August Book Haul ~Bonnie

My August book haul is larger than I thought it was! My birthday was this month and I was fairly bummed that no one really bought me books for it. But I may have twisted my niece's arm a little and convinced her to get me one. A book she recommended to me. So, here it goes -



Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

I didn't really think I was interested in these books. Horrible, I know. But I thought maybe since I had missed out on them when they first came out, that I would just let them go. Awhile back, Bookbub sent me an email and the first Percy Jackson was just $1.99. SO, why not right? I loved it and have been working on picking up the rest so that I can read them all. I'll let you in on a little secret, I have never seen the movies either.



The Dark Elements Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I picked up this entire series back at the beginning of the month for the Booktube-A-Thon. I need something that I wanted to read that I recently picked up. I had been wanting to read Jennifer L. Armentrout for a long time. I already own the Lux Series but I got that so long ago. I figured the Booktube-A-Thon was the perfect time to start.



Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

I have enjoyed The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvator so much that I thought I would start picking up more by her. I have also been really into books about fae lately, so I thought these were a good way to go.



The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I saw Peruse Project on YouTube book haul this and decided I just had to have it as well. I have always hear such great things about it. And I wanted it way back when but just had never picked it up. So, now I have it and I can't wait to start reading it.



The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I already owned this book. I have the little red paperback of it. But I found this copy (unfortunately still paperback) at Half Price Books. I love this cover so much more! I just had to go ahead and pick it up.



The Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This is a book I have been wanting to read for awhile now. I just haven't picked it up. So, being my birthday month I figured lets do it now!



Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

I had to get this right away. I was reading Crown of Midnight, as you may already know from the review I posted, and I had to have this one asap! I am currently reading it and loving every moment of it. These books are so awesome. Queen of Shadows is currently on pre-order and I can't wait to get that one as well!



Starters by Lissa Price

This is the book my niece, Keely recommended to me. I figured if she recommended it to me, she could get it for me for my birthday, and she did! Looks pretty good.

The rest of these I ordered from Book Outlet. They had a great sale going on and I had a bunch more in my cart. But I limited myself to just these five.



All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry

From what I gather this book is about love, musical and mythical things. I am not really sure to be honest after reading the blurb, but it sounds spectacular.



Nothing but Ghosts bt Beth Kephart

I lost my mother earlier this year and honestly books have been a great way for me to cope with that. This books is about a teenage girl who loses her mother. She falls in love while learning to cope with her ghosts. I thought that this might be a good read someday. Maybe not now but soon. And being a cute little hardcover for all of three bucks, I'll take it. It sounds pretty good and I hope it turns out that way when I do read it.




Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

I like this cover so much. It seems this book is about a teen named Erin who is trying to survive high school. She has an alter ego named Shevaun, and she likes to destroy everything. I am not sure how this book is going to turn out. It almost seems like a story about a girl fighting a mental illness. But then in the blurb it talks about a protective friend of Erin's that is trying to convince her that Shevaun is really a vampire. There is also something about Shevaun having a dangerous ally, a handsome witch name Adjila. It was enough to intrigue me so I had to pick it up. I am however rather disappointed that it is such a small book. But I hope it is great no matter how small it is!



The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I really don't know a whole lot about this one. I have been eye balling it for a long time now. And since Book Outlet had it for so cheap I thought I would pick it up. I have heard quite a few mixed things about it. But I don't believe everything I hear, so I thought I would try it out for myself.



Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

This is a book that Emily found a while back. I have been looking at buying it for awhile now. I believe book 3 of this series came out recently?! So, I better get to this one right?

Finally! That's all of them. I really didn't think I had bought so many, wow!

If you have read any of these let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

~~~~~Bonnie

We Are All Made Of Molecules By Susin Nielsen

The book centers around Stewart, 13 year old boy & Ashley, 14 year old girl.  Both of whom have just entered High School.  Stewart's dad is dating Ashley's mom.  Stewart is a nerd - he is into Risk, Stratego, and has a cat named Schrõdinger.  Ashley is the popular girl in school and is worried about climbing the social ladder.  

Their two worlds collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom.  Stewart's dad is a widow - his wife died of cancer.  Ashley's mom is a divorcee - her dad is gay.   

Overall, this is a great set up for a story.   It has your typical stuff that teenage girls go thru, as well as, what someone of the nerdy side would go thru.  It also has some deeper themes to it.  The guy Ashley has a major crush on is homophobic and tempts her to have sex with him; and Stewart is still dealing with the loss of his mother and trying to fit in at school. 

The whole time I was reading this, all I could think of was if Brian & Claire's family combined (The Breakfast Club).  (Throwing my age out there, but it is my second favorite movie)! 

It was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.  I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.  I did have some trouble with Ashley being portrayed as really dumb (she could never say the cats name right).  I realize that she is only 14 - but I would hope not every popular girl is that dumb.

Have a fantastic day everyone!  See you with the next review!

**Emily**

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

These books are so wonderful! Sarah J Maas has built a world I would love to see and characters I have fallen in love with. Celaena a truly awesome assassin and yet a real person, who is still able to have emotions. She is a beautifully balanced character. 

I don't normally marathon books and I didn't with this series from Throne of Glass to Crown of Midnight. I enjoy a break from world to world. However, while reading this book, I made sure to pick up Heir of Fire right away. I knew I would want to continue on! I was trying to wait until the paperback came out on 9/1 so that all of my books were the same format. But if I do that, I have to wait until Queen of Shadows is in paperback too. Who wants to wait that long?! I knew I would want to pick up QoS right away as well. So, that one is currently on pre-order. Then I can keep reading these, at least till the end of book four. I am sure after that I will cry and wish book five was already out. Already, I cannot wait!

Thanks for reading! If you have read this let me know what you think in the comments!

~~~~~Bonnie

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

This is going to be really short I think. It is, after-all the third book in the series. I freaking love this series though. I so enjoy a book that takes something real and then make a story about it. Yes, when I start a book, I sometimes google something in them. Sorry, if some of you already knew Glendower was once a real person, I had never heard of him. 

After finishing this book, I am pretty sure that after reading The Raven King, I am going to cry for days! If you haven't read this series yet, sorry for saying this next part. I was heart broken when I read that Maggie Stiefvator is for sure going to kill off Gansey. If you didn't already know this was coming, because you still haven't read the book. I am not really sure this is a "spoiler". I mean you do read about it happening in the first part of the first book. So, it isn't like Maggie Stiefvator was hiding anything from us. 

February cannot get here fast enough!

Let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

~~~~~Bonnie

Armada by Ernest Cline

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio book last week at work and it was super fun listening to Wil Wheaton narrate it. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I don't think it was as great as Ready Player One, but it was still worth it. 

I read quite a few reviews that said they didn't like reading Zack's inner monologue. He does seem to link everything back to something "geeky". It could be something about games, movies or television shows. Of course all about anything alien related. But personally, I think this is most of the fun of this book. Pretty much all of the things he compared stuff too, were things I saw at one point in my life. And yes, it was super great hearing Wil Wheaton talk about things like Star Trek. I also think he does a really great Yoda impression. Just saying!

I am really hoping that Ernest Cline comes out with another book that ties in all these great things I remember about my childhood. In both this book and Ready Player One, I enjoyed remembering things while reading the books. Some things I had forgotten completely about. 

If you have read or listened to this book, let me know what you think in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

~~~~~Bonnie

Currently Reading Tag ~Bonnie

                                                 

Since Emily tagged anyone who likes to read; I feel I should do this one as well.

So here it goes!

1. How many books do you read at once?

I generally read at least two at a time. I will have one on my Nook or Kindle, and one physical book as well. Sometimes, I may even have an audio book I am listening to.

2. If you are reading more than one book at a time, how do you decide when to switch to read the other book (do you read a certain amount of each?)

If I have an audio book I am listening to I listen either in the car or at work. If I have something I am reading on my Nook or Kindle then I normally read that in bed. And the physical book, I generally stick to reading that during the day. If I am into any of these more than the others I will concentrate on that one. 

3. Do you ever switch bookmarks part way through a book?

Never! Unless I have no choice. My daughter seems to find it funny to steal a bookmark out of a book I am currently reading. If I cannot locate it, well then, I am forced to switch.

4. Where do you keep the book you are currently reading?

If it is a physical book it normally sits on the coffee table and/or I will just carry it through the house with me. Sometimes I even carry it up to bed and let it sit on the night stand even if I don't plan on reading it in bed. The e-readers normally stay on the night stand since I normally only read them while in bed. If I want to read them any where else, I have the apps on my phone I use. 

5. What time of the day you spend the most time reading?

Normally I just read through out the day. Other than the morning, that is my quiet computer/coffee time. The rest of the day is spent reading when I have time to sit down.

6. How long do you typically read for in one go?

This one is tricky; I can't really give an exact amount of time. I am always working on laundry and other things around the house. Or I am up and down to help my daughter with things. When I can sit down I read. But typically it isn't very long before I am getting up for something again. While my daughter is in school I am able to sit for longer periods of time to read.

7. Do you read hardbacks with the dust jacket on or off?

Yes, I almost always leave them on. Larger books that are difficult to read with the dust jacket on, I might consider taking it off.

8. Which position do you mainly use to read?

This all depends on the mood. But most of the time it is half sitting, laying on the couch.

9. Do you take the book you are currently reading with you everywhere you go?

If I have one I am reading electronically, it goes all over the place with me on my phone. If I am reading an actual book it normally goes with me to work and/or any appointments where I know I will sit and wait.

10. How often do you update the progress of the book you are currently reading on Goodreads?

Not very often at all. The only time I really do is when there is something going on in the book that I want to comment on. I tried to keep up with this awhile back but it takes too much time. I would rather spend my time actually reading the book.

Who would you like to tag??

I want to tag all the parents out there!

Thank you for reading!! Hope you all have a wonderful week!!

~~~~~Bonnie

Quick Post

Sorry it has been so long since I posted last! Between getting the little one ready for school and switching my shift at work I haven't had much time for anything. Finally, I have a few days off before the little one starts 1st grade on Monday. I can't believe it! They grow up so fast. I know everyone says that but it is so true. I had no idea.

Tomorrow I am going to try and set some time to get some posting done for you all this next week. I have lots of things to post. There are two or three reviews, the tag Emily did and then I have a few other ideas I would like to get started.

Hope all of you are well and I will post more soon!

~~~~~Bonnie

Currently Reading Tag!

Hey Everyone!

Hope your Sunday is going well!

I was watching Lindsey Rey's (https://youtu.be/-ZMgeVXaqwo) video of the Currently Reading Tag and she tagged everyone whose favorite color is Purple.  Well that just happens to be my favorite color so I'm going to do the tag.  I would upload a video on it, but our laptop is in the midst of being upgraded to Windows 10.  (Hubby has been struggling with it for a week...)

1) How many books do you usually read at once?

I typically have about 3 on my Currently Reading shelf on Goodreads.  However, they can stay on my Currently Reading shelf for a while.  I think the oldest one there is from last summer.  I keep picking it up to finish it but I haven't yet. 

2) If you're reading more than one book at a time, how do you decide when to switch to reading the other book (do you read a certain amount of pages in each?)

I don't really read more than one book at a time.  If I am, I like to get halfway thru one book before switching.

3) Do you ever switch bookmarks while you're partway through a book?

Never.  If I have one on I'm currently reading that I want to put down for a while, I will dog ear the book so I can use the bookmark; but, that's it.  I have a limited amount of bookmarks.

4) Where do you keep the book you're currently reading? 

Typically it's on the coffee table, because I read on the couch.  Or it's in my purse when I go to work so I can read on lunch.

5) What time of the day do you spend the most time reading?

During the week, I read mostly in the evening.  I do try to read on my lunch break at work, but sometimes that doesn't always happen.  If it's the weekend, I will read in the afternoon.  I like to get my errands done in the morning so, I can spend the afternoon relaxing.

6) How long do you typically read for in one go? 

If I'm enjoying the book I could read for a couple of hours. 

7) Do you read hardbacks with the dust jacket on or off?

I read with the dust jacket on, until I get to the thick of the book then I remove it.  I'm always afraid I'm going to smash or rip it.

8) Which position do you mainly use to read?

Sitting up straight, Indian style on the couch.

9) Do you take the book you're currently reading with you everywhere you go? 

I do.  I try to get in as much reading as I can.  Especially during the week.

10) How often do you update the progress in the book you're currently reading on Goodreads?

 Usually every time I make progress on a book.  Here lately I've been slacking a little bit on keeping it updated.

11) Who would you like to tag?

I tag EVERY BODY who likes to read!



Hope you enjoyed this!  Let me know if you have other tags you want us to do, or if you want reviews for certain books! ^__^

**Emily**