Thursday, June 29, 2017

June 2017 Book Haul



Hey, guys!

      Once again I've managed to acquire an absurd amount of books! I didn't realize how many books I acquired over this past month. I'm of course very disappointed in myself for spoiling myself this much, but I know I'm going to read these books, so it's not too bad...right? I've kind of acquired 26 books this month...seven are from authors/publishers, but I've still managed to buy quite a lot of books. I only bought three of the books full priced and I bought the rest of the books on BookOutlet or Amazon for a super cheap price. Not to mention, BookOutlet had a sale this month...which was fantastic!





REVIEW BOOKS:





-Kiss Me In New York by Catherine Rider
-The Lost Causes by Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Embree Schwartz
-Snowball (Chronicles of a Wererabbit #1) by M.Y. Zeman
-Snow Bunny (Chronicles of a Wererabbit #2) by M.Y. Zeman
-Snow Island (Chronicles of a Wererabbit #3) by M.Y. Zeman
-The Captain's Daughter by Jennifer Delamere
-Feel Me Fall by James Morris

BOUGHT BOOKS:




-Queen of Darkness (The Black Jewels Trilogy #3) by Anne Bishop
-Heir to the Shadows (The Black Jewels Trilogy #2) by Anne Bishop
-Truth or Dare by Non Pratt
-The Waking Land by Callie Bates
-When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
-The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
-Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappie
-A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
-The Catcher In the Rye by JD Salinger (for my boyfriend)
-Revenge, Ice Cream & Other Things Best Served Cold by Katie Finn
-The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
-Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
-The Ever Never Handbook by Soman Chainani




#BOOKSFORTRADE BOOKS:


-Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman
-Shattered Blue by Lauren Bird Horowitz



Illumicrate Unboxing: {click here}



Number of Books Read:4 (+1 currently reading)
Number of Books Unread: ....I don't want to think about it


Happy reading! 
Make good book buying decisions!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

July 2017 TBR + Reading Plans



Hey, guys!

      July is going to be a really busy month, but I have some lofty goals for my reading month. Julia and I plan on buddy reading two books (one for the book club and one for fun) and I plan on reading lots of review books as well. I also plan on taking part of the 2017 Summer BookTube-A-Thon. The challenges aren't announced yet, so I'll post my TBR the Monday before the read-along starts! I'm super excited to take part of it again!

     Julia and I decided that we would create each other's July TBRs and try to stick to them. Julia picked a really awesome TBR for me this month and I'm really excited to get into it. I'm really excited for Julia to read the books I picked for her. They are some of my favorites and I have been bugging her to read them FOR. EVER!

Anyway, here are the books Juju picked out for me!


Image result for kiss me in new york catherine riderImage result for the love interest cale dietrich
Image result for first and then emma millsImage result for shadow and bone leigh bardugo cover
Image result for unhooked book

  • Kiss Me In New York by Catherine Rider
  • The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
  • First & Then by Emma Mills
  • Shadow & Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo
  • Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Buddy Reads



Image result for crooked kingdomImage result for the glittering court
  • Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
  • The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead


I can't wait to start up another discussion with the book club! I'll be announcing the new July book during the live show on Thursday, but the official announcement will be going up Saturday the 1st. Stay tuned!

Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino


Tuesday, June 27, 2017

[LivTheBookClub] June 2017 Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh Discussion Announcement


Hey, guys!

    Julia and I wanted to let you know that our June 2017 live show and discussion is coming up this week! We'll be discussing our book of the month, Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh, extensively and we would love to talk with you all about it! 

We actually announced this on other platforms on the 22nd of June, but once again I'm slow on updating you guys who read my blog. Better late than never!


Where: Instagram Live/Story: @livthebookclub
When: June 29, 2017 at 1:30 PM EST!
Giveaway(s)?  YES! 
How Do I Find the Live Show on Instagram?
Click our Story! It should be pulsing 5 minutes before the actual discussion!



Our live show should be right beside your story icon and it should look different from the other stories next to yours.

Displaying FullSizeRender.jpg

Displaying FullSizeRender.jpg




We hope you guys tune in! We'd love to discuss this book with you!

~~~


Follow us on social media!

Book Club Links:
Goodreads: {click here}
Twitter: @livthebookclub
Instagram: @livthebookclub
Facebook: {click here}


Liv's Social Media:
Twitter: @livthebooknerd
Instagram: @livthebooknerd
YouTube Channel: {click here}
Blog: {click here}
Goodreads: {click here}


Julia's Social Media:
Twitter: @jujuthereader
Instagram: @jujuthereader
Goodreads: {click here}



Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

17167166
Page Count: 418
Published on: August 27, 2013
Published by: Bloomsbury
Genre(s): High Fantasy, Fantasy, YA, Romance
Source: Paperback
Age Rating: middle grade
Where To Find ItGoodreads // Amazon
Book Depository: {click here}

Twitter@SJMaas


My Rating: 4.5 stars









Goodreads synopsis:

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."


From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.



~~~


Hey, guys!

     I can't go too into detail with this book as it will spoil the first book, Throne of Glass, but if you'd like more details regarding my feelings on the specifics of the book, then feel free to DM me on Twitter, Instagram, Litsy, or my other social media. You can check out my full (non-spoiler) review of Throne of Glass here {click}. Crown of Midnight was just as good if not better than Trhone of Glass. It kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me in a constant state of emotional turmoil.

     Crown of Midnight continues Celaena Sardothian's story in a kick butt, action packed, heart jerker. I really enjoyed this book as a sequel. It improved on the series and improved in the areas that I felt like Throne of Glass struggled. There was a larger focus on the magic, Celaena's assassin abilities, and the characters and the world was expanded upon in a really great way. There were so many twists and turns and moments where I was on the edge of my seat. Part one was really great, but part two was even better. Part two gouged out my heart and then stuffed it back in. I felt so many emotions throughout this book.

     Let's talk about character development. One of my main issues with Throne of Glass was that Celaena was all talk and rarely proved her skills. In Crown of Midnight, Celaena's skills are explained and shown in depthand it's much more believable that she is the queen of assassins. Her character, however, wasn't as impressive as I would have hoped. She still fell just a bit flat for me, but I still really enjoy her character. Chaol was probably one of my favorite characters. His character is so fleshed out and interesting. The bits where he interacts with his family and the King are so interesting. He makes really dumb decisions that made me want throttle him, but I think that was what made him such a real character. I also really love Nehemia so much and the way her character changed equally broke my heart and made me a proud mother.

     I am convinced that Chaol and Celaena are meant to be. The sexual tension throughout the book was really aggravating and I just wanted them to stop being dumb and accept that they are attracted to each other. I thought I was team Dorian in Throne of Glass, but I was very wrong. I could definitely get behind the Team Celaena mindset as well. The poor girl is broken and hurt. She needs time to take care of herself and heal from all that she's endured! But I'm still convinced that Chaol and Celaena are the ultimate ToG ship. 
     Part 2 was where all the heartache was. I really wasn't expecting the twist that SJM caused. I specifically remember where I was when I started part two. I had just gotten off work and I was waiting for my boyfriend to get done with training at his second job. Some dude came up to me and asked for directions to another area on campus. No big deal. He probably recognized I worked on campus. But then he started to try to make conversation! I was very obviously trying to read and I was literally dying. Granted, he said that the Throne of Glass series sounded good and he'd look for it, but you don't interrupt a girl while she's reading. Overall, the ending was fantastic and I can't wait to continue with the series. It totally blew me away. 

Other Maas Reviews:

Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino


Wednesday, June 21, 2017

{Bookish Subscription Box} Book Of the Month Box #3: May


Hey, guys!

     I ordered another BookOfTheMonth box in May and I'm super excited to read the book that came with it!

What Is The Book Of The Month Club??


Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box. Each month, 5 curators pick out their favorite new hardcover books, and you can choose which one you want to receive on the first of the month. You can also add up to 2 additional books for only $9.99 each.


How It Works:

1. New selections are chosen each month. On the 1st of the month, the site announces the 5 books that they chose for the month.
2. Choose your book! Choose by the 6th, or skip the month.
3. The boxes are shipped and you get a beautiful BOTM box and book!

Shipping: U.S. only (apologies to my international readers! 😔)

Overall Product: Subscribers will receive a hardcover book from the books that were selected that month. You can add up to 2 extra books for $9.99 each plus BOTM goodies for an additional fee.



~~~

May BOTMs:


Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane

My Chosen Book of the Month Book:


The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich


About the Book:

Goodreads synopsis:

There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.

Caden is a Nice: the boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: the brooding, dark-souled guy who is dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose the Nice or the Bad?

Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be—whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.

What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.2 stars (2,014 ratings)
Release Date: May 16th 2017
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Fantasy, LGBTQA+
Page Count: 384

I'm probably the most excited for May's book. It sounds really cool and I'm always up for odd books like this. 

My Other BOTM Club Blog Posts:

Happy reading, all!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino



Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Dead Ed In My Head by Barbara Catchpole

35281407

Page Count: 160
Published on: May 2017
Published by: Raven Books
Genre(s): Contemporary, Paranormal
Source: Paperback - provided by publisher
Age Rating: middle grade
Where To Find ItGoodreads // Amazon
Book Depository: {click here}


My Rating: 1 star
Overall Opinion: 99% boring 1% entertaining







Goodreads synopsis:


Tod, the hero, is in Year 11 of school. He is an angry boy with relationship issues with his father who has left home to set up with That Little Tart From The Office and with his mother who is nine months pregnant. He deals with his anger by behaving badly and shouting. As if that wasn't enough for any teenage boy, his head becomes invaded by the undead spirit of a wannabee Rock Star (Ed). Ed grows into Tod's brain, even trying to take it over and being quite frankly no help at all. During the story Tod meets his bossy girlfriend and delivers a very smelly younger baby sister together with gaining insights into why adults are so useless. It is a funny book about the disadvantages of having anyone else share your head. 

Barbara Catchpole was a teacher for over thirty years. She taught English, Special Needs and more or less anything else that was left over at the end of the timetabling. She has three sons of whom she is unbearably proud. She still spends a lot of time working in schools. Her main interest is in writing books for young people that are set in the real world and presenting characters that could be real teenagers. She tries to make them funny most of the time with just a little sadness thrown in because life's like that. She believes that adults can communicate really well with teenagers if the adult just makes a huge effort.


~~~


Hey, guys!

I was sent this book by the publisher for an honest review.


      Overall, this book was a major disappointment. I was rarely entertained and the majority of the story was so boring and blah. It was a waste of two days (the only reason it took two days was because it was so boring and awful). It was just very badly written and lacked any kind of substance. I would not recommend this book.

     This book follows seventeen year old Tod who is an stereotypical troubled and angry teen. His world becomes even more filled with angst when his head is invaded by his friend, Ed, an elderly gentleman who just died. Over the course of the book, Tod meets new people and gains insight into the world of adulthood. 

     Let's just start with the whole premise. The premise was originally what interested me in this book when the publishing company requested that I check it out. However, while the book sounds really interesting the whole execution of it was a total mess. The characters are so boring and two-dimensional, they didn't fit the age group they were put in (it read like a children's or middle grade novel), and the plot lacked any kind of structure. Not only did the author censor certain words she didn't keep the censoring consistent. Not to mention that the cover even has the term "nob" which is considered a British curse word.

    The main character Tod was really annoying and quite immature for his age. He lacked any kind of dimension, common sense, or personality. Anything that happened to him was way too convenient and annoying. The character Ed did not enable the story to flow much at all. His appearance in Tod's head was never rationally explained -- was it magic? was it a supernatural influence? was it fate? -- it was never explained at all. Tod's girlfriend (I don't even remember who she was) was really annoying as well. Their relationship just suddenly happened and it was very insta-love-y and, again, annoying. Their relationship was supposed to make Tod look like he was growing as a person, I'm sure, but it did absolutely nothing for the story. 

Overall, this book was not good at all. I feel like more effort went into the cover than the story, which is very sad. 

Books You Would Love:


  • Drowning of Arthur Braxton, The by Caroline Smailes
  • A Time To Reap by Jonas Lee
  • All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
  • Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The by Mark Haddon
  • Deadline by Chris Crutcher


    • Happy reading, all!
      Olivia
      ~LivTheBookNerd~
      @LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino

      Thursday, June 15, 2017

      {Q&A/Review With Bailey + Author Guest Post} Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold ( Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #1) by Iain Reading

      32946791
      Page Count: 262
      Published on: December 3, 2012
      Published by: Amazon Digital Services
      Genre(s): Mystery, Middle Grade, Adventure, Children's
      Source: Paperback -- provided by author
      Age Rating: middle grade
      Where To Find ItGoodreads // Amazon

      Bailey's Rating: 4 stars













      Goodreads synopsis:

      Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

      After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

      Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as Kitty prepares for her next adventure - flying around the world!



      ~~~


      Hey, guys!

            Bailey has been reading this book for quite a while, but we're finally putting a review up! She's super excited to tell you guys about it, so enjoy!

      Edit: This review was supposed to go up weeks ago, but for some reason it did not. I just double checked the HTML and I'm still not sure what went on, but here is Bailey's review!


      ~~~

      Q: What is Kitty Hawk & the Curse of the Yukon Gold about? Can you summarize it a bit?
      A: Kitty Hawk decided to go to Alaska, to study humpback whales. In that time she was captured by 3 men and she eventually escaped. She eventually finds out about the Yukon Gold curse and she has a big adventure. 

      Q: What would you rate this book? Why?
      A: 4 stars

      Q: What did you like about this book? What did you dislike?
      A: I really liked her name. I love cats. I liked that it had a cool curse. I like magic and curses are kind of a part of magic. I didn't really dislike too many things except that she got captured. Except that was a part of the plot.

      Q: Are you going to continue with the series?
      A: Yes. 

      Q: Do you have anything else to say to the people reading this?
      A: I like cats. I needed to read this book because the main character's name is Kitty Hawk. 

      ~~~

      Guest Post:

      Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new young adult series of adventure mystery stories by Iain Reading. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations. 

      After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climactic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon.

      Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves. 

      There are currently five books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold (book 1), Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost (book 2), Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue (book 3), and Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic (book 4), and Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces (book 5). Each book can be read as a standalone.


      “In the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series, the heroine finds herself in a new geographic location in each book. The series will eventually have a total of 13 books in it (maybe more) and her flight around the world will be completed in the end,” says Iain. “The books are sequential but one could definitely read any of the later ones before reading the earlier ones.”


      For more information, go to http://www.kittyhawkworld.com/


      Displaying Iain Reading.jpgAbout the Author:


      Iain Reading is passionate about Root Beer, music, and writing. He is Canadian, but currently, resides in the Netherlands working for the United Nations.


      Iain is the author of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series, The Wizards of Waterfire Series, and the dragon of the month club. To learn more, go to http://www.amazon.com/Iain-Reading/e/B00B0NGI6Q/


      Connect with Iain on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.


      ~~~
      Happy reading, all!
      Olivia
      ~LivTheBookNerd~
      @LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino