Do you guys prefer reading an eBook or a print copy when you go camping?
Happy Canada Day!
Hey guys! I just wanted to add a quick note saying that my book of the month review for The Lake House by Kate Morton and my monthly announcement for July will both be posted on July 3rd since I will be away on a camping trip to celebrate Canada Day! I haven't been able to go tent-camping yet this year so I'm really excited to go and relax some! I usually stray from technology as much as I can when I'm out enjoying nature so I bring a print copy but I really don't want to get it dirty, especially with the rainy weather headed our way. Water damage is the worst. I'm going to try reading an eBook this time but technology seems to always find a way to kick my butt. Wish me luck!
Do you guys prefer reading an eBook or a print copy when you go camping? Happy Canada Day! (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) Jane lives a pretty good life. She works at a floral shop, though she and her boss don’t always get along, she has a very supportive family and great friends that are always around to lend an ear. Suddenly noticing that many people around her are either getting married or having children, she’s suddenly feeling a bit worried that she’s falling behind. She’s realizing that there just might be something missing in her average world but will she finally convince herself that, after watching everyone else’s lives change, it might be time for her to get out of her comfort zone? This whole book is very conversational and I actually rather enjoyed how it was written. I feel like my reading experience with this book was unique compared to others. I can actually picture this storyline going on as though it were on stage in form of a play. I can imagine the main stage having a table in the center and the only things they would change in between scenes would be the walls and decorations, since most of the book takes place at a table where Jane would talk amongst family and friends. There were so many delicious-sounding meals in this book as they had discussed their lives over food and it made me so hungry every time! Jane is an observer in this book and I like how it’s her turn to really try and figure out what she wants in life. I feel like a lot of people can relate to her character as we all go through our own version of self-discovery. Towards the end, I found myself having mixed feelings. I feel like there wasn’t much of a resolve yet I like how it seemed more realistic. It was overall a very unique read and if you read it, I highly recommend not reading before you go out for lunch or dinner because you will want to buy everything on the menu! I’m giving this book a rating of 3.5 feathers! “Ronan headed up to Christy’s room, amazed when no guards barred his way. He often watched her sleep when they’d lived together. It always calmed him. He burst to tell her everything about who he was, how they needed to get away. But seeing her there, he couldn’t do it. He’d get them out of there, one way or another. Even if it meant her hating him forever.” – The Alpha’s Daughter (Shifter Clans #1) by Tiffany Shand (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) Christy Daine is not only a shifter and the alpha’s daughter, but she’s the only one that isn’t affected by the alpha’s curse. Scarred from being kidnapped as a child, she grew up living amongst humans and away from her clan. Now that she’s lived the normal life, it’s all she truly wants. But nothing in her life screams normal. Her father insists on her coming back to the island to marry someone she doesn’t like and her heart is at war with her feelings towards her bodyguard, Ronan. The clans need her more than ever but will she uncover all the hidden truths before it’s too late? I love stories that carry supernatural elements and I never get enough from books about werewolves. I loved the curse and the whole backstory of it. You can tell that the author really thought out the generations of the curse and how everything should connect. Christy is a strong character that starts out kind of rebellious which is understandable considering she’s not getting the complete freedom that she craves. I love how though she never chose this life, she takes charge of what’s happening and is doing what she feels is right for the clans. This is a big turning point for her and she starts to discover who she is, what had happened and why they’ve been lead to where they are. If you love books that have a supernatural element, this is a really cool take on werewolves! I give this book a 4 out of 5 rating! June 25th, 2017
What I'm listening to: Bury It by Chvrches Drink of the day: Lemonade How I'm feeling: Grateful I love how some authors create such amazing bonus items that you can get when you pre-order their new book. Not only does it help them in terms of marketing but I find that I feel genuinely happy knowing that I’m getting something so exclusive and that some authors take the time to add such an awesome feature. At the beginning of this year, Veronica Roth sent an additional epilogue to the Divergent series to those who have pre-ordered a copy of her new book Carve the Mark with proof of receipt and I jumped at the chance to read anything involving the Divergent series. Though, I didn’t really enjoy where she went with the epilogue, I still thought it was such an awesome bonus item that really drew people to pre-order her new book. A few weeks ago, I was told by a friend about another awesome opportunity that involved Jay Kristoff and the pre-order of his soon-to-be released book Obsidio, book 3 of the Illuminae files. This year, he asked everyone who pre-ordered the book coming out next March to show proof of receipt and sign an agreement to allow them the possibility of using your name in the book’s casualty list. I was so excited and wrote in the email that I would love to die in their next book! Apparently he’s done something similar last year for the release of Gemina and I can’t believe I missed out! I’m crossing my fingers hoping that my name shows up in Obsidio. I signed up within the last few days of the contest and I can’t believe I have to wait until March to find out. It’s going to drive me crazy! Now to the main reason of this weekly post. I was one day away to missing out on this one opportunity and I am so glad that I’m in two reading groups on Facebook because without it, I would have gone without ever knowing that Joelle Charbonneau had announced that with proof of pre-ordering her new book Dividing Eden, we would get a few extra items to go with the book. I had already pre-ordered Dividing Eden before I found this out and I was already excited to have received it early. The following day was the initial release date so I still had a chance to enter and this is what came in the mail! I received a signed poster, a signed letter, a bookmark that I will definitely be using when I read the book this summer and stickers that go with the story! Have any of you received any cool bonus items from pre-ordering a book? I can’t believe I only noticed this year that this is a thing. “With practiced flair, Will threw his cape over his shoulder, pulled on his gauntlets, and twirled his sword above his head. Then he shut the trunk of his Honda Civic and trudged through the parking lot to the employee entrance of Medieval Nights, a joust-themed dinner theater in New Orleans.” – The Brothers Three by Layton Green (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) The Blackwood brothers are living a rather safe life. Will works at a medieval-themed theater, Caleb is a bartender and is the ladies’ man of the group and Val is a highly successful attorney. Will is obsessed over the fantasy world and longs for a world of adventure but his ever-bothersome anxiety attacks force him to take it easy until suddenly, things don’t seem so safe anymore. A family friend makes a surprise and urgent visit but before he can explain anything, he gets taken away by a mysterious man with dark magical abilities. All they now have is three inherited relics passed down by their late father along with many unanswered questions. It seems Will didn’t need to look far to find adventure as a world of wizards and fantasy seemed to have found them instead. This was such a cool book. It was so fun reading from a perspective where they’re from our usual world where we read about fantasy and dream of what life could be like if we lived in a fantasy world and then out of nowhere, they find themselves in a place where magic is real. The author did such an amazing job when it came to writing about them adjusting to this world. I would similarly be in shock and with all of my own dreams of being in a fantasy world, I can say that in my mind, I would totally be a bad-ass heroine that fought with two swords but in reality, I’d probably have such a hard time picking one of them up. You get to see these characters struggle as they learn to become strong enough to fight the necromancer that had taken their friend away. Layton Green thought of everything when it came to having the mirror-world make perfect sense. He thought of a whole new take on what went down in history and it made the story that much more vast and intriguing. Something I really enjoyed about this book was how the characters eventually realize that though it may seem like they’re dreaming, it’s not in any way a fantasy game. It’s their new reality and some choices will have consequences. This book was amazing and I highly recommend reading it if you love fantasy! The Brothers Three is definitely getting a 5 out of 5 rating! In three weeks, I will be starting an online course for two months that will definitely be helping me in furthering my career so though I will be working a lot less, I’ll be putting a lot of my focus on reading for this course. That being said, I have made a huge list of things I would love to do on my spare time!
Tackle My TBR List I’ve already accumulated several books in the past few months and I’ve honestly only read 3 out of all 15 books that were shown in my last book haul. If I get some free time this summer, you will most likely find me tackling that whole pile plus the ones I bought recently. There were just so many good ones that came out and I really couldn’t help myself. Organize Ideas for My Book It’s been a few years now that I’ve gathered a few possible book ideas. I’ve only ever written short stories, lyrics and poetry and I’ll be honest and say that the thought of writing a book scares me a little but I’m willing to accept the challenge. I’m just looking for that push and so I would love to take advance of the next two months by maybe dedicating an hour every day to sit down at home or at Starbucks and try to organize all of my ideas in the hopes of creating a more concrete plot-line. Work on My Album - I’m going to be continuing with my album! I’ve been slowly working on a CD for about a year and it’s sounding pretty good so far! With both my jobs, we’ve only really had a chance to work on the songs once every month so I would love to spend more time on this now that I have all of my songs written. Start Reading the Harry Potter Series I made a promise to numerous people that I would finally start reading the Harry Potter series. I might not be able to finish it by the end of August but I will have started it and I’m really looking forward to it! Once I finish reading the series, I think I would love to celebrate by buying a new box set of the books! I plan on doing this all while also helping my friend plan her wedding! I think I might be a little too ambitious this summer. I’ll have to make a physical check list and see what I actually accomplish in those two months. I’m still excited none the less! What are your plans this summer? ‘‘Things never turn out like you think they should. The world has rules about this.’’ – Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) Jason Krabb is a rebellious adolescent living in the golden era of ripped jeans, alternative music and drug experimentation. He dreams of finding love and success in a creative career and doesn’t take his studies very seriously. Between his failing grades, high school crushes and dealing with an increasingly tough life at home, Jason finds himself drawn to the rock and roll lifestyle. After all, technology had just begun blooming and Google wasn’t there to answer all his questions: only his friends and experiences – and mishaps! I have mixed feelings about this novel. It made me laugh and I liked how Jason recalled specific events in a playful and honest way. In typical teenage fashion, we see a lot of substance abuse, peer pressure and awkward intimate moments. The plentiful descriptions really made me feel transported into that time-period, but I had a really hard time immersing myself completely into the story. It might have just been me and the way that I don’t generally read this kind of style but I had moments where I felt a bit lost. I was glad to have given it a chance though as the characters were great and extremely well-developed and the humor throughout was really amusing. If you enjoy comedy and you’re in search of a nostalgic read, I recommend checking this one out! I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5 feathers. “Ben took inventory of the damage he sustained: A cracked rib or two, swollen eyes, jaw and nose hurt but not broken, cut lip, loose tooth. He shook his head. ‘You think that guy’s gonna be okay?’ ‘Come on, let’s get you home.’ The music in the car was loud, giving Benjamin time to ruminate on the evening. He liked the Ben who walked away from the fight with Cedric, and disliked the Ben on this All Hallows’ Eve.” – A Fool’s Journey: Book 1, The Magician by Mark Pannebecker (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) In the first part of the series, we’re introduced to Benjamin Porter and how he seems to be drawn to the idea of having a bad boy image. To be part of the gang, he starts to hang out with Craig, also known as The Magician and to act the part, he becomes introduced to the world of drugs and violence. Will he ultimately find solace in this world he craves or will he lose himself in the process of finding his own way? I feel like a good part of us had moments growing up where we just wanted to fit in. Ben liked the whole bad boy image and started to do things he normally wouldn’t and I like how in a sense, we can relate to that in how we try to find ourselves in our teenage years—even in our adult years. I liked how we really got to visualize his journey from being a boy who’s attracted to the idea of being a bad-ass fighter in a gang to someone slowly realizing his full potential and questioning if his heart is truly in it. I loved the way the series is laid out in the order of Tarot Cards. I thought it was such a unique way to tell the story and start Ben’s overall journey. It even connected really well with the characters as the two main ones in this story symbolized characters of the Tarot. This novelette was short and sweet but right to the point and an intriguing introduction to such a poignant series. I’m rating it a 4 out of 5! “I had tried so desperately to stay on a clean path, one that only led to a bright future and happiness for me and my mother, but I couldn’t help but think that somewhere I had been led astray. Had some big bad wolf convinced me to pick flowers? Had birds eaten my breadcrumbs? Was I forever doomed to walk in the dark, dense woods because of one mistake that was so small I could not even remember what it was now?” – The Crow Box by Nikki Rae (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) Corbin was given a small box and she never expected to gain strange occurrences along with it. Corbin is now not only hearing a voice that calls himself Six but she’s seeing things that aren’t real and doing things she doesn’t remember. Worried that her next stop will be the mental hospital, she tries so hard to ignore it all but with Six so intent on proving his existence, will she ever be able to let go? I loved how this book had a sort of Pandora’s Box kind of vibe. It’s what really drew me into the story because I was curious as to what might be in the box and why there’s a sudden voice and sudden illusions taking part in her everyday life. It really had its creepy and eerie moments that make you question what is and what isn’t real. There were even times where even I wondered if it was all in her mind or if these hallucinations were actually happening. I can really feel how confused she was because we’re able to see all of these things from her point of view and we have no idea if anyone else sees or hears it. I enjoyed how Nikki Rae made it so that we only know what the character knows and I’m looking forward to reading her next book to see what’s really going on and what the origin is behind the box and the mysterious Six. I'm even kind of scared to know what kind of trouble Corbin might have gotten herself into. I gave this book a rating of 4 out of 5! “The fans in the spacious sanctuary caught the sea breeze and cooled us, and I thought of how my life would be so much easier if I just accepted my parents’ beliefs as my own. Sometimes, like that moment, I wanted to believe like they did. It wouldn’t be hard. Surely there were others who went along with a loved one’s beliefs just to keep the peace.” – The Existence of Pity by Jeannie Zokan (I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.) Being the daughter of missionaries, Josie grew up in the Andes Mountains of Colombia. At the age of sixteen, she’s starting to question her faith as she feels more connected to her rosary and Catholicism than she does with her family’s strong Baptist beliefs. While finding herself keeping more and more secrets from her family, she comes to realize that she’s not the only one keeping secrets and her own might not be the worst. This book pleasantly surprised me! At first, I had a difficult time seeing where the story was going to go but I was drawn into it not too far in. At first, it seemed quite innocent with Josie’s only summer worries being about boys but the more you read, the more you see the depth of the plot. There were many secrets being kept and the book was about self-discovery in terms of faith and being true to yourself even if that faith might not be the same beliefs as others. You can see the inner struggle that Josie goes through right up until the end of the book. At the beginning, we’re told that something tragic will happen so part-way into the book, the story was just so uplifting that I had completely forgotten what was said in the first chapter. At that point, I loved these characters so much that I was hoping and praying for something else to happen and that there would be a plot twist. I won’t be saying if there was one as you’ll have to read and see for yourself! I loved the author’s use of foreshadowing and the actual meaning behind the title! This was a wonderful book that I would definitely read again. This book deserves a 5 out of 5 feather rating! |
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
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60 books.
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