the winner’s crime by marie rutkoski

February 15, 2016 Emily Leave a comment

Title: The Winner’s Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner’s Trilogy #2

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Publication date: March 3, 2015

Source: library

About: {The synopsis contains some small spoilers as this is the second book in a trilogy: Read the review for the first book here for the series synopsis.}

Book two of the dazzling Winner’s Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

I am SO excited to be bringing you this review today, because this trilogy is now one of my favorites of all time. After reading The Winner’s Curse, the first book, in all of twenty-four hours (I reviewed it here last week) I could not WAIT to crack open the second one. (Luckily, I had it on hand from the library!) Annnnd… I’ve died and gone to heaven.

Going in, I knew this would end on a cliff hanger, I knew the last one wasn’t hitting shelves until late March, I knew I would just be frustrating myself, I knew I would be emotional. I knew all of that. I still jumped.

I intended to make it last as long as possible! I DID! I had good intentions! Ha. Ha. Ha. It lasted me three days. (Though that felt like an eternity compared to the one day in which I read The Winner’s Curse.)

Marie Rutkoski’s strong suit is her characters and her poetic way of story-telling. Actually, her strong suit is the plot. And action. And romance. And making her readers cry until they can’t breathe anymore. (It’s all good.)

But seriously! Marie Rutkoski’s way with words is like nothing I’ve ever read before. Her books are pure poetry!

The Winner’s Crime also had a lot more action than the first. I loved that it kept me on my toes: I swear my eyes moved a bazillion times faster than normal!

And the romance. Arin and Kestrel OH MY HEART. One minute I’m swooning and screeching and making happy inhumane noises over the adorableness of my two favorites and the next I’m heartbroken and screaming and making angry inhumane noises over the sheer stupidity of my two favorites. It’s a roller coaster of amazingness.

And of course, the big jerkbag of an emperor kept everything ~~going~~ crazy. (Because when has there ever been a benevolent ruler in a fantasy book?) But it wasn’t just an overused plot line. For example, I had expectations for the prince of the story: to either be a complete skunk or a charming, suave guy and thus creating an annoying love triangle. But Rutoski avoided all those cliches. Nothing was what I expected!

Not to mention Kestrel, our main character. In both of the books out so far, Kestrel isn’t like most YA female heroines. I liked that, for once, the MC *isn’t* physically strong. She can’t fight. She doesn’t have killer instincts. Kestrel’s strengths lie in her snap decisions and being an incredibly scary-smart strategist.

I loved the world. The setting became more and more alive in this second installment; I can’t wait to see how it develops in the next book. (And I really want a map!!)

So of course I am going to recommend this series. Read this book. Read it. So what if they ruin your life? So what if the ending of these books make you wanna throw yourself off a cliff? So what, if after finishing one of these books, it feels like your soul has abandoned your body and found a new home in this pages? In the words of thebookbasement on YouTube, “That doesn’t matter, right?”

5 stars!

have you read these books? are you excited for the last on in march?? are you adding it to your tbr list? go and get it! go and get it NOW, i tell you! now.

i’m going to go cry now because i can’t talk to kestrel again until march 29. later, bookworms!

stacking the shelves

stacking the shelves #31

February 13, 2016 Emily 7 Comments

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY BOOKWORMS. Three books which I have been waiting a very long time for are HEEERE. And they almost weren’t even here because someone (that would be) left them on hold at the library for too long and they got put back on the shelves, my precious babies. But never fear, I have saved them.

RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier: First up on the stack is the book I am currently reading (or maybe just finished by the time you’re reading this) and I AM I LOOOOVEEE. I certainly hope the ending is as good as the middle (as of Wednesday, I am halfway through!) but I’ll let you know soon. (Follow me on Goodreads to see all of my updates!) I’m really happy to have this one! Fun fact: it was originally written in German and had been translated into English (one of sixteen other languages it’s been translated into!) I’ve never read a book that’s been translated so that’s cool. Also it takes place in London and this is SUPER captivating. I’ve been craving a time travel book because I think a premise like that is really interesting, and so far this one certainly is.

And did I mention it’s a movie?!! I *think* it has English voice overs or something, I don’t know, but anyway it was turned into a movie in 2013! You can bet I’m going to be renting sometime soon because the trailer looks awesome.

I also would like to add: please don’t judge the cover by our ugly American version.

The other version of the cover on the left is much more appealing, don’t you agree? Though it kind of reminds me a little (okay, a lot) of a Dear America book cover. Very pretty, though.

EDIT: Okay so now it’s Friday (yesterday for you, today for me, it’s madness, I know), and I have finished Ruby Red and seen the movie. Go get the book. Go get it. Right now. Stop whatever you’re doing and read it. It was AMAZING. And now I’m watching fan-made videos on Youtube and pinning fanart on Pinterest and I THINK I’M OBSESSED. Somebody pleeeaaase read this so we can talk about it. 🙂

A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU by Claudia Gray: SO much hype, so let’s see if this book deserves all the publicity, hmmm? There are two things I know about this book: 1) there are different dimensions, which gives me a Now That You’re Here vibe, though maybe that’s only because it’s the only “different world/dimension” theme I’ve read before. I loved Now That You’re Here but really thought the different world thing wasn’t for me. But I’m interested to see how it’s different in this book! And 2) there’s romance. Not much surprise there, huh? OH and this is the first book in a trilogy! So maybe I should go ahead and get the next one?

STITCHING SNOW by R.C. Lewis: Kay, so here’s what I know about this one: Snow White retelling. That’s got me hooked, because, let’s be real here, Snow White retellings are the best. All of my favorites are, after all. And I *thought* I saw someone I know review it at some point or another. (Has anyone read it before??) I’m also totally cover-judgy here because LOOK AT this beauty. And the title alone, really.

EDIT: Friday me again! I’m about 100 pages in and I’m getting a lot of LUNAR CHRONICLES VIBES. It’s a sci-fi fairy tale retelling, someone pinch me. The MC Essie reminds me a lot of Cinder, and there’s different planets and drones and space ships and other awesomeness! I definitely think fans of TLC would enjoy this. 🙂

In other bookish (not-so-bookish, actually) news, I made these chocolate chip cookie dough thingamabobs coated in chocolate and you absolutely MUST make them if you get a chance. If I could give you all a tin, I would! (Unless you’re allergic to peanut butter. Which would be bad.) Here’s the recipe. I ended up rolling them into balls instead of cutting them into heart shapes because they were much too sticky to be cut easily. I just wanted to add that they’re super yummy and pretty easy after the first go-round! 😉 (And the perfect reading snack, I have to tell you.)

what books did you get this week? and have you read ruby red, a thousand pieces of you, or stitching snow? (your first priority should be ruby red because holy canoly i LOVE IT. i’m a new fan i really am.)

P.S. Happy early Valentine’s Day! I have plans to watch a romantic movie or re-read a sweet book, devour lots of chocolate, and hang with my cats. How bout you? 🙂

lists

top swoon-worthy fictional couples

February 12, 2016 Emily 3 Comments

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Emily, Blogger of For the Bookish, is a romantic. And also that there two days until Valentine’s Day. Which, for Emily, means chocolate and her plans to watch romantic movies. (Because Emily is 14 and right now, it’s satisfying enough to read or watch about adorable peoples. But someday she hopes to spend Valentine’s Day with someone. Or, you know, she could stick to fictional boys and cats – because they’re so much better. She’s not picky.)

In honor of Valentine’s Day this Sunday, I (that would be Emily, who is referring to herself in 1st person now) have compiled a list of my favorite swoon-worthy characters. There are a LOT, I’ll have you know. It was tough narrowing it down so that this post wouldn’t require a part two or three. But here I have it, so keep reading.

maxon & america from the selection series.

They’re my favorite. Kiera Cass is Master Of Writing Romance. (Kiera Cass, is, in general, Queen.) Maxon is positively adorable: dorky, sweet, and a *little* naive, but who cares?! He’s a PRINCE! And he would walk the earth for America and I just adore re-reading scenes with them when I’m missing my favorites. America is feisty and outspoken and keeps Max on his toes! They’re PERFECT.

“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”

And let’s also appreciate how beautiful the dresses on the cover are.

kestrel & arin from the winner’s trilogy.

These beautiful characters are the newest on the list. (And, as such, the current subject of my obsessions.) They have a forbidden love, but not “my dad hates you so” kind of teenager-y thing. OH NO. Arin is a slave, and Kestrel is his master. This isn’t a historical fiction – it’s sort of a world of its own. When their people go to war? It gets kind of crazy. But I basically live for Kestrel & Arin moments because they’re filled with sweetsweetsweet.

“Arin smiled. It was a true smile, which let her know that all the others he had given her were not.”

audrey & linus from finding audrey.

CONTEMPORARY. Contemporary teenage madness, which I’m usually not a fan of (I’m picky about this genre) but Audrey and Linus are so naive and innocent and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. That’s all I really have to say. It’s a cutesie teenage thing; super light and ALL FLUFF (yay for the fluff!) but I’ll enjoy it anyway. Don’t judge.

rudy & leisel from the book thief.

This book is far from a romance book; it’s a powerful Holocaust story. But Rudy and Leisel are such loyal and steadfast friends, and… I… can’t say anything else. I’m gonna start crying. I SHIP IT OKAY?!

“Kiss me, Rudy! Rudy, kiss me!”

gabe & sophie from the fairest beauty.

This is my favorite book in Melanie Dickerson’s Hagenheim series because I think it’s her most well-written romance. Gabe is so protective over Sophie and it’s also the most action-packed of Melanie Dickerson’s. (At least I think so.) And I’m also a tad biased because I think Gabe and Sophie are the cutest names for a couple. (Just sayin’.)

who are your favorite fictional couples? (one true pairings – otps – if you will!) 🙂 happy early valentine’s day bookworms!

tags & awards

the liebster award

February 10, 2016 Emily 2 Comments

Yes, this is the Liebster award. Yes, I have done this award just about 5 bazillion times. No, I’m not going to stop next time I get nominated. The questions are different every time, so what? Let’s do it.

This time I’ve been tagged by sweet Madi over at The Book Owl! Thanks Madi! Go check her out, she’s the coolest.

Favorite blog post of your own? A recent one, but a favorite nonetheless: Thoughts On TBR Piles. It was fun to refer to myself in third person. (Did you like that? Emily thought it was fun.)

Favorite book? (Top 5 – who do you recommend it to?) YES you get me, Madi. Top five. (Because who could ever choose just one? I’ll applaud you if you can.) Here goes: The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski (counting it as one because I’m a rebel), The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Interrupted by Rachel Coker, and The Lunar Chronicles. (Also on the list is The Ascendance Trilogy, The Selection series, and many… MANY… more. But I digress.) And I recommend to absolutely everyone!

Dream job? I have many, but they all involve books: owning a book store (the ULTIMATE dream), being a published author (the definite one), becoming a publisher, publicist, or editor (NOT a copy-editor – do not get those confused. I don’t do grammar/typos/spelling mistakes), or a cover designer. (Being a cover designer would be fun because I could see myself taking after my dad in doing something graphic design-wise but also still connecting it to books.) Whatever I do, I know for sure it will involve books!

Biggest dream/hope for 2016? GO TO YALLFEST. In case you don’t know, it’s a ginormous book convention in Charleston, South Carolina. (I’ve been to Charleston several times and it’s so beautiful! But, to my dismay, never between November 13-15.) The authors I would have loved to have met last time were: Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, Victoria Aveyard, Lemony Snicket, Marissa Meyer, Meg Cabot, and Elizabeth Wein. ALLLLL IN ONE PLACE. Oh, and did I mention free coffee? And Epic Reads panels? And other author panels? And booktube meet-ups? IT WOULD BE A WHIRLWIND OF AWESOMENESS. I’d just die on the spot okay??!!! That would totally make my year. So yeah. I want to go… just a lil’ bit.

This is actually what came up when I searched yallfest!

What song are you currently (or most recently listening to?) I listen to a lot of songs. I’m always in the mood for Taylor Swift or Michael Buble, but right now I’ve been loving Then She Appeared by XTC (a song featured in one of the best episodes of Gilmore Girls in season 3… but ssshhh no spoilers here since I know a few of you are watching) and There She Goes by the La’s (which has been a favorite ever since I saw The Parent Trap – which would be so long I can’t even remember) but I’ve been listening more often.

Favorite Disney character? (It’s hard… you can pick up to 3!) Belle, Rapunzel, and Minnie. (Who I get to meet in April… hee hee hee.)

Biggest blogger pet peeve? When someone misspells your and you’re. It’s not hard, people. It’s your book and you’re misspelling that word. (But this is just an all-around pet peeve, really.)

Favorite blogger(s): Lady Literature – who is, in fact, a real life friend of mine and super sweet! Izel – the fangirl to fangirl with. ‘Nough said. Trisha – we’re so much alike & her blog name is awesome. Katie – her writing advice is gold. Amanda – her posts are so thought-provoking. Ana – she’s been around since the beginning! Grace – more thought-provoking posts and book reviews. And Madi, who tagged me for this award & recommends the best books. (The Ascendance Trilogy, hello.) 🙂 … And so many more! I could go on! I love you all so much.

Book you didn’t think you’d like but ended up loving? The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. This book is pure sci-fi and I was 100% sure I would dislike it. I ended up 110% loving it.

Which blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with? This is a hard one, because I love so many bloggers and I want to be best buds with ALL of them! Just look at the above question! 🙂

Dark or milk chocolate? Look, if you hand me chocolate, I am going to eat it. But if I had a choice, milk.

I NOMINATE: Grace @ True and Pure // Katie @ A Writer’s Faith // Lady Literature @ LadyLit Reviews // Trisha @ Bonjour Belle // Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination // Amanda @ Scattered Journal Pages

THE RULES:

Link back to the person who tagged you
Answer all 11 questions
Tag 11 bloggers who have less than a thousand readers
Ask them 11 questions
Let them know you’ve tagged them through social media

THE QUESTIONS:

What is the book that got you hooked on reading?
Favorite fictional couples? (Or OTPs?) 🙂
Current favorite song/artist?
Do you have any pets?
What does your handwriting look like? (I’d love pictures!)
What do you like to do in your spare time, aside from reading or blogging?
What are your favorite shows or movies?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where and why?
Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Any signed books?
What would your dream vacation be?

i hope everyone nominated can participate! i can’t wait to see your posts. and if you weren’t nominated, answer some of the questions in the comments! what music have you been listening to? and what are your top 5 favorite books? (i’ll write them down so i can check them out!)

reviews

the winner’s curse by marie rutkoski

February 8, 2016 Emily 4 Comments

Title: The Winner’s Curse

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner’s Trilogy #1

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Source: library

About: Winning what you want may cost you everything you love…

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

This book. THIS BOOK! Where is my sanity?? Um, it went with the ending of this book.

I put this on hold on a whim when I saw my library had it, because I had seen several reviews on it. (Not necessarily good or bad – I can’t remember – but I’d just seen some hype/publicity about it and, let’s be honest, I totally judged the cover. It’s just… so… pretty!) Lemme just say: best. library. whim. ever.

For the life of me, I cannot remember a book that hooked me from the first chapter like The Winner’s Curse did. The last series I read super quickly would have been The Selection series by Kiera Cass – which was finished a year and a half ago – and even then I wasn’t hooked till quite a few chapters in. I was all aboard after reading two pages. I had no idea what to expect of this book – would I like it? (Maybe.) Did I know what it was about? (No.) Did I love the cover? (Heck yes.) It was, like I said, a WHIM! THE BEST WHIM OF 2016 SO FAR. (alright, so that’s not saying a lot. It’s January 31st. But still.)

The setting and world Marie Rutkoski created:

I’M HYPERVENTILATING I’M HYPERVENTILATING I’M HYPERVENTILATING I’M HYPERVENTILATING.

OMGOOOOOOOOOOSH. It was like nothing I’d ever read before! It wasn’t exactly in the past, nor in the future – it wasn’t historical, dystopian, or sci-fi. It certainly wasn’t contemporary. The world was something all on its own. That was part of what pulled me in: from the first page, it seemed the main character Kestrel was buying a slave. But it obviously wasn’t a historical fiction and the medieval-times feel world wasn’t sci-fi or dystopia. I WAS CURIOUS.

Then. Then: the romance. oh flying flapjacks. It was slower than usual YA books I read, which was awesome. So many books dive right into and I’m all “whoa. I’ve only known these people for X amount of pages and already they’re all over each other. Chill, peeps.” and with this… I had time to really get into Kestril and Arin’s heads before they realized their feelings for each other. And yet… it wasn’t too slow. It was a sweet romance. There’s no other way to describe it: it wasn’t naive OR wild, or crazy or fun or dumb or fast or anything. It was a sweet, innocent love but it wasn’t: the world they lived in forbade them to be together. Which meant it was a forbidden love, but not a love triangle – which again was refreshing since those get old fast – BUUUT. Something was still different about this scenario.

Kestrel and Arin are on completely opposite sides of the fence. They’re both fighting for two different causes. They disagree politically, which means when war breaks out, they must choose between each other or their people. It was fascinating. This was different for me, because I haven’t read a book where the two main characters are loving AND fighting each other. I really didn’t know how it’d end… and that’s saying a lot. I’m a good predictor.

And the writing! It was so poetic. There was some action in this book but it was still a poetic, beautifully-written story. I wanted to quote every page. Marie Rutkoski has talent there. Every line she wrote made me want to cry! It reminded me of a quote from another favorite book, The Book Thief: “If your eyes could speak, what would they say?” I feel like Rutkoski did exactly that. I don’t think just anyone can write like that.

“The silent, brilliant tension, like scribbles of heat lightning… He felt so vibrant. As if his life was a fresh, translucent, thin-skinned fruit. It could be sliced apart and he wouldn’t care. Nothing felt like this.”

Loved the 3rd-person and switching perspectives. The line breaks. (That sounds funny, but yes, I liked how there would be a line break after a paragraph. That was cool.) The cover, of course, is such a beauty. There wasn’t any content I disliked. I can’t think of a way to accurately describe everything this book is!

FIVE STARS.

would you read this book?? (if you say no, i just might be offended.) have you read it? thoughts? opinions? FEELS? i want to hear everything. 🙂

P.S. watch the book trailer here or below! I personally adore this trailer, it had me sold!

discussions

thoughts on tbr piles.

February 5, 2016 Emily 13 Comments

TBR pile: noun. A “To-Be-Read Pile” is a stack of books of large proportions that have not yet been read by its owner.

The TBR pile: a stack known to all bookworms as the pile of dead trees & ink that never. stops. growing. It is a result of bibliophobia (the fear of running out of reading material) and the motto by which many bookworms live by: “If you have enough book space, I don’t want to speak to you.” – Terry Pratchett

The writer of this blog, as a Professional Bookworm (who is determined to find out HOW to pursue this emotional roller coaster as a career someday) had never heard of a “TBR” pile until joining the book blogging biz.

As a young bookworm, she often had several books upon her shelf that disappointed her. Did she try to read them? Yes. Did she dislike them? Sometimes. Did she refuse to try something that wasn’t the last best book she had read? Definitely. (The book blogger also happened to be the Queen Of Re-Reading Books 12 Hundred Times.)

Then, when this dedicated bookworm began her blog in 2014, her small world was turned upside down. There were “upcoming releases!” And “Advanced Reader’s Copies!” And whole websites devoted simply to spread the word of awesome books. The Queen Of Re-Reading was now The Queen Of Wanting To Read New Books.

Now she “binge-holds.” This is what she calls it when she scrolls through her list on Goodreads of (as of NOW) 221 books she wishes to someday read. Then she searches them on her library website and clicks “place hold.” And “place hold.” And “place hold.” And place hold and place hold and place hold.

She buys books. The For the Bookish blogger, when she is not buying used books, saves her money for books. (Like right now, she is saving every bit of her money for the 13,000,000,000 books that she wants to read that debut in 2016.) It is exhausting. There is a whole shelf in her room for the books she has yet to read.

Sometimes, the blogger feels overwhelmed. It’s mind-boggling, she thinks, when you really sit and dwell on the massive amounts of books there are still left to read. And sometimes, the blogger feels energized. Encouraged! Hopeful! Excited! THERE ARE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BOOKS STILL LEFT TO BE READ, always.

She thinks: my next favorite book might be just around the corner.

She thinks: this one could change my world.

She thinks: why shouldn’t I always have books to read? Think of all the possibilities.

what do you think of tbr piles?

reviews

the golden braid by melanie dickerson

February 3, 2016 Emily Leave a comment

Anyone who follows my blog knows I am a big fan of Melanie Dickerson! I take great pride in owning every one of her books and I absolutely love talking and discussing them with bookish friends. They have everything! Romance, adventure, great biblical aspects, and I especially love her fairy tale retelling “Hagenheim” series.

Every book of Miss Dickerson’s I’ve read so far has such complex characters. The Golden Braid was no different. Rapunzel and Gerek both have fascinating back stories that I liked seeing unfold. By the end of the book, all of the characters had gone through so much development! It was fantastic, and I adored Rapunzel.

I also loved seeing previous book characters again in this one! I like how in every one of the Hagenheim books, old characters are back for a small peek at how their lives are going and what they turned out like sometime later. They all end up connecting in some way and that’s a really cool aspect of this series.

Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairy tales, so I was thrilled to be getting my hands on Melanie Dickerson’s newest retelling. I’ll read just about any Rapunzel retelling just because she’s Rapunzel, and if Melanie Dickerson is writing it? There was no way I wanted to miss out on it. That said? The Golden Braid definitely isn’t my favorite of these books. (In case you’re wondering, my favorite so far is The Fairest Beauty, the Snow White retelling.)

I had a hard time getting into it. It was a little slow for my taste at the beginning, and I just couldn’t seem to get into Rapunzel’s head very well. I really wasn’t very excited about the book until about 2/3 of the way. That was disappointing, because I had such high hopes for it!

What kept my going was Melanie Dickerson’s writing style. She also does such a wonderful job of capturing what it was really like to live in the medieval time period. Since I don’t read a lot of books in that time, I enjoy seeing that in her books. The detail is definitely something I enjoyed. 🙂

Mainly because I had a hard time becoming interested in the story, I am giving The Golden Braid 3/5 stars.

sound like something you’d read? have you read any of melanie dickerson’s books before? i can’t wait to hear what you all think of this book & melanie dickerson’s series!

SEE THE REVIEW ON GOODREADS

brooke, co-post

the lunar chronicles: thoughts, opinions & feels // feat. brooke

February 1, 2016 Emily 2 Comments

Hi everyone! Many of you know my pen pal Brooke by now. Today in honor of the release of Stars Above tomorrow – a collection of prequels and a bonus epilogue to The Lunar Chronicles – we decided to do a collab post together discussing anything and everything about one of our favorite series! Fair warning: If you HAVE NOT completed the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, do not continue reading. There will be many spoilers involving the last book. Please close out this post right now and don’t read any further!

Emily: So I guess I’ll start with a question for you, Brooke! What’s your favorite book in the series?

Brooke: Scarlet. Scarlet is definitely my favorite; then probably Winter and Cinder right after that. Cress is probably my least favorite.

Emily: I think Scarlet is my favorite, and Cress is probably my second favorite — no; I can never decide which is first, Scarlet or Cress. They’re both close up there. Which ones do you own?

Brooke: All of them.

Emily: Paperback or hardback?

Brooke: All of them except for Fairest and Winter are soft covers.

Emily: I wish I owned all of them! I own Winter in hardback and Cinder in paperback.

Brooke: I am SO excited for the “wedding of the century” though!

Emily: YESSS. (picture me smiling awkwardly for five seconds, staring off into space because that is literally what I did in the recording I took of our co-post here. XD) The Kai and Cinder wedding!

B: I’ll probably just skip right to it!

E: I really don’t know which part I’ll skip to or start with. Because you don’t really have to start in a specific order with a bind-up of short stories/novellas. I know we’re getting a novella for Iko…

B: There is one on Iko, yes… there is one called “The Mechanic,” which is the one in Kai’s perspective on his way… just throughout Cinder. There’s one for Scarlet’s grandmother, when she gets Cinder. And then…

E: We get one called The Queen’s Army, which follows Queen Levana. THIRTEEN YEAR OLD Thorne…

B: Yeah, he’s thirteen. It’s so adorable.

E: Oh, and we get to see nine-year-old Cress! I’m so excited to see all the little people!

B: Cress would just make such an adorable little girl.

E: The wedding of the century… going back to that bonus epilogue for Winter, you know I’m most excited for that. I like prequels, but I think I like added epilogues the best. I mean, I love seeing the characters as kids, they’re adorable, but they have no idea what’s happening here in the series — they’re just completely different! In Winter the ending was so great because they’re all together!

B: But… the ending was a bit unrealistic to me. To me, they probably should have killed one, but I’m also glad she didn’t.

E: I know. I watched several reviews on booktube, and a lot of people said they should die and having just finished the series when they were still my babies I was just all “NOOOO.” But now two months after the fact, thinking it through… I would have recovered. But the thing is, if I had my pick… I would have killed Winter, Cinder, Jacin, or Kai. Those are my least favorites. But then again, they’re fairy tales. So it did make sense for them not to die.

B: Yeah. I would have wanted – oh, this is so hard – Winter. Or Jacin. Though I would have felt really bad if Jacin died because of Winter. She really needed him, in the same way I would have felt bad for Jacin. And I would have died if they killed off Kai.

E: But he was so shallow! I didn’t really like him that much.

B: I FREAKED out when Cinder almost died. I was just…

(Inserting a GIF to represent what Brooke was doing here. XD)

And if I HAD to pick a third? I would hate to say it. But I would have picked Cress.

E: That would suck! Because she’s barely even lived! That would… No!

B: (*grinning evilly*) Well, I almost said Thorne!

E: But if Marissa Meyer had killed Winter, Jacin, Scarlet or Wolf… I mean if SCARLET died, Wolf just wouldn’t even be alive. I mean he’d be alive, but…

B: He’d kill himself.

E: I wouldn’t be surprised. or at least just lived in… a permanent daze.

B: She went MISSING and he freaked out!

E: Right?! It was kind of cute though. Who was your favorite overall couple, out of all of them?

B: Wolf/Scarlet.

E: Mine too!

B: “Wolflet.”

E: We should probably wrap this up soon. Any concluding thoughts?

B: Okay so… what is your FAVORITE part about the Lunar Chronicles? Whether it be a scene, or something, or someone?

E: A scene: The Cress/Thorne kiss. Because everyone waited SO long for that, and the other relationships went a bit fast – even with Scarlet and Wolf, though they ARE my favorite, that was fast. But with Thorne and Cress, it went just fast enough to keep me interested but also slow enough to have me excited when they finally got together. Yours?

B: Well, my one MAJOR part… was that they’re living on the moon. And all the cyborg-y stuff, that was awesome. But as for favorite scene… I don’t know, I guess I always liked the parts where Kai was always teasing and bugging Cinder!

what was YOUR favorite part of the lunar chronicles? anything to add to our discussion?? i can’t wait to hear from you all and see what you think of stars above tomorrow! anyone planning on buying it right away? and what would you like me and brooke to do a post on next time? any ideas of what you like best?

until next time!

stacking the shelves

stacking the shelves #30

January 30, 2016 Emily 6 Comments

BOOKWORMS. It’s the thirtieth stacking the shelves here on For the Bookish! Geez, that’s a lot of posts dedicated solely on the books I got each week. Wonder how many books I’ve talked about total in all thirty posts?

134. I just counted, because that’s the kind of person I am. I just have to know. By Stacking the Shelves #20, I’d gotten 77 books (that would be e-books, library books, and books I now own) and now at 30? 134.

SO anyway, the number will probably be crazy sky-rocketed by #50. Looking through every single one of my STS posts was kind of fun though – seeing what I thought about my soon-to-be favorite books was pretty neat. I was thinking “Oh, look at little innocent me, all naive not knowing that this book WILL DESTROY HER.”

So the books this week, yeah?

(Feat. part of my bed, which is my favorite thing in the world next to books basically.) (Kidding!) (Kind of.)

This week is a GOOD STACK. So many hyped books!

I’m starting from the top!

FLUNKED by Jen Calonita: This has been on my TBR for SO LONG. It just looks like an adorable story. I haven’t read just a simple, light fairy tale-ish MG book in quite some time. =)

WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES by Susin Nielsen: I really can’t remember how I found out about this one, but it’s also been on my want-to-read list for quite some time. (Although it couldn’t have been that long since it’s only been out since May 2015.) I’m not positive who recommended it to me, but it looks great and I really love the spine! (Because that’s how everyone should rate their books, duh. How it looks on your bookshelf is a big determining factor.) 😉 And who can beat 4 bucks for a hard back, hmmmm?

ONE by Sarah Crossan: Sarah Crossan is Queen. The two books of hers I’ve read – Apple and Rain and The Weight of Water – were amazing. This particular book, One, looks very interesting. The entire book is written in prose, or poetry. And it’s about sixteen-year-old conjoined twins. I’m in.

THE CONSPIRACY OF US by Maggie Hall: I haven’t heard about this one very much beforehand, but Trisha says it’s incredible, and as soon as she told me about it, I had it on hold at the library. I really have no idea what it’s about, but the cover looks fascinating so I’m gonna give it a go!

I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter: That. Was a mouthful. To be perfectly honest, I probably never would have picked this book up were it not for Brooke. I specifically remember when I volunteered in my middle school library two years ago, this book was always being checked out. It was all the rage with the girls, but the cover and title just didn’t appeal to me. I’ve got two Ally Carter books borrowed right now – this one and All Fall Down, which I’m more excited for – but we’ll see. Should be interesting?

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher: I’ve heard and seen so much about this one, but… I just don’t know. I’m not sure about the content or the writing or if I’ll DNF or what. It seems a bit depressing – the main character’s best friend has just committed suicide – so I’m not sure if I’ll be in a funk when I finish or ANYTHING. I have no idea what to expect. The premise sounds like a tough topic to tackle, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the author approaches everything. I’m not sure if I’ll be a total emotional wreck or if I’ll not finish after a chapter or two, because I really have NO clue what it’s going to be like. Let’s try it?

GOODBYE STRANGER by Rebecca Stead: When I read When You Reach Me, also by Rebecca Stead, sometime in 2014, I was absolutely flabbergasted. (Don’t think I’ve used that word in a blog post before, but it’s the first thing that popped into my head and hey, first time for everything.) Unfortunately, because I didn’t write a review for it and though I have the memory of an elephant for everything else, if I don’t write a review for a book I tend not to remember it. I just know I LOVED it. (I should probably re-read it.) I’ve been waiting for Goodbye Stranger to hit shelves for months and months, and when it finally did I was too cheap to buy it. Isn’t the library handy?? This book sounds much lighter than the last; a fun middle grade novel will do the trick. 🙂

LEGEND by Marie Lu: Same deal with The Conspiracy of Us, actually. No idea what to expect, I’ve heard a lot of things about this series, the library book is falling apart (which I assume means it’s a loved copy?) annnnd I’m stoked! It’s nice and thick! Interesting cover, too.

THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: I’ve heard of this series for just about forever. It looks cheesy and a little weird: a girl and a boy survive after some space shuttle thingamabob (?) plummets onto their planet and now they’re searching all of space for help and – gasp! – there’s a romance. Soooo… eh? The whole synopsis sounds alright; not sure if it’s my thing but I’ve been proven wrong before. We’ll see.

Also on my Kindle as an ARC:

Isn’t the cover so pretttyyyyy?? I’ve also seen a slightly different version on the author’s blog, but this one was on Gooreads. It’s a WWII historical fiction, based on a true story. A man named Hans and his friend begin creating anti-Nazi leaflets in Germany, 1942. I’m currently reading it and LOVE it. You can get the book on February 22 by the lovely Emily Ann Putzke. Love her, love her name! (I’m not biased I’m really not.)

what are you reading this week? what books have you gotten? and have you read any on my stack?

monthly recaps

january 2016 recap

January 29, 2016 Emily 6 Comments

The first month of the year has come and gone! Can you believe that?! So it’s time for another monthly recap, wherein I recap the month: what I read, wrote, blogged, did, ate, scratched, and licked. (Um.. so maybe not all of that? Dunno where that came from. I scratched my nose just now, and licked an envelope once.)

the books.

I read eight books (so far) in January! I’m working on the ninth, Resist by Emily Ann Putzke, so hopefully I can finish that before Sunday and get to nine! I’m really, really proud of myself. This is the first year I’ve decided to reach my goal of reading 100 books in a year, and I’m right on track so far! Last year my goal was 50 (I made it to 70, which was amazing) but this year I really wanted to stretch myself even farther. I’m making it so far! One month down, eleven more to go. Eight books down, only 92 glorious more to read!

Best Book: The Winner’s Curse and The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski. They’re the first two in The Winner’s Trilogy; the third hits shelves March 29 and I can’t WAIT to get it!

Worst Book: The Heir & The Spare by Emily Albright. I had to be honest in my ARC review… even if the author does have one awesome name.

In other blog-(ish?) news, I’ve recently been spending a lot more time on Goodreads! I’m constantly making updates on the books I’m reading and browsing through my updates to see what you’re all reading, so friend me here and we can be Goodreads buddies. 🙂

the blog.

To kick the month (year?!) off, I came up with 7 books I was excited for releasing in 2016… and… a LOT more have been added to the list. (Maybe I should a part two/follow-up post??! BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY.) On the top of the list: The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski. (READ THE WINNER’S TRILOGY. GO. RIGHT NOW. I don’t even care if you finish this post just GET IT. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE POST. Read my blog carefully, mm-kay?!!) I’m… kind of… obsessed with these books now.

The most viewed post of the month was Stacking the Shelves #28. I always get the most comments/views on my stacking the shelves posts, and I’m so glad you guys like them so much because they’re my favorite too!

What can you look forward to next month? WELL, I’m glad you asked! Last month when I did my end-of-the-year survey, I got a suggestion for craft projects. WELP. I’m bringing it to you. soon. That is… *sometime* in February. I’ve got an idea floating around in my brain, it just requires a bit of money (DON’T worry I’ve got your back. All cheap stuff, cheap-cheap-cheap. That’s my motto, and don’t you forget it.) Oh, and some experimenting. And… picture-taking skills? I take pictures of books. Not… scissors and glue. (THERE’S a hint, see and guess what my mystery craft project will be, hmmm? It’s bookish-related!) So, I’ll be new to that so hang in with me. I’m hoping to do more DIY bookish-related projects this year!

On an un-related note, PEOPLES — Leap Year is on Netflix now! Only my favorite movie of ever. Oh, and The Prince & Me but I don’t have a GIF for that. Go watch ’em, alright?

on your blogs.

– Izel has her own self-hosted URL now! She can be found on abookishflower.com!
– Lady Literature did the Reader’s Confession Tag! (and tagged me, yay!)
– Hannah shared her feelings about the upcoming Anne of Green Gables movie! (Which I am thrilled about.)
– Madi shared a bit of her new novel!
– Olivia shared several apps for bookish people and writers! (They’re all very useful.)
– Grace recommends top 7 movies for a snow day.
– Katie share a spot-on editing survival guide. (Fuzzy socks and pizza are a must, but I mean come on. They’re a must for EVERYTHING, not just editing, geez.)

other happenings.

Us Georgians down yonder got our first snow! This is the real deal, peoples! (Though some people evidently have some hot toes because something about big fluffy jackets and flip-flops appeals to people? I mean I’m not in on the fashion trends… is that a thing now?) Of course I got some fab pictures of my babies.

That’s about all I got for this month! Here’s to the weekend. 🙂 May your Friday night be every good as my Thursday night. (Spent eating ice cream in pajamas and listening to Taylor Swift. And, of course, blogging.)

For The Bookish