weekly recaps

weekly recap

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Hi, guys! First off, sorry I didn’t post yesterday. I was exhausted and a little bit lazy… and it completely slipped my mind that I didn’t have a post scheduled. Also, I apologize for not answering emails or comments and generally polite things bloggers are supposed to do. But I’m here today! (Even if it’s a little late in the day…) Since I didn’t get any books this week (I know! Can you believe it? I didn’t go to the library once this week! Of course, I got a LOT last week), today’s Saturday post isn’t a Stacking the Shelves. Instead, it’s a weekly recap. So I’ll delve right in.

the books i read

I read four books this week. Last week, I mentioned trying to read seven this week, and I started off on a really good start! … but then life happened (ew, reality), and it just didn’t happen. 🙁 BUT I did read those four in four straight days. Granted, they were all awesome books, and one was particularly short… but STILL. I’ll take it! I’m thinking I’ll try again sometime, maybe in December (as far off as it seems; I know it will come quickly), during Christmas break. Perks of being home-schooled – I have five or six (FIVE or SIX – can you believe that?!) weeks off then, so I’m thinking that’s when I’ll have the most time on my hands.

emily

As for the books this week…

emily

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume: That is a REALLY long title! Did anyone else try reading it aloud to see if they had to take a breath…? Lol. I’ll just call it ‘Cornelia’ if that’s okay! I gave it FIVE stars. It was SO DARN CUTE, and it had me bawling at the end. (I kid not. It was an… emotional week, anyway, so.) All that aside, I would have cried no matter what kind of week it was. It’s definitely made its way to the books that influence the kind of books I want to write someday, so it’s high up there. Thankfully, I own it, too! The review will be up on September 7th, but just a heads up that I post all of my reviews on Goodreads weeks before they go up on my blog. 🙂 You can read the review for this one here.

Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg: Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, this was so sweet. It’s called PROM & PREJUDICE, so… why wouldn’t I pick this up?! If anyone knows me at all, they know I’m a Jane Austen fan, and this Elizabeth Eulberg book did not disappoint. I felt like Miss Eulberg took just enough creative license to add a modern twist to Miss Austen’s book, and I loved it. And of course, the review will have lots of Pride & Prejudice GIF’s. (I mean, hello!)

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen: Good. VERRRRY GOOD. Alright, so a) after reading The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen, I knew I had to read the next two books in the trilogy. I was NOT expecting to like it so much. I didn’t read the first and second book back-to-back like I did the second and third book, because The False Prince didn’t really end on a cliffhanger. The Runaway King did, and… erm…

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen: THIS WAS EVEN BETTER than the other two. Except it ripped my heart out. Like three bajillion times.

And then my heart was put back together, and I was FLIPPING. OUT. Don’t expect a sensible review for this trilogy, okay? I love it too much to really think through the flaws. 😀

the book i put down

I started The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg. Yeeeeaahh… two chapters in, two fifteen year olds were taking clothes off and I was like…

(Clearly, I love Full House! … and Michelle.)

I really liked Elizabeth Eulberg’s books, Better Off Friends and Prom & Prejudice, but clearly her books are hit or miss. I definitely didn’t like The Lonely Hearts Club. 

the book i’m currently reading

I have about 100 pages left in Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer. I absolutely fell in love with the mother/daughter authors’ first book, Between the Lines. Then I just knew I had to read the sequel because a fictional prince coming to the real world definitely piqued my interest.

At first, within the first chapter there was a mention of Oliver (the prince) joining an LGBT club at school…? Um. I wasn’t totally okay with that… but I kept reading, and the book is pretty clean (aside from detailed kissing, which I ended up skimming), and I really liked the fact that there were loads more characters than in Between the Lines. I still have 100 pages left in the book, but I’ll be sure to tell you all of my thoughts when I finish.

so what books have you read this week? have you acquired any more to add to your shelves?

Emily

 

 

P.S. On Monday, I’ll be hosting a giveaway for a paperback copy of The Huntress Of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson! Be sure to drop by then to enter! 🙂

miscellaneous 'bookish' things, tags & awards

infinity dreams award

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Hi, guys! Recently, Audrey nominated me for the Infinity Dreams Award, and it looks like a lot of fun. I love doing tags and awards because – hello – who doesn’t love talking about themselves?! Audrey has some lovely questions, and then I’ll be nominating a few of my favorite blogs with some questions for them!

Rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you (thank you so, so, so much, Audrey!)

-Answer their 11 questions

-Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 questions (I’m going to only nominate three or four people, if that’s okay.)

Now for Audrey’s questions!

1.) You get to meet and spend the day with one of your favorite authors. Who is it?

Rachel Coker. I love Rachel’s blog posts, her books, and her GORGEOUS Instagram feed (her photography is stunning!) In June, I was originally supposed to go the Rachel’s dream factory workshop, and I was STOKED. Unfortunately, it got cancelled, but I would still love to meet her one day. (Hopefully at the next Dream Factory Workshop!) 🙂

2.) What are some of the books on your TBR (to-be-read) list?

Oh, gosh… there are so many. I have 60 or 70 books on my Goodreads want-to-read list, but you’re welcome to check those out here. THESE are the books I own and haven’t read yet…

emily
Fun fact: Half A Chance & Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, & The Good Luck Circle are signed! … making me even more guilty I haven’t read them!

Hopefully someday I’ll finish them… today (August 8th when I’m writing this), I’ve got about a hundred pages left in Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, which is a book I’ve had for several months and haven’t read – and I LOVE IT! (As I knew I would!)

emily

3.) How do you like to store/display your book collection?  Why?

I’ve always loved the idea of organizing my books by color, or something more decorative like that, but I really like the way I have them now. All of my books are organized by genre, and then if I have multiple books by an author, they go together. (But not in alphabetical order by an author’s name.) I like it organized by genre so that I can easily find the type of book I’m looking for. You can see my bookshelf tour here. It has changed a bit (the binder and notebooks have been moved underneath my bed – in a neat stack, I promise!), but as far as the genres and what’s on each shelf – it’s pretty much the same.

emily

4.) You get to jump into any fictional story…  What world are you going to join?

Ooh, goodness. (I’m looking at my bookshelf right now trying to decide!) Probably Pumpkin Falls from Heather Vogel Frederick’s Absolutely Truly, or the kingdom of Illea from The Selection world. Pumpkin Falls is just so quaint and cozy, and there’s a cute little bookstore! And Illea… well, I’d probably make a beeline to the castle to tell Miss Snooty-Pants Eadlyn what’s what. 😉

emily

5.) Once upon a time, you did something really stupid a really long time ago, but you still think about it to this day.  What was it?

Ohhhhh lord, there are SO many stupid things! 😀 Lol. I’m the worst at thinking up things I did four or five years ago late and night and regretting them… even though I was only in second or third grade. Let’s see if I can think of one that’s not too embarrassing to share. Alright, I think I’ve come up with one. It IS very, very embarrassing, but it was six years ago… so it’s not too recent!

I was in first or second grade and I remember being in the gym during P.E. SOME how or another, I sort of… wet my pants. I don’t even remember how, or why – maybe I laughed too hard, or didn’t go to the bathroom in time?! I DON’T KNOW. Either way, I was MORTIFIED. My pants were soaked, so I told my teacher that the water fountain splashed me (a lame excuse, because how is the water fountain supposed to soak the backside of your pants?! I’m pretty sure she knew the truth.) I ended up sitting in the front office and the lady at the front desk asked me if I had an accident. I told her no, of course, but again, most likely they knew the truth! I’m just hoping my other classmates didn’t notice. Luckily, my mom came with a clean pair of pants. 😀 I can still feel my face heating up at the thought of it! I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed since then – well, that might not be true, but I’ll share some more recent stories in five or six years when it’s not quite as recent. Ha!

6.) What are some books you love that you wish had larger fandoms?

Well, definitely Rachel Coker’s books (Audrey started a board on Pinterest called the “Rachel Coker Fandom Board” here! 😀 ) But also Ann M. Martin’s books. She doesn’t even have a website! D: I love Miss Martin’s books sooo much, and they’re exactly the kind of books I’d want to write. (Not so much The Babysitter’s Club Books; although I do love them, they’re not my favorite by Ann M. Martin.) I especially love The Main Street series and The Family Tree series. 🙂

emily

7.) Tea or coffee?

Coffee… with lots of creamer!

8.) Cake or ice cream?

Ice cream! (Moose tracks, please! … and in second place, I’d take butter pecan, as well.) 😉

9.) What do you want to do when you ‘grow up?’

Write books… probably within that 12-15ish age group; similarly to Ann M. Martin’s books. (PLEASE go read them! They’re so good!) And it’s also a dream of mine to open a bookstore. I’ve even picked out the little square I’d want to open it – it’s the prettiest place ever with cute little shops, but it DOESN’T HAVE A BOOKSTORE! Those two things I definitely see myself doing… and I always see cute little kids in the picture, too. I want to be a mom, for sure – SOMEDAY! 😉

Best. Movie. Ever 🙂

10.) Do you write?  If so, tell us a little about one of your characters.

Yes, I do! Um… alright, let me pick one. 😉 One of my favorite characters actually isn’t a main character in a story I’m writing; she’s the older sister of my main character. Originally, her name was Faith, but whenever I typed her name, I would accidentally type ‘Fate,’ and auto correct kept wanting to say ‘Fate,’ too. (WHY, I don’t know… auto correct never makes sense!) So I changed it to Fate because I rather liked it, and it was a little different, but still close to the sound of Faith. She’s more reserved and quiet than her sister (Rowan), and she likes to paint – something I envy, because if I could draw, or paint, or anything artsy, I’d love it! Even though she’s quiet, when she does talk, she’s very… eloquent, and knows exactly what to say.

11.) What is your favorite part about blogging?

My favorite part of blogging is talking to everyone in the comments! I love discussing books and bookish things with other girls my age, because it gets lonely not having anyone to talk to about books offline. It’s sort of like a virtual book club. It’s so much fun. I’ve made lots of good friends from book blogging… plus it’s easy to be more outgoing online! Come on, don’t deny it. 😉

You said it, Darcy.

Thanks again, Audrey, for nominating me! These questions were a lot of fun. 🙂

Now for my nominees and questions!

I nominate… Ana at Butterflies of the Imagination // Jillian at Jillian’s Books // Bella at Ciao Bella!

Here are my questions:

1.) What are some of your favorite childhood books?

2.) What is your dream career?

3.) Chocolate or fruity candy?

4.) What is one thing you love about being a bookworm?

5.) What’s your favorite type of music?

6.) Who is someone that has inspired you, and what did they inspire? (Author, parent/relative, book character, anyone!) 🙂

7.) What is one item in your room that you value most?

8.) Favorite past time… aside from reading! 🙂

9.) Do you have any pets? What are their names/what are they like? And if you DON’T have pets, what kind of pet would you like to have?

10.) How do you organize your bookshelf?

11.) Sweatpants, jeans, or skirts? 🙂

I hope Ana, Jillian, and Bella can join in the award!

feel free to leave a comment answering some of my or audrey’s questions! tell me a little about yourself!

Emily

 

 

reviews

apple and rain by sarah crossan

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Okay, it’s decided. I’m a huge fan of Sarah Crossan. This book was just so wonderfully written! I love the mix between poetry and prose in her books, and the main character of this book, Apple, was so great. I just love Apple’s voice (or rather, Sarah Crossan’s voice?) and I can’t wait to read more of her books. I wasn’t such a fan of The Weight Of Water, also by Sarah Crossan; the whole thing was written in poetry, but that wasn’t what I didn’t like (actually, I really loved it.) It was just a bit slow. But Apple and Rain was amazing!

You really didn't think I could read a book titled APPLE and Rain and not include apples in the picture, did you?!
You really didn’t think I could read a book titled APPLE and Rain and not include apples in the picture, did you?!

Title: Apple and Rain

Author: Sarah Crossan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication date: August 14, 2014

Source: library

Synopsis: When Apple’s mother returns after eleven years away, Apple feels whole again. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother’s homecoming is bittersweet. It’s only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is that she begins to see things as they really are.

A story about sad endings.
A story about happy beginnings.
A story to make you realise who is special.

The first thing I loved about the book was, like I said, Apple’s voice. I think I really loved the setting most, actually, because it affected the voice of the characters. The book was set in England, and it only made me want to visit even more! (I did have to get used to different spellings; like realize is spelled realise, etc. It didn’t bother me too much, though.) I could hear her voice so clearly in my head, and I really liked that. Each of the characters had very different voices, in fact, and it made the book even better.

In the beginning of the book, Apple had a major attitude towards her Nana, and she would say things like, When mum comes back… and it really made me so mad! I couldn’t understand why Apple even wanted her mother to come back; she left her child to be raised by her grandmother, and Apple acted like such a brat to Nana! So there’s that. I really detested Apple’s mom – oh, sorry – mum. 🙂 And I really didn’t appreciate Apple’s attitude, either. It really bugged me.

emily

Buuut when Apple’s mother finally made her grand appearance, I was happy for Apple. I could understand how excited she was… even though, being a much more sensible 13-year-old than Miss Apple over there (who is 14, I might add!), I was so ticked off at how this “mum” acted. UGH! It made my blood boil. For a while there, I didn’t really want to keep reading, because it dragged on a bit. It took Apple a while to get her head screwed on right.

The plot was too good for me to put down, though. You’ve got your sorry excuse for a mother (sorry, sorry! It’s just the way I feel, argh!), the boy-next-door character, who at first Apple doesn’t like, and then of course she falls for (I called it), Nana, Apple’s father and her stepmother (who she also doesn’t like), and one other character who I just wanted to squeeze so hard! (She made me really sad and happy, at the same time. Just… FEELINGS, people!) The characters were great, and I couldn’t just put the book down.

And yet, I totally saw the ending coming. It just wasn’t a surprise! I was a little disappointed, and I was hoping for something a little different, but that’s really my one downer. (Oh, and Apple’s mother. Did I mention that already?!) There was one thing I LOVED about this book. It made it all worthwhile:

[learn_more caption=”Spoiler alert!”] Rain, Apple’s little sister. It almost made me tear up! (Almost – I actually didn’t cry, surprisingly.) As a big sister, I just… felt the urge to hug Rain at any given moment! At first, Apple and Rain (yep, there’s the title!), are at odd ends, because they’re fighting for the attention of their mum. But then they get closer, and I just loved it. The sisterly dynamic was so sweet![/learn_more]

There was some content I should warn you about:

[box type=”warning”] Like I said, I really hated Apple’s mother! She threw several parties throughout the book, when Apple was staying with her. There was drinking, and even Apple drank too much. (And her mother allowed it! See what I’m saying?!) There were also some kiss scenes; they didn’t sit too well with me, because I don’t like to imagine a fourteen-year-old kissing that much… just… no. Ew. Other than that, the book was overall clean. [/box]

Apple and Rain gets four stars!

emilyemilyemilyemily

 

 

have you read apple and rain? do you want to? are you a fan of sarah crossan? let me know!

Emily

stacking the shelves

stacking the shelves #20

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I got a lot of books this week! I haven’t had a stack this tall in a while; but my family and I went to 2nd & Charles today (a used book store nearby; it’s a chain bookstore, so check and see if it’s in your area! It’s seriously AWESOME!) and I bought four books! I got four books that my library didn’t have (shame on you, library), and I’m super super super excited! (As you can imagine.) 😀 Sorry for this coming later in the day (it’s almost 8:30 right now – my time, that is – which feels weird, because I don’t usually write blog posts at night.) But it’s still Saturday, so it’s still stacking the shelves day!

emily

Look at all those books! Sorry if it’s a tad dark in the picture; the top there is Romeo Blue by Phoebe Stone, in case you can’t see it. The three bottom books are library books, and the top four books are from 2nd & Charles. (AKA CHEAP – don’t you love that??!)

I’ll start from the bottom. Way down there is Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer. (Remember my review for Between the Lines? This is the sequel!) I first found the book from an ad on Goodreads for this video:

Doesn’t that look funny? I can’t wait to read Off The Page. Between the Lines was adorable, and I just love Oliver! 😀 Gosh darn it, why can’t a fictional prince come to life for me?!

Preferably this prince. Don’t know if it’s possible to fall in love with a cartoon, but I absolutely love Flynn Rider. 😀

The second and third books on my stack are The Runaway King and The Shadow Throne; the second and third books in the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen. (The review for the first book, The False Prince, is coming your way on August 24th.) I LOVED the first book! Seriously, it was AMAZING! I think I’m obsessed.

The fourth book is Here Today, by Ann M. Martin. You guys know how much I LUUURRVE Ann’s books, and I completely forgot that I haven’t read this one! I didn’t even have to look at the ‘about’ to get it. Plus it’s a hardcover and was only four bucks! You can’t beat that.

More like “Saving money to buy MORE books fund.”

The next two are two of Elizabeth Eulberg’s books! I reviewed the first book I read by Miss Eulberg, Better Off Friends, a few weeks ago. It was the cutest, fluffiest contemporary romance! I ate it up in a day. 😉 Since my library didn’t have these two books – Prom & Prejudice (Pride & Prejudice contemporary retelling – YES), and The Lonely Hearts Club (which I’m pretty sure is a series), I went ahead and bought them. I got another hardback, Prom & Prejudice, for only six dollars! (Not as great a deal as four, but I’ll take it!)

Okay, so the last book on the top of the stack is Romeo Blue, by Phoebe Stone. I read The Romeo and Juliet Code, the first book in the Felicity Bathburn series, in June or July. (I think maybe even longer ago? I don’t know…) so I’m hoping I still remember the characters in the book! I’ll probably catch on. What stinks is I borrowed the first book from the library, so now I own the second book and not the first! (I’ll take this as a great opportunity to point out to my family and friends that my birthday is in FOUR WEEKS & SIX DAYS, so, um… ahem. wink wink. Felicity Bathburn series, The Romeo & Juliet Code. 🙂 )

So that waaaaas… seven books? SEVEN BOOKS! Hmm… should I try for seven books in seven days? I don’t KNOW! I might try. Maybe. Sorry I didn’t talk about cool stuff I did this week, and the books I read… it’s late and I’m tired (well actually I kind of want to sign off and go read… which book? OMG, I don’t even know.) But you can always keep track of the books I read on my Goodreads profile! Good night… or good morning! Until Monday!

Emily

lists

currently… // lists

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As promised, I have some lists for you today! I haven’t done a “currently” list post in a while, so I thought I’d do that today.

Currently loving:

  • Thinking about fall (I can’t wait for it to come!)
  • The rare moments Maisy (my cat) sits in my lap.
  • Back to doing schoolwork (sort of. In a way. I know, I can’t believe it, either…)

Currently Reading:

  • The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
  • Hopefully starting To Kill A Mockingbird soon, with my mom. 🙂
  • Re-Reading The Main Street series by Ann M. Martin (my FAVORITE childhood series, especially reading it in the fall and winter. I can’t explain why, but the books are so nostalgic and familiar, they’re just… cozy, like fall and winter!)

Currently buying:

Currently writing:

  • This blog post 😀
  • a Pride & Prejudice retelling for this contest 
  • a fairy tale novella I started a few months ago and am picking back up

Currently Listening to:

  • unreleased Taylor Swift songs (here‘s my playlist. They’re all awesome.)

  • Dreamer – Jenn Grant
  • Love Like Woe – The Ready Set
  • Kissing A Fool – Michael Buble

Currently waiting for:

  • My Hannah Everly skirt! (duh!) 😉 You have no idea how excited I am to get it. It’s SO cute.
  • a letter from my pen pal. (I always love getting those)

Currently…

  • people-watching my neighbors from my bedroom window. (Lol! I’m not creepy! I promise!) 😀
  • making my room smell like fall (I told you I’m excited!)
  • counting down to my birthday (5 weeks to the day today!! EEEP!!)
  • also counting down until I go to the beach (5 weeks and 1 day! EEEP!!)

what are you currently doing??

Emily

 

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

dear opl spotlight tour // and a giveaway!

6 Comments

Hey, everyone! Some of you may remember my ARC review of Dear Opl by Shelley Sackier in June (I read it in May.) It’s a hilarious book, and I really enjoyed it. So there’s good news for you bookworms: DEAR OPL HAS HIT SHELVES! *throws virtual confetti in the air* Whoo! In celebration of the new release, I’ve been invited to be apart of Dear Opl‘s spotlight tour! And, if you read the title correctly, there’s to be a GIVEAWAY! I’m the giveaway queen, folks. Love entering them, and I loooove having them on my blog. So hurry and read the post on Dear Opl and get entering!

about the book

Title: Dear Opl

Author: Shelley Sackier

Release date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:

There are three things Opl never expected to do during the eighth grade:

  • Start a vendetta against celebrity check Alfie Adams, the “Nude Food Dude”
  • Take yoga classes with her grandpa
  • Become a famous blogger

But after a year of shrinking down her personality to compensate for the fact that her body’s getting bigger, Opl thinks it’s about time to start speaking up again. What she doesn’t expect is that everyone actually starts to listen…

add it on goodreads!

Go on over and check it out here. You know you want to… 😉

buy the book! support the author!

it’s also miss shelley sackier’s first book ever. pretty big deal, no? so go! support the author, and buy dear, sweet opl here:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/OGAi4

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/OGAxF

Books A Million- http://ow.ly/OGBa5

iBooks- http://ow.ly/OGCmE

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/OGCDX 

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/OGCUC

about the author

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://peakperspective.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/shelley-sackier-author-photo3.jpg?w=246&h=285[/author_image] [author_info]Shelley Sackier is an author and blogger who writes about the everyday ordinary grand slams and gruesome snafus in completing the Herculean task of raising two healthy human beings. Ultimately she hopes to impart the necessary knowledge of how to balance their checkbooks and pay their taxes. Here greatest hope is to discover that parallel universes are a reality, and that somewhere she is living a life where her children have agreed to occasionally make eye contact with her. They live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. You can read more of her work, illustrated by Robin Gott, at Peakperspective.com[/author_info] [/author]

 

Find Shelley on social media:

Website: http://peakperspective.com/tag/shelley-sackier/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@ShelleySackier/

read an excerpt

Click on right over here to read an excerpt of Dear Opl. Let me know what you think in the comments!

the giveaway!!!

Okay, okay, it’s here! ENTER! GO! What are you waiting for?? 😀

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don’t have a twitter account, leave a comment below and you’ll be entered in the giveaway! US and Canada only, please. Thanks!

i hope you had fun with this little post and were able to enter the giveaway! i’ll be back on friday with a list for you all! don’t forget to comment below and tell me what you think of dear opl. until next time,

Emily

reviews

two three-star mini reviews

10 Comments

Mini reviews are great when (as unfortunate as it may be), I don’t have a lot to say about a book. It’s just me, and my blunt (rather sad) feelings because quite honestly, I didn’t enjoy the book. Now, there’s two things you need to know about my reviews: 1) I rarely pick up a book, going in, thinking I won’t like it. I just don’t. Therefore, 2) I rarely ever rate a book beneath 3 stars. When I rate it 3 stars, it’s either leaning towards 2 or 4 stars, but only once in the history of this blog have I given a book a 2-star rating. SOOO don’t take my word for it if I give a book a 3-star rating. Just don’t, okay?! It means I am confuzzled, and a confuzzled Emily is an unhappy Emily.

Either way, I still want to share my opinions on these books, because I’ve wanted to read them for a while and I want you to hear what I have to say… as confused as I may be.

emily

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Okay. I’ve passed this book dozens of times in the past three or four years. That’s right – I’ve wanted to read this book since I was ten or eleven years old, and quite honestly, I probably would have enjoyed it more back then. You know, before I was a proper reviewer (ha!) and became all smart about book plots and characters and whatnot. I related to the main character, Elise, very much. For me, at least, it’s rare that I’ve found a book where a character is… not so much a bully, but let’s call her a “dumpee.” The one who dumps the friend for a “cool” friend, when she’s really getting “dumped” herself. Yeah, I was that girl. Been there, done that. So I understood Elise.

Reading some of the reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, a lot of readers said they found Elise annoying, and I have to agree with them… but since I related to her on such a high level, she wasn’t as annoying to me. Does that make sense? That said, she annoyed me for a different reason: she wasn’t that deep. I mean, her dead father leaves her a scavenger hunt of keys to open eight mysterious doors with messages for her, and she didn’t react the way I thought she would. She was just kind of shallow. Because she affected how the plot went so much, I was left feeling like “Huh. So that was the book. Okay then.” I just thought a lot more could have been done with this amazing plot.

3 stars

emilyemilyemily

 

 

emily

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

I had really high expectations for this book, and unlike with reviewing Eight Keys, I almost feel a little guilty about giving this one three stars. It was really disappointing, because I’m such a fan of Miss Martin. See, the main character, Rose, has Asperger’s Syndrome. She’s obsessed with homonyms, and rules, and truly… she bugged me. Here’s why I feel guilty for not liking this book as much as I would have liked: Rose’s voice is spot-on. The way she handles herself, and the people around her – it’s quite like what I would imagine someone with Asperger’s Syndrome would think, feel, act like. So… I know that this can be a tricky thing to feel like, because like I keep saying, I feel bad about not liking her, and I’m having doubts about even admitting this! The way she talked (not very many contractions…?) It didn’t feel natural, and though her voice was spot-on, and incredible, it was… stiff. The plot was very sad, but I didn’t feel anything. Does that make sense? I’m not 100% sure I’m making any sense right now… yeah. Sorry! Confuzzled Emily. 🙁 I didn’t enjoy this book very much, and I hate myself for it, but… ugh.

3 stars

emilyemilyemily

 

 

so that’s where I stand with these two books. have you read them? do you want to? i would really love to know: what do you do when you feel confused about a book??

Emily

 

blog segments, miscellaneous 'bookish' things, stacking the shelves

stacking the shelves #19

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Back with another Stacking the Shelves, folks! It’s all about sharing the books you’ve gotten this week – physical, e-book, from the library, or book store, hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. This week, I have three books that look so good! I’ve already started The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, and OH SWEET apple pie, it’s fantastic. I’m only seven chapters in (it’s Friday right now, so tomorrow – when you’re reading this – I’ll probably be further in), but I’m sooo captivated. Thanks, Madison, for recommending it to me! (And one other person? Sorry, I can’t remember who!)

the stack

The stack this week is pretty small. (Compared to others, that is!) I talked about these three books in my post last Friday, The Books I Need To Read, but I still wanted to do a stacking the shelves today. These three are the ones I was needing to pick up from the library in that post. I’m so excited about reading them, I have butterflies in my stomach when I think about it! Wow. That says a lot about me, doesn’t it?! 😀

emily

And you know how much I love taking pictures of Mittens, so…

emily

He’s rubbing against them, but it totally looks like he’s smiling! (I swear the cat really does smile.) He’s like “Ah, yes, I see you’re taking pictures of your books again. Might as well look cute. Ooh… ooh, yes, BEGONE, flea!” I guess they make for a nice neck-scratcher. 😉

books i read this week

emily

I read two books this week; I really would have wanted to read more, but I ended up putting one book down. It was Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. I had really high expectations for the book, and I wanted to read it, but there was too much bad language. My mom and dad thought it was best I put it down, too. So then I decided to (finally) pick up The Huntress Of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson.

As soon as I review it (probably no earlier than August 17), I’ll also be hosting a giveaway! I was given an extra in a giveaway where I won the book, so I’m going to give one of those away. I just finished it today (that is, Friday), and it was great! The middle was kind of slow, but the ending was great. I guessed the ending at about thirty or forty pages left, but it was one of those books where I wasn’t sure everything that needed to happen could happen within forty pages. It did, though, and I loved it.

Apple and Rain was also super good. There was some heavy content (which I’ll explain more of in my review on the 10th), but it wasn’t anything too bad. It kind of dragged on for a little, though.

what happened on the blog

Just in case you missed it…

coming up this week

  • On Monday, I’ll be reviewing Eight Keys and Rain Reign… but be warned, I was really confused on how I felt about these books.
  • Wednesday, I’m going to be apart of the Dear Opl spotlight tour! There will be a giveaway, but the only way you can enter is with a twitter account… (I’m not hosting it.) So hopefully a few of you have accounts, or there will be added different ways to enter. I did email the publisher about it, but we’ll see!
  • Annnd on Friday, I’ll be writing some LISTS! Oh, beautiful lists. (I love writing them.) 😉

what books have you read/gotten this week? anything cool coming up for you this week?

Emily

blog segments, miscellaneous 'bookish' things, monthly recaps

july 2015 monthly recap

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Hi, everyone! Emily here. (Of course, you knew that, right? And if you didn’t, welcome!) Today, I bring you yet another monthly recap… which is crazy, because every single month, I say “Wow, this month has just flown by!” So I won’t say that this time… even though it did! This past month was great, and with August comes a whole slew of awesome new posts (I hope you think they’re awesome, because I’m so excited for all of them!), and for me, school.

My thoughts exactly. (Sorry, mom!) Don’t worry, I won’t go on talking about how much little time I’ll have for blogging. I’ll still be coming to you all the way from my bedroom on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and most weekends. Perks of being home-schooled. (It’s the best.) And for those of you lucky duckies who don’t start school until September… enjoy your reading. And keep commenting! You have no excuse. 😉

emily

books read this month

Ten books! Much better than last month’s measly three, right? Most of these books have been on my TBR list for quite some time now (though I digress; I say this about literally every book I read – but it’s true!), and I’m so glad to have finally read them. I’m going to try to reach for eleven or twelve in August, but we’ll see. Some months are better than others. Though if I kept up ten books a month, I’d exceed my 50-book-year-goal by forty! Do you think I can do it?!

emily

what happened on the blog

The high lights this month for me were when:

And according to my stats, these posts were viewed the most:

what happened on YOUR blogs

I’ve wanted to give a shout-out to some of my favorite blogs in my monthly recaps, so I decided to add it this time! Here were some of my favorite posts on your blogs this month. Go check your wonderful posts out!

cool things i did in july

  • Went on a spontaneous Florida trip with my family (check out the pictures here)
  • Tried “Tiny Bubbles Tea Bar” with our friends, which was… okay… but hey, I tried something new!
  • Got my first issue of Gold Magazine and LOVE it. You should totally go get yourself a subscription.
  • I also ordered a Hannah Everly skirt! I got this one (click the link), and I can’t waaaaiiittt. I’ll be wearing it the first day back to my home-school group. 😀
  • Went SCHOOL SUPPLIES SHOPPING (!!!) Needless to say, it’s the best part of going back to school; even though “going back to school” for me means waking up a tad earlier and actually leaving my room (gasp!) to get my school books. Livin’ the life, folks.

on the blog in august

Just a few ideas I have. No biggie. (Actually, they are kind of a biggie, because I’m super excited about them.) 😀

  • Do you prefer male or female POV’s?
  • Spotlight post on my favorite bloggers
  • Two, maybe THREE giveaways (!!!)
  • You know you’re a bookworm when…
  • One or two author interviews
  • Lists, lists, & more lists!

Be prepared. Between those author interviews and giveaways, it’s going to be a fuuun month.

what happened to YOU this month? on your blog? off your blog? what books have you read? doing anything fun in august? oh and tell me, when do you go back to school??

Emily

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

why book blogging is my favorite thing ever

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Keeping my blog going is my favorite thing ever. Just ask my family – they’ll tell you, I talk about my blog 99% of the time. (That, and, obviously, the books I read!) Maybe because it’s pretty much all I do (especially in the summer)… but I can’t help it! Talking about books is right next to reading books. At least for me, that is. Not to mention the lovely comments I get on each post (keep ’em coming, even if I don’t get the chance to answer – I read and love all of them!), the guest posts, the ADVANCED READER’S COPIES… (It’s a fantastic plus, no doubt about it.) I just love every aspect of it! So what else was I supposed to do? Clearly, I had to blog about loving blogging.

emily

writing the posts.

It’s so cool to brainstorm ideas for blog posts. A) Because I enjoy writing (always have, always will, writing of all sorts, really), b) Books, authors, bookish things, etc., etc. is something I could talk about all day. If not for the fact that people would probably click away, I’d have a ten-page blog post. (I tend to get side-tracked… a lot!), c) since I love the thing I blog about, the ideas come easily! I get different ideas everyday, because I read everyday! 🙂

writing

followers & comments.

Followers are definitely not the main driving point of FTB. I don’t have a whole lot, by any stretch, but I do have some pretty great, loyal ones, if I do say so myself. Now, comments do encourage me to post more often. Writing posts does take time, for one thing. It feels good to know I’m not the only one thinking something, and when someone likes my post enough to take the time to comment? It feels great! Also, an AWESOME thing happened with one of my favorite commenters: we ended up pen pals! *waves* Hey, Brooke! We email, text, write letters – pretty much 24/7. So I’ve met some pretty close bookish friends through my blog comments, and I love it.

talking to authors.

I get to TALK to authors. Like, actually, personally interact with them! It’s a dream come true. 😉 In August of last year, I talked to one of my childhood idols (it’s true, I love Mrs. Frederick!), Heather Vogel Frederick. And at the beginning of June this past month, I interviewed Miss Erin E. Moulton. I’ll also be interviewing two more authors in the next month or two, which is so neat! I’ve also had the pleasure of authors reaching out to me, instead of the other way around, as well. Miss Dina Sleiman (of Dauntless, one of my favorite 2015 reads), has emailed me several times about being on the launch team of her new book, Chivalrous. ALSO coming your way in August is a Dear Opl spotlight tour and giveaway, sponsored by the awesome publisher at Sourcebooks. (I got to review the book as an ARC in June.) All that to bring me to my next point:

advanced reader’s copies.

… also known as ARCs. For those of you who don’t know, they’re glorious sneak-previews of books that HAVEN’T HIT SHELVES YET. I mainly use NetGalley for requesting ARCs, but I’ve also been apart of The Fantastic Flying Book Club a time or two, where I get them as well. Authors and publishers like handing them out because hello, marketing strategies – getting the word out! And what bookworm doesn’t want to read a book that hasn’t actually come out yet?! I’ve only received e-book copies, but it’ll be the day when I get a hard-bound ARC copy. Don’t worry, you’ll hear all about it! Pretty neat stuff. Free books are always welcome.

tv

blogging buddies.

If you check out my “Friends” page, you’ll find a list of all of my favorite blogs. It’s still under construction; I have loads more to add, I just haven’t gotten to it yet. The cool thing is most of those blogs aren’t just blogs I follow. I’ve gotten to know the bloggers and talking to them one-on-one is a lot of fun. I consider them to be my “blogging buddies.” 🙂 It’s also great to have guest bloggers visit your blog every now and then; it brings attention to both of your blogs (especially if you’re swapping a guest post for a guest post, which I call a “guest post swap”), and it’s just fun.

finding new books.

I’ve become an even BIGGER bookworm than I ever was before when I started my blog. Sometimes if I’m bored, I’ll “binge-book-shop” and click through Goodreads to see what’s happening over in the publishing world. I hear about books months before they come out (which is sometimes torture, to wait for them, and sometimes I get them as ARC’s!), and of course, I always hear about new books by reading other book blogs. My librarians tease me about how many books I have on hold… and don’t even get me started on the books I OWN that I need to read. It’s a lot to handle, for one girl. There are just so many books. Like I told my mom today, “I’ve made it my life mission to read every book in the world.” 😀

… so as you can see, there a lot of reasons I love blogging!

i know there are probably several other reasons i forgot to list, so bloggers! what do YOU love about blogging? thanks for reading!

Emily