What are you currently reading?
Mel.
I was approved so many awesome books on Netgalley in the last month and most of these were highly anticipated reads of mine! I can't wait to read and review them all. If you love reviewing books, Netgalley is an amazing site to sign up and get the chance to read some amazing reads! I guess I'll be booked for the next little while.
What are you currently reading? Mel. Once and for All by Sarah Dessen
Say yes to the book! I was so happy to have had the chance to read the first few chapters for free from Netgalley and the last bit that I was able to read had to end at a cliff hanger that made me pre-order this book like no tomorrow. I'm reading it currently and it's incredible so far! Very fast-paced and easy to read. Sarah Dessen has always been a great contemporary writer. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon This has been a book on my list to buy ever since I heard of it. It sounds like the perfect summer contemporary read! It's said that it's super cute, funny and it's hitting bookshelves by storm. Dimple just graduated and she's on her way to have an amazing summer attending a summer program for web developing. She's ready to break away and be independent but her parents have other plans in store for her. They've agreed on an arranged marriage for her and Rishi, a romantic who just so happened to be going to the same summer program. Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney I've always been a fan of books that involve royalty so I pre-ordered this one fairly quickly as well! Libby just started attending the same boarding school as her sister Charlotte and Charlotte feels it's her sisterly duty to bring her into her inner circle. In said circle, she meets Edward who is not only a prince, but the heir to the throne and they surprisingly get along very well. The only problem is, she's not the only one falling for the prince. Charlotte's been crushing on him too. Is romancing the throne worth it if it means breaking a sisterly bond? Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia Eliza is known as LadyConstellation online where she's famous for her webcomic Monstrous Sea. Everything is perfect online and she can't even imagine a better world in real life until Wallace, a Monstrous Sea Fanfiction writer transfers to her school. To him, she's just another fan. To him, she's Eliza and to her, real life just might be looking better. But what if her secret ruins everything? My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella I heard many great things about this book and I've been more interested lately in reading chick lit novels. This one really caught my attention! Katie Brenner loves to show off envy-worthy pictures of her wonderful life on Instagram but the truth is, life isn't as glamorous as she makes it appear online. When she finally starts to feel like things are looking up, she gets fired and is forced to move back to Somerset with her parents and help out with the glamping business. She can't help but have revenge on her mind when the woman who had her fired books a holiday there. I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski This book sounds perfect for the Summer! It's said to have travel, friendship, some drama and unexpected romance! Sydney plans the perfect summer with her friend but when her friend's cheating ex shows up out of nowhere with his friend, plans start to unravel but maybe in a good way. I love books that involve travel and this one is definitely one I look forward to read very soon. Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau There are so many books this summer that were insta-buys for me. This one had royalty and and sounded super intriguing! It's about twins Carys and Andreus who have never had any worry as they weren't next in line for the throne but when their father and older brother get murdered, the crown has to fall on one of them. Being so close, their family bond is tested when they have to compete in a Trial of Succession. Will they betray each other's secrets for power? What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum This book is said to possibly be one of the best YA contemporaries of this summer and it sounds like it's going to be really good! Kit was always pretty popular but when her father dies, she doesn't feel like sitting with her usual group of friends as they don't really understand what she's going through. David has been going at that school for years and never had anyone sit with him before until now when Kit joins him at his table. An unlikely friendship begins in there journey to seek out what really happened behind her father's car accident. Miss You by Kate Eberlen This book caught my eye at the store and I fell in love with everything about it. The cover, the blurb and the overall general idea of what it was about. It's about Tess and Gus who cross paths as they travel to Florence. In the next sixteen years, life comes in the way when they both face many challenges. They're meant to be but they continuously seem to miss each other. Will they ever officially meet? Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery Kelly has a busy life working as a tulip farmer. Every day is pretty much the same until one summer when two changes happen at the same time. Olivia, her annoying sister is back in town after a decade and Griffith aims to sweep Kelly off her feet. After being alone for so long, her life takes a dramatic turn when so many long-kept secrets get uncovered and her and Olivia's sisterly bond gets tested now more than ever. Will they ever be able to forgive each other – and themselves? Caraval by Stephanie Garber, the UK Edition Caraval is by far my favorite release of this year and I've always been tempted to buy the absolutely stunning UK Edition! I finally broke down and pre-ordered it. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm really excited to see which design mine will have under the book jacket! I'll keep you guys posted. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, the UK Collector's Edition Red Queen is a book that still has a big space in my heart and there has been every since I read it a few years ago. This is a series where, when a book releases, I don't pre-order it. I show up at the store right when it opens its doors on the book's release day so that I can be one of the first people there to buy it. When I heard there was going to be a UK Collector's Edition, and may I confess how BEAUTIFUL I think the red cover is, I went to Bookdepository.com and pre-ordered it right away. I can't wait to get my copy sometime in August! Lifeblood by Gena Showalter I was so fortunate to have been contacted by Wunderkind PR to read and review the latest release of Lifeblood, the second book after Firstlife. Firstlife was our Book of the Month last June and it was such a hit. I couldn't wait to continue the series and Lifeblood did not disappoint. It blew me away! These books seem to just get better and better as the story progresses. I will be posting my review sometime this week so stay tuned! This is definitely one of my favorite series and I highly recommend that you should go buy both books ASAP! Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover Ugly Love was the first book that I received for my birthday and I've been looking forward to reading it ever since I finished reading It Ends with Us in February. I already had November 9 by her that I could have read after but after hearing that there will be characters from Ugly Life that make a brief appearance in that one, I just have to read Ugly Love first! Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch Gem & Dixie by Sara Zarr My two wonderful best friend bought me copies of Love & Gelato and Gem & Dixie for my birthday this year! I read through these ones so fast already! There’s a huge spot in my heart for Love & Gelato. 4 years ago, I took classes in Florence for a month and this book made me fall in love with Italy all over again and I’m now just counting the days for Love & Luck to come out. Ireland just so happens to be the next country I would love to visit someday! Gem & Dixie is a much deeper read as we follow two sisters that have a lot of problems at home. Being the opposite of the previous novel, this one broke my heart at times and only made me wish I can hop right into the book and aid them in their journey of finding themselves all while testing each other and their bond. Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi My amazing boyfriend knows I have an addiction when it comes to books and since I’ve read A Thousand Pieces of You over the Christmas Holidays, I’ve needed to read the remaining books of this awesome, universe-jumping series! I was so happy to have been given the two books I’ve been missing for my birthday. He also bought me a copy of A Crown of Wishes! I’ve been anticipating this book for a while and though I haven’t read its companion novel that was released first, this one drew me in a lot more. I’ve heard so many good things about this one and how it’s just such a stunning and extraordinary read and that it’s a great book for fans of Caraval. With Caraval being my favorite book of 2017, you can imagine my excitement! The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover I decided to go browse the books at my local Used Book Store and I was surprised to have found a copy of The Night Circus and Maybe Someday, both in perfect condition! I’ve been wanting to read The Night Circus ever since I finished reading Caraval. I really want to read another book that contains magic and the wonderment that is the circus. As for Maybe Someday, It’s actually been on my to-buy list for a while now and I plan on eventually owning all of Colleen Hoover’s books. I’ve been such a fan girl for the past year now and it’s to the point where one of my goals is to have one shelf dedicated for her books and decorations that are related to her work. I was so happy to have found a great deal! More CoHo Books!!! Speaking of Colleen Hoover books and how amazing they are, you wouldn’t believe how giving and supportive her fan base is. Everyone is just so kind and generous. When I picked up my copy of Maybe Someday at the Used Book Store, I’ve decided to show my excitement by posting a picture on her fan page. Someone saw my post and noticed how excited I was to be one book closer to completing my collection and so she asked me which ones were still missing. She then proceeded to surprise me by mailing me 6 more CoHo books! I’m only missing 6 of the 16 books that Colleen Hoover wrote now. I’m so close, guys! I still can’t get over how kind that was. One day, I hope to repay the kindness. Funko Pop Figures! I love to decorate my shelves with these cute figurines. I was able to get two more for my birthday this year. My friends were able to find me one of Dory which now has a place right by all of my Colleen Hoover books. I personally wanted it because in It Ends with Us, Dory is such a big part of the story in its own way and I’m very happy to have it right beside my copy. My brother was also able to find me one of Belle from the new Beauty and the Beast movie! Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite Disney movies and when I saw the magical remake starring Emma Watson, I was blown away. It was such a masterpiece. I’m already starting to stack up some books for my Summer 2017 Book haul! It’s such a great year for books! I hope that everyone had an amazing holiday season! My Christmas was super busy as I had a lot of family to visit but it was well worth it. I only get to see some of my relatives once or twice a year so it was a huge treat to be able to see almost everybody. I was having such a good time that when my car broke the same morning, I didn’t let it bug me. I just sipped on some eggnog and laughed it off. It’s been a while since I’ve posted a book haul and so I really wanted to share with you guys the books and bookish items that were gifted to me for Christmas. Similar to last year, I will only briefly describe what the books are about as there are quite a few and I am so excited to read all 8 of them this year! I have a cousin that had given me a copy of What Light by Jay Asher this year as an early Christmas present and it worked out so perfectly since it just so happened to be the book of the Month for December. It’s a wonderful Christmas-inspired book. I’ve already had a chance to read it and we reviewed it last Friday if you would like to have a look! I’ll link it right here. My boyfriend’s amazing parents bought me these super comfy reading socks that I never want to take off and they knew that I was a huge Hunger Games fan and was still missing the last movie and so they bought me Mockingjay Part 2 on Blu-ray to complete my collection. They also bought me a copy of Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige! I’m very excited to read this one. It’s a retelling of The Snow Queen and sounded absolutely perfect for the winter season. I’ve been wanting to pick this one up for a while now and I was very happy to finally have a copy in my hands. After visiting his parents, we went and had breakfast at his grandparents’ place. It was such a fun visit and it was great seeing everyone. At the end of the day, I ended up coming home with 3 more books! His grandparents were so nice and got me a copy of A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a few years now! I’ve been really into science fiction lately and this series involves jumping into other universes using the Firebird and a main character has to jump through dimensions in order to catch her father’s killer. I’m so excited to explore this world! On my boyfriend’s side of the family, they do a draw for Secret Santa every year. My Secret Santa this year, who turned out to be one of his uncles, bought me a copy of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and a copy of The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid! I fell in love with Colleen Hoover’s other book Confess and I’ve been really looking forward to reading It Ends With Us. It was actually the Choice Awards winner of best romance of 2016! As for The Diabolic, this is probably going to be one of the first ones I’ll read this year because man, does it ever sound crazy-good. It’s about a Diabolic named Nemesis. Diabolics are created in order to protect someone. Nemesis is created to protect the galactic Senator’s daughter and when his daughter gets summoned to the galactic court as a hostage, Nemesis goes in her place. The book trailer for this is so good. I’ll link it right here because you should definitely go check it out! As for my side of the family, my mother and brother knew me so well. Being a huge Outlander fan, my mother surprised me with the Outlander Season 2: Collector’s Edition on Blu-Ray! To go with it, my brother surprised me with an Outlander Pop Figure! I was so happy to have a Claire Randall Pop Figure to add to my collection. He said he was planning on getting me one of Jamie Fraser to go with her but I guess he’s becoming a rarity as of late. His price is sky-rocketing online right now and it was just too much. I would have loved one but I don’t really want to spend 90$ on a pop figure when I could buy a good amount of books instead. My brother also gave me a copy of Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken and a gift card for Chapters! It was perfect since the last few days before New Year’s, they had this amazing sale where you can get any regular priced hardcovers for 30% off! I ended up using my gift card to buy a copy of Frostblood by Elly Blake! I hear a lot of good things about Frostblood being perfect for fans of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I've heard that it's similar but entirely unique in it's own way and to top it off, it's written by a Canadian author! I'm so excited to read it. Wayfarer is the sequel and last book in the Passenger series. It’s a book that has time travel, romance and so much more. It was one of my favorites this year and I was looking forward to continuing the series. I actually have a funny story about this one. I was so excited to pick this one up, especially since it was out earlier than it was supposed to be. On my way home, I wanted to be nice and so I picked up coffee for my boyfriend. On my way up the stairs, a small drop of coffee fell from the lid and onto the top of my book on the pages! I almost died! I tried so hard to get the stain out but to no avail. I was so sad because it was just so perfect before but I guess now it has character to it. Luckily, the coffee didn’t show where the words are, it’s only at the top. Lastly, for our Book Club meeting in December, we also had our own little Secret Santa! When I received my gift from a dear friend, I almost cried. The first thing I saw was a hand-maid magnet that she made containing the initials Pd for Paperback Darling. It was such a thoughtful gift! She also got me this great Outlander Calendar which was perfect timing as I was looking into getting myself a new one that same day! I always have a calendar set up to keep track with work, book club and my blog. I like to keep myself organized and now I get to see pictures of Outlander every month! She also got me a Pop Figure! I know that Gilmore Girls isn’t exactly bookish but I just had to share it. I couldn’t help but freak out a bit when I saw that it was Rory Gilmore Pop Figure from Gilmore Girls. I didn’t even realize they were out already! I’ll have to try to find Lorelai Gilmore now to complete the set before the price sky-rockets! To top it off, I also got a gift card for Chapters! With this one and the remaining of the one I received from my brother, I was able to pre-order Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth. It should be arriving by the end of the month and I cannot wait! It’s another Science Fiction YA and I heard that there’s even a Divergent Easter Egg within its pages! These were all of the books and bookish items that I’ve received for Christmas this year! I can’t wait to dive right in and explore new worlds! What books and/or bookish items did you guys get over the Holidays? I was inspired to create a book haul today after having an awesome moment today at Chapters! An employee was walking around with a cart of new books that came in and what did I find on the cart, you ask? This gorgeous new book that was supposed to come out next week! It's safe to say that it was bought then and there with what was left of a birthday gift card before it had a chance to even get on the shelf. I was so happy and realized that with my birthday, I had a lot of books this month and wanted to share my excitement with you!
The Unquiet Past by Kelley Armstrong The Unquiet Past is about a girl named Tess who, after an unfortunate incident occurred at their orphanage, is sent on her way with only one clue that could help her figure out where she came from. B's girlfriend had suggested this book to be our book of the month for April. I'm almost done reading it and I am very excited to share my thoughts with you guys on Friday! I actually ended up purchasing this as an eBook. It was great timing because Kobo gave me a 20% off coupon code for my birthday and before that, they rewarded me with 5$ on my account. I think it was some kind of promo but it was awesome because I ended up getting this eBook for 64 cents. The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine This is actually a retelling of Snow White. From what I've read so far, it's a very intriguing tale about a girl named Lorelai who is a princess on the run with a mission to kill the wicked Queen Irina, magic against magic. There's a twist too because from the blurb that they give us, the prince in this story needs magic to help save his Kingdom and the only way he can is with the help from the Queen. To get her help, he has to become her huntsman. I am so excited to read this book. Snow White is one of my favorite fairy tales and this sounds like such an exciting take on the story. My cousin actually ended up getting me this book for my birthday and I'm looking forward to reading it. The Crown by Kiera Cass I just know that this book will be read in a day. I didn't receive it yet because it really comes out next week but with a few Chapters gift cards, I ended up pre-ordering it for my birthday. I am going crazy right now with anticipation and I'm hoping so much that it comes in early like what happened with Passenger earlier this year with the way that it arrived a week earlier than the release date. The Crown is the final book in The Selection series and I'm going to be really sad when it's over. I didn't think I would like this series because I was never a big fan of The Bachelor but this series stole my heart. It's not just like The Bachelor either guys, it has action and rebellion. You guys really need to check this series out. Just sayin'. I'm so excited that I can't breathe right now. Ruined by Amy Tintera Ruined was another pre-order of mine with my gift cards set to come out the same day as The Crown. This book sounded really awesome to me and the way they described the romance to be kind of like The Selection and the revenge/action to be a lot like Red Queen, I was hooked. Two of my favorite elements similar to two of my favorite books: I need it. From what I read in the blurb online, this book revolves around Emelina Flores who is seen as a Ruined after Ruina, her home, gets destroyed. With revenge on her mind, she decides to find a way inside the enemy's home by pretending to be the future bride of the prince. With the original plan of killing the King and taking her revenge, she doesn't realize the hold that the prince has on her as she begins to question her heart and her plans. The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz As you can tell, I'm in a very fantasy/royal type of book mood lately and this book caught my eye when I was looking through BookTube videos. You guys really should check out the book trailer for this one too, it's a really good one! I'll link it here. There seems to be a lot of drama in this book and the idea of it sort of reminds me of one of my favorite TV shows, Reign. The book is about two girls, a princess and a mage who grew up together. With a possible arranged marriage, forbidden love and a whole lot of drama, Princess Marie-Victoria and Aelwyn try to plan themselves a different future that might not end as well as they would hope. The Way Back to You by Michelle Andreani & Mindi Scott In all honesty, this book was such a treasure for me today. I haven't even heard of this book but it was in my hand in an instant. I went to Chapters today to browse, which is always my excuse and lo and behold, fresh off the press copies were on a cart as I watched the employee trying to find space on the shelving area for them. The cover caught my eye first as I've always been a sucker for the color orange but then I googled it, in rapid-fire speed I should add. It was exactly the kind of book I've been looking for! I've been kind of in a reading slump ever since I read Me Before You and I've been having trouble getting into other books. It's about this girl named Ashlyn who passed away in an unfortunate bike accident, leaving her best friend, Cloudy, and her boyfriend, Kyle, heartbroken and lost. With the discovery that Ashlyn's organs were donated and had saved three lives, Cloudy talks Kyle into going on a road-trip to find them in the hopes that maybe things will begin to seem clear and that maybe their lives will feel whole again. This book took me back because I had a friend back in my early teens named Ashley who unfortunately passed away four years ago. I had nothing but fond memories of who she was when we were younger and when she passed, it just didn't feel real. I feel like I will relate a lot to this book. They also describe the writing style to be very witty and I've always loved witty humor in contemporary novels. Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner I was always curious about this book and I've seen videos on it from Sasha's channel Abookutopia. It's sort of like a mix of the modern world with some elements from Greek mythology. It's about a girl named Hope who is always on the run in a world full of action and romance. All I know so far is that people are after her and with her mom taken from her, she doesn't know who to trust. In one of Sasha's videos, before playing a game with another vlogger and Raye Wagner, they promote that only until the end of April, if you sign up for Raye Wagner's newsletter, you get a digital copy of Curse of the Sphinx for FREE! Since the book doesn't seem to be sold at Chapters, I was so pumped that I could do this and so I did. I now hold a beloved copy of this book for my tablet. Check out the video right here! April's Owlcrate Book My Owlcrate Subscription Box that my boyfriend got me for my birthday didn't come in yet! It should be here any day now so stay tuned for an Unboxing! I'm so tempted to look online to see what will be in the box but I've been so good and I really don't want to ruin the surprise for myself. I don't want to be a cheater and look up Unboxing videos but it's one button away and it's driving me absolutely insane. I'm hoping it arrives this week. All I know is that the theme this month is Dystopia and that's one of my favorite genres. I'm looking forward to seeing what I got! More posts will be up soon as I'm excited to share an Unboxing video and my thoughts on April's Book of the Month! Talk to you guys later! Mel. First, I would like to wish everyone out there Happy Holidays! I had a great time this year. I got to spend time with many of my friends and family and I got to see many smiles. I even got to share my love of books with my brother as he started a big manga collection this year. I had a lot of fun shopping at the book store and not only did I buy really cool books to my book-loving friends and family, I received quite the amount of books that I am extremely excited to read in the new year! I won't go into extreme detail with each book because this post would go on forever but I will briefly talk about them. So I got 14 books this Christmas! Wow! I am set for the next little while when it comes to reading. My friend B was awesome and picked me up a copy of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. As the title explains, 100 year old Allan Karlsson escapes the nursing home through the window to embark on an adventure. I heard about the movie but I didn't know it was based off of a book and it sounds so funny and alive; I think I'm going to love this one. My boyfriend's wonderful mother bought me 4 books I've been super excited to read. They're actually 4 that I have mentioned during my December Mid-Month Post! She picked me up a copy of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff which I hope will change my life. She also got me a copy of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir which sounds simply fantastic. I hear it is like a YA version of Game of Thrones and GoT is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I received a copy of Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick which completes my collection of her amazing novels and I also received The Lake House by the wonderful Kate Morton. I have heard amazing things about Kate Morton and I'm excited to be reading one of her books for the first time. As I am a big Hunger Games fan, my mother ordered me the new Flaming Editions from the UK! I absolutely love the covers but I was a little disappointed with the mail handling as there are many dents in the corners but that's okay. They look amazing. She also gave me a gift card to our local book store so along with the gift card I got from my boyfriend's grandmother, I was able to order a lot of books that I've been wanting for a while. I finally received the 20th Anniversary Edition of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and all I can say is I've fallen in love. I will be treasuring this book with my life. I pre-ordered Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and was surprised to find it in the mail a week before the release date! Best thing ever. I'm really excited to read this one. Similar to Outlander, it involves time travel but instead of having Sotland as its primary setting, this one involves a ship and trying to find a special object. I also ordered two Nora Roberts Novels; one being Jewels of the Sun and the other being Tears of the Moon from the same series: The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy and those aren't the only Nora Roberts book I've received this year! I received bonus points from the book store we have here for Christmas and it was enough to order two books! One of these books is Key of Knowledge by Nora Roberts as I am almost done reading the first of The Key Trilogy: Key of Light. I will be posting a review on this one hopefully pretty soon. The other book I ordered was Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. I've been really wanting to jump into a fantasy novel again and this one sounded perfect. These were all of the books I have received for Christmas and I bet there will be a lot of reviews based on these in the near future. What books or book related items have you guys received over the Holidays this year??? P.S. Come check out the blog tomorrow as I will be posting my January Announcement! I will be announcing something new I'm going to try this year along with the January Book of the Month! Until then, have a good New Year's Eve! |
About MeWelcome to my blog, my name is Melanie. Here, you will find book reviews based on YA and new-adult fiction and other interesting posts along with all things book related. Currently ReadingBook of the Month2018 Reading Challenge
Melanie (Paperback Darling) has
read 7 books toward
her goal of
60 books.
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