June Wrap Up 2015

Hey, so it's my last wrap up until I get home in August! I can't believe I leave for Japan in about 5 hours....It's crazy!!  I ended up reading 7 books this month.....I have no idea how that happened...but I did!! I did read 4 little books this month...but I read a few chunkers as well, so let's get started!!

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass) by Sarah J. Maas: 5/5 Stars

I really loved this book. At first I had a really hard time getting into it, but once I got into this world again, it felt like I was surrounded by old friends in a familiar place. So much happened and I'm nervous as hell for the 4th book Queen of Shadows in September (I believe it comes out in September....XD). Some serious shit is about to go down. I'm so excited. XD

Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black (Spiderwick Chronicles): 4/5 Stars

I finally decided to finish off this series, so I started off with this one. I enjoyed it, but I still wish I had read it when I was younger...Not really too much to say about it. XD

The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black: 3.5/5 Stars

I thought this was the weakest of the 5 books. I thought it didn't really accomplish anything until the end. Again, nothing to really say.

   The Wrath of Mulgarath by Holly Black: 4/5 Stars

And then I finished the last book. I thought it was a pretty solid ending to a pretty solid children's series. All in all, I did really enjoy this series!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: 4.5/5 Stars

After having finished Heir of Fire, I needed some more Sarah J. Maas. I knew this book was going to be more like a paranormal/fantasy/romance book, and I knew that was just what I needed. It was exactly what I needed, and I flew through this book.  I liked the characters and the really strong world building.  That being said, I had a few problems with it.  The last 100 or so pages were boring as hell...And then there was a point in the ending and I just looked at the book like...seriously? But I was able to overlook it all because it was addicting...Super addicting.

Dragon's Nest (Dragons of Deltora) by Emily Rodda: 4/5 Stars

I really wanted to get these books done and over with. I really have a lot of problems with these books...but I'm in too deep and I need to finish them (plus I own them all anyways).  This is the first book in the second companion series to Deltora Quest.  I thought the book was ok. Nothing really to write home about. I still have a problem with the age of the characters. The characters are older (Leif is 18ish) and they make the same kinds of choices and have the same types of conversations an 8-12 year old would have. If the characters were those ages, it would have made more sense...but they aren't...and it's weird.     

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: 5/5 Stars

I really REALLY enjoyed this book. It was the right book at the right time. I really don't like contemporary, but I thought this book was cute and fluffy and I really did like the relationship between the sisters.  I thought Lara Jean was cute in a quirky way (Ha) and I enjoyed her innocence.  I really liked how easy this book was to read and get into. 

And that's all I've read this month!  I am 105 pages into P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han and I'm enjoying it, just not as much as the first one.  I'm going to be posting what books I'm taking to Japan next. See you there!

Bye!  

June Book Haul!

Hey guys! I'm here with another book haul! I wasn't planning on buying anything this month, but I ended up getting a sequel I needed and then my grandpa gave me some money for shopping...so I picked up a few things that I had been wanting!~  

P. S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

After I finished To All The Boys I've Loved Before, I ran out and picked this up right away. I'm really not a huge fan of contemporary...but I really did enjoy this. I needed something light and I really enjoyed Jenny Han's writing. I am currently reading this book and am 68 pages in and am enjoying myself. ^^

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

I read Steelheart recently and I really liked it...but I couldn't find this dang book anywhere!! Two Walmarts, Two Barns and Nobles and a Half Price Books later, I finally found it! XD I felt like Steelheart could have been a stand alone (ish), so I'm really interested to see what problems are going to arise in this book...hopefully there are less...feelings and insta-love-y-ness...That super annoyed me in the last one.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

I had been wanting this book for a while, ever since it was hauled like mad on Booktube...but I haven't really seen anyone talk about it since. I did hear a few good things about it, so it kept me excited. ^^ I'm not too sure what it's about, but I like going into things blindly sometimes. 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I have heard mixed reviews on this book, but I still really wanted it.  I also don't know what this is about...but it's a fantasy that's based in Ancient Greece (or was it Rome.......?) and that's interesting enough for me! XD  It was said to be advertised as a fantasy stand-alone but then they announced another book after it was released...I heard that will change you views on it because it was written like it was for a series and not a solo book...hopefully I'll enjoy this. ^^

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Another book I have heard mixed things about but still wanted to try. This cover is so much prettier in person! Everything about this book is really nice! It makes me all the more excited to read it!~ I really like that books are starting to take place in different places other than the US and some sort of Europe. Yay!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Another book I have been wanting for a super long time and haven't picked up...Until now. I am SUPER excited about this book (which I have also heard nothing about). A Japanese steampunk novel with mythical creatures....ALL of the win! I don't really know what this book is about other than what I mentioned before...I'm super excited!~ 

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

My friend Robert has been wanting me to read The Wheel of Time series for a long time now and when I saw the trade paperback at Half Price Books, I decided to pick it up. I wanted to collect the hard covers, but I liked the way this book felt in my hands, so I decide that I'd finally give the series a shot. I am SUPER nervous about starting it though...Lindsey Rey and a few other Booktubers read them and they hated them...but Robert loves the series and I believe he said Lewis from Yogscast loves it...Gods I hope I like it.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami 

This....This is one of my top 10 favorite books/movies of all time. This books is IMPOSSIBLE to find, so when I saw two copies sitting on the shelf I pretty much poo'd myself!! I read this while I was living in Japan (that's also where I saw the movie) and I have wanted to read it again ever since the Hunger Games became huge (I still think this is WAY better than HG). To those of you who love the Hunger Games and haven't read this....DO IT!!! The movie is also fabulous! The sequel film is rubbish though, so don't watch it...I like to block it from my brain and pretend it doesn't exist. XP

 Well that's all for this posting...and it'll probably be the last one, besides my June wrap up, until I come back from Japan (I leave in a few days).  I will probably end up doing a haul on some of the stuff I bring back, so that will be a thing to look forward to!

Until next time! Bye!!

Above mentioned Youtubers:

Lindsey Rey: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1VyYW1dxsY6z9j-dCWLEwA/featured

Lewis (Yogscast): https://www.youtube.com/user/BlueXephos

May Wrap Up and Update

Oh hey there!! I am back again! School is finally done and I have been able to read again!! It's a great feeling...minus the fact that I have so many things I want to read I'm a tad bit overwhelmed with options...First World problems.

So I'm going to just go straight into the wrap up and then I will do my official update later!  Let's do this!~

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff: 4/5 Pots of honey

I re-read this for a project I had to do for my East Asian Religious Thought class.  I needed to do a project on Hinduism, Buddhism, or Daoism.  Daoism has gotten me through a lot of rough parts of my life, so I decided to read this again and do a book report.  I still really liked this book and I encourage anyone who is interested in Daoism to pick up this book. It's a great way to learn about the practice without being intimidated...It's funny and sarcastic and everyone knows Pooh and his friends!!

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: 3/5 Crowns

I FINALLY finished this book!!! Gods be praised!!!! I started this book at the end of December last year and never got a chance to finish it before school started. Now...What to say about this book....It was definitely NOT my cup of tea. The first 100 or so pages were really good...Nice and murdery...but then.....*sigh* all the characters, minus King Gaius, got super annoying and totally flat. I hated ALL of them...minus Gaius...who is the best character because he kills all the annoying, stupid people. >__< The plot was really not that great and the world, though it promised to be interesting, wasn't really talked about at all. I was curious to hear about the magic system and learn more about the world...was it like ours or was it a completely different? It was pitched as being like A Song of Ice and Fire for young adults...Yeah...they had a similar-ish layout...but no...not by a long shot. It was insta-lovey in parts and things that were supposed to be emotional and sad didn't affect me.  I have a couple of Booktubers who felt the same as me and will be trying the second book, so if they give the second book high praise, I might continue...if not....then I shan't be continuing on in the series (Update: I am thinking of dropping this to a 2).

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan: 5/5 Stars

After the crushing let down of Falling Kingdoms, I decided to pick up a book that I knew I would probably like.  I still can't believe that I just read this book recently...it was released, what, 2 years ago?! Shame on me!!! I really liked this installment in The Heroes of Olympus series.  I still have some problems with liking all of the characters and reading their chapters, causing the book to drag in places, but some of those characters grew on me a teeny tiny bit in this book. I loved Percy and Annabeth's trek through Tartarus and Leo...I love Leo.  I also love that Nico (<3 <3 <3) got a chance to shine a bit in this book...I love that dark kid...I could kind of relate to him (the whole ghosty thing) but I really love where Rick Riordan took his character.  I am planning on finishing the last book The Blood of Olympus before the end of the summer and finish off the series before the release of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (fangirl squee).  I have been watching this show called The Almighty Johnsons (available on Netflix) and it has to do with Norse Mythology...I'm so pumped for October (and yes, I have pre-ordered it XD)!! I'm super hella nervous for what's going to happen in the last book...but I'm also really excited too. ^^

 

 Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson: 5/5 Epics

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS BOOK WAS EPIC!!!! I can't even express how much I loved this book. I picked it up on a whim and I devoured the first 100 or so pages. Then in the middle something happened and I got annoyed with all the characters. They suddenly when flat and the whole David and his insta-lovey crush on Megan bothered the hell out of me...Then shit happened and I was thrown completely off by what happened...I mean, I guessed some of the things that happened, but not 100%...I had doubts...I SHOULD HAVE NEVER DOUBTED BRANDON SANDERSON AND HIS AMAZING-NESS!! T^T The ending of this was so amazing I had to control my outbursts of shock and excitement. This is why he is one of my top 5 favorite authors. I need to pick up Firefight ASAP!! I just...I can't even think of anything else to say about this...Amazing. Just read it!! XD

So those are all the books I have read in the month of May. I have also started: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (which, oddly, I'm having a hard time getting into)

And I'm 191/272 pages into Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang.  I had to read a few bits of it for my Comparative Politics class and I ended up buying my own copy.  It's a non-fiction book about Ji-Li and her growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China during Mao's reign. She lives in a "black list" family and it deals with her dealing with what the country wants of her and her duties to her family.  It's really fast paced book and super easy to read (it's written and set up like a middle grade book)...but it makes me sad...so I'm just kind of taking my time with it.

Day later update: I was ill and I finished the last bit of this today. 4/5 stars. Slightly childish writing style (not particularly bothersome though), fairly fast paced, and very interesting. Would recommend if you are interested in China and Mao Zedong/Cultural Revolution.

NOW for the updates:  I will be leaving for Japan on July 1st!! WOOOOOOOOOO!! I'm super hella stoked! I am not sure what my reading will be like there, but I will be bringing a few books with me to read.  I will probably do a "What I'm Bringing to Japan" post when it gets closer to that time.  Also, I'm planning on vloging my experience, so I will be posting that on Youtube. I'm also hoping to launch my Booktube channel before I leave so that's a thing. I know I have been saying that I was starting a Booktube channel for a while now, but I'm heaps serious about it this time!! Phobia or not, I want to do it!! So when that happens, I'll be sure to update my blog with the channel information!~ ^^

I am going to kind of attempt a June TBR (Video/post) soon...I'm not very good at sticking to a TBR as I'm an emotional reader and I feel like TBRs are "required reading" so I tend to become defiant and not do anything I say I'm going to....XD

So that's what's doin' and I hope to see you in my next post! Tootles!~ ^^v