June 2016 Wrap Up & July TBR

Hey, guys!

      This month has been so topsy-turvy! This month I've read 6 books, and I'm so happy with the books that I've read this month. I read so many great books this month, and I'm so excited to get to the books I plan on reading in July. Here are the books that I read this month:

1. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
• 4 stars
2. Meet Me Here by Bryan Bliss+
• 3 stars
3. Maiden by Chris Sorenson+
• 3 stars
4. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
• 5 stars
5. A Court Of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas
• 5 STARS OH MY GOSH STAY TUNED FOR MY REVIEW!
6. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman
• 5 stars

Favorite Book Read: A Court Of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas --Stay tuned for a really long and love-filled review because I adore this book. 

Least Favorite Book Read: Maiden by Chris Sorensen

# of Pages Read: 2,790

July TBR:

      Since I've bought/received 21 books this past month, I've definitely needed to read more! I've become so distracted by Netflix lately...it's awful! I plan on participating in the Biannual Bibliothon! 

The Biannual Bibliothon is hosted by a group of BookTubers and during the readathon, you create a TBR that revolves around the group of challenges that the hosts create. This time, there are 7 challenges:

1. Read The Group Book - The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
2. Free Choice/ Wild Card Book
3.Read a Book Off of the Host’s List of Recommendations

-Momo’s Choice - The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

-Selena’s Choice - Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...

-Kelly’s Choice - Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

-Red’s Choice – Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

-Emma’s Choice - More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

-Meagan’s Choice - The Archived by Victoria Schwab: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

-Kassie’s Choice – Abarat by Clive Barker: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

4. Read a Book With Your Favorite Mythical Creature
5. Read a Book You’ve Been Putting Off Picking Up
6. Read a Book from an Author You’ve Never Read Before
7. Read a Book in a Different Format than You Usually Read

      There are also video challenges, but because I do not have a camera, I cannot complete those challenges this year. If you'd like to check out those challenges, then I recommend that you check out the Biannual Bibliothon's YouTube channel: {click here}.

The read-a-thon starts on July 3rd and ends on the 9th. Books can be doubled up for challenges, but cannot be used three times. 

      This year, it took a little bit of time for me to develop a decent TBR. Like Caz from LittleBookOwl on YouTube, I managed to chose a few chunky books for my TBR...I'm not proud, but I am excited to read this batch of books. I know I won't read all of them, but I've been planning to read them anyway so I might as well plan this out. ;)

Here are the books I plan on reading that week!

Challenge 1: Obviously, I had to choose The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. I just got it in the mail, and I'm so excited to read it. I've been waiting forever to read it.

Challenge 2: This will be optional because any of the books mentioned could be used for this challenge, but I think I'm going to try to read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. 

Challenge 3: I can't fufill this challenge because I do not own any of these books, but I have read 2/6 of these books. I've read Starcrossed by Josephine Angellini my freshman year and I've read Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover last year. 

Challenge 4: For this challenge, I chose The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan. I'm not sure what creatures this book has in it, but I love every creature that Rick features in his books.

Challenge 5: For this challenge I chose The Good Braider by Terry Farish. I've been meaning to read it for over a year, and I'm finally going to read it.

Challenge 6: The Good Braider will also be for this challenge because I've never read any of Terry Farish's books before.

Challenge 7: For this challenge, I'm going to read Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. Colleen recently announced a sale for a couple of her books and I had a bit of money left on my Amazon account, so I bought the ebook version of Hopeless for Etienne, my Kindle.

~~~

For the rest of the month, I've planned to read the rest of the review books that have been sent to me and to read some books that I've been dying to read. Here is the complete list of books that I want to read:

1. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton*
2. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson*
3. The Good Braider by Terry Farish*
4. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover*
5. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan*
6. The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
7. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (not shown)
• This is the LivTheBookNerdBookClub book of the month, so if you'd like to join the Goodreads group and discuss with us, then click the link and stay tuned for the full announcement tomorrow!
8. Phage by Mark Tamplin+
9. The Álfaerën Legacy by Marc Jacobs+
10. Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading+

+Review copies 

*Biannual Bibliothon books
Books I Have To Read

I know this TBR is pretty ambitious, but I'm so excited to read these books.

      This month my friend Julia and I were planning on buddy reading The Good Braider and Six of Crows. I've never buddy read anything with anyone before, so I'm pretty excited to read these with Julia. I don't think we'll be reading a specific amount of pages (or follow along with each other), but I think we'll just be reading it at the same time. I'm really excited to do this.

If you'd like to keep up with what I'm currently reading, then follow me or friend me on Goodreads! All of my social media links are down below!

Comment down below what you plan on reading this month!

Happy reading everyone!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerdBlog~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin

@LivTheBookNerd on Books

Top 5 Wednesday {#17}: Books For Rainy Days

Hey, guys!

This week, I wanted to share a few books that I think are perfect for rainy days. I'm not sure why, but I've always found that high fantasy and classics are the perfect kinds of books to read on a rainy day. This may be different for others, but for me, that's what usually pops into my head when I think of books for rainy days. To be honest, when it rains here in Indiana, I usually continue reading whatever I'm reading currently...so, these books are usually books I've read while it rained or books that give me nostalgic feelings or books that I can see myself reading on a rainy day.

Question: What genre of book do you associate with reading on a rainy day? 

      There were so many books that I could see myself reading on a rainy day, one being the book I'm currently reading: A Court Of Mist & Fury (I'm writing this a week early, so I may be done with it by the time this is posted, but on we go). It just recently poured and I was definitely not complaining. I mean...I stood out in the rain for like 2 minutes and was soaked...I loved it. Rainy weather is the perfect reading weather. You can cuddle up in bed like a burrito and read a great book...*sigh* I think that's what I'm going to do sooner rather than later. Anyway, the five books I chose were mainly from the fantasy/high-fantasy genre but there is one romance/contemporary book that I just had to add. I chose:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling
2. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
3. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
4. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
5. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I don't know what it is about fantasy/high fantasy books, but reading them while it rains is such a soothing and nostalgic feeling. I love to sink into a different world and have the sound of rain in the back ground...I love it. Comment down below if you agree! The Fault In Our Stars was chosen because of the subject matter and the end. It's very sad, if you don't know, and if I had to chose a contemporary that I would read while it was raining, that would be the one. 

If you have anything to add on this topic, comment below or contact me via my social media links which will be linked down below! I love to discuss this with you all! Don't hesitate to contact me via email either! I love to answer questions or recommend y'all books. I hope you have a lovely week and I will see you tomorrow with my June Wrap Up! 

Happy Reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin

@LivTheBookNerd on Books

{Review + Giveaway} Maiden by Chris Sorensen

Page Count: 298
Published on: April 29, 2016

Published by: Pond Publishing

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance, High Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade 
Source: Paperback -- Sent by author

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @csorensenwrite

My Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

PERFECT FOR MIDDLE-GRADE OR YOUNG ADULT READERS!

Jeanette is not like the other 17-year-old, gray-eyed girls in the war-torn kingdom of Amarin. While the other girls hope to regain the green eye color of their ancestors at spring festival and win the prince's favor, Jeanette has other plans to escape her stifled village life.

After the caravan arrives, Jeanette fears that she will have to trade one caged life for another. But a series of visions gives her the guidance and determination to break free and fulfill her true purpose - giving hope to her people and fighting to end the war.

MAIDEN is loosely inspired by the life of Joan of Arc. 

~~~

Hey, guys!

Chris Sorensen sent me his novel Maiden for an honest review.

      I started this book very excited. The synopsis had me very intrigued, and I was afraid that I would be reading something very cliche and common. In middle grade and young adult fantasy, readers often find that they encounter "the chosen one" trope quite often, but this was not the case when it came to Maiden. When I got about 100 pages into the book, I was very pleased with how original it was. When Chris pitched his book to me (via email) he described it to be loosely based on the life of Joan of Arc. I'm not very familiar with her life, but I had read a little bit about her during my elementary school years. I admit, I don't remember much about her except that she was a badass and inspirational. After reading this book, I realize that I should have read a bit about St. Joan, but I haven't...yet... 

      Overall, this was an average fantasy novel, but there were elements that really drew me in. The beginning of this book was really great. It drew me in and the writing was excellent. I'm not sure why, but by the time I got about half-way through it, I got bored. I lost interest for about 75 pages towards the end, but I pushed through and I'm glad that I did. The last 30 pages were so well done. I definitely want to read the second book. The epilogue was especially gripping. I expected part of it, but Chris Sorensen threw in a twist that I didn't expect too. The focus on the different eye colors of the countries that corresponded with their special powers was really interesting to me. It reminded me of Kristin Cashore's Graceling trilogy and her focus on people with two eye colors. A fairly similar concept but both were done quite differently. 

      I also really liked that Sorensen didn't use violence. obscene language or sexuality to keep the story going. His story-telling ability and his writing style were a really nice experience. 

     I really didn't connect with the characters in this book, which is what caused the rating to be 3 stars instead of a 4 or 5-star rating. The main character, Jeanette did not act 17, and for a good part of the book, I didn't think she really was 17. I had a brain fart and forgot that the synopsis on the back of the book said that she was 17...oops. I really didn't like any of the characters. They didn't act their age, and they weren't as dynamic as I would have liked. They were very two dimensional in my opinion. Prince Braxton's attitude towards the end of the book was really obnoxious and his attitude changed really quickly without much of a struggle. It literally went from zero to ten really quickly...it wasn't done well. 

      Chris Sorensen has graciously provided a Rafflecopter giveaway for you, the readers, to get the chance to win a copy of Maiden! 

Here Are The Rules:

• June 28 ~ July 15, 2016
• Must be 13 years old or older to enter
• U.S. Addresses Only
• Prize will be distributed by author
• Invalid entries will be disqualified

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6634d10c11

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meet Me Here by Bryan Bliss

Page Count: 272
Published on: May 31, 2016

Published by: Greenwillow Books

Genre(s): Contemporary, YA, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Military
Source: Paperback--Sent by HarperTeen

Age Rating: PG

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @brainbliss

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

In a single night—graduation night—Thomas has to decide: Do what everyone has always expected of him? Or forge an entirely new path? Bryan Bliss’s absorbing examination of one boy struggling with expectations and realities will appeal to readers of Sara Zarr and Chris Crutcher.

Thomas is supposed to leave for the army in the morning. His father was Army. His brother, Jake, is Army—is a hero, even, with the medals to prove it. Everyone expects Thomas to follow in that fine tradition. But Jake came back from overseas a completely different person, and that has shaken Thomas’s certainty about his own future. And so when his long-estranged friend Mallory suggests one last night of adventure, Thomas takes her up on the distraction. Over the course of this single night, Thomas will lose, find, resolve, doubt, drive, explore, and leap off a bridge. He’ll also face the truth of his brother’s post-traumatic stress disorder and of his own courage. In Bryan Bliss’s deft hands, graduation night becomes a night to find yourself, find each other, find a path, and know that you always have a place—and people—to come back to.

~~~

Hey guys!

      I was sent an ARC copy by HarperTeen for review, and I was so so so excited to receive this book. I actually received it in the mail the day I graduated which made that day even cooler. This book had the potential to be really magical and really well done. 

Things I Liked:

• I really liked the focus on friendship rather than romance. It was a breath of fresh air to have a book that wasn't based on romance.
• I really liked the focus on the brother, Jake. He was probably my second favorite character. He was really interesting to get to know him as you kept reading.
• I also really liked Mallory's character. She was really funny and I really wanted to know more about her. 
• I really liked Bryan Bliss's writing style. The story flowed very nicely and the story was overall fairly entertaining. 
• I like how the ending was very open-ended. When I first finished the book, I really hated the open-ended-ness. Now that it's been a few days, I've realized that I really like how I can imagine what happens next.

Things I Didn't Like:

• Thomas was a really cool character too, but I couldn't really connect with him. His constant focus on doing what his parents wanted stopped him from being the best he could be. I really didn't like that at all.
• The emotions in this book were lacking a coherent connection. I feel like if it had been done better I would have cried...which would have been awesome. 
• I did not like how the parent trope was used. It's really overused and it got really annoying. The parents were really unrealistic (to me) and I just really did not like that aspect of the book.

Books Kind of Like Meet Me Here:

~ Looking For Alaska by John Green

~ The Perks of Being A Wall Flower by Stephen Chbosky

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin

@LivTheBookNerd on Books

Top 5 Wednesday {#16}: Fictional Items I Want

Hey, guys!

    It's time for another Top 5 Wednesday! This week I'll be discussing the fictional items that I want. There were so many things to choose from, and I had to choose them from, but the items mainly came from Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Doctor Who...I mean who would have guessed! *wink* There are 6 instead of 5, but I couldn't narrow it down anymore...

Here They Are:

1. Wand
2. Invisibility Cloak
3. Time Turner
4. Sonic Screwdriver
5. T.A.R.D.I.S.
6. Light Saber

      I mean who wouldn't want any of these items?!?!? With a wand, you can cast any kind of spell! With an invisibility cloak, you can sneak around and be invisible. With a time turner, you can go back in time and have awesome experiences. With a sonic screwdriver, you can help the Doctor save the world, and that goes the same with a T.A.R.D.I.S.! You can travel space-time with the coolest guy in the universe! Who doesn't want to do that? ...Do I have to explain the light saber? Seriously....who has never wanted a light saber? They are amazing! 

This is actually my wand. It chose me on Pottermore.

Dogwood wood with a Phoenix feather core 12 ¾" and Slightly Springy flexibility

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin

@LivTheBookNerd on Books

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Page Count: 492
Published on: July 8, 2014

Published by: Henry Holt/Square Fish

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance, High Fantasy, Adventure, Historical Fiction (not), Science Fiction
Source: Hardback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @marypearson

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

      The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

      Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      I've been meaning to read The Kiss of Deception for over a year now, and I've finally gotten to it! KoD has been on my Goodreads TBR for over a year, and when my sister bought it and put it on her TBR she told me I wasn't allowed to read it until she did...well she read part of it, got confused, and put it back on her TBR to try again after she read something else. She still hasn't read it, but I was in the mood to read it so I ended up picking it up while she was out and got 40 pages in so she couldn't take it away. In the end, I got to keep reading her book...

excuse the meme

      Everyone on Goodreads and BookTube have been raving about this book for the past year and a half, so when I had high expectations for this book...maybe too high expectations. I psyched myself out and because of that, I probably didn't like this book as much as I could have if I hadn't hyped it up. I think I got lost in my hype. 

     I really loved the whole plot concept of this book. I think the plot was what completely drew me in. It's not that a plot doesn't draw me in normally, but once I got into the book, I realized that Mary E. Pearson was going in a totally different direction then I thought it would have gone. I really loved the characters that she developed throughout the book. I really loved Lia's character throughout the book. She was such a badass and so strong. I loved that she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, and she wouldn't let anyone step on her for it. I also really enjoyed her whole attitude throughout the book. I loved her newer attitude at the end of the book. I can't go into detail...because spoilers... but if you'd like to discuss this book you can contact me on Twitter! I also really liked the guy characters...I mean I couldn't figure out which was which until the near end, but once you figure out who they are it's much easier. Each of their characters developed really nicely throughout this book and I can't wait to find out what happens in the sequel. 

      I wouldn't classify this book in the high fantasy genre (hence the "not" above). It is a fantasy novel, but from what I read I wouldn't consider it high fantasy...yet. By the time I got half-way through the book, I got kind of bored. Either I was losing steam, or I just wasn't enjoying it. I would say that the beginning of the book was 5 stars, the middle 4, and the end was 5 stars...if you average that out it's a 4.6 star rating. 

Overall, this book was pretty good and I'll definitely be reading the sequels. Mary E. Pearson's writing is nicely done, and I love her work.

I hope you all enjoyed this review!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin

@LivTheBookNerd on Books

Karma by Nadine Nightingale

Page Count: 276
Published on: May 4, 2016

Published by: The Wild Rose Press

Genre(s): Paranormal, New Adult, Adult, Fantasy
Source: Paperback--Sent by author

Age Rating: PG-17, trigger for abuse

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @dini_caroline

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

People call me all sorts of names—bad girl, black sheep, and my all-time favorite...Satan’s bride. I could blame the fact I’m a witch for my behavior, but the truth is I’m infuriating, arrogant, and stab-worthy.

Alex Remington is a hunter and everything I’m not—righteous, honest, caring. We used to have a thing, but that was before he learned I’m a witch and tried to kill me.

Eighteen months later, he’s back in my life and we have a deal; I’ll help him save his brother and he’ll disappear from my life for good. But karma can be a real bitch… 

~~~

Hey, guys!

Nadine Nightingale sent me her book for an honest review. 

      This book was very entertaining and a pretty good paranormal romance book. Although there were a few things I didn't enjoy about the book, there were enough things that I thought were outstanding that didn't cause me to hate it haha. This was a pretty average book for me, but 

What I Liked:

• I liked Alex a lot...he was such a cool character, and I liked that he stuck with what he believed in. 
• I loved the little flashbacks between Alex and Amanda. Some of the flashbacks were a bit steamy, but I felt like they were well done and didn't reveal a bunch of the nitty gritty details that I didn't really want...if you know what I mean.
• I loved the banter between Amanda and Alex. It made me laugh out loud like a fool. 
• This book gave me a kind of Supernatural-vibe. I at first thought it was a fan-fiction.
• This book wasn't overly violent or sexual. The scenes that could be really raunchy or sexual were really nicely done, and I didn't get the whole TMI-vibe that I get sometime when an author gets too descriptive with a romantic scene.

What I Didn't Like:

• The "chemistry" between the two felt a bit forced to me, but it was probably because I didn't have as much knowledge of their romantic background as I would like. 
• Towards the end, there were still questions that were unanswered concerning why the two broke up the first time. I still don't think I know the full reason why Jesse up and left without Alex. The small answers that kind of answered the questions throughout never fully satisfied me.
• I also felt like I didn't know enough about the type of magic that Amanda practiced. I mean there were bits of the book where it described the magic, but unlike other books with witches and wizards I didn't understand this magic, and I really wish that I did. Maybe it's because I don't read much paranormal anymore, but it wasn't enough for me.
• I also didn't like the times where Alex and Amanda would fight over whether each of them were jealous or not. It was not done well, and it was really annoying.
• Another little thing that I didn't like was when one of the characters would say "ain't" it felt forced and it didn't sound right at all.

      Overall, the story was very interesting and kept me reading. I'm very interested in reading the sequel. There were too many questions left unanswered for me, and hopefully the sequel won't let me down. I also wish there was a prequel that explained Alex & Amanda's relationship. I feel like that would add something awesome to the story.

I hope you all enjoyed this review!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin

@LivTheBookNerd on Books