TTT: Books I picked up on a whim

Tags

Abigail Haas, All Our Yesterdays, Brigid Kemmerer, Cristin Terrill, Dangerous Girls, Half Bad, Hex Hall, In The Skin of a Monster, Kathryn Barker, Rachel Hawkins, Sally Green, Storm

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 Six Books I Picked Up on a Whim

1. All Our Yesterdays, by Cristin Terrill
Saw this in the bookstore, picked it up, began reading the first page to see if it was any good.
4 chapters and a massive headache because TIME TRAVEL later I found myself buying the book.

 2. Dangerous Girls, by Abigail Haas
A similar situation here to All Our Yesterdays. I began reading it in the bookstore and decided I needed it.

3. Storm, by Brigid Kemmerer
The (Aus) cover was pretty. What was I supposed to do? Not buy it?

4. In The Skin of a Monster, by Kathryn Barker
I saw this in the bookstore and everything about it appealed to me…the cover, the title, the whole dreamscape concept. I regret nothing.

5. Half Bad, by Sally Green
This one had a lot more deliberation attached to it. I almost bought it several times after reading the first chapter in the store…in the end, I got a free copy at PTALive.

6. Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins
My history with obtaining this book is a long and somewhat complicated one. I’ll tell you all about it some time.

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 Which books made your list?

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?

Random Book Love

Tags

Disruption, In The Skin of a Monster, Jessica Shirvington, Kathryn Barker, Kylie Fornasier, Masquerade, Rachael Craw, Spark

So…I got bored, and so decided to share some my love of some books.

Also, Christmas is coming, so if you were thinking about what to ask for, or what to get other people, I would highly recommend these.

[Clicking on the picture will take you to goodreads]

In The Skin of a Monster, by Kathryn Barker

Guys.

This. Book.

Weird dreamscapes, traumatised people, amazingly realistic characters…guys, seriously, this book is amazing.

 

Masquerade, by Kylie Fornasier

 ASDFGHJKL

18th century Venice, pretty dresses, Carnevale, Shakespeare references…

What more could you possibly want?

 

Disruption, by Jessica Shirvington

Whoa, ok, guys…like…whoa.

I was not prepared for the awesomeness of this book.

Rebelling against a dystopian society by manipulating a whole range of people in order to find your dad…

HELL YES!!!

Spark, by Rachael Craw

It is no secret that I absolutely love this book.

Friendships, romance, mystery, attempted murder, genetic engineering…GUYS!!

GUUUUYYYYYSSSSSS!!!!

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Have you read these books? What did you think?

TTT: Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

Tags

All Our Yesterdays, Amy Zhang, An Ember in the Ashes, Cristin Terrill, Falling into Place, Fleur Ferris, In The Skin of a Monster, Kathryn Barker, Kylie Fornasier, Lauren James, Leslye Walton, Magonia, Maria Dahvana Headley, Masquerade, Risk, Sabaa Tahir, Stephanie Oakes, The Next Together, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

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 Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

1. Kathryn Barker
Because I loved In the Skin of a Monster

 2. Fleur Ferris
Because Risk was fantastic

3. Maria Dahvana Headley
Because Magonia was wonderful

4. Lauren James
Because The Next Together was brilliant

5. Stephanie Oakes
Because The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was beautifully creepy

6. Kylie Fornasier
Because I adored Masquerade

7. Cristin Terrill
Because All Our Yesterdays broke me

8. Amy Zhang
Because Falling Into Place destroyed me

9. Sabaa Tahir
Because An Ember in the Ashes was brutal

10. Leslye Walton
Because The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender was both strange and beautiful

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 So, that’s my list. Who would make yours?

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.

Winter is Ending!

Tags

Cat Clarke, Demon Road, Derek Landy, Estelle Laure, Fallen, Holly Black, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Kathryn Barker, Lair of Dreams, Lauren Kate, Libba Bray, Lisa M. Stasse, Magnus Chase, Passion, Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes, Rapture, Rick Riordan, Running Like China, Skulduggery Pleasant, Sophie Hardcastle, Susanna Clarke, Sweet Evil, The Darkest Part of the Forest, The Diviners, The Forsaken, The Lost and the Found, The Skin of a Monster, This Raging Light, Torment, Wendy Higgins

So, it is the end of August, which means that Spring is upon us.

This makes me happy.

So…What Happened in August:

Books were bought:

I know…only four…I’m concerned, too.

Books were received:

MAGNUS CHASE ARC! Excuse me while I continue to flail in excitement.
(It was just as good as I hoped it would be).

And my Date A Book YA night Book Haul…The pile on the right (i.e. all the black books), came from Keely, Sweet Evil (which I got for my sister) came from Jaz, and the rest came in the goody-bag.

Books were won:

So, Dymocks did a twitter giveaway for a signed ARC of Demon Road…which I managed to win 😀
I haven’t read it (yet), but I am SO EXCITED!!!

I had also forgotten that I’d entered a BBC-Aus giveaway for Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, and so when I got an email telling me I’d won, I was pleasantly surprised. (And also super excited, because my good friend Elspeth adores this book).

Books were read:

Only 6, but they were a fabulous six. Also, I spent a long time on The Dying of The Light, because it is 600 pages of very intense emotions and the only time I had to read it was on the train.

Authors were met, books were signed:

At the blogger night I got to meet Holly Black, and get my copy of The Darkest Part of the Forest signed. So that was awesome.

And my dogs were cute:

I mean, they’re always cute, but still…look at them.

Tomorrow it will be September

Where has the year gone? I would seriously like to know.

I mean, I’m thrilled winter is over, but still…

Anyway, this September, I have a plan:

For September, in honour of my sister’s birthday, I shall be attempting to read all the books she has been begging me to read for years.

These books will likely include:

– The Gallagher Girls books
– The Heist Society books
– The last two Kane Chronicles

And while reading as many of these as I can, I also hope to catch up on some review-copy reading and reviews…

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So, how was your August? Any plans for September? Let me know.