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: 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?

These are a few of my favourite things

Tags

Cara Lynn Shultz, Cynthia Hand, Everything Everything, Lauren James, Lauren Oliver, Leslye Walton, Magonia, Maria Dahvana Headley, Mary E. Pearson, Michelle Hodkin, Nicola Yoon, Spellbound, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, The Last Time We Say Goodbye, The Next Together, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Vanishing Girls

Sometimes, you read a book, and it is just full of all the things you love in a book.

Here’s a list of all my favourite things:

Short non-chapter-ish format

As seen in: Everything Everything, The Adoration of Jenna Fox

I’m not sure exactly how to describe this format, but if you’ve read the books above, you’ll know what I’m talking about…those books that are not made up of chapters, but of snippets. Random thoughts, short moments…I just LOVE a book that does this.

Reincarnated/Fated love

As seen in: Spellbound, The Next Together

There’s just something I really love about the whole reincarnated thing, where two characters fall in love over and over only to get horribly separated and have to relive the whole thing again.

News articles/Blog posts/etc

As seen in: Vanishing Girls, The Next Together

Don’t know why, but I always love it when the book is full of news paper articles, or blog posts, or police reports, or the like. I just find it really interesting.

General Weirdness

As seen in: Magonia, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava lavender

When things are weird, and don’t make a brilliant amount of sense, I just love it!

A good, healthy does of ‘what the heck is going on here?’ is exactly what we all need sometimes.

Amnesia

As seen in: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Where the main character has forgotten things that need remembering. Whether the memories are gradually brought to light throughout the book, or if the character just has to learn to cope with knowing nothing, I very much enjoy forgetfulness.

SCIENCE! And Nerds/smart people

As seen in: The Last Time We Say Goodbye, The Next Together

Smart people are the greatest. Especially when they also love maths 🙂
I like maths.

Stories told in Flashbacks

As seen in: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

I absolutely LOVE the flashback thing. Where there’s a story happening in the present, and there’s one happening in the past. Love it.

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So, those are my favourite things. What are yours? Do you agree with anything on this list? Do you disagree? Let me know.

Also, if you have any recs you’d like to give me of books containing any of these things. Let’s here ’em.

Four Reasons You Should Read Magonia

Tags

Magonia, Maria Dahvana Headley

1. Bird People

I mean, bird people! Why would you not want to read a book about bird people who can sing things into happening?

Like, seriously, why not?

2. The Writing

Ok, so if the bird people weren’t enough to convince you, the writing should be.

I mean, look at these quotes (non-spoiler, I promise):

Death is the Santa Claus of the adult world. Except Santa Claus in reverse. The guy who takes all the presents away

And

If you look at the sky that way, it’s this massive shifting poem, or maybe a letter, first written by one author, and then, when the earth moves, annotated by another. So I stare and stare until, one day, I can read it.

And

Did he just say stormsharks? My inner nerd is elated. Can anything I will ever hear from now until the end of time sound cooler than stormsharks?

And, of course, we cannot forget what is arguably the greatest quote in the entire book:

You’ve never seen surprise until you’ve looked into the eyes of an ascending bovine.

3. The Characters

Aza and Jason are just so amazing as characters. With everything that’s happening to them, they are still so loyal to each other and are determined to stick together.

I love a book with good characters, and this book had them in abundance.

4. If nothing else…THAT COVER

I mean…LOOK AT IT! IT’S SOOO PRETTY!!

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So…did I convince you all? Have you already read it? What did you think? Let me know.

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

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.