{Bookish Subscription Box} Book Of the Month Box #2: April

Hey, guys!

     I ordered another BookOfTheMonthClub box! This month was weird because I somehow ordered a second box, but it's okay because I'm going to do another giveaway on here and on Instagram after my current giveaway is over. Keep an eye out for that!

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.

~~~

April BOTMs:

• American War a novel by Omar El Akkad
• The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann 
• One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul
• Startup by Doree Shafrir 

~~~

My April Box:

Book of the Month: Startup by Doree Shafrir

Reader-Friendly Coloring Book!

A blurb from Glory, one of this month's book judges!

About the Book:

Goodreads synopsis:

From veteran online journalist and BuzzFeed writer Doree Shafrir comes a hilarious debut novel that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve.

Mack McAllister has a $600 million dollar idea. His mindfulness app, TakeOff, is already the hottest thing in tech and he's about to launch a new and improved version that promises to bring investors running and may turn his brainchild into a $1 billion dollar business--in startup parlance, an elusive unicorn. 

Katya Pasternack is hungry for a scoop that will drive traffic. An ambitious young journalist at a gossipy tech blog, Katya knows that she needs more than another PR friendly puff piece to make her the go-to byline for industry news. 

Sabrina Choe Blum just wants to stay afloat. The exhausted mother of two and failed creative writer is trying to escape from her credit card debt and an inattentive husband-who also happens to be Katya's boss-as she rejoins a work force that has gotten younger, hipper, and much more computer literate since she's been away. 

Before the ink on Mack's latest round of funding is dry, an errant text message hints that he may be working a bit too closely for comfort with a young social media manager in his office. When Mack's bad behavior collides with Katya's search for a salacious post, Sabrina gets caught in the middle as TakeOff goes viral for all the wrong reasons. As the fallout from Mack's scandal engulfs the lower Manhattan office building where all three work, it's up to Katya and Sabrina to write the story the men in their lives would prefer remain untold. 

An assured, observant debut from the veteran online journalist Doree Shafrir, Startup is a sharp, hugely entertaining story of youth, ambition, love, money and technology's inability to hack human nature.

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.4 stars (292 ratings)
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Page Count: 304
Goodreads Giveaway: {click here}


I can't wait to read this book. It sounds really interesting! I'll try to read it ASAP, but with finals, who knows when I'll have so much free time. Until then, if you've read this book let me know what you think of it! I'd love to know!

Happy reading, all!
Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Q&A/Review With Bailey}The Hostile Hospital (The Series of Unfortunate Events #8) by Lemony Snicket

THERE MAY BE SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 1-8. BE WARY 🙂

Page Count: 255

Published on: January 1, 2001

Published by: HarperCollins

Genre(s): Fiction, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery

Source: Print: Hardback

Age Rating: Middle Grade

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Depository: {click here}

Twitter: @@danielhandler & @lemonysnicket

Bailey's Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Dear Reader,

Before you throw this awful book to the ground and run as far away from it as possible, you should probably know why. This book is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children's miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful books in the world.

There are many pleasant things to read about, but this book contains none of them. Within its pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anaesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire. Clearly you do not want to read about such things.

I have sworn to research this story, and to write it down as best I can, so I should know that this book is something best left on the ground, where you undoubtedly found it.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

~~~

      Bailey has been obsessively reading The Series of Unfortunate Events (out of order most of the time, but she doesn't care. She just reads and reads) and watching and rewatching the first season of the show. I have been soooo busy with finals and preparations for finals, but I figured that Bailey has been wanting to review TSoUE for the longest time. She decided that she wanted to review her favorite book from the series. So here are some of her thoughts on the book. She's planning on reviewing all of the books this summer (mainly because I'm so busy at the moment), so keep an eye out for that!

Q: What is The Hostile Hospital about? Can you summarize it a bit?

A: Violet has an unnecessary surgery and they have to do it in front of a huge crowd or they it won't be seen as an accident. They're still running from Count Olaf. Count Olaf disguises his name with an anagram.  

Q: What would you rate this book? Why?

A: 5 stars. Because it's a great book. I like how they use alphabet soup to figure out the anagram for Violet's name. 

Q: What did you like about this book? What did you dislike?

A: I liked that in the middle when they were going to give Violet the surgery Klaus and Sunny disguised themselves as doctors and Count Olaf's associates (hook hand and long nose) they thought Klaus and Sunny were the powder face women who work for Count Olaf. 

Q: Are you going to continue with the series?

A: No duh. I've already finished all the books.

Q: Do you have anything else to say to the people reading this?

A: I have one thing to say to the author! Stop telling the readers to put down their books!

I do recommend this book to the people.

Other Reviews By Bailey: {click here}

Enjoy!

Happy reading!

Olivia & Bailey

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{CLOSED: Giveaway} 600 Instagram Followers Giveaway!

Hey, guys!

      Just a quick little update for this week. I won't be posting any reviews this week because of school. Finals week is coming up and so many of my projects are going to be due within the next couple weeks up into the first week of May. If I want to keep my A's in my classes then I'll be working my butt off to keep them up. I hope you understand. I'll be posting a bit sporadically this month, so bear with me. If you want updates about my life or the little reading that I will be doing, then please follow my Instagram!

      I just hit 600 followers on my Instagram so I'm hosting a giveaway for my Instagram followers. If you'd like a chance to win some cool prizes, then I'll put the info down below and link the Instagram post! 

Caption:

🎉 600 Follower Giveaway!! 🎉

In honor of hitting the 600 follower milestone! I figure it's time for another giveaway! 

There will be 4 winners! 2 grand prize winners & 2 runner-ups!

✨Rules: ✨

•Like & Follow (+2)

(Don't follow to unfollow ✌🏻)

•tag 2 friends who would want to win! (+2)

✨Extra Ways to Enter!✨

•Repost (up to 3 times) with #LTBN600GA -no giveaway accounts ...you will be disqualified and I will check ...you can also tag me in the comments if you wish (+3)

•follow me on twitter (+1)

•follow my blog (link in bio) (+1)

✨Grand Prize: (2) ✨

~A $10 gift card to @acourtofcandles shop! 

~a copy of Jorie & the Magic Stones by A.H. Richardson

~A #LivTheBookNerd bookmark

✨Runner Up Prize (2) ✨

~#LivTheBookNerd bookmarks! 

🌻Terms🌻

~must be 18 or older or have parent/guardian permission to share your address

~U.S. only (sorry!)

~must be a public account so I can DM you & see your entries

~Ends May 19, 2017, at 11:59 PM

~ the winner will be announced by: May 26, 2017!

Direct Link: {click here}

(sorry for the weird font sizing! I've tried like 20 times to fix it, but Blogger is being an ass and won't fix the issue. Feel free to see the original Instagram post for the official way to enter!)

If you have any questions feel free to DM me or contact me through any of my social media!

Happy reading! I'll post again soon!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino

Playlist For the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Page Count: 288

Published on: January 27, 2015

Published by: HarperTeen

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Source: Print: Paperback borrowed from Alex

Age Rating: YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Depository: {click here}

Twitter: @MFalkoff

My Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Here’s what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, Sam’s best friend, Hayden, was dead. All he left Sam was a playlist of songs—and a note, saying that he took his own life. But what Sam doesn’t know is: Why?

To figure out what happened, Sam has to rely on the playlist and his own memory. But the more he listens, the more he realizes that his memory isn’t as reliable as he thought. Especially when someone claiming to be Hayden starts sending him cryptic messages, and a series of violent attacks begins on the bullies who made Hayden’s life hell.

Sam knows he has to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it’s only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him—including an eccentric, unpredictable girl who’s got secrets, too—that Sam will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story.

And maybe have a chance to change his own.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      Well, it's been a couple months since I've read this book. My boyfriend Alex bought this book right after Christmas and we both read it within a couple weeks of each other. This book wasn't the greatest, in my opinion. It didn't pick up until about three quarters in. Even though there were some pretty great songs featured in the chapter headings, there wasn't really any insight to how the playlist was supposed to explain Hayden's death. The characters weren't very impactful either. I remember some specific moments that will help me write this review, but overall this book wasn't very memorable. 

      I really did enjoy Sam's voice in the beginning, but as the book progressed, his voice became much younger and it gave me a middle-grade vibe. On top of that, there was a lot going on throughout the book. Sometimes it felt like a bit much, and as I mull over the book as a whole....it was a bit much. Considering Sam didn't even solve the mystery behind the playlist (he did for some songs but not really), you'd think that at least some would be solved. 

      I had to research some of the stuff that happened in the book. There were some instances where some weird stuff was happening to Sam. I thought he was just hallucinating, but reviews from other readers have convinced me that those moments were supposed to be something like magical realism. I don't think those moments were done as well as they could be. I guess I have a hard time understanding or grasping the whole magical realism concept. I haven't read a book that I've absolutely loved that featured magical realism. (Comment below if you know of any fantastic ones.)

      This book was somewhat engaging, but it definitely wasn't fast paced. It was very well thought out and psychological. I liked that Sam's voice was very genuine. He was easy to understand, but he wasn't my favorite character. I don't think I have a favorite character in this novel anyway. No one really made an impact on me. It was just very anticlimactic in my opinion. 

     My favorite aspect of this novel, however, is that it focused on how the character's suicide affected the family and friends of the victim. Unfortunately, I honestly think that Hayden's suicide was used as a plot device. There was no character growth, the grief that the characters felt was very understated. I didn't feel like Sam's character wasn't developed enough for this book. The whole suicide element was used to drive the mystery. Suicide is a very serious topic that shouldn't be used for those means. 

     I really thought this book would be about how a young man coped with his best friend's death, but it just turned into huge drama-fest. It just was not good.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone. It just wasn't well done. The whole subject of suicide was used for all of the wrong reasons, the characters weren't developed, and it tried too hard to be a literary fiction piece rather than the YA contemporary it was marketed as. I'm not a fan. 

Books You Could Read Instead:

• All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven {4 stars}
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon {4 stars}
• Deadline by Chris Crutcher {4 stars}
• Love Letters To the Dead by Ava Dellaria {4 stars}

Happy reading, all!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Bookish Subscription Box} The Book of the Month Box #1: March!

Hey, guys!

Around the middle of March, one of my online bookish friends told me how to get my first box for $1! (DM me if you want to too!). I only ordered 1 book for this box just to see what would come with just the book. 

~~~

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.

~~~

The March Box:

~  Book: Marlena by Julie Buntin

~  Two Bookmarks: 1 blurb from a judge & 1 looking for new judges

The Book I Chose: Marlena by Julie Buntin

A note from one of the judges, Steph

Become a judge promo bookmark!

About the Book:

Goodreads synopsis: 

An electric debut novel about love, addiction, and loss; the story of two girls and the feral year that will cost one her life, and define the other’s for decades

Everything about fifteen-year-old Cat’s new town in rural Michigan is lonely and off-kilter, until she meets her neighbor, the manic, beautiful, pill-popping Marlena. Cat, inexperienced and desperate for connection, is quickly lured into Marlena’s orbit by little more than an arched eyebrow and a shake of white-blond hair. As the two girls turn the untamed landscape of their desolate small town into a kind of playground, Cat catalogues a litany of firsts—first drink, first cigarette, first kiss—while Marlena’s habits harden and calcify. Within the year, Marlena is dead, drowned in six inches of icy water in the woods nearby. Now, decades later, when a ghost from that pivotal year surfaces unexpectedly, Cat must try to forgive herself and move on, even as the memory of Marlena keeps her tangled in the past.

Alive with an urgent, unshakable tenderness, Julie Buntin’s Marlena is an unforgettable look at the people who shape us beyond reason and the ways it might be possible to pull oneself back from the brink.

Average GR Rating: 3.89 (540 ratings)

Release Date: April 4, 2017 

Genres: Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Coming-Of-Age > Relationships

~~~

I will have a review up for this book within the next few months. I'm so busy these next four weeks with my last jaunt of my first year of college. This doesn't mean I won't be posting, but when I write reviews, I want to write a review that will fully explain my thoughts as I read. I don't want to leave out anything that could potentially be important for the review. I hope you all understand. 

Until then, if you're interested in getting yourself a Book of the Month box for yourself (for $1!!!) then please contact me! I'll give you the hook up!

Happy reading, all!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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March 2017 Book Haul

Hey, guys!

It's time for my March book haul!

      Well, I've managed to acquire a bunch of books this past month....27...I know! Ridiculous! The BookOutlet sale really messed me up. I bought 20 books for $88. 4 of those books were for my sisters, mom, and boyfriend, but the others were for me. I got another coupon for BookOutlet so I might just buy more sometime, but who knows. I actually placed three different orders this past month...2 during the huge sale and 1 with a code that was a bookstagram exclusive.

📚Books Featured:📚

~Bitterblue (Graceling #3) by Kristin Cashore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~Terrier (Beka Cooper #1) by Tamora Pierce {TBR}

~Bloodhound (Beka Cooper #1) by Tamora Pierce {TBR}

~Mastiff (Beka Cooper #1) by Tamora Pierce {TBR}

~Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas {TBR}

~Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas {TBR}

~Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld {TBR}

~Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige {TBR}

~Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell {TBR}

~Marlena by Julie Buntin {TBR}

~Nimona by Noelle Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard {TBR}

~Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon {TBR}

~Before by Anna Todd {TBR}

~Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

~Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn {TBR}

~Isla & the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/4

~The Hero For WondLa (WondLa #2) by Tony DiTerlizzi  {TBR}

~Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones {TBR}

~The Harry Potter boxset (#1-#7) by J.K. Rowling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not For Me & Not Pictured:
~Period 8 by Chris Crutcher (for my boyfriend, Alex)
~Attack On Titan: Before the Fall Vol 8 Hajime Isayama (for Reagan)
~Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol (for my mom)
~The Shrunken Head (The Curiosity House #1) by Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester (for Bailey) 

✨Candles: ✨

~The Night Court from BiblioFlames 

~The Hufflepuff Common Room from BiblioFlames

BiblioFlame's shop: {click here}

Night Court: {click here}

Hufflepuff Common Room: {click here}

Where I Bought/Got My Books

• BookOutlet
• Vons Bookshop
• Target
• Book of the Month box
• Pintip Dunn/Kensington Publishing

Number of Books Read: 12

Number of Books Reviewed: 2

Number of Books Unread: 15

Which book should I read first? I'm very indecisive, so comment down below, tweet me, or DM me which book I should read!

If you'd like to see my bookish shenanigans and see my wrap ups and hauls faster, then please go give my Instagram a follow. Once I hit 600 followers, I'll be hosting a giveaway for my followers with cool (and unannounced) bookish prizes!   

Click {here} to follow!

Happy reading, all! 

Make good book buying decisions!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

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