Waiting On Wednesday(47): Shadow Study

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Title:Shadow Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Release Date:Feb 24,2015
Publisher:Mira

Once, only her own life hung in the balance.

Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands and protect her relationship with Valek.

Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job - and his life - are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret - or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is - while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers.

Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous,

Can't wait to fall in love with another book by Maria V.Snyder
So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Ten Book Related Problems I Have (could be serious or fun!) (28)

Check out how Top Ten Tuesday works & the future schedule of topics HERE.The Top Ten Tuesday, is hosted by the ever-fabulous The Broke and the Bookish   This  meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish.

Ten Book Related Problems I Have (could be serious or fun!)

1. Book tours why you no come to Chicago/downtown: Most book tours near Chicago are in the suburbs and while it's not hard to get out to the suburbs it is a hassle.
2. Lack of Bookish Friends: I have like one friend near me that I can ramble to about books..this is part of why I started a blog I can rant to other bookish people online.
3. Fandom of 1,Please: This on is self explanatory I find a book that I think is the bees knees but no one else is feeling it
4. Mispronouncing words because you’ve never actually heard them out loud—you’ve only read them in books: Not going to lie I sometimes search words on google so I can hear how it's pronounced. Is that weird?
5. Unfinished series: When I start a series and the author just stops writing book for it I've ran across 2 or 3 so far :/
6. That standalone you loved is now a trilogy or series...Why? Sometimes I want to read a series and other times a standalone & while it's awesome to see a book universe expand sometimes I just want a standalone why after 5 years does there need to be a sequel.
7. Book to Movie comparison: I like comparing books to there movie contemporary not to brag about reading the book first,Hell sometime i'll watch a movie and find out it a book I'll compare both just cause I find it interesting to compare. The problem is people think I'm being pretentious
8. Wanting to reread the most amazing book you read when you were a kid, but all you can remember is that it had a...cat in it??or maybe a girl???No pretty sure it was a cow...Serches kid books about cows.
9. Dropping a book on your face while reading on your back. I also so this with my cell phone and e-reader.
10. .I want all the Merch!! I'm a broke on/off student but book merch is awesome.

Bonus Problem: I'm just going to read a bit before my self imposed bedtime at 11 p.m and then I find myself finish and squinting at the sun it 6am some how.

That my Top Ten Bookish problems.Let me now yours leace a comment and link and i'll check it out :)

What's Your Label??

I have just recently seen the tailor for the movie The DUFF and it got me thinking about the book equivalent of the movie  by Kody Keplinger,as well as my own melodramatic high school experiences with labels. If your reading this and have no idea what a DUFF is that is A-Ok it's a term Kody K made up it simply means "Designated Ugly Fat Friend" basically the duff is that not so pretty  friend that makes the other girls/woman or men of the group appear more attractive.A pretty  rude term to describe someone right? If you think about it  though is it any different than any of the other labels people use?Jock.Nerd.Geek. Emo.Prep.Hipster.Gamer.Punk

 Each of those words are used to label some one to put a multifaceted person in a box based on one descriptor.If you like sports Bam you are a jock.If you dress in all black Boom you're Goth.
Labels are every where even after High School what i think is important is that people young and old rember that you're more than one thing.Also you're not a can of soup people don't come with predetermined words on there forehead.


What I liked about Kody Keplingers novel is that she wrote about how you're more than what someone labels you or what you label yourself.The main character of her novel realizes that so what if she is the supposed DUFF and every one feels like the Duff at some point of their life it's all about moving forward and embrace your labels or moving pass them because at the end of the day they are just words.

Reveiw:Playlist For The Dead

Title:Playlist For The Dead
Author: Michelle Falkoff
A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.


Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

*******************************

Sam has just lost his best friend Hayden to suicide and is trying to come to terms with it in his own way. Hayden was pretty much Sams only friend and with Hayden gone Sams left angry,alone and grieving.Now faced with moving on Sam figuring out who he is on his own and actually getting to know people around him.What I liked about Playlist for the Dead was how authentic it felt.Sam was a relate-able character whos wry humor shone though. .The romance part of the story threw me for a loop and is unconventional, given the timing, but then again one has to consider that this could also be something that is unique to this story. What was nice was that the romance part happen naturally and didn't feel fake and that end result for Sam and Astrid was perfectly bitter sweet.

The different characters were all interesting in the own way ,but my favorite character was not Sam but his sisters boyfriend Jimmy.His appearances were brief but Falkoff wrote the scenes with Jimmy talking to Sam about grief and moving on in such a raw honest way.In the end it was nice that any loose and for the characters was all tied up but there was still a bit of open endless like you could be hopeful for them

The cover is simple but eye catching all at the same time.I really like the silhouette of two people sharing ear buds. While at first I was unsure about Playlist for the dead because on occasion it dragged a bit for me,i would probably  reread this book at some point.For readers looking for a thought-provoking, but kinda  depressing read,with a playlist of awesome songs I would recommend this book.4/5

Kick-A** Young Woman

I haven't done a list post in a while so I decided to make a list of books I've read recently with kick ass female main characters. Despite outside forces the main characters won't take no for a answer and set out to prove themselves against the odds stacked against them.At the end of the post I've included a song that I thinks goes with this post pretty well.Also at some point i'll probably post longer reviews on each of these books.

Title:Defy
Author: Sarah Larson
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

I adored this book and was drawn to Alexa's story.I just finished the sequel as well and it was as good as the first book.


Title: Frostfire
Author: Amanda Hockings

Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.

Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royal family. She's not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden.

But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved – begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process.

I read the Treyelle series and was blow away by the troll universe Amanda H made this new series seems equaling as awesome with the universe expand .



Title:Mortal Heart
Author: Robin Lafevers

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has..

This novel is the end to a remarkable trioloy filled with other amazing main female characters.If you have a chance go head and read all there

Review:The Symptoms of my Insanity

Title:The Symptoms of my Insanity
Author: Mindy Raf

A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’s really wrong.

I almost raised my hand, but what would I say? “Mr. Bayer, may I please be excused? I’m not totally positive, but I think I might have cancer.” No way. Then everyone at school would know, and they would treat me differently, and I would be known as “Izzy, that poor girl who diagnosed herself with breast cancer during biology.”

But Izzy’s sense of humor can only get her so far when suddenly her best friend appears to have undergone a personality transplant, her mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, and her beautiful maybe-boyfriend is going all hot and cold. Izzy thinks she’s preparing for the worst-case scenario, but when the worst-case scenario actually hits, it’s a different story altogether—and there’s no tidy list of symptoms to help her through the insanity.

**************************

The Symptoms of my Insanity has been on my TBR list on Goodreads since I fist heard it was coming out and I've just read it thanks to finding it and the library. Honestly I forgot all about reading this book till I saw it on the Library shelf and I just grabbed it and checked it out. I'm not really sure what I expected from this book but what I got was pretty enjoyable to read.

Izzy the main character is filled with angst, medical facts and a plethora of sarcasm. Izzy for me is one of those characters that I liked and then at times she bugged the heck out of me. She wasn't very likeable but at times I could see were she was a bit relatable. The cast of characters were very relate and seem liked real teen dealing with real teen problems. I have to say, straight up - I liked the solidarity of the girls in Izzy's high school .When a sandal came about unlike real life they cleared the name of the girl in the scandal no problem. If only teen girls and grown woman could be like that.

The cover is bold and eye catching and I really like the font. All in all while not the best book The Symptoms of my Insanity is an enjoyable and fluffy read that's a good read to pass the time.2/5

Review:In A Handfull Of Dust

Title: In A Handful Of Dust
Author: Mindy McGinnis

The only thing bigger than the world is fear.

Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

In this companion to Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis thrillingly combines the heart-swelling hope of a journey, the challenges of establishing your own place in the world, and the gripping physical danger of nature in a futuristic frontier.

***********************************

So normally I hate is when a sequel is announced after I’ve read the first book thinking it was a standalone, but Not a Drop to Drink was one of my favorite YA post-apocalyptic dystopian type books even with my reluctance to read it at first. So with all that being said I was more than excited to read In A Handful Of Dust and I'm glad it lived up to the awesomeness of the first book.


Lynn the main character of Not A Drop To Drink is no longer a teenager. She is now in the "mother" role of raising her own teen. Remember Lucy, the little girl she took in? Yep that is the girl we get to hear this story from. This book has a different feel to it than the first book. Both are gripping and gritty but In A Handful Of Dust has a hint of wanderlust in it even if the journey started not really by choice. Lucy's story is about survival in a dangerously beautiful world just as much as it's a weird coming of age story with her trying to literary find a place in the world.With Lucy becoming her own person not just how Lynn is or others around her. With new and old characters Lucy and Lynn's journey is defiantly worth the read.

Unlike reading some stories were the main characters are on a long journey and I lose interest, In A Handful Of Dust kept me glued to the page from start to finish. I really like the cover and how the mountains are in the background the color scheme also seems dusty and it ties in great with the first book cover .Once again Mindy McGinnis wrote about a tragically gorgeous world where survival is key and some times the right choice isn't the easiest choice to make.5/5

Waiting on Wednesday(46):No Where but Here

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Title: No Where But Here
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: May 26,2015
Publisher:Harlequin Teen

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.  

Sweet Baby Jesus I don't know about you guys but I'm biting my nails waiting for this book/series. It's rumored that this relates to Isaiah's family somehow... No clue if that's true but it would be awesome if it was.

 

So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday (27):Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Check out how Top Ten Tuesday works & the future schedule of topics HERE.The Top Ten Tuesday, is hosted by the ever-fabulous The Broke and the Bookish   This  meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish.

 

 Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books (can do a full list or split it up in likes/dislikes or even things you want to see MORE of in romances in fiction)

 

 

 

 

Things I Dislike.

1. That super obvious love triangle after barley ten pages in..
2. Smut to the extreme.
3. Romances between teaches and students, I get that it's just fictional but the thought makes me shudder.
4. Insta-love: When characters fall in love as soon as they meet.
5. The love interests treats the main guy/girl like shit for 60% of the book but all is forgiven in the end.

Things I Like

1. Qirky non convential love stories
2. Best friend love
3. Romance books where the main girl or guy doesn't end up with any one and that okay.
4. Wise spunky Mom or Grandma wisdom
5. An adorable meet que