2018 Goals Wrap-Up

Hello everyone!

Towards the beginning of my blog, I made a couple of posts about what I wanted to accomplish with my reading this year. Let's see if I reached any of those goals. The original blog posts can be found here and here and here.

Firstly, let's start with the books/series I wanted to get to this year. I'll add a * next to the books/series if I got to them this year.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo*

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling*

Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi

Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer*

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo* (I'm counting this one as read because I tried finishing it a few times and couldn't get into the third book, so I don't plan on finishing it. But don't worry, I plan on reading Six of Crows at some point.)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell*

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins*

The Hunt for the Seventh by Christine Morton-Shaw

So in conclusion, I read 6/18 of the books/series I originally wanted to get to which is less than half. Hopefully, I can get to most of these next year.

The next goal I want to address is my reading goal. I set out to read 50 books, but ended up reading 78! I read more than I planned for which is amazing!

I also set a goal of reading more contemporary books which I think I definitely accomplished. I read quite a few this year.

I will be posting a separate post about my new goals for 2019 so keep a look out for that.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fabulous day.

~Abby

Review: The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel

Hello everyone!

It seems like it's been forever since the last time I posted a book review. In the past 6 months, I've read The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel and thought I'd share some of my thoughts about this series. This trilogy follows a crew of characters kind of thrown together to discover why alien technology has been left and what its purpose is. Now obviously, that's not what the whole series is about, that's mainly just book one. This trilogy is told in a unique format because it uses news reports and interviews to move the story along. I've never read a book before that did that, but I heard Illuminae is very similar, so I'll have to try that one out eventually too.

Let's move on to what I liked about this series. I've been getting more into sci-fi lately, and this was a great trilogy for me to read to introduce me more into that genre. I really enjoyed the format as I was saying earlier and didn't find it confusing at all. There are some science-y things talked about throughout each book, but I understood most of it at a very basic level. I do have to say the second book, Waking Gods, was my favorite in the trilogy by far. It had more plot movement for me which is what I look for in a sci-fi. I want to see all the action. Plus, this series has aliens, so how could I not read it? I love books with aliens, and movies for that matter.

Let's move on to what I didn't necessarily love about this series. So the first book wasn't the best book I've ever read, but I didn't hate it either so I decided to continue in the series. Like I said, I loved the second book, but the third book was definitely my least favorite in the whole trilogy. It dragged and felt like it wasn't needed, at least the beginning. I liked learning more about what happened when they were taken, but the stuff in between bored me. It really started picking up for me once I was almost 2/3 of the way through. I really did like the ending though. That's the main thing I didn't like about the series was the third book.

Ratings:

Sleeping Giants - 3.5/5 stars

Waking Gods - 4/5 stars

Only Human - 2.5/5 stars

Overall, if you enjoy science fiction, I would recommend reading this series, especially if you're just starting reading in this genre. It was enjoyable and I did enjoy it overall. It's not a new favorite series of all time, but it's one I could see myself potentially going back to in the future and recommending to people. If Sylvain Neuvel releases another sci-fi novel, I will definitely be checking it out. I would rate this series a 3.5/5 as a whole. 

Have you read this series? If so, what did you think of it?

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

~Abby

Dessert Book Tag

Hello everyone!

I found this book tag over at Reading in the Rain.

Brownies: A book that has sweetness written all over it.

This was one of the sweetest stories I've ever read. I really enjoyed it.

Lava Cake: A book that surprised you.

Sleeping Giants was okay to me, so I thought Waking Gods would be about the same, but I really enjoyed the sequel. It was better than the first in my opinion.

Ice Cream: *brainfreeze* A book that made your head hurt.

I didn't understand this book one bit.

Smores: A book that had a lot of layers to it.

If you've read this book, you'll understand how it has many layers.

Cookies: A book that made you fall in love with reading.

This was the first trilogy that turned me into an avid reader. I'd read my whole life, but this is when I started to read more and more.

Cheesecake: A book that had that sour-ish tang for you.

I personally really like cheesecake, but for this prompt I'm going to have to go with...

This book had so much potential, but I was just disappointed by it at the end. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

~Abby

2019 Reading Goals

Hello everyone!

The new year is right around the corner, and a new year means new goals. Last year I set up some pretty high reading goals for which books I wanted to get to, so instead of adding to that list, I'm going to try to get to them this year. The books I want to get to this year are:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

The Hunt for the Seventh by Christin Morton-Shaw

That's only 12 books (not including individual books for series), so I should be able to get to them all. I won't be disappointed if I don't complete the series, but I at least want to get a decent start in each of them.

My reading goal for 2019 is going to be 75 which is a step up from my goal of 50 last year. It shouldn't be too hard of a goal to accomplish since I exceeded 50 in 2018.

A genre I want to read more of in 2019 is poetry. I discovered I really like poetry last year and want to read more of it. This shouldn't be too hard to do since I can usually read a collection in a day or two.

My big goal is to start reading more of the books I own and not check out so many books from the library. Don't get me wrong, I love the library, I just own a lot of books that I haven't read yet and I'm super excited for them. 

What are your goals for 2019?
Keep an eye out for my 2018 goals wrap up at the end of the year.

Thanks for stopping by. Have an awesome day.

~Abby

Christmas Movies Book Tag

Hello everyone!

Today I felt like doing another fun Christmas tag. This tag was originally created on the channel Katie Loves to Read.

Elf: A book which made you laugh out loud.

I laughed out loud quite a few times throughout this book. Stephanie Perkins just knows how to incorporate humor into her stories so well.

Arthur Christmas: A middle grade/YA book that you think adults would love or could learn from.

This book has such a good message behind it and I feel like people of all ages would love it and learn from it.

White Christmas: A classic book that you think everyone needs to read.

This was way better than I expected it to be when I first read it. It has such a deeper meaning behind it and really makes you think about your life in a new way. I think everyone should read this at least once in their life.

Love Actually: A book with a huge cast of characters.

There are so many characters in this series and it's told in more than one perspective, but mostly Michael's.

The Grinch: A book with a great villain.

The villain in this book is so deceitful! I won't say much more so I don't spoil anything, but he's a pretty good villain.

It's a Wonderful Life: A book which really made you think about life.

This book was so touching and really made me think about my life and how I affect others. I really enjoyed this story.

The Polar Express: A book where the character(s) go on an adventure.

Sage goes on quite the journey in this book and continues on into the rest of the trilogy. This book is so action-packed and quite humorous. I love this trilogy so much.

The Snowman: Choose a book with a festive cover.

I love the simplicity of this cover, and it's festive because it has a Santa hat. And the story is so sweet.

Bonus Question: What's your favorite Christmas/Holiday movie?

Elf, Christmas With the Kranks, A Christmas Story, Home Alone, and The Year Without a Santa Claus just to name a few.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good day.

~Abby

Most Anticipated Books of 2019

Hello everyone!

The new year is quickly approaching, and with a new year comes new books. I wanted to share the ones that I am most excited for in this blog post.

The Wicked King by Holly Black

I adored The Cruel Prince when I read it earlier this year and have awaited the sequel ever since I finished. 
This is set to be released January 8.

Stain by A.G. Howard

Now, I've only read Roseblood by this author, but I loved it so much that I want to read more of her works. I do plan to read Splintered at some point, but I'm super excited to read this one when it comes out.
This is set to be released January 15.

Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi
For this one you'd almost wonder why I'm so excited for it since I haven't even finished the series. I read the first two books and never got around to the third because you know there were other books to read. Well, I loved the first two books in this series and am planning to finish them sometime in the new year and I'm pretty sure I'm going to love them all and want to pick up this book when finished. That is my very lengthy explanation. 
This is set to be released April 2.

Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

I really enjoy Christine's videos on YouTube and am so excited for her book to come out.
This is set to be released May 7.

Fire and Ash by C.V. Wyk
I read Blood and Sand pretty close to its release date earlier this year and really liked it. I want to see how the story progresses.
This one doesn't have an exact date to be released in 2019.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #8 by Shannon Messenger
This book does not yet have a title or a set release date, but it's supposed to be coming out next fall. I really enjoy this series and am eagerly awaiting the conclusion, which there's still supposed to be one more book after this one.
This is set to be released fall 2019.

I know this was a really short list, but these are the only releases I am aware of that I am anticipating. I'm sure as more are announced I will mention them in future blog posts. 
What books are you looking forward to in 2019?
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.
~Abby

Books I Wish I'd Gotten to in 2018

Hello everyone!

I read many good books this year, but there is definitely a list of books that I wish I'd gotten to but didn't. I narrowed the list down to 10 books (technically 11) to share with you all today. Hopefully, I'll get to all of them next year. *fingers crossed*

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

I was highly anticipating this release earlier this year since I finished King's Cage, but funnily enough, I never got around to it. Well, I did try to read it at one point, but at the time just wasn't in the fantasy mood so put it down for a later time and just never got back to it. This will probably be one of the first books I read in 2019 because I want to know how this series ends!

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

I absolutely loved Vicious when I read it last year and couldn't wait for Vengeful to come out. I think part of the reason I didn't pick this up right away is because I thought Vicious ended so nicely that I'm worried Vengeful won't be as good. I guess I'll find out when I finally pick it up.

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu &

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

I'm including these as one because they are part of the same series and I wanted to read them both this year, but that didn't happen. Now I'll have three of them to read because the Superman one comes out next year. I'm really looking forward to these stories and hoping I really like them.

Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer

I read the first book towards the beginning of this year and adored it! I loved Chris Colfer's character in Glee and found out he was an author so I obviously had to check his books out. I wasn't expecting his writing to be so good, but I loved it. I wanted to get ahold of the second book right after the first, but didn't have the money to buy it and didn't want to wait a ridiculously long time from the library. Hopefully, in 2019 I can finally continue in this series.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

I've read both of Ruta Sepetys' other novels and adored both of them! I love her writing and just didn't get around to reading this novel by her. I believe she only has three books out, and this is the only one out of the three that I have not read. It's also one I don't hear many people talk about so I don't know if it's because it's less popular or people didn't like it as much.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Okay, so the main reason I didn't pick this one up this year is because I forgot a lot of what happened in book 1 and would need to reread it in order to move on to this book. I really did like the first book, it's just that Cassandra Clare books take me a while to read because they're kinda lengthy. I'm determined to read it next year though.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

My original plan was to read the first two books before the third came out, but as you can tell, that definitely didn't happen. I'm still super excited to read this series, it's just there were so many other books I wanted to read this year.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

I really liked the other two books in this series and don't know why I didn't get to this one. It's definitely going to happen next year.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

I've been meaning to pick this book up ever since I bought it I think two years ago which is a long time. I've just been intimidated by its size and at the time the other books weren't out yet, but now they are so I should get to this one. 

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I've always wondered what happened to the characters after If I Stay so I really don't know why I haven't picked up the sequel yet. 

What books did you wish to have read in 2018?

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

~Abby

Little Mix Book Tag *Original*

Hello everyone!

Little Mix is one of my favorite groups and have wanted to do a book tag surrounding them for a while. I'm only going to do their singles from their first three albums and will do a separate book tag just for Glory Days and LM5. 

1. Cannonball - A break up that was hard.

I don't want to give specifics away, but if you've read the book you know what I'm talking about. There's a pretty sad and heartwrenching break up that occurs in this book.

2. Wings - A character that is confident.

Reth is a pretty confident character. He is a faerie which may have something to do with it, but he doesn't let what people say bring him down. He just keeps on going and does everything with a purpose.

3. DNA - A character you were immediately attracted to.

When reading Love, Lucy I immediately fell in love with Jesse. There wasn't a quality about him that I didn't like. He was physically attractive and a great personality.

4. Change Your Life - A character that changed for the better.

Samantha had to change in order to fix her life in this novel. 

5. How Ya Doin'? - That one character you wish would get the hint and leave. 

Brenda is one character I wish would just take the hint and leave things be. Things may not have been so complicated if she'd just left Thomas alone.

6. Move - A book that had you with its cover.

I think the set up of this cover is stunning! I also really enjoy the book. But the main reason I picked up this book was because of its cover.

7. Little Me - A book you wish you had read when you were younger.

I wish I had had this book when I was younger. The poems are so empowering and would have helped me quite a bit. Even though it wasn't published back then, I wish it would have been. 

8. Word Up! - A classic that you wish more people would read.

9. Salute - A strong female character.

Attia is the definition of a strong, fierce female. She takes charge and shows that she can handle herself. 

10. Black Magic - A female character who seems to attract all the men.

Celeste seems to be a magnet for attention. She was born famous after all and it's part of her lifestyle, but I bet the other girls wish they had Celeste's natural ability to attract boys. 

11. Love Me Like You - An OTP you ship that you wish were a couple but aren't.

Gale and Katniss! ❤ 

12. Secret Love Song - A book you secretly love but don't openly share because of unpopular opinions.

I actually really liked this book back when I read it. I only read it once and it was a couple of years ago, but it was a really enjoyable read for me. A lot of people didn't really like this book at all. It's not Kiersten White's best novel, but it's not a terrible book.

12. Hair - A book you just have to let go of because you don't like it.

I just didn't really like this book at all. I know it's an unpopular opinion because most people really liked this book, but it just wasn't for me. I remember the basics of the plot, but I've pushed most of the details out of my head because I don't need it in my life.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fantastic day.

~Abby

The Joy of Christmas Book Tag

Hello everyone!

It's officially December and the Christmas season. What better way to kick off the season than with a Christmas book tag. The original can be found over at Sam's Nonsense.

1. Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

I honestly can't think of any releases I'm excited for in December, but in January The Wicked King by Holly Black is coming out and I'm so pumped! I loved The Cruel Prince and have been awaiting the sequel since I finished it.

2. Christmas Songs/Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing it's praise?

This one's easy for me, Richard Paul Evans. I love his Michael Vey series and have started delving into his other novels and am falling in love with them as well. His writing is fantastic!

3. Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?

This series never fails when it comes to world building. It's so intricate and I love it. Shannon Messenger put a lot of thought into this world.

4. A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read.

My favorite classic is...

No surprise there. I've mentioned it's my favorite before.

5. Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas?

There's too many to only choose one. I'll narrow it down to my top 7 because just 5 was too hard.

1 - Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

2 - Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

3 - The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

4 - King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

5 - P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

6 - Love, Lucy by April Lindner
7 - Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

6 - Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling?

This trilogy is perfect because it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling as you read.

7 - Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?

That was quite a few, I apologize. But I can't help but adore these covers every time I see them for different reasons.

8. Christmas Joy: What are some of your favorite things about Christmas and/or some of your favorite Christmas memories?

My favorite thing about Christmas is giving presents to those I care about. It's always fun to see their reactions when they open your gift. I also like spending more time with my family.

My favorite Christmas memory would have to be getting the Purple Rain album by Prince a couple years ago. I had wanted the album for awhile and my parents got it for me on vinyl. I love it so much.

What is your favorite gift you've ever gotten for Christmas?

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.

~Abby