Monday, August 29, 2016

Bout of Books 17: Update Day 7

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  • The Demon's Deadline by Tori Centanni
  • The Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor
Pages read today: 0

Total pages read: 1,252

Books to read:


Thoughts:
Okay the last day in the read-a-thon was the worst. I didn't read anything but I am still happy with what I accomplished. I hop you all had a good read-a-thon, and I can't wait to do this yet again. I did complete 5 books which I haven't done in a while so it makes me ecstatic. 

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Bout of Books: Update Day 6

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 


Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  • The Demon's Deadline by Tori Centanni
  • The Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor
Pages read today: 204

Total pages read: 1,252

Books to read:

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Thoughts:
Just finished The Sword of Darkness in before the end of the day! Now on to my last book. Today was an okay reading day, since it was my day off I decided to go outside and get some fresh air so not as much time for reading as I intended but it was still a fun day. Hope everyone is doing well on their reading?

Bout of Books 17: Update Day 5

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 

  • The Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor

Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  • The Demon's Deadline by Tori Centanni
Pages read today: 148

Total pages read: 1,048

Books to read:

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Thoughts:
Didn't get as many pages as I would have liked read but that is okay something is better than nothing. Hopefully tomorrow I can finish The Sword of Darkness, I am getting to a really good part and so I feel I will be reading through it faster now. Than I will be starting on The Iron Knight.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Bout of Books 17: Update Day 4

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 

  • The Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor

Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  • The Demon's Deadline by Tori Centanni
Pages read today: 365

Total pages read: 900

Books to read:

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Thoughts:
Finished Dragonbane and now I must know more so of course instead of continuing on and reading the next book on my list The Iron Knight I am going to start The Sword of Darkness to learn a little bit more of the Lords of Avalon so I wont be so lost on who everyone is. Also decided to start a shorter novel to make up for not reading much the other day. Two books down in one day. I am feeling better for yesterday  now.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Bout of Books 17: Update Day 3

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 

  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
Pages read today: 57

Total pages read: 535

Books to read:

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Thoughts:
I didn't really read much today because work was not the best today I had to come home and  rest. They are doing renovations at the hotel I work at and the fumes plus the drilling got to my head by the time I got out, so I took a nap in hopes that I would feel better. I plan to read most of tonight and tomorrow so hopefully I can catch up on what I missed out. 

Bout of Books 17: Update Day 2

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 

  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
Pages read today: 218

Total pages read: 478

Books to read:

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Thoughts:
I am on a roll! Another book down, now I know today I probably won't be able to finish Dragonbane since I am only like 20 pages into it but I should finish it by the next day and get a good start possibly on the next one. I love these challenges that push me. I also hope tomorrow when I have more time to check out other peoples blogs and see how they are doing this read-a-thon. Hope you are all doing well let me know.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Bout of Books 17: Update Day 1

Bout of Books

Currently Reading: 

  • Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke

Books Completed:

  • Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sophia Flores by Danielle Vega
Pages read today: 260

Total pages read: 260

Books to read:

  • The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
  • Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Thoughts:
I think day 1 was a win! I finished one book already and hope to keep this going, if I do I feel like I can definitely get through 4 books. Also the books on my to read list are tentative and of course can be switched for other books at anytime but I have been wanting to get to dragon bane for quiet some time. Let me know how your first day was.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Review: Ripple by Heather Smith Meloche


Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Published: September 20, 2016
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320

Source: First to Read
Synopsis:
When their too-adult lives lead them down self-destructive paths, these broken teens find a way to heal in this YA novel perfect for fans of Ellen Hopkins.

With her impossible-to-please grandmother on her back about college and her disapproving step-dad watching her every move, Tessa would do anything to escape the pressure-cooker she calls home. So she finds a shot of much-needed power and confidence by hooking up with boys, even though it means cheating on her boyfriend. But when she's finally caught red-handed, she’ll do anything she can to cover up what she's done.

Jack is a prankster who bucks the system every chance he gets—each transgression getting riskier and riskier. He loves the thrill, and each adventure allows a little release because his smug smile and suave demeanor in the face of authority doesn’t make life at home with his mom any less tough. He tries to take care of her, but the truth is he's powerless in the face of her fragile mental health. So he copes in his own way, by defacing public property and pulling elaborate pranks, though he knows in the end this’ll only screw up his life even more.

As they both try not to let their self-destructive patterns get the best of them, Tessa and Jack gravitate toward one another, discovering the best parts of themselves in the process. An honest portrayal of the urges that drive us and finding the strength to overcome them.
 


My Rating:
★★★★


Review:
I received this book from the First to Reads program for an honest review, all reviews and opinions are my own.

I feel like this will be a long review because of how close to home this book touches. This one hit me in the feels, I did not expect it but it did.

I liked how the chapters switched back and forth between the two characters. This makes it easier to see what is going on each of the main characters heads.Though they both are in different situations they are similar and I think that brings them closer together. I know a little something about that since both my husband and I come from troubled backgrounds with family, and I think that is one thing that pushed us closer together. Family can break up a relationship really fast but when the two came together like they did in this book to sort of help each other through the others pain it creates a bond that doesn't let go.

Tessa irritated me at times with how weak she made herself and put herself in harms way when with other boys. She needed to go through it to learn and become stronger, but it was still very dangerous. I can relate a bit because I went through things that if I look back now and know what I do now I wouldn't have gone through what I did but at the age I was and with what I knew I had to go through it to become the stronger me. She needed to learn to stand up for herself and make people see what she wants in life. I know its hard because parents want to live through their childs life but that isn't always the best for them.

Jack had to learn to live for himself he had a lot of responsibility and sometimes it is okay to be selfish. I know first handed how hard it is to be the adult when you yourself are a kid, but it does make one stronger in the end. Without giving away to much he learned to grow and let go of somethings sometimes you can't be the only one to carry such a burden.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Bout of Books 17

Bout of Books

It is back!!!! Bout of Books 17! For those that don't know what Bout of Books is:
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 28th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 17 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I have not been reading as much as I used to because of my new job but hopefully this will get me through a few books this week. So here are some books that I have lined up for myself to get through.




I know four books is going to be a lot for me especially since I have only been maybe reading a book a week but I am already part of the way through The merciless and we will see about the rest. What are you guys going to be reading? Are you participating?

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Review: The Smaller Evil by Stephanie Kuehn

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Published: August 2, 2016
Publisher: Dutton Books For Young Readers
Pages: 256

Source: First to Read
Synopsis:
Sometimes the greater good requires the smaller evil.

17-year-old Arman Dukoff is struggling with severe anxiety and a history of self-loathing when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He’s taken a huge risk—and two-thousand dollars from his meth-head stepfather—for a chance to "evolve," as Beau, the retreat leader, says.

Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels—worthless.

The retreat compound is secluded in coastal California mountains among towering redwoods, and when the iron gates close behind him, Arman believes for a moment that he can get better. But the program is a blur of jargon, bizarre rituals, and incomprehensible encounters with a beautiful girl. Arman is certain he's failing everything. But Beau disagrees; he thinks Arman has a bright future—though he never says at what.

And then, in an instant Arman can't believe or totally recall, Beau is gone. Suicide? Or murder? Arman was the only witness and now the compound is getting tense. And maybe dangerous.

As the mysteries and paradoxes multiply and the hints become accusations, Arman must rely on the person he's always trusted the least: himself.
 

My Rating:
★★
Review:
I received this book from the First to Reads program for an honest review, all reviews and opinions are my own.

This one was a tough one to rate, many of the characters in the book are mysterious and even the one he grew up with is kind of mysterious. Arman even himself is all over the place, he wants to grow and find answers in life and get away from his toxic home life. He finds the answers here but not how he originally wanted them I believe. He like many people want an easy way out and Beau even though he lied to him he made Arman think for his self and have to rely on his self. Sometimes the only person in life that we can fully rely on is ourselves.

The girl Arman first runs into at this place is definitely a mystery as well, and I think only there to confuse him even more rather than help. Many of the people at this place are different and they don't give him much to go on, he also doesn't ask many questions when he first gets there. That is one thing I had problems with he said he liked Beau and looked up to him but didn't exactly explain how this came to be, was it just because he paid attention to Arman? If the characters were a bit more flushed out then I think this could have been a great book. 

This definitely shows that all people from all walks of life have their own problems regardless of what they are given in life. There are also others that want to ruin a good thing even though they think they know better. It is always good to question and question everything. Arman has many problems that he takes medicine for but I think the one that stands out is the one where he scratches himself until he bleeds when he is in a stressful situation or scared, or really any high emotion he can't really deal with. He learns that doing that to himself is a way for him to release the emotions that he keeps bottled up and it isn't healthy. I know some illnesses require medicine but others don't need it, the brain can do some amazing things. 

In the end I couldn't give this book a low rating because it did make me think about many things. Though at first I thought it was going to be a cult type thing it didn't begin like that so there were some good points through out this novel. I just think it could have done better in some spots. Let me know what you think? Do you think that some times medicines are over hyped/ used?