Cozy Up with These Books on Christmas

Cozy Up with These Books on Christmas

Dec 22, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic and invite everyone to share their answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so I obviously love this feature!

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

1. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (Folio Edition) - I adore the Folio Society, and I'm dying to add this new Austen edition to my collection. I already own their editions of Pride and Prejudice and Emma, and they are absolutely gorgeous. As an Austen lover, this was at the very top of my Christmas wishlist!

2. The Annotated Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Santa technically already bought me this thanks to an early Christmas celebration with Nick's extended family. His grandparents got me this annotated edition that is even lovelier in person than it looked online. I can't wait to dive in and learn more about Alcott and this book!

3. Unequal Affections: A Pride & Prejudice Retelling by Lara Ormiston - I'm always on the lookout for promising retellings of Pride and Prejudice, and I randomly discovered this one while stalking Goodreads one day. I haven't heard anything about this book, but the reviews I read made it sound really good. 

4. Game of Thrones Box Set by George R. R. Martin - I've never read (or watched) Game of Thrones, but I've always been curious about it. When this set when on sale on Black Friday (and was further discounted with a coupon), I couldn't resist giving Santa a nudge. I have no idea if I'll like these, but I'm hoping I do.

5. Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay - My #OTSPSecretSister probably had no idea that this book was at the top of my wishlist, so I was thrilled when I opened my December package from her and discovered it inside. I fell in love with Jay's Of Beast and Beauty earlier this year, and I've been dying to read more from her!

6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - Kelly has been pushing this book on me for a while, but I wasn't rushing to read it because I liked (but didn't love) Moriarty's The Husband's Secret. Then Cassie fell in love with it, and I could no longer resist because she sent a copy my way for Christmas. I'm excited to give it a shot!

7-9. The Secret Life of Violet Grant, Tiny Little Thing and Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams - It's probably crazy of me to ask for all three books without reading at least one of them first, but I want to be able to binge all of these books about the Schuyler sisters in one go. They sound right up my alley!

10. Complete My Dear America Collection with I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Fraustino, Look to the Hills by Patricia C. McKissack, Love Thy Neighbor by Ann Turner, All the Stars in the Sky by Megan McDonald, Seeds of Hope by Kristiana Gregory, Land of the Buffalo Bones by Marion Dane Bauer, When Christmas Comes Again by Beth Seidel Levine, A Time for Courage by Kathryn Lasky, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by Barry Denenberg, Survival in the Storm by Katelan Janke, My Secret War by Mary Pope Osborne and Early Sunday Morning by Barry Denenberg - I was an avid reader of the Dear America books growing up. I purged way too many books from childhood, but I managed to hang on to all of the books I'd collected in this series. However, I stopped reading them at a certain age and want to complete my set! I've already been helping Santa track these down...

What books are on your wishlist this year?

Do we have any books in common?

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#SoRatherBeYoung: Wackiness & Warts

#SoRatherBeYoung: Wackiness & Warts

Dec 21, 2015

Estelle and I are teaming up to celebrate the books that turned us into readers with "You Make Me Feel So Young." In each post, we'll be highlighting three books: one joint read that we both loved growing up and then we'll each pick a book for one another (something we loved that the other one hasn't read yet).

Joint Pick: WAYSIDE SCHOOL GETS A LITTLE STRANGER by Louis Sachar | First Published: 1995 

More Than You Know: Author Louis Sachar wrote Sideways Stories from Wayside School after graduating from the University of California, Berkley. During college, he worked at an elementary school to earn college credit and helped as the Noontime Supervisor (the real-life inspiration behind the "Louis the Yard Teacher" character).

Memories are Made of This: I remember reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School and Wayside School is Falling Down, but I don't know if I ever read any farther into the series! So, I was excited when we decided to read the third book. As I was reading, I was waiting to see if anything in this felt familiar, and it never did. However, I definitely remember the silliness and wackiness of Sachar's humor. It was fun to go back to Wayside!

Second Time Around: While I don't know if this was officially my second read of the book, I enjoyed the time spent in Wayside. My sister is a third grade teacher, and she's told me all about how much her students love this series. And I can see why! I loved that some of the humor was so clever it probably goes over their heads - and it was fun to read the parts that I imagine kids just adore. I liked the smaller vignettes and the longer storylines that were carried through the whole book. Now, I need to go back and re-read the first two books!

You Can Take My Word for It, Baby: I can see myself reading this book (and the series) to my future children. Knowing how much my sister's class loves it - and giggling over it myself - makes me look forward to reading it aloud one day. It will be fun to see what elements of the story they understand and obsess over!

Estelle's Pick for Me: ANASTASIA KRUPNIK | First Published: 1978

Do You Know Why? I re-read a few Anastasia books a few years ago, and I remember being quite delighted by them. She still held up even after the many years that had passed since I was crazily borrowing each book out of the library. I never hear about her much anymore, and I needed Hannah to try her out. (It's also continued our unofficial tradition of strong female characters in this little feature.) - from Estelle

Can't You Just See Yourself: Anastasia Krupnik was a completely new-to-me read! With the last two books Estelle picked for me, I'd heard of them and had a bit of an idea about what I was about to read. But that wasn't the case with this one! And now, I'm surprised that I somehow missed out on this story and this heroine. I think I would have liked Anastasia as a kid - she reminded me of Harriet (from Harriet the Spy) but way better.

I Give You My Word: I enjoyed Anastasia Krupnik, and I'm glad Estelle picked it for me. As she said, I loved continuing our unofficial tradition of reading about strong heroines. Anastasia was opinionated, smart and fun. I liked that the book focused on the everyday aspects of her life. There were bigger moments but most of them were the smaller joys and trials. My favorite storyline was the one involving Anastasia's grandmother because it made me so emotional. And the best part of the book? Her interactions with her parents! They were amazing, and I imagine Anastasia will be a combination of the two of them when she grows up.

Before the Music Ends: I really enjoyed this book, and I'm actually curious about the rest of the series! This book was such a hidden gem. I've read some of the more well-known books by Lowry (The Giver and Number the Stars), but this definitely motivated me to read more of her backlist. I bet I've been missing out! If you haven't read this series (and like smart and precocious heroines), give it a shot. Anastasia will crack you up!

Have you read either of these books? What do you remember? 

Comment or join the conversation with #SoRatherBeYoung.

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The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Dec 17, 2015

"342/356: Books" by cefeida is licensed under CC BY 2.0

I was tagged by Kelly from Belle of the Literati and Rachel from Hello, Chelly forever ago for the Unpopular Opinions Book Tag! Don't judge me for the fact that I'm just now getting around to filling it out...

1. A popular book you didn't like 

I really don't like the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty, even though I read all five books. Before I joined the blogging community, I discovered a number of book blogs that I enjoyed reading for new book recommendations. I kept seeing that series mentioned, so I decided to give them a shot. For some reason, I trudged through and finished the series despite disliking most of it... Thankfully, I've learned to DNF!

2. A book series that everyone hates but you love 

I don't know if people hate The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, but I know it's not highly rated or beloved. I read them before blogging, and it was one of the first Young Adult series I remember reading. It's a little bit like Gossip Girl in the 1800s - a little cheesy, very dramatic and not the most well written - but I love it all the same. They were just so addicting, and I remember looking up the release dates for each book ahead of time!

3. A love triangle where the MC ends up with the person you didn't want them to end up with 

There are a number of series where the character ends up with someone other than the person I was initially rooting for, like the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi or Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, but those changes worked for me in the end! So, I guess I'll go with the Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand - a triangle where I genuinely liked both boys but hated the way the triangle was handled. Boundless was a mess!

4. A popular book genre you rarely reach for

If this question asked about a genre I never reach for, I'd have to go with romance. But since it says rarely, I'd say New Adult or Science Fiction would probably be the most accurate answer. I like the idea of New Adult because I love that time period and would probably be able to relate more to the characters. Most of what I've found so far seems too dramatic. As for science fiction, it just bores me (though there are exceptions).

5. A popular beloved character you didn't like

Well, I hate pretty much every character in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë... does that count?  I have no idea if those characters are generally beloved or if it's just that people love the book itself. If that doesn't count, I can also say that I don't like Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games series. I don't hate him (and he did serve a purpose in the series), but I'm so glad he was out of the picture by the end.

6. A popular author you can't seem to get into 

John Green is just not the author for me. I've read two of his books (Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars) and really was not fond of either one. I actually liked Paper Towns a little more, but The Fault in Our Stars drove me absolutely crazy. Green's characters all seem to similar to me - and remind me too much of their author. I definitely won't be reading any more of his books because they're not the right fit for me.

7. Popular trope you're tired of seeing

I initially struggled with my answer to this question because most of the tropes that I hate are ones that most people probably hate (instalove, for example). I was trying to think of one where I dislike something that's a little more loved, and it finally came to me. For the most part, I really can't stand the "bad boy reformed by love" trope. There may be exceptions, but generally I find that storyline makes me eyes roll.

8. Popular series you have no interest in reading 

While there are a number of popular series that I have no desire to read, I think The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare is probably the most popular + the one I'm least interested in. I read her The Infernal Devices series and enjoyed them, but I just am not at all interested in her bigger series... and I can't really put my finger on why. Thankfully, there's a book for every reader!

9. The saying goes, "The book is always better than the movie," but what movie do you prefer more than the book? 

There are a number of instances where I like the movie and book equally (or where I absolutely love the movie, even if I believe the book is better)... but there are two movie adaptations that just blew their source material out of the water. Those movies are The Painted Veil (book by W. Somerset Maugham) and North & South (book by Elizabeth Gaskell). I read both books after seeing the movies and wasn't crazy about them.

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Obsessing Over in 2015

Obsessing Over in 2015

Dec 15, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic and invite everyone to share their answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so I obviously love this feature!

Top Ten Adult Fiction Books I Read in 2015

1. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

"Honestly, it freaks me out to think that I might have missed on on reading this book! It was absolutely FANTASTIC, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I laughed so hard I had to read passages out loud to my husband because he felt left out. I teared up so many times I had to put the book down until I could see clearly. I highlighted whole pages, and I could I read the whole thing over again right this minute. I fell madly in love with these characters, this story, and Backman's writing." | My Review

2. The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

"This is the kind of adult fiction I crave! It's a book I'd love to read on the beach but would be equally comfortable discussing with a book club. It's proof that a book can be entertaining and thought provoking. I'll be pushing this one on my reading friends and my non-reader but royalty-loving friends. I had a feeling I'd enjoy this one, but I'm happy to say that I absolutely loved it." | My Review

3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

"There's a storyline about a precious gem in this book, so it seems fitting to tell you that I didn't realize I had a jewel sitting on my bookshelves unread. The cover may be gorgeous, but the story inside is even better. I read to discover books like All the Light We Cannot See! I'd highly recommend it to anyone, but especially to fans of historical fiction. Doerr will transport you with his words, and you'll be all the better for the journey." | My Review

4. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

"The Invasion of the Tearling went in a direction I never expected, and I have honestly no idea what will happen next. The book tackles tough issues, places its characters in impossible situations and raises the stakes even higher. There's so much depth in this world and in this story - leaving Johansen room to explore and readers much to discuss. I loved this one just as much as the first!" | My Review

5. Before I Go by Colleen Oakley

"Both heartbreaking and hopeful, Before I Go captures the blessing of love, the beauty of life, and the burden of leaving them both behind. I loved every bit of this book, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it! It's a thought-provoking look at how a person reacts when the end draws near and there's not enough time to say and do all the things saved for 'later.' Before I Go has earned a spot on my favorites shelf, and I can't wait until I can one day make room on that shelf for Oakley's next book." | My Review

6. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

"Happiness for Beginners exceeded all of my expectations, and it's earned a spot on my forever favorites shelf. I started flipping back through to find a quote for my review, and ended up reading it again. If I love a book enough to read it twice in one month, it's definitely earned my highest rating! It's about getting lost so you can be found. Seeing with your heart, and not just your eyes. Finding and choosing to remember the happiness around you. It's got hope, longing, anticipation and more on every page." | My Review

7. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"I highlighted quote after quote while I was reading, which isn't surprising given how much I love Reid's writing. As soon as I pick up one of her books, I'm hooked. I love her characterization, and the way every single person feels like someone I might know... Maybe in Another Life is a book that will make you think and feel. It's a fun concept that's fleshed out in such a meaningful and memorable way, and I loved every minute I spent reading it. I'm so excited that I'm adding this to my 'push it on everyone' pile!" | My Review

8. It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane

"McFarlane has such a great sense of humor, and I often find myself laughing out loud while I'm reading. But I cried a little, too, because she tackles some themes and feelings that I identified with so strongly... I picked this up when I was in a reading funk, and it was just what I needed! It was a breath of fresh air - a book that gave me that 'I just found a new favorite' feeling. I started this 531-page beauty after work and finished it that evening. I didn't leave my room until I was done because it was too good to put down! I would happily recommend this book to readers who love adult fiction with humor, heart and happiness." | My Review

9. Girl Before a Mirror by Liza Palmer

"Girl Before a Mirror reminds me why I love reading. I almost never write in books, but I had to take out my highlighter with this one. This book moved me and entertained me. Liza Palmer writes stories that resonate with me and creates characters that feel real. I know these women - whether it's at work, down the street, in my family or the person I see when I look in the mirror. I cannot recommend A Girl Before a Mirror highly enough. Make room on your shelves and in your heart for this unforgettable book." | My Review

10. These is My Words by Nancy Turner

"[Sarah is] a heroine I won't soon forget - a tough, spirited survivor who records her life on the frontier in her journal. The book opens at the start of her family's journey west, and she captured my attention from her first entry. I knew I was in for an adventure with Sarah, and she certainly didn't disappoint... I don't think my words can do this book justice, but trust me when I tell you to read this book. It's a new all-time favorite for me - one I see myself revisiting for years to come." | My Review

Did any of these books make your list?

If haven't read them yet, you're missing out!

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'May Fortune shield us all.'

'May Fortune shield us all.'

Dec 11, 2015

The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas

Release Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins; Balzer + Bray
Pages: 432 pages
Source & Format: Publisher; e-ARC
Series: Elemental Trilogy #3
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Summary (from Goodreads)

In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good. 

However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort… 

Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?

Thoughts on The Immortal Heights

I bought The Burning Sky after Kelly and Alexa raved about it, but I kept putting off reading it. Something about it didn't totally appeal to me, but I trusted that they wouldn't lead me astray. Thankfully, they were completely right to push the book on me. I loved it! I was immediately drawn in to the world Thomas created, and I was fascinated by the combination of historical fiction and fantasy. I couldn't believe I hadn't read it sooner!

As soon as I finished that book, I dove right in to The Perilous Sea. Of all three books in the series, it's my absolute favorite. It took everything I loved about the first book and made it that much better! So, I was thrilled when I was approved to read The Immortal Heights. But I accidentally waited too long to read it and my excitement died down a bit. Hoping to recapture the magic and anticipation, I decided to re-read the first two books (in the same year I first read them!) before diving in to this conclusion. I was ready to see how it would all end, even though I dreaded saying goodbye. So, how was it everything I hoped for and more?

In some ways, yes... and in others, not quite. While I thoroughly enjoyed the series, this book was my least favorite of the three. I'd attribute that to two minor things and two larger issues. I'll start with the more minor things. First, something felt off at the very beginning of the book. I could never quite put my finger on it, but the tone and/or the writing just seemed so different. I was having a hard time getting in to the story! Second, I missed some of the humor and banter that had been so character of Titus and Iolanthe's relationship in the previous books - though I probably shouldn't expect repartee in the middle of battle. BUT STILL.

My biggest frustration with the book was that there was one element of the plot that was very anticlimactic. For all the time that was spent setting up an epic showdown, it just didn't deliver for me. I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but if you've been reading this series you probably know what it's been building towards. My other issue was that there seemed to be more information dumps in this book than in the previous two. I liked the use of footnotes earlier in the series because they allowed for more background information without interrupting the flow of the story, but they were barely utilized in this book (or maybe I just noticed more moments that felt like too much telling rather than showing). Maybe that's what felt off to me about the writing?

However, all that being said, I really don't think fans of the series will be seriously disappointed with this conclusion. I wasn't! I was pleased with pacing, especially since the book was action-packed and full of adventure. The characters are still my favorite part of the series, and I love the romance (and friendship) between Titus and Iolanthe. There's been such consistent growth between these two, and I love the way they support one another. There were some new (and old) secondary characters that also took on a more prominent role in the story, and I enjoyed every minute spent with them! I was still emotionally engaged in the story, and I'm generally pleased with the way it ended.

I wish this had been my favorite book of the three, but I'm still happy that I read The Immortal Heights - and that my friends convinced me to take a chance on this series! I've been impressed with Thomas' creativity and characterizations, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. If you're a fan of fantasy with a great love story, The Elemental Trilogy just might be for you!

So Quotable

"You have been all my moments of grace."

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review.

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