Books I'm Taking on My Road Trip!

This week, I'm going on a road trip and I'm super excited for it!  Not only will there surely be a lot of beautiful scenery, there will be many hours in a car.  While this normally wouldn't necessarily be a good thing, in this case it is.  I'm not tasked with driving which means I get to spend that time reading!  I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't get carsick while reading (thank goodness).  And, since I'm chugging along toward my goal of reading 20 books this summer, this will be a perfect opportunity to make it closer to achieving that goal!  

So, in preparation for the trip, I've made a short list of the books I want to take with me!

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

I'm still doing the Harry Potter read-a-thon with my friend and we're on to the fourth book!  I'm about a quarter of the way through and really enjoying it.  I love this year for Harry, Ron, and Hermione (although Harry and Ron so annoy me a bit).  

2. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I've heard so many wonderful things about this book and have admired its cover from afar for too long.  I finally caved and bought it the other day and I'm so excited to dive into it!  I'm already about 30 pages in and I'm hoping I can finish it on the drive!

3. Ruined by Amy Tintera

I actually randomly picked this one up at a used book sale without knowing anything about it but it sounds amazing!  I checked a couple of reviews my friends have written on it and they've all really enjoyed it so I'm excited to give it a shot!

4. Lucky in Love by Kasie West 

To lighten things us, I'm also bringing a nice contemporary!  I'm hoping it will be good, but I have heard some negative things about it.  

What do you think of the books I'm bringing?  I tried to pick a few different genres, just in case I get bored with one thing or another.  I'm really excited for this trip, and while there will be other things to do, I know I'm going to get a lot of reading done, which will be good.  Let me know what books you would bring if you were going on a road trip!

Tea Party Talk: 5 Books I Will *Eventually* Finish

***In case you didn't know, I currently am hosting a giveaway!  Enter here for your chance to win one of six amazing books!***

Over all these long years of blogging, there's been many books that I have started reading and ended up putting down.  Some, I just didn't like and decided I didn't want to force myself to continue reading something I just absolutely didn't enjoy, others, I just got too busy or distracted and ended up putting the book on hold.  Why didn't I just pick those books up again once I was less busy?  Who knows.  More likely than not, there was probably a brand new, shiny book I had got that was calling my name from the book shelf. 

So many books are sitting on my shelf, half read and sad.  Books that I was so excited to finally get my hands on and read!  Those are the books that I want to *eventually* get back to and finish.  And these are a few that I want to finish more than the others! 

1. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake 

I stupidly started reading this one during midterms a couple quarters ago.  What I read, I liked, but I just got so swamped with work and essays and classes that I ended up putting it down for weeks.  By the time I was back to my regular, less busy schedule, I had forgotten most of what I read and just wanted to start another book.

2. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Oh my gosh, I loved the first book in this series, The Raven Boys.  It was so good, the characters were so amazing, and I was desperate to continue the series.  But when I finally got my hands on this one, I was (surprise, surprise) busy with school.  I ended up reading about halfway before I had to take a break to focus solely on homework and my studies.  When I had time to read it again, I couldn't recall some of the details and knew I would have to start all over.  I plan to finish reading this (and the rest of the series) this summer! 

3. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller 

I just . . . wasn't feeling this one when I began reading it.  I found myself not really wanting to pick it up and being more excited to read other things.  But I think this is mostly because of the reading mood I was in.  I was more inclined at the time to read a light contemporary and this didn't really fit that.  So, I want to give it a fair chance and read it when I am more excited for it. 

4. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan 

I love this series so much and I love Rick Riordan and Percy but I kept losing interest in this one.  It was so long and the chapter that didn't have Percy in it just . . . didn't interest me enough.  I like the new characters introduced but I don't think anything will ever beat out Percy for me.  I want to eventually finish this book and the rest of the series, I just need to find the time and motivation to do it.  

5. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski 

I have this whole series and the first book, while I had some problems with it, was ultimately one that I enjoyed.  The whole series is sitting on my shelf so I definitely plan on finishing it one of these days.  I started this one and just found myself uninterested with the characters at the time.  I plan on picking it up again soon (and hopefully feeling more motivated to read it then)!

What books or series have you started but never finished?  Are there any you plan on getting back to?  How do you feel about the books I've listed?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Top Ten Things That Instantly Make Me NOT Want to Read a Book!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which we share out top ten lists relating to the bookish topic assigned that week.

This week's topic is...

Top Ten Things That Instantly Make Me NOT Want to Read a Book! 

1. Love Triangles.  They're rarely done in a way that I can stand.  Mostly, they just annoy me and add unnecessary angst to the novel.  No, thank you.

2.  Mary Sue Characters.  Main characters who are so different and not "traditionally" pretty and who have no idea why this super hot guy is paying attention to them.  Gag.  

3. Overly Dramatic Characters.  I hate it when I'm reading a book and every single thing that happens is the end of the world to the characters.  Like, calm down.  

4. Not Very Pretty Covers.  I know, I know.  I shouldn't judge a book but its cover.  But I can't help it!  I want my bookshelf to look nice.  I'm particularly against covers with teen girls standing in huge ball gowns in awkward poses.

5.  Writing that Feels Awkward.  If they writing doesn't flow well, chances are I'll be putting the book down.  Even if the story is amazing, I can't get past awkward writing. 

6.  Trusted Blogger Friends Saying It's Bad.  I trust the blogging community when it comes to recommending books.  They tend to be pretty honest in their thoughts.  I know who has the same tastes as me so I can definitely base off what I do and don't read on that!

7. "Nice Guy" Love Interests.  The nice guys that aren't actually nice guys.  Basically entitled assholes.  Ugh, gross. 

8. Straight Up Horror.  I am easily frightened, guys.  And I tend to read mostly at night.  Horror novels just freak me out and convince me that something is in my closet.  I avoid them as might as I can.   

9. Books that Handle Important Issues Poorly.  Lately there's been a lot of books coming out that handle hard topics in ways that are harmful.  I'm not willing to support them by reading them.  Avoid at all costs.  

10.  Books By Authors I Have Read From in the Past and Not Enjoyed.  I'll give an author about two chances before resigning myself to just not liking any of their books.  If I read two different books from them and dislike them both, I more likely than not will avoid reading from them again.

What are some things that make you avoid reading a book?  Does anything on my list match up with yours?  Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Books I Read in One Sitting!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which we share out top ten lists relating to the bookish topic assigned that week.

This week's topic is...

Top Ten Books I Read in One Sitting!

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

This was such a fun list!  I love reminiscing on the books that I was so in love with I just couldn't put them down.  Though I will say, I struggled a bit trying to remember all the books I've read in one sitting.  What books have you guys read in one sitting? I've noticed that a lot of mine are contemporary.  I don't know whether that's just because contemporary novels tend to be shorter or because they're easier to fall into.  

ALSO!  I'm sorry for being so absent from this blog and from commenting on other blogs lately!  I was dealing with all the stress that comes with the end of the quarter like finals and projects.  But I'm all done now and happily enjoying my spring break!  Regular posting will start up again this week!

Most Anticipated Reads of 2017

I love the beginning of the year!  It means there's a fresh start and a whole new year full of possibilities in front of us.  Also, it means that there's tons of new amazing books getting ready to publish!  There were a lot of good books that released in 2016 and the ones releasing in 2017 look just as promising.  There's been a lot of amazing posts with 2017 releases posted recently.  The ones I've been visiting the most are "Your Guide to 2017" posted by Rachel at A Perfection Called Books and "What I Am Looking Forward to Reading in 2017" posted by Alyssa at The Eater of Books!  Both lists are so comprehensive and so amazing and I've decided to use them to pick some of the book I'm most excited for this year!

 Carnaval by Stephani Garber (January 31, 2017)

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (February 7, 2017)

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (February 28, 2017)

Poison's Kiss by Breeana Shields (January 10, 2017)

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (May 16, 2017) 

Roar by Cora Carmack (June 13, 2017)

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare (May 23, 2017)

Hunted by Meagan Spooner (March 14, 2017)

Rosebud by A.G. Howard (January 10, 2017)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (February 28, 2017)

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios (June 13, 2017)

Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney (May 30, 2017)

Gilded Cage by Vic James (February 14, 2017)

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (May 2, 2017)

And, last on this list is the sixth book the the Throne of Glass series, which does not yet have a title or cover.  But I am still excited!  

I can go on and on about all the books I want to read this year but these are just a few of the ones that I've been making grabby hands at for a while.  I can't wait to get the chance to read them all! 

Let me know in the comments below what books you're most looking forward to this year!  Are any of these on your list?

Top Ten Books of 2016

This has been a year full of amazing books!  While I didn't get to all the ones I wanted to read, I finished a lot of them.  It's hard to narrow down exactly which ones were my favorite but I'm gonna try.  

Here's my top five books from 2016 (in no particular order)!

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

What books made your favorites list this year?  Did you read and enjoy any of these books?  A lot of the ones that made my list are series so I'm super excited about all the books releasing next year that will continue the series!

All I Want For Christmas 2016

It's that time of year again, guys: holiday time!  I love this time of year.  Not only do I get to go back home to visit family, there's tons of yummy food, cozy holiday lights and decorations, and some extra time to sit back and read!  Because of this, I always end up needing more and more books to so a large portion of my holiday Christmas list is books!  I have quite a few on my list this year so I wanted to share them with you guys!

1.  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

I have never read anything by Emily Bronte.  In fact, I haven't read a whole lot of classics.  One of my goals for 2017 is to expand my reading a bit more and include some older novels.  I've always been interested in reading Withering Heights and I've heard it's a great book so I'm giving it a chance!

2.  Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

I've never read another book by Jodi Picoult but I recently got Off the Page, the second book in this series, not realizing that there was a book before it (whoops).  I really wanted to read that one so now I am patiently waiting until Christmas when I will (hopefully) be gifted this book to read!

3.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I know, I know.  How have I not read this book yet?  Honestly, I have no idea.  But I'm excited to hopefully get it for Christmas!  I've heard amazing things about it so I really want to give it a chance.

4.  Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

This is one that I think I maybe kinda have a vague recollection of reading years and years ago but I'm not 100% sure and really want to read it so I've added it to the list!  I enjoy Morgan Matson's books so much so I'm looking forward to this one, definitely.

5.  Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

I actually heard about this one while in the YA Literature class I took this last quarter.  My professor so really interested in it and it sounds amazing to me so I can't wait to see how it goes.  

6.  Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

I'm starting to realize that a lot of the books on my list are from a couple of years ago . . . oh well.  But yeah, this one sounds awesome!  I honestly don't remember hearing much about it around the time it released but I'm a sucker for retellings and this one is supposedly like Game of Thrones??  So yeah, I'm in.

7.  Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers 

So, another one I vaguely remember reading but I have no idea where my copy is and I really want to read the next books in the series but need to reread this one first.  So I'm hoping I get a copy of this one for Christmas!

8.  The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

I've been on a contemporary kick lately and NA books are my guilty pleasure so of course I had to have one on my last!  Very excited to get this one and can't wait to read it!

Those are all the books on my Christmas list this year!  I really am looking forward to hopefully getting a couple of them.  What books are you guys asking for this holiday season?