Armchair BEA Day 4: Ethics and Non-Fiction

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads    

 So ethics is a very important topic in  blogging and it seems like lately it has become  a bigger issue because many bloggers are being plagiarized which makes me very upset. For new bloggers I think that this trap is very easy to fall into. The few tips I have for new bloggers  it make sure if you get any idea for a meme or a feature on your blog from someone else usually bloggers are very welcoming and happy to share as long as you e-mail them  beforehand and link back to them as the one with the original idea.

As far as reviewing goes, I hate to hear or see bloggers who have stolen other's reviews or who's reviews have been stolen. To new bloggers guess what, people came to your site because they wanted to see what you thought about that book not someone else's thoughts.  Also, at least for me review writing takes a lot of time and work and usually by the end of it I am pretty proud of what I wrote and I would be really upset if someone took my work and used it for themselves. A few tips to keep your work your own I have are, when  you are about to write a review or right after you finish a book, try not to read other's reviews because it is very easy to read what they have wrote and then use it in your own review, or if you like a review that someone else wrote leave a link to it in your own review. I know how easy it is to read another blogger's review and say wow they said exactly what I wanted to say only better. When you are a new blogger unless you  are a really great writer, (which I am not) your reviews may not be the best thing you have ever written but, I promise that you will get better.

Non-fiction, what can I really say about it besides that I don't tend to read it much, I am a college student so unfortunately I have to read a lot of textbooks and work that I may not necessarily completely enjoy. So, when it comes to my reading I tend to steer towards fiction because reading for me is an escape and a break from the real world and I enjoy getting lost in stories and other worlds. But, I am very interested in true crime shows on t.v. and stuff like that so, if anyone has any recommendations for me let me know in the comments!

Armchair BEA Day 2: Genre Fiction

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads    

Today is day 2 of Armchair BEA and I am talking about genre fiction, when I first started blogging I was a lot less genre read then I am now or at least I would like to think that I am, I have read so many more different genres that I probably wouldn't have picked up if it wasn't for all of the great reviews I get to read all of the time. I have a hard time choosing my favorite genre, I do love dystopians a lot but, the YA market has seemed so flooded that I have been a little bit overwhelmed by the amount of them that I am reading. So, I am just gonna talk a bit about each genre and give some great recommendations of books from each genre that I enjoyed.

The first genre that I am surprised to say that I have really enjoyed is high fantasy, I have to admit that I had never read any of this genre before I started blogging and I didn't really think that I would enjoy this genre but, I really have, and my top two favorite high fantasies are: 

Like I said above I really love dystopians, their is endless possibility when it comes to these types of books and thats what I love and getting to read how each author takes their own future world and puts a spin on it, it was really hard to choose my favorite dystopian but, here is a few I love:

I have to admit that I am not a huge contemporary romance fan but, I am becoming  more of a fan of certain books but,  I am really picky, I don't usually enjoy the books that are filled with issues and such but, I really enjoy lighthearted contemporary reads.

Last but not least, is paranormal romance, now this genre is widespread and is kind of the genre I use to define books that don't fit into the above categories, they have so many different aspects and can  be different from each other, but they are definitely some amazing books and many of my all time favorite books hail from this genre.

Armchair BEA Day 1: Introductions

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads    

I am super excited to be participating in ArmchairBEA for the second year, I had so much fun meeting all of the bloggers last year and I hope to meet even more this year, hope you enjoy my introduction!

 Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

My name is Kristin and I have been blogging for a year and a half now, I got into blogging because I followed many book blogs and I loved reading,  I decided that I wanted to share my own thoughts and feelings on books I was reading and to connect with other people that shared my passion for books.

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. 

I am blogging from Colorado, I have lived here my entire love and I really love it here, a interesting fact about Colorado is the song "America The Beautiful" was written here on the top of Pike's Peak, which is beautiful to be here.  

 Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event?

This is my second year participating in Armchair  BEA and the reason I am participating again is because I enjoyed all of the events and discussions that we got to talk about, my favorite was the twitter parties and just getting to talk about books with everyone, it was so much fun.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013?

Right now I am reading Dare You To By: Katie McGarry and I am really enjoying it,  I loved Pushing The Limits last year so I am definitely hoping to love this one just as much.  As far as my favorites of 2013 I would have to say, Scarlet By: Marissa Meyer which I am just about finished with and I am enjoying it even more then Cinder. My favorite sequels of this year so far has definitely been The Elite By: Kiera Cass and Sweet Peril By: Wendy Higgins. Last but not least my favorite debut of 2013 so far has been Parallel By: Lauren Miller. If you haven't read any of these yet I definitely recommend them!

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

If I could eat dinner with any author my choice would definitely be Richelle Mead, I would love to just talk about her books and pick her brain about my favorite characters, mainly Dimitri and  Adrian for sure!

What's Next (52)

I am so excited to be participating in a new meme every Thursday hosted  by Iceybooks, this meme is designed to help us bloggers get some help from our reader's on what to read next, so every week I will post 3 books that I am trying to decide between and you guys can vote on which one you think that I should read next. Cast your vote through the poll at the bottom of this post.

Happy Reading!
Kristin

 My 3 choices for this week are:

Dangerous Girls By : Abgail Haas
Goodreads Summary:

  Paradise quickly gets gruesome in this thrilling page-turner with a plot that’s ripped from the headlines and a twist that defies the imagination.

It’s Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives.

But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to find her friend’s killer, she discovers harsh revelations about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

Awaiting the judge’s decree, it becomes clear to Anna that everyone around her thinks she is not only guilty, but also dangerous. And when the whole story comes out, reality is more shocking than anyone ever imagined..

 Prep School Confidential By: Kara Taylor

Goodreads Summary:


In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder. 

All Our Pretty Songs By: Sarah McCarry
Goodreads Summary:

 The first book in an exciting YA trilogy, this is the story of two best friends on the verge of a terrifying divide when they begin to encounter a cast of strange and mythical characters.

Set against the lush, magical backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, two inseparable best friends who have grown up like sisters—the charismatic, mercurial, and beautiful Aurora and the devoted, soulful, watchful narrator—find their bond challenged for the first time ever when a mysterious and gifted musician named Jack comes between them. Suddenly, each girl must decide what matters most: friendship, or love. What both girls don’t know is that the stakes are even higher than either of them could have imagined. They’re not the only ones who have noticed Jack’s gift; his music has awakened an ancient evil—and a world both above and below which may not be mythical at all. The real and the mystical; the romantic and the heartbreaking all begin to swirl together, carrying the two on journey that is both enthralling and terrifying.

And it’s up to the narrator to protect the people she loves—if she can

Review: How I Lost You By: Janet Gurtler

Title: How I Lost You

Author: Janet Gutler

Published: April 23rd, 2013

Buy the Book:  Amazon/Barnes and Noble/The Book Depository

Source: E-Galley From Publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

There are a few things Grace Anderson knows for sure. One is that nothing will ever come between her and her best friend, Kya Kessler. They have a pact. Buds Before Studs. Sisters Before Misters. But in the summer before senior year, life throws out challenges they never expected. And suddenly the person who's always been there starts to need the favor returned. Grace and Kya are forced to question how much a best friend can forgive. And the answer is not what they expected.

My Thoughts:

I was really interested in reading a book by Janet Gurtler I have been trying to expand my reading horizons and read more contemporary because I hope to find some authors that I enjoy, I am happy to say that  I really enjoyed this book, I admit I am not one for contemps that are full of heavy issues but, Gutler gave me the perfect mix, I didn't feel like the book was weighed down  or depressed me with everything I was reading it was perfect. It gave me the feeling I like about  YA, it was definitely a book of firsts and that is one of the things that I love about YA, when you read about a character that is going through something for the first time, and everything is shiny and new. 

Grace was an awesome kick ass YA character, she plays paintball and she is great at it, it is the thing that she loves the most. Her dad owns the paintball arena in her town so she gets to play as much as she wants, her goal is to go to college and get to play on the college all girls paintball team. She loves beating boys and showing them that girls can do anything that they can. 

Kya was her best friend and they had been through a lot together, Kya had a trauma happen in her life that only Grace and her family knew about and she used it as an excuse to get away with everything. Grace brushed off everything that Kya did because of what happened to her, she felt like she was responsible for her and even when it wasn't fair to Grace she gave up things she wanted to do and missed out because of her.

Overall, How I Lost You is the story of one girl growing up and realizing that sometimes  you just have to let people go, Gurtler created characters that you felt compassion towards and by the end of the book I really saw their growth.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Book Covers of Books I Have Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 

This week's topic is top ten favorite  book covers of books I have read, Enjoy! 

1. Dare You To (Pushing The Limits #2) By: Katie McGarry

 

Ok, so technically I am reading this one right now but, I love this cover, the water and the models look so sexy, I just love it!

2. The Selection Series By: Kiera Cass

 

I love both of the covers for Kiera's books,  what can I say I love pretty dresses even if they are overdone in YA, I also love the model's red hair. 

3. The Mara Dyer Trilogy By: Michelle Hodkin

 

Each cover is beautiful and a bit different in every way, I love the theme of the couple in the water and I honestly love just gazing at the covers on my bookshelf.

4. Dance of Shadows By: Yelena Black

 

Although I didn't love the book the cover is so beautiful and haunting, I wish the book was as great as the cover is. 

5. Revenants series By: Amy Plum

 

I have yet to read the last book but, I have really liked all of the covers for the books and I like that in  each one we only see the girl from the back. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) By : Tahereh Mafi

 

Normally I hate cover changes in a series but, I loved this cover so much it's just beautiful. 

7. Anna Dressed In Blood By: Kendare Blake

 

I love the cover for this one and I really think it gives a great horror feel without being scary or anything like that. 

8. Fallen series By: Lauren Kate

 

This series may not be my favorite of all time but, all of the covers are just so pretty. 

9. Lux series By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

How can you not just love to look at Pepe on the cover of any book!

10. Hysteria By: Megan Miranda

 

I really enjoyed reading this book and I thought the cover was different and super intriguing!