January TBR Pile

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I'm hoping to start out this new year with lots and lots o' books before I head back to school. Some of the titles are books I wasn't able to get to last year, some are coming out this month, and some are good old favorites. I also just set my reading challenge on Goodreads to 101 books for the year of 2017, so to keep on track with that, I need to read about 8 or 9 books per month. If you have not reset your reading challenge, or do not have a Goodreads account, I highly recommend it. I adore goodreads.com and this challenge is a great way to motivate yourself and keep your reading organized.

So Without further ado....

My January 2017 TBR Pile

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
I love Veronica Roth's books. I cried back when this book was announced and I will be going to the book store the day it comes out and finishing it the night I get it.
 
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
I started this a few month ago and haven't finished it yet..... I really need to.

Rook by Sharon Cameron
A friend loaned my their copy and I haven't gotten it back to them yet!!!

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
I'm really looking forward to this one. I had planned on reading it last year, but alas, 'twas not meant to be.

The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
I actually am in the middle of this one, and I sort of picked it up by chance, but it's really good!

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
I'm just in the mood for some Twilight.... not really sure why....


Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
This book comes out TWO DAYS and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick 
Remember those celebrity books I talked about before?? (Click here) Finally reading some. ;)

Thanks for reading and good luck in your new year of reading!

Celebrity Books: A Literary Observation

Celebrity Books

A Literary Observation

So I was scrolling through the nominees for The Goodreads Choice Awards (which are up for the year! Go check them out!) and it really caught my attention that a lot of celebrities are writing their own books now. Granted, to me, all authors are my celebrities, but that's beside the point. I know, I know, they've been doing this... but I'm a YA reader (for the most part), so, not that I wasn't paying attention, but it didn't really catch my attention. However, I'm looking through these various pages on Goodreads, and I want to read them! Here are some of the books, written by celebrities, that I really want to read. (I would also LOVE recommendations)

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
Pub: November 29, 2016

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
Pub: August 16, 2016


Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
Pub: November 15, 2016

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
Pub: October 28, 2014

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
Pub: September 15, 2015

Binge by Tyler Oakley
Pub: October 20, 2015


There's so many more out there and I've still got exploring to do. For example, Lily Collins is coming out with a book in March that is going to be called Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me that I really want to read. I really hope that more celebrities keep doing this. I'm really curious about these books and I can't wait to start reading! Feel free to comment with recs or anything :)

Thanks for reading!

Film Review: Moana

Moana MovieReview

4.9 out of 5 Stars

Disney has yet to really fail me when it comes to their production of "princess" movies. Moana was incredible. Not only did it rise to and above any expectations from Disney movies, but it was so engaging and reminded me of why I love Disney so much. Everything from the animation to the music to the the little quirky jokes created a ninety minute long blissful escape to a tropical island that spits you out of the theatre happy and ready to face your dreams and the challenges that are whispered inside your head.

I love the graphics!!! Her hair is a little frizzy!!! <3

The exact opposite of Frozen, this movie took place surrounded by lush tropical islands and warm seas. With all of the snow and ice around me, that was so welcome that I may or may not have looked at how much it would cost to visit an island right about now. Sadly, nothing in my budget; luckily, I could go see Moana again and visit those tropical places in my head.

The one thing that I missed from the movie was the romance. Please don't freak out! I totally loved this movie and everything about it. There really was nothing wrong with it and no way they could have fit in romance. I actually really appreciated how Maui was Moana's friend only. But maybe I'm just that much of a romantic where I wish there was something, even minor, in the story that was romantic. Call it cliche, but I love when there's a happy romantic ending. For example, in Frozen, there was some romance, and it didn't undermine any characters at all. Anna was still just as strong and independent even though her and Kristoff had a thing by the end.

I fell in love with the music of this movie---- so many great songs are on this album. I'm not just talking about the ones with words either, the entire score is great. If you don't believe me, look at the Golden Globe nominations and you'll find that the song "How Far I'll Go" is up for Best Original Song-Motion Picture.

I hope you go out and see this movie! It is uplifting, relaxing, and another great Disney movie to get put into the books. Really, anyone, any age, can see this and enjoy it.

Thanks for reading!

Aniticipated 2017 Releases

Hello! Sorry for not posted in ages, but the end of the semester got super super busy with finals and holiday stuff. Now though, I'm ready to dive right back in!

2017 Releases I Am Dying to Read

Before I go into the list, please note that there are so many books coming out this year that I am so looking forward to reading, but I also know that there are so many that I do not even know exist yet! :) I would love comments on what you are looking forward to and anything that you think I missed!

JANUARY

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Frostblood by Elly Blake

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder

FEBRUARY

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Wintersong by S Jae Jones

The Wish Granter by CJ Redwine

Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

 

MARCH

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Unflitered by Lily Collins

The Struggle by Jennifer L Armentrout

Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

 

MAY

Always and Forever, Laura Jean by Jenny Han

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

AUGUST
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

SEPTEMBER
ToG #6 (Untitled) by Sarah J Maas

NOVEMBER

Gatlon School for Vigilantes by Marissa Meyer

UNKNOWN
Untitled (Stream Raiders #1) By Sara Raasch

Untitled (Shaw Confessions) by Michelle Hodkin

Happy New Year and thanks for reading!!!

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Novelizing November

Novelizing November

Books I'm Going to (Hopefully) Read this Month

This month is going to be a combination of super busy, but also with gaps of time thrown in, so I'm hoping to get in a decent amount of reading. I just got caught up with my Goodreads challenge of 100 books and I'm officially back on track. That being said, it also means that now is not necessarily the best time for me to read lots and lots of gigantic books.... I'm sorry Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, you're going to have to wait until 2017. However, I will hopefully be reading (at least) 15 books this month. I've already read 4, so I'm relatively on track for that too.

To Read:
Rook by Sharon Cameron
Confessions by St. Augustine
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
The Prince by Machiavelli
A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray
What Light by Jay Asher
November 9 by Colleen Hoover ;)
The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
In Our Time by Ernest Hemmingway
Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Sandera


Already Read:
Paper Princess by Erin Watt
   (my review here: http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/11/paper-princess-review-with-spoilers.html)
Broken Prince by Erin Watt
Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout
Apollyon by Jennifer L Armentrout
Who knows! I may read some of these and not the rest. Instead I might pick up one of the celebrity books that I mention here- http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/11/celebrity-books-literary-observation.html. I'll let you guys know at the end of the month. :)

Thanks for reading!

Paper Princess Review WITH SPOILERS

Paper Princess by Erin Watt

Review WITH SPOILERS
3 out of 5 Stars

First things first- this is not a young adult novel, so do not read this if you are not old enough. :)
I had heard this title floating around before with great things being said about it, so I decided to pick it up. Paper Princess was good, but I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype that was surrounding it for me. I still enjoyed it! But at the same time, I would not recommend it to all my friends and I don't think it would be one of the top books I would recommend. It was a very interesting and the writing was so easy to read. There were just one too many really uncomfortable moments for me, and I think part of the reason that they were so uncomfortable is because we suddenly meet these Royals and they aren't developed so well...... There's definitely lots of room for them to grow and develop, which I am really hoping happens in the next book. Which, by the way, I will be reading. This book may have just not been my thing, so if you are looking for a new adult romance, then this will definitely fit the bill.



SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:

Ella: While I love how her character is so independent and strong, but she's also rash. A part of me actually appreciates this aspect of her character because it is a reminder that she is still only 17 and does not have the maturity of an adult, nor should she, even though she has had to take care of herself for the past two years.

Reed: When I said earlier that there is room for these characters to be developed, I was thinking especially about Reed. The thing is, he is developed really well in book 1, but I feel like there is still more to him that could be developed in the next book. He is like the dad of the family. That is my current hypothesis at this moment. His own dad is always gone and he cares so much about his brothers that I think he has taken over the responsibility of looking out for them in whatever way he needs to. *cough the ending cough*. I don't think (I hope) that he ended up sleeping with Brooke at the end because of some ulterior motive. I really hope so, and I think that goes with his character too.

PLOT:

I'm trying to figure out right now what the major plot line was. Ella gets taken to rich neighborhood. She meets creepy bratty family. Earns their trust. Trust broken. There were no really compelling plot lines in the book. The entire thing was about Ella and Reed. Huh.

WRITING:

The writing was easy to read, and I think the only spots where I wasn't necessarily enjoying the book weren't out of the words so much as the character development and lack of knowing the Royals. If the family is developed more, I think I would enjoy this book a lot better because then I think a lot of the creepy factor would be taken out. They would seem more human to me? And by that I mean that they would seem more humane and less inconsiderate.

I'm pretty sure I have said stuff like this in other reviews, but just because I did not love this book does not mean other people won't too. Who knows- maybe I'll love the next two books. I personally found the character development to be lacking, and as a result of that, there were times that I was really feeling a creepy factor and I did not enjoy that. I will continue on with the next book though, because I really am hoping that the characters will be developed more and we get to know them better.

Thanks for reading!