Well, it finally feels like summer.
In two ways: the heat. And glorious HOURS for reading! (WHOOP WHOOP.)
So of course, that leaves plenty of time for getting books to read! I’m so happy, because I’ve got several books you’ve all recommended to me, and one that I’ve heard A LOT about. I have to see all the hype!
Soooo first up is Cinder by Marissa Meyer, which… I’m a little iffy about, since it’s not something I’d pick out on my own. BUT I’M HOPING I LIKE IT. I mean, really hoping. So pray for me, ya’ll. I really want to like this one!
I also got The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan, which is written in verse, like Serendipity and Me, and The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Both of these were recommended to me by one of you (I’m thinking Maddy? Correct me if I’m wrong!) Anyway, thanks for recommending them! I’m really excited to read both of them. Plus, I just read a Shannon Hale book – Princess Academy – which many of you were gushing about, and I loved! So I’m hoping this one doesn’t disappoint. 😉
And last but not least, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. I’m a big fan of Ella Enchanted by Miss Levine! I tried reading this a few years ago, but I totally DNF’d it (which I feel bad about, ’cause it’s awesome so far.) Plus Brooke said she loved it, and she only recommends the best books.
Also this little beauty, which is a loner in my e-book grabs this week.
Ana of California is, as its synopsis puts it, “A modern take on the classic coming-of-age novel, inspired by Anne of Green Gables.” It doesn’t come out until June 30th, but I’ve been lucky enough to read it as part of The Fantastic Flying Book Club blog tour. So be looking for my review on July 1st!
Oh, and I read three books this week! Not a whole lot, but I’m proud.
– The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O’Roark Dowell: 3 stars. It was okay. I think I would have liked this one a whole lot more had I read it two or three years ago. Still not sure if I want to review this one or not, since… I have very mixed feelings about it. Do I like it? Yes. Do I hate it? Meh.
– Dear Opl by Shelley Sackier: 4 stars. I got Dear Opl as an e-ARC from Netgalley, and loved it! It covers a lot of things, and is so funny! Look for it on August 4th. My review will be coming up in late June! 😉
– Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli: I haven’t rated it yet! I’m having trouble rating books here. I’d like to give every book I read 4 or 5 stars, because I don’t get books I *think* I’m going to not like. The truth is, Jake and Lily was fabulous! There were some flaws. So I’m going to write everything out before I rate it. So we’ll see!
That’s it for the stack! As for my weekly/monthly recap…
– You all took a survey last week that helped me out a lot with seeing how you liked For the Bookish. I learned a lot of things! Like:
- Your favorite posts are my personal life ramblings! (I was so surprised by that! Thanks!) And in second place, discussion posts, which are my favorite, too. 🙂
- Your least favorite posts are book reviews. (Hey, only three votes! A lot of you didn’t even vote for this one.) I admit, though – they’re my least favorite to write.
- You also had some great advice! I need all that I can get for my book reviews (they’re tough to write. I honestly don’t even like rating books.) And you said I could give a better explanation of why I gave the number of stars I did, try out different formats, and possibly relate the book to another book.
- And you had some fabulous post ideas. Most of you said “Bring Friday Ramblings back!” I’m so happy to know you liked those, but they weren’t my favorite to write. I felt like it truly was rambling, and I didn’t like how disorganized my thoughts were, when I did manage to come up with what to write. So we’ll see. I might try to brainstorm some ideas and bring it up sometime. =)
– I woke up to this the other morning.
It’s safe to say I completely DRAGGED myself out of bed. These critters got to hang out in my bed all day long. (They think I’M sleeping in THEIR bed, evidently.) And Mittens slept a good portion of the day sitting up like that. We call it his “yoga pose.”
– FTB reached thirty followers on Bloglovin! Think you can keep it going up this week/month? 😀 I’m thinking of doing a mini giveaway when we reach 50… (hint hint)
– The search engine terms always trip me up. This month, I got views from these searches:
- the selection by kiera cass characters – yes, yes, yes. I can see how that might link my blog.
- books they read in mdbc – I’m a huge fan of the Mother/Daughter Book Club.
- me and you t cup love pics – I’m confused. What is this??
- loved it – ha-ha! I say that a lot. “Overall, I LOVED it. 5 stars!” (I like making fun of myself; and, as you all know, I’m terrible at reviewing books.)
- one for the murphys – well, well, well. I did love One for the Murphys.
– The post with the most views this month was my review for Princess Academy!
that’s pretty much it for today! what books have you gotten and/or read this week? have you read any of the ones i mentioned? happy almost-june!
Dear Opl looks good!! I can’t wait to read that one! How did you get the e-book ARC’s?
Oh, I’m sorry you were on the fence about The Secret Language of Girls, I understand what you mean though. I read this book in 2nd grade and I liked it then, so it sort of stuck to me. I read the last 2 in the series last year and those are a little better than the first….I think if you’d give them a try you’ll like them! 🙂
Oh I wish I had a pet!!
I’m allergic to cats, (they make my eyes itch) so I’m more of a dog person. My family had to give my dog away when we couldn’t find a home that accepted dogs. My family had an American Akita, she was the fluffiest (biggest) kindest dog ever. My sister and I cried when we had to give her away. 🙁
Yes!! More Friday Ramblings!! I <3 those!!!!
I got them on Netgalley.com – once you sign up, there are links that explain what to put on your profile, how to request an ARC, etc. 🙂
Aww 🙁 That’s what happened about a month ago… my family kept a dog for our friends (who were out of the country), but we ended up keeping her longer while they found someone to give her to, since they were developing an allergy. It’s really hard.
Yay! … at least, MAYBE. I hope so. 😉
Love the pictures of your cats!! I would love to have any pets, and we might be getting a puppy!
Ana of California looks good. So does Dear Opl. I’m trying to get some ARCs.
This week I read Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe, which wasn’t my type of book. I’m currently reading Blonde Ops which is really good. I kinda have an obsession with fashion mysteries. I feel so silly when I admit that! I read Jake and Lily before. I love books with different points of views like MDBC, because we get a different perspective of everything. Oh, and All Fall Down by Ally Carter is really good. I feel like you would really like it. It seems like your type of book, judging from your book reviews.
Thanks! I love them, too, lol! That’s great! Do you know what kind? Pictures when you do, maybe?? 😉
What are those about? I think I’ve seen Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe. I hate it when books aren’t really my cup of tea. :-/
Don’t feel silly! I think I’ve read one or two fashion mysteries. They’re good!
Me, too. I want to read more books like that. Especially how it all comes together, all of their perspectives and everything.
Brooke and you both have recommended it to me! Really need to read that! 🙂
That’s an awesome stack of books, Emily! I loved reading Cinder, and I hope it’s something you would enjoy. Personally, Scarlet is my favorite in the series, but they’re all wonderful books, and very clean. My least favorite would probably be Fairest because that wasn’t as clean as the others. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine looks amazing. I loved reading Ella Enchanted, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by it because I hadn’t expected it to be a retelling. I, too, have heard wonderful things about Goose Girl, and it’s definitely on my to-read list. Right now I’m reading The Princess Academy, and I’m absolutely loving Shannon Hale’s writing style.
Congrats on thirty followers!
That’s good to know. I was also a bit nervous about that. Thanks for letting me know, Ana. Maybe I will like them more than I think! 🙂
Fairest was a Snow White retelling (I just finished this morning), and wonderful. Gail Carson Levine’s retellings are the best. So original! Plus it tied in Ella Enchanted. The main character, Aza’s little sister, is Ella’s friend, Areida! I love books that follow different characters in the same world.
Princess Academy was great! I need to read the rest in the series. Let me know what you think when you’re done. 😉
Those look great! 🙂 I wasn’t sure if I would like Cinder either, but I ended up enjoying it and the rest of the series! Maybe I’ll do a review on it??
They really do!
Really? Okay, now I feel ten times better. You and Ana have both made me feel more confident that I’ll like it. You should do a review on it! I’d like to see your thoughts. I’ve been looking at all the reviews on the blogs I follow. 🙂