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?

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.

Wait, it’s October? When did that happen?

Tags

Ambelin Kwaymullina, Armageddon Outta Here, Because You'll Never Meet Me, Cloudwish, Derek Landy, Doctor Who, Fate of Ten, Fiona Wood, Lauren James, Leah Thomas, Once Upon a Time, Pittacus Lore, Queen of Shadows, Renee Ahdieh, Sarah J. Maas, Scorpion, Skulduggery Pleasant, The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, The Next Together, The Wrath and the Dawn

Whoa, ok…so, it’s already October…and it’s been October for a few days…How did that happen?

What happened in September?

I had a challenge:

Sister was to give me some books to read…which she did. Gladly.

Did I read any of the books sister asked me to read?

Umm…no…

So, what did I actually end up reading?

Armageddon Outta Here, by Derek Landy
The Next Together, by Lauren James
The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, by Ambelin Kwaymullina

And then I just reread the Raven Cycle, suffered feels and complained about uni assignments. I think I also reread Sinner at some point…

I bought some books:

Because You’ll Never Meet Me, by Leah Thomas
Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J Maas
The Fate of Ten, by Pittacus Lore
The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahdieh

I received some books:

The Next Together, by Lauren James

I won some books:

Cloudwish, by Fiona Wood (Thanks Emily)

But that’s not all that happened in September

Sister and I made a tower of books:

It was awesome.

And to bring it down…we played Jenga with it…and we videoed it.

New seasons of Doctor Who, Scorpion and Once Upon a Time happened

I am LOVING the new season of Doctor Who…I love Peter Capaldi’s Doctor, and Missy is hilariously deranged.

As for Scorpion, I JUST CANNOT HANDLE THE FEELS RIGHT NOW! I JUST SHIP EVERYONE AND I NEED MY SHIPS TO SAIL AND IT’S NOT HAPPENING! Seriously, guys, I’m dying here.

And Once Upon a Time is back…FINALLY! After binging the entirety of seasons 3 and 4 back in July I have needed this in my life! I have seen the first episode of season 5 and *GROSS SOBBING*

So…what’s going on in October?

University is most unkindly taking up a great deal of time at the moment, so I’m not going to be posting very much, at all.

Which sucks. But, really, what can you do?

Darn priorities.

Anyways, I have some reviews that need posting, but that’s probably all you’ll see from me for a while.

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.

That time I died and came back as a vengeful skeleton

Tags

Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant

As some of you may be aware, I recently finished reading the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

My reaction was broadcast on twitter for all to see:

OH MY GOSH THAT WAS HORRIBLE AND WONDERFUL AND @DerekLandy I HAVE TO SAY YOU ARE A CRUEL, CRUEL PERSON. #TheDyingOfTheLight #AmFinished

— Cassie the Weird (@CassietheWeird) August 26, 2015

I did not cope well.

Ok, that's it. I'm dead. Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to curl up into a ball in this very public library and sob forever.

— Cassie the Weird (@CassietheWeird) August 26, 2015

I only began reading this series in March…so it hasn’t been that long…but after 9 books, you get very attached to characters.

Me: Oh, good, it's almost over. This has been WAY to stressful. And WAY too many people are dead. *realises it's not the last book* NOOOOO

— Cassie the Weird (@CassietheWeird) August 13, 2015

So far in this series, on my mental list of People Who are not Allowed to Die, at least 5 are dead. #SkulduggeryPleasant

— Cassie the Weird (@CassietheWeird) August 11, 2015

Me: *Explaining how no-one is safe and people are dying left-right-and-centre in the book I'm reading* Dad: And you actually like this book?

— Cassie the Weird (@CassietheWeird) August 20, 2015

So…what did I think?

Even though this series resulted in my death, I have to say, it was absolutely fantastic. I pretty much just laughed my way through the first 6 books, and there was lots of laughter in book 7, a little less in book 8, and by book 9 I was pretty much just sobbing the whole time.

Seriously, The Dying of the Light made me cry in public…multiple times.

But let’s not focus on that. Let’s focus on the positives.

Why should you read this series?

Do you like humour? Do you like magic? Do you like sarcastic talking skeletons in suits? Do you like female characters who are confident and are completely able to take care of themselves? Do you like getting attached to characters only to have them die in various, horrible ways? Do you like having your heart torn out?

If the answers to all the above questions is yes, then this is definitely the book series for you.

Have I convinced you yet? No? Have some quotes:

“Doors are for people with no imagination.”

“I’m placing you under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and, I don’t know, possibly littering.”

“Are you kidding? I jumped off a building — of course I’m hurt.”

“What would killing the Elders result in?”
“Panic? Fear? Three empty parking spaces in the Sanctuary?”

“We didn’t die,” she said.
“Of course not. I’m too clever to die, and you’re too pretty.”
“I am pretty,” Valkryie said, managing a grin.

“So he has no head?”
“That’s usually what headless means”

Valkyrie dialed Skulduggery’s number and he picked up. “Hey,” she said, “It’s me.”
Skulduggery paused. “No it’s not. If it were me, then I’d be talking to myself, and I don’t do that any more. I certainly don’t RING myself. That’s one of the first signs of madness, and if it’s not, it should be.”

“Only a heathen would bring a gun to a sword fight.”
“And only a moron would bring a sword to a gunfight.”

“But if you can confront your inner demons—”
“I did confront my inner demon. I punched him in the face and he exploded.”
Valkyrie had to laugh. “But now he’s back.”
“Of course he’s back. He’s resourceful. He is my inner demon, after all.”

“Of course you HOPE you won’t die, Valkyrie! Who would HOPE to die? That’s just SILLY! But you probably WILL die, that’s what I’m saying. Don’t you think so?”

“Come on. I know you’re not a stupid man.”
“I’m quite stupid. Ask anyone.”

basically, you people need this series in your life

 

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.

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.

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:

Stacking the Shelves: January Edition

Tags

Alexandra Bracken, Amy Ewing, Anne of Green Gables, Barry Jonsberg, Black Beauty, Classics, Dead of Winter, Derek Landy, In the Afterlight, John Flanagan, Kresley Cole, Lauren Oliver, Pandora Jones, Panic, Peter Pan, Puffin Classics, Rachael Craw, Ranger's Apprentice, Skulduggery Pleasant, Spark, Stacking the Shelves, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Call of the Wild, The Jewel, The Secret Garden, The Wind in the Willows

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

This year, instead of doing weekly StS posts, I’ve decided to  monthly. Just to make my life a little easier.
It will usually go on the last day of the month, but I was away yesterday, so it didn’t happen.

Books Bought:

Puffin Classics box set (paperback). Including:
– Black Beauty
– Peter Pan
– The Call of the Wild
– The Wind in the Willows
– The Adventures of Robin Hood
– The Secret Garden
– The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
– Anne of Green Gables

Other books bought include:

Ranger’s Apprentice, by John Flanagan

Skulduggery Pleasant 1 and 2, by Derek Landy

In the Afterlight, by Alexandra Bracken

Pandora Jones: Admission, by Barry Jonsberg

 

Books Won:

Spark, by Rachael Craw

The Jewel, by Amy Ewing

 

Books received as Presents:

Panic, by Lauren Oliver

Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole