October 2017 Wrap Up & Book Haul!!

Happy Tuesday, Bookworms!!
And HAPPY HALLOWEEN to you, too!!

Can you believe October has almost come to end?
Where has the month gone??

October was not the best reading month for me,

but I did add a LOT of new books to my collection,
(ones I will probably not hopefully have time to read soon.)
and I'm excited for all of them!

*My October Book Haul*

Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan
The Red Pyramid | The Throne of Fire | The Serpent's Shadow
by Rick Riordan
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
The Telling | The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy
Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan
Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
The Empress by S.J. Kincaid

So many great books! Unfortunately I haven't started any of them yet,
but hopefully I can get to them soon!
I'm especially excited to start the Kane Chronicles series.

*My October Wrap Up*

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson
Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

*not pictured*
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

As I mentioned above, I didn't get to read quite as many books as I had hoped to in October, but 10 books isn't too bad. The bottom ones that are not pictured were all from my Fall TBR list, which is great, but has put me wayyyyy behind on everything else. I'm definitely enjoying it, but I'm debating on if I will be able to do it again with my Winter TBR. Sigh.

That pretty much sums up my reading month!
Now tell me, how was YOUR October Wrap Up & Book Haul??

Week in Review • Week 43

Happy MONDAY, Bookworms!!
Yes, this post is a day late. My bad! If it helps, I'm currently behind on
ALL THE THINGS are the moment. Ooooops.
:)

Here's what I was up to this past week:

I only managed to finish one book this week, and that was Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson, which I really enjoyed. I actually hate to see the series end, I've enjoyed reading it so much. You can see my thoughts for the book here!

I'm currently reading four other books at the moment as well, which is getting a big confusing. If I actually took a moment to actually focus on just one book, I'd probably have more finished this week. *grin*

** Side note: I may feel like I'm not reading much lately, but I just recently had to raise my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal, again. So that's pretty cool!

The hubby was home on vacation this past week, so we took advantage of our new Movie Pass cards and went to see American Made and The Foreigner at the theater. Both were good movies, though not really my type.

I also watched the original Ghostbusters, which never, ever gets old, and The Addams Family, both of which were on my Halloween Movies list! I doubt I'm going to get to watch all the movies I had planned for Halloween, but I'm definitely going to try to watch my faves.

I also watched Practical Magic with my fellow Book Club ladies, and that was super fun! It was my first time seeing the movie, and I really enjoyed it. (Much better than the book, which rarely happens.) Probably because Sandra Bullock is awesome. ;)

** No, I have not started season 2 of Stranger Things yet. Soon, hopefully!

If you're on Instagram you should definitely check out #AlltheBooksNov, next months Book Photo Challenge hosted by @Loriimagination and myself! It's definitely lots of fun, and we'd love to have you join us!!

So, as I mentioned above, I'm pretty much behind on EVERYTHING at the moment, which really sucks, and has me super overwhelmed. (Which is probably the whole reason I'm behind to begin with. What a vicious circle life can be!) I can't believe it's almost time to leave October behind and say hello to November. Where has this month gone??

That's all for me this week, hopefully I will have a better week to report next week!

Waiting on Wednesday #293 - Unearthed by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Unearthed
(Unearthed #1)
by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
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Publication Date: January 9th 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
ISBN: 978148475805

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When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race... (Goodreads)

Are you as excited as I am by the fact that Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have a new book coming out? I am seriously SO EXCITED for this book! Luckily for me, I managed to snag a copy from Netgalley, and I can't wait to get started on it. Read that summary, does it sound awesome, or what?! I really enjoyed the Starbound series which is also by these two authors, so I know I'm going to live Unearthed as well. :) Check it out if you're interested!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My Thoughts: Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

Into the Bright Unknown
(The Gold Seer Trilogy #3)
by Rae Carson
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Publication Date: October 10th 2017
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780062242976
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Historical
Source: Own

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The stunning conclusion to Rae Carson’s New York Times–bestselling Gold Seer trilogy, which Publishers Weekly in a starred review called “Simply terrific.” A historical fantasy brimming with magic, romance, and adventure—perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah Maas, and Westworld.

Leah Westfall, her fiancé Jefferson, and her friends have become rich in the California Territory, thanks to Lee’s magical ability to sense precious gold. But their fortune has made them a target, and when a dangerous billionaire sets out to destroy them, Lee and her friends decide they’ve had enough—they will fight back with all their power and talents. Lee’s magic is continuing to strengthen and grow, but someone is on to her—someone who might have a bit of magic herself. The stakes are higher than ever as Lee and her friends hatch a daring scheme that could alter the California landscape forever. With a distinctive young heroine and a unique interpretation of American history, Into the Bright Unknown strikes a rich vein of romance, magic, and adventure, bringing the Gold Seer Trilogy to its epic conclusion. Includes a map and an author’s note. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson was another of my most anticipated releases for 2017, and with good reason! I've been waiting for over a year to get my hands on this book, and now that I've read, and LOVED it, I feel complete closure now that the series has come to an end.

I had the pleasure of re-reading the first two books, Walk On Earth a Stranger and Like a River Glorious, over the past two months while waiting for this book to release, so the story was super fresh in my mind when I finally started Into the Bright Unknown. I don't get often have the chance to re-read a series before the next book is released, but I've been doing it more often lately, and I've really enjoyed diving back into my favorite series again! The Gold Seer trilogy is no exception. There's so much I love about this series, even though some things make me want to rage, but I can't say I've ever read anything like this series before, and it's definitely a favorite of mine.

There are so many characters to love in the book, including the main character, Leah (Lee) Westfall. She was such a strong character from the start, and I really enjoyed watching her character grow even more over the course of the story. I also loved all the people that traveled across the country with her as well, or, should I say, the ones that stuck with her through it all, at least. These people were so much more than friends; they are family. And they are the best kind of family; the ones you get to choose yourself. I love them all, and especially Jefferson!!

(I should also add that there are so, so, so many characters to hate in the story as well, but, the good always overcomes the bad.)

Overall; I have really enjoyed this series so much, and  I absolutely hate to see it come to an end. This third book in the series does give me a bit of closure though. I'll definitely be re-reading this series again in the future! If you've not yet picked up the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, I highly recommend that you do so! It's a unique and fast paced historical story that I just know you'll enjoy. Check it out soon!

My Thoughts: Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (Audiobook)

Always and Forever, Lara Jean
(To All the Boys I've Loved Before #3)
by Jenny Han
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Publication Date: May 2nd 2017
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9781481430487
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Own/Library

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Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.

Life couldn’t be more perfect!

At least, that’s what Lara Jean thinks…until she gets some unexpected news.

Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans—but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
One of my most anticipated reads for 2017 was Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han. I purchased the book as soon as it was released in May, but unfortunately had to keep pushing it back on my reading list. Then I discovered that my library finally had the audiobook for it, and I just HAD to listen to it right away. I'm so glad that I did! This book is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

As I'm sure I've mentioned in my review for the previous books, but I must say it again... I absolutely adore the characters in this book. Actually, Lara Jean is one of my most favorite characters ever, and I've really loved reading her story over the past few years. She has a really awesome family as well, and I especially love the bond between her and her sisters. I should also add that she has a pretty sweet boyfriend as well. I love all of these characters so much!

I think may have subconsciously put off reading this book because I really didn't want Lara's story to end. But I'm so glad that I did finally read it, as I feel like the whole story wrapped up very nicely. As I mentioned above, I have a hard copy of this book, but I decided to listen to the audiobook for it instead. I listened to the audiobooks for the first two books earlier this year when I re-read the series, so I knew I would enjoy this one as well. And I did. The narrator, Laura Knight Keating, does an awesome job with the voices for each character, and it was easy to get swept into the story as she read it to me. (She's narrated for all of the audiobooks in this series, and they are awesome to listen to!)

Overall; I've said it once, and I'll say it again... Always and Forever, Lara Jean was such a great read! It is definitely a favorite of 2017. If you're a fan of sweet contemporary stories, I highly recommend you pick up this series and meet Lara Jean for yourself, and I hope you love it just as much as I do!

Week in Review • Week 42

Happy Sunday, Friends!!

Just a quick update from me today, as I've hurt my back somehow,

and sitting isn't very pleasant at the moment...
BUT... I do have a bit of updates for this week!

This week I finished two books, the first being All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda, which is another book from my Fall TBR. I also finished my re-read of Anna Dressed in Blood for #AlltheBooksReadalong, and I really enjoyed diving back into this story again!

I also FINALLY read Always and Forever, Lara Jean, which I've been meaning to read since it's been released back in May! It's been sitting on my shelf for so long, but then the audiobook came in at our local library, and I just HAD to get it. This book was perfection. Definitely one of my favorites for the year!

I also watched three movies this week! Hotel Transylvania 1&2 were both of my 31 Days of Halloween watchlist, so I'm glad to have watched those!

AND, I watched Scream with  my Book Club girls as well! I had never seen this movie before, and am definitely not a fan of scary movies, but this one actually wasn't too bad!

As of today there are only 9 days left in October, and I still have SO MUCH to do, and even more books to finish reading! I've barely touched my blog in the past two weeks, and that makes me sad. So, I've got a lot of catching up to do before the month is over, which probably won't happen, as the hubby is home on vacation this week. Haha!

That's all for me this week, so...

Week in Review • Week 41

Good Sunday Morning, Bookworms!!

We've made it through the second week of October,
can you believe it?

This month, and my TBR, is seriously kicking my butt,

and I'm barely keeping up.

But, I do have a few things to update for this week!

This week I read two books from my Fall TBR list. The first book was In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware, which I really enjoyed, and the second book was Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

I also finished my re-read of Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson, and have also started reading Into the Bright Unknown, which was just released earlier this week!

I completely forgot to add last week that I *finally* watched Wonder Woman, and it was Awesome! Definitely on my list of most favorite movies. We also watched Spider-man: Homecoming this week as well, and I liked it too!

I'm seriously behind on my 31 Days of Halloween movie watch, so that's been pretty disappointing. There are just not enough hours in the day!

So, our Fall Break did not go at all as planned, though that seems to be how it always works for us. Ha! The kiddos are actually looking forward to going back to school on Monday, so I guess it's been a pretty boring week for them, especially as they have been helping to take care of their sister who had her wisdom teeth removed this week, and whose recovery is not going as well as we had hoped. Here's hoping for a better week next week!

(I feel like I say that EVERY week. Can I just have a good week, please!?)

That's all for me this week, so...