(Belated) February Recap

I read a lot in February. Like a LOT.

Like 7 whole books, almost-4-times-as-much-as-last month a lot.

Onto the recaps!

In case you don't already know, Cress is the third book in The Lunar Chronicles series. This series will have four books, with one released every year in February. The series is a futuristic science-fiction retelling of fairy tales, with a new fairy tale character POV added with each book. Cinder, the first in the series, is a retelling of Cinderella, Scarlet, book 2, is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Cress is a retelling of Rapunzel, and Winter, the final book in the series, will be a retelling of Snow White. Cress was just as addicting and fast paced as its predecessors. However, I'd say its my least favorite of the series so far, mostly because of a certain character in this book (spoilers after the cut).

January TBR

Here's a quick book haul of all the books I bought in January. 

Physical books

-The Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd, and Archenemy by Frank Beldor

-City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

-The Serpent's Throne by Rick Riordan

Ebooks

-Chris Powell's Choose More, Lose More

-The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke 

-The Madman's Daughter by Margaret Sheperd

I also found these awesome things called samplers, which are free ebooks put out by publishers containing a sneak peek of several new and upcoming releases. I can't' decide if it's a great idea or a terrible one. Either I'll knock a few books off of my TBR shelf after reading the first chapter and deciding it isn't my jam, or I'll add a bazillion books to my TBR because I decide they all are amazing and I need to read them ALL. 

There are a lot of them on Amazon, for all different genres, but these are the ones I got.

-Fierce Reads Fall 2012 Chapter Sampler published by Macmillan
(contains Crewel by Gennifer Albin, Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama, Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride, The Shadow Secret Society by Diana Peterfreund, Outpost by Ann Aguirre, and Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien)

-Epic Firsts Teen Sampler published by HarperCollins Publishing 

(contains Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon, Breathe by Sarah Crossan, What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang, Through to You by Emily Hainsworth, and Defiance by C.J. Redwine)

-Breathless Reads Fall 2012 Sampler published by Penguin Group 

(contains Origin by Jessica Khoury, The Innocents by Lili Peloquin, Venom by Fiona Paul, Black City by Elizabeth Richards, and Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes)

-Doorway to Dreams (Fantasy Fiction Sampler) published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 

(contains Anew by Chelsea Fine, Bandits by LM Preston, Become by Ali Cross, Bound by CK Bryant, Clockwise by Elle Strauss, Dead Heat by Lisa Nowak, Ethereal by Addison Moore, Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper, Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel, Purgatory Reign by LM Preston, Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper, The Guardian by Katie Klein, and The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn)

-Hunger for Dystopian Teen Sampler published by HarperCollins Publishing 

(contains Divergent by Veronica Roth, Gone by Michael Grant, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Eve by Anne Carey, and Partials by Dan Wells)

-Pitch Dark: Dark Days of Summer Sampler published by HarperCollins Publishing 

(contains Destined by Aprilynne Pike, Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin, Partials by Dan Wells, and Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris)

-Teen Summer Reading Sampler 2012 published by HarperCollins Publishing 

(Halflings by, Reckless Heart, The Merchant's Daughter, Interrupted, FInally and Forever, and Replication)

-Epic Reads Book Club Sampler published by HarperCollins Publishing 

(contains Fall from Grace by Charles Benoit, The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, Thumped by Megan McCafferty, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, and A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young)

I think I've done enough talking about books and reading for one night. Time to get to reading!

Bout of Books Fail/January Wrap-up/February TBR

It must come as a surprise to no one that I have fallen off the face of the world again, at least in terms of this blog. There was a death in my family a few days after my last post, and that took priority over everything else. But now I'm back, so let's get back to the books.

I didn't finish any of the books on my list during the Bout of Books, but I did finish Tiger Lily by Jodi Anderson the week after. Which brings me to a total of 2 books read in January!

-Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

-Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Kinda underwhelming, truth be told, but I've got my sights set on amping it up in February. Here's my current TBR for this month:

-The Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd, and Archenemy by Frank Baldor: My friend convinced me to buy this entire series in January, and reading Tiger Lily put me in the mood for more fairy tale retellings. I've only read a few short chapters of it, but I'm really liking it so far, and I hope to binge read this series in February.

-Cress by Marissa Meyer: I'll be taking a break from The Looking Glass Wars series to read this (coming out this Tuesday, 2/4/2014!). In case you don't already know, Cress is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Cinder is book 1, and Scarlet is book 2, and they are science fiction retellings of Cinderella dan Little Red Riding Hood, respectively. Cress is a retelling of Rapunzel set in the same world as the others. I read both Cinder and Scarlet in 1-2 days and was immediately chomping at the bit of the next one, so obviously I'm really excited for this one.

I just realized my February is made up entirely of fairy tale retellings. Hopefully these reads satiate my thirst for them, because I don't think I own anymore (that I haven't already read), and I'm trying to control my book-buying addiction. 

Based on my current reading speed, I doubt I'll read more than these 4 books, but if I do, I'll check out the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Meade. I keep seeing the trailer for the movie (coming out this Valentines Day), and although I've been staying away from long vampire series for a while, this one intrigues me (also helps it's a finished series with less than 13 books in it *cough Vampire Diaries, Southern Vampire Mysteries, cough*).

Anyway, I'll blog again soon with my January Book Haul. Hope your January reading stats were better than mine!

Happy reading,

Katie

Bout of Books 9.0: Day 1

Day 1 :

Books completed: none

Currently reading: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Pages read today: 55 pages

Pages read in total: 55 pages

Challenge #1: Book Buying Spree by Bookish Comforts

(I'm not participating in the giveaway, I just thought making the list would be fun)

Challenge #2: Mad Libs by Cheap Thrills

character name – Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, by J.K. Rowling
adjective1 – Small Steps, by Louis Sachar 
adjective2 – Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer
item – The Golem's Eye, by Jonathan Stroud
occupation – The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare 
act of violence – Fight Club, by Chuck Palaniuk
adjective3 – Torn, by Amanda Hocking
noun1 – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson  
noun2 – The Goblin Wood, by Hilari Bell

I just read the greatest book!

This guy Harry Potter ends up in the middle of a small conspiracy. Turns out his ancestors were pirates, and he might be the key to finding the Scarlet Eye. It’s a mythic artifact that disappeared centuries ago, and now a shadowy group of merchants are looking for it. No one knows what uncovering it might do, but these guys are willing to fight for it.

I won’t say anything else. But believe me, if you like torn stories with dragon(s) and wood, you have to read this one.

Bout of Books 9.0

My first Bout of Books Read-a-thon! (I think, I may have unofficially participated before).

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Time Devoted to Reading

I will be reading all week.

My Goals

• Read for at least 30 minutes before bed every day.
• Finish 2 books and start a third.

Books to Read

• Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
• A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
• A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

2013 in review

Here's a quick recap of all the books I read, start to finish, in 2013 (mostly in the order I read them but with series placed together), with a 1 sentence review:

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Engaging read, I liked this even more than the first book in the Mortal Instruments series.
2. The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan - I loved this book and its focus on family.
3. The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan - I don't know how this had even more family focus in it than the first one but I'm loving it.
4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - This series is ridiculously addicting and it makes the very short list of books I must buy and read within the week it is released.
5. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson - Not a great sequel, but an excellent introduction to the main villain and showdown to be explored in the last two books.
6. Divergent by Veronica Roth - Addicting read, but Four did not live up to all his hype.
7. Murder Past Due by D.R. Meredith - This book was not for me.
8. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett - Such a fun read for anyone who has read MacBeth.
9. Lost At Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley - Interesting quick read, more literary and less fantasy than I thought it would be, but quite excellent.
10. House of Mystery, Vol 1. by Matthew Sturges - Too scary for my taste, not for me.
11. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - I needed to be in a particular frame of mind for this book, I dragged myself through the first third of it and I flew threw the rest of it.
12. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - Not really my cup of tea, my least favorite of the series so far (I'm only 25% done with the 3rd book).
13. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - It's like the author went into my head, took all the things I found lacking or wanted more of in the Percy Jackson series and put it into this book.
14. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan - This series is only getting better.
15-17. The Summer Before I Met You, The Spring Before I Met You, and The Night After I Lost You by Sarah Rees Brennan - All short stories between Unspoken and Untold.
18. Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan - This is the other book series that makes the list of books I must buy and read within the week of its release.
19. The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer - Enjoyable take on fairy tale characters, but more suited for its middle grade audience.
20. Doll Bones by Holly Black - Not as creepy as I'd hoped, but enjoyable even for an older reader.
21. Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson - Interesting new urban fantasy, loved the tension between family loyalty and personal independence.
22. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - New favorite take on vampires.
23. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - It set up these cliched tropes, and I was so disappointed, until it completely disassembled those tropes and came together beautifully, so excited for the sequels.
24. No Place Like Home by Danielle Paige - This prequel put the new release in the category of books to buy and read within the week of its release.
25. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson - I love how this book series realistically depicts religious ideology leading to the justification of horrific actions.
26. The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson - This book series keeps upping the ante and I love it.

Happy reading,

Katie

New Year, Same Blog

Hello and happy new year!

I'm sorry about the long hiatus and the lack of posts, the reasons for which are long and boring, but I'm back so let's move onto the important stuff: BOOKS (of course)

I aimed to read 30 books in 2013 (and I only read 26 books on Goodreads, 3 of which were prequel stories and 1 was a comic book style and length graphic novel). This year my Goodreads goal is to read 25 books, with a personal goal of reaching that by July and upping it to 50 books.

I also had a poor completion versus started ratio this year. There are 12 books I started reading in 2013 that I still haven't finished. A few of these I only read a few pages before deciding I wasn't in the right mood for, while some of them were books I was really enjoying but had to put down because of life and then got too much space from them to immerse myself again.

In 2014, I aim to fix this by focusing on reading books I'm really excited about instead of ones I'm 'getting out of the way'. It doesn't make sense to read books I'm not enjoying, due to being in the wrong frame of mind, for entertainment.

For this reason, I reorganized my TBR bookshelf, putting the books I'm most excited about right across from where my face is when I'm laying in bed (aka the books I see most often).

That's all for now, stay tuned for a quick review of the books I read in 2013!

Happy reading,

Katie