Saturday, December 27, 2014

Book-a-holic (BOOK HAUL!)

I have a confession to make.
I am a book-a-holic.
I buy any book that I see even though I know I no longer have room on my bookshelf and also have a endless TBR pile that is calling my name.
It's a problem.
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Regardless of my obsession, here is the giant list of books I have accumulated within the past couple of months.

(Also, I am home with the worst cold ever and a pounding headache, so excuse the poorly taken photos)

My local library was having a book sale and my mother and I decided to drop by one afternoon. I was allowing myself to leave with one, maybe two books. Well, I got carried away.

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This is the first book I saw when I walked into the book sale. I have seen this on bookstore shelves as well as on Booktube and I knew that I needed to have it. The cover is beautiful and, for that price, I knew that it had to be mine.

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I saw these books at the book sale and wondered what they were about. Although I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, these ones were simply too cute! Since they are so short I knew that they would be the perfect thing to pick up if I ever found myself in a reading slump.

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Ah, the famous World War Z. A cousin of mine read this a while back and told me it would be right up my alley. Knowing my obsession with zombie related things, I would agree with her. I can't wait to dive right into this read! 

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I have heard about this book through the grapevine but haven't had the chance to read it yet. When I saw it at the book sale I knew that it was the perfect time to buy it. This type of book is the type that will grab me from page one!

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The other interesting thing about this library sale was that people donated their old libraries to the sale. One table had a TON of antique books. This one caught my eye because A. it is beautiful and B. it looked so run down an vintage that I wanted it for my collection. 

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I saw this graphic novel at the book sale and was instantly intrigued. I have never heard of this particular graphic novel before and am super ecstatic to be reading it soon!

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I am a huge Batman fan and I have heard wonderful things about this particular graphic novel. The art in this book is simply spine chilling and I can not wait to start waiting! 

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I have distinct memories of seeing these Awkward Family Photos online but I never knew they made a book! When I saw this for under a dollar at the book sale I knew I needed to have it.

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I read Light on Snow by Anita Shreve a couple years back and I remember enjoying it. I recognized the name on a table during the sale and instantly scooped this book up. 

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I have heard of this book before and many people have told me that I would enjoy this book. This book was sold for super cheap because it was sold without a dust jacket, but that doesn't bother me! I like how it looks without one.

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I heard about The Nine Lives of Chloe King television show a while back and, to be completely honest, I never knew that this television show was based off a book. This book is quite the fattie, but I hope I like it enough to power through it.

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I saw this at the book sale and completely flipped! I was planning on ordering this book once I got home, and there it was for super cheap! When trying to get the sticker off later, I ripped the cover. I'm so excited to read this lovely book!

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I saw this book at my local Goodwill and wanted it. The synopsis had me hooked and I wanted to know more! I have read one Jodi Picoult book before and enjoyed her writing style. Can't wait to read this one! (Looks like a tear jerker!)

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I have never read this book. I know, I know, I am missing out. I have always wanted to pick it up but other books would always prioritize themselves over this one. When the movie came out I refused to watch it until I read the book. Now that I own this classic, I'm hoping I will finally settle down and read it! 

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A friend of mine was getting rid of books of hers before she went off to college and this was one of the ones on her stack that I snatched up. I know this book is basically a chick-flick on paper, but I can't wait to read it. :)

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My brother bought this book for me. God bless that boy's heart, he knows me so well. He saw it at Barnes & Noble one day and decided to pick it up for me. Got to love amazing siblings!

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My high school put on the production of Look Homeward, Angel last year and when I saw the book the play was based off of at Half-Price Books I knew that it must be mine! 

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I have heard people raving about this series for quite some time. I wanted to pick it up from the book stores but never got around to purchasing it. While at Half-Price Books recently, I saw a brand new copy of it on the shelves. Little to say I snatched it up right away! 

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I bought myself this book when I saw it on Barnes & Noble shelves recently because I had seen some people review it and say it was amazing. After reading the blurb, I knew that this was my type of book. Plus, look how beautiful the cover is! :)

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I read the first two books in The Selection series and absolutely fell in love. Gorgeous dresses, hot men, a red-headed main character(who sometimes gets on my nerves), and a castle. A perfect fluffy read for me! I can't wait to read this book. But, if she picks the wrong guy in the love triangle I might cry! 

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There is a coffee store where I live that sells used books. I was there studying one day and saw this on the shelf next to me. The description was enough to get me hooked!

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I saw this at my local Goodwill and loved the cover. I decided to read the back and instantly fell in love with the story line. I read something similar to this a long time ago and can't wait to read this book.

And that is everything! Looking at all of these beautiful covers makes me want to read them all right now...and go buy more books. Yikes, I have a problem.

Happy reading everyone! 

Friday, December 26, 2014

I'M BACK + Bout of Books 12.0

Hello everyone! You must be thinking to yourself, who is the hell is this?
Well, fellow book lovers, I am back!
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All jokes aside, I am back and better than ever! I have three main things that will be coming to this dusty blog soon.
1. General book haul

  • I have bought so many random books since last time I posted that a general book haul is definitly in order.
2. CHRISTMAS BOOK HAUL
  • As you can probably tell, I love the holidays. This Christmas I got a pretty nice stack of books to add to my ever growing collection.
3. Drum roll, please. I AM PARTICIPATING IN BOUT OF BOOKS 12.0!


Ah yes, I am back! I am so excited to be participating in bout of books again! This BoB will be during my finals, so I'm not expecting much of myself. Despite my low expectations, I am ecstatic to be participating in this Read-a-Thon.

If you would like to read more about this lovely Read-a-Thon, here you go:
"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 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th 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 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

So, if you're thinking about doing Bout of Books but aren't sure, JOIN ME! We can power through this week of book love together. 
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Happy reading! :*

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 7 Wrap-Up

We've made it, everyone! *throws party confetti* I'm so proud of everyone for all that they've accomplished this week...I meet some really great people through Bout of Books! :) It's time for my final update...someone pass me a Kleenex!

---Daily Update---

Pages Read Today: Today I read a grandslam of 305 pages.
Pages Read In Total: All right, drum roll please. During the entirety of Bout of Books 11.0 I have read 1,624 pages.
Books Finished Today: Today I started and finished Legend by Marie Lu.
What I'm Reading Next: Now that Bout of Books is done I am going to read Prodigy by Marie Lu and Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley. 
How Am I Feeling: I'm feeling good. Kind of sad, to be honest, but I am glad that I read so much during this read-a-thon. Thank you to everyone who supported me through this! 

---Gif Update---

LEGAND BY MARIE LU
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This is basically how I feel whenever I read Dystopian books. A ruthless Republic with a well-trained army and the ability to give you the plague without a second glance? No thank you!
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I simply love this book. It's a fun read that is fast paced and is never boring. Since this is my second time reading it, I already knew a lot of what was going to happen but I still enjoyed the book which is good. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy! :)

Guys.
I finished all of my books on my TBR...how did that happen? I am giddy with the fact over how much I read. I am ticking off the days until January 5th for Bout of Books 12.0!

For the last time of this read-a-thon, happy reading! :)

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 6 Update

---Daily Update---

Pages Read Today: Today I only read 134 pages of The Good Girl.
Pages Read In Total: In total I have read 1,319 pages during Bout of Books 11.0
Books Finished Today: Today I finished The Good Girl! Woohoo!
What I'm Reading Now: Tomorrow I am going to start Legend by Marie Lu.
How Am I Feeling: I'm feeling kind of sad today, to be completely honest. The reason is didn't read much today is that two of my best friends are getting on a plane and going off to college tomorrow morning so I spent the majority of the day with them. Unlike other days, I don't feel bad for putting my reading on the backburner. Oh well, I finished a book so that's good! Goodbyes are hard(to good friends and good books).

---Gif Update---

THE GOOD GIRL BY MARY KUBICA
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This is how I felt basically during the end of this book, nay, the ENTIRE book. This book is never boring and you are always learning new things. I actually think I might right a full review on this book...We'll see.
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Goodness. This book ended exactly how I was hoping (no spoilers) but Mary Kubica really should have left the epilogue out. I just feel like there were enough twists that made the book interesting and that the las minute twist was unnecessary. I do want to reread this book further down the line and see if the book is any different with the "twist", but I am just disappointed right now with the copout ending. Some reviews I read said that people LOVED the ending...but I didn't. Without the epilogue, though, the ending was perfect.

Oh well, I still loved The Good Girl! :) We're almost to the finishline! Time to finish last minute reading! :)

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 6 Challenges

Once reading about this challenge I knew I couldn't pass it up…so much fun! :)

SPELL IT OUT CHALLENGE

I decided to spell out my name with books for this challenge! I actually had difficulty finding books that start with "L". Here, without further ado, is my name written in books!


C- Cress
A- Allegiant
L- Love Anthony
L- The Lovely Bones(my copy is worn so it's hard to see in the photo)
I- Insurgent
E- The Elite





And there you have it! I had so much fun participating in this challenge and can't wait to see everyone's photos…if you did this challenge leave your link below and I'll check it out! :)

Happy Reading! 

Friday, August 22, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 5 Update

---Basic Update---

Pages Read Today: Today I read 218 pages of The Good Girl.
Pages Read In Total: In total I have read 1,185 pages in total! Go me!
Books Finished Today: I didn't finish any books today but I'm getting close to finishing with The Good Girl.
What I'm Reading Now: I will be finishing off The Good Girl and then starting Legend.
How Am I Feeling: I'm feeling good! The Good Girl is fantastic so far! I am hooked. The feeling of reading a great book always puts me in a good mood.

---Gif Update---

THE GOOD GIRL BY MARY KUBICA
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It's official. This book is addicting! I 110% recommend reading it. I can't believe this is Mary Kubica's debut novel! She's so talented! I honestly can't seem to put this book down.

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This book has me on the edge of my seat. Throughout this entire book small pieces of the puzzle fall into place but I'm still engrossed in every detail. SO. GOOD.

Alright, time to go to sleep...hopefully I can get some quality book time tomorrow! Happy reading! :)

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 4 Update

---Basic Update---

Pages Read Today: Today I read the last 40 pages of The Eleventh Plague, 136 pages of The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, and 28 pages of The Good Girl!
Pages Read In Total: In total I have read 967 pages this week! Whoopie!
Books Finished Today: Today I finished Volume 1 of The Superior Foes of Spider-Man and The Eleventh Plague.
What I'm Reading Now: I am reading The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
How Am I Feeling: I'm honestly feeling fantastic. I just got home from friends' graduation bonfire and, although it took major time away from reading, I'm feeling great. Breaks with good friends are definitely needed during read-a-thons!

---Gif Update---

THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE BY JEFF HIRSCH
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All I can say is that there is this badass battle scene that I was totally into. It was ACTION PACKED.
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The ending, as I was expecting, was subpar. Luckily I wasn't expecting much so that's okay.

THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN: VOLUME 1 BY NICK SPENCER AND STEVE LIEBER
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This comic is SO clever! I was actually giggling the entire time I read it. The humor in this comic made me not want to put it down.

THE GOOD GIRL BY MARY KUBICA
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THIS BOOK IS SO SUSPENSEFUL! Goodness, I had a hard time putting this book down because I just want to know what happened. Ugh. Read this book.

I really want to get back to The Good Girl but, for now, I have to sleep. Happy reading everyone! 

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 4 Challenges

I have been having so much fun looking at everyone's book reccomendations today! I love finding new books. :)

LIKE THIS, TRY THIS CHALLENGE

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If you liked the cute, squeel-worthy movie She's The Man then you will love Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman! This book is your typical boarding school novel! Natalie, our MC, is the romance columnist in her high schools newspaper. The boys at her school won't seem to give her any straight forward answers about love. Taking matters into her own hands, Natalie decided to dress up as a boy and enroll in a private, all-boys boarding school. Of course, like most cutesy books, Natalie falls in love with her roommate. I know my favorite part of She's The Man was when Viola almost gets caught...and trust me, Babe in Boyland has plenty of close-call moments.

Great, now I want to go watch She's The Man.

Oh well! Time to get back to reading! :)

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 3 Update

---Basic Update---

Pages Read Today: I read 240 pages of The Eleventh Plague today.
Pages Read In Total: In total I have read 755 pages during Bout of Books 11.0 so far.
Books Finished Today: I didn't finish any books today but I am close to finishing The Eleventh Plague!
What I'm Reading Now: I'm finishing the last few chapters of The Eleventh Plague.
How Am I Feeling: Really good! I was pretty busy today so I didn't have much time for reading but I binge read for a couple hours and made a huge dent in my book! Yippe! Plus I got a great nights sleep last night so I feel really well rested.

---Gif Update---

THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE BY JEFF HIRSCH
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I'm going to have to fess up to this...Any book about the post apocalyptic world/zombies is a guilty pleasure for me. No matter how poor the writing is I will LOVE any book that has to do with these topics. Its awful but I can't seem to lull my obsession. Oops.

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So yes, I am bias to say that this book is really enjoyable! Each time something happens in this book I wriggle around in my seat and clap my hands like a child. I LOVE POST APOCALYPTIC BOOKS GUYS.

Until tomorrow, HAPPY READING EVERYONE :)

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 3 Challenges

This challenge was TOUGH for me.

I had to ask my brother if I could look through his bookshelf because I couldn't make a coherent sentence for the life of me.

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CREATE A SENTENCE CHALLENGE

Books I used and their first two words:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- Late in
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines- I was
Acacia by David Anthony Durham- the assassin
Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian- The morning
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester- Piper decided

My sentence:
Late in the morning Piper decided I was the assassin.

That was rough. As stated earlier, I tried my best.  

I need to get back to reading because I am WAY behind today...oops!

As always, happy reading :)



Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 2 Update

---Basic Update---

Pages Read Today: Surprisingly, I read 235 pages of The Atlas of Love. I was busy all day so I'm surprised I read that much!
Pages Read In Total: So far, I have read 515 pages during Bout of Books!
Books Finished Today: I finished The Atlas of Love today
What I'm Reading Now: In the morning I am going to start The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
How Am I Feeling: I'm feeling okay. I'm still super pumped about this read-a-thon but I really could go for a loooong nap(a sleep-a-thon?).

---Gif Update---

THE ATLAS OF LOVE BY LAURIE FRANKEL
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This book, as I said yesterday, is mega cute! The last, I'd say, 3rd of the book was absolutely CRAZY! I of course loved it. It was dramatic and I didn't see it coming! I'm glad I read this one despite some people hating it. :)

Yay! I'm so glad I get to start a new book tomorrow...I think that's what I love about Bout of Books so much...You get the exciting feeling of a new book EVERYDAY!

Until tomorrow, happy reading! :)

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 2 Challenges

I survived day one! And if you're reading this, you did too! HOW GREAT IS THAT? :)
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All excitement aside, I did both challenges again! Yay for reading challenges!

ONE TRUE PAIRING CHALLENGE

When I saw this challenge I didn't have a doubt in my mind which couple I would pick.

***kind of spoilers but not really just read the dang book its so good***
Cath and Levi from Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl are my ultimate OTP. Everything from Cath reading to Levi (DREAM DATE…cute boys + reading = yes please) to Levi simply bringing her coffee melted my heat.

The lack of sweet, kind love interest in books is pretty sad. It seems like most people think that a love interest has to be overly-sexual and rude to be a suitable candidate for a romance. Don't get me wrong, I love myself a bad boy. But I have to say that Levi being sweet to Cath is refreshing in contemporary novels.

And can we just talk about how freaking cute he is! He's tall, quirky, goofy, and smiley. He's honestly the perfect guy for Cath. I would TOTALLY read a fluffy book about Cath and Levi being married. Sign me up!


And Levi is a very under appreciated flirt throughout the entire book! I LOVE IT!

He's so swoon worthy and I just about starting squealing when they were kissing in Levi's room. Cath and Levi's flirty banter is adorable and simply writing this makes me want to go reread Fangirl.

“She smiled, and her eyes started to drift downward. 
"Cather..." Back up to his eyes."You know that I'm falling in love with you, right?”

sa-woooon! 

BOOK SPINE POETRY CHALLENGE

I'm going to be honest, this challenge took me forever to do. I just couldn't seem to make sense, let alone make poetry. After the third try, I finally figured out something that made sense. Woohoo!


Perfect
Someone Like You
is
Anything but Typical
I am
Not That Kind of Girl
Are you
The One?
Are we
Meant to Be?
Its
Something Like Fate
Perfect

Eh? 8 books = 8 free words

Well, I tried my hardest. Also, why in the heck do I own two books named Perfect? 

Happy reading, everyone! :)

Monday, August 18, 2014

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 1 Update

---Basic update---

Pages Read Today: Today I read 179 pages of The Giver and 101 pages of The Atlas of Love
Pages Read In Total: I have read 280 pages in total!
Books Finished Today: I finished The Giver
What I'm Reading Now: I am reading The Atlas of Love
How am I feeling: I am super pumped but have a headache...I'm hoping a full night's rest will cure this!

---Gif Update---

THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY:
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...in other words, I questioned humanity and refell in love with Lois Lowry's writing

THE ATLAS OF LOVE BY LAURIE FRANKEL:

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friendship + babies = ULTRA CUTENESS

As I said above, I will attempt to get a good night's sleep and wake up tomorrow prepared for more epicness!

Until next time, HAPPY READING! :)