Feb 28, 2020

Challenges Montly Wrap-up: February

CHALLENGE 1: 2020 New Release Challenge

Crave by Tracy Wolff (4/7/20)--Review to come at a later date
Crush the King by Jennifer Estep (3/17/20)--Review to come at a later date
A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones (4/7/20)--Review to come at a later date
Greythorne by Crystal Smith (6/2/20)--Review to come at a later date

I'm up to 9/25! So far this year I've been reading my review books. As of this post I am on my last one and then I FINALLY get to go back to my TBR pile!



CHALLENGE 2: Print ONLY 2020 Reading Challenge

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones (4/7/20)--Review to come at a later date
Greythorne by Crystal Smith (6/2/20)--Review to come at a later date


I'm up to 4/45 for this one. Not great, but most of my review books have been digital. My personal books are Printed, so once I finish my last one, I can get back to those beauties!


CHALLENGE 3: 2020 Discussion Challenge




I'm up to 8/25! Not bad at all! Though I will likely be upping my goal with this one sometime this year! Lol.

CHALLENGE 4: Beat the Backlist 2020 Reading Challenge



Still at 0/20. Again, I was reading my review books first since my reading time has changed this year and I wanted to get those out of the way before their release dates! But after my current read I'll be picking up an old book and I already know which one I want to read! Ironically, its not that old! Lol.



CHALLENGE 5: 2020 Series Ender Reading Challenge



Well, I'm still at 0/3. I wasn't entirely sure if Crush the King was the final book of the series or not. I thought it was a trilogy, but by the end I was second guessing myself and there was no clear cut answer on Goodreads, so I just decided to not include it here, even if it is a series ender.










Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!
 
 
This week's question is: Tomorrow is Leap Year. Name one book being released in 2020 that you would prefer to skip. (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer
 
 
 
MY ANSWER: Uh...I don't know? Lol. I mean, I don't pay attention to books I'm not looking forward to and what their release dates are. In fact, if there's one that people talk about and I look into it and if it's not something I think I would enjoy, I just push it out of my mind. 
 
Besides just because the book isn't one I am anticipating, doesn't mean someone else isn't anticipating it. I wouldn't want to "skip it" if it meant someone else can't read it. 







Feb 27, 2020

Random Thursday

I really love learning all about randomness from books like Weird But True by Leslie Gilbert Elman! I'm amazed by the kind of research she had to have done for this! I mean where can you find these oddball facts and get the truth at their legitimacy? It's amazing!


(image borrowed from LINTFL)
In 1938, Swedish neurologist, Karl-Axel Ekbom published a document detailing the "delusional parasitosis." His work was so significant that they named the disorder "Ekbom's Syndrome."

FUN FACT: Ekbom also helped coin the term "restless legs syndrome," which is also known as Wittmaack-Ekbom Syndrome. Theodore Wittmaack, a German physician, also studied this disease in the 1850s.


But I'm still wondering what the "deleusional parasitosis" is...something with delusions I gather.



(image borrowed from Amazon)
Ekbom's Syndrome is when people believe that there are parasites crawling or and under their skin. The sensation is so real that people can believe they are seeing and feeling the bugs.


And there's my answer! Lol! And Yeah, I chose the old "bug maker" toy instead of looking up the actual things, because yeah, no. Lol.



(image borrowed from Disney Wiki)
Another name for Ekbom's Syndrome is "formication."

FUN FACT: Formica is the Latin word for "ant."


Yet another name...and yup, still avoiding pictures of real bugs!




(image borrowed from Kitchen Magic)
Formica started out as an insulation material for electronic devices. At the time, insulation was mainly made from mica. So when the new material was created it was a substitute "for mica" and hence the origin of its name.

FUN FACT: Westinghouse engineers Daniel J. O'Conor and Herbert A. Faber were the ones who developed Formica. They filed for a patent in 1913 and the company paid them $1 for the rights to their invention. They soon quit and set up their own business.


I mean even in 1913 I feel like a $1 for an invention is insulting! I mean, seriously!



(image borrowed from Wikipedia)
Candlemaker William Procter and soap maker James Gamble went into business together because their father-in-law, Alexandre Norris suggested it. In 1837 the company Procter & Gamble was born.


Interesting.






Feb 26, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine



For Kate and Logan Danvers, sixteen-year-old twins of the werewolf Alpha, nothing could ruin a summer faster than the words “supernatural teen leadership conference.” They expected a boring week of earnest political discussions and team-building exercises. Instead, in Wolf’s Bane, they got a crash-course in real-life leadership, when the camp imploded and the twins and their new friends fled into the West Virginia forest.

Now, in Wolf’s Curse, the group has taken refuge in a magically warded cabin only to discover that they might have been safer taking their chances with the demon outside. Trapped in a dark witch’s sanctuary, surrounded by hell hounds, the twins will need to hone their leader and team building skills fast. There are battles to be waged and mysteries to be solved. Friendships to be forged in conflict and lost in betrayal. Even romances spark to life amid the turmoil.

It might not be the way Kate and Logan expected to spend their week, but it will certainly be a summer camp to remember.


So naturally I still need to read the first one, but as per usual I opted to wait and binge read it since I never got around to reading it when it was a serial series!

TITLE: Wolf's Curse
PUBLISHER: Kla Frickle
GENRE: YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2020




 

Feb 25, 2020

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker




Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.



"'If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're disappointed in my inability to hold my liquor than in the idea that I got completely soused and lost my dinner in the middle of the hall.'

'I am shocked and saddened.' She shook her head and tsked. 'One glass. I thought I raised you better.'" p 51*


*Quote comes from the ARC, therefore it and its page number are not final.







TITLE: Greythorne
AUTHOR: Crystal Smith
PUBLISHER: HMH Books for Young Readers
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020 




Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.


This week's topic is: Top Ten Characters I’d Follow On Social Media (submitted by Tilly @thebiblioshelf)


*in no particular order


10. JENKS (THE HOLLOWS)--omg Jenks is hilarious!! I'd sooo follow him on Twitter!
9. BONES (NIGHT HUNTRESS)--Bones would definitely be interesting to follow, though I suspect his Instagram might be a little too X-rated for me! Lol.
8. IAN (NIGHT REBEL)--yes I still need to read his books, but his appearances in Night Huntress has me convinced he'd be a delight on Twitter too!


7. VERONICA MARS--despite my utter despair over how season 4 went, I'd love to follow Veronica on social media! I suspect in her early days she'd be hilarious! As for currently...well, with season 4's ending, it's anyone's guess!
6. KATY (LUX)--following a fellow booklover is just plain fun!
5. ROTH (THE DARK ELEMENTS)--I think Roth would be the funniest to follow on Twitter! Though sometimes it's hard to imagine any of these guys using social media! Lol.


4. CHARLEY DAVIDSON--omg Charley is hilarious! I would follow her on Twitter and whatever accounts she opened! Twitter would be a hoot!
3. DAEMON BLACK (LUX)--another character who would be a riot on Twitter Don't know why I keep choosing Twitter! Lol. 
2. LEGEND (CARAVAL)--yeah, choosing the fantasy characters seems awkward, but I'd think Legend would be great on Instagram. Feels more his style.


1. TELLA (CARAVAL)--she'd be fun to follow on any social media site as well! I think she'd be best on Instagram too and Twitter!




 

Feb 24, 2020

Let's Discuss: Book Obsessions

So as I was writing up a blog post, an idea for a discussion popped up! It's going to be a bit hard to talk about in some ways, because of the subject matter and naturally it will always depend on the book in question! The topic?


What Makes You LOVE a Book?


And when I say love, I mean borderline obsession! Lol. For me that is the Caraval trilogy, for most recent pick. I love a good vampire book, I love Maria V. Snyder's Study series, to name a few!

I'll use Caraval for my answer to use for an example. I became slightly obsessed with the series after reading the first book. The world totally captivated me! I feel like in some ways, it started because the concept felt like the teensiest bit like L.J. Smith's The Forbidden Game, in that there's a very serious game to be played and that's about it, because L.J.'s series bordered more on horror than fantasy, though still fantasy but that's another story! The game here was a bit more simple, yet there were so many things to watch out for. The fact that you forget it's only a game was part of its allure.

I felt like the world-building to Caraval was just spot on! I know every book is not for everyone, so my obsession with this series won't apply to the casual liker and definitely not to the ones who found it lacking. World-building is definitely one thing that has to be executed precisely in order for me to enjoy and possibly continue a book. Caraval's world was mind-blowing! It was a darker kind of magic almost and that continues to be explored as the series moved one.

Another thing that will make me fall in love with a book are the characters. When the characters are ones you can relate to and admire it makes the reading so much easier! Scarlett was a fun character to get to know. She was the more cautious sister which I feel like I can partially relate to, but then Tella was the outgoing sister and fearless. She would say it like it is and wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted, and I feel like I was partially like this too. At least in terms of saying it like it is! Lol. Her spunky attitude was something I admired, her bravery was another because I felt like Tella's story was a bit more dangerous than Scarlett's, though things did start to get more dicey for her in Finale.

I'm not sure where I was going with this really, but it was something I thought I would try to put into words. And I might have. I think. Lol. I guess short answer is, world-building and characters are two attributes of a novel that when written extremely well are what captivate me. If written well and in ways where the words just flow right and the reading is smooth and easy...this is what keeps me coming back whether I'm reading the book or dreaming about it. It's one where the words never really leave me even if I can't recall them all precisely. When the book or series is always on your mind in some small way...then you know you're obsessed. That, and the 53...pending 55 copies you own of said series of course!

Are there any series/books/authors you find yourself obsessed with? Is there that one (or more) series/book/author that you just irrevocably LOVE?






It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.


Last Week I Read:

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones (ARC)--Review to come at a later date


Review That Was Posted:

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller (ARC) (5 stars) 


DNF:

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth (ARC)--I decided to pass on writing a DNF review for this one. Basically it was moving too slow with too many "document" interruptions.


About to Start Reading:

Greythorne by Crystal Smith (ARC)


What I Plan to Read Next:

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles (ARC)


Other Posts of Interest:





 

Feb 23, 2020

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.


Well this was another uneventful week. Nothing new on the job front. I'm still trying though! Fingers crossed that one of the new ones I applied for this week will pan out into something positive!

As far as book hauling, I did AMAZING!! The best thing was after a long grueling work week I came home Friday to an ARC box!!!!

I bought:

Finale by Stephanie Garber--the UK paperback! Oddly, it's smaller than its predecessors, but oh well! Lol.
Cress by Marissa Meyer--the new paperback! And my blog name still appears in the back! I was so delighted that I could still find it! 


From the publisher:

Crave ARC Box!
Crave by Tracy Wolff
Tattoos
Thermos
Cocoa
Marshmallows
Notepad & bookmark


THANK YOU AGAIN Entangled Teen!!!
 

Then I signed up to be on Julie Kagawa's Street Team and was sent this:
 
 
Shadow of the Fox bookmark


THANK YOU Inkyard Press!


All the Stars and Teeth preorder gift:

SIGNED bookplate
enamel pin


THANK YOU Imprint!


Then I was scrolling through Etsy looking for Caraval related items as I am wont to do on occasion and came across this gorgeous necklace from Thread Bound Studio that I immediately bought!

It's the symbol of Caraval with the teardrop inside a star inside the sun


And finally I received my Owl Crate! I knew what the book was going in and thankfully wasn't spoiled for anything else! Though I'm struggling to figure out what the fandom is for two of the items as there wasn't a "spoiler" card inside my box, so I'm kinda scratching my head over these last two things! Lol.




And that was it for me! Not too bad all things considered! Really happy with what I got this week! Now if only I could find a job. What all did you get this week?