June 2015 Wrap Up

So if you did not notice, this month I'm splitting up my June Wrap Up and July TBR into two separate posts. The posts were getting so long that I decided it was time to split them up. As for reading, I had a really good month. I participated in two different readathons, the #TBRTakedown and the #rainbowthon. Both these helped me read consistently, but I also had a lot of time to read since it is the summer. In terms of following my TBR from last month, that was an epic fail. I did good with my TBR jar picks, but I did not even start Under the Dome, nor did I finish the eARCs I wanted to. That being said I still read 17 books this month, plus a graphic novel, which is crazy good! As always, links to full reviews if I did them.

1. Sekret by Lindsay Smith (4 Crowns)
2. Allegiant  by Veronica Roth (2 Crowns)
3. Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (4 Crowns)
4. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (4 Crowns)
5. A Letter to My Mom by Lisa Erspamer (3 Crowns)
6. Velvet by Temple West (3.5 Crowns)
7. I Was Here by Gayle Forman (4 Crowns)
8. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (4 Crowns)
9. The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (3.5 Crowns)
10. Naked by Stacey Trombley (4 Crowns)
11. Zom-B by Darren Shan (3.5 Crowns)
12. A Court of Fives by Kate Elliott (4 Crowns)
13. Lullaby by Amanda Hocking (3 Crowns)
14. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley (3.5 Crowns)
15. Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn (4 Crowns)
16. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (4 Crowns)
17. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (4 Crowns) 
18. Locke & Key: Volume One Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez (4 Crowns) 

And with all those books, I read a total of 6,345 pages this month! I starting keeping track in the middle of May just as a way to see how much I read on average each day.
 
#0by 16 is currently a mess, I'm acquiring way too many books. But I can happily say for the first time all year my TBR is in the 50s. It currently sits at 56!!! I'm not sure how it is going to get all the way down by the end of the year, but I'm still convinced I can do this.

Look for my July TBR later today. How did you do in June? Let me know in the comments!

May 2015 Wrap-Up/June 2015 TBR

This was a weird month reading wise for me since it was end of the semester with finals and also graduation and moving back home for me. And then we went on vacation for over a week, so my reading schedule was wonky, but I did manage to read 16 books. That being said, I also had a fantastic month in terms of enjoyable books. There were really only 3 that were disappointing. As always links to my reviews if I have one!

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (5 Crowns)
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (5 Crowns)
3. The Heir by Kiera Cass (3 Crowns)
4. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (4 Crowns)
5. All the Rage by Courtney Summers (5 Crowns)
6. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (5 Crowns)
7. The Clouded Sky by Megan Crewe (3.5 Crowns)
8. Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper (4 Crowns)
9. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (4 Crowns)
10. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (4 Crowns)
11. Lady Thief by A. C. Gaughen (4 Crowns)
12. Unhinged by A. G. Howard (5 Crowns)
13. Betrayed by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (3 Crowns)
14. The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker (4 Crowns)
15. Wool by Hugh Howey (4 Crowns)
16. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (3.5 Crowns)

#0by16 is still going decently. I only read 2 ebooks this month, however I acquired a lot of new books. My total TBR stands at 63 right now, which is only one less than last month...

Other than the 5 books I chose for #TBRTakedown, I have chosen 3 more from my TBR Jar and then some based on needing to review and what I'm feeling like reading. It is going to be a very heavy review books month.

1. In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis
2. Zom-B by Darren Shan
3. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
4. Under the Dome by Stephen King (this is going to be the huge book to read in June, really nervous about getting through this)
5. Ensnared by A. G. Howard (I just want to finish this trilogy so bad right now)
6. Court of Fives by Kate Elliot (just got the ARC and need to read)
7. Naked by Stacey Tombley (got this for review and it comes out in July)
8. Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George (again comes out in July)
9. A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
10. Beastly Bones by William Ritter (I was trying to wait until closer to release- September- but I cannot wait any more)
11. If You're Lucky by Yvonne Prinz (this is the last eARC I have on my NetGalley shelf).

If you couldn't tell, this month is definitely focused on getting all my review books completed. This is not going to help with #0by16, but it will help me be on top of review copies. I have a few more physical ARCs that I really need to get around too, but for June I'm going to focus on the eARCs.

How did you do in May? What are you planning for June? Let me know in the comments!

Book Haul #10- Too many books

I have not posted a book haul since March 10th, so it has been awhile and I've accumulated way too many books in that short time period.

I'm going to do this in groups of when I got them. There are a total of 29 books. Links to Goodreads as always!

The Fault in Our Stars (P4A Edition) by John Green, This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl, Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam, Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga, and Walden and other Writings by Henry David Thoreau.

I bought myself the TFiOS, but my parents got me the other books!

Then I got my newest prized possession, these books are so gorgeous and I absolutely love them. Plus I got the box set for $26 dollars which was amazing! I know own 3 complete sets of HP books...

Next group was some new releases including: All the Rage by Courtney Summers, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (from the lovely TopianBooks), The Heir by Kiera Cass, and two copies of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (one of which I got signed when I met her!!!)

Then when we were on vacation in Alabama, my parents took be to a Books-a-Million (which we don't have where I live) and I got 4 new books thanks to them. I'm beyond ecstatic about the 20th Anniversary Edition of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I also got Icons by Margaret Stohl, The 100 by Kass Morgan, and Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick for $4 each!

Finally, I there were a few more books waiting for me when I got back from vacation, including an ARC I cannot wait to read! I bought myself the B&N Collector's Edition of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. I was sent A Letter to My Mom from BloggingForBooks, I won Dorthory Must Die by Danielle Page, Sekret by Lindsay Smith in giveaways, and Catch Me When I Fall by Vicki Leigh in giveaways. And Novl sent me an ARC of Court of Fives by Kate Elliott!


That is it for this ridiculous book haul. My TBR currently sits at 64, so I'm hoping the summer lets me get this down quickly. Of these 29 books, I have read 14 already so that is something! What books have you gotten recently? Let me know in the comments!

April 2015 Wrap-Up/May 2015 TBR

I was actually pretty successful when it came to sticking to my TBR. Only thing that was a slight fail was my DNFing of Not Cool. I read 25% and decided that there was no reason to finish it. As for books I actually completed, I read 11, which is less than normal, but as you will see there were a lot of really big books this month. As always links to my reviews if I have one!

1. Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes (4 Crowns)
2. Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes (4.5 Crowns)
3. Rumors by Anna Godbersen (3 Crowns)
4. The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons (3.5 Crowns)
5. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (4 Crowns)
6. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (4 Crowns)
7. A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic (4 Crowns)
8. We Are All Suspects Now by Tram Nguyen (3 Crowns)- read for school
9. This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl 
10. Awakening by Shannon Duffy (3.5 Crowns)
11. Earth & Sky by Megan Crewe (3.5 Crowns)

#0by16 is still going decently. I only read 4 ebooks again this month and those were all for review, except Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. My total TBR stands at 65 right now, so I'm starting to get a little nervous about finishing but I'm still confident. The only books I bought this month were the HP Special Edition Box set since it was on sale. And those books I have read so they do not count against the TBR pile. 

I'm currently in the middle of All the Light We Cannot See and I will be finishing it shortly. Other than finishing that one in May, I have again picked 4 books out of my TBR jar. May is when I graduate so I will have 1/2 the month of finals and craziness related to graduation, but after that I have the rest of the month to just read! Due to the free time I will be having, my TBR is more ambitious than normal. The first four are what was picked from the TBR, the rest are personal picks. As always links to Goodreads.

1. Betrayed by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
2. Invaded by Melissa Landers
3. Wool by Hugh Howey
4. Graceling by Kirstin Cashore
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (meeting her the 11th, so have to have it read by then)
6.  Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen (this is a reread, but I do not remember really anything from it)
7. Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen (want to have this read so I can get Lion Heart)
8. Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper (going to his show on the 16th so want to read this before then)
9. The Heir by Kiera Cass (new release so have to get to it right away)
10. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (I have 3 huge books that I have not read yet, so I'm going to read one in May, one in June, and one in July) 
11. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (slightly embarrassed that I own two copies of this book and still have not read it)

Only books I have for review are A Letter to My Mom by Lisa Erspamer and The Clouded Sky by Megan Crewe. It will be very interesting to see if I actually accomplish reading all of these or if being at home with all my books makes me pick up other books instead! 

How did you do in April? What are you planning for May? Let me know in the comments!

March 2015 Wrap-Up/April 2015 TBR

I completely failed this month when it came to sticking to my TBR. While I was wildly successful when it came to my #Gautierathon, it was an epic fail when it came to reading the books I chose out of my TBR Jar. I read a total of 14 books and am currently in the middle of one. As always, if I wrote a full review it is linked, so you can see my full thoughts.

1. Vicious by V.E. Scwab (5 Crowns)
2. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (4 Crowns)
3. Red by Alyxandra Harvey (2.5 Crowns)
4. Red Hill by Jamie McGuire (3 Crowns)
5. Angelfall by Susan Ee (5 Crowns)
6. The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith (4 Crowns)
7. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4 Crowns)
8. Invicible by Sherrilyn Kenyon (3.5 Crowns)
9. Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 Crowns)
10. Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon (3 Crowns)
11. Illusion by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4 Crowns)- Review of series so far.
12. The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma (4 Crowns)
13. Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh (4 Crowns)
14. World After by Susan Ee (5 Crowns)

#0by16 is still going decently. I only read 4 ebooks this month and those were all for review. My total TBR stands at 70, and that is due to my Mom taking me out to get some new books. I still think it is doable to get down to zero, but that is going to involve absolutely no more buying. I'm clearly struggling with not buying books and a lot of that is due to me wanting new releases and then caving and getting them.

So if you don't remember at the beginning of March I pulled Tumble & Fall along with Rumors out of my TBR Jar. While I'm in the middle of Rumors right now, I still didn't finish it in March. As for Tumble & Fall, it has gone back into the jar to be chosen at a later date. The winners for this month are (links to Goodreads as always):

1. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
2.  All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3.  This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl

This month I only chose 3 books because I want to get caught up with the Falling Kingdoms series by reading Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness. So I will hopefully be reading those two along with the 3 chosen. As for review copies I will hopefully get to Not Cool by Greg Gutfield and A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic. And I do realize that most of these books are large, so it will be interesting to see if I can read them all or if I deviate again. Plus they are different than the kinds of books I have been reading recently.

How did you do in March? What are you planning for April? Let me know in the comments!

Book Unhaul #1 and Update

I know I have not been posting as regularly as normal and that is not because my reading has slowed down. It is the opposite really. I have been marathoning the Chronicles of Nick series while I'm home for Spring Break. I have just started book 5, so once I finish that, I will be posting a series review (of the first 5 books) that will contain spoilers (which I know I do not typically do).

As for the real reason for this post, I am going to do something I have never done before an unhaul 5 maybe 6 books. All of these are books that I have had and just have no desire to read and since I'm attempting #0by16, this unhaul will help. The one I am unsure of is a British edition and I think I want to collect the US editions instead.

The books:

• The Unidentified by Rae Mariz. I got this one for like 50 cents and have decided I will never actually read this.
• Strand of Deception by Robin Carroll. This is in a series of books, I beleive you do not have to read the series in order, but again I have no interest in this book anymore.
• Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill. Initially this sounded really interesting plus it goes with my whole demon obsession thing. 
• Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. So I really want to read this series (This is the 2nd book). But I have a British Edition and I think I like the US covers better and I want my series to match, so I'm going to get rid of the British copy so I can get all three US covers. 
• The Barefoot Queen by Ildefonso Falcones. I have attempted to read this twice now, but have been unable to get through it. It portrays women extremely poorly and I just could not get passed it enough to finish.  
• Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz. So I really want to read this series because it sounds fascinating. But Oblivion is the fifth book. I don't know if or when I will actually get to this series, but for now, I'm going to part with this book.  

As for a #0by16 update, the official number now stands at 67. This should be doable based on my current pace of reading. However, I'm going to need to stay very strict on the book buying ban so that I can accomplish eliminating my TBR. 

#ProjectTBR Read-A-Thon Wrap Up

As expected I was fairly unsuccessful in this read-a-thon. School just kind of got overwhelming last week and I was not motivated to read as much as I would have liked. I finished 3 of the 5 books I wanted to read. I know that sounds good, but I didn't even start Afterworlds (which was the more than 500 page book).

Basically, I first read Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just love Andrew Smith's writing.

After that, I picked up Jackaby. If you read my review you will see that I struggled with rating this book. There were aspects that I absolutely loved and aspects that were bothersome. Overall, though I really enjoyed the characters.

And then finally I read, Shovel Ready. This was a mediocre book. It did however have an interesting plot and a unique writing and storytelling style.

So there you have it, I completed the challenges for green on the cover, under 250 pages, and underrated book. Hopefully the next read-a-thon I do, I will be more successful. But I did get three more books off my TBR so I'm getting closer to #0by16