Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read

February 6: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read

Oh my, this Top Ten Tuesday list could get REALLY long.
I have SOOOOOOO many books that have been on my TBR for way too long.
Here are just a few that I'm hoping to read this year!!

Legend by Marie Lu
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas


Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness



The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The Diviners by Libba Bray



The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger



Amy & Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Looking for Alaska by John Green

As I mentioned above, I have SO many books that I could put on this list.
My TBR is huge, and I feel like I'm always adding more than I take off it.
I really am hoping to read all of these books this year... Wish me luck!!

My Week in Review • Week 5

Happy Sunday, and Welcome to my weekly Week in Review post!

Here I share all the things I've been up to during the past week.
Check back every Sunday for new updates!

Now, here's what I've been up to this week!

This week was a really good reading week for me,  and I managed to read/finish 6 books before the end of January!    I read A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole, which I'll be sharing my thoughts for it on the blog this coming week, and I also finished my re-read of Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. (I'm now ready to move on to Ignite Me this month!)

I also read Scythe by Neal Shusterman, which was really interesting, and I also (hopefully) plan to share a post about as well this week.



I also finally finished The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and there will be an fun post on the blog for the book early this week, so check back for that!



And I listened to the audiobooks for both Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin this past week as well. Both of these have movies that I *Really* want to watch, and I always try to read the book before watching the movies. I can't wait to watch both of these.


I've already knocked a few books of my February TBR as well, starting with Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, which I've been meaning to read for a while now, and was also on my Winter TBR. This book was hard to read, but I'm so glad I finally did so.

I also officially started my yearly re-read of the Harry Potter series this week with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! I didn't plan to start re-reading it so early in the year, but I did so for Harry Potter Night, and I have no regrets. *wink*

Talking as Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham was another book I read this week, as part of my plan add in some non-fiction books to my TBR here and there. I loved the book, and I now totally want to re-watch (and hopefully actually finish) the Gilmore Girls series. :)




I managed to watch two movies this week, the first being French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, and the second Groundhog Day with Andie MacDowell and Bill Murray. Both of these movies are from my *February Movies to Watch* List, which is full of rom-coms and other romantic movies I'm hoping to watch this month. The list is pretty massive, so I hope I can keep up!

(BTW, French Kiss is my second most favorite Meg Ryan movie ever, so if you haven't yet seen it, you should totally watch it, and Groundhog Day is one of those movies I can watch over and over and over again. *Grin*)

Wow, so this post has gotten really long! If you've read this far, you are awesome, and I promise my rambling is fixing to come to an end.

Tomorrow officially begins the LAST WEEK of Basketball/Cheer Season for the rest of the school year, which means my life will actually get back to a little normalcy for about a month or so before it starts all over again. I can't wait to have some free time again, though I wonder how much reading time I'm going to miss out on while I'm not sitting in the stands. Either way, I'm really looking forward to having extra time again, if only for a little while.

It may seem like I actually read a lot of books this week, but most I had *almost* finished last week, so I only had a few more chapters to go. *shrugs* It still counts, right?! And I'm glad to have a pretty good head start on my Goodreads Challenge goal at the moment. Now if I can just keep that going, I may actually reach my goal again this year!

Ok, ok... that's enough for me now. Tell me, how was your week this past week??

And...

My February 2018 TBR

Happy February, Bookworms!!

Wow, can you believe it's February already? It seems like January just flew by.
(Probably because I had my nose stuck in a bunch of books for most of the month. 😆)

January was a really awesome book month for me, and I'm hoping it will be the same for February.

I have another overly ambitious TBR for the month, and if I can read 'most' of them, I'll be happy.

Here's what I'm planning to read this month:

Books I'm Reading:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
(Because I've never read it before, and the movie looks AMAZING!)

The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine
(I can't believe I haven't read this book yet!)

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
(Just read Scythe in January, so I'm hoping to read this in Feb!)

Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry
(SO excited to read this!)

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
(I'm so behind on this series. I'm hoping to catch up this month!)

Still Me by Jojo Moyes
(SO excited to read this one, especially after rereading the first two books recently.
I think I'm going hold out for the audiobook version from the library though.)

Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
(Reread Illuminae last month, and moving on to Gemina this month!)

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
(Sounds like a good read for February! How have I not read this yet?!)

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
(Because I totally should have finished this by now.)

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
(Squeeeeee! I can't wait to read this!)

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
(I've heard SO many good things about this book. I hope I can read it this month!)

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
(LOVED Daughter of the Pirate King! I know this one will be great as well.)

Books I'm Re-Reading:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
(Starting my re-read of the series since tonight is Harry Potter Book Night!)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
(Re-reading because the movie comes out soon!)

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
(Almost finished re-reading the series in anticipation of the new book next month!)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
(Re-reading so I can finish the rest of the series before War Storm is released)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
(Re-reading so I can finish this series as well.)

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
(Started my reread of this series last month, and I'm so excited to read this again!)

e-Books I'm Reading:

Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia
Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
Hamilton and Peggy by L.M. Elliot
Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine

_______________

Ok, so that looks a little overwhelming! *grin*
But like I said, if I can read most of these, I'll be happy.

Also, can I  just say that there's something seriously... freeing.... 
reading what I want to read, when I want to read it.
I've been doing this a lot the past few months,
and I do believe that's one reason I've been able to read so much lately.
I love it! AND I'm getting caught up on everything in the process,
so it's a win-win for me! :)

Ok, now tell me, what books are on YOUR February TBR??

January Wrap Up & Book Haul!

Happy Last Day of January, Bookworms!!

Seriously, can you believe January has come to an end already??
I'm thrilled that it's been a pretty awesome book month for me.
Not only did I read and reread a lot of great books,

but I also added some really awesome books to my collection as well.
Keep reading to find out more about my book month!

*My January Book Haul*

Everless by Sara Holland
Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill
The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

*My January Wrap Up*

 * = books Reread

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi *
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi *
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton *
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen *
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Scythe by Neal Schusterman
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff *
After You by Jojo Moyes *

*Not Pictured*
** e-books and audiobooks **

Forever my Girl by Heidi McLaughlin
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Spring Girls: A Modern-Day Retelling of Little Women by Anna Todd
Hunted by Meagan Spooner
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
Unqualified by Anna Faris
A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole

_______________

(I'm not sure how Everless ended up in my wrap up photo, as I read it last month. Doh!
I hope I remembered everything else!)

I also added a few new Funkos and other goodies to my collection this month,

thanks to my family and some friends for birthday gifts!

So overall; January has been a great month,
and I feel like it's a great start for this new year.

I can't believe I read 21 books this month! That is a new all-time record for me.
I'm definitely hoping that I can keep my reading mojo throughout the rest of the year!

Ok, tell me, how was your month??
What books did you read and add to your collection??

Waiting on Wednesday #303 - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone
(Legacy of Orïsha #1)
by Tomi Adeyemi
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Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ISBN: 9781250170972

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Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy. (Goodreads)

Um, did you read the summary for this book??
If not, go back and read it. I'll wait.
...
Does this book sound awesome, or what??
I'm really getting into fantasy novels at the moment, 

so this book sounds like my kind of read.
And, I've seen a lot of good things about the book,

so I can't wait to finally check it out for myself!!

**"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: Hunted by Meagan Spooner (Audiobook)

Hunted
by Meagan Spooner
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Publication Date: March 14th 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 374
ISBN: 9780062422286
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Retelling
Source: Library Audiobook

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Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast? (Goodreads)

I’ve had Hunted by Meagan Spooner sitting on my TBR for way too long, but this Beauty and the Beast retelling seemed to be calling my name lately. And seeing how I’m in the process of trying to catch up on all the things I’m behind on, I decided to bump it up on my TBR. I am so glad I did. I love a good retelling, and I happen to have a thing for anything Beauty and the Beast as well. This book was not at all what I expected, but it was a really enjoyable read!

As I mentioned above, I have a strong weakness for all things Beauty and the Beast, and since I’m already a big fan of Meagan’s writing, I knew I was going to like this book. And what’s not to like about it? The characters were awesome; I especially loved the main character, Yeva, (Beauty), who is fierce and brave, and held her own in just about any situation she was thrown into. These are my most favorite types of characters, and I’m thrilled that I’m starting to see them more often in books. There were some interesting secondary characters in the story as well, including the Beast, who is mysterious and very dark and dangerous. He’s definitely one of those characters that grows on you over time.

The storyline for the book was also really enjoyable as well! It was a completely different take on the story than I am used to, but it was also familiar in some ways as well, and I liked that. Who doesn’t love a fun spin on their favorite story? I listened to this book in audio format, and I enjoyed it so much, I basically listened to the whole audiobook in one day. I imagine it would be a quick read if I were to actually read the book, which I may have to do again in the future!

Overall; Hunted by Meagan Spooner was such a great read! If you’re a fan of Beauty and the Beast retellings, or just retellings in general, definitely add this book to your TBR! And if you decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did. *smile*

My Thoughts: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Audiobook Review)

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
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Publication Date: August 16th 2011
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Pages: 374
ISBN: 9780307887436
Genre: Young Adult | Sci-Fi | Dystopian
Source: Own

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In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. (Goodreads)

You know those books that you’ve had one your shelf for way too long, and it seems like everyone has read it but you? Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is one of those books for me. I think almost everyone I know has read this book, and while I have wanted to for a while now, I never managed to pick it up. Then I saw the trailer for the movie, and I decided that I would have to read the book as soon as possible. I am so glad that I finally read it. Everyone warned me that I would absolutely love this book, but I totally did not expect to love it as much as I actually did. It was great!

I didn’t really know what to expect going into the book, as neither the summary for the book nor the movie trailer explain much, but I have to admit I was pretty curious by what little I knew of it. Having finally read the book, I have to say that there was so much that I liked about it! I don’t want to give too much away, as I’d rather you read the book for yourself to see what you like about it, but… The world-building for the book was pretty insane. Not only because of the dystopian type future that the main characters lives in, but also in the virtual reality world that has been created. Imagine being able to escape the reality of life and go to a place where you could be anyone or anything that you wanted to be.( For an introvert like me that’s a dream come true. Bahaha!)

Besides the world-building, the storyline for the book is completely engrossing as well, and there are a lot of great characters throughout the story, including the main character, Wade/Percival. I spent a good chunk of the book rooting for him, and for his friends as well. My favorite part of the story, hands down, is the 80’s nostalgia. (I’m an 80’s baby, if you haven’t guessed. *wink*) I LOVED this! So many of the games I played growing up where mentioned, as well as all the 80’s movies that I’ve never had a chance to watch, but totally plan to binge-watch as soon as possible. (This will be happening ASAP.) Put all these things together, and you have an excellent story to read.

Though I own a physical copy of this book, I opted to listen to it in audiobook format, because I had so many people tell me that it’s a great to listen to. And, it’s narrated by Wil Wheaton, so there’s that. Wil did such an awesome job narrating the story. I totally spaced out many times while he read the story to me, and I could picture everything perfectly in my mind. They say the narrator definitely makes the story, and that’s definitely the case with this one. If you have the opportunity to check out this book in audio format, do it!

Overall; I didn’t expect to love Ready Player One by Ernest Cline as much as I did, but I totally do. I’m super excited to get my hands on his next book, Armada, which I hear is another pretty awesome read, and is apparently being made into a movie (or tv show?) as well. (Yes, I plan to listen to the audiobook for it too!) If you’ve not yet checked out Ready Player One, I strongly recommend that you do so, and I hope you enjoy the book just as much as I did.
audiobook-review

My Week in Review • Week 4

Happy Sunday, and Welcome to my weekly Week in Review post!

Here I share all the things I've been up to during the previous week.
Check back every Sunday for new post updates!

Now, here's what I've been up to this week!

This week was another not-so-good reading week for me, but it was a little better than last week, so there's that. I finally finished reading The Spring Girls by Anna Todd, and you can see my thoughts for it on the blog here. This was the first ever book that I've read by Anna, and it was interesting.

I also read Hunted by Meagan Spooner, which I have been meaning to read for a while now, and I'm SO glad to have finally read it. I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I'm hoping to have my thoughts for it on the blog this week.

I also read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline this week, and I was totally not prepared to enjoy this book as much as I did. (Even though EVERYONE told me that I would!) I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Wil Wheaton, who did a pretty awesome job reading the book to me. I loved it, and I now can't wait to see the movie. I'm hoping to have my thoughts for this book up on the blog this week as well!

No new movies this week, but hopefully some next week!

So I spent a good chunk of this week being sick, but I do believe I am finally on the mend. (And thank goodness for that. I hate being sick!) Now it's time to play the catch-up game, and I have SO much that I'm behind on. It never ends. Sigh.

That's pretty much all I've been up to this week. It's been a long week, and I'm enjoying the weekend, while trying to prepare for next week. The next two weeks are going to be pretty insane, but after that, I may actually have some free time again. I hope!

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

My Thoughts: The Spring Girls by Anna Todd

The Spring Girls
by Anna Todd
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9781501130717
Genre: Fiction | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy

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Four sisters desperately seeking the blueprints to life—the modern-day retelling of Louise May Alcott’s Little Women like only Anna Todd (After, Imagines) could do.

The Spring Girls—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—are a force of nature on the New Orleans military base where they live. As different as they are, with their father on tour in Iraq and their mother hiding something, their fears are very much the same. Struggling to build lives they can be proud of and that will lift them out of their humble station in life, one year will determine all that their futures can become.

The oldest, Meg, will be an officer’s wife and enter military society like so many of the women she admires. If her passion—and her reputation—don’t derail her.

Beth, the workhorse of the family, is afraid to leave the house, is afraid she’ll never figure out who she really is.

Jo just wants out. Wishing she could skip to graduation, she dreams of a life in New York City and a career in journalism where she can impact the world. Nothing can stop her—not even love.

And Amy, the youngest, is watching all her sisters, learning from how they handle themselves. For better or worse.

With plenty of sass, romance, and drama, The Spring Girls revisits Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, and brings its themes of love, war, class, adolescence, and family into the language of the twenty-first century.  (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
The Spring Girls is the first book that I've ever read by Anna Todd, even though I've had quite a few of her older books on my TBR for a while now. I must admit that I'm a little bit intimidated by how many books are in her After series, so I always end up putting off starting it, but when I saw that The Spring Girls was a standalone novel, I was curious to give it a shot. It was an interesting read!

Ok, I should probably start this by saying that The Spring Girls is a modern-retelling of Little Women. I have not had the pleasure of reading Little Women before, and I've not seen and movie/tv adaptations for it either, so I absolutely cannot compare this story to that one in any way. (Actually, the only things I know about the original Little Women story are the spoilers mentioned on Friends. *grin*). That being said, other than knowing some of the names of the original characters, I basically went into this book completely blind, and not knowing at all what to expect.

One thing that I really liked most about the books was the characters. There were so many Spring girls: Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and, of course, Meredith, the mom. I absolutely LOVE stories that have big families. The story is told from the perspective of three of the four sisters; Jo, Meg, and Beth. I enjoyed the different viewpoints, as each sister was so different from each other in their own way. They have this really awesome bond that I always hear that some sisters have, but have never actually seen in real life. They don't always get along, but that bond is still there, and so strong. All of the characters were interesting, but I found myself relating a LOT to Beth; especially with the anxiety issues. (I totally get it.) She's totally my favorite sister.

The storyline for the book was fluffy and entertaining, for the most part. I do feel at times that it was a little ramble-y at times, especially when describing things the simplest of things. There was a lot of extra detail that I felt really didn't need to be included, and I found myself skimming over most of these parts. (Was that just me?) Otherwise, I enjoyed the story, and I now definitely want to check out the original story as well.

Overall; I thought The Spring Girls was an interesting read, and it definitely made me want to check out the original Little Women for sure. I'm really curious to know what I will think of the story once I have read the original, and I'm curious to see what others thought of the books as well. I'm also curious to pick up the After series now as well. :)

Waiting on Wednesday #302 - Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray

Defy the Worlds
(Constellation #2)
by Claudia Gray
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Publication Date: April 3rd 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316394109

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Noemi Vidal has returned to her planet, Genesis, as an outsider. Ostracized for refusing to sacrifice Abel, the galaxy's most advanced mechanical man, she dreams of traveling through the stars one more time. And when a deadly plague arrives on Genesis, Noemi gets her chance. As the only soldier to have ever left the planet, it will be up to her to save its people...if only she wasn't flying right into a trap.

Abel, now fully aware of his soul and captaining his own ship, never thought he'd get to see Noemi again, not when the entire universe stands between them. But when his creator, Burton Mansfield, delivers news of Noemi's capture, Abel must go to her, no matter the cost.

In a race against time, Abel and Noemi band together to stop Mansfield once and for all. The depraved scientist has engineered a way to achieve immortality, but that technology comes with perils of its own. Abel and Noemi are about to discover a secret that could save Genesis and Earth...or destroy them all. (Goodreads)

Confession: I still have not read the first book in this series.
*ducks head in shame*

I actually own the book, and it's sitting on my shelf...
I just haven't had a chance to get to it yet.
I'm hoping to soon, however!
And I can't wait to add Defy the Worlds to my collection as well.
I know I will love them both!
:)

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