Top 5 Wednesday – February 10th, 2016

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five books you were spoiled for. I actually had a fair amount of trouble thinking up books for this list today, which I guess is a good thing! This got me thinking about spoilers and how they affect me and my reading experience (or viewing experience with movies and TV shows). I have come to the realization that they don’t really bother me all that much. Sure, I definitely prefer avoiding them, but I’ve never felt like they have ever completely ruined my personal experience with the content.

I would also like to thank Lainey for giving me a shoutout in her video today. It was incredibly kind of you to do that, and it completely made my day; I haven’t stopped smiling since I saw it! And to everyone who has come over from her video, welcome! Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my posts, and for all the follows as well. You guys rock! 😀 ❤

So, without further ado, here are a few books that I was spoiled for prior to reading them. Side note, I will not be revealing any of the specific points of these novels that I was spoiled on. In fact, for a couple of these, if you have read them, you will probably know exactly what those plot points were!

5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

As you are about to see, many of the books I’ve been spoiled on—actually maybe all of them—are due to the fact that I am insanely slow getting around to popular novels. Gone Girl falls into that category, as I only just read it last year. For this one, I was accidently spoiled on arguably the most important plot point of the entire novel by overhearing people talking about it. It was unavoidable, and though I do wish I could find out what my reaction to this story would have been without knowing anything ahead of time, it absolutely did not ruin my experience. I completely adored this novel—it was one of my favorite reads of last year. And I’m fairly certain I acquired a Gillian Flynn addiction in the process…

4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Okay, so this one was entirely my fault. I still have not read this book yet—though I do intend to begin the series this year—so obviously, I’m quite late to the party with this one. Not only have I been massively spoil due to…well…the Internet, I have also already started watching the television series. However, the spoilers have not ruined my viewing experience with the show, and I’m sure it will be the same way with the novels. I’m going to enjoy getting to dive into these stories for myself no matter what!

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is another one that was entirely my fault. This was always an option on reading lists for school and, though I kept meaning to choose it, I never actually got around to it. In fact, I just read it for the first time last month (and absolutely loved it, not surprisingly!). So, not only was I spoiled on a few bits just from the fact that I took so long to get around to reading it, but I may or may not have also gone to see the movie beforehand… I know, I know! Bad Ari! My excuse is that my best friend was home visiting and wanted us to go see it together. I blame her! 😀

2. The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu

Specifically, I was spoiled on some important plot points in the second novel and the end of the final novel. However, this once again did not at all ruin my enjoyment of this trilogy. I accidently read this spoiler, just after finishing Legend, in a review that did not have a spoiler alert on it. This is one of the best examples I can give for this topic because I was genuinely upset and rather disappointed when I learned of this plot point. I was worried that it would end up negatively affecting my enjoyment of the novels, but thankfully that has so far not been the case at all.

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I feel like this one is going to be on a lot of people’s lists today. This was another combination of me taking forever to read a popular series and being a book nerd with access to the Internet. Now, Allegiant is the only one that I’ve not yet read, and at this point I am unsure if I am going to. This actually has very little to do with the spoilers and more to do with the fact that I just really did not enjoy Insurgent when I read it last year. I do hate leaving series unfinished and I feel bad because I absolutely loved Divergent, so those things may sway me toward finishing this last book one day.

How much do spoilers tend to affect your reading experience? What books have you been spoiled for? Let me know in the comments (but remember…no spoilers! 😀 )!

-Ariana

8Feb2016

The Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s Book Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was tagged by Cristina from My Tiny Obsessions and Catia from The Girl Who Read Too Much to do the Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s book tag. Thank you both so much for the tag! This was created by Aimal from Bookshelves & Paperbacks.

Vanilla Caramel Fudge: pick a light, fluffy contemporary

We are starting things off with a tricky one since light, fluffy contemporaries are really not at all my thing. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli is probably the lightest and fluffiest of the small amount of contemporary novels that I have read in my life. It was overall adorable and hilarious, and I absolutely loved it! Two others that are not quite as light, but that I ended up really enjoying were The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith and The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder.

Mint Chocolate Cookie: a new release that you wish everybody would read

I haven’t actually read any really new releases just yet, so I’m going to fudge this a little bit and say Winter by Marissa Meyer. Basically, I wish everybody would read (and hopefully enjoy!) the entire Lunar Chronicles series in general. I cannot gush enough about these novels!

Karamel Sutra Core: a last book in a series that you were completely satisfied with

This may be an obvious choice, but I have to choose Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for this one. I don’t actually read series very often, and when it comes to those that I have read in the past, I have been disappointed by a lot of final books. However, this was one that I absolutely loved—in fact, it’s probably my second or third favorite novel in the series. It was a strong, epic, and satisfying conclusion to an overall fantastic series of books, and I was so pleased that the story was wrapped up so well.

Cherry Garcia: an ending that was bittersweet

For this one, I’m going to have to go with the ending of Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander. This novel overall is incredibly bittersweet—both beautiful and painful. It is a very touching story with a positive underlying message, and the ending holds just as true to this format as the rest of the book. However, let’s just say this is also one book that makes the extremely small list of books that made me cry.

Strawberry Shortcake: a book containing your OTP of OTPs

I’m not usually one to have OTPs, but if any couple is my OTP, it would definitely be Marko and Alana from the graphic novel series, Saga. Their relationship, though it goes through some bumps, is absolutely lovely; they are the very definition of soul mates. Their love for each other outweighs everything, despite all the hardships they face. I adore this pairing.

Milk and Cookies: two authors that if they collaborated, they would go perfectly together

I’m definitely going to have to agree with both Cristina and Catia on this one and say Ransom Riggs and Tahereh Mafi. To be honest, if they were book characters, they would have been my answer to the last question. They are such a wonderful pair, and are each individually very talented and imaginative writers. If they wrote a novel together, chances are high that it would be one of the most epic stories ever!

Boston Cream Pie: a book that had you turning your pages late into the night

Oh man, so many books over the years have done this for me—take any of the Harry Potter or Narnia books for instance! If I were to choose a slightly more recent read, I would have to pick Gone Girl. I absolutely devoured this novel. I was completely engrossed from page one and it was nearly impossible to put down, which caused a number of very late night (or early morning, rather…) reading sessions!

Chocolate Therapy: a book that makes you feel better after a long day of life

You guys know me well enough by this point to not be at all surprised with I say To Kill a Mockingbird for this answer. I’m fairly certain I’ve managed to mention this book at least once in every single tag that I’ve done—and that probably won’t be changing anytime soon! This is one of those stories that never fails to give me the warm fuzzies when I read it, due to both the deep and heartwarming story itself and the personal nostalgia factor—the many fond memories I have of this novel from over the years and its importance to me.

Coffee, Coffee, Buzzbuzzbuzz!: a book not yet released that you can’t wait to get your hands on

This is a difficult topic to choose just one book for, since there are so many fantastic upcoming releases this year! My top most anticipated release of the year is Heartless by Marissa Meyer, but another one right up there with it would be This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. They are both authors that I discovered last year and instantly fell in love with, so I can’t wait to get my hands on any and all of their novels.

I Tag:

Kayla @ Bookedsolid1989

Lashaan and Trang @ Bookidote

Isabella @ Gryffindor Books

Richard @ The Humpo Show

Raquel @ Rakioddbooks

6Feb2016

Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Posted in Book Reviews by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

My Rating: 5/5 TARDISes

Series: Villains #1

Date Published: September 24^th, 2013

Publisher: Tor Books

Pages: 340 pages

Source: Purchased

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

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I read this in a buddy read with Heather from The Sassy Book Geek. I had an incredibly fun time discussing this book with her, and I absolutely can’t wait to do this again in the future. Click here to check out Heather’s review of Vicious!

I am finding it extremely difficult to come up with the right words to accurately describe just how much I adored this novel. I completed it well over a month ago and I am still constantly thinking about it. This was my first experience with Victoria Schwab’s work, and I was completely blown away by her talent. It has been quite a while since I was so quickly pulled into a novel. I found this incredibly hard to put down once I started reading; it’s one of those stories where you sit down to read a chapter or two and, before you know it, you’ve read a third of the book. This is due primarily to Schwab’s impressive abilities in character development and storytelling.

Vicious follows the story of two best friends turned archnemeses, with a narrative that jumps between the present day and their time in college together ten years prior. During their study of extraordinary abilities, things get out of control, landing Victor in prison, bent on getting revenge, and Eli attempting to wipe out every super-powered person in existence. In alternating time periods and perspectives, the story of their falling out is gradually filled in, and the mystery pieced together in a fast-paced and suspenseful way.

Victoria Schwab is an absolutely brilliant writer with an incredibly addicting writing style that flows beautifully. Her innovative ideas, particularly in the depiction of the super-human abilities, make a well-loved topic into a remarkable and unique reading experience. It is extremely difficult to base a story around villainous characters and requires major skill—which she clearly has—to do so. She is spot on with her level of detail and description when it comes to her world and character building, and she masterfully creates a dark, chilling mood and atmosphere all the way through. Her words, her details, her plot points, everything just flows so nicely.

Early on, I had my doubts about the way the novel jumped around in time so often. That is something I typically do not enjoy, as I have found that I tend to get lost and confused easily in books that skip around too much. However, this did not happen at all as I was reading this book, and I actually ended up loving the style. In general, this can be a rather dangerous and risky way to write a novel, but Schwab executes it perfectly and completely nails this method of storytelling.

Since the plot is so connected to the past and the history of the characters, being able to jump back and hear first-hand what happened to them definitely contributes a lot to the novel as a whole. Schwab does this in a way where she essentially creates two storylines—a past one and a present one—and the jumping between them alternately causes tension and suspense in both. There is also plenty of suspense within each chapter to boot. All of this really succeeds in fully immersing the reader in the story and making them want to read on.

The character creation and development is one of the strongest and most important aspects of this novel, and is definitely some of the best I have ever come across. This is not your typical tale of good versus evil—in fact, what makes this story so intriguing is the lack of clarity and specificity when it comes to the definitions of both. It is a novel about villains, revenge, and the dangers of extreme power. The characterization relies heavily on moral ambiguity, and no one is truly heroic in the traditional sense of the word; there is typically an ulterior motive behind each character’s actions.

Schwab works hard to create vivid and complex characters, and she presents the reader with a comprehensive portrayal of every single one. This is one of my personal favorite elements to see in a story. Clearly displaying a character’s good qualities as well as their flaws will always make for a far more memorable and three-dimensional character that your reader will take an interest in. And whether they are hero or villain, this connection is essential. No matter what side their loyalties lie on, every character needs to be relatable in order to have an impact on an audience.

Vicious contains a very flawed group of individuals, and none of their negative qualities are sugar-coated. Their flaws are a driving force in the plot. This is the type of story that requires messed up and imperfect characters—ones who are not distinctly good or bad and whose motives are questionable. That is exactly what she has succeeded in creating here, and it adds a great amount of depth to the story. Whether you like them or not, they are utterly fascinating, and you find yourself fully captivated by their plotlines, constantly wanting to know more.

This book is filled with many magnificent examples of antiheroes, and what comes from this is an absolutely enthralling character study. Victor is one of the most amazingly well-imagined characters I have ever read about in my life. His characterization was brilliantly done, and his storyline was absorbing from the very first page. He is that villain that you hate to love, and potentially even love to hate—and though his actions are not always entirely permissible due to his focus on revenge, you find yourself siding with and rooting for him anyway. Overall, Victor is a surprisingly relatable and likeable villain, and an impeccable choice for a main protagonist. He was by far my favorite character in the novel.

On the opposite side of this, from the very first time we see Eli and Victor together, something about Eli immediately rubbed me the wrong way—and as the story progressed, my opinion of him most definitely did not improve. Though he is an intensely dislikable character, his plotline was fantastically well executed. Schwab wrote it in an incredibly interesting way, making it one of those stories where, depending on one’s point of view or position, Eli might not necessarily be a villain in everyone’s eyes.

As a reader, we are meant to feel that he is entirely immoral. His actions are not at all condonable, nor is there any justification for anything he does. And we as the reader are correct in thinking this, because his inhumane actions are not and should not be justifiable; he is a monster. However, it is also easy to understand why he justifies his own actions to himself.

Eli believes that he is doing right, that he is being heroic and fulfilling God’s will, and it would be impossible for anyone working under that type of extreme delusion to see their own—or potentially someone else’s—immorality. While neither Eli or Victor are truly heroes, Eli’s delusion of heroism and inability to see his own inhumanity makes him not only more villainous, but also far more dangerous.

Victor is much more aware of what he is doing and, though he does questionable things primarily for his own motives, that is not the definition of all of his actions. He has far more restraint and humanity left in him—more of a conscience than Eli has. There are certain actions each do individually that it would be hard imagining the other doing. Victor is certainly more aware of the consequences of his actions, and though that might not prevent him from ever doing evil, he has limits and never has any misconception about his purpose in life.

Schwab also fills this book with an all-star set of secondary characters. Sydney is a downright lovely character, and by far the most purely endearing and innocent of the bunch. On top of this, the role that she played in the story was fascinating, and her powers were an element that served to create a lot of mystery and suspense throughout. Another character that added to the huge amount of suspense in the plot was Mitch. Mitch is one of the only other truly lovable characters in the novel, and the juxtaposition of his natural talents against the others’ powers was a highlight for me.

Serena falls more toward the Eli side of the scale of villains. She is quite dislikable from the very start, and while she remains that way throughout the novel, you begin to understand her actions as more information about her is revealed. As with Eli, it is impossible to condone what she does, but you do begin to get an understanding of how aspects of her life—such as her powers—would cause her to act in the way that she does. All in all, though these three are all supporting characters, they are no less vivid or complex than the protagonists, and their plotlines are fully conceived.

Victoria Schwab has produced an absolute masterpiece with this novel. Her three-dimensional characters and unique plotlines work together to create a truly engrossing and addictive read that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. Whether or not you are a superhero/supervillain fan like myself, this book holds something for everyone to enjoy. If you have not read this yet, I very highly recommend giving it a go. I’m not sure what to expect from the sequel, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next; I cannot wait to be back in this world with these characters. Vicious, without a doubt, now holds a place on my list of all-time favorite novels.

2Feb2016

February 2016 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Happy February, everyone! First off, I want to apologize for my absence these last few weeks. This past month was a bit rough for me and, because of that, I did not post nearly as much on here as I usually do. I’ve been suffering from migraines for a while now, but the amount I have been getting has dramatically increased recently to the point where I’ve been having them every other day. This made it very hard to sit in front of a computer screen for any amount of time to write posts and reply to comments.

I’m so sorry I’ve been away as much as I have. I’ve missed posting frequently and I’ve missed talking to all of you every day on here and on your posts! Thank you all for being patient with me. I’m hoping to get them under control soon, and I definitely plan to be back blogging and chatting with you guys in full force this month! 😀 ❤

February TBR

I still have some books off last month’s TBR that I want to get to this month, but here are a few more that I am adding to the pile.

1. More Than This by Patrick Ness

It has been far too long since I have read a Patrick Ness book. I read A Monster Calls over a year ago and completely fell in love with his writing to the point where I went out and bought most of his other novels. However, I have not yet had a chance to read any of them yet. I plan to start the Chaos Walking trilogy later this year, so I figured I would tide myself over with this one. It has an incredibly mysterious and intriguing premise, and I’m not at all sure what to expect from this story. I can’t wait to dive in!

2. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Cycle is one of the series that I have been wanting to start for a while now, and with the final book coming out soon, I figured this would be a great time to begin. I have heard fantastic things about this series and it has been recommended to me quite a lot, so I’m really looking forward to checking it out.

3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I’ve gone a month without reading a V.E. Schwab novel and I am already dying to read another one. This has been at the top of my TBR for a while, so I’m hoping I can finally get to it this month. Plus, I have A Gathering of Shadows on pre-order and I’d like to finish this before that is released so I can continue on when it gets here (though I’m then going to have to deal with waiting for the final book!).

4. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

I’ve been making really good progress catching up on reviews and this is a review copy that I have had for a while, so I need to get to it soon. I’m really excited to check it out and see what I think of it. This will be one of my top priorities for the month, and most likely one of my first reads.

5. The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath by Ishbelle Bee

I found out about this book through Booktube and was immediately intrigued by it. It is pitched as a dark, adult fairytale and seems like it will be an extremely unique story, similar in style and atmosphere to Neil Gaiman’s novels. I believe this is a duology, and I already have the sequel, The Contrary Tale of the Butterfly Girl, so I might continue right on to that when I’ve finished if I enjoy it.

6. Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale

This is another review copy that I’ve received recently and need to get to, so it will be another priority for me this month. I’m always happy to read anything Doctor Who related, which I’m sure comes as no surprise to anyone!

Read in January

Despite my failure in the blogging department, this month was actually fairly productive reading-wise. I managed to read five books and get through a good chunk of a sixth one. I also ended up really enjoying all of these reads quite a lot; they were a great way to begin a new reading year. I’m already making good progress on the reading challenges I’ve given myself and finally catching up on some review copies I’ve needed to get to as well. After feeling a bit slumpy for the past few months, this was definitely a wonderful change, and hopefully it will stay this way.

1. Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards – As I’ve already said, I love to read anything to do with Doctor Who, and this novel was a really fun read. This was one of the review copies I recently received from Netgalley. Click here to read my review!

2. Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith – This was my least favorite read of the month, but it was still a quick and entertaining story. This was another Netgalley review copy that I received. Click here to read my review!

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zuszak – I finally did it you guys! After all these years, I finally read The Book Thief—and loved it, of course! Review to come soon.

4. Alice by Christina Henry – Again, I have to thank Heather for this fantastic recommendation. Review to come soon.

5. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn – I’ve been wanting to read more of Gillian Flynn’s work recently, and this was absolutely fantastic (as always!). It’s got me even more excited than I already was to continue on to her next full novel! Review to come soon.

6. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – I’m not quite finished with this one yet, but I got through a little over half before the end of the month. This will be my first completed read of February, and there will be a review coming very soon after.

January Book Haul

Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Anticipated Releases of February

A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly (Release Date: February 2^nd, 2016)

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Release Date: February 2^nd, 2016)

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas (Release Date: February 9^th, 2016)

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (Release Date: February 23^rd, 2016)

What books do you guys have on your TBRs for February? Which new releases are you looking forward to this month? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

27Jan2016

Top 5 Wednesday – January 27th, 2016

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five books that were disappointing eye candy—so basically, books that were more enjoyable to look at than to read. I have this tendency to walk into the library and randomly grab books that have eye-catching covers. This can be a good thing sometimes because I have found some fantastic underhyped novels with this method. However, that also gives you a higher probability of reading a lot of not so great novels as well. Here are a few books whose covers drew me in, but whose stories ended up being rather disappointing.

5. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This has got to be one of my favorite covers of all time, and honestly, this was the best read of this entire list. I did not completely dislike this novel, I was just disappointed with it overall. The concept was incredibly interesting and the writing was absolutely fantastic, which in itself has made me want to continue on with this series. I had more issues with this first novel than I expected to have, but I do believe there is a good chance many of them may be resolved as the series progresses.

Click here to read my full review.

4. The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

I will admit, I picked this one up almost solely on the beautiful cover. The concept for this novel was a very interesting one, but the actual execution of it left a lot to be desired. It began solidly, but about halfway through, the story just started to feel like it was going nowhere. I was never able to become fully invested in the lives of the characters, and the events of the plot did not have the intended emotional impact on me. It was a fast read, but this novel did not end up being my cup of tea.

3. Doll Bones by Holly Black

After all the wonderful things I had heard about her work, I had been meaning to read a novel by Holly Black for a long time. This was the one that had been on my radar the longest, so I chose it as my first one. While the story had a promising and—as the cover implied—creepy start, the feel of it quickly changed. It was far less of an eerie story than I was expecting, which was incredibly disappointing. That, coupled with a cast of characters I couldn’t bring myself to like and frustratingly unrealistic circumstances caused this to be an unsatisfactory read for me.

2. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

This was one that I had heard a little bit about prior to reading it, and the cover really sealed the deal. In hindsight, I’m not overly shocked that I disliked this book; I typically never enjoy contemporary romance novels. However, the fact that it was to be told from fourteen different points of view really had me intrigued. That aspect of it was creative, and I did like a number of the voices quite a lot, but it was a bit excessive. I felt far too disconnected from the story, and I couldn’t get myself to care enough about the main characters. On top of that, the progression of the romance became extremely repetitive and frustrating, to the point where everything about it was completely implausible. I applaud the author’s creativity, but everything was just slightly too over the top.

1. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

I had heard next to nothing about this, but I loved the cover, so that was definitely the main reason I picked up this novel in the first place. The synopsis sounded fantastic and my hopes were very high for this book. However, it ended up being absolutely nothing like what I had expected, and what should have been an intensely intriguing story ended up feeling like reading a pile of paperwork. They story was very dry and the characters were all fairly dislikable. The visual aspect of this novel ended up being the only really positive thing about it.

Click here to read my full review.

What are some books that ended up being disappointing eye candy for you? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

26Jan2016

Top 10 Tuesday – January 26th, 2016

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is a freebie, so we can choose whatever topic we would like. I decided to return to a previous topic since I loved it so much: favorite book quotes. Whether they are inspiring, heart-wrenching, or hilarious, I completely adore quotes. I’ve always loved sharing ones I’ve enjoyed and hearing which ones have touched others. The last post was favorite quotes from recent reads, so this time around, I am going to choose some of my overall favorites from any point in time.

1. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

2. “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

3. “I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills. But I am here, my legs blocks of concrete, my lungs empty of air, my throat burning. There will be no floating away.” – Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

4. “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” – Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

5. “Death doesn’t exist. It never did, it never will. But we’ve drawn so many pictures of it, so many years, trying to pin it down, comprehend it, we’ve got to thinking of it as an entity, strangely alive and greedy. All it is, however, is a stopped watch, a loss, an end, a darkness. Nothing.” – Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

6. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

7. “I have ceased concerning myself with how things look to others. I suggest you do the same. In my experience, others are generally wrong.” – William Ritter, Jackaby

8. “We know what we are, but not what we may be.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet

9. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

10. “Sometimes you look up and there just seems to be so many more stars that ever before. More. They burn brighter and they shine longer and they never vanish into your periphery when you turn your head. It’s as if they come out for us and to remind us that their light took so long to come to us, that if we never had the patience to wait, we never would have seen them here, tonight, like this. That as much as it hurts, sometimes it’s all you can do, wait, endure and keep shining, knowing that eventually, your light will reach where it is supposed to reach and shine for who it is supposed to shine for. It is never easy, but it is always worth it.” – Tyler Knott Gregson, Chasers of the Light

As I’ve said, I absolutely love hearing what other people’s favorite quotes are, so make sure to let me know what some of your favorites are down in the comments!

-Ariana

25Jan2016

New Year’s Resolutions Book Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was tagged by the lovely SSJTimeLord to do the New Year’s Resolution Book Tag. Thank you so much for the tag! 😀 She is a fantastic book blogger, so please make sure to take a moment to head over and check out her blog.

This tag was created by Emily over at Embuhlee liest and Shivii from Brown Eyed Musings.

Get in shape – name a book that doesn’t quite fit on your shelf correctly.

Surprisingly enough, I don’t actually have too many books that are oddly shaped or don’t match the size of a fair amount of other books. However, my leather bound editions of books, though they match each other, are taller and wider than all the other books I own. My editions of To Kill a Mockingbird and Grimm’s Fairy Tales in particular don’t quite fit with everything else and stick out among my book piles.

Eat healthily – name a book you feel was good for you to read.

It’s difficult to choose just one book for this question. I would have to go with either To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. These are beautiful novels—two of my favorites of all time, mainly because they are both very thought-provoking reads. Both deal with some extremely important topics in brilliant ways. I feel like they were also good reads for me because they are books that have truly inspired me in my own writing.

Quit smoking – name a book you kept going back to even though you had finished it.

I’m going to have to say To Kill a Mockingbird again for this one, since it is by far the book that I have read the most times in my life. Growing up, I actually used to read this at least twice a year for a number of years. This is my go to read when I am in a slump or just want to read something I know that I will love. I will never get tired of reading this novel!

Save more money – name a book you got for a really good price.

I am totally someone who is very picky about the editions of books that I buy since they are becoming a part of my permanent collection, so I am happy to invest more in a copy that I really want. That being said, I am also someone who loves hunting for deals on everything, especially books. I’ve found some fantastic prices on books over the years, but a great deal I got recently was a copy of Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb for only two dollars!

Be more organized – how do you organize your bookshelf?

I’ve mentioned this a few times before but, embarrassingly enough, I don’t have any bookshelves at the moment. Right now, all of my books are sitting in storage boxes, and there is absolutely no order to them whatsoever. When I finally get some shelves, however, I will organize my books alphabetically by author.

Be punctual – shortest time and longest time it took you to read a book.

Shortest time – While I am not generally the fastest reader ever, there are tons of books I’ve read in a very short amount of time over the years, so I decided to choose from my more recent reads. A fairly recent quick read was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, which took me about an hour and a half to two hours to complete. It was fast but utterly beautiful, and has become one of my favorite books of all time. If you have not read this yet, definitely give it a go!

Longest time – One of the longest reads for me was Insurgent by Veronica Roth, which took me about three months to complete. I absolutely adored Divergent when I read it a few years ago, and I was very eager to continue on with the series. Unfortunately, while I did not by any means hate it, I ended up being fairly disappointed by Insurgent and had a lot of trouble getting into it. Because of this, I didn’t have as much motivation to finish it and only read a tiny bit at a time.

Go out more – what book made you isolate yourself from the outside world?

Oh man, so many books to choose from! Any of the Harry Potter books or The Chronicles of Narnia would fit this question for sure. Divergent and Gone Girl were two more recent ones that caused me to do this. I also have to add in the entire Hunger Games trilogy. They were the first novels since finishing Harry Potter that I genuinely could not put down once I started reading them.

Be unique – what was your favorite book of 2015?

I read a lot of great books last year, but my favorite by far was Vicious by V.E. Schwab. I read this in December in a buddy read with Heather from The Sassy Book Geek and we had such a fantastic time. Vicious is an incredibly well-crafted story, with beautiful writing and vivid characterization. This novel is utterly epic and it was particularly fun to read and discuss with a fellow superhero/supervillain nerd! I cannot say enough good things about this book—in fact, I will (hopefully) be posting my review of it tomorrow.

Be more personal – what book are you waiting for most this year?

This is a difficult one because I have a ton of upcoming releases that I am excited for. If I had to choose, I would say that Heartless by Marissa Meyer is probably my most anticipated release of the year. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab is an extremely close second, however. I am just dying to get my hands on any novels written by these two wonderful ladies!

Really, resolutions? – what book do you promise to read this year?

There are a ton of books that I’ve promised to read this year (check here, here, and here!), but one in particular that I promise to read is The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been wanting to read a Brandon Sanderson novel for a very long time and this is definitely going to be the year I finally do that. I am hoping that I can get through a few books in the Mistborn series before the end of the year, but I will be reading The Final Empire for sure!

I Tag:

Everyone! 😀 Since I’m running a bit late with this, I won’t tag anyone specific. However, if you do complete this or already have completed it, make sure to link me to your post down in the comments so I can check it out!

24Jan2016

Review: Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith

Posted in Book Reviews by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith

My Rating: 2.5/5 TARDISes

Series: Standalone

Date Published: November 19^th, 2015

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 160 pages

Source: Netgalley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: The Doctor finds himself trapped in the virtual world of Parallife. As he tries to save the inhabitants from being destroyed by a deadly virus, Amy and Rory must fight to keep the Doctor’s body in the real world safe from the mysterious entity known as Legacy . . .

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a spoiler-free review.

In this story, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves in 2222 A.D.—the end of the world, or one ending at least. When investigating a sole source of power in a completely empty and decimated Chicago, the Doctor enters and becomes trapped in the virtual world of Parallife. Here, the characters, who have been left behind by their players, have developed minds of their own and created a society. However, their way of life is threatened as a darkness approaches, wiping out everything in its path. Meanwhile, Amy and Rory have to escape destruction themselves, as a horde of robots move in to demolish what is left of the city.

I am rather conflicted in my feelings about this book. The concept for it was so interesting and would have easily made a fantastic episode of the television series. The idea of a virtual world controlled by abandoned characters who have each developed a consciousness holds an incredible amount of potential. Throw in a force that is systematically destroying that world and you have what should be a unique and intense ride.

This was a story that I desperately wanted to love, but I was very dissatisfied with a lot of it. I found this novel was lacking the suspense and intrigue that is characteristic of the Doctor’s adventures. I expected far more excitement than I got, and I ended up disconnecting from the story frequently. There were so many missed opportunities to create apprehension for the reader in both the real and virtual settings, and this caused me to have trouble becoming invested in any of it. I believe that part of it was due to the fact that this is not a full length novel. The concept of this plot is far too massive for the size of the story it was squeezed into.

Another of the main aspects of this novel that I had very mixed feelings about was the character depiction. Due to the length of the story, Smith is not given very much time to get the reader familiar with new characters. Despite this, he manages to create an intriguing and likeable cast that complement the story well. I thought that Blondie was a very good imagining of a video game character come to life. She was relatable because she acted in ways that any gamer would immediately recognize. Daryl was definitely my favorite addition. He was adorable and hilarious and very reminiscent of the type of side character typically seen in episodes of the show.

On the other hand, the depiction of the main trio left me a bit disappointed. I personally did not feel that Smith accurately portrayed these three characters that we all know so well. Something was off about them all the way through. Their actions and dialogue clashed with the personalities of the original television show versions, and that ended up breaking my immersion in the story. The characterization of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory is arguably the most important part of a novel like this, but unfortunately, I thought this was an area that Smith did not succeed in.

The writing itself was another aspect of the story that has caused me to have some mixed feelings. A lot of the writing is strong—Smith’s descriptions are fairly vivid and detailed, at least in the first half. At the start, I had a clear image of both the real and virtual worlds in my mind as I read. I enjoyed a lot of what Smith created, particularly in the world of Parallife.

However, I started to have some difficulty later on in the story. About halfway in, the imagery became a bit muddled for me, and I frequently struggled to make sense of it. This was frustrating, as I found that I could not sufficiently picture anything that was occurring. I also felt as though Smith did not take full advantage of the whole concept of the virtual world—it lacked the intrigue that I expected from it. While he described Parallife well, he did not utilize it to create a solid amount of suspense and tension in the plot.

Despite the negative reaction I had to a number of things in this novel, every once in a while, there was something thrown in that would make me love it. There were moments of great humor that made me laugh out loud. There were references that gamers like myself, especially fans of open world RPGs, could easily connect with and that made my nerdy self very happy. These things really pulled me back in and kept me going to the last pages.

In the end, though the concept for the plot was intriguing, the story as a whole ended up falling a bit flat for me. There were some ideas that I really loved, but the actual execution of those ideas left a lot to be desired. A story as short as this is always going to provide obstacles for the author in terms of building a world and carrying out a storyline, and I definitely think the length is the cause of a number of the issues I had with it. Overall, this was not a terrible book by any means. It could have been better, but even with the problems I had with it, I still found it to be a relatively entertaining read at times.

2.5 TARDISes

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19Jan2016

Top 10 Tuesday – January 19th, 2016

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you’ve recently added to your TBR. My pile of owned books is really starting to get quite insane, and my general Goodreads list of books I want to read is just outrageous. And yet, I keep adding new books to both! Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I have just recently added a bunch of books to my already way too large TBR, so this should be an easy topic. 🙂

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

I have been a major Star Wars fan ever since I was a little kid, and yet somehow, I was completely unaware of the fact that there are novelizations of the films. My dad brought this to my attention the other day, so of course I had to pick one of them up. I figured I would go with The Force Awakens to start off since it’s the most recent film, but I definitely intend to read the others at some point as well!

2. Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

I discovered this one thanks to Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek. She wrote up a great “if you liked that, try this” post, and recommended this one to fans of the Percy Jackson novels (which I am!). It definitely sounds like my kind of story, plus Heather and I have a very similar taste in books, so I think this will end up being an enjoyable read. I’m hoping to get to this one very soon.

3. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

This was a random one that I added recently. A few friends of mine have read and loved this novel, and I have also heard some fantastic reviews of it while watching Booktube. It sounded pretty intriguing, so I figured I’d give it a go at some point. I’ve been interested to dive further into sci-fi, and I think this will prove to be an interesting one.

4. Five-Seven-Five by C.E. Wilson

This novel was brought to my attention by Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction, who recently read and reviewed it. I had not heard of this one before, but her review really made me intrigued. Judging by the synopsis, it sounds like it is going to be a very unique story, and I’m extremely interested to give it a try and see what it’s all about.

5. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

As I’ve mentioned, I am a big fan of the Percy Jackson books and Rick Riordan in general, so of course I had to add this to my TBR. I only just the other day discovered that this series was going to be a thing, and I am so excited for it! Along with this, I’ve also just added the other novels in the Magnus Chase series as well, but I figured I would just pick one of his books for this list.

6. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

This is one of the books that I purchased with a gift card from Christmas. I am planning on starting The Raven Cycle this year and I have been collecting the novels. I will probably marathon the series after the final book is released. I’ve also added the final two books in this series to my TBR, but again, I thought I would just keep it to one for the purpose of this list. I’ve always heard nothing but good things about these books, and I’m excited to see what the story is like!

7. Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

Even though I did not love Red Queen as much as I had hoped I would, I do intend to continue on with these novels for now. I only just recently discovered that there were novellas to go along with the trilogy, so I would like to give these a try. I’m hoping to get to these sometime before I read Glass Sword.

8. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Though I have owned all of the books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy for a while now, I’ve not actually read a Laini Taylor novel yet. I do intend to fix that this year, and this new novel of hers is one that I would like to get to as well. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about her work and the synopsis of this novel really caught my attention; I can’t wait until this comes out!

9. Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

I’ve talked about my love of the Saga series before, so this should come as no surprise; it’s definitely a given! I absolutely can’t wait to see where this series goes next. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it appears that it will be coming out right around my birthday, which is extra awesome!

10. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

This one is another given. I started reading the Jackaby series last year and have been completely adoring it so far, so of course I am planning to continue on with the novels. I’m eager to get my hands on this one and get back into this world again.

What are some books that you guys have added to your TBRs recently? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

16Jan2016

Siblinghood of the World Bloggers Award #1

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was nominated by six wonderful bloggers for the Siblinghood of the World Bloggers award! ❤ Because of this, I’ll be doing this award in two separate posts with a couple sets of questions in each post. Part two will contain questions from Lashaan and Trang, and Kayla.

Thank you to Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction, Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek, and Loreva over at La Book Dreamer for the nomination. They are all absolutely amazing book bloggers, so please take some time and go check out each of these fantastic blogs! 😀

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The Rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog

-Put the award logo on your blog

-Answer the 10 questions sent to you

-Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer

-Nominate 10 blogs

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Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. Is there a fictional character you wouldn’t want to meet? Who?

Definitely Umbridge. I absolutely can’t stand her (who can to be honest?)—she’s the worst! I’d never want to meet her.

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2. Do you own any bookish merchandise? (Badges, jewelry, posters etc)

Oh boy, do I ever! I have a To Kill a Mockingbird poster and bag, Harry Potter jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, time-turner earrings, deathly hallows earrings) and a leather Ravenclaw journal, Sherlock Holmes jewelry and book pillow. I also have tons of general bookish gear like t-shirts and mugs. Basically, I have way too much bookish merchandise for my own good!

3. Is there a book/ series you think is overrated?

This is going to be a bit of a controversial answer of course, but I would have to go with the Twilight series. Now I have to say, I think “overrated” might be a bit too strong a term. I am not a fan of the series, but I also don’t fall into the hating on Twilight camp either. It was just not my thing, and I personally ended up feeling that it was over-hyped.

4. If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you go to?

My favorite periods to learn about have always been the 1920s and the 1940s, so I’d love to travel back to either. I think it would also be interesting to travel back to the Victorian era.

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5. Are there any fictional character names you really love?

Oh, there are plenty! I love the names Atticus Finch and Katniss Everdeen. Pretty much any name out of Game of Thrones is fantastic, particularly Daenerys and Arya. A fictional film character name I love is Rey. And this might be a bit of an obvious choice, but I love the name Sherlock Holmes! There are tons more that I love, but these are a few of my favorites 🙂

6. Are you setting yourself a Goodreads reading challenge for next year? If so, how many books do you hope to read?

I’ve set my challenge this year for 60 books. That was my 2015 goal, but I didn’t end up making it, so I’m really hoping that I can reach it this year.

7. Favourite bookshop?

My favorite physical bookshop is Barnes & Noble. Book Depository has become my favorite online bookshop because I can get all of my favorite editions of books without spending more on shipping than on the actual book itself! 😀

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8. If you could have any character’s clothing style, which character would you choose?

This might be a strange answer because I haven’t actually read this book series yet, but from pictures I’ve seen, I would have to go with Celaena from Throne of Glass.

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9. When you review books, do you write notes while you read it or just think back when writing the review?

Typically, I will just think back on the book when I’m writing my review rather than writing anything down. Occasionally I will take notes if there are really specific points that I want to discuss that I’m afraid I might forget, but usually, I prefer concentrating on reading straight through.

10. How did you get into reading?

Literature has always played an extremely important role in our household, and my parents made reading a part of my life very early on. They constantly encouraged me to read when I was younger, and always made sure I had plenty of good books to choose from—and I ended up completely falling in love.

Heather’s Questions:

1. What is a food that you absolutely will not touch, even if your life depended on it?

This is a tricky one. I have to admit, I can be a pretty picky eater, so there are a number of foods that I don’t like. However, the only thing I can think of that I would not touch even if my life depended on it would be blue cheese. That is the one taste I just could not stand for anything!

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2. If you could meet any author, who would you meet?

There is no way I’m going to be able to narrow this down to just one person! 😀 If it could be any author from throughout history, I’d like to meet Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, or C.S. Lewis. As for current authors, I’d love to meet Gillian Flynn, J.K. Rowling, Victoria Schwab, or Neil Gaiman.

3. If you could have the next book in any series right now, which would it be (doesn’t necessarily have to be written yet)?

Until recently, I would not have known what to say for this question because I’m not currently reading many series at the moment. However, Heather and I just recently read Vicious by V.E. Schwab together, and now that the sequel has been announced, I am absolutely dying to get it! That’s definitely a book I wish I didn’t have to wait for!

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4. Would you rather go to the library or the bookstore?

I know that for the sake of the free space in my house and my wallet, I should probably say library, but honestly, I’m going to have to go with the bookstore. I do have a lot of extremely fond memories from over the years, particularly from when I was a child, of spending hours at the library and coming home with an ambitiously large stack of books. However, there is nothing quite like picking out books that you are going to use to expand your own personal library, and then seeing them all filling your shelves.

5. Paperback/Hardcover or E-Book?

Paperback/hardcover for sure! E-books have definitely grown on me over the years, especially when it comes to larger books or for traveling purposes. But there is nothing that could ever take the place of the feeling of having actual, physical books in your hands (and sitting on your shelves).

6. New book smell or old book smell?

Hmm…that’s a tricky one. Both are absolutely wonderful! I think I might have to choose new book smell. Though there is something very special about that scent that builds up over years, I think I might slightly prefer the scent of a freshly bound book.

7. Do you like reading classics or new books?

I generally like to read a good mixture of both though I will say, overall, I actually prefer reading classics.

8. If I gave you a bunch of money for books right now, which 4 books would you buy?

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The Enchanted by Renee Denfeld

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

9. Most anticipated book of 2016?

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This is so difficult! There are so many fantastic-sounding upcoming releases. If I had to choose, however, I think I would have to say that my most anticipated release of 2016 is Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I can’t even begin to explain how eager I am to get my hands on this book!

10. Are there any book-to-movie adaptations you’re anticipating?

Definitely! 2016 is shaping up to be the year of (hopefully awesome) book-to-movie adaptations. The top ones I’m anticipating this year are Fantastic Beasts, Miss Peregrine’s, and A Monster Calls.

Loreva’s Questions

1. Which TV Shows do you watch?

I actually don’t watch a lot of television anymore, and I am absolutely terrible at keeping up with shows. I have an insanely long list of shows that I need to start watching or catch up on. The main shows that I do keep up with (and that are some of my all-time favorites in general) are Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, and Sherlock. I also really enjoy The Middle and Two Broke Girls.

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2. What was the first book you ever read and was it the book that sparked your interest in reading?

I come from a family of book lovers, so books have always played a hugely important part in my life. I can’t specifically remember a lot of the first books I read by myself, but I do distinctly remember reading a book called The Housekeeper’s Dog. I remember being so proud because it was multiple reading levels ahead of where I should have been at my age, and I was so excited that I called my grandma up and read it to her over the phone. All of the books that I read when I was younger fueled my passion for reading, so this one definitely contributed. However, like many other bibliophiles around my age, the main book(s) that sparked my interest in reading was Harry Potter.

3. Which do you prefer: Reading or Writing?

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This is an incredibly difficult choice to make! Though I absolutely adore writing, and I love getting my ideas written down and creating worlds and adventures of my own, I think I would have to say I slightly prefer reading. Reading is something that I can do to relax, to really take a break and escape from reality for a little while. Reading and writing are both incredibly important and essential parts of my life, but reading is my necessary chill out time.

4. Which is your favorite season, reading wise?

My favorite season in general is autumn. The world is so beautiful in autumn—I always feel the most inspired in all aspects of my life, including reading, during these months. Something about that cooler weather makes me want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea as the leaves fall outside.

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5. What bookish challenges are you going to attempt next year?

At the moment, the main bookish challenge I’ll be attempting is the typical Goodreads challenge, though I might look around for other challenges to try at some point! I’ve also created a few personal challenge lists for myself in blog posts recently: series I want to start, my 2016 book bucket list, and self-published books I want to get to. I’ll be checking on my progress with this lists throughout the year.

6. How do you arrange your bookshelf (color, genre, author etc)?

This is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t actually have any bookshelves at the moment! All of my books currently reside in storage boxes. However, when I get those shelves, I will be arranging my books by author.

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7. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

The last book I read was Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards, a sort of mini novel (under 200 pages) that I got from Netgalley. Overall it was a fairly enjoyable read (click here to read my review!). I’ve been reading a few of these for review lately, so the last full novel that I read was Vicious by V.E. Schwab, and that was absolutely incredible!

8. Have you ever been on vacation outside the borders of your continent?

Yes and no. I’ve never been out of the borders of my continent on a true vacation. However, I have traveled outside of the borders for music tours, which are sort of part work and part vacation. So far I’ve only been to Europe, but I have traveled to France, England, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic!

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9. Are you interested in any musical instruments or sports?

I enjoy watching a number of sports, but I’ve never been too interested in participating in them. The only ones I’ve enjoyed (and been remotely good at) are swimming and tennis. However, I am a musician, so I’ve had a lot of experience with instruments. I am primarily a singer, but I’ve played piano, violin, guitar, and recorder. I am also really hoping to start electric violin sometime in the near future!

10. What is your usual reading time?

I typically read whenever I get a chance throughout the day, and that changes all the time as my schedule is generally pretty unpredictable. So I guess I don’t really have a specific time of day that I usually read. However, I do relatively consistently read before going to sleep, whenever that happens to be! 🙂

I Nominate:

The Orang-utan Librarian

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Becca @ Shih Tzu Book Reviews

Liam @ Liam’s Library

T.K. Lawrence @ Read it or Not Reviews

Rachel @ (Bargain)BookBliss

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Codie @ Reader’s Anonymous

Windie @ Geek Apprentice

Dearna @ The Words of the Roses

Jen @ J.N. Cahill

My Questions:

1. What are some new releases you are most looking forward to in 2016?

2. What is you favorite under-hyped book?

3. What is one thing (activity, song, movie, etc…) that always makes you happy no matter what?

4. Do you prefer series or standalone novels?

5. Do you play video games? If so, what are your favorite games to play?

6. What is your favorite song of all time?

7. If you could have any fictional animal as a pet, what would you choose?

8. What 2016 movies are you most looking forward to seeing?

9. What book or series would you recommend to someone who says they don’t like to read, and why would you choose that book or series?

10. What is your absolute favorite quote?

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5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

2. The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Vanilla Caramel Fudge: pick a light, fluffy contemporary

Mint Chocolate Cookie: a new release that you wish everybody would read

Karamel Sutra Core: a last book in a series that you were completely satisfied with

Cherry Garcia: an ending that was bittersweet

Strawberry Shortcake: a book containing your OTP of OTPs

Milk and Cookies: two authors that if they collaborated, they would go perfectly together

Boston Cream Pie: a book that had you turning your pages late into the night

Chocolate Therapy: a book that makes you feel better after a long day of life

Coffee, Coffee, Buzzbuzzbuzz!: a book not yet released that you can’t wait to get your hands on

I Tag:

February TBR

1. More Than This by Patrick Ness

2. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

4. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

5. The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath by Ishbelle Bee

6. Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale

Read in January

January Book Haul

Anticipated Releases of February

5. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

3. Doll Bones by Holly Black

2. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

1. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

Get in shape – name a book that doesn’t quite fit on your shelf correctly.

Eat healthily – name a book you feel was good for you to read.

Read more – name a book you keep telling yourself to read but haven’t yet.

Quit smoking – name a book you kept going back to even though you had finished it.

Save more money – name a book you got for a really good price.

Be more organized – how do you organize your bookshelf?

Be punctual – shortest time and longest time it took you to read a book.

Go out more – what book made you isolate yourself from the outside world?

Be unique – what was your favorite book of 2015?

Be more personal – what book are you waiting for most this year?

Really, resolutions? – what book do you promise to read this year?

I Tag:

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

2. Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

3. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

4. Five-Seven-Five by C.E. Wilson

5. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

6. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

7. Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

8. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

9. Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

10. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

The Rules:

Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. Is there a fictional character you wouldn’t want to meet? Who?

2. Do you own any bookish merchandise? (Badges, jewelry, posters etc)

3. Is there a book/ series you think is overrated?

4. If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you go to?

5. Are there any fictional character names you really love?

6. Are you setting yourself a Goodreads reading challenge for next year? If so, how many books do you hope to read?

7. Favourite bookshop?

8. If you could have any character’s clothing style, which character would you choose?

9. When you review books, do you write notes while you read it or just think back when writing the review?

10. How did you get into reading?

Heather’s Questions:

1. What is a food that you absolutely will not touch, even if your life depended on it?

2. If you could meet any author, who would you meet?

3. If you could have the next book in any series right now, which would it be (doesn’t necessarily have to be written yet)?

4. Would you rather go to the library or the bookstore?

5. Paperback/Hardcover or E-Book?

6. New book smell or old book smell?

7. Do you like reading classics or new books?

8. If I gave you a bunch of money for books right now, which 4 books would you buy?

9. Most anticipated book of 2016?

10. Are there any book-to-movie adaptations you’re anticipating?

Loreva’s Questions

1. Which TV Shows do you watch?

2. What was the first book you ever read and was it the book that sparked your interest in reading?

3. Which do you prefer: Reading or Writing?

4. Which is your favorite season, reading wise?