The Harry Potter Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was tagged to do the Harry Potter Tag by the lovely Kai from Black Cat Kai. Thank you so much for the tag, Kai! Make sure to stop by and check out her blog! 😀

This awesome tag and all of the corresponding art was created by two fantastic book bloggers—Lashaan and Trang from Bookidote. The only rule of the tag: you cannot use Harry Potter books for any of your answers.

Let’s get this tag started!

A book where you found the theme interesting, but you’d like to rewrite it.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

The concept of the novel was incredibly interesting—it was intended to be formatted in a way that was sort of like found footage movies, but in book form. That style, along with a plot focusing on a murder mystery while making a commentary on celebrity culture, should have theoretically made for a great novel. However, there was no mystery, the characters felt too much like stereotypical caricatures, and the text itself was like reading paperwork. I’d definitely rewrite this to fix those elements. Click here to check out my full review of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone!

The first book in a series that got you hooked.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I haven’t read all that many series so far in my life, and since I can’t use Harry Potter here, that narrows my list even further! However, The Hunger Games immediately comes to mind here because it was the first series I really got excited about after Harry Potter ended. I absolutely devoured this book, and it quickly made this one of my all-time favorite trilogies!

A book you wish you could have right now.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

I can’t decide between the two—I’m so excited for both. Not only are these books by two of my auto-buy authors, the stories themselves sound absolutely fantastic. I need them in my hands ASAP!

A killer book. Both senses. Take it as you like.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Well, doesn’t this just fit here perfectly! Seriously, this book is killer. It’s by far the most captivating, well-written, and brilliantly plotted book I’ve ever read. Click here to check out my full review of Gone Girl!

A book that you found really confusing.

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

I read this a couple of years ago and to this day I’m still not certain how I felt about it. The concept for the plot was intriguing, but the actual execution of it was not the smoothest. I found that the story jumped around far too much, making it choppy and hard to follow. On top of that, it at times felt like the author was unsure of where he wanted the story to go. Overall, it unfortunately ended up being a jumbled and unsatisfying read.

Your spirit animal book.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Is anyone surprised by this? 😀 My brain is essentially solely comprised of superheroes and supervillains, so this book is everything a nerd like me ever wanted and more. Morally ambiguous characters are my favorite to both read and write about, as well as the intriguing psychology elements that inevitably come into a plot along with them. Between the vivid characters, fascinating storyline, and stellar writing, there is no doubt in my mind that Vicious is my spirit animal! Click here to check out my full review of Vicious!

A dark, twisted book.

Alice by Christina Henry

I absolutely love reading dark stories and have read tons over the years, but this is definitely the darkest and most twisted one I’ve come across so far. If you enjoy those kinds of book though, I would highly recommend it because it was fantastic! I will actually have a full review of this up on here one day, I promise!

A book that surprised you in a great way, reveals to be more than it is.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Whenever I think of books that surprised me, this instantly comes to mind. I was expecting a much different type of story than what it turned out to be, and I think that made me love it even more. There are so many layers, so much complexity in what is an outwardly simple and straightforward story. It is a remarkably beautiful piece of literature. Click here to check out my full review of A Monster Calls!

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Ashleigh @ A Frolic Through Fiction

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Yasmin and Paige @ The Wild Readers

Kayla @ Bookedsolid1989

The Orang-utan Librarian

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

Michelle @ The Sapphire

12Apr2016

April 2016 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Happy April, everyone! I am quite late with my TBR and wrap-up this month—and it’s definitely going to be a bit of a shorter one than usual—but it’s finally here. If you read my update post last week, you’ll know that I had a bit of a difficult March. However, I am back and as quirky (and nerdy) as ever! Things are finally beginning to get back on track, and I am aiming to catch up on reading and blogging as much as possible in April. Thank you guys for all the love and support. Hopefully this month will be much better than the last! 🙂 ❤

April TBR

1. The Masterpiecers by Olivia Wildenstein

This is one of the books I have received for review, and it is what I am currently reading. I’m not too far into it yet, but at this point I’m enjoying it quite a bit. The writing style flows very well and the mystery in the premise has me very interested to see where the story goes. Dark, mysteries are a definite favorite of mine to read, so I’m hoping this plot will continue to remain strong.

2. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I am beyond excited to read it. I’ve been hearing some mixed reviews, but that has not got me any less eager to dive into this novel!

3. The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith

This is another book that I was sent for review (thank you, David!). It is a retelling—or a continuation, rather—and a darker sounding one at that, which we all know is one of my favorite types of stories. I’m quite intrigued by the premise and I am really looking forward to seeing where he takes the idea. This should hopefully be my next read, in fact.

I will also be continuing to read The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror by Joyce Carol Oates and The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Read in March

Not surprisingly, this was a bit of a rough reading month, but I did manage to get a few books finished.

1. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick – This was my first experience with Matthew Quick’s work and I’ll say it was definitely a solid one. It was a pretty enjoyable read overall, and it’s got me looking forward to reading his other novels. Full review coming soon!

2. The Haters by Jesse Andrews – I’m running a bit behind on my review for this book because I’m still trying to get my thoughts about it in order. It’s one of those books where I’m still not entirely sure how I felt about it and I need to let my brain do a bit more processing. Full review coming soon!

Anticipated Releases of April

Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell by Liane Shaw (April 5^th, 2016)
Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey (April 19^th, 2016)

What books do you want to read in April? Are you looking forward to any new releases this month? Let me know in the comments! 😀

-Ariana

16Mar2016

Review: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Posted in Book Reviews by TheQuirkyBookNerd

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

My Rating: 2/5 TARDISes

Series: Standalone

Date Published: August 26^th, 2014

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Pages: 272 pages

Source: Purchased

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: The distinctive new crowdsourced publishing imprint Swoon Reads proudly presents its first published novel—an irresistibly sweet romance between two college students told from 14 different viewpoints.

The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.

But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship.

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together….

____________________________________________________________________

This is a spoiler-free review.

As the title suggests, this novel promises its readers “a little something different”, and it does in fact deliver. However, the end result was not nearly as satisfying as it could have been given the premise. Rather than flowing nicely as one continuous narrative, it felt far too disjointed and cluttered to fully capture my attention. We are pulled in by an idea that sounds delightful and heartwarming, but ends up being more frustrating and tedious than anything. Though the story is unique and innovative in many ways, it fell rather flat for me as a whole.

This novel follows the lives of two college students—Lea and Gabe—as they meet and slowly begin to fall for each other. The catch? Their entire love story is told from the perspectives of other people they encounter in their daily lives. From their best friends to their fellow students and the waitress at the local diner, everyone has something to say about this prospective relationship. Even the park bench they regularly sit on weighs in on the situation. The only question that remains is whether or not Lea and Gabe themselves will realize what everyone else already sees.

Beginning on a personal side note, this is not the typical type of novel I would read—I am not particularly big on contemporary romance. But when I heard the concept for it, coupled with the fact that it was a debut novel, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to step out of my reading comfort zone once again. Given that romance is not my cup of tea when it comes to books, and knowing that this contributed to my feelings overall, I tried to rate and review this as objectively as possible, focusing primarily on stylistic elements.

The characterization was by far the area that I ended up having the biggest conflict with. It was the most publicized aspect of this particular novel—the unusually large number of perspectives is the primary attraction for the reader. In addition, the fact that the main protagonists of the story do not contribute their viewpoints is another highly intriguing factor. However, though the idea packs the novel with originality and is quite fascinating in theory, it ends up greatly hindering the development of the narrative.

Though the actual concept for the plot is a relatively straightforward one, having so many narrators suddenly transforms it into something that is quite difficult to follow and become immersed in. Having to constantly transition between speakers every few pages breaks up the flow of the plot and gives it a very patchwork, choppy quality, which does not serve it well. It is far too challenging to connect to any of the characters, which subsequently affects the reader’s ability to become invested in the storyline itself.

For a story that relies so heavily on characterization, there is not nearly enough distinctiveness in each of the voices. A few of them were quite original in their depiction, but many sounded almost exactly the same. As there is no time to focus on getting to know any of these characters, they come across as one-dimensional and sometimes painfully stereotypical. The inability to get to know a narrator adds undesired hurdles for any reader.

In terms of the plot itself, I simply came out of it feeling rather underwhelmed. One of the biggest drawbacks of these multiple perspectives is the need for more telling rather than showing. This style makes to so that every aspect of every event has to be related back to the reader, giving the story a very awkward and unnatural quality. I would have much preferred to see the romance unfold naturally—instead, it plays out more like a research paper or case study. It is tricky to get the desired emotional reaction out of readers when they can only hear a formal and impassive version of two people’s love story.

Since we are only ever able to see Lea’s and Gabe’s interactions when it is possible for a third party to be watching, everything quickly becomes very redundant—there is an excessive amount of interpretations of the same or similar encounters. Their entire relationship comes across as two people who feel very indifferent about each other having an improbable series of supposedly romantic and incredibly frustrating near misses. This causes the story to drag on, bringing about a sense that, even by the end, no advancement has really happened.

In addition, the fact that every aspect of this novel focuses on Lea and Gabe with no other developed side plots becomes tiring very quickly. It is hard to believe that so many people would be so intensely and utterly focused and invested in the love lives of these two random kids. And even after all of that, I never truly got the impression that they were meant to be. Despite having insight into so many people’s views, I never saw what any of them saw. Everything was just too implausible, and the ending left me feeling very unsatisfied.

Overall, though the large number of perspectives is an interesting concept, it makes the narrative feel very disorganized and unsettled. The repetitiveness of the events in the plot quickly becomes frustrating, potentially causing the reader to become dissatisfied since it feels that little to no progression is actually taking place. I truly did appreciate the creativity that Hall employed in the construction of this story. In a number of ways, she puts a fresh spin on the typical contemporary romance novel, and I applaud how she stepped out on a limb with her inventive storytelling. Sadly, all the parts did not end up coming together into a cohesive plot.

15Mar2016

Top 10 Tuesday – March 15th, 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 the top ten books on your spring TBR. As always, the gigantic general TBR that I have makes this a very easy list to come up with books for! I’ve been picking up a lot of new books lately, so this spring I’d really like to focus a bit more on some of the novels I’ve had sitting on my TBR for a while as well.

Let’s do this spring thing! 😀 (yes…I’m lame 😛 )

1. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – I read my first V.E. Schwab novel—Vicious—at the end of last year, and since then, I have been dying to read more of her work. This trilogy is the most appealing to me right now as I’m really in the mood for some magic and parallel worlds. I absolutely can’t wait to dive into the story—and to get more awesome V.E. Schwab-ness in my life!

2. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – My explanation for this choice can be summed up in two words—Gillian Flynn. The only reason I have been putting this one off is due to the fact that I want to make sure I’m reading it during a time where I can give it 110% of my attention. Now that I have emerged from my slumpishness at the beginning of the year, I’m ready to devour the crap out of this novel! Also, I’m fairly certain Gillian Flynn is my spirit animal. Just saying… 🙂

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness – I just wrote a review for A Monster Calls last week, and now I’ve got a massive urge to read more Patrick Ness. Back when I read A Monster Calls for the first time, I adored it so much that I immediately went out and bought almost every Patrick Ness novel in existence, which included the entire Chaos Walking trilogy. I’m hoping I can finish the entire thing before the end of the year, so it’s about time I get on it! On a side note, I also partially blame Heather from The Sassy Book Geek for reminding me the other day that I still need to read this trilogy! 😛

4. More Than This by Patrick Ness – Speaking of Patrick Ness… Look, sometimes you just need to go on a Patrick Ness binge, you know?

5. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I picked up a copy of this novel last year right when it came out (and when I saw those black pages, to be completely honest!). Since then, I have heard nothing but fantastic things about it, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what I think. I’ve also had Leigh Bardugo’s books on my radar for quite a while now, and this series definitely seems the most like my type of story. It sounds absolutely awesome!

6. Beastly Bones by William Ritter – I read and really loved Jackaby at the beginning of last year, so I’m excited to continue on with these books. This series is hilarious, creative, and honestly just plain fun—it should hopefully be a nice, chill read, which is something I’ve been really needing lately. On top of that, the next book in the series is coming out this summer, so I need to catch up ASAP!

7. Doctor Who: Borrowed Time by Naomi Alderman – A bit of a random choice, yes, but we all know about my love (*cough*obsession*cough*) of everything Doctor Who. There are a number of these novels on my TBR at the moment and I want to start making my way through them. They are nice for a entertaining, quick read each month, and this is the one I’m most in the mood to read next. Also…Doctor Who… ❤

8. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton – This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and is going to be one of the next books I read. Yes, I know I said at the beginning of this post that I’ve been getting too distracted by new releases lately, but I just can’t wait for this one! And…you know…one more can’t hurt, right? We’ll just keep this between us… 😛

9. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken – Another one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and a book I’ve had on my TBR since January. I’ve had to keep putting it off each month, so I’m determined to finally get to it soon. Last week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic also made me realize that, though I completely love stories about time travel, I’ve not actually read all that many. Clearly, this is something I need to fix, and what better way to get started?

10. Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey – I just recently discovered this one and am definitely intrigued. It sounds like it might be a fun read, but I will say, I am slightly iffy about it because it sounds like it will be a little more focused on romance than my typical reads. I feel like this might be a novel that I’m either really going to love or just not be able to get into, but I’m interested to see what I think!

What are some of the books on your spring TBR? Do we have any in common? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

13Mar2016

The Inside Out Book Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve actually not yet watched this movie even though I’ve been wanting to for ages. I never got a chance to see it while it was in theaters, and I still haven’t gotten around to it. I’m definitely going to have to get on that now! I was tagged to do the Inside Out Book Tag by Michelle from Book Adventures. Thank you so much for the tag, Michelle! Please make sure to stop by and check out her blog—she is a great book blogger. 😀

Joy – A book that brings you joy.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Is anyone surprised at this point? …No? I’m definitely becoming quite predictable, but how could I not pick my favorite book of all time for this one? This is a sad story in many ways, but it is extremely heartwarming as well. Both the message and the actual text itself are truly beautiful. It also brings me joy due to the massive impact that it has had on my life. This novel, and its film for that matter, have inspired me in countless ways—more than I could have ever imagined. It makes me feel so good to read this story, no matter how many times I do so.

Sadness – A book that made you sad.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I’m definitely finding that the older I get, the more frequently I cry during books and movies. However, for the longest time I rarely ever did. A Monster Calls was one of the first novels to really make me cry…and oh boy did I cry during this story. This is an incredibly sad but very beautiful and rewarding read—I cannot recommend it highly enough if you have not yet picked it up. Click here to read my full review of A Monster Calls!

Fear – A book that has truly scared you.

The Shining by Stephen King

I’m going to have to agree with Michelle on this one and say The Shining. Even though I tend to think of myself as being super jumpy, I have never actually been scared by any books, movies, video games, etc. Despite that, I still absolutely love anything that falls into the thriller or horror categories, so my library of “scary” books is quite large. The Shining has come the closest by far to actually frightening me. It is an intriguing and incredibly chilling story that I highly recommend—Stephen King is an absolute master of the horror genre.

Disgust – A book that disgusted you.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

I can’t really think of any novels that I’ve read that have made me feel disgusted. So I’m going to have to fudge this one a little bit and choose a novel I have never—and absolutely will never—read. I’ve heard people read little excerpts from this series and I just don’t think I could ever stomach any part of this story.

Anger – A book that makes you angry.

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

This book…just…no. I’ve talked before about my tendency to go into the library and pick up books at random, and how sometimes I have found some new favorites. This was not one of those times. The idea of the plot could have made a fantastic story, but instead it was just a giant mess of clichés and annoying characters. The ending, which had the potential to be slightly redeeming for the plot as a whole, turned out to be just as predictable as the rest of the novel. On top of this, the writing itself felt as if it had never even been edited, and the author frequently used the same descriptions and phrases repeatedly within, at most, a page of each other. It was quite a frustrating read to say the least.

I Tag:

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Umbreen @ Read by Umbreen

Bree @ The Literary Hellion

T.K. @ Read It or Not Reviews

Ashleigh @ A Frolic Through Fiction

Trisha @ The Bookgasm

8Mar2016

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Posted in Book Reviews by TheQuirkyBookNerd

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

My Rating: 5/5 TARDISes

Series: Standalone

Date Published: May 5^th, 2011

Publisher: Walker Books

Pages: 215 pages

Source: Library

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

____________________________________________________________________

This is a spoiler-free review.

No matter how hard I try, I am never going to be able to sufficiently capture my love for this book in words. Simply put, this novel is completely and utterly beautiful. It was not at all what I was expecting when I picked it up, but it took me completely by surprise in the best of ways. It is a novel that is intensely thought-provoking and unexpectedly haunting. Heartbreaking and deeply moving, A Monster Calls is a captivating picture of love, loss and, ultimately, hope.

In this novel, we follow a young boy named Conor, who wakes from his recurring nightmare one evening to discover a monster at his window—not the one from his nightmares, but the yew tree from the backyard. He faces it with bravery, as he has far more frightening things in his life vying for his attention. But this monster is persistent, returning to him multiple times, bringing a new story with each visit and only hoping to yield one thing. The monster knows Conor is hiding something from everyone and expects him to be the one to tell the last story, finally revealing the truth he is so desperate to avoid.

As I have said, the story ended up being far different than what I had originally been anticipating when I discovered this novel—and I am so glad that it was. It was chilling in unique and unexpected ways that had me glued to every page. The narrative is rooted in an intriguing combination of psychological and supernatural elements, while also maintaining a great deal of realism.

The plot, first and foremost, consists of the monster’s visitations and the discussions he and Conor have. Given the realistic nature of the setting and other scenes, with any other novel, a reader might be inclined to immediately dismiss these occurrences as delusions. However, the way Ness writes this aspect of the story is extremely clever—there is a great deal of believability to it. After each encounter, we are left wondering about the actuality of this monster. It is a question that adds great complexity to the plot, and haunts until the final pages.

Ness uses a seemingly paranormal experience to portray the real-life struggle that Conor is going through. He pays homage to the tangibility of grief—how, many times, grief can feel like a concrete, physical being. He also touches on the sort of surreal façade life seems to put on in the midst of pain and sadness. We get to see how a shared pain manifests in different people, demonstrating the similarities and dissimilarities in the way human beings experience and handle a common emotion.

This psychological aspect of the story is what impacted me the most. We have all faced that moment in our lives when we realize that monsters exist in our world, though not in the forms we believed them to take when we were children. We can even feel like monsters are living inside of us when pain controls our thoughts, or possibly when light is shed on the truths we try so hard to conceal. The truth can make us question our morality, our humanity. Conor is being thrust into this awareness at such a young age and this, along with the reason for it, makes the story all the more poignant.

This novel holds some of the most stellar writing that I have ever come across—Patrick Ness is a true master of the written word. His prose is full of such exceptional beauty, and flows fluidly and poetically all the way through. Everything about his writing is enormously compelling. It is simple, yet vivid, forceful, and most importantly, highly effective and engaging. I devoured every word.

Ness makes you think sincerely about your own life, the grief you have experienced and the way you dealt with it. He has a knack for evoking strong emotions and making the reader feel utterly vulnerable and completely human. He also does justice to the complexities of profound sadness with the candor of his writing, never once letting the text feel emotionally manipulative and thus taking away from the earnestness of the story. This novel touched me in a greater way than any other novel ever has.

Jim Kay’s illustrations are done to perfection, and further add a vast amount of depth and life to the narrative. They weave seamlessly with the text and assist in setting the eerie and unnerving tone. Though the palette is simple—consisting of blacks, whites, and grays—the effect it creates is anything but. The stark contrast between light and dark gives the images a penetratingly bleak feel. The surreal and sketch-like design contributes to the frightening atmosphere, particularly when the realistic is juxtaposed with the bizarre. As a whole, the end result is unbelievably powerful.

A Monster Calls is an enthralling story that packs an emotional punch and does not disappoint. This novel has become one of my favorites of all time, and has placed Patrick Ness solidly among my favorite authors as well. The plot and the characters stick with you, making this a difficult story to get off your mind when coupled with the already mentally stimulating nature of the themes and text itself.

It is a dark and incredibly heartbreaking story, but also very touching in many ways—Ness completely nails that balance. I genuinely cannot think of any issues that I had with it—it was a true five star read for me. He has created an absolute masterpiece that delves skillfully into one of the most relatable aspects of human life. If you have not picked it up yet, please do. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.

4Mar2016

Top 5 Anticipated Releases of Spring 2016

Posted in Miscellaneous by TheQuirkyBookNerd

The weather is (slowly) beginning to get warmer and spring is rapidly approaching. Winter here has actually not been all that intense this year, but I am definitely still looking forward to nicer temperatures. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy snow to some extent, but one massive storm is enough for me! 😛

This season brings new life into both the outside world and the book world—and there is a pile of fantastic looking releases coming over these next few months. I am particularly looking forward to this book release season. Excitingly enough, I have ARC copies of a number of new releases, so expect to see some early (spoiler-free!) reviews up on here in the coming weeks! 😀

Here are the top five spring releases that I am particularly looking forward to getting my hands on!

1. Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey (April, 19^th, 2016)

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions…and Juliana herself.

2. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (May 3^rd, 2016)

How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favour.

But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go…an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

3. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick (May 10^th, 2016)

Nanette O’Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hard-working student, and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper—the mysterious, out-of-print cult-classic—the rebel within Nanette awakens.

As she befriends the reclusive author, falls in love with a young but troubled poet, and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that sometimes rebellion comes at a high price.

A celebration of the self and the formidable power of story, Every Exquisite Thing is Matthew Quick at his finest.

4. Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black (May 17^th, 2016)

Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blue’s voice—inherited from her musically gifted mother—in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass.

Armed with her mother’s guitar, a knapsack of cherished mementos, and a pair of magical boots, Blue journeys west in search of her sister. When the devil changes the terms of their deal, Blue must reevaluate her understanding of good and evil and open herself to finding family in unexpected places.

In Devil and the Bluebird, Jennifer Mason-Black delivers a heart-wrenching depiction of loss and hope.

5. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (June 7^th, 2016)

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books, This Savage Song is a must-have for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A Darker Shade of Magic. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.

What new releases are you most looking forward to this spring? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

23Feb2016

Top 10 Tuesday – February 23rd, 2016

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you enjoyed recently (in the last yearish) that weren’t your typical genre/type of book (or that were out of your comfort zone). I’ve been on a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy binge for a while now (a.k.a. my comfort zone), so we’re going to have to go more toward the “ish” side of yearish. Also, to help myself come up with ten, I’ve split the list into two parts—five that I enjoyed and five that I did not. There is a little bit of a theme here, since the majority of this list are romance and contemporary novels.

This will probably come as no surprise to anyone, but I am and always have been a complete reading addict. I am someone that will read absolutely anything I can get my hands on, and I typically do stray out of my comfort zone a fair amount. In fact, I enjoy doing so, even if I end up not enjoying the novel I choose—it’s always fun to try new things no matter what, and you might end up finding a new favorite! I don’t regret trying any of these novels, I just definitely preferred some over others…

Liked

1. Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

Over the past few years, I have been making a point of trying to read a larger number of debut authors, and this is one that I picked up from the library for exactly that reason. This novel was pretty far outside of my comfort zone, but it ended up really taking me by surprise. It was very well written, with a sweet romance and a lovely message about the importance of love, friendship, and literature. Plus, there were tons of references to To Kill a Mockingbird in it! 😀

2. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I picked up a copy of this back when it first came out (to be honest, I think this was a bit of a cover buy!), but had let it sit on my shelf for ages. I finally got around to reading it last year when I was looking for something a bit different from my normal type of read—and I actually ended up really enjoying it. This story had much more depth than I was expecting, and I thought the author’s writing style was great. It ended up being a quick and unexpectedly satisfying read, and I’m so glad I gave it a try.

3. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

This was not all that far out of my comfort zone, but it is still a contemporary romance novel, so it totally counts! I read this at the end of last year and absolutely loved it—this was a perfect way to wrap up my 2015 reads. It was hilarious, adorable, and made me feel all of the warm fuzzies I was hoping to feel. ❤

4. Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

I found this one while randomly browsing at the bookstore one day, and decided to add it to my debut author TBR. I absolutely did not expect to enjoy this novel as much as I did. This story had a fantastic amount of depth and I thought that the writing was stellar. The characters and all of their storylines were developed and presented well in the context of the plot, and I loved the unique choice of narrator. This was definitely a good impulse purchase!

5. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

This was another one that I picked up from the library on a whim—mainly because I love reading novels in verse—and it’s another that ended up taking me completely by surprise. The plot is sort of a common contemporary novel premise, but it is still successfully unique. And when done well, like it is here, I usually really enjoy this type of story. The prose flowed beautifully, and I found the story itself to be quite captivating and thought-provoking. On top of this, I actually quite enjoyed the romance aspect—it was sweet, touching, and well-paced.

Didn’t Like

1. Dead Rules by Randy Russell

This book…just…nope. I grabbed this from the library for no particular reason. Couldn’t get into it. Didn’t actually finish it (which is insanely rare for me). In hindsight, that tagline should have told me to maybe skip over this one when I found it.

2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Okay, so to be honest, this is probably another book that I maybe shouldn’t have attempted, but I still don’t regret it! I figured I would give it a go after all the incredible things I had heard about it—and I can definitely see why people enjoy this series. But I think I can finally confirm that supernatural romance just really isn’t my thing…

3. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

This novel caught my attention due to the creativity when it came to points of view. I figured this would be a really unique take on a typical contemporary romance novel, so I was more than happy to give it a go. Sadly, I just could not feel any connection at all between the romantic interests, and it was difficult to fully immerse myself in the plot due to the constantly changing viewpoints (as well as the quantity). I actually have a full review for this novel that I will be posting pretty soon, so I will go into a bit more detail then!

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

This one was slightly closer to my comfort zone than some of these other novels. However, though it is a fantasy story, there is a much larger focus on romance than the typical fantasy novels I read. In fact, the romance ended up being pretty much the main focus of the story, which unfortunately did not serve it well in my opinion. It made sense, given the premise, that love would play a significant role in the plot, but the romance fell quite flat for me. Overall, the story was creative and incredibly unique, but I would have liked to see more attention paid to the fantasy aspect, and a much stronger and more well-developed setting and cast of characters.

5. Almost by Anne Eliot

I purchased this novel back when it first came out, but it sat on my kindle for a really long time. Honestly, I can’t recall why I bought it—but again, trying new things is always good. This was definitely my favorite from the “disliked” section of this list. I would mainly chalk my dislike of it up to unlikeable characters and slightly repetitive and frustrating plot progression. It was not a bad novel by any means, it was simply just not for me.

No matter what my feelings were, once again…

What are some books that you’ve read lately that were out of your comfort zone? How did you feel about them? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

19Feb2016

The Skyrim Book Tag (Original)

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Though I was incredibly late when it came to getting around to playing it for the first time, Skyrim is one of my absolute favorite games of all time. I’ve been playing quite a bit of it lately and of course, being the book nerd that I am, it got me started thinking about a Skyrim book tag. I was pretty certain there would already be one, but was surprised to see that one does not appear to exist yet. Obviously, I had to fix that! 😀

This is the first tag I’ve ever created, so bear with me!

Fus Ro Dah – A book that blew you away.

For this one, I’m going to have to go with a recent read—Vicious by V.E. Schwab. I feel like I can’t even begin to describe how much I adored this novel. Given my love of superheroes and supervillains, I was fairly certain I was going to enjoy it, but I still wasn’t at all prepared for how amazing it ended up being; it was everything I was hoping for and so much more. Victoria Schwab is a master at storytelling and character creation, bringing to life a unique plotline with a vivid and extremely complex cast of characters. It was exciting, fast-paced, and suspenseful, making it hard to put down and to get off my mind.

Dovahkiin – Favorite “chosen one” story.

Harry Potter. Hands down. Okay, so I admit that’s an obvious choice, but it’s the truth! 😀 To be honest, I don’t have a lot of “chosen one” stories that I really love. I do enjoy them from time to time, but I’m a bit picky because they can easily be too repetitive or over-the-top. It can be frustrating when they get too far into “special snowflake” or “deus ex machina” territory. The Hunger Games would be an extremely close second.

Thu’um – A book that got a verbal reaction out of you (good or bad).

Since I’m good at being indecisive, I’ll pick one for each!

Good – I would say anything by Gillian Flynn, but I have only read two of her stories, so Gone Girl and The Grownup. Never before have I read stories so brilliantly plotted and with such insane and surprising twists. I don’t think it will ever be possible for me to get through one of her novels without some sort of verbal outburst!

Bad – A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall. I know I shouldn’t have been surprised given the fact that contemporary romance novels and I don’t usually get along so well. The prospect of fourteen different points of view really caught my attention—I mean, two of them were a squirrel and a park bench! However, while it was a creative concept, this was one of the most frustrating stories I have ever read, and it had me shouting at the characters on many occasions. It was impossible to connect to any of the main characters with so many perspectives, and the progression of the romance faced so many near misses and setbacks that it became completely implausible.

Arrow to the Knee – A book or series that started out well but ended up being disappointing.

Again, since indecisiveness is my forte, I’ll pick one of each (kind of…)! 😛

Book – This was one that I was a bit conflicted on, but I would have to say Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I loved the concept for this novel, and though I never really connected with the main character at any point, the story started out strong. Between the concept of the superpowers and Aveyard’s beautiful, vivid writing, I was completely hooked. But as the story went on, the focus turned away from the interesting and important aspects of the plot and more toward trivial things. On top of that, the ending was fairly predictable and a bit too sudden to be believable. I did not hate Red Queen by any means, and I will definitely be continuing on with this series at some point, but I found this first novel to be on the disappointing side.

Series – I have not yet finished the final book, but the Divergent trilogy was a series that I felt did not retain the same quality as it started out with. Divergent is fantastic, one of my favorite books, and it got my hopes up pretty high about the rest of the series. However, I just could not get into Insurgent, and found that it was missing a good amount of what I loved about the first novel. Unfortunately, the series as a whole ended up being rather disappointing.

Shadowmere – Favorite literary/fictional animal or pet.

My favorite literary/fictional animals in general—conveniently staying with the theme of Skyrim—are dragons. And though I would totally not mind having a dragon as a pet, I might have to choose a direwolves from Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series for that favorite. I absolutely love wolves, and these intelligent and beautiful animals would make incredibly loyal companions.

Alduin – Most frightening literary/fictional animal.

Having just said how much I love wolves, I have to briefly contradict myself and choose the wolves of the White Witch’s secret police in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe—specifically Maugrim, the captain. I still generally adore wolves, but these ones completely freaked me out when I was younger (and still a bit today, if I’m honest)! I chalk part of my fear up to how insanely creepy they were in the old BBC film that I watched as a kid; I remember actually having to close my eyes through some of their scenes the first few times I watched it! However, they are also (understandably) presented as very frightening and vicious in the novel as well.

Companions Guild – Best literary friendship.

Though there are tons of amazing literary friendships that I love, I have to go with my all-time favorite one—Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. In my opinion, this is the most brilliant character pairing in literary history. They have a unique relationship that works so well in the context of the stories—they complement each other perfectly. This is truly a dynamic duo!

Dark Brotherhood – The darkest story you’ve ever read.

This would be a toss up between Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Alice by Christina Henry. My favorite types of stories—both to read and to write—are dark ones, and these two are by far the most intense and twisted novels I have ever read. They were both absolutely spectacular as well!

Thieves Guild – Favorite morally ambiguous character.

Okay, so I really want to choose Loki for this one, because he is my favorite of all-time. However, I did want to go with a book character, so I’ll choose one of my newest favorites—Victor Vale from Vicious by V.E. Schwab (goodness, there were a lot of “v’s” in that statement…). He is one of the best examples of an antihero that I have ever come across. I feel like I’ve said this a million times before, but he is totally that type of character that you hate to love and maybe even love to hate. He is so well-imagined and I absolutely adored reading about him.

Wuld Nah Kest (whirlwind sprint) – Your fastest read.

One of the fastest reads I’ve ever had was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. This is not a long story, but the beautiful writing and skillful storytelling makes it fly by so much faster. It took me about two hours to read—and that’s even counting the extra time it took due to inability to see anything through my tears!

Tiid Klo Ul (slow time) – Your slowest read.

The slowest read I can remember ever having was Insurgent, which took me about three months to get through. I’m not the fastest reader in the world, but I usually get through most books in a reasonable amount of time. So taking three months to finish a book is quite a rare occurrence for me. Insurgent, unfortunately, really paled in comparison to Divergent, and I found it relatively difficult to get into. That, coupled with the fact that I was in a bit of a reading slump at the time, definitely took away from my motivation to read it.

Tamriel – Favorite fictional world.

It will come as absolutely no surprise to any of you who know me pretty well by know when I say Narnia. It is such a beautifully created world, full of magic, awesome mythical creatures and, the best part, talking animals! No matter what, there will always be a small part of me that keeps hoping I’ll find a doorway in the back of a wardrobe. 🙂

Bonus Question:

“Sworn to Carry Your Burdens” – The heaviest book you own.

By far, the heaviest book that I own is my leather bound edition of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. It is also, coincidentally, one of my favorite books that I own as well! 🙂

I Tag:

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Kayla @ Bookedsolid1989

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

The Orang-utan Librarian

SSJTimeLord

Ashleigh @ A Frolic Through Fiction

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions

Yasmin and Paige @ The Wild Readers

Jesse @ Books at Dawn

Michelle @ Book Adventures

Liam @ Liam’s Library

Bookception21

…and anyone else who is interested in doing this tag! Also, to everyone I’ve tagged, there is absolutely no pressure to do this—only if you want to! 😀

16Feb2016

The Book Courtship Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was tagged to do the Book Courtship Tag by my friend Heather from The Sassy Book Geek. Thank you so much for the tag! Heather is an absolutely wonderful book blogger, so please take some time to head on over and check out her posts!

Phase 1: Initial Attraction – A book you bought because of the cover?

I’ve never bought a book solely because of its cover. However, covers and editions are definitely important to me when it comes to buying books. Two books whose covers were the main reason I checked them out in the first place were All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and Jackaby by William Ritter. They kept catching my eye every time I went to the bookstore, so finally I looked into what they were about—they ended up being right up my alley. The edition of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier that I own was a total cover buy. The movie adaptation is one of my favorite films, so I had been wanting to read this novel for a long time—when I saw this beautiful copy, I absolutely had to get it!

Phase 2: First Impressions – A book you got because of its summary?

I pretty much only ever buy books based on their summaries, except in the rare case of auto-buy authors. However, I remember finding the summary of More Than This by Patrick Ness particularly captivating. It was a very vague description, incredibly cryptic, and sounded like it would be one of those intense, heart-pounding stories. I completely adore mysteries and thrillers, so I knew I would have to give this a try. Plus, Patrick Ness is perfection. ❤

Phase 3: Sweet Talk – A book with great writing?

Speaking of Patrick Ness… 😀 Okay, so I’m not going to be able to choose just one novel for this answer, but I’ll keep it to two: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Vicious by V.E. Schwab. Both of these novels had some of the most spectacular writing that I have ever come across—Schwab and Ness are extraordinarily talented authors. They are both masters at creating a captivating plot and a cast of characters that their readers can easily connect with. On top of this, their words themselves flow beautifully. If you have not yet picked up either of these novels, I highly recommend them!

Phase 4: First Date – The first book of a series that made you want to pick up the rest of the series?

I have always been more of a standalone reader than a series reader, and any of the series on the embarrassingly small list of ones that I’ve read would fit this question. However, The Hunger Games is the one that stands out the most in my mind. I was totally addicted after just a few chapters and I could not put it down. This was the first series after finishing Harry Potter that I got really excited about, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Phase 5: Late Night Phone Calls – A book that kept you up all night?

This is one I’m going to have to narrow down a bit so I don’t write an insanely long list (yeah, I basically don’t sleep…who needs sleep anyway?). A somewhat recent one that comes to mind is The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. It took me forever to pick this novel up, but as soon as I did, I was immediately hooked. I spent multiple nights reading these stories until…well…it wasn’t actually night anymore. 🙂

Phase 6: Always On My Mind – A book you could not stop thinking about?

There are so many books that I’ve read just in the last year that I still cannot get off my mind. One in particular that really stands out is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This is one of the most insane, twisted, and mind-bending stories that I have ever read, and I adored every second of it. It’s definitely one of those novels that requires a lot of mental processing afterward and really sticks with you. Gillian Flynn is an evil genius!

Phase 7: Getting Physical – A book that you love the way it feels?

I love the way the edition I have of The Hobbit feels. I prefer books that have a textured cover rather than a smooth one, and this one does (and it’s a gorgeous edition in general!). Just for the record, The Lunar Chronicles novels—both the hardcovers and paperbacks—feel amazing as well!

Phase 8: Meeting The Parents – A book you would recommend to your family and friends?

I definitely have to agree with Heather on this one and say Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. Recommending books to my friends and family (and basically anyone who will listen to me!) is one of my favorite things in the world to do. However, everyone is going to have a different taste when it comes to what they are interested in reading, so I usually have to tailor my recommendations to the person. Hyperbole and a Half is one novel that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone—it’s hilarious, clever, heartfelt, and something that I truly believe everyone will enjoy.

Phase 9: Thinking About The Future – A book or series you know you will re-read many times in the future?

I don’t tend to re-read books too often, though there are some very obvious exceptions. The Harry Potter series and The Chronicles of Narnia will be series that I will definitely read a countless amount of times throughout my life. But of course, the number one book that I know for a fact I will re-read many times in the future is…you guessed it…To Kill a Mockingbird! 😀

Phase 10: Share The Love – Who do you tag?

The Orang-utan Librarian

Papercutpetals

Chelsie @ Chelsie’s Book Addiction

Jasmine @ jazzycliffhanger

Ragan @ Read.Rinse.Repeat

Anna @ Cheeky Column

Emma @ Em Does Book Reviews

A book where you found the theme interesting, but you’d like to rewrite it.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

The first book in a series that got you hooked.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A book you wish you could have right now.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

A killer book. Both senses. Take it as you like.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

A book that you found really confusing.

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

Your spirit animal book.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

A dark, twisted book.

Alice by Christina Henry

A book that surprised you in a great way, reveals to be more than it is.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

April TBR

1. The Masterpiecers by Olivia Wildenstein

2. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

3. The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith

Read in March

Anticipated Releases of April

Joy – A book that brings you joy.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Sadness – A book that made you sad.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Fear – A book that has truly scared you.

The Shining by Stephen King

Disgust – A book that disgusted you.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Anger – A book that makes you angry.

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

I Tag:

1. Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey (April, 19th, 2016)

2. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (May 3rd, 2016)

3. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick (May 10th, 2016)

4. Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black (May 17th, 2016)

5. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (June 7th, 2016)

Liked

1. Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

2. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

3. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

4. Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

5. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Didn’t Like

1. Dead Rules by Randy Russell

2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

3. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

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

5. Almost by Anne Eliot

Fus Ro Dah – A book that blew you away.

Dovahkiin – Favorite “chosen one” story.

Thu’um – A book that got a verbal reaction out of you (good or bad).

Arrow to the Knee – A book or series that started out well but ended up being disappointing.

Shadowmere – Favorite literary/fictional animal or pet.

Alduin – Most frightening literary/fictional animal.

Companions Guild – Best literary friendship.

Dark Brotherhood – The darkest story you’ve ever read.

Thieves Guild – Favorite morally ambiguous character.

Wuld Nah Kest (whirlwind sprint) – Your fastest read.

Tiid Klo Ul (slow time) – Your slowest read.

Tamriel – Favorite fictional world.

Bonus Question:

“Sworn to Carry Your Burdens” – The heaviest book you own.

I Tag:

Phase 1: Initial Attraction – A book you bought because of the cover?

Phase 2: First Impressions – A book you got because of its summary?

Phase 3: Sweet Talk – A book with great writing?

Phase 4: First Date – The first book of a series that made you want to pick up the rest of the series?

Phase 5: Late Night Phone Calls – A book that kept you up all night?

Phase 6: Always On My Mind – A book you could not stop thinking about?

Phase 7: Getting Physical – A book that you love the way it feels?

Phase 8: Meeting The Parents – A book you would recommend to your family and friends?

Phase 9: Thinking About The Future – A book or series you know you will re-read many times in the future?

Phase 10: Share The Love – Who do you tag?

1. Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey (April, 19^th, 2016)

2. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (May 3^rd, 2016)

3. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick (May 10^th, 2016)

4. Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black (May 17^th, 2016)

5. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (June 7^th, 2016)