Tuesday, November 27, 2018

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

Sunday, November 25, 2018

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





Thursday, November 22, 2018

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

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

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

Sunday, November 18, 2018

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

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Holiday Dinner Book Tag

Hello everyone!
I saw this tag over at A Great Read and it looked like so much fun that I wanted to do it myself.

1. Auntie Brought a Pie - A book or series that is popular but you don't care for.
I know pretty much everyone who reads this series loves it, but it just wasn't the series for me. I really enjoyed the first book, but the last three just lost my interest and I had to force my way through.

2. Time for the Main Course - Your favorite book(s) of the year.
I don't want to give away all my favorite books of the year because I'm making a special blog post for that. I'll share one that was released this year which is...
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

3. It's Time for a Toast - A debut author that you can't wait to read more from.
C.V. Wyk! I read her debut novel Blood and Sand pretty much as soon as it came out and can't wait for her to release another book. I love her writing and this book was great. I'm excited to see how she progresses.

4. Anyone for Dessert? - A satisfying fluffy read.
This whole trilogy is pretty fluffy, but I love it to bits.

We're Having Leftovers - A book you would happily reread over and over.
There are quite a few, so I'll list my top 3.
1. The Selection by Kiera Cass
2. Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans
3. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Thanks for stopping by. Have an awesome day.
~Abby

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Birthday Reading Project

Hello everyone!
I'm here to announce the 19 books that I will be reading for my Birthday Reading Project. I chose these books based on how many people requested I read them. 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Diviner's by Libba Bray
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The Will of the Wanderer by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson

How I'm going to choose the order I read this books is by assigning each one a number and using a generator to decide which book to read. 

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

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Queen Book Tag

Hello everyone!
In honor of the release of the Bohemian Rhapsody movie this past week, I thought it appropriate to do the Queen book tag. I love Queen's music, and I was able to see the movie yesterday and LOVED it! If you're a Queen fan, I highly suggest you go see it. It is worth your time. 
This tag was created by Josh at Literary Gladiators.

1. Bohemian Rhapsody - A work that you feel successfully tells the story from multiple points of view.
Even though I didn't necessarily love this series, it does a great job of sharing every perspective. 

2. We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions - A work, series, or author you follow and support the way a sports fan supports their favorite team. 
I'd have to say Kiera Cass for this one. I followed The Selection series until all the books were out and even read The Siren. I'll now read any book she puts out in the future because I love her writing style and stories.

3. Don't Stop Me Now - A work you couldn't put down.
I flew through this book when I first read it. The story is so enthralling and gets you hooked.

4. Killer Queen - A dominated or kick-butt female character.
Do I even need to explain? I don't think so.

5. A Crazy Little Thing Called Love - A work that includes a ridiculous and/or forced relationship.
I personally don't like Katniss and Peeta's relationship in the Hunger Games. It was somewhat forced upon them during the games to help them survive, and I just didn't see the chemistry between them at any point in the series. 

6. Under Pressure (feat. David Bowie) - A book you were pressured to read.
Two of my good friends had read this book and couldn't stop talking about it so I felt pressured to pick it up and actually really enjoyed it.

7. I Want to Break Free - A pioneering feminist work.
I really can't think of an answer to this one.

8. Radio Ga Ga - A dystopian work that makes you uneasy, because you feel its predictions are or will be correct.
I hope society never gets to the point where they burn all the books.

9. I Want it All - An author or collection you want to own in their entirety.
I would love to own this entire series because it's AMAZING!

10. Innuendo - The most suggestive line in literature (like an innuendo).
I can't really think of any.

11. I'm Going Slightly Mad - A work you enjoy for its eccentricity. 

12. The Show Must Go On - A work you enjoyed that was posthumously released.
Some of his works were published after his death.

13. Playlist - What are your favorite Queen songs?
I enjoy almost all of their songs, so picking my favorites is going to be hard. I'll try to narrow it down to 5. Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, I Want to Break Free, Who Wants to Live Forever, and Flash. That was so hard to choose because there are so many more that I love.

14. Somebody to Love - Who do you tag?
Whoever feels like doing this tag.

Do you like Queen? If so, what are some of your favorite songs by them?
Thanks for stopping by. Have an awesome day.
~Abby


Thursday, November 1, 2018

October 2018 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! 
During October, I've had a bit of a reading slump. I'd pick up books and just not be able to get into them. I was on such a reading kick, and then it died out. I was only able to read one book this month. 

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
⭐⭐⭐










Along with my reading slump, I didn't feel like posting bookish posts, so I only did a couple posts in October. I'm hoping in November I'll get back into the swing of things.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a fantastic day.
~Abby