Epic Reads Book Tag

I saw someone post this tag and I thought it would be something fun to complete. So here we go!

1. If you could invite one author and one of their fictional characters for tea who would you invite and what would you serve?

I would invite Charlotte Brontë and her character Jane Eyre. I would serve Earl Grey  tea, sandwiches (including cucumber sandwiches), and macarons. I might sneak some Indian food in there as well; I think they would enjoy the spices. 

2. What would you love a prequel for and what would be the main storyline?

I would want a prequel to Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I would want it to be all about the Dragon, his past, and maybe even a little sneak peak into his thoughts on Agnieszka while she is living with him.

 

 

 

 

3. Which two characters not from the same book would make a great book couple?

Hermione from the Harry Potter series and Clark from Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything.

4. If you ran into your favorite author on the subway and could only say one sentence to them, what would you say?

I don’t even think I could get one sentence out. Hmm…I might say, “my life, my world, my thoughts, my opinions, all changed due to your words.”

5. What book made you a reader and why?

My mom, who was an avid reader herself, gifted me two books when I was in my tweens: Jane Eyre and Little Women. After reading those books, I became obsessed with reading, because I love escapism, and more importantly I loved the depiction of female empowerment that was ingrained in the female characters of both books.

6. If your bookshelf caught on fire which book would you save?

I would probably save one of my books from my The Winner’s Curse trilogy. Who am I kidding?! I would save this entire collection.

7. Which dystopian world would you want to live in?

Ummm…none. Are you crazy?!

 

 

 

 

8. What is your most epic read of all time?

Although, I love Jane Eyre, my most epic read is currently tied between The Night Circus and Uprooted. I am a sucker for stories that encompass magic, enchantment, strong/witty female characters, compassion, and a passionate couple.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for joining me! 

I tag anyone who would love to complete this tag. And if you do this tag, please feel free to comment below with your link. I would love to check out your answers and pictures/.gifs that you add.

Throwback Thursday Mini-Review: Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood

Title: Six Impossible Things
By: Fiona Wood
Release Date: August 11, 2015
Publisher: Poppy
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 304 (Hardcover)
Format: ARC
Source: Won from NOVL newsletter (2015)

About Six Impossible Things:

1. Kiss Estelle.
2. Get a job.
3. Cheer my mother up.
4. Try not to be a complete nerd/loser.
5. Talk to my father when he calls.
6. Figure out how to be good.

Nerd-boy Dan Cereill is not quite coping with a reversal of family fortune, moving, new-school hell, a mother with a failing wedding cake business, a just-out gay dad, and an impossible crush on Estelle, the girl next door. His life is a mess, but for now he’s narrowed it down to six impossible things…

In this charming story of one guy’s efforts to get it together when his life is falling apart, award-winning author Fiona Wood introduces an irresistible voice and a delightfully awkward character who is impossible to forget.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |  The Book Depository

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MY RANTS AND RAVES OF SIX IMPOSSIBLE THINGS

I went into this book with very little knowledge of it, other than it is a new contemporary read. Six Impossible Things was the perfect book to cozy up on the couch with as the rain splattered against the windows. I’m not an aficionado in Aussie lingo, so I had a hard time understanding some of the Australian slang/wordage, but other than the small slang barrier, I enjoyed this book.

In the beginning of Six Impossible Things , the saying “when it rains, it pours,” fits Dan’s life perfectly. All has gone wrong in Dan’s life, but as the story progresses, life’s mishaps slowly begin to mend. Dan wants to do things right by his family and his friends, but sometimes he breaks the rules for selfish reasons. In the end, Dan matures into a likeable main character for both the reader and his fellow characters.

Six reasons you should read Six Impossible Things:

1) Dan is a self-proclaimed nerd. He has great taste in music and has the most perfect friendship with his dog.

2) Howard, Dan’s dog, is a Dan-proclaimed “psychic” and knows how to correctly respond to all situations. EEEeee!!! Howard steals every chapter that he is in. You will want to hug him and never let go.

3) Dan loves making lists. I love making lists. So in other words, Dan is perfect. HAHAHA!

4) This book will tug at your heart strings. Dan has to deal with divorced parents, in which his dad leaves his family bankrupt and homeless. Dan’s mother starts a business with wedding cakes; her only downfall is that she usually convinces her customers that marriage is a fluke. And while Dan’s family life is in knots, he has to go to a new school and deal with bullies. AHHH SO MANY DILEMMAS AND PROBLEMS FOR SUCH A YOUNG GUY.

5) Dan has a dark but witty sense of humor. It’s his best quality and a great mechanism to deal with all that goes wrong in his personal world.

6) Dan is a black sheep who becomes the ultimate hero. He cares for his old and new friends, he helps his mom through emotional and financial troubles, and in the end I wanted to go back to high school, befriend Dan. His sarcasm and philosophies are validating…he definitely has swoonworthy qualities.

MY RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

Note:   This review was previously posted on my Goodreads account on June 28, 2015, and has been updated for my blog. I received an Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) as a winner of NOVL’s monthly newsletter giveaway.  Thank you, NOVL and Poppy! I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher as an exchange for a review; I reviewed it at my own discretion.  All statements and opinions in this review are mine.

Top 5 Wednesday: Most Unlikable Characters

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY is a weekly meme created by Lainey @ GingerReadsLainey and is currently hosted by Samantha @ Thoughts on Tomes. Every Wednesday a new topic is listed on the Goodreads group, and you list your top 5 books related to the particular topic.

This week’s topic is…

Top 5 Most Unlikable Characters

Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Catherine is my #1 unlikable character in Literature. She is spoiled, spiteful, and infuriating. I will never understand the love that people have for this book or Catherine.

Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola is my least favorite character out of the Anna and the French Kiss series. She is too self-involved, and I just think Cricket deserves someone better than her. 

Clare from Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

UGH, Clare is the worst! She is constantly the “negative Nancy” in this book. She is probably the most depressing and nerve-wracking character I have ever read.

Sloane from Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I have re-read it 5 times, but I will be honest with you, I cannot stand Sloane. She is the complete opposite of what a best friend embodies. I’m just glad Emily finds Frank to make up for Sloane’s horrible behavior. 

Mare from the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard

Mare is one of the most unlikable characters depicted in the fantasy genre. As a whole, even though I love the covers of this series, this series is just all action and no substance.  Mare is a flat character, and she is the hardest heroine for me to connect to or even root for.

What are some of your most unlikable characters?

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top 10 Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About After Reading Them

TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

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This week’s topic is…

Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About After Reading Them

(Click the book cover to link to the book’s Goodreads’ page)

Made me want to travel to Europe

Made me want to participate in a séance

Made me want to visit Edgar Allan Poe’s grave

Made me want to learn more about the Edwardian Period

 

Made me want to learn how to read tea leaves

 

Made me want to research Russian Folklore/Folktales

Made me want to research rare disorders like Prosopagnosia

Made me want to visit Salem, Massachusetts AGAIN!

 

Made me want to learn more about possible Alternate Realities/Time Travel

Made me want to challenge myself more often

 

What are some things books have made you want to do or learn about after reading them? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books Set Outside The US

TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

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This week’s topic is…

Ten Books Set Outside The US

(Click the book cover to link to the book’s Goodreads’ page)

What are some of your favorite books that take place outside the US?

W…W…W…Wednesday:07/13/2016

W…W…W…Wednesday

W…W…W…Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words and includes Three Ws:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I loved David Arnold’s Mosquitoland so much, so I don’t know if KOA is going to top it, but right now it’s definitely climbing its way up my favorites list.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

This book doesn’t come out until October, but I’m going to tell you right now, you will want this Contemporary novel in your life this Fall. IT’S SO GOOD AND OUTRIGHT HILARIOUS!

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Traitor Angels has been sitting on my shelf for a few months, so hopefully I pick it up next.

♥ What does your own W…W…W…Wednesday look like? ♥

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Facts About Me

TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

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This week’s topic is…

Ten Facts About Me

1. I am a tote bag hoarder. TOTE BAGS ARE LIFE!!!
2. The first time I took the Pottermore quiz, it asked me to choose my house between Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. I screamed across the room, “I’M DIVERGENT,” to my brother. I ended up picking Ravenclaw, of course. 
3. I’m an asparagus and kale junkie. 
4. Friends and relatives randomly call me because they want to hear my laugh. 
5. I love Diet Coke, and I’m convinced that the McDonald’s down the street from my job has the best Diet Coke on the planet. 
6. I keep a copy of The Catcher in the Rye in my glove compartment of my car. 
7. My brother, Johnny, my friend, Kayla, and I go to bookstores and play a game where we pick up an unknown book, and we have to describe the synopsis based on its cover. My favorite part is giving the characters names. 
8. According to Goodreads, I own 366 signed books!
9. I’m a mood reader, so this thoroughly explains my three reading slumps I have experienced this year, so far. 
10. TODAY IS MY 6-MONTH BLOGVERSARY. YAY!!! 

 

Book Review: My Lady Jane

Title: My Lady Jane
By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Pages: 491
Format: Hardcover
Source: June’s Uppercase Box

About My Lady Jane: 

The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |  The Book Depository

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My Rants and Raves of My Lady Jane

This review is going to be short and to the point.

I wanted to love My Lady Jane, but in the end, I just thought it was okay. Yes, it was creative and had some funny “snickering” parts, but overall the story seemed too long, too dramatic, too slow-paced, and not as funny as I thought it was going to be.

I had high expectations for My Lady Jane, because everyone was saying how hilarious it is. And friends, I was ready to read a funny book! UGH…why do overly hyped books set my standards up too high? Why?! Sadly, this historical fiction fan and lover of comedies failed to fall in love with this book. Because I thought the story dragged on in many places, I did not become invested in the storyline or with any of the characters. I honestly do not even have a favorite character, which makes me sad to even admit.

The concept of re-imagining Jane Grey’s fate is unique, and it was interesting to read the topsy-turvy conflict about humans morphing into animals, instead of focusing on the religious conflict that overpowered the monarchy at that time. But overall, even though I did not love this book, I still think My Lady Jane would be perfect for people who enjoy long drawn out romances about quirky characters. 

My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Note:   I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher in exchange for a review. I received this book in my June 2016 Uppercase subscription box, and reviewed it at my own discretion. All statements and opinions in this review are mine.

COVER REVEAL: LONG WAY HOME by KATIE McGARRY

Being released on January 31^st, 2017, the highly anticipated third book in Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road Series has a cover that we can’t wait to share with you! LONG WAY HOME is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance being published by Harlequin Teen! Pre-order your copy of the next book in this emotionally charged series, and don’t miss Violet and Chevy’s story!

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

“An intoxicating and unforgettable story that kept me glued to the page.”

—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Walk the Edge

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

 

LONG WAY HOME Pre-Order Links:

Amazon | Kobo | BAM | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | IndieBound

 

And Don’t Miss the First Two Titles in the Thunder Road Series!

NOWHERE BUT HERE

WALK THE EDGE 

 

Katie McGarry Bio:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

 

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Books Outside Your Comfort Zone

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY is a weekly meme created by Lainey @ GingerReadsLainey and is currently hosted by Samantha @ Thoughts on Tomes. Every Wednesday a new topic is listed on the Goodreads group, and you list your top 5 books related to the particular topic.

This week’s topic is…

Favorite Books Outside Your Comfort Zone

My go-to book genres are fantasy, magic realism, and lately contemporary (side note: in the summer I become obsessed with contemporary novels). But one of the genres that I rarely read but usually end up loving are graphic novels. Here are a few of my favorite graphic novel series/books. 

What are some of your favorite books that you have read outside your comfort zone?