End of Year Book Survey [2013]

So I waited until the last minute to participate in this End of Year Book Survey (hosted by Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner) because I knew I'd be finishing up some awesome books at the last minute and wanted to be able to include them. So... let's talk books, people!

BEST BOOKS IN 2013

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1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Contemporary YA – Definitely Eleanor & Park and Fangirl. I can't choose between the two. I don't care if that's cheating. You can't make me! Honorable mention to Anna and the French Kiss, by the way.

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic – Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Historical Fiction – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Paranormal - Dark Witch by Nora Roberts. Yes, its paranormal romance, but it was my favorite.

Science Fiction - Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Fantasy - Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Would you consider Cinder to be fantasy? Its kinda sci-fi too, but I'll go with it.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Alchemyst: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. I eyed this book up for months at the book store, finally got it home and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I literally only picked it up because the hype was getting inside my head and I was so surprisingly in love with it that I stayed up all night finishing it.

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Probably Cinder. I know this sounds blasphemous but I don't recommend books that often (other than through my reviews) because most of my social circle doesn't crazy-read like I do. But I got my cousin to read it, mentioned it to a few people, and bought it for a friend for Christmas, so I think that counts!

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Across the Universe by Beth Revis. The only series that I read all the books back to back absolutely could not put down. Loved it!

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

RAINBOW ROWELL. Absolutely. Hands down. She is amazing and a new favorite of mine.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I decided to read this book out of mere boredom and the fact that my sister had already downloaded it on my nook. It was not a book I would normally have picked up, but I enjoyed it so much and plan on reading his other books.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Well, a book I absolutely couldn't put down was Eleanor & Park, but I wouldn't exactly call it thrilling. A thrilling read I couldn't put down was A Million Suns by Beth Revis.

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Cinder and Scarlet for sure since I want to re-read them before Cress comes out.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

Hmmm... good question. I'm definitely going to go with...

and that's just the dust jacket. The actual book itself is gorgeous also, inside and out.

11. Most memorable character in 2013?

I'm going to go with Cath from Fangirl on this one. I have never understood and felt so "close" to a character before. She is me. She is all of us. If you haven't read this book, read it, and I guarantee you'll completely understand what I'm getting at.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It may not have been a favorite of mine, but I can't deny how amazing the writing was and how hauntingly beautiful it was in its entirety.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

Gee, the biggest impact? I really don't know how to even answer that one... I suppose I'll go with The Book Thief because it invoked the strongest, darkest emotions in me.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. The entire series, really. I think I read book 4 back when the 2nd movie came out, but it meant nothing to me then as it does now. Such a great series, and though I'm severely traumatized by the final book, I can't believe I waited so long to get to it.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

Eek, that's a tough one. I don't usually remember quotes unless they come from a Jodi Picoult novel because her books are so chock full of them. Can I skip this one? I think I'll skip it. Thanks. :)

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Well, the shortest book that I actually counted toward my reading goal in 2013 was As They Slip Away by Beth Revis, at 48 pages, which was a novella to the Across the Universe series.

The longest book I've read in 2013 was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at 870 pages (a re-read). Honorable mention to A Game of Thrones at 801 pages.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Will it get old if I keep saying Eleanor & Park? The final moments of the book that absolutely killed me. I gave the book to my sister immediately so we could then discuss it.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Cath & Levi in Fangirl. Also, Cath and Reagan. They are fun together. But I can't not mention Eleanor and Park. 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Strangely enough, most of my books this year were by authors I'd only started to read in 2013. So I'm going to go with Dark Witch by Nora Roberts. I read a couple of hers this year and this was the best one.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

I only read one book based solely on recommendation and that was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Sadly, however, it was not a favorite of mine. As it stands, since it is the only one to make the list in this question, I guess it stays.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Fantasy - no surprise. Honorable mentions to Dystopian and YA Contemporary.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Park from Eleanor and Park. He's 16, and I want him to be my boyfriend. Judge me, go ahead.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

Once again, most of the books I've read this year were debuts or sequels to debuts. So... I think I'll go with Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It was nothing if not detailed, I can say that for sure.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

This is probably cheating because its a re-read, but the Harry Potter series that I spent the better part of the year re-reading was the most fun I had overall.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

Book that made me cry the most? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Books that made me cry (in order of buckets of tears shed): Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Requiem by Lauren Oliver, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Harry Potter's 4-7.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

The Pentrals by Crystal Mack. Great debut book that didn't get the attention it deserved.

BOOK BLOGGING/READING LIFE

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1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013?

This one goes to my best blogging bud: Amber from Paradise of Pages!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013?

I don't know if I can objectively choose my favorite review, but I can tell you the most popular one: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini... which is a bit of a surprise now that I realized that considering I'm quite immersed in the YA blogosphere... interesting...

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

I haven't had very many, but the best, based on stats was one of my very first Harry Potter discussions of the first book, The Sorcerer's Stone.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

We see tons of thought provoking reviews and discussions throughout the year. I don't think it would be fair to try and name one considering I won't remember ones I read months ago and loved, so I'm sorry, but I have no answer :/

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I haven't been to any awesome bookish events but I did participate in Armchair BEA which was pretty fun and sparked my interest in going to the real BEA. It will happen!

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

Um.... it will probably sound inconsequential to you big book bloggers out there who've been doing this for a while, but I think the best moment was when I was approved for some netgalleys and ARCs that I really wanted... that was pretty awesome.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Once again, oddly enough, it was that review of A Thousand Splendid Suns... weird...

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

All of my reviews... except of course for that pesky A Thousand Splendid Suns review, cause that one blew everything else out of the water.

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

GOODREADS!!

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Aha! Yes, I was hoping you would ask. I started this year out with a goal of 40 books for the entire year and I made it to 59! Also, I had a goal to re-read the Harry Potter series and I pulled it off at the last moment!!

LOOKING AHEAD...

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1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

House of Hades by Rick Riordan. Bought it the day it came out, but I have been holding off due to plans to begin re-reading the entire (two) series next week. But I will get to it!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

Cress by Marissa Meyer. I simply cannot wait!!

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I don't really keep up on who's book is a debut or not. Is that weird? I generally only care about if fellow bloggers I trust have read it and recommend it, regardless of if the author is brand new or not.

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

Well I have a whole slew of goals for 2014 but I won't bore you with the details. The most important one in my opinion is my goal to read 60 books in 2014. I had a goal to read 40 last year and I killed it by 19, so I figured adding one more can't hurt. I think I can do it!


Well, guys... hasn't this year been something? We've had not-so-awesome things happen (My fiance tore his Achilles tendon and was out of work for 4 months, my mother and brother both broke their arms...), there were some awesome things that happened (I got engaged, I started my career as a paralegal, my fiance began his career as a correctional officer). We met new people, tried new things, and here we are on the cusp of a new year, a new beginning, and a chance to do it all over again! I hope you all make 2014 worth while, because I know I sure will!

Happy New Year to all of you!!

A.

Review: Girls in Pants by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780553375930
Source: Purchased
Series: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants #3
Release Date: January 1, 2005
Find it on Goodreads
See my reviews on other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

The Pants first came to us at the perfect moment. That is, when we were splitting up for the first time. It was two summers ago when they first worked their magic, and last summer when they shook up our lives once again. You see, we don’t wear the Pants year-round. We let them rest so they are extra powerful when summer comes. (There was the time this spring when Carmen wore them to her mom’s wedding, but that was a special case.)
Now we’re facing our last summer together. In September we go to college. And it’s not like one of those TV shows where all of us magically turn up at the same college. We’re going to four different colleges in four different cities (but all within four hours of one another—that was our one rule). We’re headed off to start our real lives.

Tomorrow night at Gilda’s we’ll launch the Pants on their third summer voyage. Tomorrow begins the time of our lives. It’s when we’ll need our Pants the most.

     REVIEW:

I enjoyed this book the most out of the entire series - maybe because I remember a time when I was leaving highschool on the brink of adulthood, wondering where the hell our lives were going to go.. I mean I didn't have four amazing "sisters" and a pair of magical pants, but don't you think we could all relate a little here?

I particularly enjoyed the character development Brashares gives us in this book especially and how well done these stories are. By the third installment, we've grown pretty attached to the girls, the pants and their adventures and it was a great feeling to "watch" them grow up.

I'll keep this short and sweet because, really, by book three, what else can I really say that I haven't already said? The writing is really good, the character development is evident and real. I have really grown to love this series and after I finished this one I picked up books four and five in quick succession because I just had to know what happened.

     RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

This was my favorite book in the series because the girls were slightly more grown up and showed the most development in this book throughout the series so far. I would recommend this book and series to anyone who enjoys young adult contemporary novels. Really, its just awesome!

Have any of you read this book/series? What did you think? Did you fall in love quite like I did? Love hearing from you guys!

A.

Feature and Follow Friday: Look What Santa Brought Me!

HAPPY FRIDAY - AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Did Santa visit you all this Wednesday? He sure did visit me!

I received:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell from my sister

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Frostbite by Richelle Mead, and

Legend by Marie Lu all from my wonderful fiance.

My parents gave me a giftcard with which I proceeded to order (no pictures cause they haven't arrived yet):

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling, and

Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

I also got some books from my dear blogging bud Amber from Paradise of Pages, but I haven't opened them yet because my package to her is late (dang post office!), so I'm waiting.

What did Santa bring for you all! I can't wait to see!

A.

Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

ISBN: 9781250012579
Source: Purchased
Series: No, Stand-Alone
Release: April 12, 2012
Find it on Goodreads

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

     REVIEW:

I read this book weeks ago and I still don't think I can form coherent thoughts about it. I am still one giant ball of wrecked emotion. How can I explain any of what I felt?

Well.... I can tell you that Rainbow Rowell's writing style is fantastic. I can tell you that her character development was beyond anything in this genre that I've ever read. I can tell you that she made me fall in love with the characters, she made me swoon over a 16-year-old boy (um, can we say ew in real life?) and want to be a friend to Eleanor when she had so few. The romance was never cheesy, I never wanted to roll my eyes or not be immersed in this book. I laughed so hard at times and cried so hard at times. I am big fat ball of WRECK over this book.

The small things that annoyed me were that every five sentences there was another 1980s movie or song reference, and yes, I was born in 1989, but I had no idea about any of these movies or songs. I didn't like feeling like I needed to do research in order to understand an young adult romance novel. So I hope I didn't miss anything important with those references as they were all lost on me.

Either way, I was all over the place emotionally with this book. I couldn't stop crying when it was over. I immediately gave it to my sister who finished it in two days and was also a wreck over it. This may very well have been the best book I have read this year. Thank you, Rainbow Rowell. Thank. You.

     RATING: ★★★★★

Isn't it amazing how when you hate a book, you can go on for hours and hours about it? But when you love a book, you struggle to find the words to explain why? That's how I feel with E&P. I don't feel as if the words I have are sufficient to explain how much I adored this book. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. That is all I can say.

Have any of you read this book? Did you absolutely adore it as much as I did? I can't wait to read Fangirl (which I got for Christmas - woohoo!) and continue my love affair with Rainbow Rowell's writing. I can't wait to hear from you all on this one!

A.

Review: Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

ISBN: 9780373210978

Source: NetGalley

Format: E-Book

Series: Tudor Witch Trilogy #1

Release Date: July 5, 2012

Find it on Goodreads

*Disclaimer* I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Meg Lytton has always known she is different—that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.
With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

     REVIEW:

When I started this book, I thought it was pretty good. The writing wasn't bad, the story seemed interesting enough - overall, it seemed promising. Right off the bat I liked the fact that the story was slightly darker and "older YA" than I expected which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I regretfully report that there weren't too many more pleasant surprises in this one.

There was some insta-love.. okay, maybe insta-like, and sometimes that can work for a book, but it didn't work for this one. I felt no chemistry between the main characters, which made it even harder to believe.

There wasn't much plot movement right in the beginning, which I was okay with because I expected a historical fantasy novel to need some set up. Then there came a point where there still wasn't any plot movement and I couldn't figure out why. The plot, when it did move, was all over the place. It felt like a bunch of random plot points thrown together with no real segue and it was choppy and poorly executed. Some of the events that took place earlier in the book almost seemed to be forgotten after they happened and never really developed later on in the book.

Around the 80% mark, there was a plot resolution and I though to myself, 'okay, it wasn't great, but it was resolved in a way I can say was satisfying, and maybe I'll even read the next one.' Then I realized I still had 20% to go, and there was that much more plot (non)movement to trudge through. Frankly, the book should have ended with the denouement and Lamb should not have tried to add any more to the book, in my opinion. Actually, the last 20% of the book would have been an okay start to the next book. Wait.. strike that. This actually would've been a somewhat better book if it had been a stand-alone. Don't get me wrong, I'm a serial series-ist, but not everything has to be a series people! 

I didn't like the characters except for Alejandro who.. again.. the whole insta-like/love thing, so I just couldn't love him. Basically no character development, basically no world building in the sense of getting a feel for the magical world within the "real" one. The plot holes in this regard were just too much to bypass. Maybe these would be things I could easily overlook if I wasn't so bored with the story before the halfway mark.

What I'm getting at, I guess, is that this was not the book for me.

     RATING: ★★ 1/2

I am a big fan of historical fiction and obviously a huge fan a fantasy and I had hoped for something a little more intriguing and put together with some world building, too. I didn't get those things. The writing was pretty good and the basic premise was interesting, I just wish it had been executed better. When I finished the book, I was debating on whether I'd finish the series or not, but as I write this review I realize that it really is just not for me  and I won't be picking up the next one (even if the UK covers are gorgeous!).

Have any of you read this one yet? What did you think? Agree or disagree? Let me know!

A.

Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

ISBN: 9780439358071
Source: Purchased
Series: Harry Potter #5
Release Date: June 21, 2003
Find it on Goodreads
See my reviews of other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...

Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from the pen of J.K. Rowling ensure an electrifying adventure that is impossible to put down.

     REVIEW:

I either say this or think this every time I review one of the books in this series - how can it even be reviewed? I'll keep it short and sweet I suppose, since really... they can't. Instead, I'll tell you about how the first time I read this book, I could barely get through it. This time, I couldn't put it down. Yes, it is long. Yes, Umbridge is the evilest of evil and insanely frustrating. Yes, Harry is a whiny 15-year-old boy all the time, and Ron and Hermione won't stop bickering. But... well you know all the reasons it is amazing, don't you?

Being the longest book in the series, it is so amazingly in depth and even if the characters can be annoying at times, it reveals so much about them, about the world, about the entire series plot as a whole. Its only the second time I've actually read this particular one (last re-read I stopped in the middle of 4), and I definitely discovered new things that hint at what is to come in books 6 and 7. Its fun to relive it all and it is absolutely enchanting... even if you do want to kick Umbridge in the face a few hundred times.

     RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

I always, always recommend this series to my friends and strangers alike. Once upon a time I'd scrunch my nose at the mention of book 5 and say... 'well... its not my favorite one..." but I definitely think it is one of my favorites in the series. I hope you all have read this one and if you haven't... what are you waiting for!?

A.

Top Ten Tuesday - Awesome (New-to-Me) Authors

Happy Tuesday! I'm spending this light week catching up on all my blogging (cause I took a good two weeks off...yikes!) and that includes talking to all of you about our Top Tens today. This week's topic is:

TOP TEN EIGHT NEW-TO-ME AUTHORS OF 2013

8. R.L. Bartram - a self published author that I recently had the opportunity to review his book, Dance the Moon Down, and.. I loved it! I love his style and I know I'll be reading his next book when he publishes it!

7. Khaled Hosseini - I read A Thousand Splendid Suns this year and was absolutely captivated. I fully intend to read all of his other works.

6. Rae Carson - I didn't absolutely adore her Fire and Thorns series, but I did enjoy it a lot and Carson has something special that has the possibility of making me love her writing. I guess we will see on her next series!

5. Crystal Mack - Author of The Pentrals. I loved this book and have had an opportunity to interact with her a little through Twitter and snail mail. She's an awesome person and a great author. Can't wait for the next in the series to be released!

4. Marissa Meyer - Need I explain? Cinder. Scarlet. CRESS... which I haven't been blessed enough to get my hands on yet :( Love Meyer and her writing is amazing. This series is amazing. AMAZING.

3. Stephanie Perkins - I absolutely loved Anna and the French Kiss and loved her sequel, Lola and the Boy Next Door. I can't wait for Isla to be released. I love Stephanie Perkins!! There. I said it.

2. Beth Revis - Across the Universe was hands down one of my favorite series this year. I love her writing style and I am dyyinnggg for her to release something else. Please, I beg of you Beth Revis, release somethinggg.

1. RAINBOW ROWELL - hands down my favorite author of the year. I've only read Eleanor and Park, but as Jamie of The Perpetual Page Turner said... sometimes you have that FEELING. I cannot wait to read Fangirl!

Who are your favorite new-to-you authors this year? Do we have any in common? Can't wait to hear from you!

A.

Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

ISBN: 9780373210671
Source: Purchased
Series: The Goddess Test #3
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Find it on Goodreads
See my review of other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.
In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.
With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs her eternity.

     REVIEW:

I read this book shortly after reading Carter's first in her newest series, Pawn. I guess I'll just come right out with it - I didn't love this book either. When I read the first book in the Goddess Test series, I enjoyed it very much, but I think I was enjoying being immersed in another Greek mythology novel, and didn't look to deep into the rest of the story. When I read the second book, Goddess Interrupted, I couldn't find the love I had for the first book in the second one. I wondered idly if this was a case of middle book syndrome, a filler book, and that the third one would be more like the first. Well... it was not.

The plot in The Goddess Inheritance was poorly executed, and now I can see that the same goes for Pawn and the other two books in this particular series. It seems to me that Carter's strong suit is developing relationships in her novels and coming up with promising ideas for the plot, but she doesn't really follow through. There were some major plot holes, and (just like in the other books I mentioned) part of the way through, I started to become confused and wondered if I was missing something in the story altogether, because I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. In some cases, this issue was resolved. In others, I just barreled forward and decided I didn't care enough about the story to try to figure out what I apparently misunderstood.

I disliked Kate a lot in this final installment. Don't get me wrong, she was whiny and weepy for much of the series, but this one... I just couldn't stand it.The only saving grace was that I actually liked Henry a lot in this one. If you have skimmed my past reviews in this series, you will see that there was not much there for me in the way of Henry and that I particularly disliked the way his dialogue was presented. I still hated that aspect, but Henry was a much stronger character this time around in my opinion... and almost a little swoon worthy.

Something else that bothered me... and this may sound a little ridiculous... but there is a baby in this book, and the baby is only a few days old through most of it from what I recall. Carter constantly wrote things describing the baby as reaching for someone or something or smiling or having some sort of emotion. I have been around a lot of babies in my life. The ones that just escaped their mother's womb yesterday generally do not reach for things during say, week one - at least not on purpose. It just annoyed me. I don't care how immortal this baby is.. it is NOT reaching for anyone!!

When I first finished the book, I was somewhat pleased with the way it ended... or maybe I was just pleased that it ended. But after some further thought, I realized that it all happened way too easily, just like in some of her other books. The ending was a bit of a cop out in a situation where more action could have been used (Carter has a problem with writing action scenes, too).

All in all, this was not a favorite series of mine and I don't really see myself recommending it to anyone who really values my opinion because.. well... I'd feel like a fool. I am in desperate need to read Percy Jackson right now to get the bad Greek taste out of my mouth and have some real adventure in my life.

     RATING: ★★ 1/2

For a girl who loves and is obsessed with Greek mythology, this one was a bit of a disappointment to me. I didn't expect anything to be as on point and amazing as PJ, but I guess I'd hoped for a bit more. I think it was a little too juvenile for my tastes without really meaning to be juvenile (hence all the sex). The writing was a bit too simple and the plot poorly executed, so all around, I am just not a fan.

Have any of you read this series in its entirety? What did you think of it as compared to how I feel? I'd love to hear why you all love it or don't love it!

A.

Top Ten Tuesday - Winter TBR

Ahh..its good to be back, if only for a little while. My holidays are hectic and I've realized that I apparently don't have much time for blogging while Christmas shopping :) But I do have time to participate in TTT this week, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is:

TOP TEN BOOKS ON MY WINTER TBR LIST

I think I've mentioned before that I have a reading schedule planned out from now until the end of time, though sometimes I don't follow it exactly as I've mapped it out, but these are the next ten books I plan on reading this winter:

1. Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares (currently reading)

2. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee (netgalley)

3. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

5. The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry (netgalley)

6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

7. Frostbite by Richelle Mead

8. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (re-read)

9. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (re-read)

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth (re-read)

Have you read any of these before? Some of them are re-reads for me, but I've got a couple of first timers up there. What did you think of the ones you have read and are you planning on reading any that you haven't?

Whats on your Winter TBR?

HAPPY TUESDAY!

A.

Discussion - Holiday Blogging Breaks

Boy, its been a quiet couple of weeks here at the blog. This is the first thing I've posted all week, and I kind of fell of the face of the earth around Tuesday or Wednesday of last week with it being Thanksgiving and all. Of course I'm not organized enough to have scheduled posts all ready to go - I'm a 'fly by the seat of your pants' kinda girl, myself.

Do any of you work retail or a job that gets much busier during the holidays? I work three different jobs, as a matter of fact, and one of them is a retail shoe sales job. I know - shoes... during the holidays? Doesn't seem like we'd get busy, but apparently a lot of people like to get shoes for Christmas. I work in a mall, actually, so as of this weekend, we start opening earlier and staying open later. Imagine working in the mall until 11:30 at night when almost no one is shopping - UGH!

Thankfully our extended hours only last a few weeks and then we go right back to normal. But to add to my crazy schedule these next few weeks, my beloved husband-to-be has a new job, and is away for training for the four weeks (we are at the end of week two today). You would think living alone for a month would mean I'd have more time to myself, but this, my friends, is not true. When I do find myself with a spare moment at home that I would normally use to pick up a book, I spend that time FaceTime-ing with Sean, because I'm a big baby and god forbid we spend more than a day apart or else I have a meltdown. -_-

Not only have I not been blogging much, but I've barely been able to read. I went a whole two days without picking up a book! I know! That's insane! I can't handle that kind of separation from my books! Oddly enough, it makes me feel a little low to go without reading for so long... as if two days is a lifetime, right?

How does your blogging schedule get during the holidays? Do you find you have more time, or do you feel overloaded like me? Do you keep schedule posts stocked up in case you don't have time to blog for a few weeks?

Do you get all sorts of sad and depressed if you don't have time to pick up a book for a couple of days, or do you and your books spend happy and comfortable time apart? Am I the only crazy one out there (somehow I dont think thats possible)?

Let me know how you guys make out during the holidays! Oh, and Happy Hanukkah (even though it ended yesterday) and Merry Christmas!Maybe Happy Kwanzaa... well... just... HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :)

A.