June Wrap Up

Hey guys! So June is over and it is now July (alithough I'm 7 days late to the party). Here are the books I read in June. I only managed to read 6 books last month. I'm so behind on my GoodReads Challenge for this year, so I was hoping to read more books last month than I did. Hopefully, I'll read more this month.

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis

Summary provided by GoodReads:  'They say Aslan is on the move. Perhaps he has already landed,' whispered the Beaver. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delightful strain of music had just floated by. And Lucy got that feeling when you realize it's the beginning of summer. So, deep in the bewitched land of Narnia, the adventure begins.

They opened a door and entered a world--Narnia--the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Lucy is the first to stumble through the back of the enormous wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old country house, discovering the magic world beyond. At first, no one believes her. But soon Edmund, Peter and Susan, too, discover the magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. And in the blink of an eye, they are changed forever.

My rating:

2. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Summary provided by GoodReads: Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned from the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever.

My rating:

3. City of Screams (The Order of Sanguines #0.5) by James Rollins

Summary provided by GoodReads: From New York Times bestselling author James Rollins and award-winning suspense novelist Rebecca Cantrell comes a disturbing story of vengeance, bloodshed, and creatures that prowl the night.

In the haunted, war-torn highlands of Afghanistan, amid the ruins of Shahr-e-Gholghol, an archaeology team is massacred in the night. Sergeant Jordan Stone and his crack forensic team are called in to examine the site, to hunt for the perpetrators of this horrific act. But the discovery of a survivor—a child of ten—will shatter all the team knows about life and death. Among the crumbling bones of dead kings, something hoary and murderous stirs out of the ancient past, lurching forward to claim vengeance on those still living.

My review: City of Screams by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
My rating:

4. The Green Mile by Stephen King

Summary provided by GoodReads: At Cold Mountain Penitentiary, along the lonely stretch of cells known as the Green Mile, killers are depraved as the psychopathic "Billy the Kid" Wharton and the possessed Eduard Delacroix await death strapped in "Old Sparky." Here guards as decent as Paul Edgecombe and as sadistic as Percy Wetmore watch over them. But good or evil, innocent or guilty, none have ever seen the brutal likes of the new prisoner, John Coffey, sentenced to death for raping and murdering two young girls. Is Coffey a devil in human form? Or is he a far, far different kind of being?


My rating:

5. Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Summary provided by GoodReads: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?



My rating:

6. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Summary provided by GoodReads: Dark allegory describes the narrator’s journey up the Congo River and his meeting with, and fascination by, Mr. Kurtz, a mysterious personage who dominates the unruly inhabitants of the region. Masterly blend of adventure, character development, psychological penetration. Considered by many Conrad’s finest, most enigmatic story.






My rating:

My Top 10 Summer TBR

Hey guys! I thought that I would share with you all the books that I want to read this summer. I know that most people have already done theirs, but I decided to do mine today. I mean it's only the second day of summer where I live. If you have read any of  the books that are mentioned below let me know your thoughts in the comments.

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

All Harry Potter wants is to get away from the Dursleys and go back to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby - who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself.

2. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

3. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

 A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?



5. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him.


Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

6. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.


For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

7. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.


8. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

9. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.


Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

10. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Summary (provided by GoodReads):

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?


A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

City of Screams by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell

Genre: Thriller, Action & Paranormal

Publication Date: October 30, 2012

# of Pages: 100

City of Screams is #0.5 in The Order of the Sanguines series. It is told from Sergeant Jordan Stone's POV and takes place in Afghanistan. Sergeant Jordan, his forensic team and a professor are called in to investigate the massacre of an archaeology team that was massacred in the ruins of Shahr-e-Gholghol. On their way to the site and when they arrive we learn more about the history of Shahr-e-Gholghol thanks to the professor. Shahr-e-Gholghol is said to be haunted due to the betrayal of an emperor's daughter to Genghis Khan. Once at the site, Jordan Stone and his team notice some abnormal animal tracks. And not long after that come across a ten year old girl who survived. Can she help them or will she just make things worse?

City of Screams is the first novel I have read from James Rollins and also the first novel I have read from Rebecca Cantrell. I cannot say that I really liked this short story. I guess the elements that I was looking for really weren't meant to be there as I suppose this is supposed to make you want to read the first book of the series, The Blood Gospel. I was confused through most of it as I wasn't quite sure how everything tied into each other. However, this does make me want to start the series. I just curiosity does kill the cat, because I am super curious as to getting to know more about Jordan Stone and his team. I am hoping that more comes to light about the little girl, even if it is through past thoughts and memories from the characters in the book.

My rating:

Why Won't It Go Down?

I have tons of books on my TBR shelf on GoodReads. It seems as if I can never get it to narrow down. Every time I read a book review, it's like BAM another book is added to my TBR shelf. I can't seem to read more books than I add to the shelf. I'm really not sure what if it is even possible to get that list under 100 without just randomly deleting some books. I know I have a huge problem with just adding a book because I like the cover, so maybe if I just go through my shelf and read some of the summaries I might be able to eliminate some of the books.

I was just wondering if anyone else has this same problem.If you do, what steps do you take to tackle that TBR shelf and are those steps working? Or do you just like to have a plentiful TBR shelf? I sometimes myself like the variety I can choose from for a particular mood I may be end.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Genre:

Classics & Adventure

Publication Date:

June 10, 1996 (first published in 1952)

# of Pages:

132

Santiago is the main character in this book. He is an old fisherman who has not caught any fish in almost 3 months. He has a young apprentice and friend, Manolin, who has been forced to not go fishing with him because he does not catch any fish. The old man is determined to break his unlucky streak and sets out farther on the sea then he usually does. While out there he hooks a fish that instead of it being easy to pull in, it starts to pull Santiago's boat.

Trying to make sure that the fish does not snap his line, he ends up getting in a lot of bodily pain. The fish ends up pulling Santiago into a dangerous current. Santiago eventually kills the fish and gets it in the boat, however, this ends up causing more trouble for Santiago on his way home. When Santiago gets home, he is not completely empty handed. Instead, what he comes home with is not what others think that it is.

The Old Man and the Sea is the first book I've read by Ernest Hemingway. I read this book my junior year of high school. We took turns reading it aloud in the classroom, and I still kind of found the book painful to get through. After we read the book, we watched the movie. I found the movie a little more interesting than I did the book, which is usually not the case with me. If this book had not been required for my literature class at the time, I may have not finished it. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless I was to reread this book. Now even though I did not like this book, it does teach a valuable lesson. It teaches us to never give up and that every victory does not have to meet everyone else standards to be a victory. I do commend Santiago for his bravery. I just was not interested in the way the book taught those lessons.

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Genre:

Classics & Historical Fiction

Publication Date:

May 23, 2006 (first published in 1960)

# of Pages:

324

To Kill a Mockingbird is a fantastic novel. I never got around to reading it in high school, but I am glad that at 24 I finally read it. I feel like I understand this book more now than I would've as a teenager. I guess it may be that I have been through more than I did at that age. I understand more about racism and how things used to be in those days than I did in high school. I guess I didn't really get it back then because I wasn't really exposed to it. I lived in an area where there were mainly minorities and people never argued or fought over race. But once I made it through high school and to college, I got to witness first hand that racism still existed. I guess it takes incidents to happen in reality for you to understand the real-life situations in fiction novels. Without that connection between reality and fiction, you cannot fully connect with a novel in some ways that others might. I know that people who do not fully comprehend racism, may not understand this novel on the same level as someone who does.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight is the first book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. This is the first book I have read by Meyer, although I do plan on reading The Host. I read this book before it became a movie, and I am glad that I did. Don't get me wrong I like the movie (mainly because of Taylor Lautner as Jacob), but the book is so much BETTER. I came across this book because of a girl at a facility I was at, and she was sitting on her cot reading this book. The cover is what caught my eye because for some reason when I was in high school I did not read as much, which is pretty weird being that I read all the time now. Anyways, I asked her what the book was about. This is what she told me, "A vampire. He falls in love with this human girl and they are like totally in love." I was just sitting there like that's just creepy, but that cover was so intriguing that I decided to give the book a chance. And here we are today.

The Summer I Died by Ryan C Thomas

Publication date: January 30, 2006

# of pages: 232

Genre: Psychological thriller & Adult fiction


The Summer I Died is the first book in Ryan C. Thomas' Roger Huntington series. This is the first book I ever read by Thomas and I don't regret it. The title sucked me right in. I'm like, "Oh my goodness!!! This sounds scary as a mother f***er." At the time I had seen  the book, it was free on Amazon's website for the Kindle edition. (I'm always browsing Amazon for free Kindle books). Even though it was free, I definitely would have paid for it. It is totally worth the $2.99 (Kindle price) it's listed at today.

The cover caught my attention as well. I mean who wouldn't be curious about a book with a man standing in some mountains while the sun is setting with an axe in his hand!?!? I was super intrigued. I was like, "Who is he going to chop up? And why?" Thomas writes in a way that leads you right in to the point where you don't want the story to be over.

January Challenge: Titled, Themed and Random

For the month of January, We Love YA Books is hosting a challenge that runs from January 1st to January 31st. We Love YA Books is a GoodReads group in which I am a member. This challenge is actually three challenges and you can decide to do one, two, or all three of them. I have decided to do all three of them. The three challenges are the Title Challenge, Themed Challenge, and Random Read Challenge.

The Title Challenge consists of taking a New Year's Resolution and spelling it out with book titles. The New Year's resolution that I choose is to "get more organized", I shortened it to "neater." The only book that I am sure that I will read for this challenge is Asylum by Madeleine Roux. So therefore, I'll be reading a total of six books for this challenge. I'm actually looking forward to this. I love trying to spell out words with book titles. I always end up reading books I wasn't planning on reading anytime soon and loving them.

The Themed Challenge consists of reading a certain amount of books that are first in the series. You can choose the amount of books you want to read for this challenge. This challenge is based on the fact that January is the first month of the year. I have chosen to read just two books for this challenge. I have started more than enough series that I haven't finished yet and I really don't want to add too many more before I finish some of the others.

The Random Read Challenge consists a random number generator and your GoodReads TBR shelf (or any other shelf you may want too you). First you decide how many books you want to read, then you use a random number generator to give you numbers for the amount of books you want to read. After that you go to your TBR shelf and look for the books that corresponds to the number picked for you. I'll use my choice as an example, just in case the way I explained this is a little confusing. I chose two books and went to random.org using the integer generator to get two random numbers. I got the numbers 602 and 1606. Next I took the numbers and looked for the corresponding numbers to the two books on my TBR shelf. For the number 602, I got the book Hideaway by Dean Koontz. For the number 1606, I got the book Tonight and Always by Nora Roberts.

So for the challenge as a whole I plan to read ten books.

2016 Listopia Challenge: I've Already Read It Part 1

For the 2016 Listopia Challenge, I've decided to read 48 books. I decided that I would post about the books I've already read with links to their reviews. I have chosen to split the post up into a series of post so no one has to scroll through a long list of books or just give up on going through the list. I know if it was me reading the latter option, I'd give up after about five books. My attention span just isn't that long. Therefore, I will be making posts that contain five books each until I have listed all the books I've read from the book list, Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once. I hope you guys will enjoy this series of posts and find some books you'll want to read.

1. Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1) by Sara Shepard

Current list position: #3681 (tied with other books) 
 
Average rating: 3.93

Length: 286 pages

Genre: Young adult, Mystery & Contemporary

My review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard


2. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
  

Current list position: #369

Average rating: 4.12

Length: 485 pages

Genre: Young adult, Fantasy & Romance

My review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare


3. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

 Current list position: #3092 (tied with other books)

Average rating: 3.54

Length: 688 pages

Genre: Horror, Science fiction & Thrller

My review:


4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 

 Current list position: #75

Average rating: 3.56

Length: 498 pages

Genre: Young adult, Fantasy & Romance

My review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer


5. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

 Current list position: #73

Average rating: 3.68

Length 122 pages

Genre: Classics

My review:

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

Publication date: March 1, 2002
# of pages: 688

Genre: Science fiction

Dreamcatcher is the first book I have ever read by Stephen King. There is a movie based on this book; it is also titled Dreamcatcher. For me the title of this book suggested something different. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I got. I read a lot of reviews about this book prior to reading it, and most of them were not good. Half of those reviews are the reason I picked this book out of all the other Stephen King book to start with. I figured if I even remotely like this one, then I should like his other ones. However, I’m still not too keen on reading his book, It. I just don’t think that will ever happen because the movie scared the s*** out of me as kid and to this day I’m still afraid of clowns. They’re creepy.

Challenges & Ideas for 2016 Part 6

Hey guys. I was more busy yesterday than I expected, so as a result this post is a day late. Sorry guys. Today is the first day of a new year: 2016. I'm little excited and then I wish last year would have just slowed down a little bit. My birthday is in a little over three months. I'll be 24 and would prefer for the time to not move so fast as I'm not trying to be older any faster. I would like to linger in my year. You know I want to feel like I've been one age for a long time instead of feeling like my birthday was just here not that long ago and somehow it has crept up on me. I wish I hadn't sad how much I wanted to grow up when I was kid; I'd prefer to go back to those days.

So back to the topic here. One last challenge that I know for sure that I want to do in 2016 (there may be more as the year progresses) is the From Fiction to Reality Challenge. This challenge is hosted by a GoodReads group that I am a member of called 2016 Reading Challenge. I really love this group as they host a lot of challenges which helps me to stay on track with my goal for the year. I'll probaby go through the challenges they have up this weekend, so there most likely will be more challenges for me to participate in and post about. They have monthly, quarterly and yearly challenges. This challenge is a yearly challenge.