Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Day 3 + Wrap Up

I'm participating in the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon hosted by the Reading Angels, Pure Imagination and Candace's Book Blog. This is Day 3, the last day of this readathon. 

Wrap Up:
What I Read: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Breathe by Sarah Crossan and Starstruck by Lauren Conrad
Pages Read Total: 898
Books Read Total: 3

I'm pretty proud of myself for reading so much the last three days! It's way more than I'm used to lately. Hopefully I can keep this up and finally lower that ever-growing TBR pile. 

Today's mini-challenge is hosted by Dizneeee's World of Books:

Tell your favorite genre, favorite book within that genre, and your favorite character from the same genre.

Favorite genre: Dystopia
Favorite book: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. I love that it's a bit different from other dystopians and I never thought I would like a book about space so much!
Favorite character: Kenji from the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. He's fighting for the things he believes in and has a lovely sense of humor! I like that!

I really enjoyed participating in the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon! 
Happy reading!

Once Upun a Read-a-Thon Day 2

I'm participating in the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon hosted by the Reading Angels, Pure Imagination and Candace's Book Blog. This is Day 2! 

I finished The Fault in Our Stars by John Green yesterday. So that's one of my goals crossed off! It's been so long since I read a book in one day. It felt amazing! I stayed up late and cried like a baby girl, but it was so worth it!

This morning I started Breathe by Sarah Crossan. So far it's pretty good. I don't think I'll be finishing this one tonight though. But tomorrow is ok. 

So for today's mini-challenges:

1. Hosted by Better Read than Dead

"You're in a bookstore and you've just purchased 5 books you've been dying to read, when the apocalypse hits. (Zombie, Demons, Vampires, Dean Winchester vs. Sam Winchester (yes, I'm watching Supernatural reruns) I don't care what apocalypse). You've got one chance at survival, what 2 books do you take and what 3 other items do you take?"

This took some thinking, but I decided to take a survival book (any survival book) and Harry Potter. I know it's not very original, but it's the only book I can re-read forever. For the other three items I would take a sword (I know, classy right ;)), my phone and chocolate, lots of chocolate!

2. Hosted by IB Book Blogging

"Make your dream guy using characteristics, personalities, looks, and anything else you can think of from your favorite book boyfriends."

This one is though and easy at the same time!

Looks is easy: a combination of Lucas from Easy by Tammara Webber and Gabriel Merrick from the Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer. Both very, very hot. He should have Augustus' personality, from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (I know I only finished the book yesterday, but I kinda fell for him). I love his humor, but he can be serious when he needs to be and he's a bit mysterious. He just has it all! 

And now comes the though part. I'm just not the kind of girl who has a lot of fictional crushes. So I just don't know what other characters I would like to see mixed up in my dream guy. For now, I leave at this :). 

I'm going to read again! 

Happy reading!

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon: goals + first mini challenge

Hi guys!

I know it's been awhile since I posted anything. I've been so busy with working, finding a real job, actually getting it and then working two jobs for a couple of weeks. But I'm back again! So, hi!

And to get a good start I've decided to participate in the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon hosted by the Reading Angels, Pure Imagination and Candace's Book Blog. It starts at 12:01am July 8th and we'll read our last pages on July 10th at 11:59pm. Don't forget to attend the daily challenges and the Twitter party on Wednesday 9pm EST (which unfortunately I'll miss, because it's like 2am over here). 

My goals are:
1. Read more than usual on work days.
2. Finally read The Fault In Our Stars (I started this morning and already LOVE it!)
(3. Hopefully reading more books)

And for the first mini-challenge hosted by Cover2Cover Blog:

1. Which book are you most excited to read in the coming year? It can already be released or coming soon.

The first books that pops up is Red by Alyson Cherry. I've been excited for months already about this book and I can't wait to read it! Still a few more months until the release, but I'm confident it's worth the wait!

2. Which book would you re-read if you had the time and weren't so busy reading ALL of the other good things?

For a while now I've wanted to re-read Twilight. It was the first book I read after a long period of no reading and I absolutely loved it. I'm curious if I'll still love it as much. 

3. And lastly, If you could meet any fictional character who would it be and why?

This one isn't going to be original at all, but I have to go for Hermione from the Harry Potter books. She's my all time favorite character and I recognize so much of myself in her. It would be amazing just to talk to her for five minutes!

Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday (44)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I'm waiting on 

Five Summers by Una LaMarche

Four best friends, five summers of camp memories
 
The summer we were nine: Emma was branded “Skylar’s friend Emma” by the infamous Adam Loring . . . 
The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth . . . 
The summer we were eleven : Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle . . . 
The summer we were twelve : Skylar’s love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us—except Skylar . . . 
Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie’s secret. Skylar did something unthinkable . . . and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart. 

Three years after the fateful last night of camp, the four of us are coming back to camp for reunion weekend—and for a second chance. Bittersweet, funny, and achingly honest, Five Summers is a story of friendship, love, and growing up that is perfect for fans of Anne Brashares and Judy Blume's Summer Sisters. 
Will be published on: May 16th, 2013 (Razorbill)

I loved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Five Summers sounds a bit like that series and that's exactly the reason why I can't wait to read this story! Friends, secrets and summer: the perfect combination!

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday has another topic and different bloggers give their top ten. I love making lists, so here's mine for this week!

This week's topic is 

Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

It took some thinking before I came up with this list! I'd never really thought about what words/topics make me pick up or buy a book instantly. These ten came up!

Young Adult / New Adult

Obvious maybe, but I do pick up a book when I know it's young or new adult.

Magic / powers

I love reading about magic and/or powers! Harry Potter, The Elemental series, the Winter trilogy, I love them!

 Fairytale re-tellings

When I was young I loved reading fairytales and now I read the re-tellings!

Romance

What's a story without a little romance?

Dance

There are way too few books that include dancing!

Mythical creatures

Vampires, werewolves, mermaids, fae, you name it: YES!

Time traveling

Books with time traveling really need some thinking! Sometimes they even give me a headache! But I love them. 

Dystopia

One of my favorite genres!

Mythology

It's a bit the same as with the fairytales. I love re-tellings and learning more about the original stories this way!

Contemporary

I discovered contemporary as a genre only last year and I absolutely love it! Most of my favorite books right now are contemporaries. 

What words/topics make you pick up/buy a book?

Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like More/Less Than I Did

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday has another topic and different bloggers give their top ten. I love making lists, so here's mine for this week!

This week's topic is 

Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like More/Less Than I Did

I always try to start reading a book with a open mind, but in the end I always have some idea of what I hope it will be. So, it's not a surprise that I like some books more or less than I expected. 

So, for this week there are two lists: one with books I liked less and one with books I liked more. 

Books I Thought I Would Like Less

 1  Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits was one of the first contemporaries I ever read and I didn't really know what to expect. I was in a bit of a reading slump and someone said I really had to read this one. So, I did and absolutely loved it! (And it got me out of my reading slump!)

 2  Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I procrastinated reading this one for a long time. I don't even know why exactly. Probably because I don't read that much science fiction. I ended up loving it! Glow that is, I'm still a bit hesitant if it comes to sf.

 3  Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Everyone was raving about this one about how amazing it is. This always gets my guard up, because I'm afraid I won't like it. But with this one I shouldn't have been afraid at all!

 4  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I had to get used to the writing style, but after that Shatter Me was absolutely amazing. 

 5  Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Sometimes you just love a book more than you expected. It sounds a bit mean, but everyone has certain expectations. Sometimes they add up, sometimes they don't and sometimes the book ends up being a lot better than you thought it would!

Books I Thought I Would Like More

 1  What's New, Pussycat by Alexandra Potter

No YA, but an other genre I like to read: Chick Lit. I loved Alexandra Potter's books, until this one. Her other books are unique and cliche free, but this one was full of them. I didn't like it. 

 2  Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

So many people recommended this book to me, but when I read it I just didn't like it. I don't know exactly what it was, but I won't be reading another book in this series.

 3  Switched by Amanda Hocking

I had this book on my wish list for months and couldn't wait to read it. I knew how the story would go before I finished the first chapter. Never a good sign. 

 4  Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

I love books about witches, but I had a hard time getting into the story. I liked it, but just not as much as I thought I would. 

 5  Slated by Teri Terry

I thought I would love this one, but I didn't in the end. It just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess. Well, we can't love all the books we read!

What books did you like more or less than you thought you would?

Waiting on Wednesday (43)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I'm waiting on 

Shutdown (Glitch #3) by Heather Anastasiu

The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution. 

The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands. 

Will be published on: July 2nd, 2013 (St. Martin's Griffin)

I have to admit that I still need to read the second book in the series, but I thought the first book was amazing! I'll probably wait until the last book in the series is released (a.k.a. this one) and then read the series in a reading marathon! 

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday REWIND: Books Made Into A Movie

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday has another topic and different bloggers give their top ten. I love making lists, so here's mine for this week!

This week's topic is 

Top Ten Books Made Into A Movie

That I love books shouldn't be a surprising, but I also love watching movies. Although I do that far less than reading. I'm often engaged in discussions about books made into movies. Especially about which is better: the book or the movie. If I had to choose between never reading again or never watching a movie again I would pick the movie, because I could never go without books!
So I might say that books are most of the time better than the movie, but not always! I could write a whole post about this discussion, so I won't go any further here! So here's my Top Ten Books Made Into A Movie!

 1  Harry Potter

I loved all the books and movies. It would be even hard for me to pick a favorite.

 2  The Devil Wears Prada

I've watched this movie so many times by now. It's definitely not the best movie I've ever seen, but I just love watching it. It's fun, light and cheers me up when I'm feeling a bit down. I've read the book once and liked it.

 3  The Hunger Games

Although I've only seen the movie in the theaters and haven't bought the DVD yet I did love it. And the book is just amazing!

 4  Twilight

Most of the time I put on a movie when I'm also doing other stuff (like blogging). It's a long time ago I really sat down to watch Twilight, but I love to watch it while being busy. 

 5  The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit

I lost count how many times I've watched The Lord of the Rings, I really love those movies. I intend to reread the books this year for the seventh time! Yes, I know, I'm crazy. The Hobbit is now on DVD and I can't wait to watch it again!

 6  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

This is one of the view books-made-into-movies were I first saw the movie and read the books later. It was quite a surprise that there were four books and only two movies. Although I love how they put the stories together!

 7  Atonement

Both the book and the movie left a huge impression on me. It was the second book I read by Ian McEwan and I still intend to read more by him. 

 8  Casino Royale

Some of you might know that my boyfriend is a James Bond fan and that he got me hooked on it too. I love watching the Bond movies, especially the later ones with Daniel Craig. I must admit that I've only read the first few chapters of the book so far, but they're both amazing. 

 9  The Notebook / The Last Song / A Walk to Remember / Dear John

I love Nicholas Sparks' books and they've been made into beautiful movies. They always make me cry. 

10 The Golden Compass

I'd never read His Dark Materials until I'd seen the movie. I'm not a big fan of the movie, although I did like it. But this is a classic case of the book is way better than the movie!

What topic did you choose in TTT REWIND this week? And what's your favorite Book Made Into A Movie?

Review Fragments by Dan Wells

Title: Fragments
Author: Dan Wells
Published: February 26th, 2013 
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 564
Source: Netgalley
Series: Partials Sequence #2

Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

Did you read Partials and liked it? Than you'll definitely love Fragments! I certainly did. I think it's even better than the first book in the series.

It took me a while to get into the story. I couldn't remember everything that had happened in Partials and that made it a bit difficult, because the story continues where the first book ends. But soon most of it came back and I really enjoyed this story. It was hard to put down. 

I loved that the story is told from different perspectives. In Partials I had a couple of times that I was annoyed by Kira and had to put the book down. With multiple perspectives the story was a lot more fun and fast paced! You also learn a lot more about the war that's going on and how they got there. 

That's the best thing about dystopians: the world building! It makes the story so much better if the world building is good. It's what made Partials less fun for me, I would have loved it if there was more about the world and how it got this way. In Fragments there was a lot of background information and I absolutely loved it! 

Beside having to get into the story when I just started I was pretty sad when I turned to last page. I want more! The ending screams for more!

A great dystopian series you definitely want to read if you love the genre!

Waiting on Wednesday (42)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I'm waiting on 

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send." 

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look. 
Will be published on: June 15th, 2013 (Balzer & Bray)

I love contemporaries and I do not read them enough! This sounds like an amazing story. I would be heartbroken when my ex-boyfriend would do something like this to me! And I have a good feeling about Mack being the most amazing guy *cough* book boyfriend *cough*. 

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday has another topic and different bloggers give their top ten. I love making lists, so here's mine for this week!

This week's topic is 

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

I've been a blogger for almost a year now, so there are a lot of books I read and love before blogging. Making a Top Ten wasn't easy (like it's ever easy!), but here are my favorite books before the summer of 2012!

 1  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling


I think this is the series I've reread the most times of all the books I've ever read. So I think it's save to say that this is one of my absolute favorites!

 2  Stravaganza by Mary Hoffman

Another series. It's probably the idea to put one book at a time on this list, but I can't resist! I love this series and I'm really sad that it ended earlier than suspected.

 3  Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

During my teens I didn't read that much and this was the first book I picked up after a long time and it got me totally hooked on reading again. And because of that it deserves a place on this list.

 4  The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith

I love books about witches and this one was my absolute favorite before I started blogging.

 5  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi's writing style is so amazing! Definitely one of my favorites.

 6  Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

Finding Sky reminds me of all the time I spent on amazon searching for new books. This was one of them and I absolutely loved it! I kind of missed those days. I picked what I thought I would like and never read reviews. I'm more prejudiced about the books I read these days, because of all the reviews I read.

 7  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

I loved the first four books in this series. There was a time I wished I could be part of this sisterhood. I read the last book last year and I did love it, but not as much as the other books. 

 8  Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

I fell in love with the cover of this book and I've spent many hours staring at it deciding if I wanted to read it. I did and loved it!

 9  Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver is such an amazing author. I love her books. Delirium made a huge impression on me, but that ending! It broke my heart so bad I haven't dared pick up the other two books in the series yet. 

10 Beastly by Alex Flinn

I love fairy tale retellings and this is one of my favorites. Also I bought this book while I was in New York City and it will always remind me of the amazing time I had there!

What are you're favorite books before you were a blogger? 

Waiting on Wednesday (41)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I'm waiting on 

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Title: Born of Illusion

Author: Teri Brown

Will be published on: June 15th, 2013 (Balzer & Bray)

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

I would only read this book for it's cover. It's so beautiful and it promises a very good story!

What are you waiting on?

Cover Reveal: Stars In Her Eyes

Today I'm part of the Blog Tour for the cover reveal for the new book by Clare C. Marshall, Stars In Her Eyes!

Stars In Her Eyes

Title: Stars In Her Eyes (Sparkstone Saga #1)

Author: Clare C. Marshall

Will be published on: May 13, 2013

Publisher: Faery Ink Press

So what do you think? Pretty, isn't it? I like that it's different from most covers. If you're curious about the story just click the cover above! It will take you straight to Faery Ink Press' website for more information.

More info about the author:

Clare C. Marshall grew up in rural Nova Scotia with very little television and dial up internet, and yet, she turned out okay. She has a combined honours degree in journalism and psychology from the University of King’s College, and is a graduate from Humber College’s Creative Book Publishing Program. She is a full time freelance editor, book designer, web manager, and publishing consultant. She enjoys publishing books through her imprint, Faery Ink Press. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing the fiddle and making silly noises at cats.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Clare's also hosting a giveaway. Two lucky winners will receive an eARC!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also:

Pre-order the print version of Stars In Her Eyes now and get a free eBook of any Faery Ink Press title: The Violet Fox, Within, or even Stars In Her Eyes. 

Leave a comment and tell me what you think about this cover. 

Waiting on Wednesday (40)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I'm waiting on 

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Title: Wild Awake

Author: Hilary T. Smith

Will be published on: May 28th, 2013 (Katherine Tegen Books)

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

I'm very curious about what will happen in Wild Awake! What stranger is calling? And more importantly why?

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday has another topic and different bloggers give their top ten. I love making lists, so here's mine for this week!

This week's topic is 

Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

It's never really easy making these Top Ten's, but this one is so hard! There are so many awesome books out there I loved and would recommend. But I tried my hardest and narrowed it down to ten. They're not really in a particular order. I think they're all amazing!

 1  Pushing the Limits / Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I'm counting these as one. You don't want to miss out on both of them!

 2  Legend by Marie Lu

I just finished this one yesterday and let me tell it's as amazing as everyone says it is!

 3  The Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer

Yes, I know, I cheating a bit again. I could just pick the first book in the series, but you'll want to read the other books in the series then anyway. It's that amazing!

 4  The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This book left a huge impression on me and I cried so hard while I read it. A beautiful story that really makes you think.

 5  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi's writing style is so amazing you should read this book just for that.

 6  Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella

This book has made me laugh so hard! It was almost embarrassing.

 7  Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I never thought I would say that I love a science fiction book, but this one is absolutely amazing.

 8  The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

All his books have made me cry, but this was one of the best.

 9  Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

One of the best dystopian books out there. 

10 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

As long as there are people out there that haven't read this series yet I'll keep recommending it!

What books do you recommend the most?