J'adorehappyendings

Back..again..

2019-10-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

Well, hello! Yes, I'm back and yes I know I said the same when moi made a comeback to the INTERNET in 2017. Live was and sometimes still is very chaotic and stressful. And I do admit, I was in kind of a very long reading slump. But, like before I miss talking about books and I got my reading mojo back. How Nina, how? For a very, very long time I didn't want to read anything, but then I picked a book out of my very long to be read pile and read the back of it. I got me excited to read it. And thankfully the book was amazing. It was such a epic fantasy story that I stayed up all night to read the book. And that, my friends, hadn't happened in a long time. Sometimes a great book is all you need to get you out of a reading slump.

Look forward to some fun content. I have lots of fun ideas and I've been reading a lot of great books.

Happy to be back!

Lots of greetings and hugs from Nina.

Interview with...

2018-02-24T03:38:00.001-08:00

Alien spaceships appear, hovering above Earth's major cities like a giant cloud of doom threatening to wipe out humanity. (Yes, this is from the movie Independence Day). Which two characters do you take with you to fight the aliens?

So, let me get this straight, I can't choose all of the characters from the Gone series by Michael Grant? No? No option at all?

Amy from Dorothy Must Die can kick some ass and isn't scared for aliens. I mean, she has seen some weird things in Oz. So aliens, not so scary. She also would make a great companion. Her snarky comments would make me forget about the whole fighting against the aliens issue.

And I also would pick Cas from Anna Dressed in Blood. He's just a younger version of Dean in Supernatural, so why not pick him? That's a good enough reason, right?

Who would you pick?

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendara Blake

2018-02-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendara Blake
Release date: October, 2011
Pages: 316
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. Yet she spares Cas's life.

My review:
I wanted to read Anna Dressed in Blood for so long now and when I saw it at the libraryI almost did a happy dance. Happy dances are kind of my thing when I find a book that I'm excited about. Just so you know.

I liked Cas as a main character. He was strong, determined, knows his place and what he wants in life. The other characters are great aswell, but not a lot of depth to them.

The plot is fast-paced. There are truly no boring parts in this book. The story, the setting, literally almost everything made me think of the TV show Supernatural, which I'm a huge fan of. So I absolutly loved the story.

I'm not sure why there is a sequal to this book. It really wasn't necessary. If my library has book number two, I will read it, otherwise I probably won't.

Never let you go by Emma Carlson Berne

2018-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Never let you go by Emma Carlson Berne
Release date: December, 2012
Pages: 240
Source: Bought

My feelings:

Description:
Megan never meant to hurt her best friend, Anna. She made a mistake, and she’s spent all year trying to regain Anna’s trust. So when Anna invites her to spend the summer on her uncle’s farm, Megan is excited…and relieved. The past is finally behind them.
On the farm, Anna quickly falls for Jordan, a rugged summer-hand. Megan and Jordan have their own spark, but Megan’s betrayed Anna once before and she’s not about to do it again. Still, the more time that Megan and Jordan spend together, the harder it is to deny their chemistry. But Anna doesn’t like to be ignored—and she doesn’t forgive and forget.
What started out as the perfect summer is about to take a very dark turn.

My Review:
I love these kind of books. They remind me of Rosebush and Still Waters (same author) they were short reads aswell, but very scary and exciting to read.

Never let you go was kind of like those books. I say kind off, because there wasn't a lot of character, friendship or love development.

Anna is crazy, truly pshycho. Seriously, whooh, I do not want to meet someone like Anna. A big no no! At times I felt irritated by Megans actions. Why did she just not call the cops? Or tell an adult about her crazy ass friend?

I love the setting of the book. I haven't read a lot of books where the characters were on a farm. I could picture the farm, the shed where the girls slept, the kitchen where they ate breakfast, everything was like a picture in my mind. The farm setting made the story creepier.

Never let you go is not a very scary read, but it's very entertaining. You will love and hate the characters, get annoyed by them and care for them.
A great book to read when you're into mysteries and crazy, freaky friends.

Short wrap-up & February TBR | 2018

2018-02-04T04:16:00.000-08:00

Of the six books I put on my January TBR I only read three and I'm on chapter four in the Chinese novel that I'm reading. As I mentioned in my January TBR, the possibility was there that I would read other books that I didn't put on my tbr pile and I did! I read three other books. In total I finished reading six books. Woohoo! 2018 has started really good!

The books I read are:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
The Lost Causes by Alyssa Embree Schwartz
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane

Still reading:

去别处, Go outside

My February TBR is very small, for now two books. The must read book from last month is still on the tbr list for this month. I need to start and finish it. The book is Flight Season by Marie Marquardt (e-book). I also want to continue reading 去别处, Go outside.

Tomorrow I'm going to the library and if I pick up a book I will let you know!

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane

2018-01-29T05:01:00.000-08:00

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane
Release date: January, 2018
Pages: 247
Source: Netgalley & Skyscape

My feelings:

Description:
For Clementine Haas, finding herself is more than a nice idea. Ever since she woke up in an Irish hospital with complete amnesia, self-discovery has become her mission.
They tell her she’s the lone survivor of a plane crash. They tell her she’s lucky to be alive. But she doesn’t feel lucky. She feels…lost.
With the relentless Irish press bearing down on her, and a father she may not even recognize on his way from America to take her home, Clementine assumes a new identity and enlists a blue-eyed Irish stranger, Kieran O’Connell, to help her escape her forgotten life…and start a new one.
Hiding out in the sleepy town of Waterville, Ireland, Clementine discovers there’s an upside to a life that’s fallen apart. But as her lies grow, so does her affection for Kieran, and the truth about her identity becomes harder and harder to reveal, forcing Clementine to decide: Can she leave her past behind for a new love she’ll never forget?

My Review:
Who doesn't want to read this book? Look at that cover! It's so cute!
Well, I can tell you guys The Upside of Falling Down isn't a cute, light hearted story.

Clementine is a confused, worried and conflicted character. She wants to find out who she is, but doesn't want to face her past. I liked Clementine. I thought the way she handled things was not perfect, but as confused as she was I could totally understand. One thing I couldn't really understand was why she took the money Kieran gave her. She said she wanted to be independant, but then turned around and did the opposite of what she wanted to be. Kieran is another great character in the story. He is mysterious, but really caring and kind. Totally swoon worthy! I understood why Siobhan, sister of Kieran, didn't really liked Clementine.

The plot is interesting. Clementine has to find out who she was and who she is now.There is a twist in the story and I never saw it coming. So, yay!

The title of the book The Upside of Falling Down really describes this story so well.
If you like contemporaries, try The Upside of Falling Down!

Dutch Cover Alert

2018-01-24T03:24:00.001-08:00

This idea/meme came from Jenny at Wondrous Reads.

The Netherlands – The United States

I really like the picture the used for the American cover. It looks more like a mystery/thriller than the Dutch cover. The Dutch cover looks more like a dystopian story. I don't like that the title of the book is so big on the US cover. It would have been better if it was smaller. Even though I like the picture they used on the US cover, I would pick the Dutch cover. I just don't like the place and the font of the title. Way too big.

Would you pick the Dutch or American cover?

Mystic by Alyson Noel

2018-01-20T02:56:00.000-08:00

Mystic by Alyson Noel
Release date: May, 2013
Pages: 320
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
Since arriving in Enchantment, New Mexico, everything in Daire Santos life has changed. And not all for the better. While she's come to accept and embrace her new powers as a Soul Seeker, Daire struggles with the responsibility she holds navigating between the worlds of the living and the dead. And with the fate of her boyfriend Dace in the balance, Daire must put aside her personal feelings and focus on defeating Cade, whose evil plans threaten everyone she loves and the world as she knows it.

My review:
Mystic started out at as an epic fail. Up untill page 83 I had lost faith in this book and started to feel that it was a big dissapointment. I left the book at my nightstand and two days later I decided to pick it up again. I'm glad I did, because around page 120 it became much better and I started to love it again.

Why was the start of Mystic a fail for me? Well, I couldn't get into the story. Daires friend Xochitl got her own chapters (POV) and it was not interesting to read. I wanted her to shut up. I love her as a friend, but I didn't wanted to read her thoughts. And thankfully the author thought the same, because the rest of the book was POVs between Daire and Dace.

I also thought it was strange that when Daire got back, nobody really persisted her to tell her where she went, what happened and more. Super weird. I mean if my best friend who I presumed was dead came back, I would make her answer my questions. First I need answers then we can look for Dace.

And then it got better. A lot better. Daire and Dace has grown so much in these three books. They are so much wiser and smarter dealing with their powers. Cade is still thebadass you love to hate and he's super strong. Daire and Dace need to do come up with a kick-ass plan to defeat Cade, because he's always one step ahead of them.

The ending came too quick and I was left with a broken heart. Why Alyson Noel? Why did you have to this to one of my favourite characters in the book?

If you haven't started this series, you should! Just be aware of the terrible start in the third book!

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

2018-01-15T05:04:00.000-08:00

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Release date: October, 2012
Pages: 291
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
And girl created boy…
In the beginning, there was an apple— And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal. Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy. Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

My review:
I can't believe I finished Eve & Adam. I seriously can't. Eve & Adam was so bad, it made me want to dnf the book on many occasions. But, as always I have a hard time doing that so I skipped a few chapters to get it done quicker.

The characters....there's so much wrong with them.
Eve, oh Eve. A young girl who has been in a terrible accident. Yes, a terrible one. And all because her freaking doctor says don't look at your leg, she doesn't. For a very LONG time she doesn't look at her leg. She doesn't ask any questions about it. She isn't curious at all about what is going on with her leg. WHAT! Really? C'mon.
What's wrong with Solo? When someone is screaming in pain, he thinks that she likes him. What the heck! She doesn't like you, she's screaming because she needs someone to sedate her, you idiot!

Then we have the best friend of Eve. I'm not even sure why she was in the story.
She was boy-obsessed, which isn't anything weird for a teeanger, but why was she there? What was her story? Was it to annoy the mother? The mother who is such a terrible person. She has no depth at all. She just keeps saying these terrible things about Eve's best friend.

I think because the characters were too irritated, I couldn't get into the story at all. I didn't enjoy reading Eve & Adam. I wanted to throw this book to the wall and then thought better of it. I mean, it's a library book, I can't do that to a library book.

Eve & Adam wasn't for me. My advice is to get it at the library.

Books & Music

2018-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Broke and Brookish had a post about to match ten books to songs and it was a lot of fun doing it. I love to listen to music and find new artists to listen to. Last year I also saw a lot of youtubers do the same and I got some new favourite songs. Thank you YouTube!
So, here are five songs that (for me) match these books:

1. L.A Candy by Lauren Conrad

Song: JoJo ft REMI - FAB

"Sweetie I don't want your cookies
If you're looking for applause, keep lookin'
Your recipe's boring, need a little more spice in my cookin'
Honey you don't want my problems
If you had 'em you would sink to the bottom
You should bring your life jacket
Cause people like you can't handle
this, no"

2. The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna
Song: Kesha - Rainbow

"I’ve found a rainbow, rainbow, baby
Trust me, I know, life is scary
But just put those colors on, girl
Come and play along with me tonight"

3. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Song: Paramore - Hard Times

"All that I want
Is to wake up fine
Tell me that I'm alright
That I ain't gonna die
All that I want
Is a hole in the ground
You can tell me when it's alright
For me to come out"

4. The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Song: Sigma ft Birdy - Find Me

"If you're ready, heart is open
I'll be waiting, come find me
If you're certain for forever
I'll be waiting, come find me"

5. The Dreamhouse by Nicole Thorn
Song: Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft
"Let me in
I wanna be closer to you, let you under my skin
If I let you in
You gotta be careful with it
Let me tell you again, hey"

Do you know any of these songs and do you like them? Any other songs that match these books? Let me know!

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

2018-01-10T02:19:00.000-08:00

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Release date: November, 2011
Pages: 356
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long—at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right—and wrong—in the present.

My Review:
Don't you just love it when you are at the library and you come across a book you always wanted to read, but never had. When I came across The Future of Us I couldn't be any happier.

Emma and Josh are both great characters. Emma is 'ambitious', but was at times very frustrating. She wants her future to be so perfect that she kind of became obsessed with it. I did understood Emmas character. When you're 16 and read facebook updates, which gives you just a small peep in someones life and it doesn't fit with your goals right then and there you for sure want to change it. Josh was a very caring character and he always wanted to do what was right. A great friend to have.

The plot is great, very addicitve. When you start reading The Future of Us you just can't get enough and you want to read it in one sitting. I also love that it had short chapters! I'm a sucker for short chapters.

If you're like me and did not read this book when it was published years ago, you should go to your library and borrow it! It's really good!

Prism by Nina Walker

2018-01-05T05:54:00.000-08:00

Prism by Nina Walker
Release date: August, 2017
Pages: 338
Source: Received from Addison & Gray Press

My feelings:

Description:
What if color held the secrets to powerful magic?
Forced to move into the palace, Jessa begins training as a Color Alchemist under the direction of the kingdom's most eligible bachelor, Prince Lucas. As an alchemist, Jessa must capture and harness the color of living things. Every color has a unique purpose, except red. Red is the untapped magic no one can access—until Jessa.

Prince Lucas is running out of time. His mother is deathly ill and healing magic hasn’t worked. When Lucas suspects someone is using alchemy to control her, he sets out to discover the truth, no matter the cost.

My Review:
Doesn't the premise of Prism sound amazing? So, when I received the book I inmediatly started reading it.

Jessa is a interesting character. She's determined, has a passion for ballet and can't for the life figure out why she has this new power. I liked her, but while she was thinking about escaping she also thought a lot about her feelings for prince Lucas. Now, prince Lucas might be very dashing, but if you were locked up would you really think about kissing him? No, you wouldn't. I also didn't quite get the attraction to prince Lucas, a little bit of insta-love here.

The plot is nice. The mystery around the power is explained pretty well, no big mystery, and it might be just that in combination with the insta-love that I didn't really love the story. When the action kicked in, unfortunately near the end, it did got me hooked and excited.

Prism was entertaining, but something wasn't quite there to make me adore it.

January TBR | 2018

2018-01-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

There are some books that I really want and need to read in Janaury.
Need, because my library wants the book back!

There are times I want to read something totally different and I don't stick with my tbr pile. So, there might be books on this list that I want to read now, but might end up not reading. Whoops. But, I like making tbr lists, so here's my tbr for January:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate (Library), Flight Season by Marie Marquardt (e-book)

False Covenant by Ari Marmell
& my Chinese novel pick is: 去别处, Go outside.

The must read books are Eve & Adam and Flight Season.

Have you read any of these books? What's on your tbr?

Reading Goals & Challenges 2018

2018-01-01T03:45:00.003-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2018 will bring you everything you want and much more. I love making lists and checking everything off, so for 2018 besides making life goals I also made some bookish goals. In 2018 I want to:

1. Read more!
I'm aiming for about 50-75 books. So, my goodreads challenge for 2018 is going to be set on 60 books. How about that!

2. Read more Adult fiction novels.
I don't read enough Adult Fiction Novels. I have a little post about this personal challenge of mine.

3. Read more memoirs.
I actually want to read three; This is just my face: Try Not To Stare by Gabourey Sidibe, Binge by Tyler Oakley and In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park.

4. Read more Chinese novels.
I know, you probably thinking do you read Chinese? Well, yes. In 2016 I started to learn Mandarin and I absolutly loved it. Now, let me tell you I stopped in November 2017. The reason why? Well, I didn't have enough time. So my Chinese (Mandarin) has fallen behind and I'm super sad. I love to learn Mandarin, but without limited time there is so much I can do. I'am going to continue to learn, but I'm still working out how I'm going to do it. In 2017 I read 5 Chinese novels. I would like to read at least one Chinese novel per month. So that would mean that my aim is going to be 12 books in 2018, but I'm not that delusional. I won't be able to do that! I'm for sure! So, my aim is going to be 5 Chinese novels. The same as in 2017. I'll be making a seperate post for this goal. So, stay tuned.

5. Participate in challenges.
I have my own two personal book challenges, but I also will participate in the Author Love Challenge. I would also love to participate in Non fiction november, but we'll see.

6. Not request books, when you still have a pile of books to read!

7. Read more e-books.
On weekdays when I'm travelling to and from work I want to read on my kindle. I hate it when I read a paperback that the spine breaks or the book becomes terribly looking just from the ride. So, from Monday till friday on the train I will read e-books. At night I can pick up a physical book.

8. Finish some series!
I have so many unfinished series, that 2018 is going to be the year that I finish some or dnf some. There were some great first books in a series and I really want to continue those series.

Did you make any bookish goals for 2018? I adore reading goals, so tell me if you made any goals in the comment box and I will come and visit you!

Ringing in the New Year Book Tag.

2017-12-30T03:14:00.001-08:00

I found this fun tag on a blog called Adventures of a Book Addict!
It was done way back in 2015, but tags can be done every year, right?

Best book/series that you’ve read in 2017?
Not a very hard question to answer and I think that everyone who visits J'adore Happy Endings often will probably now this by heart now: Soul Seekers by Alyson Noel. Yes, I haven't finished this series yet, but I will in 2018. Just one more book to go! One more!

Authors that you’ve recently found and would like to read more of in the new year?
I would love to read more books written by Kari Luna, author of The Theory of Everything.

Most anticipated book turned movie?
I usually just watch the movie without reading the book first. But, I'm waiting to watch the movie Wonder. I really want to read the book first and then watch the movie. I heard way too many great things about it to not read the book.

Name a character that you wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss with at midnight (if there is one)
Well, usually I would have a whole list of swoon worthy characters. But, in 2017
there weren't many swoon worthy characters. Can I go with an book character from a book I read prior to 2017? No? Sorry!

What’s on your TBR for 2018? (Top 5 will suffice if it’s an extremely long list!)
Too much! Just check out my goodreads page. Next Wednesday I will post my tbr for January.

How many books do you hope to read in 2018?
I'm aiming to read 60 books. I would love to read more, but seriously if I hit 50, I'll be happy. 60 I'll be doing a happy dance.

Will you participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge (or any others)?
Yes, ofcourse! I love the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Any New Year’s Resolutions? (bookish and otherwise)
Yes, but they will be posted on Monday!

Reading Challenges 2018

2017-12-27T03:07:00.000-08:00

Personal Reading Challenge II Adult Novels 2018
Goal: 10 books
Read:
Status:
Runs: January 1st - December 31st 2018

Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong
What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons
The child finder by Rene Denfeld
The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
The book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Strange heart beating by Eli Goldstone
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Since we fell by Dennis Lehane
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (Series)
Do not become alarmed by Maile Meloy
Pretend we are lovely by Noley Reid
Shadow of the Lions by Christopher Swann

Personal Reading Challenge I - Already Gone
Goal: 8 books
Read:
Status:
Runs: January 1st - December 31st 2018

Year 2010
Ghost and the Goth, The by Stacey Kade (S)
John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

Year 2011
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (S)
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (S)
Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (S)
Magnolia League, The by Katie Crouch (S)
Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Author Love Challenge
Goal: 15 books
Read:
Status:
Runs: January 1st - December 31st 2018

Terry Pratchett books
Huntley Fitzpatrick books
Stacey Kramer books
Valerie Thomas books
Melissa Marr books

Reading Challenges Part Two

2017-12-23T08:25:00.002-08:00

Last Wednesday I posted about my personal reading challenges for 2018, so today I'm going to show you the reading challenge I'm going to participate in that is not my own.

The reading challenge is called Author Love Challenge.

The Author Love Challenge is hosted by because reading and it's all about reading more books by your favourite author. Simple, right? I can do that!

I can hear you asking, who are your favourite authors? Well, one of my favourite authors is Terry Pratchett. The Disc World series is one of my favourite series. I started reading the Disc World series when I was studying for my teachers degree. While waiting for my best friend to arrive I went inside a little bookstore and bought The Color of Magic. That day, on my way back home, I started to read it and fell in love with it.
I haven't finished reading all of the books in the series, but with this challenge I'm going to try!

I have a lot of favourite books, but from the list of authors who wrote them I haven't read any other book from. So, I'm going to try to read more books from these authors:

1. Huntley Fitzpatrick
My Life Next Door was one of my favourite contemporaries in 2012. I really want to read more books written by Fitzpatrick. I'm sure that I will love all of her books.

2. Stacey Kramer & 3. Valerie Thomas
From What I Remember is hands down one of my favourites! Ever! I love this book so much that I can't even believe that I only reread it once. I want to read more books by these authors.

4. Melissa Marr
I have a lot of favourite series, but I have the best memories reading the Wicked Lovely series. It's one of the series I read way, way back when I started this blog. Oh, the memories. I remember that I adored them so much that I binge read them all. These fae were awesome and quite scary. I NEED to read more books written by Melissa Marr.

I wanted to join one more, but I think I'm only going to participate in one. One is more than enough for me.

Are you joining any challenges?

Reading Challenges Part One

2017-12-20T01:42:00.000-08:00

So, in January I will let you all know my reading goals for 2018, but by making the list of goals I was thinking about reading challenges. I love reading challenges, I just suck with completing them. And you might think well, Nina, you never complete them, why participate in them again? Well, dear readers, because I like a challenge! And for once I would like to complete them. And I will. We need some positivity here, don't we! Let's all keep out fingers crossed that I will succeed in 2018. So, which reading challenges am I participating in? Two of my own personal reading challenges and two of others. Let us start with the personal ones.

I call it; Personal Reading Challenge I - Adult Novels 2018. I'm a big fan of Ink and Paper Blog. He always reads these fantastic novels and after watching his youtube videos I always end up with writing down titles of books I want to read. But, I never get to them. My goal is to read at least 10 adult novels, which sounds doable, right? I made a list of more then 10 books. I always want to have a back-up plan, incase the bookstore or library doesn't have the book or I might just need more because I end up achieving the goal of reading 10! Now, that my friends would be amazing.

The books:
Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong
What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons
The child finder by Rene Denfeld
The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
The book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Strange heart beating by Eli Goldstone
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Since we fell by Dennis Lehane
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (Series)
Do not become alarmed by Maile Meloy
Pretend we are lovely by Noley Reid
Shadow of the Lions by Christopher Swann

The second personal challenge is; Personal Reading Challenge II - Already Gone. In 2013 I made my own Personal Reading Challenge. I wanted to read books that were published in 2010 and 2011. In 2017 I still haven't completed my own challenge. The list is almost identical to the old one, but I read a couple of them and some of the books I have no desire in to reading them now I crossed off.

These are the books published in 2010 and 2011 that I really want to read:

Year 2010
Ghost and the Goth, The by Stacey Kade (S)
John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

Year 2011
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (S)
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (S)
Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (S)
Magnolia League, The by Katie Crouch (S)
Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel (S)
S means first book in a series.

Part two will be up very soon! Have you read any of the books that I want to read?

Interview with...

2017-12-16T01:48:00.000-08:00

The Grinch decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville. The Grinch, joined by his dog, Max, comes down from his mountaintop home and sneaks into town to swipe everything holiday-related from the Whos. Choose two bookcharacters who can stop the evil plans of the Grinch.

We need some happy characters who can stop the Grinch. Happy characters, now that's quite hard! I literally can't think of a character who is always happy and cheery. But, who in real life is? And when a character is always happy and cheery, I'm sure that she/he is hiding something. A horrible secret. Some skeletons in the closet?

Focus Nina, focus! How about Evie from the Paranormalcy series. She's brave, smart and is a total badass! I think that Evie can totally kick some green ass. She is super funny and can totally change a gloomy situation into a happy one.

Paloma! Yes, I would send the grandmother of Daire from Fated to stop the Grinch. She is such a wise woman, has always the best advice and always want the best for everyone, now she would make a great character to send. She probably would sit down with the Grinch, give him cookies and some milk and let him talk about his feelings. Now, that my friends would save Christmas.

Which two book characters would you send?

Heir Ascendant by Matthew S.Cox

2017-12-13T02:13:00.002-08:00

Heir Ascendant by Matthew S.Cox
Release date: October, 2017
Pages: 300
Source: Received from Curiosity Quills Press

My feelings:

Description:
Maya Oman is the daughter of the woman who controls what's left of civilization, the CEO of Ascendant Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Her smile is as ubiquitous as air, selling everything from vital medicine to vanity drugs with risky side effects. Lifelike android clones reside in over a dozen homes, shielding her from the violent resentment of a population straining under her mother's boot heel.
Ascendant's power comes from Xenodril, a drug capable of reversing the effects of Fade, a disease some claim came from aliens or from the governments that predate the war. Only Ascendant sells it, and at a price only Citizens can afford. The rest are left to die.

Maya's earliest memories are of living alone in a penthouse apartment, desperate for the attention of a mother who never visits. Forbidden to go out except to record advertising video, her only friend has been the 'net. When she is taken for ransom by a group of mercenaries with nothing left to lose, she discovers her life may not be what she thought it was--or wants

My Review:
Usually I read books in one to three days, but it took me two weeks to finish Heir Ascendant. Two freaking weeks! Not because it was bad, but because I had a hard time getting into it.

Maya is a very smart nine year old who gets kidnapped. Maya is very strong, knows a lot of information about her mothers company and the society she's living in. She's also very determined to find her mother. I liked Maya, but why oh why did the author made the main character nine years old? She was way too smart for a nine year old and that made the story quite unbelievable. So, to read further I made her older in my mind. I just couldn't picture a nine year old doing all the things Maya did in the story.

The plot was interesting. It did take me a few tries to really get into, but when I finally did it was good. There was a lot going on, but the 'adventure' Maya is undertaking to find her mother was very entertaining to read. I wanted someone to hug her and say that everything was going to be alright and I was super happy that some characters on her journey weren't all evil.

Heir Ascendant was entertaining to read and it made me want to add more books in this genre to my want to read list. That's always a good thing.
If you need a nice adventure story set in a dystopian world, you should read Heir Ascendant.

Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017.

2017-12-12T01:37:00.000-08:00

The Broke and the Bookish created this weekly feature where bloggers/readers can post their top ten list.

This year I haven't read a lot of books, but I did read some books that stood out for me. So I'm going to do a little twist to this topic. I'm going to show you ten books I love, some of them were read in 2017 and some in previous years.

Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner
From What I Remember by Stacey Kramer & Valerie Thomas

Do I really need to explain why I love both of these books? If you've been checking out different posts on this blog, you already know my love for these books.

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

When I started to read more contemporary stories, these two were the first ones to be read by me & I absolutly adored them. I think with these books my love for contemporary started.

Fated by Alyson Noel

The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna

The Devouring by Simon Holt

Strange Angels by Lili St.Crow

Strange Angels is one of my favourite paranormal series and when I think of my favourite scary read I always mention The Devouring, so good.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

After reading Throne of Glass I immediately bought the other four books on Kindle and binge read them. Another one of my favourite series. I really enjoyed reading them. Arcana Chronicles is another five star series for me!

Hidden by Sophie Jordan

2017-12-09T03:01:00.000-08:00

Hidden by Sophie Jordan
Release date: September, 2011
Pages: 260
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.
The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

My Review:
A long, long time ago I really enjoyed reading Firelight and Vanish, so when I saw Hidden on the bookshelves in my new favourite place, the library, I had to borrow it.

Jacinda is more confident than in the first two books, she is also love smitten and knows what she wants. I still like Jacinda, but how could she think about kissing and holding hands with Will while being on the run? There are people after you that want to kill you, but Jacinda is only thinking about Will. What the heck? No!

Near the end the action kicked in and it was fast-paced. Now, THAT I liked!

Hidden was a nice end to the trilogy. It wasn't mindblowing, crazy epic, need to talk about it with everyone (including people who haven't started the series), just a nice end.

The Firelight series:
Firelight
Vanish
Hidden

Echo by Alyson Noel

2017-12-04T04:44:00.000-08:00

Echo by Alyson Noel
Release date: November, 2012
Pages: 396
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
There's still so much Daire Santos has to learn about being the last Soul Seeker….and about herself. As her magical training becomes more intense, so does her relationship with Dace. But when she learns that his connection to the evil Richter family goes far deeper than she ever imagined, she begins to question if love really can conquer all.
Dace is painfully aware that he wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Richters' dark magic—and now his brother Cade is determined to use his love for Daire against him. Dace is willing to sacrifice anything to protect the girl he loves —including his own life. But will Daire allow it? And what if defeating Cade costs not only his life, but his soul too?

My Review:
In my review for Fated I said that I would tell you if I found my new favourite series and I think I have. Echo started out just as fantastic as Fated and then the ending came and it blew my mind! It was MIND BLOWING EPIC!

Daire is still learning about her gifts and powers. I still love reading about how she is learning to deal with her powers and how to control them. I do have to mention Daire is a very first learner, she gets everything right the first time. Sometimes a bit unbelievable.

Echo is written in dual character point of view and I loved it. We get to know not only Dace much better, but also his mother.

The plot is very intense and when the action kicks in, it kicks in so well! The ending is a cliffhanger that makes you want to run to the nearest bookstore and get the third book. I'm super excited to tell you that my library had book three aswell, so I will start reading it very, very soon!

Goodbye NOVEMBER & Hello to DECEMBER 2017

2017-11-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

Goodbye NOVEMBER 2017:

Books read this month:

Fated by Alyson Noel 5/5
My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros 4/5
The Dreamhouse by Nicole Thorn 4/5
Any Way You Slice It by Kristine Carlson Asselin 4/5
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira 2/5
45 pounds by K.A. Barson 4/5

Currently reading:
Heir Ascendant by Matthew S.Cox (55% in and so far, so good.
Echo by Alyson Noel (Will finish it tonight!)

My thoughts for NOVEMBER:
November has gone by too quickly. I really thought I didn't had much time to
read, but my trainrides to and from work were mostly spend reading. So yay for
trainrides!

This month I read six books, which is amazing! My favourite book of the month is Fated by Alyson Noel. I loved the characters, the plot was interesting and solid and the descriptions were beautiful.

Almost every teacher had the flu or had the cold, including me! Last week I lost my voice, but I still went to work and almost couldn't talk. Fun! My voice is getting better, thank you honey and tea. Always works for me. That and rest.

Hello DECEMBER 2017

Books to read this month:
Saturday I'm going to the library and I'm just going to browse and pick some
books up that I really want to read in December.
I do have these on the shelves that I still need to read:
Wake by Amanda Hocking
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

My thoughts for DECEMBER:
Next week, 5 december, we're going to celebrate Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas). It's going to be a hectic week. My students have to buy eachother presents and write a poem. I'm looking forward to their poems. I hope they create something beautiful.

Then when that's over, we need to decorate our classroom for Christmas. I do look forward to Sinterklaas, Christmas and just some vacationdays! Yes!

Did you have a great reading month?

Fated by Alyson Noel

2017-11-27T04:04:00.002-08:00

Fated by Alyson Noel
Release date: May, 2012
Pages: 352
Source: Borrowed

My feelings:

Description:
Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.
There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

My Review:
Have I just found my new favourite series? Well, the second book Echo is going to be read next and then I will let you know. But, for now can I just tell you Fated is awesome!

I absolutley love Fated. The characters are great, well developed and have depth to them. Daire is caring, strong, hardworking character. I love that Daire never gave up and stood her ground. Daires grandmother was another great character. She was so sweet and a bit mysterious. You could really tell she adored her granddaughter.

There was a little bit of romance in the book, but it wasn't dominant. The plot is more about Daire finding out who she really is, what she can and should do. Everything was so well and beautiful described. I really felt like I was in this little town called Enchantment.

I could not get enough of the story and I admit I did a happy dance when my library had Echo, book number 2, on the shelves. I recommend Fated to everyone who needs a good paranormal story!