The Random Question Tag

I was tagged by Gloria @ Gloria The Violinist, so thank you.


Have you ever thrown a book?
Have I ever NOT thrown a book? 

Yes I have, usually when I'm frustrated or upset, but I quickly check it for any damages, and then feel remorseful.

Do you like lengthy books or short ones?

I like both, but I'm currently in a very bad place with reading. I can't seem to find a book that'll hold my attention for more than 10 minutes, so short books for now, but I do love long ones as well.

If you don’t like a book, do you stop reading it or finish it?

I immediately put it down. I'll only finish it if starts out well and towards the very end worsens. 

Do you stop reading when you’re tired, or when a chapter finishes?

When a chapter finishes, for the most part. Otherwise, If I have to. But with a really, really great book, I'll keep my eyes open with toothpicks if I have to.

How do you organize your shelf?
I don't. Okay ..... well, by height. 

Paperback or hardcover?

About 90% of my books are paperback, but I prefer hardcover.

A book you cannot wait to read?
Where do I start with this? Mostly: Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas and Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo; because everyone has already read them and loved them. I need to know what the hype's about.

A book you wish could be turned into a graphic novel?

I'm not really a fan of the graphic novel genre, but probably Eleanor and Park. Get it? 

A book that disappointed you?

There's a healthy amount of disappointing books that I've read (or at least tried) this year, but I'll go with Half Bad, by Sally Green. I tried to forge through it, but I just couldn't. 

What book made you cry recently?

I've only ever cried reading two books, but that was a while ago. I don't usually cry while reading. 

Do you prefer buying books online or going to the bookstore?
Umm... DUH!!! Going to the bookstore of course. My bookstore doesn't have a very huge book collection, but a huge rush of adrenaline shoots through me whenever I walk in. 

Do you prefer to listen to music while reading or do you read in silence?
Never have and probably never will. I get distracted easily, so that won't be too smart. 

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever experienced when reading a book?

I would say sympathising with the characters more than people I know in my everyday life, but then again that's common with a lot of readers, so I don't think it's that weird. 

What was your first fandom?
Honestly, I still don't have one. I mean I love a ton of books, but I usually fangirl on my own. A lot of my friends aren't readers, and so far I haven't bothered to find my own on-line bookish clique.

What fictional character do you relate to most?
I would have to say Mackenzie Bishop from The Archived, by Victoria Schwab. It was kind of like reading a book about myself. She was feeling so lonely and misunderstood and during that time I kind of felt the same way. 

What fictional character do you wish you were more like?
No one in particular, but should be someone kickass and brave. I still haven't come across (maybe I did but it hadn't come to mind) a book with a character I wanted to emulate so badly. Nikita. If I could have anyone's skill I'd love to have Nikita's. Then again who wouldn't?

If you could spend a whole day with five characters, who would you pick?

Aria from Under the Never Sky, Kenji from Shatter Me, Day and June from Legend, and of course Harry, Ron, and Hermione from Harry Potter. 
What is a book that exceeded all your expectations?

The Archived. I mean I expected to enjoy it, but I didn't think I'd fall in love with it's plot and characters. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Painful Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and The Bookish.

This weeks theme is "books that were hard to get through (because of difficulty, subject matter, because it's cringeworthy ..... etc.)"

I haven't really read a whole lot of books that were hard for me to read, so this is more of a Top 5 Tuesday. This list is no particular order.

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This is a WWII/Holocaust book so obviously it's a very depressing book, and I wasn't very successful in getting through this book without tearing up a bit. 
2. Looking For Alaska by John Green: To be honest, I found TFiOS very sad, but it did not make me cry, but LFA... woah! It ripped my heart out and repeatedly stomped on it. I read it right after reading The Book Thief, so I had quite the bookish hangover that weekend. 
3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker: I read this last year for my sophomore year of high school. It deals with a lot of painful everyday problems, even thought it was set sometime between the 20's-40's, and many years later those problems are still pretty common, and my attachment to the characters didn't make things easier. 
4. Count On Me by Melyssa Winchester: I still haven't even gotten half-way through this book, but in the very first few chapters, our main character Isabelle and another character get bullied, and the description is very detailed. It's gruesome really. 
5. Isla and the Happily Every After by Stephanie Perkins: It's not about this book, but it's always very difficult for me to turn the last page of the last book in a series, and this was the most recent. 

Mini-Reviews (2): Miss Peregrine, The Girl Who Never Was

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs 
Published: June 7th, 2011
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Time Travel
My Rating: ★★★


Goodreads Synopsis: 

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.


My Review: 

Nothing in the world is more heartwarming than a passionate and hardworking author and Ransom Riggs is one of them. It's very obvious how much work he put into his debut novel, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children; from the writing style to the cool yet creepy pictures in the book. This is also one of the books I flew through during the Book-Tube-A-Thon. 


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children started out really slow. It picked up about half way through the book and that's when I started getting into the story. I enjoyed the originality of the plot and really really enjoyed the setting, which is not always something I tend to focus on while reading, but does impact the rating I ended up giving the book. I wish I can say I loved the characters, but I only liked them. I just couldn't connect with any of them, even the main character Jacob, but the good thing is I also didn't find them irksome, which has been happening a lot lately. Mr. Riggs took his time to vividly explain the image he's trying to draw. I gave this book 3 stars, but it's more of a 3.5-3.75 and a lot of those points go to the originality of the plot,the interesting yet mysterious setting, and the cool vintage pictures the author has found. I'm excited to see how things pick up in the sequel, Hollow City. 

Title: The Girl Who Never Was
Author: Skylar Dorset 
Published: June 1st, 2014
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS is the story of Selkie Stewart, who thinks she’s a totally normal teenager growing up in Boston. Sure, her father is in an insane asylum, her mother left her on his doorstep—literally—when she was a baby, and she’s being raised by two ancient aunts who spend their time hunting gnomes in their Beacon Hill townhouse. But other than that her life is totally normal! She’s got an adventurous best friend who’s always got her back and an unrequited crush on an older boy named Ben. Just like any other teenager, right?

When Selkie goes in search of the mother she’s never known, she gets more than she bargained for. It turns out that her mother is faerie royalty, which would make Selkie a faerie princess—except for the part where her father is an ogre, which makes her only half of anything. Even more confusing, there’s a prophecy that Selkie is going to destroy the tyrannical Seelie Court, which is why her mother actually wants to kill her. Selkie has been kept hidden all her life by her adoring aunts, with the help of a Salem wizard named Will. And Ben. Because the boy she thinks she’s in love with turns out to be a faerie whose enchantment has kept her alive, but also kept her in the dark about her own life.

Now, with enchantments dissolved and prophecies swinging into action, Selkie finds herself on a series of mad quests to save the people she’s always loved and a life she’s learning to love. But in a supernatural world of increasingly complex alliances and distressingly complicated deceptions, it’s so hard to know who to trust. Does her mother really wish to kill her? Would Will sacrifice her for the sake of the prophecy? And does Ben really love her or is it all an elaborate ruse? In order to survive, Selkie realizes that the key is learning—and accepting—who she really is.


My Review:

I initially gave this book 3 stars, but the longer I thought about it, I felt it deserved less, and I ended up settling with 1 star. I was so excited to finally read my very first Faerie book. I think that's where things went wrong ..... I was "too" excited. I felt that things started out fine and kind of went down hill from there. I found myself reading to get things over with, rather than in anticipation of the wrap-up of the story. Thankfully, the book is only 300 pages. Don't even get me started on the characters ..... well they, including Selkie, our main character, were underdeveloped and too flat and boring. The storyline didn't really develop and improve as the story progressed. I'm trying to find good things to say about this book but all I can say is, I'm thankful the pacing wasn't too bad. This book had potential ..... tons of it, but it just wasn't developed properly. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Waiting on Wednesday (#5)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This Week I'm Waiting On: 

Title: An American Duchess
Author: Sharon Page
Number of Pages: 384
Genre: Historical Fiction
Expected Publication: September 30th, 2014


Goodreads Blurb: 

Set on a crumbling English manor estate during the height of the Roaring Twenties, an American duchess must decide how much she's willing to risk for the life she truly desires… 

It's 1922, and New York heiress Zoe Gifford longs for the freedoms promised by the Jazz Age. Headstrong and brazen, but bound by her father's will to marry before she can access his fortune, Zoe arranges for a brief marriage to Sebastian Hazelton, whose aristocratic British family sorely needs a benefactor. 

Once in England, her foolproof plan to wed, inherit and divorce proves more complicated than Zoe had anticipated. Nigel Hazelton, Duke of Langford and Sebastian's older brother, is as austere and imposing as the family's ancestral estate. Still reeling from the Great War, Nigel is now staging a one-man battle against a rapidly changing world—and the outspoken Zoe represents everything he's fighting against. 

When circumstances compel Zoe to marry Nigel rather than Sebastian, their heated quarrelling begets passion of another sort. But with Nigel unwilling to change with the times, will Zoe be forced to choose between her husband and her dreams?


Why I'm Waiting On This Book?

I'm not really a fan of Historical Fiction, but I find the 1920's era quite intriguing; 'the Roaring Twenties'. When I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. According to some Goodreads reviews, the book has some steamy scenes, but hopefully they won't ruin the book for me. 

What Book Are You Waiting On This Week?

Top Ten Tuesday: My Autumn TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and The Bookish.

These are the books I'd like to read this autumn.

1. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins: The Mockingjay movie is coming out on the 23rd of November, and I'd like to read this before then. I actually read a few chapters of it but, like many other books, had to put it down, distracted by life.

2. The Infinite Sea, by Rick Yancey: I've already bought this one, but I'm currently in the middle of reading three books.

3. Prodigy and Champion, by Marie Lu: I read and loved Legend a while ago, but I still haven't gotten around to these, the 2nd and 3rd in the trilogy.

4. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks: I watched the movie when it first came out last year and LOVED IT. I normally wouldn't read a book I had already watched the movie of, but if the movie was THAT good, the book is probably even better ..... hopefully.

5. We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart: Everyone that's read this book loved it. Absolutely everyone. And I'm convinced that after reading it, I'll also fall under that category.

6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin: I want to read this, but just not right now. Sometime after the 3rd book in the trilogy comes out is probably the best time for me, cause from what I hear those books are an intense cliffhanger, and I'm too weak. I can't handle the stress.

7. A Little Something Different, by Sandy Hall: I'd like to start this one as soon as I get my hands on it. A good chick lit is all I need right now.

8. Machine of Death, by numerous authors: My very first anthology, if I'm not mistaken. So far, I've read some of the stories and really enjoyed them. I'll finish it sometime soon.

9. Jackaby, by William Ritter: I am really surprised this book only has 300 ratings on Goodreads. Sherlock is a really popular show, and it's one of my favorites. So yes ..... of course I want to read this.

10. Trial by Fire, by Josephine Angelini / Conversion, by Katherine Howe: Both of those books have something to do with the Salem Witch Trials, a topic I'm currently so obsessed with.

Book Gif Tag - Tagged by ThisGirlReadsALot

Thank you, Jazmen @ ThisGirlReadsALot for tagging me. I'm assuming everyone already knows what this tag's about, so I'll jump right in:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
I can't find this book anywhere.
As I was told, I need it. I NEED IT MORE THAN AIR.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
This is a feel-good kind of book, so obviously I love it.
This is how it makes me feel, and no I can't use JUST ONE gif.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This another book I need. I haven't read it
but I'm lovin' it from the other side of the fence.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Just... Maybe.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I read this book, enjoyed it, AND gave it 5/5 stars,
but sadly wasn't as impressed by it as everyone else was.
I have a love-hate relationship with this one.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Ok, so... This book was really intense.
A lot happens, and by the end of it, I was just kind of like:

The Giver by Lois Lowry
I was impressed by this book.

 

Matched by Ally Condie

I'll probably never ever read this.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Not my favorite but I was blown away by its originality.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
One of my favorite series. I have nothing
but good things to say about it.

I Tag:

Swathi 

Aneta 

Melissa

Morrighan Rose

And that's everyone. 

The 10 Books:

The Great Gatsby

The Color Purple

The 5th Wave

The Time Traveler's Wife

The Assassin's Curse

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

A Game of Thrones

The Maze Runner

If I Stay 

If you haven't read a lot of those, feel free to add some more. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Need To Read More From

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish.

The title is pretty self-explanatory. This list is no particular order.

1. Tahereh Mafi (Author of Shatter Me)

I feel very proud saying: "I've read everything Tahereh Mafi has published (including the novellas), but I NEED MORE!"

2. Ransom Riggs ( Author of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children)

I only read his first book, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and gave it 3 stars, but this man's a genius and I should probably read the second.

3. Victoria Schwab (Author of Vicious)

Her YA novels are of my most favorite of 2013, but I really need to get my hands on her Adult novel, Vicious.

4. Cassandra Rose Clarke (Author of The Assassin's Curse)

I finally read Cassandra's duology, and it did not disappoint. I really hope she writes more books like this one!

5. F. Scott FitzGerald (Author of The Great Gatsby)

I'm really glad I didn't keep postponing this one. I want to read more of FitzGerald's books, but I'm still not sure what.

6. Veronica Rossi (Author of Under the Never Sky)

I still have to read her novellas, but the world setting was brilliant. I hope this series won't be her last.

7. Marie Lu (Author of Legend)

I only read Legend, the first book and I'll definitely be reading Prodigy and Champion cause that cliffhanger left me uneasy.

8. Markus Zusak (Author of The Book Thief) 

 

Markus Zusak is the father of one of my all-time favorite books, The Book Thief. I'd like to read his other book, I Am The Messenger sometime soon.

9. Becca FitzPatrick (Author of Hush, Hush)

I read Hush, Hush a long time ago, and started Crescendo (the sequel), but couldn't get into it, though I'd still like to give it another go. 

10. Audrey Niffenegger (Author of The Time-Traveler's Wife)

This is also one of my all-time favorite books. The author did write other books, but nothing grabbed my attention, but if she did end up writing something similar I would read it.