July 2016 Reads

I had a great reading month! I read 6 full-length novels, 4 graphic novels, 4 children’s & illustrated books, and 4 books of assorted genres. I DNF’d one book I really thought I’d like, but it happens sometimes. Here’s hoping August is just as good if not better!

 

Novels

1. Frostblood (Frostblood Saga #1) by Elly Blake
2. The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
3. Once Burned (Night Prince #1) by Jeaniene Frost
4. Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2) by Jeaniene Frost
5. The Secrets of Wiscombe Chase by Christine Merrill
6. Bound by Flames (Night Prince #3) by Jeaniene Frost

Graphic Novels

1. Cat vs Human Fairy Tails by Yasmine Surovec
2. Razzle Dazzle Unicorn: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure by Dana Simpson
3. Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy by Doug Savage
4. Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan

Children’s & Illustrated Books

1. What Color Is a Kiss? by Rocio Bonilla
2. Sam and Emma by Donald Nelsen, Edward Gorey
3. King Baby by Kate Beaton
4. The Green Umbrella by Jackie Azúa Kramer, Maral Sassouni

Misc. Genres

1. Grumpy Cat's All About Miserable Me: A Doodle Journal for Everything Awful by Jimi Bonogofsky-Gronseth
2. Cat Selfies by Charlie Ellis
3. Island Escape: My Caribbean Coloring Book by Jade Gedeon
4. Rainforest Escape: My Island Animal, Exotic Flower and Tropical Plant Color Book by Jade Gedeon

DNF

1. Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

How was your July?
Get any quality reading time in?

Stacking the Shelves: Romance Haul

I've been on a real romance kick lately. So far this month I've read three romances: The Secrets of Wiscombe Chase by Christine Merrill, Once Burned (Night Prince #1), and Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2) by Jeaniene Frost. I decided I wanted to get the third book in the Night Prince series, so I went to my local Barnes and Noble and proceeded to lose control of myself there, buying 4 more books on top of that. Some paranormal, some historical; all romance. What can I say? It's just what I seem to be in the mood to read.

From top to bottom: Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #1) by Julia Quinn, Lady Bridget's Diary (Keeping Up with the Cavendishes #1) by Maya Rodale, Bound by Flames (Night Prince #3) by Jeaniene Frost, The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny #1) by Jeaniene Frost, Stars of Fortune (The Guardians Trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts.

Buy any new books lately?

2016 Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag

Originally created by ReadLikeWildfire, I spotted this meme on Piera Forde’s booktube channel. I thought it sounded fun, so here goes nothing!

Questions:

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2016.
   Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Yes, this book is over thirty years old and was written for second graders, but it is hands-down the best book I’ve read this year.
   
   
2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2016.
   Siege and Storm & Ruin and Rising, the sequels to Shadow and Bone in the Grisha trilogy. They are also the only sequels I’ve read this year.
   
   
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
   All of them. I need to read all of them.
   
   
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
   I have an entire Top Ten list dedicated to this question!
   
   
5. Biggest disappointment.
   Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. There was SO MUCH HYPE surrounding this book. I think it fell way short of the mark.
   
   
6. Biggest surprise.
   C.L. Wilson’s The Winter King. The cover is pretty but very cheesy, so I was expecting a run-of-the-mill romance novel (which I still love to read, btw), but this one is stellar as far as mass-market paperback romances go.
   
   
7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
   I don’t know if I have one yet. But Peadar Ó Guilín is definitely a contender. I’m obsessed with The Call.
   
   
8. Newest fictional crush.
   The ever-so-complicated and brooding Kaz Brekker from Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows. I was definitely crushing on him while reading this book, though I’m still undecided if I want to continue the series or not.
   
   
9. Newest favorite character.
   Arsinoe from Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns. She is by far my favorite character in this book (and there are many [almost too many] heroines to choose from).
   
   
10. Book that made you cry.
    Almost a Full Moon by Hawksley Workman. It’s a children’s picture book, but it is so beautiful that it moved me to tears. The words are literally lyrics from a song, and the illustrations of a diverse community coming together really affected me.
    
    
11. Book that made you happy.
    The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. I mean, overall this book was just OK for me, but the ending gave me everything I wanted, so I guess I was happy?
    
    
12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received).
    Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Yes, the cover art is beautiful, and so is what’s inside.
    
    
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
    I have so many ARCs from BEA that I need to read! Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige and Replica by Lauren Oliver are just a couple that come to mind.
    
    
14. Favorite Book Community Member (Blogger, Booktuber and Bookstagrammer)
    I don’t particularly like this question because I don’t want feelings to get hurt. And I absolutely don’t like popularity contests. Just know that I love interacting with everyone in the book community, whether it be here on my blog, on twitter, with publishing professionals, or other bloggers.

I had fun with this tag, especially because I’ve read so many books in the last 6 months that it helps to reflect on them in order to remember what I’ve read. If you choose to do this tag, leave your link in the comments so I can check it out!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Ratings On Goodreads

It’s time for another very cool top ten list by The Broke and the Bookish. This topic is a new way to talk about underrated books, especially when calling a book underrated is subjective. An easy way to figure out your own list is to go to Goodreads, select your “read” list, and at the top of your read list where it says “settings,” you can add a column for “# of ratings.” From there, you can sort your list from least to most ratings.

So without any further ado, in order from least to most ratings, here are ten books I enjoyed with less than 2000 ratings on Goodreads:

1. Yes, Let's
   by Galen Goodwin Longstreth, Maris Wicks
   183 Ratings
   
   
2. Stories
   by Doris Lessing
   195 Ratings
   
   
3. Spread, Vol. 1: No Hope (Spread #1-6)
   by Justin Jordan, Kyle Strahm
   222 Ratings
   
   
4. Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula
   by Andi Watson
   533 Ratings
   
   
5. This Monstrous Thing
   by Mackenzi Lee
   750 Ratings
   
   
6. In the Shadows
   by Kiersten White, Jim Di Bartolo
   951 Ratings
   
   
7. The Wind Blows Backward
   by Mary Downing Hahn
   957 Ratings
   
   
8. A Curious Tale of the In-Between
   by Lauren DeStefano
   983 Ratings
   
   
9. Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures (Pip Bartlett #1)
   by Jackson Pearce, Maggie Stiefvater
   1,066 Ratings
   
   
10. Ethel and Ernest
    by Raymond Briggs
    1,201 Ratings

Have you heard of or read any of the books I mentioned? I’d love to talk more about them, especially because they are so very deserving of love and attention!

What's in your Top Ten Tuesday?

June 2016 Reads

Wow, I read a TON of children’s books in June. I think I was unconsciously using them to get back into the flow of reading every day. I did manage to read two full-length novels that I really enjoyed. I can feel myself wanting to read again, which is great, because I was so uninterested in settling in with a book in May. Here’s to hoping this is just the beginning of a summer filled with reading!


Novels

1. Three Dark Crowns (Untitled #1) by Kendare Blake
2. The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín

Graphic Novels

1. Ghostbusters International by Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening
2. Ghostbusters: Who Ya Gonna Call? by Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening

Children’s and Illustrated Books

1. The Branch by Mireille Messier, Pierre Pratt
2. The Pruwahaha Monster by Jean-Paul Mulders, Jacques Maes, Lise Braekers
3. Metropolis by Benoit Tardif
4. The Day I Became a Bird by Ingrid Chabbert, Raúl Nieto Guridi
5. Lucy and Company by Marianne Dubuc
6. You Belong to Me by Mamoru Suzuki
7. Mr. Matisse and His Cutouts by Annemarie van Haeringen
8. Pug Man's 3 Wishes by Sebastian Meschenmoser
9. Little Kong by Freya Hartas
10. Baby Bear's Not Hibernating by Lynn Plourde, Teri Weidner
11. Henry Hodges Needs a Friend by Andy Andrews
12. Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp
13. The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold by Maureen Fergus, Cale Atkinson
14. The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi
15. Pablo Finds a Treasure by Andrée Poulin
16. Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard
17. The Fox Who Ate Books by Franziska Biermann
18. A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen

Misc. Genres

1. The Art and Craft of Handmade Books by Shereen LaPlantz
2. The Night Voyage: A Magical Adventure and Coloring Book by Daria Song
3. 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings: How to Get By Without Even Trying by Sarah Cooper
4. Overview: Unexpected Images of the World We've Shaped by Benjamin Grant

DNF

1. The Scourge by Jennifer A. Nielsen

How was your June?
Get any substantial reading time in?