Photo Credit: Amazon

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a follow up to a series that I have been enjoying:

Lady Renegades
Published: April 5, 2016

Details From Amazon:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Hex Hall comes the sparkling finale in the beloved Rebel Belle series.
 
Just as Harper Price starts coming to terms with her role as David Stark's battle-ready Paladin, protector, and girlfriend—her world goes crazy all over again.

Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenaged girls into Paladins—and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from.  Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town, which means her life is on the line yet again.

Now, it’s a desperate race for Harper to find and rescue David before she backslides from superhero to your garden-variety type-A belle.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins brings the fun once again in the finale of this pitch-perfect romantic paranormal comedy series.

Happy Reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That I Recently Gave Five Stars

Hi Everyone! 

Just stopping by with another Top Ten Tuesday!  This week's topic is Top Ten Books That I Recently Gave Five Stars. I really like this topic because it gives me a chance to highlight some of the books that I really loved. 

That said, I have realized that since I starting reviewing books I have become a bit more critical of them. Hopefully that is a good thing and not a bad thing! I think that since I am aware of other books so much more often, I just need a little 'extra something' to make it special. Has this happened to you?

In any case, here is my list:

1) Can You Keep A Secret? By RL Stine
For those of you who love the Goosebump books, this is a relaunch coming out in April! You should go get it. Sooooooo good.

2) LumberJanes
I know, I keep talking about this one. I just loved it. It was cute and everything I wanted a graphic novel to be.

3) Me Before You
I read this before the movie was announced, but it is so good! I cried, but such a good book.

4) Ready Player One
Another one that I talk about alot. If you like video games and adventures, this one is for you. With the VR headsets releasing soon, it seems all the more possible something like this could be real!

5) Sticking It Out
This was one I was offered for review. An excellent memoir from a percussionist.

6) Dear Bob and Sue
A couple travels to all of the National Parks and documents their experiences!


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Honorable Mentions: (They would be rated 4.5 stars in my mind, but still worth the read!)

7) The Kitchen House
I listened to as an audio book. If you liked The Help, you will probably like this book!

8) Leaving Time
Another wonderful book by Jodi Picoult!

I know that is only 8 books! If you want to know some of my other favorite reads, please check back to last weeks post!

Have you read any of these? What five star books do you recommend?

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Misty of Chincoteague Books

Hi Everyone!

Stooping by today with a special post about Misty of Chincoteague. Let me explain. The Easter Holiday weekend is upon us and we have company in town! My niece loves horses and has been reading about Misty. I had never read the books so I took a chance and tried them out as well.

The first book is about the Phantom and her foal, Misty. They are wild ponies brought over from South America. The second book is about Sea Star, not Misty. However it is about the same family from the first book and continues the story. The third is a modern day Misty story, this time about Misty's Twilight. All three books were cute reads! The first was written in the 60's I believe, so you can tell by the style of writing. However, it was good none the less.

Have you read these books?

Happy Reading!

Reading Recap

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with a couple of quick reviews on reads that I have been able to finish.

How To Have a Good Day
This book is a set of research that helps you to understand simple steps that you can take to improve your daily life. It is filled with a number of golden nuggets. For example, the author discusses the mind-body loop. How if you are thinking one thing it is related to how you feel. If you improve your mental state you may be able to enhance your intellectual performance. Another example is the author explains how to give a ‘positive no.’ I appreciate the sentiment about getting enough sleep! Lots of good information and informative read that made you think. I enjoyed this book.

Attachments
 I read this book as a buddy read for the #RockMyTBR challenge. I enjoyed it. This is another one by Rainbow Rowell. It was a story that followed Lincoln, a security officer and two women, Beth and Jen. I don’t want to spoil the book for the readers, but through the interactions they have they all learned something about themselves. I enjoyed the book and it was a cute read!

The Golden Compass
As part of the #TakeControlTBR challenge, I am finally returning to this one. I got the graphic novel copy last year during Book Con and just have not had a chance to read it. I enjoyed this version of the story and am intrigued by the larger story. The illustrations are great and I enjoyed this. I am curious to see what happens in the next part! I have been told that there is also a movie, so I may need to research that as well.

Charm: An Amazing Story of A Little Black Cat
I picked this one up awhile ago because it seemed cute! I love stories about animals and this was a pretty quick read. This one follows the story of a little black cat and his impact on his family. The book is really small, but not exactly that I would recommend for kids. That said, I did enjoy the story and I thought that the lessons behind it were pretty good.

Trading Places: Becoming My Mother's Mother
This book was provided to me by the author. That said, it is did not influence my review of it. I enjoyed this book a lot. This book highlighted and recapped the authors experience she had becoming a caregiver for her mother. In the book she talks about how her mother used to say/do certain things for her and now it was as if the tables were turned. I appreciated the vulnerability and honesty in her writing. I have not experienced this myself, but I think it would be a good read for anyone who is in that situation. The end had me to tears. I appreciated this book and the message very much. I am glad that I had the chance to review.

The Little Prince
Another one for the #TakeControlTBR and another I picked up at BookCon that I haven’t had a chance to read until now. This book is a classic in children’s literature and cute! I enjoyed the story very much and I am glad that I had a chance to read it. The story is about a pilot who crashes down in the desert and encounters a young boy. The adventure from there is just getting started! As always, I don’t want to spoil the story, but a cute quick read.

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

Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: LumberJanes Vol. 3

Photo Credit: Amazon

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a follow up to one of my favorite graphic novels and one that I pre-ordered:


LumberJanes Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan
Release Date: April 5, 2016

Details on Amazon:
This New York Times Bestselling series continues with Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley as they take on everything that goes bump in the night. From scary stories to magical portals that lead to a land untouched by time, it's definitely not your average summer. Written by awesome all-star Noelle Stevenson (Nimona, ADVENTURE TIME™) and brilliant newcomer Grace Ellis, and illustrated by the tremendously talented Brooke Allen (A Home for Mr. Easter).


Happy Reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books that I Love but Haven't Talked About Enough

Hi Everyone! 

Just stopping by with another Top Ten Tuesday!  This week's topic is Top Ten Books that I Love but Haven't Talked About Enough. I really like this topic because it gives me a chance to revist some books that I haven't thought about for a little bit!

Without further ado, here is my list:

1) Graphic Novels. They were not my typical read either, but then I picked them up and my whole world changed. These are the ones that I happen to love the most: Rat Queens and LumberJanes! 
I am always looking for new ideas though, so if you have any suggestions for me, please let me know!

2) Anything by Elin Hilderbrand. Her books are interesting and have the beach town feel. I love them and I cannot wait for June for Here's to Us to get here!

3) Babysitters Club Graphic Novels! I loved these books as a child and being able to re-read them as graphic novels has been a lot of fun!

4) Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I got this one last year at Book Con and it was so awesome! Just a good story that keeps you turning those pages.

5) The Richest Man in Town. This is my favorite book! If you have not read it, please go do so and soon. I love the story!

6) The Happiness Project. Another favorite! If you want to have more happiness in your life, this is a good book for that. I loved hearing Gretchen's approach and it inspired my own!

7) Eat, Pray, Love.  This book is about food, travel, and being true to yourself! It is a winning combo in my mind :)

8) Adopting the Racing Greyhound.  A guide for those interested in adopting a greyhound! For those of you who know me, adopting our boy was one of the best decisions we ever made. This book is an excellent source of information. If you ever have questions, please let me know!

9) Hollowing Out the Middle- A book about rural America and the challenges that go along with it! I loved it, it reminded me of home.

and finally...

10)  My Year with Eleanor- A book about your facing your fears.

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

Happy Reading!

Reading Recap: A Little Life and Insurgent

Author: Hanya Yanagihara
 
Summary from Goodreads:
This is a book of classmates, who over time remain friends despite their own encounters, challenges, successes, and life in general. They are bonded together by a man named Jude. The story outlines the ways in which their lives intersect in a real to life manner. A book that is a bit on the longer side, it certainly has a powerful story. 

Personal Review:
When I first saw this book, I felt like it called to me to pick it up. It had received several awards and the image on the front makes you wonder. I was glad that I did. I enjoyed reading the story though there are parts that are not easy to read. I am using this book to pass for my 500 page book for the Read Harder Challenge and 600 page book for the Pop Sugar challenge.



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Author: Veronica Roth
 
Summary from Goodreads:
This is a book two of the Divergent Series. In this book, Tris, Four, and the others embrace the next phase of her own Divergence. She is learning to deal with her own emotions despite the chaos around her and getting to know who how she will react. A quick paced book, I enjoyed reading it. 

Personal Review:
I picked up this book based off a suggestion from my husband. We both read the first book and decided to continue with the second one. I enjoyed getting to revisit the story and find out what happens next in the saga. The book was a good read and I enjoyed it.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Unrivaled

Author: Alyson Noel

Review: 

I am really glad that I had a chance to participate in my second Around the World ARC Tours with this book. I enjoyed the story and I felt like it would be a perfect made into a TV show type of story.

Unrivaled is the first book in the series. In this book, we follow a group of young adults who are attempting to make it in LA. They become part of a contest to help the infamous Ira promote his nightclubs. Truth is that is not the life they want, but they think it will help them in the long run get to where they are going. When that promotion life begins to intersect with some stars and strange things start to happen, that is when the story starts to take off. I don’t want to spoil it, so if you like a quick pace book this is the one for you.

The best part of this book was the characters. I thought the author did a wonderful job of explaining details about each person so you could picture who they were in your mind. Once you had an image, it made the scenes much more enjoyable.

I enjoyed the plot of this book, but one word of caution it does leave you with a bit of a cliff hanger so knowing what will happen will have to wait a little bit. I recommend this book for those people who enjoyed TV shows like The OC, Gossip Girl or the like. It had that vibe that went along with it while you were reading it. All in all, a pretty good book with a juicy story.

Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It

 

Photo Credit: Amazon

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a follow up to one of my favorite books and one that I pre-ordered:

Book: Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It
Release Date: March 29, 2016
 
Book Synopsis from Amazon:
In the ten years since its electrifying debut, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love has become a worldwide phenomenon, empowering millions of readers to set out on paths they never thought possible, in search of their own best selves. Here, in this candid and captivating collection, nearly fifty of those readers—people as diverse in their experiences as they are in age and background—share their stories. The journeys they recount are transformative—sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, but always deeply inspiring.

Eat Pray Love helped one writer to embrace motherhood, another to come to terms with the loss of her mother, and yet another to find peace with not wanting to become a mother at all. One writer, reeling from a difficult divorce, finds new love overseas; another, a lifelong caregiver, is inspired to take an annual road trip, solo. A man leaves seminary, embraces his sexual identity, and forges a new relationship with God. A woman goes to divinity school and grapples with doubt and belief. One writer’s search for the perfect pizza leads her to New Zealand and off-the-grid homesteading, while another, in overcoming an eating disorder, redefines her relationship not only with food but with herself. Some writers face down devastating illness and crippling fears, and others step out of their old lives to fulfill long-held dreams of singing, acting, writing, teaching, and learning.

Entertaining and enlightening, Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It is a celebration for fans old and new. What will Eat Pray Love make you do?