Armchair BEA 2014: Introductions and Literature

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

Introduction:

Hi everyone, this is my third year participating in Armchair BEA and I am so excited to get to discuss books and meet even more lovely bloggers, enjoy this week!

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from? 

My name is Kristin and I have been blogging for 3 years, I just graduated from college this past week with my bachelor's degree in health care management. I got into blogging because I wanted to share my love of books and reading with other people who enjoyed the same things that I did. I am blogging from Colorado, and we are finally getting the warm weather I have been craving, definitely reading outside as much as possible! 

    2. What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year? 

I always love and hate this question, it is so hard to choose just one favorite book. Last year my favorite books I read was probably The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) By: Richelle Mead and the first two books in the Throne of Glass series By: Sarah J. Mass. This year so far, my favorite book has been The Program By: Suzanne Young. 

   3. What is your favorite blogging resource? 

I would say that my favorite blogging resource is probably goodreads, I can spend hours looking at books and reading reviews from my friends and fellow bloggers. I also love twitter, its a great way to just interact with authors and your followers and I could sit on twitter forever! 

  4. Spread the love by naming your favorite blogs/bloggers (doesn’t necessarily have to be book blogs/bloggers). 

I have so many blogs I love but, a few of my favorites are:

Amber and Jen at The Starry-Eyed Revue

Ashley at NoseGraze

Sarah at Forever 17 Books

  5. Share your favorite book or reading related quote. 

My favorite quote is one from George R.R. Martin and I think it is so true, I love being able to read a million other worlds, thoughts, and I think it makes my own life that much richer!

Literature:

Today's topic is literature, when I think of literature for some reason the first things that pops into my mind is the classic and I know that it is not the case. I have to admit I haven't read all of the classics it has been one of my goals but, I have been seriously lacking in that department. For this topic I just want to talk about some of the reasons why I love the YA genre, and why I focus and gravitate for it.

Why I read YA...

I have to admit that sometimes when I people ask what I read and I tell them YA, I wonder what their reaction is going to be, they usually think of it being for teenagers and I am willing and ready to explain and show them that this is definitely not the case. I think that the YA genre has definitely been boosted by the movie adaptations and it makes me so happy to know that more people are realizing the amazing power of this genre.

I can't possibly think of every reason why I love this genre but, I will talk a little about a few of them. One of things I love about YA is that everything is a first, first time falling in love, first time becoming an adult etc., it's ackward, funny, and fun all at the same time. Teenagers have this view on life that is so different I think as you grow older and YA authors definitely capture this feeling and who doesn't remember the first time they fell in love. This genre is varied and their is many different issues, fantasies, worlds, that can be found and I feel like YA is so open and anything goes. I love that the characters in this book have their whole lives ahead of them and are finding out who they are, the future is free and imagining who they will become is part of the fun. 

Dusting Off The TBR Pile...

So, my bookshelf is need of serious, serious help. I am so behind on reading all of the books on my shelf so I really need your guy's help to decide which one I should read next, help me choose with the poll below!

Partials(The Partials Sequence #1) By: Dan Brown
Goodreads Summary:

For fans of The Hunger Games, Battlestar Galactica, and Blade Runnercomes the first book in the Partials Sequence, a fast-paced, action-packed, and riveting sci-fi teen series, by acclaimed author Dan Wells.

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war's origin that she never knew to ask.

Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both humans and Partials alike—and of the way in which the concept of what is right and wrong in this world is greatly dependent on one's own point of view.

Defiance (Defiance #1) By: C.J. Redwine
Goodreads Summary:

Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

For Darkness Shows The Stars By: Diana Peterfreund
Goodreads Summary:

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Unremembered (Unremembered #1) By: Jessica Brody
Goodreads Summary:

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

What Should I read Next?

• Partials
• Defiance
• For Darkness Shows The Stars
• Unremembered

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More polls: Free polls

Review: The Art of Lainey By: Paula Stokes

Title: The Art of Lainey

Author: Paula Stokes

Published: May 20^th, 2014

Source: Edelweiss E-Galley

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.

And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.

What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be.

My Thoughts:

This one completely and totally surprised me, I will admit I judged the book by the cover a bit and so I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did. The Art of Lainey was sweet and adorable, and it is also about a girl figuring out who she is which just made it even better. Paula Stokes is also writes under the pseudonym Fiona Paul and she wrote the The Eternal Rose Trilogy which I haven’t read because I am not a huge historical fiction fan but, after reading this one I might just check it out.

Lainey Mitchell has the perfect life, an amazing boyfriend, star of the soccer team, and is planning on having the perfect summer. Everything changes when her boyfriend Jason shows up at the coffee shop her parents own and she works at and dumps her in front of everyone. She is in complete shock, but she and her best friend Bianca come up with a plan. On the summer reading list is the book The Art of War, Bianca convinces Lainey to pick it up and tells her it will help them come up with a plan to for her to get Jason back. As the summer progresses, the plan which involves Micah a guy who she works with to pretend to be her boyfriend to make Jason jealous. But, Lainey finds out that maybe who she thinks she is isn’t really who she is. Micah exposes her to so many different things and experiences she never thought she would have seen before.

I came to really love Lainey throughout the story, even though she had the perfect life she wasn’t one of those prissy and mean popular girls. She felt genuine throughout the entire story. I loved getting to along with her through her journey of self-discovery. She realized so many things about herself and her friends that made this story not so shallow and silly. I loved watching her relationship grow with Micah, although they were both using each other it never seemed fake between the two of them and she constantly made me smile. Micah was awesome, he was one of those guys that was perfect example of don’t judge who someone is by how they dress or look.

Overall, The Art of Lainey was so much more than I expected it would be. I loved the added aspect of The Art of War it made the book that much more interesting and fun. If you enjoy contemporaries I definitely recommend this one!

Waiting on Wednesday!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases that everyone is waiting on.

This weeks selection is:

Title: A Thousand Pieces Of You

Author: Claudia Gray

Published: November 4th, 2014

Goodreads Summary:

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure

My Thoughts:

I have to admit it I absolutely love parallel universe stories, they are becoming more popular which kind of worries me because I don't want them to be overdone but, I am so excited to check this one out and I love this cover so much!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books About Friendship

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this week's topic is Top Ten Books about friendship. I thought this one would be harder to compile then it was.

1. Vampire Academy Series By: Richelle Mead

One of my favorite things about this series is the friendship between Rose and Lissa it is at the heart of the whole series in my opinion and although their is epic romance, their friendship was still the most important. 

2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series By: Ann Brashares

This series is such all about friendship and I loved it. It shows these friends growing up and everything they each have to go through 

3. Harry Potter Series By: J.K. Rowling

This list would not be complete without this series, the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermoine and how much they grow up is something that I loved and it wouldn't have been the same without it. 

4. Perks of Being a Wallflower By: Stephen Chobsky 

I loved the friendships in this book, Charlie was so endearing and the friendships that he has in this book are amazing.

5. House of Night Series By: P.C. and Kristen Cast

I have since given up on this series, too many books that have dragged the series on too long. But, I loved the friendships in this book that endure and change throughout the series. 

6. Reunited By: Hilary Weisman Graham

This book is roadtrip story along with old friends coming back together that was so much fun. It was such a feel good read. 

7. The Lunar Chronicles Series By: Marissa Meyer

The friendships in this one are fun and different as they all band together for a common cause but, they learn to fight for each other and rely on one another. 

8. Pivot Point Duology By: Kasie West

I loved the best friend dynamic in this book, it really added to the story and made everything that much better.

9. On The Fence By: Kasie West

I just finished this book this week and I love the friendship to romance, it was adorable and cute, and perfect. 

10. The Fault In Our Stars By: John Green

I loved Issac, Gus, and Hazel's friendship throughout this one. 

 

Review: Secrets of Lily Graves By: Sarah Strohmeyer

Title: The Secret of Lily Graves

Author: Sarah Strohmeyer

Published: May 13^th, 2014

Source: Edelweiss

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Goodreads Summary:

With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.

As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

My Thoughts:

Wow, first off let me say that this book completely and totally surprised me. This is the first book I have read by Sarah Strohmeyer, her books seemed too contemporary for me and I was a bit hesitant about this one but, it sucked me in right away and was right up my alley. It was full of mystery, a bit of romance, and finding out whodunit. I liked Lily right off the bat, I tend to enjoy characters who are different and don’t care what other people think and Lily was definitely one of those people. They mystery wasn’t a complete surprise but, Strohmeyer did have me questioning and guessing which kept me glued to every page.

Lily has always been a bit different, her classmates have known it, avoiding her birthday parties because she lives in a funeral parlor with her mom, aunt, and grandma. She wears all black and is interested in death and mortuary science. For the summer she has been tutoring the hot football player Matt Houser in History and his girlfriend Erin does not like it. When Matt dumps her, Erin immediately comes after Lily thinking it’s all her fault when in reality she and Matt were just friends. But, the next morning Erin is dead and the finger pointing is at Matt and Lily, everyone believes he dumped Erin for Lily.

I was surprised at how quickly I flew through this book, I loved Lily and solving the case along with Lily, Matt, and her best friend Sarah. Lily and Matt are immediately the top two suspects in the case. Her family is warning her to stay away and she would not let them sway what she knew to be true, Matt didn’t kill Erin.

Overall, Secrets of Lily Graves was a great mystery full of twists that I wasn’t expecting, an adorable romance, and many more secrets. I agree with the summary it has a little bit of a Pretty Little Liars vibe, so if you enjoy the books or the show I definitely think you will enjoy this one!

Review: On The Fence By: Kasie West

Title: On the Fence

Author: Kasie West

Published: July 1^st, 2014

Source: Edelweiss E-Galley

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

My Thoughts:

I loved Kasie’s West, Pivot Point duology and I was so excited to read this one. I had heard great things about her other YA romance The Distance between Us. I am so happy to say that West did not disappoint me one bit. It was the perfect romance, everything that I expected it to be, the perfect mix of romance and contemporary. West has an amazing way of creating female main characters that I can’t help but love and find endearing. At times when reading YA, female main characters can be annoying or whiny because sometimes that is what teenage girls are but, in On the Fence Charlie was amazing. Another fun fact about the title is that if makes so much sense once you read the book and I loved that.

Charlie Reynolds is the ultimate tom boy, she has grown up in a house with four brothers, and her dad. She has always loved sports and has definitely became just one of the guys. But, when she gets her third speeding ticket and her dad makes her get a job it is the beginning of a whole new world for her. Her whole life Charlie has grown up next door to Braden, who she has always thought of as another brother because he is always at her house. Through finding out what it means to be a girl and boys. Charlie realizes she doesn’t think of Braden as just another guy.

It was so much fun watching Charlie wade through learning how to interact with girls and to essentially be a girl. She was so worried about her brother’s seeing her in girly clothes and make up, but when they did see her they were so surprised. Her brother’s really loved her and were so protective of her. I loved getting to see the family dynamic between her and her brothers. Playing and watching sports is something that she really loves. She was just as good as the boys were and sometimes even better.

Braden was adorable, you could tell from the moment that you met him that he loved Charlie. He tried to hide it but, to anyone on the outside it was completely obvious. They of course both at feelings for each other but, tried to hide it and so did he. But, I still loved getting to see them slowly come to the realization of their feelings for each other.

Overall, On the Fence was completely adorable. I read it in one day and found myself tearing up and feeling emotional by the end. It was the perfect mix of everything you expect out of a romance and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loved romance and even to people who don’t. It was so perfect!

I am back!

I am finally done with everything that I have to do for school and for graduation and I now have the time to get back to reading and blogging.

I am starting back off reading On The Fence By: Kasie West, which is adorable so far.Tom boy and boy next door romance.

My TBR pile is dangerously high and their is so many books I can't wait to get to. The other book that I am dying and I mean dying to read is The One By: Kiera Cass. I have loved each book in this trilogy and I am finally ready to know who America will choose.

I am excited to do some more discussion posts hopefully, trying to get some ideas. So if you have any suggestions or anything you guys would like to talk about let me know in the comments! So happy to be back and immersed in the books.