Month: May 2015

Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler | ARC Review

Posted May 29, 2015 in Reviews / 16 Comments

* Thanks so much to Penguin Young Readers for this review copy! The synopsis for Immaculate is evocative, instantly grabbing readers’ attention with its contradictory premise- a pregnant virgin- and its undeniable mystery. From the instant I came across the synopsis I knew I had to read it, despite a hesitation about how the topic of immaculate conception would be handled. Would it be preachy? Would it be a religious book, or rather a mystery to uncover a scientific explanation by the end? Would it be an “issue” book about the hardships and stigmas of teen pregnancy? Immaculate draws bits […]

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler | ARC Review

Posted May 28, 2015 in Reviews / 10 Comments

*Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy! I love fairytale retellings and adaptations, so when I discovered that The Summer of Chasing Mermaids was a contemporary story influenced by The Little Mermaid, I knew I had to read it. Contemporary novels that take influence from myths and legends are often so creative, and I deeply admire Sarah Ockler’s talent at weaving in influences of the famous tale into a beautiful and emotional contemporary novel. This book had a lot more depth than I was expecting. At first glance it may seem like a fluffy, beach read but […]

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider | ARC Review

Posted May 26, 2015 in Reviews / 0 Comments

*Thanks so much to HarperCollins and Epic Reads for this review copy! “It’s strange how we can lose things that are still right there. How a barrier can go up at any moment, trapping you on the other side, keeping you from what you want. How the things that hurt the most are things we once had.” I’ll be the first to admit that the “sick lit” trend is not one that generally appeals to me. After The Fault in Our Stars really underwhelmed me, I have tended to stay away from terminally ill teens in literature. Yet when I […]

Top Ten Books That Make Great Beach Reads

Posted May 25, 2015 in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 32 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and the Bookish. This week I’m recommending Top Ten Books that are great for the beach- or any vacation. When I travel I like to have books that are fun and compelling without being anxiety-inducing; I don’t like to read books with major cliffhangers when I travel because I want to be able to put it down and enjoy the activities I planned for my vacation, rather than having a major book-hangover or rushing back to the hotel room to finish a chapter. So these […]

Are We Too Hard on Our Heroines?

Posted May 20, 2015 in Discussions / 42 Comments

For the first time in about a year, I opened a word document with my current work in progress, determined to get back into writing now that I’m a post-grad (for undergraduate, anyway). While rereading my 12,000 word draft, I realized that the character who I found hardest to write was my protagonist. While I knew her struggles and reasons behind her behavior and dialogue, I realized that her motivations may not be as transparent to readers, and that she could come off in less than ideal ways without the right context or background knowledge. This got me thinking about […]

Top Ten Book Boyfriends

Posted May 18, 2015 in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 42 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and the Bookish. This week is a freebie, and I decided it was time to introduce all of my book boyfriends on the blog. Although let’s be real, after reading ACOTAR, this list could just be Tamlin for 1-10. 1) Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses– Because TAMLIN. (Lauren @ Bookmarklit may be the only one who truly understands the extent of this obsession). 2) Raffe from Angelfall– Witty banter abounds with Raffe. Coupled with his high ranking angel status and I was […]

Just A Quick Test Post

Posted May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Just a quick test post to check some things! 🙂

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak | ARC Review

Posted May 18, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

*Thanks to HarperCollins and Epic Reads for the ARC! I went into The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak expecting a cute, quirky contemporary read. It relies heavily on a convention setting, and having received the ARC at YALLWEST, I thought it would be a fun read, having just been to a convention myself. I haven’t read anything by the author previously, so I didn’t many expectations. Unfortunately, despite not anticipating anything spectacular from this book, it still underwhelmed me with characters that lacked depth, an improbable plot bordering on absurd, and a overall younger feel. Like any unlikely love […]

Sunday Funday: Week in Review [29]

Posted May 17, 2015 in Sunday Funday, Weekly Features/Memes / 2 Comments

Sunday Funday is a weekly(ish) post I’ve started to recap the bookish (and sometimes not-so-bookish) happenings in my life the past week! Feel free to participate, just link back! May 11-17, 2015 Life This past month has been so busy, and now with graduation season upon us I’m out and about almost every weekend! This weekend I celebrated my boyfriend’s graduation for his undergraduate degree in Psychology, and I couldn’t be prouder! It was a long day (his school is about 2 hours away from where I currently live) and my whole family came out to watch his ceremony and […]

Tinkerbell 10K Run at the Disneyland Resort

Posted May 14, 2015 in Travel / 6 Comments

Occasionally I like to feature other things on my blog aside from my bookish endeavors. If you’ve been reading for a while you probably know that I’m a huge Disney fan, so naturally I jumped at the opportunity to participate in Disneyland’s annual Tinkerbell Half Marathon weekend. My aunt and I headed down to compete in my first ever race, the Tinkerbell 10K on Saturday (she did the half marathon two years ago). The race started at 5:30am, and we started with the A group (runners are placed according to their average mile time). It started in downtown Disney […]