February Reads 2015

I tried book blogging before...it didn't work out. I ramble too much. Then last year I decided to post once a month with a small blurb about each book I read that month. It works better for me. So much so that I'm going to continue this year. You can click on any picture and it'll take you to the Goodreads page.

This month was a little slow, only six books. It's at least a book a week, which isn't bad.

Siege and Storm was every bit as good as Shadow and Bone. I was very excited to get back to the world of the Sun Summoner. Leigh paints such a vivid image of the world surrounding these characters.

I have a soft spot for all things Australian, including authors. And Raw Blue by Kristy Eagar did not disappoint. Carly is one of the most true-to-self main characters I've ever read.She's surly and snappy and kind of a downer, but you can forgive her that. She makes no excuses for her attitude. You either take her or leave her. And her story is amazing. Maybe not one of a kind, but different enough to keep you enthralled.

Wow. Just wow. I am in awe of this book. Written completely in letters, emails, and IMs, it's a story of lost love and new beginnings and so much more. If your a fan of Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks then I think you'll really enjoy this book. Rosie is cute and young and completely insane at times. And Alex? Sometimes I can't figure out what he's thinking. But I'm not sure it would work out any other way than how the story goes.

Not sure what to say about this book. It wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't a "me" book. It was well written and researched and interesting, but it isn't the type of book I normally read.

I enjoyed Dahlia's Behind The Scenes (her first YA book), but I LOVE LOVE LOVED Last Will and Testament (her first NA book). I think this will be one of my favorite books of 2015!! Lizzie is fierce! I would love to have her confidence and I-don't-give-a-shit attitude. I love a MC who can hold her head up no matter what. And Connor, swoon!!! Why are there not more guys out there that are caring and endearing? What happened to chivalry? He's totally my new book boyfriend. I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Another awesome book. I'm on a roll with contemporary, they've all been amazing this month! I absolutely adored this book. A tough, sarcastic MC and a tall, dark and handsome LI mixed with baseball? What's not to love? 

Twenty-Five by Thirty-Five

Once again I'm borrowing an idea from Katy Upperman. She did a list of thirty things she wanted to accomplish by thirty-five (see her post here) and I loved the idea. But I'm changing it up a little and doing twenty-five by thirty-five.

I decided to do the list as a way to accept growing older. Though it's inevitable, it's still hard. For a while I just said "I'm twenty-nine and I'm not growing older". Worked for Peter Pan...not so much for me. But now I have something to look forward to. Here's the list below.



1. Compete in a Tough Mudder race
2. Train for a half-marathon
3. Complete a half-marathon
4. Run at least four 5Ks a year
5. Run a color run/vibe
6. Complete two-three novels
7. Get a book agent
8. Get a book published
9. Read the Harry Potter series
10. Watch all the Harry Potter movies
11. Go to Potter World!
12. Go back to school
13.Paddleboard
14.Swim with Dolphins
15.Get two (or more) more tattoos
16.Go to a book event
17. Read at least 50 books a year
18. Complete 1000 piece Lego set
19. Learn to knit
20.Visit New Orleans and get a beignet
21. Complete two DIY projects a year
22.Go to a concert, or two
23.Have purple hair (even if just a streak)
24.Try Roller Derby (or at least get back on my skates)
25.Go on a trip by myself!(meaning...not the boys, just me or me and the girls)

As you can see this is a pretty crazy, insane, jumbled up list. But it's something to strive for and look forward to. And I can't wait to start crossing items off.

January Reads 2015

I tried book blogging before...it didn't work out. I ramble too much. Then last year I decided to post once a month with a small blurb about each book I read that month. It works better for me. So much so that I'm going to continue this year. You can click on any picture and it'll take you to the Goodreads page.

January wasn't a bad month (though I only read half as many books as last January minus one).

 I was very fortunate to receive an eArc of Kalahari by Jessica Khoury. I've read her two others books but this is by far my favorite in the Corpus series.  It was full of action with enough humor to keep the intensity down and real. Jessica did a great job painting a picture of the semi-desert and the animals that reside there.

I FINALLY broke down and read (okay, listened, these were audible audio books) to The Selection Series (The Selection, The Elite, The One) by Kiera Cass. And I am SO glad I did. I'm not one to watch The Bachelor but boy did I love these books. I'm not 100% sure what it is about them but they kept me guessing on the edge of my seat. They also kept me wanting to throw my phone because the characters at times drove me crazy. A good crazy, but crazy nonetheless.

I wanted to love Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid...but I didn't. Everyone else that I know who has read it loves it. I want to be one of those people. Sometimes I wonder if the hype of a book is so big that I don't fully fall into it. Great story overall, just wasn't one I loved.

Another one I wanted to just love was Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas. It was great, don't get me wrong, it just wasn't as good as Dangerous Girls. I think I hyped this one up on my own. But it did what it was supposed to: creep me out, make me wonder what the characters were thinking and then do a 180 when you realize what's going on. She has a way of giving you whiplash in the best way possible.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is as good as everyone says, though I'm glad I wanted to read this one because I'm afraid the hype might have killed it. (what is it with me and hype this month, I swear it affects me)

Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir. My oh my this book will stick you right in the gut. Christa has such a way of bringing these stories to life that all you want to do is hold the characters and tell them it'll be all right, even if it won't be. It's not a happily ever after by any means but it's the type of book that you need out there because life is always a happy ending.

I was in the need of some light reading after my last book so I picked up The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols. It's the perfect winter time read. You can never go wrong with an Jen Echols book.