S.I. Mathews

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 05:10:00 +0000

This blog has moved to simathews.wordpress.com.

[Review] Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 18:42:00 +0000

From Goodreads:
Can a text message destroy your life?

Carver Briggs never thought a simple text would cause a fatal crash, killing his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, there could be a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Then Blake’s grandmother asks Carver to remember her grandson with a ‘goodbye day’ together. Carver has his misgivings, but he starts to help the families of his lost friends grieve with their own memorial days, along with Eli’s bereaved girlfriend Jesmyn. But not everyone is willing to forgive. Carver’s own despair and guilt threatens to pull him under into panic and anxiety as he faces punishment for his terrible mistake. Can the goodbye days really help?

When I read a contemporary YA novel, I usually go into it with mild expectations because contemporary is such a broad category, and each book can be completely different from the next. If anyone follows me on Twitter or Goodreads, you probably saw me freakout over Jeff Zentner's debut novel The Serpent King. It was set near my hometown in Tennessee (with a few mentions of my hometown, no less), and it was hopeful, tragic, atmospheric, and I loved every minute of it. It also made me cry, which is a feat for any book to accomplish. It easily became one of my favorite contemporary YA novels of all time.

So when Stefani of Caught Read Handed sent out a general invitation to join an ARC tour for Zentner's next book, Goodbye Days, on her Twitter (thank you Stefani!!!), I jumped at the chance to read it. Like TSK, Goodbye Days is set in Tennessee and sounded even more tragic. Now knowing the quality of Zenter's writing and storytelling abilities, I knew that even if it didn't reach instant-favorite level, it would still be a good read.

But Zentner delivered again. I honestly don't know which book of his two I prefer more. Goodbye Days didn't make me cry, though it came close, and it book spoke to me in a different way than TSK. The Serpent King had a distinct, almost claustrophobic atmosphere made up of small-town life, the weight of hopes and dreams, the potential to live beyond the life we are born into, and senseless loss. All of those factors made the otherwise completely realistic story feel ethereal at times.

Goodbye Days differs in that there is no hazy distance between you and the stark reality of the tragedy in the book. The reality of heavy emotions starts on page one and never lets up. While grief and loss fill each chapter, Zentner also skillfully layers in laughter and hope. As we follow Carver through his coping, and not coping, with the loss of his best friends, we get to see flashbacks of him with the boys. Those moments were electric and alive, and even more than that, they were raw and mesmerizing in their simplicity and joy.

Just like in The Serpent King, Zentner's writing feels effortless but makes an impact. I flagged several lines in the text, many feeling like gut punches. The dialogue is on-point, and I loved how he integrated the setting of Nashville into the story. One of my favorite things about this book is how well Zentner represents what grief, anxiety, and panic attacks can feel like. Some of Carver's thoughts felt like they were pulled out of my own head, and his experience with panic attacks mirrored my own. Zentner also shows that getting professional help for mental issues can be helpful and useful, not stupid and pointless like a lot of YA books posit, and I'm glad Zentner included this purely positive representation.

When it came to the characters, I felt like I could relate to almost every one of them in some way or another. I highly identified with Carver and his struggles with mental health in the face of grief. All of the main characters and many of the side characters felt fully formed. The only exception for me was Jesmyn because she just didn't stick with me the way all the others did. Carver was definitely the closest to my heart, but my favorite character was his sister, Georgia. Some of her lines were laugh-out-loud worthy, and I loved her fierce love for her family and her confidence and wisdom. She is who I wish I was back when I was in college.

The only slight drawback of the book was a subplot revolving around Carver and Jesmyn. It wasn't bad, I just didn't feel that it fit perfectly into the story, and the resolution of it wasn't as satisfying as the emotional journey Carver experiences with the other characters and with himself. But due to the many, many wonderful lines and feelings-inducing scenes, this was just a blip in an overall amazing story.

My words do barely any justice in describing the experience of reading Goodbye Days. I can't express how much this book made me feel, and I'm not a re-reader, but I'll be picking this up again and again because it is that wonderful. Goodbye Days is an experience unto itself, and despite it being all about tragedy and grief, the ultimate feeling of hope and recovery make every potential tear worth it.

Obvi-ACE-ly

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 04:36:00 +0000

If you've read any number of young adult books, it comes as no surprise to find that there is often some kind of romantic plot/subplot within the text. Since I write YA books, there is some expectation of that in my stories as well. I plan to have (at least) one in my current project. I have my main character, A, and she is eventually going to wind up with boy Z.

Already I've got several little scenes of them falling for each other, but the more I thought about them riding off together at the end of the series, the more my gut was telling me something was off. I didn't question if they would remain together (they definitely will), but I couldn't see what their lives would be like at all.

I'm not one of those authors who knows the entire future of my characters post-book. I don't really feel a need to know, but I do need whatever conclusion I give them in the book to feel right, to feel true. When I started digging through my own brain, I realized the problem I was having with A and Z wasn't what was missing after the action of the books, but what was missing within the books.

I've never pictured A and Z kissing.

When I figured that out, other things became clear to me. They prefer to be touching if they can be, and hugging is their favorite. The love to laugh and banter, they help each other through trauma and pain, and by the end of the series they are deeply in love.

So why no kissing?

And then it was like a lightening bolt struck me on the head: A and Z are asexual. Everything fell into place when I used this word to describe them.

In case you don't know, I am gray-sexual or gray-ace, which is under the umbrella of asexuality. (If you want more detailed info on what all of that means, click HERE.) But it had never, not once, occurred to me that my main character and her final love interest could possibly be ace. I'd considered it with other characters, but not them.

I had been taking the sexuality (implied or explicit) found in the majority of YA love stories and applying it to A and Z, expecting them to fall in line. But why should they?

It seems like such an easy and obvious conclusion to come to, considering I'm ace myself, but it took me a while. I'm glad my characters, or my inner ace, put up enough fuss to show me where I was going wrong with A and Z's love story.

Hopefully I'll get to share them, in all their ace glory, with you eventually.

For more information on asexuality, please visit

The Asexual Visibility and Education Network.

In the Shadow of Doubt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 01:57:00 +0000

I don't know anyone who isn't touched by the political and social turmoil going on in the country right now. For me, the disappointment and anger at the election, the subsequent awful things happening within our government, and the continual worry that marginalized people are not going to be protected have weighed heavy in my mind for months.

I've tried to be proactive about my worry: protesting, making calls and writing letters to my representatives, joining organizations that help marginalized people, donating when I can, being present at events to show support to people who need it.

The work of pushing back at all the bad I see is not that exhausting because being with other people who are also working to those ends is encouraging and invigorating (being an ambivert does have its advantages). But the worry, the mental strain, and the necessary constant vigilance is like air drying out clay, making me brittle and crumbly all around (shout out to Mad Eye Moody - no wonder he was a little cracked). All of this is in addition to my personal life, which has seen its fair share of extra stress lately. I already deal with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression, and the combined strain of everything near and far is making it difficult to keep it (me) together.

So how in the world am I supposed to write? This is a question I've seen many writers struggling with. And like many, I am in a valley, not on a mountaintop, when it comes to my relationship with writing. Which leads me to a scarier question:

Am I cut out to be a writer at all?

This valley that I mentioned, I feel like I've been in it for a while. If you name a method of writing, of ways to get words on the page, I've tried it. Nothing, literally not one of them, has stuck. Even in days of less stress and worry, I'm terrible about actually doing the work. Maybe it's just that my life and my brain are too scattered and messy for anything resembling discipline, plans, and good habits.

Or maybe...maybe I just can't hack it.

Maybe I'm not supposed to be a writer.

And that, my friends, is a terrible thought. If I'm not supposed to be a writer, why do I have stories and characters and scenes filling my brain when they get a chance? I may not have a great process that helps me fill blank pages, but planning what I'm going to write and creating characters and settings and plot lines is something I do all the time.

So I don't think I could ever stop being a writer, even if I tried to quit. Knowing that is nice, but it doesn't help me with my main problem: the physical act of writing, specifically, finishing a novel. It is quite possible that I'm not cut out to write novels. It is a lot, a lot, a lot of work, and as I said before, my life and brain are not wired to do anything that requires good habits and personal discipline. But I still love doing it, even if I'm not great at getting it done.

When I dug deeper, I realized I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to conform to this idea that I have of what being a writer is, and that by not living up to that imagined standard, I've opened up this floodgate of guilt and doubt. I've structured my life in such a way that the things that I believe need doing, for both the wider world and the people in my life, should take the top priority, not writing.

But if writing isn't my most important thing, does that mean it is just my hobby? Does that mean I don't take it seriously enough? Does that mean that because I don't treat writing like a job, I won't ever "make it" (whatever that means to me)?

These questions bothered me until I removed the self-imposed pressure. And once removed, the answer I discovered was: Who cares! So what if my writing looks like just a hobby on the outside; I know I take it seriously, even if I can't devote as much time to it as I wish I could. I also know that I'd rather my novel take me way longer to complete than to give it up all together.

So I've decided to stop pressuring myself to be the kind of writer that I am not and to stop feeling guilty when things aren't happening as quickly as I would like them to. I know what kind of outcome I would like to see when I finish my novel, and I've set goals for myself, but I have also made peace with the fact that this valley may be all I experience for a while.

I've decided to enjoy the journey instead of fretting about when it will end. I will do what I set out to accomplish, even if it takes longer than my doubt tells me it should.

Doubting myself is okay, but I won't allow my doubts to tell me who or what I am.

I am a writer, one thought, one word, at a time.

Reading Challenge Update [July-August 2016]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 03:08:00 +0000

Moving right along! I'm almost at my goal for my GoodReads challenge, but I've got some catching up to do on the others. ^_^

These Months: 26 books
Total: 73/80

The Books:

July
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1) by Douglas Adams

These Months: 2 books

Total: 14/40

The Categories/Books:

July

a book recommended by someone you just met: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

August

a book from the library: Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann

These Months: 11 TBR books

Total: 21/30

The Books:

July

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1) by Douglas Adams

14 (Taylor Jackson #2) by J.T. Ellison

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles #7) by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson
What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (The Bane Chronicles #8) by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan
The Last Stand of the New York Institute (The Bane Chronicles #9) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
The Course of True Love (The Bane Chronicles #10) by Cassandra Clare
The Voicemail of Magnus Bane (The Bane Chronicles #11) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
August
Seraphina (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman
Before the Fall: Arrival (Embassy Row #0.5) by Ally Carter
Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

These Months: 1 book

Total: 2/12

The Categories/Books:

July
a book you've already read at least once:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1) by Douglas Adams

ANDROMEDA by Meg Trotter REVIEW TOUR!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 02:38:00 +0000

Now available! Buy the ebook of ANDROMEDA for $2.99 HERE!

Title: Andromeda ~~ Author: Meg Trotter

Series: God-Haunted ~~ Release Date: 07/12/2016

Source: publicist

FTC Disclosure: I accepted this review copy free of charge and received no compensation for my fair and honest review.

From Goodreads:

For as long as she can remember, seventeen-year-old Princess Andromeda has done what was expected of her. She consented to a political marriage to a hateful older man. She became a quiet, obedient housewife. After her husband’s death, she agreed to be united in yet another political marriage for the sake of her country’s stability.

However, when the Greek goddess of the sea disrupts this second wedding ceremony, jealous of the pomp of the celebration, she places a curse on Andromeda and her home: either sacrifice the princess to a sea beast or let the creature destroy her country. A visit to the Oracle reveals that Andromeda needs four ancient weapons of the Greek gods to fight off the beast and the goddess who controls it.

Now Andromeda must find the strength and the cunning to do what she has never done before — to fight for her own life — while keeping the well-meaning “hero” Perseus out of her way.

PREFACE:

I am extremely excited to be writing this review. If you've been around this blog for a while, you've seen many mentions of my bestie Meg of Myth-illogical. This is her book! Yay! I'm so glad to be able to share with you all my love of this book. I've loved it for years, but next month (NOW! IT'S OUT NOW!) it will finally be available for all to read. Meg isn't my friend that just happened to write a book - she is a (great!) writer that became my friend (we met at a creative writing group of which we two were the youngest and instantly bonded over our love of Harry Potter and love/hate of Twilight).

So let's get to the business where I tell you how awesome Andromeda is!

WRITING:

From the get-go, information, description, dialogue, and voice are all balanced to paint a vivid picture of every scene. It felt like I had a movie playing in my head, a movie that was funny, interesting, and exciting. No dialogue or description felt extraneous, I felt the tension of the action scenes, and I simply did not want to put it down (and considering I had read many previous versions, that's saying something!).

SETTING:

There is a lot of YA involving Greek mythology out there, but I've not come across many that are set in the original time period, probably because it's hard to get right. I know how much research went in to this novel because of this, and it was 100% worth it. I was blown away by how easily I could imagine every place.

A lot of the time, setting is something that is just in the background that I don't pay much attention to, but in Andromeda the settings almost felt alive. As I mentioned before, the amount of description was just right and made me feel like I was right there with the characters. I have a hard time picking which setting was my favorite, but it's probably between the Underworld, Medusa's island, Delphi. I also loved the scenes at the Parthenon, but I've been to the replica Parthenon in Nashville many times so I feel like it has an unfair advantage.

CHARACTERS:

Speaking of characters, I love this cast so much. Andromeda is right at the top of favorite YA heroines for me. She is stuck in a terrible situation, and once she breaks free of it, she does absolutely everything in her power to keep that freedom. She refuses to wait around on the "heroes" to save or help her. I loved every moment when she gave a man what-for because she wasn't being proper, pointing out that she had bigger things to worry about than proprieties. And while being a grade-A bad-ass, she is also caring and compassionate.

Perseus is a character made of more quiet strength than Andromeda. He tries to do what is right, is respectful and sensitive, but when someone he cares for is hurt, watch out! I loved how ready he was to jump into any fray and how, despite being doubted by everyone around him, rose to each occasion. I loved that he was both physically and morally strong without being a macho-tough-guy.

Zeth was probably the most surprising character for me. He comes across as typical of the time-period, valuing heroes and dismissive of anything a woman could offer on something like a dangerous quest. He's also a poet and his attempts at recording the trio's adventures were hilarious and so very wrong. I loved his buddy relationship with Perseus and how he and Andromeda bickered every chance they got. He also had the most growth of the characters, and that was really nice to see.

The villain of the story, Amphitrite, is a little on the typical side for a bad guy, but considering she is a Greek goddess, she was right on par for what you'd expect of that lot. But my favorite thing about her was her physical description, which sounds weird, but it was one of the coolest ways to present a character that I've ever seen and I loved it.

Beyond the main cast, all of the other characters felt fully-formed, from Andromeda's friends and family to the various gods and goddesses and monsters. But there is one other character that I can't go without mentioning because my love for him knows no bounds: Hades. He only has a very small part in this story, but from my very first glimpse of this novel, I have loved Hades. I've literally been saying I HEART HADES for years because of this book. I cannot wait to read more of his snarky wit in future novels.

DOWNSIDE:

The only minor thing I found while reading this is that Andromeda gets hurt. A lot. Granted, a lot of the injuries happen while she is fighting or something like that, but she's also very jumpy. Thinking a bit more on it now, it could be because of her life with her first husband, which if so, is really sad and further goes to show how strong she is.

COOL STUFF:

Beyond Hades being the coolest of the cool, I absolutely loved every little wink to Greek mythology, especially when the characters would say something off-hand that referenced the original Perseus myth. Between that, the humor, and the many well-thought out actions scenes, I was giddy while reading this book. It was just so much fun while still being surprising in how it differed from the source material.

VERDICT:

If you couldn't tell by my gushing all over this review, I love this book. The great writing, fantastic settings, action aplenty, and fun twists make this a book not to miss. Andromeda is the epitome of an amazing heroine, being cunning, kind, and feisty simultaneously, and the dynamics between her, Perseus, and Zeth make them a trio I want to adventure with again and again and again.

Reading Challenge Update [February - June 2016]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 03:07:00 +0000

I got a little preoccupied with life and forgot to post my reading updates. I feel like I haven't read all that much, but somehow, I'm still on track with my overall goal for the year. The other challenges . . . not so much.

GoodReads Reading Challenge

These Months: 38 books
Total: 47/80

The Books:
February

Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

The One-of-a-Kind Cat Book by Ciye Cho

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
March

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co #1) by Jonathan Stroud

What's the Opposite? (The Hueys) by Oliver Jeffers

The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co #2) by Jonathan Stroud
The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith
The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium #2) by Stieg Larsson
April
When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware #1) by Jonathan Kellerman
Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles #4.5) by Marissa Meyer
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium #3) by Stieg Larsson
Blood Test (Alex Delaware #2) by Jonathan Kellerman
Over the Edge (Alex Delaware #3) by Jonathan Kellerman
Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Silent Partner (Alex Delaware #4) by Jonathan Kellerman
Time Bomb (Alex Delaware #5) by Jonathan Kellerman
Private Eyes (Alex Delaware #6) by Jonathan Kellerman
May
Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare
Devil's Waltz (Alex Delaware #7) by Jonathan Kellerman
Sandry's Book (Circle of Magic #1) by Tamora Pierce
All the Pretty Girls (Taylor Jackson #1) by J.T. Ellison
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
Tris's Book (Circle of Magic #2) by Tamora Pierce
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
June
Andromeda (The God-Haunted Saga #1) by Meg Trotter
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright
That's Not My Penguin... by Fiona Watt
That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt
The Future Collection: Science Fiction Short Stories by Beth Revis
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Daja's Book (Circle of Magic #3) by Tamora Pierce
Where's My Nose? by Susan Ring
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

These Months: 6
Total: 12/40

The Categories/Books:
February
a book written by a celebrity: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
a book written by a comedian: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
March
a book translated into English: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium #2) by Stieg Larsson
a New York Times bestseller: The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith
April
a book set in your home state (Tennessee): The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
June
a book that is under 150 pages: The Future Collection: Science Fiction Short Stories by Beth Revis

These Months: 7 TBR Books
Total: 10/30

The Books:
February
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt
March

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co #1) by Jonathan Stroud

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith
The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium #2) by Stieg Larsson
April
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium #3) by Stieg Larsson
June
The Future Collection: Science Fiction Short Stories by Beth Revis

These Months: 0
Total: 1/12

Andromeda (God-Haunted #1) by Meg Trotter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 16:30:00 +0000

Title: Andromeda ~~ Author: Meg Trotter

Series: God-Haunted ~~ Release Date: 07/12/2016

Source: publicist

FTC Disclosure: I accepted this review copy free of charge and received no compensation for my fair and honest review.

From Goodreads:

For as long as she can remember, seventeen-year-old Princess Andromeda has done what was expected of her. She consented to a political marriage to a hateful older man. She became a quiet, obedient housewife. After her husband’s death, she agreed to be united in yet another political marriage for the sake of her country’s stability.

However, when the Greek goddess of the sea disrupts this second wedding ceremony, jealous of the pomp of the celebration, she places a curse on Andromeda and her home: either sacrifice the princess to a sea beast or let the creature destroy her country. A visit to the Oracle reveals that Andromeda needs four ancient weapons of the Greek gods to fight off the beast and the goddess who controls it.

Now Andromeda must find the strength and the cunning to do what she has never done before — to fight for her own life — while keeping the well-meaning “hero” Perseus out of her way.

PREFACE:

I am extremely excited to be writing this review. If you've been around this blog for a while, you've seen many mentions of my bestie Meg of Myth-illogical. This is her book! Yay! I'm so glad to be able to share with you all my love of this book. I've loved it for years, but next month it will finally be available for all to read. Meg isn't my friend that just happened to write a book - she is a (great!) writer that became my friend (we met at a creative writing group of which we two were the youngest and instantly bonded over our love of Harry Potter and love/hate of Twilight).

So let's get to the business where I tell you how awesome Andromeda is!

WRITING:

SETTING:

A lot of the time, setting is something that is just in the background that I don't pay much attention to, but in Andromeda the settings almost felt alive. As I mentioned before, the amount of description was just right and made me feel like I was right there with the characters. I have a hard time picking which setting was my favorite, but it's probably between the Underworld, Medusa's island, Delphi. I also loved the scenes at the Parthenon, but I've been to the replica Parthenon in Nashville many times so I feel like it has an unfair advantage.

CHARACTERS:

The villain of the story, Amphitrite, is a little on the typical side for a bad guy, but considering she is a Greek goddess, she was right on par for what you'd expect of that lot. But my favorite thing about her was her physical description, which sounds weird, but it was one of the coolest ways to present a character that I've ever seen and I loved it.

DOWNSIDE:

COOL STUFF:

VERDICT:

Reading Challenge Update [January 2016]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 20:51:00 +0000

Another year, another set of reading challenges! I'm doing four this year: Goodreads Reading Challenge, my own TBR Take-Down, the Popsugar Reading Challenge, and Modern Mrs. Darcy's Reading Challenge. Thankfully Popsugar's challenge is forty books instead of fifty this year, so that's helpful, and I'll be trying to read books that can apply to multiple lists. Here's to another year of books!

This Month: 9 books

The Books:

The Guild (The Guild #1) by Felicia Day, Jim Rugg and Dan Jackson

A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren

Go the F--k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

T-Rex Trying by Hugh Murphy

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

This Month: 6 books

Total: 6/40

The Categories/Books:

a YA bestseller: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

a self-improvement book: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

a book you can finish in a day: T-Rex Trying by Hugh Murphy

a political memoir: A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren

a graphic novel: The Guild (The Guild #1) by Felicia Day, Jim Rugg and Dan Jackson

a book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

This Month: 3 TBR books

Total: 3/30

The Books:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

This Month: 1 book

Total: 1/12

The Categories/Books:

a book you can finish in a day: T-Rex Trying by Hugh Murphy

2015 Reading Challenge Summary: Goodreads Reading Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 03:59:00 +0000

Challenge: Read 75 Books

Total: 90

Status: Completed

The Books:

Shalena's bookshelf: read-2015

The Prince of Mist

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

tagged:
read-2015, ya, historical, from-library, magic, pub-before-2010, pa...

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

by Maggie Stiefvater

tagged:
ya, ghosts, creatures, from-library, historical-elements, immortals...

Emerald Green

by Kerstin Gier

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, ya, fun, ghosts, historical-elements, magi...

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

by Stephanie Perkins

tagged:
from-library, ya, fun, read-2015, pub-2014, new-adult, and short-st...

The Midnight Palace

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

tagged:
read-2015, ya, from-library, creatures, ghosts, historical, gothic,...

Paper Valentine

by Brenna Yovanoff

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, ghosts, ya, mystery, own, pub-2013, parano...

The Watcher in the Shadows

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, creatures, ya, gothic, historical, magic, ...

Anatomy of a Misfit

by Andrea Portes

tagged:
contemporary, read-2015, from-library, ya, pub-2014, tough-subjects...

Sinner

by Maggie Stiefvater

tagged:
read-2015, paranormal, from-library, ya, pub-2014, series, shifters...

Allegiant

by Veronica Roth

tagged:
read-2015, dystopian, from-library, ya, futuristic, own, pub-2013, ...

Rebel Belle

by Rachel Hawkins

tagged:
read-2015, fun, from-library, ya, historical-elements, magic, pub-2...

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

tagged:
read-2015, adult, adult-ya-crossover, boarding-school, classic, fav...

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by J.K. Rowling

tagged:
read-2015, creatures, fantasy, ya, fun, historical-elements, magic,...

Quidditch Through the Ages

by Kennilworthy Whisp

tagged:
read-2015, fantasy, ya, historical-elements, mg, magic, own, pub-be...

The Tempest

by William Shakespeare

tagged:
read-2015, classic, mythology, magic, own, supernatural, witches, p...

Certain Girls

by Jennifer Weiner

tagged:
read-2015, adult, adult-ya-crossover, ya, contemporary, pub-before-...

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

by Erik Larson

tagged:
historical, read-2015, non-fiction, from-library, own, and pub-2011

Warm Bodies

by Isaac Marion

tagged:
read-2015, adult-ya-crossover, from-library, fun, futuristic, ya, n...

The School for Good and Evil

by Soman Chainani

tagged:
read-2015, creatures, boarding-school, ya, fairy-tale, fantasy, fey...

The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath

tagged:
read-2015, adult-ya-crossover, ya, adult, classic, favorites, from-...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

by Neil Gaiman

tagged:
read-2015, adult-ya-crossover, fairy-tale, creatures, fantasy, horr...

Brown Girl Dreaming

by Jacqueline Woodson

tagged:
read-2015, ya, from-library, mg, non-fiction, travel, historical-el...

Through the Woods

by Emily Carroll

tagged:
read-2015, adult-ya-crossover, adult, ya, creatures, fantasy, fairy...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, adult-ya-crossover, favorites, from-li...

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

by A.S. King

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, contemporary-with-a-twist, ya, historical-...

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

by Isabel Quintero

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, contemporary, ya, pub-2014, tough-subjects...

Columbine

by Dave Cullen

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, non-fiction, favorites, tough-subjects, pu...

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

by Tom Franklin

tagged:
read-2015, adult-ya-crossover, adult, contemporary, mystery, pub-be...

Wanderlove

by Kirsten Hubbard

tagged:
read-2015, ya, diverse-characters, contemporary, from-library, fun,...

Belzhar

by Meg Wolitzer

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, boarding-school, from-library, contemp...

Impulse

by Ellen Hopkins

tagged:
read-2015, boarding-school, ya, from-library, own, pub-before-2010,...

A World Without Princes

by Soman Chainani

tagged:
read-2015, ya, boarding-school, fairy-tale, fantasy, from-library, ...

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

by Becky Albertalli

tagged:
read-2015, diverse-characters, ya, contemporary, favorites, from-li...

Faking Normal

by Courtney C. Stevens

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, contemporary, own, religion-spirituality, ...

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

tagged:
contemporary, ya, diverse-characters, lgbtq, read-2015, from-librar...

Bellweather Rhapsody

by Kate Racculia

tagged:
read-2015, ya, adult, adult-ya-crossover, contemporary, diverse-cha...

Dancing Barefoot

by Wil Wheaton

tagged:
read-2015, short-stories, non-fiction, memoir, pub-before-2010, wri...

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

tagged:
read-2015, mystery, contemporary, adult, scribd, thriller, and pub-...

Haunted

by Meg Cabot

tagged:
read-2015, fun, ghosts, ya, mystery, paranormal, pub-before-2010, s...

How to Write Fiction Without the Fuss

by Lucy McCarraher

tagged:
read-2015, pub-2013, reference, scribd, and writing

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

by Susanna Clarke

tagged:
adult, read-2015, alternate-universe, fey-faeries-fairies, from-lib...

Halloween Rain

by Christopher Golden

tagged:
read-2015, ya, angels-demons, creatures, fun, magic, own, paranorma...

The Goldfinch

by Donna Tartt

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, adult-ya-crossover, adult, from-library, h...

Mosquitoland

by David Arnold

tagged:
read-2015, ya, contemporary, diverse-characters, from-library, toug...

Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, own, pub-before-2010, ya, contemporary, an...

Twilight

by Meg Cabot

tagged:
read-2015, fun, ya, favorites, ghosts, historical-elements, mystery...

Foundation

by Isaac Asimov

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, futuristic, classic, own, pub-before-2010,...

A Long Fatal Love Chase

by Louisa May Alcott

tagged:
classic, read-2015, historical, own, pub-before-2010, religion-spir...

4 to 16 Characters

by Kelly Hourihan

tagged:
ya, read-2015, contemporary, netgalley, pub-2013, tough-subjects, a...

Wuthering Heights

by Emily Brontë

tagged:
read-2015, adult-ya-crossover, ghosts, classic, gothic, own, pub-be...

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

by Avi

tagged:
mg, own, historical, read-before-2010, pub-before-2010, read-2015, ...

Attachments

by Rainbow Rowell

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, from-library, adult, fun, and pub-2011

Boundless

by Cynthia Hand

tagged:
read-2015, college, ya, angels-demons, paranormal, religion-spiritu...

Jekel Loves Hyde

by Beth Fantaskey

tagged:
read-2015, ya, mystery, own, creatures, shifters, paranormal, super...

The Emperor's Edge

by Lindsay Buroker

tagged:
read-2015, creatures, fantasy, adult, fun, high-fantasy, magic, mys...

A Million Suns

by Beth Revis

tagged:
read-2015, ya, futuristic, mystery, own, pub-2012, series, and scie...

Racing Savannah

by Miranda Kenneally

tagged:
read-2015, ya, from-library, contemporary, fun, pub-2013, and series

Wither

by Lauren DeStefano

tagged:
dystopian, from-library, ya, read-2015, own, pub-2011, futuristic, ...

All Fall Down

by Ally Carter

tagged:
read-2015, ya, alternate-universe, contemporary, from-library, high...

Fever

by Lauren DeStefano

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, ya, dystopian, futuristic, own, pub-2012, ...

Afterworlds

by Scott Westerfeld

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, contemporary-with-a-twist, diverse-cha...

Sever

by Lauren DeStefano

tagged:
read-2015, dystopian, futuristic, pub-2013, own, travel, and ya

Once We Were

by Kat Zhang

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, alternate-universe, ya, pub-2013, own, ser...

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers

tagged:
read-2015, diverse-characters, ya, contemporary, own, poc-author, p...

Dracula

by Bram Stoker

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, own, classic, paranormal, religion-spiritu...

John Ball's In the Heat of the Night

by Matt Pelfrey

tagged:
read-2015, historical, classic, adult, mystery, own, play, tough-su...

Bone Gap

by Laura Ruby

tagged:
read-2015, ya, magical-realism, from-library, pub-2015, travel, and...

Mrs. Dalloway

by Virginia Woolf

tagged:
read-2015, classic, from-library, historical, and pub-before-2010

Saint Anything

by Sarah Dessen

tagged:
read-2015, ya, contemporary, from-library, and pub-2015

A Really Awesome Mess

by Trish Cook

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, boarding-school, from-library, pub-201...

Walk Two Moons

by Sharon Creech

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, from-library, travel, and pub-before-2010

Fairest

by Marissa Meyer

tagged:
fairy-tale, aliens, ya, read-2015, futuristic, from-library, pub-20...

Beauty Queens

by Libba Bray

tagged:
from-library, ya, high-concept, satire, pub-2011, read-2015, contem...

Cat on the Edge

by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary-with-a-twist, adult, from-library, fun, mag...

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, diverse-characters, ya, from-library, fun,...

Book of Shadows

by Cate Tiernan

tagged:
magic, ya, series, pub-before-2010, read-2010, from-library, religi...

The Coven

by Cate Tiernan

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, ya, historical-elements, magic, mythology,...

Marly's Ghost

by David Levithan

tagged:
read-2015, ghosts, ya, lgbtq-author, own, paranormal, supernatural,...

Marcelo in the Real World

by Francisco X. Stork

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, diverse-characters, ya, from-library, pub-...

The Haunting of Hill House

by Shirley Jackson

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, classic, adult, ghosts, own, horror, paran...

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

by Mary E. Pearson

tagged:
read-2015, ya, from-library, futuristic, own, pub-before-2010, scie...

Shooter

by Walter Dean Myers

tagged:
read-2015, diverse-characters, contemporary, ya, own, poc-author, p...

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

tagged:
read-2015, ya, aliens, fairy-tale, diverse-characters, from-library...

Splintered

by A.G. Howard

tagged:
read-2015, creatures, ya, fantasy, fey-faeries-fairies, from-librar...

Being Sloane Jacobs

by Lauren Morrill

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, from-library, fun, high-concept, own, ...

The Naturals

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

tagged:
read-2015, ya, from-library, contemporary, mystery, high-concept, o...

The Dear One

by Jacqueline Woodson

tagged:
read-2015, contemporary, ya, diverse-characters, own, lgbtq, poc-au...

Hush

by Jacqueline Woodson

tagged:
read-2015, diverse-characters, ya, contemporary, own, pub-before-20...

Mind Games

by Kiersten White

tagged:
read-2015, from-library, ya, diverse-characters, own, paranormal, p...

Unbreakable

by Kami Garcia

tagged:
read-2015, ya, angels-demons, horror, from-library, ghosts, mytholo...

2015 Reading Challenge Summary: Popsugar Reading Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 02:56:00 +0000

Challenge: Read a book that fits into one of 50 categories

Total Read: 50

Status: Completed

The Categories/Books:

A book with more than 500 pages (782 pages)

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

A classic romance

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

A book that became a movie

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A book published this year

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

A book with a number in the title

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

A book written by someone under 30

Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles #2) by Kat Zhang

A book with nonhuman characters

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer

A funny book

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

A book by a female author

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

A mystery or thriller

Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot

A book with a one-word title

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

A book of short stories

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

A book set in a different country (India)

The Midnight Palace (Niebla #2) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A non-fiction book

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

A popular author's first book

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet

Haunted (The Mediator #5) by Meg Cabot

A book a friend recommended (Caitlyn)

The Emperor's Edge (The Emperor's Edge #1) by Lindsay Buroker

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book (2014 for Fiction)

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

A book based on a true story

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes

A book at the bottom of your to-read list

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

A book your ~~mom~~ parent loves

Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov

A book that scares you

Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson

A book more than 100 years old (1866)

A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

A book based entirely on its cover

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

A memoir

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

A book you can finish in a day

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

A book with antonyms in the title

The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani

A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit (England)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

A book that came out the year you were born (1986)

The Prince of Mist (Niebla #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A book with bad reviews

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

A trilogy

The Chemical Garden 1-3 (Wither, Fever, Sever) by Lauren DeStefano

A book from your childhood

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

A book with a love triangle

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

A book set in the future

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

A book set in high school

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

A book with a color in the title

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

(The sequel to) A book that made you cry

Certain Girls (Cannie Shapiro #2) by Jennifer Weiner

A book with magic

The Coven (Sweep #2) by Cate Tiernan

A graphic novel

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

A book by an author you've never read before

Impulse (Impulse #1) by Ellen Hopkins

A book you own but have never read
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

A book that ~~takes place in~~ mentions your hometown (Cookeville)
Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks #4) by Miranda Kenneally

A book that was originally written in a different language (German)

Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier

A book set during Christmas

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily #1) by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A book written by an author with your same initials (SM)

Cat on the Edge (Joe Grey #1) by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

A play

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

A banned (or challenged) book

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

A book based on or turned into a TV show

Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2) by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder

A book you started but never finished

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Reading Challenge Update [December 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 02:49:00 +0000

I finally did it! I completed all my reading challenges! I only had three, but it was down to the wire to get them all done, but it happened! Here's to much more reading in the new year!

This Month: 15 books

*COMPLETED*

The Books:

Book of Shadows (Sweep #1) by Cate Tiernan

The Coven (Sweep #2) by Cate Tiernan

Marly's Ghost by David Levithan

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

The Naturals (The Naturals #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Dear One by Jacqueline Woodson

Hush by Jacqueline Woodson

Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Unbreakable (The Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

This Month:3

Total: 50/50

*COMPLETED*

The Categories/Books:

A book based entirely on its cover: Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

A book with magic: The Coven (Sweep #2) by Cate Tiernan

A book you own but have never read: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

This Month: 11 TBR books

Total: 41/40

*COMPLETED*

The Books:

Marly's Ghost by David Levithan

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

The Naturals (The Naturals #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Dear One by Jacqueline Woodson

Hush by Jacqueline Woodson

Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Unbreakable (The Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

2015 Reading Challenge Summary: TBR Takedown

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 02:34:00 +0000

Challenge: Read 40 TBR Books
Total Read: 41

Status: Completed

The Books:

Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
The Tempest by William Shakespeare

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1) by Isaac Marion
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Impulse (Impulse #1) by Ellen Hopkins

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Haunted (The Mediator #5) by Meg Cabot

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson
Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot
Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov
A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

The Emperor's Edge (The Emperor's Edge #1) by Lindsay Buroker

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) by Lauren DeStefano

Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles #2) by Kat Zhang

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

Marly's Ghost by David Levithan

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

The Naturals (The Naturals #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Dear One by Jacqueline Woodson

Hush by Jacqueline Woodson

Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Unbreakable (The Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

Reading Challenge Update [November 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 03:51:00 +0000

So NaNoWriMo didn't go as well as planned for me this year, but I did get a bit of reading done, so I'll take it! Only one more month and two challenges left to finish up. I'm so close to completing all my challenges this year, so I'm going to push through December and try to make it happen!

This Month: 7 books

*COMPLETED*

The Books:

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Cat on the Edge (Joe Grey #1) by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily #1) by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

This Month: 6

Total: 47/50

The Categories/Books:

A book with a number in the title: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

A book with nonhuman characters: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer

A funny book: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

A book set in high school: A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

A book set during Christmas: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily #1) by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A book written by an author with your same initials (SM): Cat on the Edge (Joe Grey #1) by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

This Month: 1 TBR book

Total: 30/40

The Books:

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

Reading Challenge Update [October 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 05:57:00 +0000

I'm so close! I'm confident I'll finish my overall Goodreads challenge, but I may not make my other challenges. I'm in the middle of NaNoWriMo right now, but I'm hoping I can catch up and maybe make some of those other challenges in December.

This Month: 6 books

The Books:

Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles #2) by Kat Zhang

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Dracula by Bram Stoker

In the Heat of the Night by John Ball and adapted by Matt Pelfrey

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

This Month:2

Total: 41/50

The Categories/Books:

A book written by someone under 30: Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles #2) by Kat Zhang
A banned book: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

This Month: 1 TBR book

Total: 29/40

The Books:

Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles #2) by Kat Zhang

Reading Challenge Update [September 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 04:24:00 +0000

I stepped up my reading in September! Hopefully this means I'll get at least a couple of my challenges completed by the end of the year! NaNoWriMo is coming up in November, so it will probably take a hit then, but I've gotten far enough ahead it shouldn't matter. Happy reading!

This Month: 10 books

The Books:

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

The Emperor's Edge (The Emperor's Edge #1) by Lindsay Buroker

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks #4) by Miranda Kenneally

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) by Ally Carter

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) by Lauren DeStefano

This Month: 6

Total: 39/50

The Categories/Books:

A book a friend recommended: The Emperor's Edge (The Emperor's Edge #1) by Lindsay Buroker

A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

A trilogy: The Chemical Garden 1-3 by Lauren DeStefano

A book with a love triangle: Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

A book set in the future: A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

A book that ~~takes place in~~ mentions your hometown: Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks #4) by Miranda Kenneally

This Month: 7 TBR books

Total: 28/40

The Books:

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

The Emperor's Edge (The Emperor's Edge #1) by Lindsay Buroker

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) by Lauren DeStefano

Reading Challenge Update [August 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 06:03:00 +0000

I didn't get many books read in August, but even slow progress is progress, right? Hopefully I'll get more done in the fall!

This Month: 4 books

The Books:

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

This Month: 4

Total: 33/50

The Categories/Books:

A popular author's first book: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

A book with bad reviews: 4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

A book from your childhood: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

This Month: 3 TBR books

Total: 21/40

The Books:

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Bachelor in Paradise Season 2 Week 2 Highlights Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 01:20:00 +0000

We begin this week just after last week's rose ceremony. Just as with last week, most of the drama that starts this episode involves the sisters Ashley I. and Lauren. Lauren is not into anyone and doesn't want to be there anymore and trying to take care of her sister is distracting Ashley I. from the reason she is there. Some of the other contestants complain that Lauren shouldn't be there because she obviously does not want anything to do with the group.

Between the sister drama, we learn that Mikey T. is still not realizing that Clare is not as into him as he is into her and that Jared is very interested in Clare as he reveals he would have given his rose to her had she not already been kept by Mikey. The next day we learn that Lauren is someone's mistress and that she is in love with the guy despite being his side-piece. Ashley I. says that Lauren really wanted to meet Joshua the welder from Kaitlyn's season, so she hopes he arrives before Lauren just gives up and gets out of dodge.

And Joshua does arrive, carrying a date card. Ashley I. jumps at him to try to get him hooked up with Lauren. However, Joshua offers the date to Tenley. J.J. evidently thought Joshua was not threat to his psuedo-relationship of less than a day with Tenley, so when he finds out Tenley is going on the date with Joshua, he is surprised, but at least he says nice things about her instead of disparaging her. However, despite how nicely J.J. might speak of Tenley, he has no problem making fun of Joshua. Tenley and Joshua have a great time during and after their date, though J.J. gets some time with Tenley and continues to be confident that he will prevail over Joshua.

Back with the sister drama, Ashley I. is upset (read: sobbing and wailing) that Lauren is bailing and going hardcore on the fact that Lauren is with a guy who won't commit to her. To me, this whole scenario explains why Lauren was so weepy at Marcus and Lacy's wedding (love/marriage is something she wants but can't have with the guy she's in love with). The rest of the cast does not care that Lauren leaves.

Joe from Kaitlyn's season is the next cast member to arrive and he has a date card as well. Everyone is talking about how funny he is and how much the guys like him, but then it gets really awkward as he just sits and stares at everyone and disagrees when the girls say the guys said he was funny. Then Joe just straight-up insults Clare which causes her to break down a bit (and gives the editors another opportunity to make it look like she's talking to another raccoon). Joe continues to act bizarre and awkward. Eventually Joe sort-of asks Juelia to go on the date with him. Juelia has a great time on the date with Joe, but we see Joe talking to a producer and he reveals that he's just trying to get a rose so he can stick around to meet Samantha.

Jared is the next to get a date card and he chooses Clare, who agrees to go on the date. This makes both Ashley I. and Mikey upset. Jared and Clare seem to have a great date (they go sailing and bungee jumping over the ocean). They seem to have chemistry and even kiss several times, which is farther than Ashley I. got with Jared, but later after they are back on the beach, they have a conversation in which Jared indicates he's just not that into Clare, so now Clare, having burnt her bridge with Mikey, doesn't know what to do.

Tenley learns from a couple of the guys that Joshua was talking about partying and doing drugs, so she goes to talk to him about that because that is not the kind of lifestyle she is interested in. Joshua tries to reassure her that that was a one-time thing but she is still conflicted about this information. Then Michael from Desiree's season shows up and he is there specifically for Tenley. He asks her on his one-on-one date and she accepts, and they have a nice, romantic dinner and seem to have a lot of fun, but Tenley now has three guys vying for her (J.J., Joshua, and Michael) and she doesn't know what to do.

Mikey is trying to stick around so he sets his sights on Juelia, but she is nearly 100% positive that she is choosing Joe. At the pre-ceremony cocktail party, she says as much, and Jonathan pulls her aside to tell her he thinks Joe is not there for the right reasons and not there for her. She gets the same thing from Mikey, which leads Juelia to go talk to Joe about it. Joe soothes Juelia's worries, but in private to a producer says a bunch of nasty things about both of the other guys.

Mikey confronts Joe and Joe pretty much lies to Mikey's face, saying that he is into Juelia and not just trying to get a rose. Joe then goes and confronts Jonathan and basically makes Jonathan feel terrible for thinking Joe was there for the wrong reasons. Jonathan considers Joe a friend and apologizes, saying he got caught up on the game and didn't mean it. Joe says he'll forgive Jonathan as long and Jonathan says to Juelia what he said to Joe in his apology. It is so messed up how manipulative Joe is! It makes me wonder how ticked off Jonathan is watching this back and now knowing that Joe was playing every single person there just so he could stay and meet Samantha.

Jared finally has a conversation with Ashely I. after all the drama with Clare. He says some vague stuff about doing what feels right in the moment and then goes for the kiss, completely surprising Ashley I., but she is down and much happier than she has been the whole show so far. Then, before the rose ceremony gets under way, Clare starts crying and gives a random speech about how she is there for love and this time is not like last year in paradise because there is more strategizing and plotting this go around and no one is really there for love. When they get to the ceremony, Jade speaks up before it starts and says she was offended by what Clare said because she and most of the people she has talked to are there for love.

Finally, the rose ceremony starts and the roses are given out as follows: Carly to Kirk, Ashley S. to Dan, Jade to Tanner, Tenley to Joshua (surprising J.J. and Michael), and before the next person is called up, Clare walks out crying and stops to talk to Chris Harrison. Clare says she doesn't feel right being there and that is where the episode ends with a To Be Continued!

Well, it stinks we don't get the full rose ceremony this week (which was one of my biggest pet peeves with Kaitlyn's season of The Bachelorette) but we don't have too long to wait to see what happens.

Thanks for visiting!

Bachelor in Paradise Season 2 Week 1 Highlights Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000

We are finally back in paradise with a (mostly) new cast of former Bachelor/ette hopefuls who are ready for a second chance at love, or at least, a summer fling. We get four hours of BIP each week: two on Sunday, one on Monday, and the one hour After Paradise show. I'm only going to focus on the main show because I didn't much care for After Paradise. Yes, there are some outtakes and snippets not shown on the main show, but it's not worth sitting through that extra hour IMHO. Also, I'm going to try to focus on the major happenings because there is so much show each week.

So we begin the show with an intro from a rather smarmy Chris Harrison. I think he seems smarmy because he is basically on vacation here and knows as much as we do that this show is ridiculous. We get a bunch of intro videos, then the arrivals begin with Jade (Chris's season). The rest arrive as follows: Jared (Kaitlyn's season - and rocking less facial hair, which is good), Tenley (Jake's Season/Bachelor Pad), Carly (Chris's season), Jonathan (Kaitlyn's season), Tanner (Kaitlyn's season), Mikey T. (Desiree's season), Ashley I. (Chris's season - with little sister opposite-of-virgin Lauren in tow), Juelia (Chris's season), Kirk (Ali's season), Dan (Desiree's season), Jillian (Chris's season - complete with nice breast enhancements and the ever-present black box), J.J. (Kaitlyn's season), and Ashley S (Chris's season).

Right away the two hot commodities seem to be Jared and Jade. But before too much can happen, Chris Harrison arrives to talk to the group and explain that they have to couple up each week in order to stay. If the guys get the date cards one week, then the girls will be giving out the roses that week. This will reverse each week and new people will arrive throughout the show. The sisters, Ashley I. and Lauren, will be considered as one person, so as long as one of them gets a rose, both will get to stay.

Then Harrison takes the group down the beach to a little area set up with benches and it turns out it is a wedding for Lacy and Marcus, who were the couple that got engaged at the end of Bachelor in Paradise Season 1. After the cast spends a little time with the newlyweds getting advice and encouragement, they return to the house. I must interject here that the digs this season are better than the previous season. The main room and the lodging areas look nicer and they have a really great pool and hot tub. And, of course, an always-open bar.

The first night begins with everyone drinking and hanging out on the beach. The first drama we see is Lauren crying and she can't even talk, so she and Ashley I. go off to talk and try to calm Lauren down. Lauren starts calling some of the cast old and that she doesn't like anyone there, and then she decides to just go to sleep. Ashely I. says in her ITM that this is kind of what she expected from Lauren on the first night. Then she tries to go talk to Jared, but when she likes a guy, she clams up, so she just does a lot of sitting near him and not talking, and we get Ashley I.'s first tears over her inability to talk to Jared. She finally succeeds by bringing up her love of princesses, specifically Princess Jasmine. Then Jared says he's going to walk on the beach and invites Jade along, sending Ashley I. into a tailspin of anger and tears.

The next morning we see everyone rehashing who is into whom. It looks like the pairs, at least for the moment, are Carly/Kirk, Ashley S./Dan, Jade/Jared, and Juelia/Jonathan. Then Jillian comes in with a date card and it is for Ashley I. Of course her choice is Jared, but she is too nervous to ask him, so she practices repeatedly on her sister before asking him. When she does, he says yes. Jade is a little bummed because she likes Jared. On the date, Jared and Ashley I. go riding around in a dune buggy then have a picnic on the beach. They seem to enjoy each other's company and talk about Jared's potentially still existent feelings for Kaitlyn. But Ashley I. is pleased by her time with Jared and feels confident that she will get his rose.

The next date card arrives and it is for Jade. She goes off to think about who to pick. She wants to choose Jared, but he has just returned from his date with Ashley I., so she picks Tanner. Ashley I. is mondo relieved. Jade and Tanner's date consists of a private dinner in a little grotto by a river. They seem to really be into each other and talk and laugh and are just beaming at each other. They have a sweet first kiss, which leads to a bit of a make-out, then they drop their clothes (surprisingly, they were not wearing swimsuits underneath) and have a swim in the river. Back at the beach, Ashley S. is being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Dan is worried about her so he hops in with her.

So the couples are now Carly/Kirk, Jade/Tanner, Ashley I./Jared, Ashley S./Dan, and Juelia/Jonathan, and then we get a new arrival: Clare from Juan Pablo's season and Bachelor in Paradise Season 1. She also gets a date card, but all the guys she is interested in are paired up (Tanner, Kirk, and Jared), so in her struggle to pick someone, Mikey T. kind of invites himself so she decides to go on the date with him. Their date involves tantra yoga, which involves a lot of touching. They laugh their way through it and end up in the hot tub. Mikey T. is feeling it, but Clare is not, but no matter what she says, Mikey T. is not getting the message.

The last date card arrives via Tanner and it is for Ashley S. She is back from the hospital and feeling better and she picks Dan. They go for a nice dinner and a night on the town, dancing and such, and there is kissing. They kind of consider the one-on-one as a second date, saying their first date was at the hospital. Back at the beach, Tenley is worried because everyone seems to be coupled up. She likes Jared so when she spots him alone walking on the beach, she goes to talk chat with him. Ashley I. can't stand this and butts in as soon as she can stop crying and takes some shots for courage. She opens up to him, but he doesn't exactly give her the validation she's seeking.

So the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party gets underway and J.J.'s rose is really the only one up for grabs. Jillian is confident it is hers, but Tenley talks to J.J. and they seem to make at least a tiny connection, but really J.J. is just relishing the power giving out a rose gives him. We also see an interesting conversation between Jared and Clare where Clare expresses her interest in him and he says that if his name is called and she doesn't have a rose yet, he will give her his rose. Ashley I. sees them talking and is upset (though she would definitely be more upset if she'd overheard what he'd said). Then the rose ceremony begins and the results are as follows: Tanner to Jade, Kirk to Carly, Dan to Ashley S., Jonathan to Juelia, Mikey T. to Clare, Jared to Ashley I. (and Lauren gets to stay), and J.J. to Tenley, which means Jillian goes home.

That's the first week of paradise! A lot of Ashley I. drama, but other than that, not too much craziness yet. But BIP is all about the crazy, so we'll see what happens next week!

Thanks for visiting!

Reading Challenge Update [July 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 03:34:00 +0000

I'm staying just ahead of my Goodreads Reading Challenge and am behind on my TBR Takedown by quite a bit, so here's to hoping I can get caught up!

This Month: 9 books

The Books:

How to Write Fiction Without the Fuss by Lucy McCarraher

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2) by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Mosquitoland by David Arnold
Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson
Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot
Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov
A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

This Month: 7

Total: 29/50

The Categories/Books:

A book with more than 500 pages: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A mystery or thriller: Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
A book your ~~mom~~ parent loves: Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov
A book that scares you: Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson
A book more than 100 years old: A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

A book based on or turned into a TV show: Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2) by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder

This Month: 5 TBR books

Total: 18/40

The Books:

The Bachelorette Season 11 Finale/ATFR Recap and Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 01:04:00 +0000

After a season full of tantrums, surprise exits and an entrance, silly dates, tears, sex, and a screwed-up format, we finally made it to the finale! The two remaining guys are the infamous Nick, who has made it to the final two twice now in the Bachelorette franchise, and Shawn, the hot-but-needy DNA mash-up of Ryan Gosling and Calvin Harris. Not only are they completely different from one another, but they hate each other with a fiery passion rivaled only by the hots they have for Kaitlyn.

But who should win Kaitlyn's heart? Not only was my money on Shawn, but he is who I preferred to win. While he definitely has some qualities that are unfortunate (dude really needs to chill with the jealousy and insecurity), I felt like he and Kailtyn were a better fit, and overall I liked him better than Nick. A lot better. See, I was a fan of Nick early on in his season with Andi, but the more that was revealed of him, the less I liked because he seemed petty and immature. He really showed that when he kiss and told on Andi's After The Final Rose special, and seeing him insert himself into Kaitlyn's season didn't make me like him any more than before. He may have come off a little better this go around, a little more reserved, cool, and collected, but there was still that aura of weasel that just wouldn't go away.

But let's get to the show! This final episode begins with us going to Chris Harrison live in studio. He promises the finale will be shocking and wants us to remember to tune in for the ATFR special. Well, Chris, you always say that ("most shocking," "most exciting," etc.) and of course we'll be watching AFTR. Then we're off, and we begin by seeing Nick and Shawn talking about Kaitlyn and how she got along with their families. They are both preparing for the end of this road, but first, they have to meet Kaitlyn's family.

We join Kaitlyn as she's hanging out with her family in L.A. and she admits to them that she is in love with both guys and both guys are in love with her. She reveals that one of her final two is Nick and the fam is shocked. Kaitlyn explains what has happened with the two guys hating each other and about how her relationship moved too quickly with Nick and her mother looks a tad worried.

Nick arrives and Kaitlyn prepares him by telling him that she told her family about she and Nick having sex in Dublin and Nick was not happy about that. Once inside, Nick has to explain himself all over again to Kaitlyn's family and Kaitlyn's sister brings up the concern about his motives. Nick tells her family that his first time on The Bachelorette was about having an experience, but this time he was there just for Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn's mom takes Nick for a little talk and we find out that she did not have a high opinion of him from watching Andi's season. She gets right to the point with her concerns about Nick, very bluntly, and he tries to soothe her worries and answer her questions. Nick seems to get a pass based on Kaitlyn's mom's reaction to Nick talking about him being in love with Kaitlyn and about proposing. Even Nick gets emotional. It was kind of weird to watch. Kaitlyn's mom reverses her view on Nick based on him getting emotional (and we know he is a smooth talker). Nick works the same magic on the dad and gets his blessing to propose.

I feel like Nick seems like a safe choice because he is a more subdued person than Kaitlyn is and her family seems to like the calming influence Nick has. I remember being at this point in Andi's season and thinking the same thing and how it was hard to imagine Andi not ending up with Nick, and it is kind of this way this time around as well because you can tell how strong the attraction is between Nick and Kaitlyn.

The next day Kaitlyn meets again with her family and preps them for meeting Shawn. They are concerned due to his insecurities but they see that Kaitlyn wants him there and wants them to give him a chance, so they are going into the day with open minds. When he arrives, Shawn admits that he is very nervous. He makes an instant impression on Kaitlyn's sister with his welcoming gifts for her kids. Also, Shawn is wearing a nearly identical shirt to her dad. Shawn makes a big impact by telling her family how he came on the show for Kaitlyn and he is very open with his feelings and they are enamored by him.

Kaitlyn's mom steals Shawn away for a talk and asks him about the Nick situation and about potential jealousy in the future. Shawn gives a good answer but the mom just keeps on drilling about how he feels about Kaitlyn and Nick and the sex (though she puts it more delicately than that). Shawn says that once they are in an exclusive relationship (which he understands that they have not been through the show process) they will be fine having been made stronger through their struggles on the show. Kaitlyn's mom is won over and impressed by his maturity and confidence. Kaitlyn's sister drops the bomb to Kaitlyn that she is Team Shawn and says that Kaitlyn and Shawn's connection is much more than what she sees Kaitlyn has with Nick. Shawn has another good conversation with Kaitlyn's dad, then he brings over Kaitlyn's mom and formally asks Kaitlyn's parents for their blessings to marry Kaitlyn. Shawn is clearly over the moon after meeting Kaitlyn's family and seems 100% confident that they will be engaged the next week.

After seeing the guys meet the family, I think the difference between the two relationships is that Kaitlyn and Nick are cute together and have a lot of connection and an obvious attraction. However, Kaitlyn and Shawn look and act like a solid couple that has weathered storms and is strong and confident. They may not be as cutesy together like Kaitlyn and Nick are, but it is also a testament that they are not stuck in the honeymoon stage of their relationship and have moved beyond that.

We get a quick moment back in the studio with Chris Harrison and he asks the crowd who Kaitlyn's family liked more. The crowd is probably 60-40 Shawn, but Chris calls it 50-50. This would have been nothing to talk about except it was extremely awkward because just in the background you can see Nick's mom, little sister, and other family in the audience.

Back to the show, we see Kaitlyn and Nick on their last date. They spend some time on a big boat on the water talking about their families, drinking wine, and kissing of course. I mentioned in an earlier post about how in his ITMs, Nick seemed to be half-asleep or something, but this week he looks more awake, but he is still extremely mumble-y. In Kaitlyn's ITM she enumerates Nick's qualities and how she really needs clarity because she cares for both of the guys so much.

The date continues into evening and they have dinner and talk more. They basically rehash how Nick came on the show and where they are now in their relationship and how Nick took a chance on her and she appreciates it. Nick says he has a gift for her in his bedroom and it takes a few times for her to believe that he is not making a joke. What he gives her is a picture of the two of them on their first one-on-one date with a hand written note about his feelings for her. She talks about how what they have is right and how she knows she is in love.

Shawn's final date with Kaitlyn begins with him arriving and they go to a little picnic spot in what appears to be a vineyard. Kaitlyn is not as care free as on her date with Nick because she is worrying and still needing clarity about her decision that is to come. Shawn says how incredible it is that they're here after the journey they've had and how he hopes that this isn't their last date. The mood is much more serious than with Nick. Kaitlyn just looks really confused and worried and it is causing their date to not look very comfortable. They talk about the awkwardness (while she smooths his leg hair???) and the reality of what is coming the next day (the final day) is weighing on them but Kaitlyn's vibe has made Shawn go from confident to nervous, and it could affect if he proposes to her.

So they go into the dinner portion of the date trying to overcome the awkwardness and trying to enjoy the time together. They are still pretty serious as they discuss things and Shawn is definitely bringing the emotion and talking about how he hopes he gets to share the future with her and get to know her family more. Then they start talking about being married and having kids and then Shawn has a gift for Kaitlyn as well. And I have to say, his gift is super cute. It is a big jar full of their memories, including souvenirs from their dates, notes, pictures, etc. After the way the day ended, Shawn says he will definitely be proposing to Kaitlyn.

In her ITM Kaitlyn is crying because she knows she is going to blindside someone with her decision and she feels terrible about it. We return to Chris Harrison in the studio and the studio is deathly silent. We next get to see Shawn meeting with Neil Lane and picking out Kaitlyn's engagement ring (OMG SHINY *drools*). Next we hear Nick talking about Kaitlyn as we see her getting ready for the big day. Then Neil Lane shows up for Nick, who awkwardly shares the story of the last time he was supposed to meet Neil Lane but got sent home. Then Nick picks out a ring as well.

This portion of the show is moving along quickly as we go back and forth between the guys with glimpses of Kaitlyn. We're back to Shawn and he's getting ready and says that he only wants to propose once in his life. We get a shot of Nick getting ready and then we see Kaitlyn looking worried in a car on her way presumably to the final destination, which is the mansion from the beginning of the season. Kaitlyn arrives and meets with Chris Harrison while we get shots of Shawn in the car, who is saying he would be heartbroken if Kaitlyn didn't choose him. Nick is also shown in the car looking worried. Kaitlyn walks to her post, looking not excited but more ill than anything, and waits while we see more of the guys in the limos, probably both wondering who will be the unlucky one to arrive first.

The limo arrives and out gets...Nick. Chris Harrison leads him in and we know now that Kaitlyn is waiting back there to tell him goodbye. In her ITM she says she's upset about having to do it but looking forward to the happiness that is on the other side of tonight with Shawn. As Nick walks up to her, Kaitlyn looks like she's about to bust from the tension. Nick starts talking and Kaitlyn looks sad but Nick seems to be ignoring the vibe she is giving off. He gets emotional and then pulls her closer, holding her hand and is about to propose but she stops him and she's crying then looks away before saying she's sorry and crying more.

She is shaking as she's telling him her heart is with someone else and he backs away and even kind of cuts her off as she's trying to explain her feelings. She tries to explain again and Nick has a look on his face that he's heard this before (which we all know he has) and he even tells her he doesn't need to hear it. He does not let her off the hook easy, I guess preferring to do this now than on ATFR like he did with Andi, saying it's not fair for her to say what she felt was the same as he felt because if that were true they wouldn't be essentially breaking up right now. She walks him out and he is clearly pissed and in his ITM in the limo he says he is the world's biggest joke and he throws away the Claddagh ring he got in Ireland. We go back to the studio and the audience (his family included of course) is silent again.

Kaitlyn is shown crying about how hard it was to say goodbye to Nick but that it will all be worth it when she sees Shawn. Shawn arrives, looking nervous, and is led in and Kaitlyn is shaking as she waits. They kiss and Shawn goes into his speech and she's smiling and he's smiling and the music starts to build and soar then backs off as Kaitlyn starts her little speech. It seems like the conversation is about to go south but Kaitlyn tells him she has never loved anyone like she loves him. He gets on one knee and proposes and she's crying and she says yes and she is still shaking, now presumably from happiness.

Finally free of all obstacles, Kaitlyn gets to be her crazy little self, squawking that she loves him before presenting him with the final rose. They skip giddily off to the limo and drive away to live happily ever after!

But wait! There's more! The After The Final Rose special begins immediately following the end of the episode. Chris Harrison brings out the happy couple. Shawn's skin looks particularly nice, either because he's finally not stressed and upset all the time or because he got put in the makeup chair before coming on. Either way, he looks well rested and Kaitlyn is giddy and goofy.

But next, we get to see Nick and find out how he's doing after all of this. He's got more of a beard than before and of course there is the déjà vu joke. Nick says he was shocked and blindsided. Chris Harrison dives in, asking more about the pre-existing relationship between him and Kaitlyn. Nick explains that they clicked and when Harrison asks if they were on the phone for hours, Nick keeps responding that they were having a lot of great conversations and getting to know each other, which is the party line he and Kaitlyn have been saying all season. Nick explains that when they hooked up in Dublin, it didn't feel too soon to them because their pre-existing relationship covered a lot of ground and they were already on a different level when he came on. Then Chris Harrison asks why Shawn hates him so much and Nick says it was silly and immature but it was a tough situation. Harrison reveals that Nick will get a chance to talk to Shawn and it seems like nobody is sure how that will go.

Shawn is brought out and he shakes Nick's hand then makes a joke about how small the couch is. Nick jokes by formally introducing himself and it's a awkward. Like a lot. It's hard to tell if they are being nice or being sarcastically nice. When asked why he had a problem with Nick, Shawn tries to explain but won't go into some stuff that was said in the house. Harrison asks if they are more alike than they think because Kaitlyn fell for both of them. Nick brings up that they didn't get to know each other at all and that a lot of what Shawn thought about him was about his reputation from Andi's season. He explains he was frustrated by the lack of ability to get to know Shawn. Harrison asks Shawn about jealousy and he explains that pretty well, saying his beef with Nick was about 3% of his ITMs but that was what the show chose to air.

Harrison goes back to Nick asking about his worries coming into the show and Nick says he expected to be disliked because of it. Shawn says Nick shared a little much about his Dublin date with Kaitlyn when the guys had agreed not to talk about what happened on the dates. Harrison makes a joke about them hugging it out even if Nick won't be a groomsman in the wedding, and they don't hug it out but do agree they took away from the main focus of the show, the love story, as Shawn calls it, with their feud. Shawn says all this in a way that makes it sounds like he's agreeing with Nick without actually agreeing with Nick.

Then they bring Kaitlyn out for a chat with Nick. Harrison hands the reigns over to Nick, who talks about it being a difficult process. Like with Andi, Nick brings up something personal, but instead of asking why Kaitlyn had sex with him, he asks her why she said she loved him. Kaitlyn's face at the moment was worth the screen shots:

Nick keeps talking and Kaitlyn talks and it ends amicably enough, but Harrison isn't done yet! He keeps asking questions and even plays back the horribly awkward breakup with the picture-in-picture of their faces as it plays. Nick seems to want answers as to why she let him continue to say those things to her when she knew he wasn't the one. Kaitlyn tries to explain she maybe should have done it a little different but Nick keeps harping on the point and just won't shut up about it when we all know the show wanted something from that situation and Kaitlyn is not allow to say "The producers made me do it!" so she has to just sit there and take his ire, which is really not fair. I think maybe Chris Harrison finally felt pity on her and wrapped it up so we could finally talk more to Shawn! You know, the winner?

The couple is brought back out and we get to see again how happy and in love the two are. I really hope they are too, and last longer than what everyone is guessing. Shawn says he is finally glad to be able to live his life out in the open with her and defend her in public now. It was super cute. Hey, if they're together long enough, maybe I'll be able to run into them in Nashville some time! Yeah, probably not, but a girl can hope!

Well that's it! We have our winner and now we must prepare ourselves for Bachelor in Paradise!

Thanks for visting!

Lend Me Your Earbuds! [2]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Hey quirks! Today I want to share with you a few podcasts that you should try if you are interested in mysteries!

Mystery Show
This quirky podcast is hosted by Starlee Kine. Each episode Kine attempts to solve a real mystery, but these mysteries are not of the crime/drama variety and are more of the oddities-of-life kind of mysteries. The episodes feel like short, indie docs in audio form, sometimes lingering in unexpected places or following tangents just because. Listeners can even write in and get Kine on the case to solve their own lingering, non-Google-able mysteries. If you like media that provides a slice of life and is interesting in a quiet and slightly kooky way, this is definitely a pod for you.

Serial

If you haven't heard of this podcast yet, you must have been taking a sabbatical from all technology and pop culture for quite a while. Serial is the brainchild of the creators of This American Life and is hosted by journalist Sarah Koenig. The focus of Serial is to tell a story over the course of a season and follow that story no matter where it leads. The first season dealt with the 1999 murder of a teenage girl, Hae Min Lee, and if the boy convicted of the crime, Adnan Syed, was truly guilty or if he was railroaded by the police and prosecution. Koenig and Co. travel, research, question, and document findings. And since real lives and mysteries don't usually have tidy endings, don't expect each season of Serial to end with a pretty bow. Season two will be coming out some time this year and will tackle a new story, so be on the lookout.

Undisclosed
This podcast is one you should listen to AFTER you're done with Serial. While Serial might have brought the murder of Hae Min Lee and the case against Adnan Syed into the public eye, Undisclosed dives in much, much deeper, not only into the events surrounding Lee's death, but into the police investigation, the case built against Syed, and the processes of the justice system in Baltimore. The people behind the podcast, Rabia Chaudry, Susan Simpson (both attorneys) and Colin Miller (a professor of law) are not just interested parties but experts in the field, and through their efforts, they hope to find the truth. They use the podcast to present what they find and keep the listeners updated on Syed's ongoing appeals. They are not biased in their presentation of the information they uncover, but they are definitively on Syed's side. Until there is some definitive roadblocks or victories in this case, I don't expect Undisclosed to end, so get caught up now while there are only a handful of episodes out there.

Thanks for visiting!

Reading Challenge Update [June 2015]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Well, I didn't read any books for two whole months (April and May) but I'm still on track with my total reads for the year thanks to a pretty good June. Trying to keep the momentum going during July!

This Month: 7

The Books:

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

Dancing Barefoot by Wil Wheaton

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Haunted (The Mediator #5) by Meg Cabot

This Month: 3

Total: 22/50

The Categories/Books:

A book published this year: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet: Haunted (The Mediator #5) by Meg Cabot

A book you started but never finished: Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

This Month: 2 TBR Books

Total: 13/40

The Books:

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Haunted (The Mediator #5) by Meg Cabot

Thanks for visiting!

Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 9 Recap and Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 23:30:00 +0000

So I've missed a couple weeks due to going out of town and a back issue that made any position, especially sitting in a chair, painful, but here we are again! The group shrank from nine to three over the last two weeks, so let's refresh on who stayed and who went home:

Week 7

Nick got the one-on-one date rose. Jared got the group date rose.
J.J. got sent home on the two-on-one date and Joe got a rose.
At the rose ceremony, Shawn, Chris, and Ben H. received roses; Tanner and Ben Z. got sent home.
Jared gets a one-on-one date with Kaitlyn while they drive through Ireland to their next destination, and there is no rose.
Kaitlyn is informed by the ever-elusive Chris Harrison that the order of dates and things is changing, so Katilyn has to reduce the number of guys from six to three, and those three will get the fantasy suite dates and then the final two will get hometown dates.
Chris gets the first of these dates (one-on-one) and is sent home.

Week 8

Ben H. gets a one-on-one date and gets the date rose.
There is a group date with Joe, Nick, and Shawn. Joe gets sent home, but Kaitlyn does not give out a group date rose. She does choose Shawn for the extra date time, during which she tells him she slept with Nick.
The rose ceremony happens with no cocktail party, and Shawn gets a rose first (after he has a little convo with Kaitlyn). Then Nick gets the last rose and Jared is sent home.
We got the first of the overnight dates with Nick and Kaitlyn.

This episode starts off reminding us of all that has happened with the drama between Nick and Shawn. We next see Shawn confronting Nick and they throw barbs back and forth. This whole scene is pretty ridiculous. Next we see Kaitlyn talking about how Nick and Shawn hate each other and how it diminishes both of them in her eyes. So she's focusing on her next overnight date which is with Ben, who is definitely getting a lot more screen time and is looking more and more like a potential Bachelor. Their date starts off with horse-riding and then feeding some fuzzy donkeys which chase them when there is no more food. Then there is lots of kissing, of course. Side note: Galway is freaking gorgeous. They continue riding the horses to a picnic near a legit castle and have some serious talk about how he is falling in love with her.

Kaitlyn drops the news that they are going to have dinner at the castle. It's pretty informal and Ben brings up something that has yet to come up with him - his age. He's on the young side (26) and it turns out it's not an issue for either of them. There is lots of laughing and kissing and then the date card comes out. Ben admits he hates that there are other people involved but he's all in on Kaitlyn, so they (of course) go into the fantasy suite. Also, Ben is super well-spoken and if he's chosen as the next Bachelor, I'll be excited. He seems like a sweet guy. As much as I know this show isn't really about love and romance (it's about exposure for the cast and money for the makers), I still like to see two people fall in love, and Ben as the Bachelor would really go a long way into having that fairytale storyline come around again.

In the morning Kaitlyn says they had a lot of fun and only slept a half hour, and she's confused more now than ever. But next is her date with Shawn, so we see her go pick him up at his room and she gives him a gift of golf clothes because they are going golfing. Shawn's outfit is pretty crazy (bright pink and blue) and Kaitlyn says he looks like the hottest dork ever. Before they play they make a bet, which amounts to Kaitlyn getting whatever she asks for no matter who wins. Kaitlyn wins because Shawn kept hitting his balls in the water, so for her bet win she wants to play truth or dare. Shawn says he's a dare kind of guy, so Kailtyn dares him to strip naked on the golf course. Kailtyn jokes that he'll get his own black box and he does. He sinks a putt while naked, and while he's distracted, Kailtyn grabs his clothes and runs off. He chases after her, black box bouncing along.

Dinner is more subdued. They smile a lot as they relive their golf date, but then Kaitlyn gets straight to the point: why does Shawn hate Nick? Shawn reveals that he confronted Nick. Kaitlyn repeats what Nick told her about Shawn and Shawn is all fired up and Kaitlyn is not happy either, but she wants to keep talking about everything off-camera. They take literally no time to talk about it and head right up to their room. The next morning, we see Shawn leaving and Kaitlyn doesn't look like she got much sleep. Shawn has just walked outside the hotel when there is Nick waiting around the corner for him. Shawn ignores Nick when Nick greets him, and then when Nick asks if Shawn has some time to talk, Shawn says he doesn't want to talk to Nick at all but lets him come in to the room. Nick says he wants to have a man-to-man conversation, but Shawn jumps right in there saying he knows what Nick said about him to Kaitlyn. I love it how Nick, who is a smooth talker, can barely get a word in and then Shawn kicks him out of his room.

Next we see Chris Harrison having a sit-down with Kaitlyn, and she says she was waiting for something to go wrong and hoping that the dates would clarify things for her, but it hasn't really. They talk about Shawn's jealousy and if it only exists because of the situation or if that is how he is normally. They also talk about Nick and then Harrison asks about the dynamic between the two. She says they are acting immaturely and how they act toward each other affects her feelings for them. Then there is Ben who is above the drama and would make a great husband. Kaitlyn says the decision will be painful and that unfortunately she will be blindsiding somebody like she was blindsided when she got sent home on The Bachelor.

Chris Harrison preps the guys then Kaitlyn enters and gives a little speech about how she is in love and how the dates all went great and she thanks them then apologizes because she is getting emotional, then she takes a break and leaves them for a bit because she's about to crack. Chris Harrison talks her down and she goes back in and says her decision feels impossible and she just hopes by following her heart, she's not making a mistake. Nick gets a rose first which made my eyes pop out of my head. Shawn looks like he's about to explode and Ben seems to be preparing himself for disappointment. Shawn gets the second rose. Ben looks a little stunned but also keeps it together pretty well. He is, as always, articulate and kind when he has his last talk with her. He gets in the van and leaves and you start to see more of the emotion on his face. Ben takes this journey as a victory because he was able to open himself to love again. Kaitlyn is left crying and then has to deal with the two guys left who hate each other. After Kaitlyn has a toast with them, they are left to drink their champagne together and it is the most awkward scene ever.

Next we see Kailtyn arriving at a resort in Utah where she will meet Nick and Shawn's families. First she meets up with Nick and they have a talk. He tells her he is in love with her and is more sure this time than he was last time when he was in this (exact) situation. So the next scene is probably the second most awkward ever and it is Nick's family all sitting in a big circle and no one is talking. His family was not excited about him going on the show again and even his little sister is crying because everyone is afraid he is going to get dumped again. So Kaitlyn wins over the family by talking about how many great conversations she and Nick have had. Then Nick talks with his mom and he has tears and she has tears and wow is this going to be bad for them if Kaitlyn doesn't pick Nick. In Kaitlyn's ITM, she seems to be super happy with Nick and his family. But something I've noticed this season is that in his ITM's, Nick just has dead eyes like he's half asleep all the time. What's that about?

Anyway, Shawn and his family are up next. Kaitlyn seems ready and amped to meet Shawn's sisters but Shawn thinks they are going to be tough on Kaitlyn. So they meet the family and Kaitlyn just gushes about Shawn and she seems to get on really well with his sisters and to Shawn they reassure him that he's made a good choice. Shawn's dad is kinda worried so he goes and has a conversation with him. You can tell his dad is super skeptical. But Shawn tells him enough that makes his dad feel better, so everyone is happy at the end. So Shawn gets some alone time with Kaitlyn and he tells her that he loves her for the first time (but he does it in such a way that makes it seem he's about to drop a bad thing on her) but she's gushing about him again in her ITM. She's emotional after she leaves Shawn because she's confused about her feelings and doesn't know what to do, and that is where we leave her.

So that's all this week! We have the Men Tell All episode next week and then the finale! I'm personally excited to see what all the guys will say after having watched the season. Now, for my very short list:

Who do I think will be the next Bachelor: Ben H.
Who do I think will win: Shawn
What am I most excited to see: the After the Final Rose episode

Thanks for visiting!

Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 02:34:00 +0000

I've been behind on watching The Bachelorette and writing my recaps these last couple of weeks due to going out of town and an annoying back problem, but I will be back recapping next week!

Also, I'm excited for the upcoming Bachelor in Paradise as well as America's Next Top Model, which will premiere around the same time next month. ANTM has been one of my favorite shows for years, but I haven't kept up with it as much as I wish I did, so I'm going to attempt to watch this season as it unfolds.

Some book and podcast posts are also on their way, so be on the look-out for those!

Happy watching, reading, and listening quirks!