Tag: reading

The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard- ARC Review

Posted May 29, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard My rating: 1/5 Stars Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 2014) Length: 320 pgs Format: E-book, courtesy of NetGalley Goodreads Synopsis: Ruby Jewell knows flowers. In her twenty years as a florist she has stood behind the counter at the Flower Shoppe with her faithful dog, Clementine, resting at her feet. A customer can walk in, and with just a glance or a few words, Ruby can throw together the perfect arrangement for any occasion. Whether intended to rekindle a romance, mark a celebration, offer sympathy, or heal a broken heart, her expressive floral […]

Top Ten Books that Taught Me About Friendship

Posted May 20, 2014 in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the wonderful blog The Broke and The Bookish! This week’s topic is “Top Ten Books About Friendship” and I decided to break my list down into books that taught me about friendship throughout the various stages of growing up. Early Childhood: 1) Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans- Madeline teaches class, tenacity, and most of all how to make and keep friends, whether it be her classmates or Pepito the bad hat next door, and does it all with poise and grace. 2) Corduroy by Don Freeman- Because was there ever such […]

Discussion: Buy Vs. Borrow

Posted May 13, 2014 in Discussions / 8 Comments

As most voracious readers and book bloggers probably encounter, I’ve recently had to put a lot of thought into how to budget for books the past few years. As much as I’d love to purchase every book on my TBR list, the reality is that textbooks have had to come first for the last few years, and I honestly am starting to run out of room for storage and display of my beloved books despite several book purges over the past few months. So my fellow readers, how do you deal with this dilemma? I’ve definitely been utilizing my local […]

Ten Books I Put Down & Still Need to Finish

Posted May 12, 2014 in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Features/Memes / 21 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s theme was Top Ten Books You Almost Put Down but Didn’t. I found this topic to be really difficult, as I rarely power through books once I put them down for more than a few days. Therefore, I decided to put my own spin on the topic this week to suit my reading habits and instead compiled Ten Books I Put Down & Still Need (& Want) to Finish. (In No Particular Order) 1) Venom by Fiona Paul- I was […]

Stacking the Shelves [1]

Posted May 10, 2014 in Stacking the Shelves, Weekly Features/Memes / 3 Comments

Today is my first time participating in the weekly meme hosted over at Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share the books that they’ve added to their shelves this week, whether borrowed, bought, virtual, physical, etc! Borrowed from my Local Library: I started Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour first since I’ve seen so many bloggers freaking out over Morgan Matson’s newest book Second Chance Summer. This is my first read by Matson and I’m finding her style is easy to get into and comfortable, and listening to the narration is like chatting with a good friend. An Abundance of Katherines is my […]

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith- Review

Posted May 3, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith My rating: 4/5 Stars Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown (2012) Length: 236 pgs Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His […]

Free Yourself: The Pressure to Be “Well Read” and Why It Shouldn’t Matter

Posted April 18, 2014 in Bookish Thoughts, Discussions / 5 Comments

I’ll let you in on a secret. I’ve never felt that I’ve been “well read” enough to be an English major. Let’s face it- English majors are often literary elitists. They scoff at reading King Lear or The Wife of Bath in Brit Lit 201 because they’ve already done in it high school. They line up to take that voluntary Shakespeare class. They’ll respond to something that happens with the phrase “Oh, that’s very (enter author’s name here).” It’s intimidating, and often discouraging, when you’re the only one who has to read The Great Gatsby sophomore year of college in […]

Serial Series: The Problem with series that just won’t quit.

Posted March 30, 2014 in Bookish Thoughts, Books, Discussions / 10 Comments

I recently moved last summer, and in the long process of unpacking and setting up my new living space I’ve acquired three lovely new bookshelves and a neat loft area to serve as my at-home library. In the process of unpacking, purging, and organizing all of my beloved books (which I generally find to be a soothing activity), I’ve noticed a rather growing (literally) trend on my bookshelves: series that turn into twelve book monstrosities that I lose interest in halfway through. This is really quite a shame, because I’ve invested money in and no doubt enjoyed the premise of […]

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory Review

Posted February 15, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory My rating: 3 of 5 stars Publisher: Touchstone, 2006 Length: 390 pgs Series: The Tudor Court #1 Format: Paperback, borrowed from my Grandmother. Find it on Amazon here Goodreads Synopsis: “I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known…and I will be Queen of England.” Thus, bestselling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Known to history as the Queen who was pushed off her throne by Anne Boleyn, here is a Katherine the world has forgotten: the enchanting princess […]

Summer Reading Series 2013: Onyx

Posted August 5, 2013 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was the book of the summer that had me reading in every inappropriate place and circumstance: parked in parking lots instead of going into stores, in the bathroom, while waiting for other people to use the bathroom, when I had guests, and basically every other moment when I should have been doing something else. I was addicted. I was shocked. I’ve noticed a trend in YA novels that the second book in the series tends to disappoint the most (for example, the introduction of the inevitable love […]