIME favourite authors

These are basically the authors on my auto-read list.

1. Richelle Mead

2. Julie Kagawa

3. Kiersten White

4. Maggie Stiefvater

5. Cara Lynn Shultz

6. Sarah J. Maas

7. Cynthia Hand

8. Rachel Hawkins

9. Sally Green

10. Alexandra Bracken

Bonus:

11. Rachael Craw

12. Lauren Oliver

13. Michelle Hodkin

14. Brigid Kemmerer

15. Marie Lu

The Challenge: A Summary

Tags

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Alexandra Bracken, All Fall Down, Ally Carter, Amie Kaufman, Ballad, Cooper Bartholemew is Dead, Cynthia Hand, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Derek Landy, Half Wild, Harry Potter, In the Afterlight, J.K. Rowling, Justine Larbalestier, Laini Taylor, Lauren Oliver, Leslye Walton, Maggie Stiefvater, Meagan Spooner, Megan Miranda, Melinda Salisbury, Never Fade, Rachel Hawkins, Razorhurst, Rebecca James, Rebel Belle, Red Queen, Richelle Mead, Ruby Circle, Sally Green, Sarah J. Maas, Shadow Kiss, Skulduggery Pleasant, Sophie Jordan, Soulprint, The Darkest Minds, The Last Time We Say Goodbye, The Sin Eater's Daughter, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, These Broken Stars, Uninvited, Vampire Academy, Vanishing Girls, Victoria Aveyard

As some of you may recall, I gave myself a challenge at the beginning of February. I was to limit myself to reading only books that I already owned/had out from the library. I was not to buy any new books in this time, with the exception of new releases.

So, how did I go?

Well, silly me forgot to take into account the fact that it was my birthday in February. Which means that I got birthday money to spend on ALL THE BOOKS!!!

So, here are the books I bought with my birthday money:

And here are the books I was ‘allowed’ to buy during the challenge period:

And here are all the other books I bought because they were there, or because they were cheap, or because books.

And here’s a picture of them all together:

Total number of books bought: 16.

That’s like, one book every 4 days.

Better yet, for every one book I was allowed to buy, I bought three others.

Reading wise, I faired a little better, reading 6 of the books I bought, as well as several others:

And due to the fact that I read a few ebooks/library books/Netgalley books, here is a full pic of all the books I read:

Total books read: 18.

So, while I did technically read more books than I bought, I made a very, very small dent in my to-read pile. Also, some of these books didn’t make it to the to-read pile before they got read (namely, the ebooks/Netgalley books), so they were, if anything, counter-productive.

In conclusion: