Friday’s Finds #3!

This week, I’ve added quite a few books to my TBR. Rather than bore you with every single one, here are a few that stuck out to me. (All Screenshots are of Goodreads.)

This book sounds similar to books I’ve read before, but hey, I can always use a good spy YA novel that isn’t tweenish.

I really like that cover, too.

You can see there is an unintentional theme connecting all these books!

I’ve heard a LOT about this series, especially since the fourth book comes out this year.

Yay for TBR lists that are impossible to complete!

Even worse, I’m in a reading slump right now because of summer reading assignments. I feel guilty reading anything else that wasn’t assigned while ignoring the assigned books.. It is ironic because Sumner reading is supposed to encourage reading, not do the opposite.

What are your #fridayreads? What do you think of summer reading assignments? Comment below!

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Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Ignore the spray bottle of water, haha!

My Synopsis
Main character Thomas wakes up in a place called the Glade, surrounded by a large maze with no clue how he got there and where he was before. All he sees is a community of boys who have also woken up in this maze, and hears strange phrases and jargon. As it turns out, there are many things to fear in this maze. Ugly creatures with the intent of harming or killing anyone who comes near, and doors that close shut at night and trap you inside with these creatures. Is there a way out? How and why are all these people here?

I have mixed feelings about this one. I wanted to love it from the start, but for some reason it gave me a bit if a headache at points.

First we have Thomas. When I checked out the book, the girl at the desk said she stopped halfway through because she found Thomas almost whinier than Holden Caulfield. Thomas can be whiny, but not as much as the infamous Catcher in the Rye character. I sort of understood Thomas. After all, I would probably ask a million questions too if I were in his shoes. So no, he isn’t really that whiny.

As for plot, there are plenty of things that happened. Some of it gross, but entertaining enough to keep you going. I like how the whole book is sort of a mystery without being a mystery genre book. You have si many questions and despite what you think of the chapters you are/reading, you must plow on. What on earth is this maze?!? is all you think.

But, as a squeemish person I wonder what I would even think of the movie. Do I want to know what the Grievers (the ugly bug creatures in the Maze) look like?

This is a nice series for those of you are post-apocalyptic junkies. It’s a breath of fresh air from the same old Divergent and Hunger Games. Plus, there is no romance, which some of you may consider a plus. Of course, I haven’t read the other books yet, so I can’t speak for the whole series, or the movie for that matter.

A final reason to read this book of it interests you is the movie. I can’t watch a film if I didn’t read the book, unless I didn’t know it was a book when I first watched it. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64-iSYVmMVY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Have you read The Maze Runner? Are you going to see the movie? Discuss in the comments!

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Reading Pet Peeves

Warning: This post will probably consist of a rant and a few memes. Don’t judge..

We all have pet peeves. People tailgating your car, people cracking their knuckles, children not washing their hands… But how about reading pet peeves? As a book blogger, you can assume I do a fair amount of reading. Surely, there must be something I hate.

Pet Peeves
1. People eating in the library
They even eat right under the “Do not bring food or drinks into the library” sign! Then a week later, I’m making a book display and a happy little ant farm gets very angry at me.

Image from quickmeme.com

2. People tutoring right where I am trying to shelve
Then when you make any noise at all, they stare at you like you just gave them even more homework to go over. Which looks like this-

Image from cheezburger.com

3. People shelving books around the metal book ends
This results in some really pet peevish books. They are super dogearred and folded, crushed and ripped.

I couldn’t find an image of this but oh. My. God. Google “books with folded pages” under images. It is beautiful. (Until you realize what that book is going to look like unfolded…)

4. People eating messy meals while reading
It’s not pleasant finding your spaghetti dinner on page 30.

5. People reading the end first
I had friends who did this for every book. I could not wrap my head around it. You won’t understand anything if you read the end first! You’d ruin the ending! But a lot of people do it I suppose.

6. Typos in books!
Perhaps this is why I was Copy Editor of my school newspaper. I see everything! All I see are those typos staring me in the face.

 

And lastly, at least of the pet peeves I can think of…

7. People who hate reading!

Image found on Google Images

Howcanyouhatereading?What?Readingisamazingitsthebestthingthateverhappenedtome.Youcan’thatereading!Whataboutshortstories?Ormysteries?Booksthataremovies?anything?no? What do you do all day?

Did you get any of that? No, since that is probably how I’d respond; panicked gibberish and many questions!

What are your reading pet peeves, or pet peeves in general? Leave a comment below!

Follow me @books_palettes for sneak peeks, musings, and more! My avatar image is from “Jen Loves Teaching.”

Winner of Guess the Book #2!

I’m so glad someone got this one. I figured it had to be easy enough with even just those clues, at least if you’ve read it.

Anyway, a fellow Liebster Award winner guessed The Maze Runner first! You can visit Spectacles’ awesome book blog here. Spectacle Aglow has done some fun tags I may try in the future.  Personally, I loved reading the Library Tag post. I think you know why by now!

Speaking of the Maze Runner, look out for my review of it this week!

Follow me @books_palettes for sneak peeks, musings, and more! My avatar image is from “Jen Loves Teaching.”

Guess the Book #2!

So, nobody got Guess the Book #1. I guess it was too hard. So, here is your second chance! I’m going to give you a few clues to start with. If nobody gets it, I’ll add more every so often. If you want to make a guess, leave a comment on this post with your guess and a link to your blog or twitter. The first person to get it right gets a shoutout! (Something along the lines of John Smith from websiteurlhere.com guessed this first, go check out his awesome blog/twitter!)

Ready? OK! Go!

1. This is a tiny part of the cover

2. Green

3. Spikes

4. Sting

Think you know it already? Leave a comment!

I’m not going to approve comments right away, so make sure you leave a guess anyway! You can only guess once, though.

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Follow me @books_palettes for sneak peeks, musings, and more! My avatar image is from “Jen Loves Teaching.”

Bout of Books 11 Wrap Up!

Wow. I cannot believe this readathon flew by as fast as it did. I’ve said this before, but this was one of the most fun things I did all summer.

In total, I read 4 books this week and 1,420 pages! (Not counting the part of If I Stay that I listened to). Considering my goal was 3 books, I think I did pretty well.

Congrats to everyone who completed the readathon this week! Regardless of whether or not you met your goals, you are all winners.

Follow me @books_palettes for sneak peeks, musings, and more! My avatar image is from “Jen Loves Teaching.”

Liebster Award!

Somehow, two different people nominated me for this award! Thank you to SpectacleAGlow  and PucksandPaperbacks! You are both so kind.

This award is given to new bloggers nominated by other bloggers. Again, thank you to those who nominated me.

I have written the rules at the end of this post, so please scroll there.

Rather than pick and choose whose questions to answer, I’m going to answer both sets of questions!

Pucks And Paperbacks asked me:
1. What encouraged you to start blogging?
I think a lot of things encouraged me to blog. Writing has always been my passion; I love creative, journalistic, and even p.r writing! I’ve read many book blogs and subscribe to several booktubers on YouTube. I also adore reading, I cannot stress that enough, and so I figured why not join this amazing community of book bloggers too?

2. Do you listen to music while you read?
I don’t listen to music while I am reading. I find it distracts me from absorbing details in the book and takes away from a book’s immersive experience.

3. If you could meet any author, who would it be and why?
Oh no! One author?!?!? I’m terrible with choices.. Karen Thompson Walker? I adored the Age of Miracles and I wish I could write as elegantly as that. (Like this post if you want to see a review of The Age of Miracles, by the way.)

4. What is your favorite book?
More choices! No! How about we say my favorite book is The Age of Miracles. It was amazing. Never thought a book I read for school would be my favorite book, but it is.

5. What is your least favorite genre?
Horror. I hate gory books. I admire authors who can make a book disturbing without much gore. It takes skill.

6. What is one book you could live without?
I’m assuming this is not a typo, so I am being asked to name a book I wish I hadn’t read. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen. When I read that years back in middle school, I marked it as one star on Goodreads, and I think I wrote something about wishing I could give it less. Harsh, I know, but I was in middle school. I was so fed up and frustrated with the narrator I had to put the book down halfway.

7. Would you rather books be turned into movies or TV shows?
I love this question! If done well, and only if done well, I’d say TV shows, like Under the Dome. You can have more time with the book! A movie is done in two hours but a show is dragged out longer and you can look forward to it each week.

8. Favorite book to movie adaptation?
I honestly can’t remember! Hah! But I’m going to say The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve watched the movie so many times, and reading the book is like watching the movie all over again. Good times.

9. What career would you like to pursue?
Uh oh. My issue with careers is I have too many interests. I love the following… Journalist, librarian, author, literary agent, ESL teacher, marketing executive, public relations, editor, anything related to publishing really, and that’s just the beginning! People tend to assume someone my age thinks they know what they want, but after I gave up being set on becoming a journalist I feel lost. *Excuse the rant*

10. Favorite cover!
I’ve never read this book or heard of it but this cover is adorable…

This is NOT my image! I found it on google since I remembered seeing a review of this book.

11. One book you recommend to everyone!
Old School by Tobias Wolff if you are a literary connoisseur 🙂

Spectacle a Glow asked me:

1. Who is your book crush?
I have several. When I read the Iron Fey series I was Team Ash. (I even have a team ash poster on my wall, haha! I forgot about it actually.)

2. Five books I’d bring to a deserted island?
So I’d try and bring some happy and funny books to ease the situation, and some books I wouldn’t mind reading again! And a desert island survival guide! But for the purpose of this question, I’d bring The Symptoms of My Insanity, Old School by Tobias Wolff, The Age of Miracles, and Obsidian.

3. Favorite book cover, which I already answered.

4. Do you leave a book’s dust jacket on or off?
On!

5. Ever skipped reading a required book for class?
I am such a goody two-shoe that likes reading too much! No I haven’t.

6. Which 3 books do you suggest to everyone?
Alright, so I suggested Old School to everyone before so how about some new books. I suggest Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, The Age of Miracles and I am a Man by Joe Starita.

7. Have you ever gone to a book signing?
Do you count a children’s book fair signing? If so, I have gotten many picture books signed as a child. Also, middle grade chapter books when authors used to come to school. Otherwise, nope, not yet.

8. What was your favorite childhood book series?
The Nancy Drew mysteries!! Even a couple years ago I was still reading them. They are amazing at any age.

9. If you had a biography written about you what would the cover look like? Would it be hardcover or paperback?
It would be hardcover, and it would be either a super cool computerized colorful image or a very flattering shot of me 🙂

10. Does the feel of a books’ pages ever bother you?
No, but creases and smells of the pages can.

11. What is your favorite societal issue to read about?
Immigration, I guess? I love hearing the stories of people from other countries and their lives there and here.

Phew, that was a lot of questions! Thanks again! I nominate AryatheFanGirl and BeginningsandBookends.

Your questions:
1. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
2. If you could change one thing about your blog, what would it be?
3. What is your least favorite book cover?
4. Would you rather have books as hands or bookmarks as fingers?
5. What is your favorite book?
6. Where do you get your books? Why?
7. What is your favorite place to read.
8. Do you like magazines or books better?
9. Why did you start your blog?
10. What is the funniest scene you’ve ever read?
11. What is a genre you don’t usually read but wish you could read more of?

If you were nominated, here are the rules:
Thank whoever nominated you. Answer the 11 questions and nominate a new blogger, or two, and give them a set of 11  questions. Then, let them know on their blog as a comment that they were nominated and leave a link to your post.  🙂

Update: So I just found out that you are supposed to nominate 11 new bloggers! Wow, that is a lot. Honestly I think it is OK if you just nominate a few, but if you know 11 then go right ahead!

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Review: Waterfell by Amalie Howard

Basic Summary/Synopsis:
Princess Protection Program meets The Little Mermaid in this YA novel. Nerissa Marin is royalty; underwater royalty. But, she hides among humans in California until she can claim her birthright. Her kingdom underwater is in deep trouble; her father was murdered in their underwater kingdom and his murderer is on the loose. But in the midst of this, Nerissa falls for a new (and human) boy named Lo. Will this be the end for Rissa and her kingdom?

Major Characters:
Nerissa Marin- underwater royalty, heir to throne, attends mortal high school pretending to be human
Speio- Nerissa’s protector
Lo Seavon- Nerissa’s love interest

Nerissa is very relatable, despite the fact that she is not human. She does a great job at blending in. Speio is usually annoyed with Nerissa, I found, but for good reason. (He is sure something will happen to her- considering the king was murdered and her mom is missing, meaning Nerissa is the heir.)  Lo is cute and never fails to surprise you.

I am going to make a slight comparison between this book and Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Both books contain the whole, “I’m not who you think I am.” scene, someone who cares for this foreign person and wants the secrets kept, and a very attractive love interest. (I.e Daemon not wanting Dee befriending people and always showing up when he knew she or Katy was in danger, Speio trying to protect Nerissa…) If you are just coming off of the Lux series, try Waterfell. I think you’ll enjoy it.

As I read I was thinking the ending would be predictable and that I knew how it would end. Yet Amalie Howard pulled out some surprises that I did not expect at all! I was shocked by the ending.

As soon as I started reading Waterfell, I knew I was in love. It is addicting. You could call it a guilty pleasure read. It hits the right notes if what you are looking to read is something fast, mysterious and fun. I can’t wait to read the sequel, Oceanborn.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

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Bout of Books Day 6 and 7 Recap!

Again, not too much reading today. Most of my day was spent in the car driving back home and then attending an arangetram, which was amazing. I just got in the door, though , so I am exhausted. I did manage, however, to read 63 pages today of Old School by Tobias Wolff. So far, I have read four books for bout of books. 🙂

Thanks for all the support this week and I hope that my posts have inspired some of you to challenge yourselves to do something, if not a readathon, something out of your comfort zone! But I highly recommend readathons such as Bout of Books. You feel productive and accomplished by the end.

But don’t worry! There are still two more days left of the readathon! I will be posting a review in the next couple days; I just can’t decide which one. What do you want to see first- my review of Waterfell, The Maze Runner, or my review of The Symptoms of My Insanity? Three different genres. Aye.

Bout of Books Day 7 Recap
Today I read about 20 pages of Old School by Tobias Wolff. I realized I forgot to count audio books this week, by the way! I listened to Part 1 of If I Stay by Gayle Forman. However, how do you know how many pages this is? I listened to it in the Overdrive Media Console, and I just can’t figure it out. Anyone know?

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Quick Bout of Books Day 5 Recap!

Pages read: 289
Books finished: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Readathon goal: 3
Read so far: 4

I’m thinking now that I should’ve done what most people did; make all these recaps a single post. I’m sorry that I didn’t do that for you guys! Now I know for the next readathon 🙂

Follow me @books_palettes for sneak peeks, musings, and more! My avatar image is from “Jen Loves Teaching.”