Bout of Book 8.0: Progress

 

This is my third read-a-thon of the summer. And hopefully, I've learn a few things from the past two. Instead of making seperate post for updating my progress, I decided that one post is easier to manage. At least, that is the theory. We shall see :)

I hope I can put a big dent in my reading list. Join me in tracking my progress through this read-a-thon. Link up your progress post in the comments, and I'll be sure to drop by.

To see my goals post -- jump here.

 

Monday

Pages Read Today:136
Pages Read Total:136



Random Thought: Daughter of Smoke and Bone is so strange, yet beautiful. It's like poetry.
Books:

• Ten Tiny Breaths --> 181 -221 (finished) (40 pages) -- Loved it! Review here.
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone --> 17 - 113 (96 pages)

 

Tuesday

Pages Read Today: 106
Pages Read Total: 242

Random Thought: This description struck a chord with me for some reason. Had to share: "She would have thought an angel would have something of air, but he didn't. He was all substance: powerful and rugged and real." (p. 207)

Very beautiful. Love how the author describes an angel here.

Books:

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone --> 114 - 220 (106 pages)

Wednesday

Pages Read Today: 79


Pages Read Total: 321
Random Thought: Didn't reach my goal of 100 pages today. But I did make it to the cinema to see The Mortal Instruments.
Books:

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone --> 221 - 300 (79 pages)

Thursday

Pages Read Today: 166

Pages Read Total:487

Random Thought: Finally finished Daughter and it was marvelous. Just started Reign of Blood and it is really interesting so far. I mean she chopped of a Vampire's head. Ack!

Books:

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone --> 301 - 418 (Finished) (117 pages) Review here.
• Reign of Blood --> 8 - 32 (24 pages)
• The Notebook --> 1-25 (25 pages)

Friday

Pages Read Today: 67

Pages Read Total: 554

Random Thought: Didn't met a hundred again today. But I have been spending a lot of my time studying CSS. It is so interesting and I'm hoping some of it will actually stick, so I can reformat and design this blog. And I went to a couple of bookstores today (even though I haven't met my goal). If you'd like to see my haul: jump to my StS page here.

Books:

• The Notebook 25-60 (35 pages)
• Reign of Blood 32-64 (32 pages)

Saturday

Pages Read Today:7

Pages Read Total: 561

Random Thoughts: I'm sorta embarrassed to put that I only read 7 pages. *facepalm* Fail.

Books:

• Reign of Blood-->65-72

Sunday

Pages Read Today: 65

Pages Read Total: 626+ pages

Random Thoughts: I'm happy with getting two books read. And that I got a pretty big jump on the next three.

Books:

• Reign of Blood---> 73-138 (65 pages)
• Predestined --> 12% in

Hopefully I can do a round up post that is much prettier than this one turned out to be.

 

Books:Book List:

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker (Finished): Review

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (Finished): Review

Reign of Blood by Alexia Purdy

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Predestined by Abbi Glines

 

Posted with Blogsy

Top Ten Tuesday: TBR List for Winter

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Even though it is Wednesday (almost Thursday), I still wanted to post the ten books I want to read this Winter.

• The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks -- The movies is coming out soon featuring Zac Efron. I do not care how fan girlish I sound, I'm super excited about this. I started the book a little while back, but need to finish it before the movie
• The Help by Kathryn Sockett -- I've seen the movie and loved it. I want to give this book a chance now.

• City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare  -- I have heard a lot about these books. I found this book for really cheap the other day and figured it was time for me to give it a chance. 
• Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles -- Can you say Si? I just finished reading the first two and need to know what's going to happen with the youngest Fuentes brother.

• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld  -- I need to experience this world because the blog world seems to love it.                                                                                                              
  Loading...
  
  Loading...
  
• Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick --  As I saw another book blogger sorta say, Oh Patch, please don't break hearts in this.

• The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne -- A little Christmas read for the season
• Christmas Carol -- I need to read this Christmas Classic.

• Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano -- I bought this the other day on sale...so we'll see.

•  
• Existence by Abbi Glines -- This book doesn't come out till Dec. 13th. I hear good things about this author, so I thought I'd give this book a chance.
  
  

Why do think? Feel free to post your list too.


Have a good Thursday :)

Book Review: Lament & Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary (from goodreads): Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . . 


Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary (from goodreads): Music prodigy James Morgan and his best friend, Deirdre, join a private conservatory for musicians. James' musical talent attracts Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. Composing beautiful music together unexpectedly leads to mutual admiration and love. Haunted by fiery visions of death, James realizes that Deirdre and Nuala are being hunted by the Fey and plunges into a soul-scorching battle with the Queen of the Fey to save their lives






My Thoughts:  These books were enjoyable reads, but nothing amazing. If you love faeries then you will probably think these books are great. I'm not talking Tinker Bell here though -- I learned in these books that not all faeries are well....nice. On that note I often wondered if I was suppose to be confused by the language (and it would make sense later) or if I should've already known certain things about this genre. For example certain faerie groups or information about them. Probably easy stuff to google, I just did not feel like stopping and googling the differences in faerie groups or mythology.  Ultimately it did not matter, it was just frustrating at the time. 

I enjoyed the first book more because of the charming Luke. However, both books had many likable characters. James, in the second book, is a real hoot too. He is either trying to get his two (often sarcastic) cents in or he is having to write down words of inspiration that pop in his mind.  The kinda character that makes you want to be true to yourself. 


I recommend these books to someone who really enjoys paranormal romances, young adult fiction, and of course books about  faeries.  Overall I give these books 3-4 stars for an enjoyable, different read.

Book Review: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads): "Dear John", the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.
When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined.

My Thought: Dear John is an quick, emotional, but enjoyable read. Like most books by Nicholas Sparks, this one definitely tugs on the heart strings. Though I didn't cry, I am just lucky Aunt Flow wasn't visiting or I might have actually broke down and bawled, I felt connected to the characters and their situations. Let's just say you know your in for an emotional rollercoaster when the prologue makes you feel disheartened.

Line from the prologue: "Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. And although this is the way all stories unfold, I still can't believe that ours didn't go on forever."

If you cry easily, you may want to have some tissue ready. In other words if you are looking for that classic happy ending then turn away now.

Love is a beautiful, breathtaking thing that can turn your whole world around. Love is also a challenge, and sadly love is not always as simple as we wish it could be. Sparks covers every aspect of that in Dear John. Of course no love story would be complete without both the highs and lows. And when the two main characters John and Savannah fall in love -- it is simply delightful.  So sweet and pure, the kind of love people often hope for. The lows of the relationship were kinda like running into a brick wall - painful. Aren't most that way? Sparks did have a few bittersweet moments, but as I already mentioned he mainly just tugged at the heartstrings. My heart felt heavy when I finally closed the book.

The writing flowed and I enjoyed how I easily read multiple chapters in one sitting. It is an easy book to connect with and though at times I found some of the characters too perfect -- it did NOT change my overall opinion of the book.  Because overall the characters were likeable and more importantly relateable.

Dear John is a love story that includes: survival, young love, heartbreak, sacrifice, responsibilities, and that scary "whatif" factor. And it is now one of my favorite books.


Quotes:

"I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."

"Believe me, I'm no romantic, and while I've heard all about love at first sight, I've never believed in it, and I still don't. But even so, there was something there, something recognizably real, and I couldn't look away."


Thanks for taking the time to read this review. Feel free to comment :)

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 


Summary (from goodreads): Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?


Quick Thoughts:  Hilarious. Smitten. Witty.

Review -  This book is a smooth read that quickly had me hooked. Anna has to spend her senior year at a boarding school in France. At first she is not thrilled with the idea, but she meets a group of friends and of course a most gorgeous guy. (And he has an even more gorgeous accent...it doesn't even matter that I can't hear it. French and British mixed together...swoon is right.). Anna narrates the story; she is witty, relatable, and even had me laughing out loud at some scenes. St. Clair had me smitten in parts (of course I am starting to think I am sap) and I figured that their was no wonder that Anna was crushing so hard.  If you enjoy the classic chic read then you will love this book - especially the building realtionship between Anna and St. Clair. It some of the best in the (chic read) YA genre, definitely an enjoyable read.


Rating: 4/5 Stars

A Few Quotes I Liked:

"I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons."
 
"How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else's - be pulled and stretched and twisted - before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?"

Read It: on my kindle



Don't Forget:

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the companion novel for  Anna and the French Kiss and it schedule to come out in a few months. 







Thank you for taking the time to read this review. Feel free to leave a comment about your thoughts on the review or a link with your own review on this book. Or if you just want to say hello -- that's great too!