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?

What do you mean, it’s November?

Tags

Amie Kaufman, Back to the Future, Derek Landy, Ellie Marney, Every Breath, Every Move, Every Word, Far From You, Happily Ever After, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Illustrated Edition, Hold Me Like a Breath, Illuminae, In The Skin of a Monster, J.K. Rowling, Jay Kristoff, Julie Kagawa, Kady Cross, Kathryn Barker, Kiera Cass, Magnus Chase, Pokemon, Rick Riordan, Skulduggery Pleasant, Tess Sharpe, The Girl With the Windup Heart, The Iron Warrior, The Selection, The Sword of Summer, Tiffany Schmidt

But…how…wait…Where did the year go??

So…October was a busy month

First of all, I FINALLY got to go to the YA Book Club that meets at Dymocks once a month 😀

Photo taken by Emily

(I’ve been trying to get there since the first one)
And so I got my copy of In The Skin of a Monster signed 🙂

And then there was a rerelease of the first Pokemon movie at Hoyts, so naturally, my brother and I HAD to go see it (we have it on video…VIDEO, PEOPLE), and my sister hadn’t seen it, so she came along too.
Much fun was had.

Also, the Back to the Future movies are now set entirely in the past. Please excuse me while I go lament the fact that I do not yet have a pink hoverboard.

And the Illuminae Book Launch happened! Aside from a disappointing lack of underwater jet skis, it was very enjoyable. And I got to meet the authors, which was pretty awesome.

Books Bought:

Hold Me Like a Breath, by Tiffany Schmidt
Far From You, by Tess Sharpe
Happily Ever After, by Kiera Cass
Every Word, by Ellie Marney
Every Move, by Ellie Marney
Illuminae, by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Many Skulduggery Pleasant books, by Derek Landy (seriously, though, this entire pile cost $20!! How was I supposed to not?)

Books Received:

Illustrated HP and Tote bag (which I preordered a very long time ago)

Magnus Chase (signed)

Dymocks had a twitter competition, and so I won The Iron Warrior, by Julie Kagawa

Books Read:

In the Skin of a Monster, by Kathryn Barker
Every Breath, by Ellie Marney
The Maleficent Seven, by Derek Landy
Every Word, by Ellie Marney
Every Move, by Ellie Marney
The Girl with the Windup Heart, by Kady Cross

Plans for November?

It’s November now…which means EXAMS ARE COMING!

And this time around, I get the added pleasure of having both my exams on the SAME DAY!

So…yeah…I’m gonna be disappearing for a little bit. I’ll post occasionally, but I will be mostly absent.

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So, how was your October? Any Plans for November? Let me know.

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: Authors I’ve Read The Most Books From

Tags

Brigid Kemmerer, Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, Julie Kagawa, Kiersten White, Lauren Oliver, Maggie Stiefvater, Rachel Hawkins, Richelle Mead, Rick Riordan

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 Authors I’ve read the most books from

1. Richelle Mead: 12 books + 1 extra + 3 graphic novels

2. Rick Riordan: 12 books + novellas

3. Julie Kagawa: 11 books + 3 novellas + bonus scenes

4. Cassandra Clare: 9 books + extras

5. Maggie Stiefvater: 9 books

6. J.K. Rowling: 7 books + 3 ‘textbooks’

7. Kiersten White: 7 books

8. Rachel Hawkins: 6 books

9. Brigid Kemmerer: 5 books + 3 novellas

10. Lauren Oliver: 5 books

July: A Summary

Tags

Aimee Carter, Alienated, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Blood Of Olympus, Captive, Dark Days, Dead of Winter, Debra Driza, Derek Landy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, Frostbite, Holly Black, Illusions of Fate, James Smythe, Julie Kagawa, Kiera Cass, Kiersten White, Kresley Cole, Laini Taylor, Legend, Marie Lu, Melissa Landers, Mila 2.0, Mortal Coil, Pittacus Lore, Rachael Craw, Renegade, Richelle Mead, Rick Riordan, Rogue, Skulduggery Pleasant, Stray, The Darkest Part of the Forest, The Fortelling of Georgie Spider, The Heir, The Revenge Of Seven, Way Down Dark

I’m back at uni and with the return to uni comes what can only be described as a need for procrastination. As some of you may have noticed, I disappeared around the middle of July, but it’s ok. I’m back now.

So, why did I disappear?

Well, some of you may recall this post where I talk about my plans for July: namely, much reading during the uni holidays.

And I quite succeeded in this challenge: I read 11 books! And while that doesn’t really feel like much (especially since I had a 5 week break from uni), it does sound rather impressive when I say that 7 of those books were read within a 6 day period.

I’m actually really proud of that.

Of course, in order to do that, I decided it was best to disappear from the internet (almost) completely. I went a whole week without twitter (*shock horror gasp*), and only went on goodreads to update the books I was reading. Though I did continue to check instagram.

And did I miss twitter? Well, yes and no. I did miss talking to people, and generally shouting random things into the void, but I spent practically an entire week doing nothing but reading.

The last time I was able to do that, I was probably 13 and the only thing I would read back then was Harry Potter.

But then I returned, just in time to find out something very exciting

THIS BEAUTY WAS RELEASED INTO THE MAIL!

And it was glorious!

My review is coming…I just need time to get over all THE EMOTIONS!

And what I find hilarious about all this, is that if I’d stayed away from twitter for one more day, I would have never known it was coming…which meant there would have been much less running around screaming with excitement as I grabbed my keys and jumped into my car to race to the post office to get the package.

And where’s the fun in that?

Despite returning to twitter, I remained absent from the blog

Like, seriously, as of the time when I am writing this, I have done zero blogging for 2 weeks…at least.

And, honestly, I didn’t really miss it.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love blogging, but to just read/do nothing for 2 weeks without writing a single word has just been so relaxing. I’ve actually missed not blogging.

But that does not mean I’m planning on quitting any time soon.

Ok, musings over, what have I been reading?

Frostbite Graphic Novel
Legend Graphic Novel
Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan
Rogue, by Julie Kagawa
Captive, by Aimee Carter
The Heir, by Kiera Cass
Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole
Renegade, by Debra Driza
The Revenge of Seven, by Pittacus Lore
Illusions of Fate, by Kiersten White
Stray, by Rachael Craw
Dark Days, by Derek Landy
Mortal Coil, by Derek Landy

And what books did I buy/receive?

Bought:

Frostbite Graphic Novel
Legend Graphic Novel
Dreams of Gods and Monsters, by Laini Taylor
Alienated, by Melissa Landers
Way Down Dark, by James Smythe
The Darkest Part of the Forest, by Holly Black
The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, by Ambellin Kwaymullina

Received:

Stray, by Rachael Craw

What can you expect in August?

Due to time constraints, because of various stuff happening, I probably won’t be posting much variety (unless I can come up with and write a brilliant discussion post within, like, an hour), but there are several reviews I’ve been meaning to write, so expect those.

TTT: Most Anticipated Books for the Next 6 Months

Tags

Ambelin Kwaymullina, Amie Kaufman, Black Widow: Forever Red, Fleur Ferris, Illuminae, James Smythe, Jay Kristoff, Julie Kagawa, Margaret Stohl, Queen of Shadows, Rachael Craw, Richelle Mead, Rick Riordan, Risk, Sarah J. Maas, Soundless, Stephanie Oakes, Stray, The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, The Iron Warrior, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Sword of Summer, Way Down Dark

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 Most Anticipated Books for the Rest of 2015

 1. Risk, Fleur Ferris

2. Queen of Shadows, Sarah J. Maas

3. Stray, by Rachael Craw

4. The Sword of Summer, Rick Riordan

5. Foretelling of Georgie Spider, by Ambelin Kwaymullina

6. The Iron Warrior, by Julie Kagawa

7. Soundless, by Richelle Mead

8. Illuminae, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

9. Black Widow: Forever Red, by Margaret Stohl

10. Way Down Dark, by James Smythe

Bonus: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, Stephanie Oakes
This is the bonus because I’ve already read it, but YOU PEOPLE NEED TO! This book NEEDS to be released into the world!

TTT: Authors I really, really want to meet

Tags

J.K. Rowling, Julie Kagawa, Kiera Cass, Kiersten White, Maggie Stiefvater, Rachael Craw, Rachel Hawkins, Richelle Mead, Rick Riordan, Sarah J. Maas, Top Ten Tuesday

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 Authors I really want to meet

1. Maggie Stiefvater

2. Rachael Craw

3. Julie Kagawa

4. J.K. Rowling

5. Richelle Mead

6. Rick Riordan

7. Kiersten White

8. Sarah J. Maas

9. Rachel Hawkins

10. Kiera Cass

It’s May Now

Tags

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Bright Before Sunrise, Half Wild, Julie Kagawa, Kady Cross, Magonia, Maria Dahvana Headley, Melissa Grey, Playing With Fire, Rogue, Sisters of Blood and Spirit, Skulduggery Pleasant, The Faceless Ones, The Girl at Midnight, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, We All Looked Up

So, the plan for April was:

– Participate in CampNaNoWriMo
– Read many books
– Buy very few books

How did I do? Well…

– I did participate in Camp NaNo, however, I only got up to 5000 words, which was half-way towards my goal of 10,000. I’m happy with it 🙂
I also downloaded the free trial of Scrivener, and I love it.

– I read some books…nowhere near as many as I was planning. My holidays was way more busy than I was planning (plus consisted of binge watching the final seasons of The Mentalist).

– Up until the last week of April, I BOUGHT NO BOOKS!
And then I went and bought 4 books last week.

And I received a few books from publishers. My first review copies and requested ARC 🙂

Some things I have coming up in May:

– Uni is wrapping up
Which means final assessments and exams and a whole manner of horrible things. So, I’ll try to keep up posting, but I’m not promising anything.

– TeenCon15
I’m SO EXCITED FOR THIS! It’s not until the end of the month, but still.

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

TTT: Favourite Book Heroines

Tags

Ambelin Kwaymullina, Bloodlines, Brigid Kemmerer, Disruption, Harry Potter, Hex Hall, I Am Number Four, J.K. Rowling, Jessica Shirvington, Julie Kagawa, Maggie Stiefvater, Michelle Hodkin, Pittacus Lore, Rachael Craw, Rachel Hawkins, Richelle Mead, Sarah J. Maas, Spark, The Darkest Minds, The Immortal Rules, The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf, The Iron Fey, The Raven Boys, The Raven Cycle, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Throne of Glass, Top Ten Tuesday, Vampire Academy

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 Fifteen Favourite Heroines from Books

1. Hermione Granger, from Harry Potter

2. Rose Hathaway, from Vampire Academy

3. Sydney Sage, from Bloodlines

4. Blue Sargent, from The Raven Boys

5. Celaena Sardothien, from Throne of Glass

6. Sophie Mercer, from Hex Hall

7. Maggie Stevens, from Disruption

8. Evie, from Spark

9. Mara Dyer, from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

10. Allison Sekemoto, from The Immortal Rules

11. Meghan Chase, from The Iron Fey

12. Layne, from Spark

13. Ashala Wolf, from The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf

14. Number Six, from I Am Number Four

15. Ruby, from The Darkest Minds