January in Review

   
   

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake {4 out of 5 Stars}
Saga Volume 2 by Brain K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples {4 out of 5 Stars}
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer {4 out of 5 Stars}
Redshirts by John Scalzi {3 out of 5 Stars}
Misery by Stephan King {3 out of 5 Stars}
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen {2 out of 5 Stars}
Deadly Class Vol 2: Kids of the Black Hole by Rick Remender & Wes Craig {4 out of 5 Stars}
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore {4 out of 5 Stars}

Best of the Month: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Disappointment of the Month: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
General Thoughts: Holy crap, I don't think I have ever read this many books in one month before! I did help a few of these books were started in December, but 8 books is probably a record. I don't think I'll be able to keep it up, but maybe I'll surprise myself.

  

Finished my first series!
1) Grim Reaper Series by Christopher Moore
(Finished Secondhand Souls)

Hosted by Novel Knight.
Checked one off this list as well. Slow and steady wins the race.
1) The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I love my library so half of the books that I read are from my library.
1) Saga Volume 2
2) The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
3) Misery by Stephen King
4) Deadly Class Vol 2













Review: The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

Genre: Nonfiction; Memoir
Publication: August 16, 2016 by Gallery Books
Pages: 323 Pages
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary
In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy mines her past for stories about her teenage years, her family, relationships, and sex and shares the experiences that have shaped who she is - a woman with the courage to bare her soul to stand up for what she believes in, all while making us laugh.

Ranging from the raucous to the romantic, the heartfelt to the harrowing, this highly entertaining and universally appealing collection is the literary equivalent of a night out with your best friends - an unforgettable and fun adventure that you wish could last forever. Whether she's experiencing lust-at-first-sight while in the airport security line, sharing her own views on love and marriage, admitting to being an introvert, or discovering her cross-fit instructor's secret bad habit, Amy Schumer proves to be a bighearted, brave, and thoughtful storyteller that will leave you nodding your head in recognition, laughing out loud, and sobbing uncontrollably - but only because it's over.

My Thoughts
I didn't think I would relate so much with Amy Schumer. I picked this up, not really knowing a whole lot about her. I have seen a few things she has done but I haven't really followed everything she has done. However, this book really surprised me. I feel a lot of the same things that she feels. I got her humour and her struggles. This book just caught me at the right time, where I could relate.

I do think that this isn't the book for everyone. Not every comedian is funny to everyone so if you already know that you aren't a fan of Amy's humour then this book isn't for you. On that same token, if you love Amy Schumer then this book is definitely for you. I loved how she mixed humour in with some very serious topics. Life isn't perfect, and she shows you that. I just really related to most of her stories. I think that if your a young female dealing with the world, then you'll be able to at least relate to some of this. I especially like when she talks about her body, not being the perfect "hollywood" body type.

I listened to this book on audio, and that is the way to go with this story. It is told my Amy herself so you get how she meant it to be read. You get the humour more and her serious stories are also more impactful. Like I said earlier, if you like Amy Schumer, check this one out. I enjoyed it a lot and nodded my head in agreement quite a bit. I laughed out loud and even got a little chocked up. I recommend.



Top 10 Tuesday: Books I Need to Read by the End of 2017

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week is a Freebie Week, so I want to talk about the novels that I need to read by the end of the year. I am going to focus on books that I own that have been sitting on my TBR for what seems like forever. My current goal is to cut my TBR pile down by 20 books, so here are 10 books of those books.

Format: Hardcover
Year Added to TBR: 2014
I got this book from one of my first Book Outlet orders. This is when I ordered every popular book I could find off Book Outlet. I am still interested in reading this book, it's just that I have been in a huge fantasy mood lately. 

Format: Paperback
Year Added to TBR: 2013
This is one of the oldest books on my TBR and I am determined to get it off of it this year. I haven't been into SciFi lately, and this one just hasn't called to me. Hopefully, I can pick it up and get it off this list.

Format: Paperback
Year Added to TBR: 2014
Another Book Outlet purchase. I don't really know where I stand with the Mortal Instruments series, so I want to try The Infernal Devices series to see if I enjoy that one better. It's a lot of people's favourite series so I am excited to read it. 

Format: Paperback
Year Added to TBR: 2015
I loved The Selection, so naturally I wanted to pick up the continuation of this series. However, it's been put off for a long time due to lots of negative reviews. I still want to give it a fair shot and need to read it by the end of the year.

Format: eBook
Year Added to TBR: 2014
This is one of my oldest eBooks, and I am surprised that I haven't read it yet. It's a story that really intrigues me and I need to get it off this huge TBR of mine. 

Format: eBook
Year Added to TBR: 2014
This book has been everywhere since I started in the book community. I picked it up on an eBook sale and it's been sitting on my eReader for years. This typically isn't the type of book I am into, but I also think that I might really enjoy it if I give it a proper chance.

Format: eBook
Year Added to TBR: 2013
I love books about cults and religious sects. This one has been sitting on my TBR for ages and I should have read it ages ago. This is something that I normally really enjoy so I need to read it and get it off my TBR.

Format: Paperback
Year Added to TBR: 2015
I have been slowly working my way through this series and I bought all the books that were out at the time. I really liked the first 2 books, but have been scared to continue based on recent reviews of the later ones.

Format: eBook
Year Added to TBR: 2014
Another book that was popular back when I first started in the book community. However, my tastes have changed since then and I haven't been into paranormal books. But this one has amazing reviews and I would like to try it out before Laini Taylor's new book.

Format: eBook
Year Added to TBR: 2013
I remember one of my teachers reading this in high school. I has been sitting on my TBR since then. Like most of my eBooks I picked it up during an eBook sale. I haven't read a lot of literary fiction that I have loved recently so I need to try out some more to find what I really love.


I currently have 111 Books on my TBR Pile. I would love to get it back down to a manageable level. In an ideal world, I would like it to be only a few books. However, I can't read 111 books in a year but I want to really try to get it down. My current goal for the year is 20 books less, or about 90 books. Wish me luck!











2017 Series Bucket List

I love fantasy so most of the books I read are a part of a series. This means I have an endless list of series that I desperately want to read and am currently reading. In 2017, I want to try to finish lots of great series and start some more. I am going to break it up into series to finish and series to start.


Series to Finish
  
The Mistborn Series By Brandon Sanderson
To Complete: The Well of Ascension & The Hero of Ages
I am carrying this over from my 2016 goals. I have been dying to read the rest of this series. I will just have to hunker down and do it.

  
Snow Like Ashes Trilogy by Sara Raasch
To Complete: Frost Like Night
I have loved this series so far. Frost like Night is sitting beside my bed ready to read. 

  
Worldwalker Trilogy by Josephine Angelini
To Complete: Witch's Pyre
Only one book left in this series and I can add it to my finished series list!

  
 
The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
To Complete: The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades & The Blood of Olympus
Another carry over from 2016. I have 3 books to read so that I can read the rest of Riordan's books without fear of spoilers. 

To Start
  
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon





Review: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Genre: Fantasy
Publication: September 20, 2016 by HarperTeen
Series: Three Dark Crowns #1
Pages: 398 Pages
Format: eBook
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary:
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.


The last queen standing gets the crown.

My Thoughts
This was a nice change of pace for me, it was refreshing and I fell in love with the world. I have been burned out on YA Fantasy lately and this really got me excited to pick it up again. What I enjoyed most was the characters. They were very different from one another and you can really see their distinctive personalities and motives. I love that they are all the antagonists to one another and are morally grey in their own ways.

It was a slower read and I felt it was more character driven than action driven. However, I liked that aspect of it as well. It gave me time to learn about the island and how it works. It gave me time to figure out which queen I am cheering for the most. (*Arsinoe*) However, sometimes portions of the book did drag and I am confused what was going on the one of the relationships. I think I know why but there wasn't any confirmation or reason, at least in this book.

When I did get to the end, I wanted to get my hands on the next book right away but I have to wait until September. One Dark Throne is now on my most anticipated books of 2017 list! I am happy this was my first book with the year, started 2017 off right. If you are into a character driven, slow building fantasy this book is for you.

Most Disappointing Books of 2016

Like any great year, there is always a mixture of the good and the bad. Today, I am discussing the books that I enjoyed the least this year. We can't like everything and all have our own opinions about what we read. Even if everyone loves a book, it doesn't mean that I will too. I have broken them up into 2 categories, the ones I finished and the ones that I DNF'd.

Read
  
Seed by Lisa Heathfield {2 Stars} - I am very interested in cults, but this one was just a very flat story. Nothing super interesting happened and I was just sort of bored.
Captain Marvel Vol 2: Star Fly {2 Stars} - This was just a confusing comic. The plot didn't make a lot of sense and I honestly have mostly forgotten everything about it.
The Jewel by Amy Ewing {2 Stars} - This book also didn't hook me. The insta-love just didn't work for me and I had to work to finish this book.

  
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff - My unpopular opinion of 2016. I just didn't mess with how the story was told or the plot. I felt like there was too much going on for how the story was told. I know lots of people loved it, I was wasn't one of them. 
Good As Gone by Amy Gentry - I wanted this book to have more exciting thriller elements. I was confused more than I wasn't which took me out of the story too much.
Gotham Academy Vol 2: Calamity - I am just sad because I didn't like this half as much as volume one. I think I missed something when reading. I am hoping the next volume is better.

Did Not Finish
  

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge {DNF @ 25%} - I am really sad this didn't work out for me. I just could not get into it when I tried to read it. It was just very slow at the beginning and didn't hook me.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes {DNF @ 41%} - I only picked it up because the movie was coming out and everyone else was reading it. This is just not type of book and after hearing a lot of the criticisms about this book it will likely stay on my DNF pile.
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi {DNF @ 61%} - The writing style didn't mesh with me at all. I was lost most of the time, and I wasn't interested enough to push through to the end. I am really sad about this because it was one of my anticipated 2016 releases.