Friday, January 3, 2020

Least Favorite Books of 2019

Hello everyone!
Since I shared my favorite books of 2019, it's only fitting I share my least favorites. I know some of these books are people's favorite books of all time, but they just weren't for me. If you want to check out my least favorite books of 2018, I'll link it here.

New Moon by Mariss Meyer
I liked Twilight well enough, so I thought I'd give the second book a go and absolutely hated it. I'm not going to be continuing with the series.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
This book actually kinda disgusted me. I didn't really like the themes for how young they were. I feel like if there were more to the characters and they didn't annoy me so much I would've liked the book a lot more.

By Your Side by Kasie West
I think Kasie West just isn't meant for me. I haven't fallen in love with any of the books I've read from her. They're all a bit flat for me.

Rook by Sharon Cameron
I had such high hopes going into this book and it just ended up disappointing me. I didn't feel attached to the story in any way which made it unenjoyable for me.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
This book did not live up to its hype. I was bored the entire time I read this book. 

Cape May by Chip Cheek
To be honest, I don't even remember what this book is about, but I remember hating it at the time I read it. So that's that.

You by Caroline Kepnes
This book disgusted me. I don't understand how everyone loves it. The subject is so disturbing. I didn't enjoy reading this book one bit.

Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee
I really wanted to like this book because I love The Dark Crystal, but the story was very flat and it didn't even match up with the Netflix reboot which really irked me.

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
I was intrigued with the first quarter of this book, then it started to drag for me. I lost interest about halfway through and skimmed until the end. 

A Gift From Tiffany's by Melissa Hill
I had such high hopes for this book, but the idea would've been better as a movie. 

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
I really wanted to like this book so bad because 1) my friend recommended it to me and 2) I love some of Shannon Hale's other work. I just hated the pacing of the book and the main character annoyed me.

What were some books you didn't necessarily enjoy in 2019?
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.
~Abby



Thursday, January 2, 2020

Favorite Books of 2019

Hello everyone!
I'm always curious to see which books people loved reading during the year. So I'm here to share my top 10 favorite books of 2019 with you all. It was tough to narrow them all down, but I've done it. Not all of them were published in 2019, but they're all books I read for the first time in 2019. And I don't have to give a book 5 stars for it to be my favorite. There's one series in here that I'm counting as one book. I couldn't put them in order from of my most favorite so I'm just sharing them in the order I read them. If you want to check out my favorite books of 2018, I'll link it here.

The Wicked King by Holly Black
I read this book pretty much as soon as it came out because I loved the first book so much. It lived up to all my expectations, but gave the worst cliffhanger. I still haven't read Queen of Nothing, so please don't spoil it for me. That'll hopefully change by the end of the month.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis
I read this book mostly because the movie was coming out and I wanted to read the book first. Both were really cute. Plus the cover of this book is so stunning. Be prepared to cry going into this book.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
I saw the movie years ago and wanted to read the book. I still think the movie is better, but this story was still so cute and sad. Needless to say, I cried reading this book too.

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
This book really surprised me. I liked Wonderwoman: Warbringer when I read it, but I wasn't in love with it. I thought it was going to be the same for this one, but I fell in love with the story and the characters. It was a great read.

Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book by Ally Carter
This book was very informational and I know it's one I'll return to again and again. It has a bit of humor mixed in to make it more interesting, and she contacted other authors to help her with some of her advice.

The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One by Amanda Lovelace
I loved this poetry series, and this final installment was no exception. It made me cry and I felt connected to so many of the poems. 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
I didn't know what to expect going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. I fell in love with the characters almost immediately which didn't make it hard to fall in love with the plot. I NEED the fourth book to come out so I can see how this story continues.

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans
This story was so touching. It really shows you what really matters in life and how possessions don't make you happy. I plan on finishing this series this year and I'm sure there's going to be plenty more tears.

Just For You: A Special Collection of Inspirational Verses by Helen Steiner Rice
This was such a beautiful poetry collection to read. I don't have much else to say about it.

The Burning Glass trilogy by Kathryn Purdie
 
I loved reading this trilogy. I got sucked in and absolutely loved seeing the main character grow throughout each book. And the ending was so satisfying.

What were your favorite books of 2019?
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.
~Abby





Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Goodreads: Year in Books 2019

Hello everyone!
I got the idea for this post from Esther at BiteIntoBooks. I always think it's fun to share yearly wrap-ups and stats. Check out my stats for 2018 here.

Statistics
-I read 20,595 pages across 66 books with an average of 312 pages. My page count was down 7,156 pages from last year and I read 13 fewer books. 
-The shortest book I read was Humble & Kind by Tim McGraw with 48 pages.

-The longest book I read was The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien with 1,216 pages.

-The most popular book I read was Twilight by Marissa Meyer with 4,813,482 other readers. 

-The least popular book I read was Bring Me All of Your Dreams by Nancy Larrick with 8 other readers.

-My average rating this year was 3.6 stars which was the same as last year.
-The highest-rated book on Goodreads I read was Legacy by Shannon Messenger with an average rating of 4.6 stars.

-My first review of 2019 was The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer.

-My last review of 2019 was The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale.

I'd love to hear about your yearly stats. My favorite and least favorite books I read in 2019 will be posted this weekend.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.
~Abby

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

December 2019 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone!
I can't believe that December is already over and it's already the new year! I will be posting my favorite and least favorite books of 2019 in the very near future as well as a post about my reading stats and goals I have for the new year. Anyways, I was able to read 7 books which is pretty impressive compared to my reading the past few months. I think I'm finally coming out of my reading slump.

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
⭐⭐⭐
(reread)









Crystal Blade by Kathryn Purdie
⭐⭐⭐⭐










The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
⭐⭐⭐⭐
(reread)








Just For You by Helen Steiner Rice
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(reread)









Frozen Reign by Kathryn Purdie
⭐⭐⭐⭐










A Gift From Tiffany's by Melissa Hill
⭐⭐










The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
⭐⭐













If you'd like me to do a review on any of these books please comment which ones. 
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day and new year!
~Abby





Sunday, December 15, 2019

Black Friday Book Haul

Hello everyone!
This book haul is a bit late, but I didn't get my BookOutlet box until last week. I took advantage of BookOutlet's big sale and got myself some books. Surprisingly, most of the box was full of books I'd already read, so I was pretty good at not buying books I haven't read yet. I also made one purchase on Amazon because they had a box set for a super sweet deal and I couldn't resist the urge to buy it. I'll start with BookOutlet and the books I haven't read previous to buying them.

 
A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer - The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith

 
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi - Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

 
The Novice by Taran Matharu - The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Onto the books I have read that I ordered from BookOutlet....

 
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han - The Jewel by Amy Ewing

 
The White Rose by Amy Ewing - The Black Key Amy Ewing

 
Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White - Love, Lucy by April Lindner

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

And the final books I hauled are all from a box set and it is....
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling!!! I now own the entire series and can stop stealing my mom's to read them.

Did you haul any books for Black Friday?
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.
~Abby