July 2016 Wrap Up & August 2016 TBR

Hey, guys!

During July I read 17 books! This is probably my best reading month so far! This month, I participated in 3 read-alongs: the Biannual Bibliothon, the Cram-A-Thon, and the BookTube-A-Thon. I'm really happy with the books that I read this past month. There was a good mix of genres and I finally got a chance to read a few volumes from the Attack On Titan manga series! Here are the awesome books that I read in July. 

1. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (e-book)
•  4 stars
2. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson 
• 5 stars
3. The Good Braider by Terry Farish (not shown)
• 3.5 stars
4. Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling) 
• 5 stars
5. Attack On Titan Volume 1 by Hajime Isayama* 
• 4.5 stars
6. Attack On Titan Volume 2 by Hajime Isayama* 
• 4 stars
7. Attack On Titan Volume 3 by Hajime Isayama* 
• 4 stars
8. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan 
• 5 stars
9. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie 
• 5 stars
10. Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer 
• 5 stars
11. Attack On Titan Volume 4 by Hajime Isayama*
• 4 stars
12. The BFG by Roald Dahl 
• 3.75 stars
13. Attack On Titan Volume 5 by Hajime Isayama*
• 4 stars
14. Attack On Titan Volume 6 by Hajime Isayama*
• 4 stars
15. Broken Hearts, Fences, & Other Things To Mend by Katie Finn (aka Morgan Matson)
• 5 stars
16. Attack On Titan Volume 7 by Hajime Isayama*
• 4 stars
17. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• 5 stars

*Graphic novels, reviews coming in December in Graphic Novels Read in 2016 post

If I haven't linked in a review for one of these books, then that means that there will be a review posted sometime in August and maybe September. I may not read as much in late August and September because I will be starting my freshman year in college, so there will be a bit of an adjustment period. 

Favorite Book Read: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Least Favorite Book Read: The Good Braider by Terry Farish -- I'm not sure what made me so bored with this book, but it just wasn't my favorite book that is written in verse.

# of Pages Read: 4,382 pages 

August TBR:

      I have a lot of review copies to catch up on, which is unfortunate because I'm about to start up my first year of college and I know that I will get busy quite quickly. I'm also going to apply to work at the school library, so hopefully I get a job, but unfortunately that will stop me from reading as much as I would like. I'm going into August with a pretty ambitious TBR, but I don't start school until the 22nd...I will be frantically reading and pre-writing reviews until then. But until then, here are the books that I plan on reading!

• Phage by Mark Tamplin
• The Tormented Witch by J.C. Beckham
• Kitty Hawk & the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading
• The Alfaeren Legacy by Marc Jacobs
• Courageous (Valient Hearts #3) by Dina L. Sleiman
• The Drowning of Arthur Braxton by Caroline Smailes
• A Worthy Heart (Courage To Dream #2) by Susan Anne Mason
• Amish Sweethearts (Neighbors of Lancaster County #2) by Leslie Gould
• Never by Shay Lynam (e-book)
• Biome by Ryan Galloway (e-book)
• Awaken by Skye Malone (not shown)

The next two books are not review copies or ARCs, but one is the LivTheBookClub August BOTM & one is just one that I want to read ASAP...

• Scarlet Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw
• Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell
• Harry Potter & the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

      I'm not sure if I will finish all of these books, but if I don't finish any of these books in August, they will be carried over to September because I have to finish these books and get my reviews out there! I'm usually a mood reader, and even if I'm not in the mood to read these books, I'll put myself in the mood because I hate getting books from authors and then not reading them or putting them off! That's so rude! I hate leaving authors hanging when it comes to reviews, even if the review is coming up but it's pre-written and scheduled for weeks in advance. I just don't want to cheat them or whatever. :)

Anyway, if you're reading some of these books in August comment down below! Also! Please share the books that you're reading with me! Whether you comment down below or tweet me doesn't matter, but I'd love to talk books with y'all! 

Tweet Me! @LivTheBookNerd or @LivTheBookClub or @HStyles_Livvy

Message Me On Goodreads! www.goodreads.com/livthebooknerd
Instagram: @livthebooknerd

Happy reading, everyone!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Book Club} July Live Show Announcement + August BOTM Announcement!

Hey, guys!

Okay, so yesterday I sent out the live show announcement to the members of the Liv The Book Club group on Goodreads that announced the dates of the live show and all of the information that you need to make sure you can get to the live show. Anyway: here is what I sent to the members of the LivTheBookClub group!

~~~

Hey, guys! Okay, this is kind of short notice, but Julia, Courtney,& I have figured out when the live show will be! August 2 @4PM EST. We will be having a spoiler and non-spoiler discussions during our live stream and we will be discussing this book in depth, so check that out! It will be posted on the Liv The Book Nerd YouTube channel & we're figuring out how to enable you to get a notification when the live show starts. Don't forget to subscribe to get the notification! THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE THAT YOU COULD WIN A HOME MADE LIVTHEBOOKNERD BOOKMARK! WATCH THE LIVESHOW TO FIND OUT HOW! We can't wait to discuss this book with you! Happy reading!~Liv~ Book Club Links:Twitter: @livthebookclubInstagram: @livthebookclub  Liv's Social Media:Twitter: @livthebooknerdInstagram: @livthebooknerdYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLAl...Blog: www.livthebooknerd.blogspot.com Julia's Social Media:Twitter: @jujuthereaderInstagram: @juliatharp Courtney's Social Media:Twitter: @annamariaizlandInstagram: @annamariaizland ~~~ Okay, there is one more thing that I wanted to post yesterday, but I couldn't send out another mass message last night. I wanted to announce the August book of the month is....*drum roll*  Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw! We are so excited to read this book! I know that I think I could relate to Scarlett ;) and I think her whole situation could be really funny if it's written well. I have high hopes for this book.... Happy reading, y'all!  Olivia ~LivTheBookNerd~ Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin @LivTheBookNerd on Books

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Page Count: 517
Published on: May 3, 2016

Published by: Bloomsbury

Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance, YA
Source: Hardback

Age Rating: PG-15

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @morgan_m

My Rating: 10/5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Andie had it all planned out. 

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 

And where’s the fun in that?

~~~

Hey, guys!

      From July 3 until the 9th, a group of booktubers hosted the Biannual Bibliothon. During the bibliothon, there is a group book that they focus the live show on that they discuss. I was so excited that they chose The Unexpected Everything. I had just received TUE in the mail from an Amazon order that I had placed in the beginning of June. I had been anticipating this book ever since Morgan Matson had announced that she was writing it and released the cover art. This book is so gorgeous and the cover matches the cover of Since You've Been Gone which was one of my favorite 2016 reads. I went into this book blindly, and I had no idea what it was about. I just knew that it was going to be amazing because it was written by Morgan Matson. 

     While this book wasn't as good as Since You've Been Gone, it was still really really great. I really loved the characters that Matson created and I loved the relationships that developed throughout the book. The characters developed really naturally and I just loved the characters in this book. I'm pretty sure that Clark is my next book boyfriend...and he's the ideal nerdy boyfriend (in my opinion). He's so sweet and hard working and he writes fantasy books! I really want to read his books and I really hope Morgan Matson writes his story like Rainbow Rowell did with Cath's fanfiction Carry On. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that she does! I desperately need it! 

      At first, I didn't like Andie. I didn't like her and I especially did not like behavior when it came to boys. She had this obsessive focus the future. her future and she didn't focus on having the best life she could. She goes out of her way every day at all times to ensure that her father's reputation isn't tarnished by anything that she does. She doesn't allow herself to relax or be herself. Even when she hangs around with a potential boyfriend she talks about "safe" topics such as the weather and other boring and irregular topics. She'd rather just make out and keep it in her comfort zone. 

    Fortunately, Andie has an amazing group of girls that keep her from throwing away any fun that she could have. When Andie's summer suddenly derails, her friends support her and help her change her summer plans for the better. I loved how close they were and I loved that each character was original and each girl had their own personality which was really great. I also really loved that Toby and Bri were closer to each other than to the other girls. Each friend group has a couple girls that are closer to each other than they other girls. Usually, friend groups in YA books are all equally close to each other which is very unrealistic. 

     I also loved that Tom, Palmer's boyfriend, was included in their group. He was such a sweet guy and he just put up with the shenanigans that the girls put him through and I thought that was really sweet... OH and he loved theater! I just love that he didn't quite fit the "macho manly man" image, but he also didn't fit the "nerdy" image either. He and Clark bonded really quickly and whenever there was a scene that featured them I totally geeked out. (Clom!) Tom was a fan of Clark's books before they met, but once they got to know each other they became really close and I just loved their friendship. I want a whole book that is dedicated to their bromance...Their friendship is precious.

      I loved that this book wasn't focused on the romance, but was focused on the friendships and relationships that Andie developed. Andie's character, itself, developed really nicely throughout this book. The father-daughter relationship was everything that I could want in a father-daughter relationship. Her dad was so funny and driven. I loved his character. Palmer, Bri, Toby, Tom, and Clark were such great friends to Andie and I just loved it when they were together. (The scavenger hunt!) 

      The one thing that I didn't enjoy was that some bits were really predictable. I saw some of the plot twists coming, but the good thing was that Morgan Matson would add something that I didn't see coming at all. Because of that and because I enjoyed this book so much, I'm definitely giving this book 5/5 stars.    
If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably saw my fangirl-y tweets about this book and all of the read-a-thons that I've participated in. I've been tweeting more than usual because of these read-a-thons, so follow me to get all of those tweets!

Favorite Character: Clark
Favorite Ship: Clark x Andie
Characters I Want To Know More About: Tom, Palmer & Clark x Tom, Toby, Bri, Toby x Museum Boy

Morgan Matson Reviews

• Amy & Roger's Epic Detour ~ 5 stars
• Second Chance Summer ~ 5 stars
• Since You've Been Gone ~ 5 stars
• Broken Hearts, Fences, & Other Things To Mend ~ 5 stars (coming August 30)

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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Top 5 Wednesday {#19}: Favorite Bookstagrams (Book-ish Instagrams)

Hey, guys!

    If you haven't followed my blog for long, then you wouldn't know about my Bookstagram account! Bookstagram is basically the community for book lovers on Instagram. I've been apart of this community for over a year now and I feel really at home. I've felt so welcome and accepted on Instagram and I love talking with everyone I meet on there.

        

      I had the *great* idea to share 5 of my favorite bookstagram accounts. I actually couldn't make up my mind, so I may do another feature post about my other favorite accounts that didn't make the cut. There are a few things that I look for when I decide on my favorite accounts, but this time, I chose aesthetic. I love it when people post pictures of their fangirl/fanboy experiences, fanart, reviews, aesthetically pleasing pictures, hauls, shelfies, book-ish tumblr text posts, and other bookish pictures. I just love this community. Everyone is so creative and original. I just love this community!

Here Are Those 5 Bookstagram-ers:

~ @readingoncloud9

• I love everything that Karmen posts! It's so gorgeous and I'm so envious of how creative she is. Her content is so beautiful.

             

~ @blueeyedbiblio

• Emily's bookstagram account is everything that I wish mine was. Her pictures are so beautiful, her little Funko pops are such a cute addition to her pictures, and her bookish-selfies are so pretty! 

                

~ @darkfaerietales

• I adore Bridget's account! It's so colorful and her rainbow stacks are so gorgeous and when they pop up on my Instagram dash, I just stare at them and wish I could take pictures like that. *sigh*.

                 

   

          


~ @bookwormboutique

• Not only does Lauren have an adorable online boutique, she posts really pretty pictures on her Instagram. Someday, I plan on buying some of her amazing products. 

            



~ @forthelove_ofbooks

• Emilie's Instagram account is everything that I wish mine was. I love how colorful and original each picture is. Here different little Funko pop figures are also really cute additions to her pictures.

     

I hope you all check out these lovely ladies' accounts. Their accounts are so fun and I can't wait to see what they post next. 

Until next time! Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~

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Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Page Count: 410
Published on: December 19, 2012

Published by: Colleen Hoover

Genre(s): Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, YA
Source: eBook

Age Rating: PG-18

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @colleenhoover

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from the past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      Once again, I have returned to Colleen Hoover's writing. If you had read my review of Maybe Someday that was published in July of 2015, you would know that I have an iffy relationship with Colleen Hoover's writing. Although it is very entertaining and angsty, by the end I had no idea what to think of it. 

      This book follows Sky. Sky is adopted. She is home schooled and her mom keeps her barred from technology. Sky and her best friend Six make out with a lot of guys, which gives Sky a negative reputation when her mother finally allows her to transfer to the public school in town. One day, she meets Holder. Sky, surprisingly, is extremely attracted to Holder. This baffles her because she has never felt physically attracted to any of the guys she has made out with and she has never been attracted to anyone she has met. Sky wants to feel those emotions, but for some reason, she is unable to. Holder awakens something new for Sky and they soon develop a flirty "I hate you" kind of relationship. Then a whole bunch of drama starts to unfold...It's hard to explain.

     There were definitely some cliche tropes in this book, but I really liked how it was done because when the cliche moments occurred, Colleen wrote it in a way that made it so hilarious. Throughout this book, there was a nice balance between angst & drama and cheesy cute moments. The characters were really nicely developed but I didn't really like this book as much as I would have liked.

     When I first started this book, I had no idea what it was about. I went into it blindly and I'm not upset about it. I loved the relationship between Sky and Six. They were so funny and I loved the scenes with them. I really wanted more about Six, but that didn't happen. I didn't think her ideals about love and lust were very healthy, but her whole personality was really funny to read. 

     Holder was kind of creepy in the beginning. He reminded me of Edward Cullen from Twilight, but once I got to know more about him I thought he was really charming and I really liked his character. The relationship wasn't exactly insta-lovey, but it was too convenient for me. When you find about all of the drama, their relationship was really meh to me.

    When I first heard about this book I only knew that it was by the famous Colleen Hoover and that it was apparently amazing. I actually really liked Sky's character. She was really sassy and she didn't let anyone's bullshit get her down. Students from her new school would vandalize her locker with sticky notes with rude and demeaning messages on them. She would walk up, read them, laugh and then fix them so that they were actually insulting. I thought that was really hilarious. Her friend Breckin was really hilarious too. I want a Breckin. He was probably my favorite character. 

      There were a couple things in the book that I really didn't like. The ending, for one, was really confusing for me. I'm still not sure what I should feel about this ending. While I understand the actions of why the whole drama was started, but I still question whether the authorities should be brought into it to make it legal...I guess I'm just not sure how I would react and deal with all that happened. Another thing, Sky sure breathed heavily a lot...and she fainted maybe 5 times throughout the book! I just thought it was pretty comical and I couldn't take her seriously when she was like that. 

      I can't say that I like this book better than Maybe Someday. I like them about the same, but this book did keep me on the edge of my seat. I read the majority of it in one night, but I fell asleep with about 20 pages left. As soon as I woke up, I finished those 20 pages and I was floored. I just sat there and I had no idea what to think...It's one of those books.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this review! 

Maybe Someday Review: {click here}

Favorite Character: Breckin

Happy Reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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Illuminae by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

Page Count: 599

Published on: October 20, 2015

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre(s): Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Source: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @misterkristoff & @AmieKaufman

My Rating: 4.95 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

      The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

      But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

      Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      I have been meaning to read this book for months now, but I've finally read it and I'm so glad that I did. This book was so special and unique. I have read one of Amie Kaufman's books, These Broken Stars, but I really wasn't impressed with it. A lot of the reviewers that I follow absolutely loved These Broken Stars and were raving about Illuminae...Because I did not really enjoy TBS, I was afraid that that would be the case with Illuminae as well. Thank goodness it wasn't. This book was so great! This was an excellent follow-up to A Court Of Mist & Fury, and I still miss Rhys and Feyre, but...what are yuh goin' to do? 

     I really did go into this book blindly. I knew that it was science fiction/dystopian, but I didn't know the basic premise of it. From what I knew from the hauls that I watched or the ravings of my favorite BookTubers, I knew to go into it blindly. Thankfully, I loved it and luckily, I didn't pay full price. (Score!) I actually bought this book on Amazon for $7 or $8, so that's a bargain. The hardback is very cool to look at. I actually read some bits after I finished the book and I found out that some of my favorite bits were on the front. If you had read the text on the front, you wouldn't know what's going on. I found that pretty funny. 

     I really loved the characters in this book. Although this book is made up of emails, private messages, and other communication options; there weren't the traditional monologue or pages and pages of complete text. It was made up of their conversations that really showed their personalities and showed who they really were. Some characters were only featured for 10 or 15 pages and I got attached to them very quickly. If Kristoff or Kaufman killed them off or something, I was very upset. I remember one character in particular that I was really rooting for. I even had a potential ship and by the time I turned the page, half of my ship had died! 

      This book was skillfully done. The way it was structured and developed was quite genius. I really loved how it was set up.   The different narration styles were really cool to read, and not hard to follow. I felt like I knew the characters. Throughout the whole book, I was on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for the main characters, Kady and Ezra, and I was falling in love with their personalities. When they were angry, I was angry. When their hearts broke, mine broke too. The supporting characters were so wonderfully done and I found myself getting attached to them as well. James "Jimmy" McNulty was one of my special favorites. I was literally screaming during some of his bits of the book. Zhang was also another one of my favorite characters. He was so smart and sassy.... I was also finding myself looking forward to AIDEN's bits of the book. It's narration was very mysterious and cool to read. I heard that Jay Kristoff did those bits of the book. Great job Jay! *round of applause*

     If you can't tell by now, I was very invested in this book and I can't wait to find out what happens next in Gemina. I desperately wanted to get my hands on an ARC at BEA/BookCon, but I was unable to attend due to circumstances that I could not control...haha. There are so many questions that I have that revolve around the end of the book that I hope are resolved in Gemina. Questions about AIDEN, the Illuminae group, the narrator of the actions of the camera (that person was hilarious! I can't wait to see if there's more like that in Gemina)

      After watching Christine's (polandbananasbooks) on YouTube and her BOOKTALK about this book, I've decided that when I reread this book, I will listen to the audiobook. Everyone says that the audio book is like a movie in your head, so I plan on trying to acquire the audiobook someday.

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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