Christmas Recommendations

Hello everyone!

Christmas is quickly approaching and I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my favorite Christmas reads.

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

I read this book pretty much every year now for Christmas. It has become one of my favorite Christmas novels.

Becoming Santa / Being Santa by Richard Robbins

These books are fantastic! And are full of humor which is great. 

The Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean

This is just like the play but told in story format.

The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans

I read this one last year and fell in love with the story. 

The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans

I just had to recommend another Richard Paul Evans books. His Christmas books are phenomenal and I have yet to read one I don't like.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

If you have ever seen the movie Christmas with the Kranks, it was based on this book. This book is like the movie, but even better. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Thirteenth Gift of Christmas by Jason F. Wright

This book was so touching and I absolutely LOVED it!

What are some of your favorite Christmas reads? I'm continually looking for any recommendations.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fabulous day.

~Abby

Michael Vey Book Tag *Original*

Hello everyone!

I recently made a Keeper of the Lost Cities book tag and wanted to create another one for another of my favorite series: Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans. If you haven't read this series yet, what are you doing? Go pick up the books and give it a read. I promise you'll likely get hooked and want to finish the series ASAP! Just like the KOTLC tag, I'm going to base the questions off the characters.

1. Michael - The leader of a rebellion.

Katniss Everdeen is a great example.

2. Taylor - A selfless character.

Nick does so much for Elise. He puts her needs above his own which is part of the reason why I like him so much.

3. Ostin - An intelligent character.

Hermione Granger. I don't think I've really ever mentioned her on my blog, so here's her opportunity to shine.

4. Jack - A character who ended up not being what you expected from your first encounter with them.

Jes ends up being different than expected. Everyone has this preconceived notion of what celebrities are like, and he changes that perspective rather quickly throughout this novel. Plus, the characters in this book think he's one way when he's totally the other way. 

5. Wade - A character willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good.

Tris, and that's all I'm going to say on that matter.

6. Zeus - A character who is more than skin deep.

Peter Kavinsky. Man, this boy had me from the moment I met him.

7. McKenna - The character who is hot, figuratively/literally.

Cal is a great example of both figuratively and literally.

8. Hatch - The worst villain from a book.
Without nominating Hatch himself, I had to choose...

Voldemort. He's the next villain I can think of that I can't stand.

9. Abi - A character who provides comfort.

Armarinda provides comfort not only to the main characters but also to the people in the country.

10. Welch - A character who has a change of heart.

Mr. Darcy has a dramatic change by the end of the book with his feelings towards Elizabeth.

11. Ian - A character who sees things differently.

Evie is able to see both the mortal world and the supernatural world.

12. Tara - A character who plays with others' emotions.

Jason and that's all I'll say so I don't spoil anything.

13. Nichelle - The character who is treated as an outcast.

Hannah Baker.

14. Tessa - A character who was lost but was found.

Laurel was lost in a sense but was eventually found.

15. Quentin - A character who is a leader.

Maxon Schreave because he thinks of his people first and wants to make change.

16. Gervaso - A great mentor.

Tiergan is a fantastic mentor.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.
~Abby

Playlist: The Selection Series

Hello everyone!

I want to start sharing playlists I create based on some of my favorite books to share my love of reading with my love of music. They are both major hobbies of mine and I can't imagine living without either of them. For the first playlist, I wanted to do The Selection series by Kiera Cass (but only the first 3 books). These were the first books that really got me into the young adult genre and are some of my favorite books. I'll separate the songs into each book and generally what scene I imagine each song to be in.

The Selection

 Enchanted by Taylor Swift - Maxon's POV when they first meet

Me Too by Meghan Trainor - Celeste

Confident by Demi Lovato - Celeste

Love Story by Taylor Swift - America and Aspen's relationship

Castle by Halsey - America's feelings about the selection

The Beautiful Ones by Prince - when Aspen doesn't America to go

Boyfriend by Justin Bieber - when Maxon shares his feelings for America

Always Be Together by Little Mix - America and Marlee's friendship

The Elite

Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend - America and Maxon's relationship

Joan of Arc by Little Mix - when America wears the red dress 

Another One Bites the Dust by Queen - the rebel attacks

Better Than Revenge by Taylor Swift - when Celeste tries to seduce Maxon

Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen - when Marlee and Carter get caught and are punished

Umbrella by Rihanna feat. Jay Z - America and Marlee's friendship

The One

All About Us by He Is We feat. Owl City - dancing in the rain

Can I Have This Dance - dancing in the rain

I Wish by One Direction - Aspen's POV (that's all I'll say so I don't spoil anything)

I Want to Break Free by Queen - Aspen's POV

Long Live by Taylor Swift - end of the book 

Speak Now by Taylor Swift - America to Maxon right before the big rebel attack towards the end of the book

Love of My Life by Queen - same as the previous song

More Than Words by Little Mix feat. Kamille - America and Maxon's relationship

Apologize by Timbaland feat. One Republic - when Maxon finds out about Aspen

If you've read The Selection series, what songs would you associate with the books?

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

~Abby

Do I Have That Book Challenge

Hello everyone! 

I saw Lala over from BooksandLala. The original tag can be found on Keeping Tabs channel. I'm only going to share one book for each category unless I don't have one that fits.

1. Do you have a book with deckled pages?

2. Do you have a book with 3 or more people on it?

3. Do you have a book based on another fictional story?

4. Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?

5. Do you have book with a title that starts and ends with the same letter?

6. Do you have a mass market paperback book?

7. Do you have a book by an author using a pen name?

Not that I'm aware of.

8. Do you have a book with a character's name in the title?

9. Do you have a book with 2 maps in it?

Not that I can find.

10. Do you have a book that was turned into a tv show?

11. Do you have a book written by someone who is originally famous for something else?

12. Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?

Big Ben is in the background, so it counts.

13. Do you have a poetry book?

Not at the moment, but hopefully in the very near future.

14. Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?

15. Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?

I do not.

16. Do you have a book of short stories?

17. Do you have a book that is between 500-510 pages long?

18. Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?

Many...but the example I'll go with is...

This is the only John Green book I like.

19. Do you have a graphic novel?

20. Do you have a book written by 2 or more authors?

So I owned 16 out of the 20 categories asked which isn't that bad. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.

~Abby

Review: The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans

Hello everyone!
I very recently finished reading The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans to start getting me in the mood for Christmas since it's nearly a month away. This book is about Elise and Nick who make a contract to date each other during the holiday season so neither of them is alone.

I thought this story was so sweet and I loved the characters. Nick really helped Elise see that she could love herself after what she had done in the past. He also had his secret past that helped them connect. The idea of a contract bringing them together is cute. Nick did the cutest things for Elise that made me wish I had a guy like that in my life.

I rated this book 5/5 stars. It was that amazing! It was exactly what I was in the mood to read. And it got me in the mood to start reading more Christmas novels since it is that time of year. If you love Christmas novels or romance, I highly suggest you read this book.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a fantastic day.

~Abby

Keeper of the Lost Cities Book Tag *Original*

Hello everyone!

As you all may have guessed based on my blog posts, the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger has become one of my all time favorite series. I thought it would be fun to create a tag based on the book's characters. 

1. Sophie Foster - A character who is capable of more than they think.

Mare has no idea how capable she is in this first book. She slowly begins to discover her strength as the book progresses.

2. Dex Dizznee - A character who is good at fixing things.

Cinder is a character who fixes things.

3. Fitz Vacker - A character that pulled you into a whole other world.

I think all the credit goes to Hagrid since he's the one who introduces Harry to the wizarding world.

4. Keefe Sencen - A character who provides comical relief.

Kitty is a pretty great little sister. When things are getting serious, Kitty is there to give you a laugh. She is such a sweet character.

5. Biana Vacker - A character who has a wide knowledge of fashion/beauty.

Lola loves designing clothes that are out of the ordinary. She has a knowledge of fashion that suits her personality.

6. Mr. Forkle - A character who is more than meets the eye.

Thorn is so much more than you'd expect him to be. 

7. Sandor - A character who is willing to risk their life to keep others safe.

Diana puts her life in danger many times to save those around her.

8. Bronte - A character who has a change of heart.

Celeste definitely has a change of heart by the end of the third book. I actually liked her for the first time.

9. Tam & Linh - A character(s) that is an outcast.

Elise considers herself an outcast, and Nick helps her come past her weakness.

10. Marella - A character who manifested something unexpected.

Victor and Eli are a great example of this. Even though their goal was to manifest the unexpected, I don't think either of them expected what they got.

11. Elwin - A character that heals. 

Abi not only takes away pain, but she listens when someone needs to talk which can also help heal.

12. Iggy - A pet from a book.

Wilbur is a pet I'd like to have myself. I think owning a pig would be fun.

If you enjoy KOTLC, I would love it if you did this tag as well.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.
~Abby