Weekly Recap: 5/24 - 5/30

My Super Exciting Life  As you can tell, I'm back from vacation! And it was so much fun! Week one was at Disney World where we did the Wild Africa Trek at Animal Kingdom. We spent some time dangling over crocodiles on a rope bridge, which was pretty awesome! Unfortunately, I got pretty sick by the fifth day there, which also happened to be the day before the cruise. It was so bad that I ended up in the ER getting IV hookups and making sure I was okay to go on the cruise, which I was. The next week was spent in the Caribbean. We went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Mexico, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Yes, I was really queasy...

#TBRTakedown Read-a-thon

So... today when I was pursuing the interwebs I came across a read-a-thon that seems to be picking up a lot of speed in the BookTube community. Even though I'm not going near YouTube with a 10-foot pole, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun and might even help me with these physical TBR issues I've been having lately. Here's the announcement video for the challenge! The idea behind this read-a-thon is to whittle away at all of those books that have been slowly piling up on your bookshelves over the course of a week (June 1-7). There are five mini-challenges to make it a little more interesting! A book that's been on your TBR shelf over...

Feature & Follow #49: TBR List

Happy Friday, fellow book lovers! Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of Feature & Follow is to meet new bloggers, make friends, and gain readers. This Week's Question:  How many books have you  got on your TBR list?  Well... this is embarrassing. I think I have more books on my TBR list than my read list on Goodreads. That has been confirmed. My read list on Goodreads is currently at 337, while my to-read list is at 419. I didn't start tracking religiously until last year, so maybe that will level out at some point. It's doubtful....

My bookshelf runneth over... with books I don't read

I'm talking about those books that you buy and then they just sit on your bookshelf for years, untouched. You know the ones. They're all at least five years past their publication date and their covers aren't really what's "in" right now. You bought them at a yard sale or a library book sale (or even on BookOutlet.com) thinking they sounded good for under a buck. In the back of your mind you knew you'd never really read them. But maybe... maybe one day you'll be in the mood for that book. I have so many of those books. They sit on my shelves and look less glamorous somehow than the ones I was absolutely dying to have and willing to pay...

Waiting on Wednesday #51: Seraphina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is: Seraphina and the Black CloakRobert Beatty Publication Date: July 14, 2015 A spooky mystery-thriller about an unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate. "Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there and they will ensnare your soul." Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of Biltmore Estate. There's plenty to explore in the shadowed corridors of her vast home, but she must take care to never be seen. None...

Top Ten Tuesday #45: Summer reads

Today's Topic:   Ten Books I Plan To Have In  My Beach Bag This Summer Fun fact: I don't go to the beach! So... these are the top ten books I plan to read this summer while I'm taking time off of school life.          The Cage by Megan Shepherd Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge Even When You Lie to Me by Jessica Alcott Hook's Daughter by Heidi Schulz Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley          The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty Shutter by Courtney Alameda Sweet by...

Audiobook Review: The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien

Title: The Vault of Dreamers Author: Caragh M. O'Brien Publication Date: September 16, 2014 Publisher: Roaring Book Press Pages: 432 Add to Goodreads From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own. The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success: every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping...

Waiting on Wednesday #50: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is: A Thousand NightsE.K. Johnston Publication Date: October 6, 2015 Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next. And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite...

Book Review: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse (Winner's Trilogy #1) Author: Marie Rutkoski Publication Date: March 4, 2014 Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux Pages: 355 Add to Goodreads Reviews for book 2 & book 3 Winning what you want may cost you everything you love. As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with...

Feature & Follow Friday #48: Organization

Happy Friday, fellow book lovers! Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of Feature & Follow is to meet new bloggers, make friends, and gain readers. This Week's Question:  How do you organize your books?  Either at home on your bookshelves or  on your reading-device, or on your bookish  platform like Goodreads, Leafmarks or Booklikes. Home bookshelves: I have three. The first one is filled with only YA books. The top shelf has some of my favorites and the second shelf is my immediate TBR. The other shelves are just... the rest. The second is...

Waiting on Wednesday #49: The Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is: The Last of the SpiritsChris Priestley Publication Date: June 16, 2015 Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London. When Sam asks a wealthy man for some coins, he is rudely turned away. Months of struggle suddenly find their focus, and Sam resolves to kill the man. Huddling in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie are horrified to see the earth around one of the tombs begin to shift, shortly followed by the wraithlike figure of a ghostly man. He warns Sam about the future which awaits...

Book blitz & giveaway: The Fever by Megan Abbott

This book has been out in hardcover since last year, but now it's coming out in this GORGEOUS paperback! I'm not sure which cover I like more!!  Title: The Fever Author: Megan Abbott Publication Date: May 12, 2015 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Pages: 336 Add to Goodreads The panic unleashed by a mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a seemingly idyllic suburban community.The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when...

Top Ten Tuesday #44: Authors I'm dying to meet

Today's Topic:   Ten Authors I REALLY Want To Meet          A.G. Howard Catherine Coulter Dan Brown J.K. Rowling Megan Shepherd            Sarah J. Maas Sherrilyn Kenyon Stephen King Stormy Smith Veronica Roth Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish -  a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers. Each week they post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. Click here to get involv...