Book Review of "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" by Holly Black

No longer is the vampire a thing of nightmares and myths, a creature that lurks in the shadows under the cloak of nightfall. Vampirisim has spiralled out of control and has now become a epidemic. The vampires of old had very strict regulations and were thus able to, for the most part, remain off the radar, but it has now spread across the globe to the point that vampires are now just another fact of life. The virus spreads through their bite, if they leave you alive then you have become what is known as a 'cold'. You begin to thirst for blood, and if you give into that desire you will change over. A cold cannot transmit the virus through bite, they can only change over themselves. A cold can attempt to wait for the virus to exit their body, usually within the time frame of eighty days, but none have seceded, usually being driven mad with blood lust within the first day or two of contacting it. After the epidemic some of the cities were locked down in a attempt to contain the vampires inhabiting it. Some were locked in during the lock in, others are captured and brought in for a bounty, and the infected are either forced in or freely turn themselves over in a attempt to protect others from themselves. These cities are called coldtowns. In our crazy and messed up society people have glamorized the vampire, and they not only seek out these coldtowns and freely offer their blood but they also desire to be changed over. You can go in but you can't come back out. The vampires coexist with the humans for the most part. As long as they have a steady food source they are relatively clear headed, and there is no lack of that thanks to their adoring 'fans' always eager and willing. Everyone who goes in desires to be changed over and become one of them, but very rarely does that actually happen. The vampires have no desire to change people over, after all they are their food source and more vampires means that that source is stretched out thinner because of there being more mouths to feed. So rather then feed by bite they feed by IV so there won't be any virus transmission taking place. In this society vampires are hunted by bounty hunters, but they are also adored through reality television shows being featured through the coldtowns, and having entire blogs dedicated to them. People must take care at night to prevent vampire attacks, and yet they frequently sit down to enjoy their favorite vampire reality television show.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Book Unhaul

Today I brought you a book haul, and today I will also be bringing you a book unhaul.

I recently bought five hardcover editions of Harry Potter to replace the five paperback editions that I had in my collection (my collection consisted of five paperback editions and two hardcover editions).  These are the five paperback editions that I will be unhauling.

I will also be unhauling my paperback edition of "Cinder' by Marissa Meyer. I recently bought the rest of the books in the series in hardcover editions so me having the issues that I have, I had to purchase Cinder in a hardcover edition so that they would match.

So this isn't necessary a "I don't like these books" kind of unhaul, but rather a "I have issues and I need my books to match" kind of unhaul.

Final Book Haul ... For July

This will be my final book haul, final as in the last book haul for the month of July ... because tomorrow is August 1st. Ha! Did you guys even for a second think that I actually meant that I wasn't going to be buying anymore books?! Do you even know me, like at all?!

First up in this book haul is my Amazon order that I actually received earlier in the week. I had a five book paperback set in my Harry Potter collection and the last two books in the series were hardcovers, so I replaced the five paperback editions with the hardcover editions. I have wanted to replace these books for a few years now, so I finally took the plunge and just did it. The five new editions are of course reprints, whist the last two are first editions having bought them upon their release dates.

"A Darker Shade of Magic" by V.E. Schwab, hardcover edition. I read this book a few months ago and highly enjoyed it. This is the first, and the only book that I have read to date that was written by V.E. Schwab, but I found her to be a terrific writer and so I have since then bought a few more books that where written by her that I plan on reading very shortly, I had hauled them earlier this month. I hear nothing but good when it comes to Miss Schwab.

"Cinder", "Scarlet", "Cress", and "Fairest" by Marissa Meyer, all hardcover editions. I literally just read the first three books this past week and I really liked them. I had a paperback edition of "Cinder" that I had only just hauled earlier this month, but when I went online to purchase the rest of the books in the series the hardcover editions were only a dollar or two more then the paperback editions so I of course chose to go that route ... but I wanted them to all match, so I decided to sell my paperback edition and purchase a hardcover edition instead. *Sigh* I have issues ... "Fairest" is a prequel to this series that I have not yet read.

That is the last book haul for the month of July!

Book Review of "Cress" by Marissa Meyer

"Cress" by Marissa Meyer is the third book in "The Lunar Chronicles".

We still have our original cast of characters in this book but we have also gained a additional character, Cress. Cress is our Rapunzel. She has been imprisoned in a satellite for seven years, orbiting the earth in isolation. The Queen Lavanna of Lunar has been using her skills for years. Cress is a hacker and a programmer.

This is at least on the same level of excellence as the first book in the series "Cinder" if not slightly a little more exciting. I had found myself feeling slightly disappointed in the second book from the series "Scarlet", so this book really brought life back into it and the train is no longer at risk of derailing from this track.

The final book in this series "Winter" has a release date for November 10th 2015 ... I will be pre-ordering this one, but how ever am I going to survive the wait?!

My Rating: 4 Stars

Book Review of "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer

"Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer is the second book in "The Lunar Chronicles" series.

In Scarlet our cyborg Cinderella, Cinder, makes a reappearance but we are also introduced to a new cast of characters. Scarlet is Little Red Riding Hood. Scarlet's grandmother is missing and in her search to find her she encounters Wolf, a dangerous and yet charming street fighter who may possibly have some answers to her grandmother's whereabouts.

I found myself slightly disappointed with this second installment in the series until I neared the end of the book, the end really picked up and improved upon the entire books overview. I did hear that this was the weaker book in the series and that the third book is a lot of peoples favorite, so I have high hopes for the rest of the books in this series.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Unpopular Opinions Tag

Hey guys, today I am bringing you the unpopular opinions tag. Now this tag is titled unpopular opinions because a lot of people may not agree with your personal opinions, with that being said I do believe that this will be a fun one to fill out. Hehe

1. A popular book or series that you did not like?

There are actually quite a few popular books and series that I do not like. The "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer, the "Sookie Stackhouse" series by Charlaine Harris, any Nicholas Sparks books, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, the "Divergent" trilogy by Veronica Roth, and "The Immortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare. What do they are have in common? Poor writing skills, and most have either a corruptive relationship or a underdeveloped one featured in them.

2. A book that everyone seems to hate but that you love?

This is a difficult one for me since I overall have such excellent tastes in books (hardy hardy har har), but I might possibly go with the "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling, and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. These books both have a huge following of fans, me included, but they do also receive a lot of negative attention due to their popularity. A lot of people just simply do not enjoy them, whist I on the other hand would claim these two as some of my absolute favorites.

3. A love triangle where the main character ended up with the love interest that you didn't want them to end up with?

Hmm, I typically try to avoid books that involve 'love triangles' so this question is unfair ... I'm just going to say that the characters in my books generally make the right choices in the end.

4. A popular book genre that you hardly ever reach for?

Easy peasy, romance. I never read the romance genre, and I personally even tend to avoid the romance seeped young adult genre too. It just isn't something that I want to read. Most books have a spark of romance element in them because of a love interest, which is fine, I just don't want to read books that are seeping in it. I also hate the chick-lit genre. Fluff reads, no thank you.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like?

At the moment ... possibly Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series. A lot of people see her as a strong female character in the series, and really like her. I find her to be slightly annoying at this point and time in the place where I am at in the series ...

6. A popular book or series that you have no interest in reading?

The "Vampire Academy" series by Richelle Mead. This series has romance and chick-lit fluff written all over it. "The Ruby Red trilogy" by Kerstin Gier is also on this list. And "The Maze Runner" trilogy by James Dashner. The Maze Runner sounds like a good read but I have been hearing a lot of people stating it as just 'okay', and that the books really deteriorate from there ... so I am just avoid this one altogether.

7. Which movie adaption do you prefer over the book?

This is a hard one as I usually almost always prefer the book over the movie ... but maybe "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. I saw the movie before reading the book so that possibly has something to do with my preference, but I just feel like the movie was portrayed better.

Feel free to copy the questions and fill them in with answers of your own in the comments below!

Book Review of "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer

"Cinder" by Marissa Meyer is the first book in "The Lunar Chronicles". A clever retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, in a futuristic and alternative world that features hoover crafts, androids, and cyborgs.

Cinder is our Cinderella in this story. Cinder is a cyborg, and essentially owned by her legal guardian 'stepmother' and her two stepsisters. She is a second class citizen due to being a cyborg, rather then being seen as having superior technological advances over other humans she is instead seen as an object, property, and beneath the 'real' humans. Being part human and part machine, they are looked upon as not human at all. Cinder works as a mechanic to earn a income for her stepmother, because that is her only use and the only reason that she is still living with her resentful guardian who never wanted anything to do with Cinder in the first place.

Cinder lost both a foot, and a hand, in a accident when she was very young. She doesn't remember anything that took place before the surgery that was performed in order to save her life. Her injured limbs were replaced with metal prosthetic's.

From this premise the plot begins to unfold and reveal itself. There is a mysterious disease affecting the Kingdom called Letumosis, acting much like the black plaque. And Queen Levana of the Lunar people, evil ruler of the Moon, has a nasty motive. The Lunar's have been on the brink of war with the people of Earth for a while now, and also possess the ability of glamouring making them superior and higher advanced.

I loved this book. I adore fairy tale retelling's and this one was particularly intriguing and unique. I was expecting to like this series but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. 

My Rating: 4 Stars

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Hey guys, this is the mid-year book freak out tag that I will be hosting for you. Basically I will just go through a list of questions and fill in my answers to those questions. Feel free to copy these questions in the comments before with your own answers!

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Best book that you have read so far in 2015?

"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman, but because this was a re-read for me I am going to take the liberty of choosing a second title, which is "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown.

Favorite sequel of 2015?

I have started a lot of series and trilogies this year, but I have not read a lot of sequels at this time, so not having a lot of options at the moment I would probably go with "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan.

A new release from 2015 that you have not read yet but really want to?

There are a lot of new releases from 2015 that I have not yet read but really want to. I will go with the ones that I do not actually own but that I am interested in reading, and that would be "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas as well as "The Wrath and the Dawn" by Renee Ahdieh. I either have read, or own, a lot of the other new releases so it is just a matter of making my way through them now.

Books to be released for the last half of the year that you are most excited about?

Oh boy, there are a lot of books to be released for the last half of this year that I am feeling excited about. For starters, "Illuminae" by Amie Kaufman, "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo, "The Scorpion Rules" by Erin Bow.

Biggest disappointment?

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. I hate this book. I don't understand why it continues to be gushed about in the book community today, or why it was ever gushed about to begin with. I would also have to go with "Divergent" by Veronica Roth, I was just expecting something a little better then what I got because of all of the hype surrounding this book.

Book that most surprised you?

The book that I wasn't expecting to like as much as I did, would have to be "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness. I wasn't expecting all of the feels that I got from this book when I first went into it, and I surely wasn't expecting the superb writing. This was a very pleasant discovery.

Your favorite new author?

I have discovered so many new authors this year that I have fallen heads over heels in love with. This is not going to be a one answer kind of question. Patrick Ness, Rick Yancey, Rick Riordan, Victoria Aveyard, Pierce Brown, V.E. Schwab, Catherynne M. Valente, Neil Gaiman, Marissa Meyer, just to name a few. I have a feeling that this list is only going to continue to grow as the year progresses, and this isn't even some of my older favorites just the newly discovered ones.

New favorite fictional character?

Just going off of some of the more recent books that I have read I would maybe say Darrow from "Red Rising", and Kell from "A Darker Shade of Magic".

A book that made you cry?

I don't typically cry when it comes to books that I am reading, but I will say that "A Monster Calls" was very gut wrenching and it is quite possible that I shed a tear or two during that one.

A book that made you happy?

I'm not a very big reader of the fluffy warm reads ... so for this one I may just go with "The Princess Bride" once again because I did find myself laughing out loud a couple of times while reading that one.

What books do you want to read for the second half of the year?

If you have been following my book hauls then you will know that a lot of those books are on my TBR (to be read) list, and my goal is to read through all of them in the months to come. I also have almost one hundred books on my to read shelf on Goodreads ... so for the question, a lot. I want to read a lot of books in the second half of this year.

Barnes and Noble Unboxing/Haul July 2015 - Fourth Haul

I read all of these books recently during this month and I just had to have them in my library. So yes, I am bringing you a Barnes and Noble Unboxing/Haul July 2015 - Fourth Haul. Some people buy clothes, I buy books.

First is my "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" five book paperback boxed set. The spines create this beautiful collage, whist the front covers create this even more beautiful collage.

"The Lightning Thief", "The Sea of Monsters", "The Titan's Curse", "The Battle of the Labyrinth", and "The Last Olympian". 

I have read all but the last one. I finished the fourth book in the series last night and was unable to move on to the fifth and final book because it was currently checked out from my local library. Now I can finish it!

And "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard. I really loved this book when I read it, and I desired to own it.

I'm not even going to pretend that there aren't going to be many more book hauls to come. I'm not going to lie to myself, and I'm not going to lie to you.

Book Series That I'm Not Going To Finish

Hey guys, this is a list that I created of books that I have read the first in the series and decided not to follow through with the rest of the books in that particular series. Therefore starting a series but not finishing a series.

Okay, so let's jump right in!

1. Number one on the list is the "Divergent" trilogy by Veronica Roth. I read the first book in this trilogy, "Divergent", and I actually gave it three stars for entertainment reasons, but I have decided not to read the other two books in this trilogy, "Insurgent" and "Allegiant", For two reasons. One reason being because I was spoiled on the last book in this trilogy, and the other reason being that I just 'enjoyed' the first book in the trilogy and I have heard that the other two are not as good as the first ... so if I only enjoyed the first then that's not very promising for the other two.



2. Number two on this list is the "Book of Ember" series by Jeanne DuPrau. I gave the first book in the series, "The City of Ember", four stars and I actually really enjoyed it, but that's where the enjoyment stopped with this series. I read the second book "The People of Sparks" and rated that a three stars, I was disappointed in it and I did not feel like it reflected on its earlier work. The third book "The Prophet of Yonwood" was so awful that I could not even finish it. There is one more book in this series, "The Diamond of Darkhold", but this series has run its course in my opinion, and I will not be finishing it. I recommend the first book in the series but none after it.


3. The "Midnight, Texas" series by Charlaine Harris. I read the first book in this series "Midnight Crossroad". You know, I'm just done with Charlaine Harris at this point. Her books are trashy and not very well written. I read her entire "Sookie Stackhouse" series several years ago and I only wish that I could get back all of my invested time.






4. I skimmed this first book, "A Discovery of Witches", in the "All Souls Trilogy" by Deborah Harkness and I was not impressed. I was unable to read it all the way through because it reminded me of Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse series, need I say more? The other two books in this trilogy, "Shadow of Night" and "The Book of Life" will not be making a appearance.






5. "Parasite" by Mira Grant. The first book in the "Parasitology" trilogy. I hated this book and I could not even finish it due to poor writing and plot line. It's better if we just pretend that this trilogy does not even exist.








 6. "Magonia" by Maria Dahvana Headley. This book is receiving a lot of praise by readers but I'm on the other side of that fence. I hesitated to call it quits so early on in the book, but it just wasn't tailored to my tastes. It wasn't so much the story as it was the writing. The writing is what made me utter "uncle, uncle!". Apparently this is supposed to be a trilogy or a series however as I see that there is a second book in the works on Goodreads. I had originally thought that it was a stand alone ... hmmm, all the more reason not to have dragged myself through it.




7. "The Winner's Curse" by Marie Rutkoski, first book in "The Winner's Trilogy". I got almost half way through this book before I put it down. This book is raved about in both the Goodreads community and Booktube community. I don't get it ... at all. The writing was good, the story was not. I kept waiting for something to happen and nothing was happening! Nothing, nothing, nothing. The characters were all flaky, especially our main character Kestrel.





8. "Nil" by Lynne Matson, book one in the "Nil" trilogy. I hated this book, enough said.












9. "In The Woods" by Tana French. This is a five book series, I couldn't even finish the first one I hate to think about trying to get through four more.










10. Edited to add this series. "The Mortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare. I didn't hate this series but I did find it to be slightly disturbing. I won't state why as that would be a spoiler, but I believe that I stopped reading this series by book four and there are now six books in the series. I did hear that "The Infernal Devices" are better, so I think that I will give that trilogy a try, however I do not believe that I will be returning to this particular one.






This was my "Book series that I'm not going to finish" special. These books weren't necessary listed in order. I will feature more of these specials as I read more series and trilogies, because there are always going to be books out there that we despise.

Book Review of "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

I think that by the second book "The Sea of Monsters", I was beginning to see some similarities to Harry Potter being reflected in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series and it has carried on through the third and fourth book. Mind you, I said similarities not a complete likeness. The Percy Jackson series does a unique take on the Greek mythologies and in all fairness stands very well on its own two feet. Rick Riordan has taken ancient Greek mythology and has given it a new and modernized twist. I love the Harry Potter series so I am quite trilled to have found a new series that resembles it.

In this fourth book we are taken on a quest through the Labyrinth that was created by Daedalus for King Minos in the Greek mythology.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Book Review of "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

I'm three books in now on the Percy Jackson five book series and I am flabbergasted that I have not read these books up until now. What was I thinking?! Was I living under a rock all of this time?! What is wrong with me?! Better late then never though, right? Right? Right, guys? Guys ... ?

My Rating: 4 Stars

Book Review of "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

"The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan is the second book in the five book series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians". I find myself loving this series more and more with each book that I read, I love venturing into the world of Greek mythology in these fast paced, and action packed books. This second book in the series was especially exciting, playing along with Homer's Odyssey.

The writing is clever, witty, and humorous.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Most Anticipated Books Of Summer 2015

                     This is a list of my most anticipated books of Summer 2015.

                               Most Anticipated Books Of Summer 2015

"Alive" by Scott Sigler. This Book's release date is on July 22nd 2015.
For fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Red Rising comes a gripping sci-fi adventure in which a group of teenagers wake up in a mysterious corridor with no knowledge of who they are or how they got trapped. Their only hope lies with an indomitable young woman who must lead them not only to answers but to survival. 
 
“I open my eyes to darkness. Total darkness. I hear my own breathing, but nothing else. I lift my head . . . it thumps against something solid and unmoving. There is a board right in front of my face. No, not a board . . . a lid.”
 
A teenage girl awakens to find herself trapped in a coffin. She has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there. Fighting her way free brings little relief—she discovers only a room lined with caskets and a handful of equally mystified survivors. Beyond their room lies a corridor filled with bones and dust, but no people . . . and no answers.
 
She knows only one thing about herself—her name, M. Savage, which was engraved on the foot of her coffin—yet she finds herself in charge. She is not the biggest among them, or the boldest, but for some reason the others trust her. Now, if they’re to have any chance, she must get them to trust one another.
 
Whatever the truth is, she is determined to find it and confront it. If she has to lead, she will make sure they survive. Maybe there’s a way out, a rational explanation, and a fighting chance against the dangers to come. Or maybe a reality they cannot comprehend lies just beyond the next turn.


"Hunter" by Mercedes Lackey. This book's release date is September 1st 2015.

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.

Monsters.

Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it's taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities,behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.

To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.

Joy soon realizes that the city's powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers,and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they're in-to them, Joy and her corp of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.

When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, Joy uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them.

"Armada" by Ernest Cline. This book was newly released on July 14th 2015.

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. 
 
But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe. 
 
And then he sees the flying saucer. 
 
Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.  
 
No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it. 
 
It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar? 

Shelfie Of July 2015

As promised, here are some updated Sheflie pictures for the month of July. A lot of changes have been made since my last shelfie was posted. Most notably I have added a third bookshelf to my library, which at the moment doesn't contain a large quantity of books but knowing me, that soon will not be a issue. I moved all of my bookshelves over to accommodate this third bookshelf, which means that all bookshelves also received a re-organization. I also purged a lot of books from my library while sorting through them, and I added a large quantity of books to it as well over the last few weeks.

Guys, I also did a book count for you! In physical books I own 239 books compared to my last book count of 219 back in March. A lot of my books from the Barnes and Noble leather bound collection are combinations of several books in one, so if counting these I actually own over 282 books.

Bookshelf Tour By Video

Here is a quick video that I made so that you guys can quickly scan the titles on my bookshelves. I apologize about the quality, it is my first attempt at making a video, and I made one previously to this one that was too large to upload so I had to make another, quicker video to compensate.

Book Review of "The Winner's Curse" by Marie Rutkoski

Kestrel is the seventeen year old daughter of a General, and is of the people of Valorian. The Valorian's revel in war and enslaves those it conquers. The Herrani people have been defeated in battle with the Valorian's and are now powerless by the invisible chains of slavery. The Valorian's coveted what the Herrani's had, so they took it.

Valorian's encourage both sons and daughters alike to join the military, and in this empire you have two choices. Marry by the age of twenty, or join the military.

Kestrel mistakenly stumbles upon a slave auction one day while out and about with her friend, Jess. The young male slave being auctioned off sparks something in her soul, and hardly believing her own actions she outbids all other bids and comes out the winner.

From there a romance slowly starts to develop.

I can't tell you more then that because I decided to not continue reading. I am 138 pages in and it still is not holding my attention. I keep finding myself comparing my read pages to my unread pages to see how much more I have to read yet. The answer is too much. It's not the writing as much as it is the story. Going in I did not realize that this book is essentially a romance with just the slightest mention of past wars taking place in the background. I hear that the second book excels this one, but I do not think that I will go forward with this trilogy. The characters in general just felt void of all personality, the romantic aspect overruling all other aspects of the book, and the story just inching along.

My Rating : 2 Stars - Did not finish

Barnes And Noble Unboxing/Haul July 2015 - Third Haul

I was not expecting to receive this order quite so quickly. This is the final book order, and you know what that means! Tonight I am going to re-organize all of my bookshelves to accommodate all of my new books, and then tomorrow I will feature a updated shelfie and a library tour, so stay tuned in for that!

First up on the haul is the "Monstrumologist" paperback boxed set. All four books from the series. "The Monstrumologist", "The Curse of the Wendigo", "The Isle of Blood", and "The Final Descent". I just recently read "The Monstrumologist" and gave it five stars, so you can only imagine my eagerness to read the rest of the books in this amazing series.

You can read my book review here : Book Review of "The Monstrumologist" by Rick Yancey

"Ink and Bone" by Rachel Caine. Stunning hardcover edition. It has such a delicious parchment feel to the dust cover. I heard really good things on this one. It has been described as Harry Potter meets The Book Thief meets Fahrenheit 451. I can't pass that up!

The only book that I have read to date by Rick Yancey is "The Monstrumologist". I fell in love with his writing so I didn't hesitate on these two books. Book one and two in "The 5th Wave" series. "The 5th Wave", and "The Infinite Sea" by Rick Yancey. Gorgeous hardcover editions. 

I'm trying to get through my TBR pile of library books right now so that I can dig into all of these delicious new books!

Book Review of "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard

Silvers and Reds, two separate races. Silvers have silver-blood running through their veins, while the Reds bleed red blood. The Reds live as poverty stricken commoners under the dictatorship of the Silvers. Their lives are not their own, and they must work as laborers for the Silvers, if you are not employed by the age of eighteen then you are conscripted into the army. Reds are beneath the Silvers because unlike the Silvers they do not possess supernatural abilities, which makes them nearly like gods. The Silvers are superior in this sense. The Silvers have different houses, each house having its own unique ability. The power to control metal elements, water, fire. Mind reading, invisibility, control.

We follow Mare Barrow, a seventeen year old girl struggling to help provide for her family with her fast fingers by way of pick pocketing. Mare's three older brothers have already been conscripted into the army, and Mare is facing the very likely, and all too real, concept that she will be too. When Mare's best friend, Kilorn Warren, is conscripted into the army Mare becomes frantic with the desire to save him. This leads her to the Scarlet Guard, a rebellious society of Reds who have the intention of rising up and fighting back. She must raise enough money to bribe the Scarlet Guard into smuggling them out of the stilts. Mare pick pockets the wrong guy.

Suddenly she is employed under the rule of the king, feeling vaguely relieved that she has escaped the conscripting, but hate filled for the Silvers. Her relief is short lived because events take place during the Queenstrial that reveal that Mare has powers, despite her blood being Red. Because all house's witnessed this shocking change of events the king and queen create a scheme and play Mare off as a long lost Silver who was raised by Reds. Suddenly Mare is declared a princess, and is betrothed to a prince. She is a prisoner, but she now also has inside access to the kingdom ...

Equal parts "The Hunger Games", "Red Rising", and "X-Men".

Because of these very prominent similarities to previous works I felt very conflicted on my enjoyment of the book in general, and how I felt about it. One part of me was a little irked, but the other part of me was throwing my arms up in the air and just not giving a care. I have to admit that I loved this book. It took all the things that I love about the three aforementioned, and incorporated it all into one book! Victoria Aveyard is a spectacular writer.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Barnes And Noble Unboxing/Haul July 2015 - Second Haul

All of my books from my second Barnes and Noble order have finally arrived. They split this order up into three separate orders and I wanted to wait to feature my book haul until I had all books in my possession. I have one more Barnes and Noble order currently bring processed and that will be it for the July book hauls ... that I know of. I realize that I have been a tad bit eccentric with my book purchases lately. I have widened my reading horizons and in doing so I have been discovering so many new talented authors of drool worthy series and stand alone novels. I went a little crazy, I feel like I have been out of the book loop for so long and now I am trying to play catch up. Some people may ask the question, "Are you rich? How do you afford so many books?". No I am not rich, I just choose to make sacrifices in other areas so that I can purchase books. This however is overboard for me even. I feel like the month of August will be slower as far as book hauls go. Guys I could be buying drugs instead of books ... suddenly my book buying problem doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Enough with the groveling and on with the book haul!

The first book in my book haul is "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir. A gorgeous hardcover edition. This book has been receiving a lot of attention, good attention. I am excited to read it for myself.

Next I have "Red Rising" and "Golden Son" by Pierce Brown. Both stunning hardcover editions. I read Red Rising earlier this month and knew that this was a author that I wanted to own in my library. I have not yet read the second book in the series, "Golden Son", but aim to do so in the very near future. The third book "Morning Star" will be released in February of 2016.

You can read my book review of "Red Rising" here: Book Review of "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown

And last but not least, "Armada" by Ernest Cline. This is a newly released hardcover edition from the author of "Ready Player One". I have not yet read either of his books, but I hear people raving about them and they sound right up my alley. I am also excited to check these off of my TBR.

Book Outlet Is Having A Sale

Book Outlet is having a sale now through July 20th where you purchase $30.00 worth of books and you receive $10.00 off. $20.00 for $30.00 worth of books.

Book Outlet

"Go Set A Watchman" - Today Is The Release Date

July 14th 2015, the release date for Harper Lee's second book "Go Set a Watchman". It is now available online and in stores. The question is, are you planning on buying it, at least reading it, or skipping it entirely?

I originally had planned on reading it, despite the allegations and cries of foul play surrounding this book. Curiosity got the better of me. However, now that the date has approached some new facts are beginning to come to light that had previously not surfaced.

Atticus Finch, the beloved symbol of all that is good and righteous in a sometimes cruel world is now being portrayed as a racist. Atticus Finch, the Atticus Finch, a racist? Some are claiming that Atticus Finch never gave the expression of being otherwise in "To Kill a Mocking Bird" but I beg to deffer. A man does not simply put his reputation on the line, puts his life in danger, risks mockery and ridicule by his peers and neighbors alike, in order to defend a black man when he easily could of turned away rather then do what was the right thing to do. I never saw racism in Atticus Finch, quite the opposite actually.

"Go Set a Watchman" was Harper Lee's first work, the one that was refused by publishers and then later even rejected by Harper Lee herself. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the work that she then produced. I feel that the characters that were created in "Go Set a Watchman" are no longer the characters that were later remade in "To Kill a Mockingbird". She may have portrayed Atticus Finch as a racist the first time around, but later recreated him. "Go Set a Watchman" comes across as a unpolished manuscript that was never meant to be published, because quite frankly it no longer contains the characters that we see in "To Kill a Mockingbird".

I have not read this book, just reflecting on what I have read about it. If this truly does reflect "Go Set a Watchman" then I no longer have the desire to read it. It would tarnish and taint my love for "To Kill a Mockingbird", and forever change my outlook on Atticus Finch.

Book Unhaul July 2015

I have featured plently of book hauls here on my blog, but never have I featured a book unhaul before now. I have been re-arranging, re-organizing, and cleaning my library. Bookshelves have been added, bookshelves have been re-arranged. Books have been re-organized on those bookshelves, and books have been eliminated. Some editions have been replaced with better editions, but a lot of them are just books that I took a good long look at and decided that these were books that I just didn't have a large desire to read. I may own a lot of books, but I have never had the desire to just own books for the sake of owning books. All of the books in my library are ones that I have either read, or want to read (even more so now that I cleaned it out). This unhaul comes to the amount of twenty eight books with more possibly to follow. I have too many books to go through them one by one in this particular unhaul and discuss why I have decided to get rid of them, but in my future, and smaller, book unhauls I will be sure to do so.

I will have family go through this box and pick out anything that they desire to read, or own, and the rest will be heading off to Half Price Books to fund my book addiction. These books are a little more beat up however, so I don't really expect much of a return on them.

Amazon Book Unboxing / Haul July 2015

My Amazon book order was awaiting my arrival when I got home from work today. I have been impatiently waiting for this one. This unboxing/haul includes seven books, all first novels to series that I have been eagerly wanting to read and have been unable to get from the library due to them not having them ... what kind of a library doesn't have these books?! Calm down, calm down. I bought these books in paperback because I hesitated to spend money on hardcovers not knowing if I will like these certain books or not ... I just know that I will regret that decision if I end up loving these series since I personally prefer my books in hardcover form. These are very nice soft cover editions however.

So with no further delay, onto the haul!

First I have "Shatter Me" from the "Shatter Me" series by Tahereh Mafi. "Cinder" from "The Lunar Chronicles" by Marissa Meyer. And "Throne of Glass" from the "Throne of Glass" series by Sarah J. Maas. I have not read any of these authors previously but I hear nothing but raving when it comes to them and their books so I am really excited to read them for myself! If I love them there will be a lot more books to be bought from these three series *sigh* the life of a book hoarder collector 

Then "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. I have heard nothing but good things about this one.

"Legend" from the "Legend" series by Marie Lu. "Shadow and Bone" from "The Grisha" trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I featured books two and three in my Book Outlet unboxing/haul, Shadow and Bone is book one in the trilogy. "The Darkest Minds" from "The Darkest Minds" series by Alexandra Bracken. Again, I have heard nothing but good things about these books. I am very eager to read them.

That's my Amazon book haul, guys! I had a few books from my Barnes and Noble order arrive yesterday, but my order got split up so I will hold off on the unboxing/haul until all of the books are here.

Cleaning House - Literally And Figuratively

After all of the disappointments that I have been experiencing with books recently I decided that I was going to be a little more selective about the books that I choose to not only read, but also own.

I went on my Goodreads account earlier today and took a good long look at my to read shelf featured on there. It exceeded three hundred books. I went through these titles and deleted books from that shelf that I own since I mainly use my Goodreads to read shelf as a way to keep track of titles that I don't own and am interested in reading. I was also very selective about the books that I do wish to read, so I looked at ratings and reviews, read the book descriptions and was able to really narrow it down that way. I am happy to say that my to read shelf is now at a more manageable ninety some books. That's not to say that my TBR is now only at ninety some books, since I do after all have owned books to read yet, but at least my Goodreads account looks a little better in that area. Out of sight out of mind.

I have also been cleaning, re-arranging, and re-organizing my library after installing a third bookshelf last week. It is coming along nicely despite the difficulties of arranging the books knowing that there are yet more books to arrive in the mail. As I have been doing this I have also been weeding some books out of my collection. I currently have twenty eight books to take into Half Price Books the next time that I go there. Not especially nice books, but these are books that have sitting unread on my bookshelves for quite a while now. If I don't feel as if it is something that I will read then I really don't wish to own it.

And lastly, remember me having said something along the lines of having seventeen library books to read? I went through those too! I really narrowed it down! I peeked at them, I went on Goodreads and read the ratings and reviews, and came to a decision on which ones I was going to return unread and which ones I was going to hang onto for a little while longer. Now, I usually try to come to my own decisions when it comes to books, after all something that I may enjoy someone else may hate. But with so many books to read at the moment I felt like being picky was a little easier to do then normally. Plus my Goodreads people don't usually steer me wrong, so I felt inclined to take their word for it. I am now down to seven library books, only because some of the titles (two) that I had checked out to read I now own, so I will just read my own editions.

I have a weird sense of relief at the moment. Mr. Bean can better demonstrate the feeling then words alone ...

Book Review of "Nil" by Lynne Matson

This is another book being shelved on my did not finish shelf, but at least I gave this one a better chance to prove itself before I pulled the plug on it. I got over a hundred pages in this time ... I wish that I hadn't spent so much time reading this one, but you know, it was late and I was too lazy to get out of bed to retrieve a different book and opted instead to just read this one until I was tired enough to fall asleep. Bad decision.

The synopsis is that teenagers are waking up on a uncharted island with no memory of how they got there. It is a game of sorts. They are given 365 days to escape or they will die.

The conclusion?

The writing was pretty poor to start things off. Mindless teenage drivel. The plot sounded promising, possibly like one of my favorite television series Lost perhaps? Yeah, no. The entire plot was centered around a pathetic relationship that completely overshadows everything else. There really is no sense of fear, sense of survival, sense of urgency. Other then a once daily attempt of escape they are living the life of leisure on this beautiful tropical island. Going surfing, playing volleyball on the beach, having bonfires. Everything is so conveniently handed to them. Instead of the goal being to escape the island, they seem to focus more on enjoying themselves and maintaining a relationship.




My Rating: 1.5 Stars - Did not finish

Book Review of "Magonia" by Maria Dahvana Headley

This will be a unfair book review based solely on the fact that I could barely get past the first few pages. I barely did get past the first few pages, reading less then ten to be exact. I may regret this decision given the praise that this book has been receiving on Goodreads, the concept and premise behind this book especially intriguing me, but I just could not get past the authors writing style. It was so ... choppy and ill used. Even if the story itself is interesting enough to go through with it, I just cannot foresee myself reading through the crappy writing for that mere fact.

My Rating: 2 Stars - Did not finish

Book Review of "The Monstrumologist" by Rick Yancey

For only a madman believes what every child knows to be true; There are monsters that lay in wait under our beds.

Monstrumology, the study of monsters. Twelve year old Will Henry is the orphaned apprentice of Doctor Warthrop, a dedicated monstrumologist. Will is used to the late night visitors arriving on the doorstep with odd parcels to be delivered, but this late night visitor brings them the body of a young girl entwined with the corpse of an Anthropophagus. Anthropophaus are headless monsters exceeding seven feet in height whose razor-sharp teeth are in their torso, their eyes are located on their chest, their diet consists purely of human, and they are supposed to be extinct in this part of the world. It is soon realized that there is a colony of these monsters and Dr. Warthrop tries to not only to understand how they arrived here, but also sets out to destroy them.

Yes, my dear child, monsters are real. I happen to have one hanging in my basement.

I was not expecting such a gruesome, gory, and violent book as this turned out to be. The cover looks almost whimsical in nature, and although the synopsis doesn't exactly describe kittens and rainbows it doesn't really hint at the bloodshed and graphic details that this book contains either. It rather surprised me, although pleasantly surprised if I may hint at my darker side ...

Will Henry was a quiet narrator, and referring back to when I read the Sherlock Holmes series I muse upon the fact that he may just be there as a way for us to see the story unfold through his eyes, a gateway if you will. Same as Dr. Watson's role in the Sherlock Holmes series. I may be wrong, and his role may become a larger one as the series progresses.

Dr. Warthrop reminds me of a combination of Sherlock Holmes and the television character Dr. House (which is no surprise considering that Dr. House was based on Sherlock Holmes's character). Given his cold nature, his seemly uncaring for others, and a all consuming mission, you would think that his character would be a unlikable one ... but I actually kind of like him. You see flashes of his human side, his compassionate side, throughout this book.

Rick takes mythical creatures as they are and doesn't change a thing about them, just incorporates them into his story. I love that. The Anthropophaus in this book are as the myths describe them.

I loved this book. The monster hunting, the studying of monsters in general, it all reminded me of the television series "Supernatural". It was exciting, it was scary, it was full of suspense.

My Rating: 5 Stars

I'm Drowning In Books!

Help! Help! I'm drowning in books and I can't get caught up!

Between the library books checked out on my library card, and the copious amount of books that I have been purchasing, my TBR pile is seemly futile at the moment. My library books alone amount to the sum of seventeen books. Considering that my TBR on Goodreads exceeds three hundred books and more are always being added, lets just face the fact that I will never get caught up.

Other then the fact that my library books are on loan and I have a time frame to finish and return them, having large amounts of books that you are excited about reading really isn't a bad thing. I just feel like I am at a crossroads right now, being pulled in opposite directions. There are so many books that I want to read right now that I simply just cannot make up my mind on which ones to read next!