Tag: Fuse

15 Books I Want to Read this Summer

After adding my haul from BookCon to my bookshelves last week, I noticed how many books that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet. There’s quite a few that I really want to get to sooner rather than later. So I decided to post a little bit of a personal summer TBR list. Keep your fingers crossed that I can stick to this, haha!

  • Trail of Lightnight (The Sixth World, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse
    • So excited that I was able to snag an ARC of this one at BookCon. An #ownvoices story about a Native American girl who is a monster hunter after the apocalypse. Ummmm, HELL YES!
  • And I Darken (And I Darken, #1) by Kiersten White
    • I actually read the first chapter of this one a while back and was really intrigued. I think this is one series that I will have no trouble devouring. I already have the sequel and with the finale coming out later this month, it’s the perfect time to pick it up!
  • Saints & Misfits by S.K. Ali
    • I’ve been meaning to get to this one for a while now and finally have enough time to pick it up. It’s probably what I’ll end up reading next. I’ve heard great things about it and I’m also trying to mentally prepare myself for the heavy content.
  • Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6) by Sarah J. Maas
    • Why have I put off picking this one up for so long? I wish I had a good reason for you but I don’t. I think maybe it’s because this book focuses on Chaol and he had turned into such a jerk that I wasn’t quite ready to deal with him again. However, it seems that this book has exceeded almost everyone’s expectations and so I think it’s time to see for myself.
  • Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms, #4) by Morgan Rhodes
    • I’m kind of obsessed with this series right now and so I can’t put off the next book any longer. Also, still totally waiting for Magnus and Cleo to get together. It better happen!!!! #greatestslowburnever
  • Defy the Worlds (Constellation, #2) by Claudia Gray
    • Basically the first book was like the greatest and most fun science fiction that I’ve read in a while and I’m dying to see what’ll happen next to my favorite little cupcakes. Oh man, how I’ve missed my favorite little A.I., Abel.
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas
    • Because I’ve been meaning to get to this one for the longest time. I even preordered it and yet, I still haven’t picked it up. Not for much longer though!
  • Sightwitch (The Witchlands, #0.5) by Susan Dennard
    • I did the same thing with this book as I did with ACOFAS. I’m not usually one for novellas but I really think this book will be a good addition to the series, as it introduces us to different areas and characters.
  • Middlemarch by George Eliot
    • I’ve had this book on my shelves for years now. I’ve actually tried starting it a few times, but end up quitting after just a couple of pages because I worry about how long it will take me to finish. However, I plan on ending that this summer! It’s time I stop worrying about how many books I can complete in a month and just focus on enjoying what I’m reading.
  • The Last Magician (The Last Magician, #1) by Lisa Maxwell
    • I’ve heard some amazing things about this book ever since it first came out. And now that I have a copy, I think it’s time to give it a whirl. Based on the synopsis alone, I’d say that this one is probably going to be hit with me too.
  • The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski
    • I’ll admit that this was a bit of a cover-buy for me. However, the synopsis sounds extremely intriguing as well. I think it’ll be a nice change of pace to what I normally read.
  • Smoke and Iron (The Great Library, #4) by Rachel Caine
    • I have been anxiously waiting for the release of this book, ever since I finished the previous one. This series has been so much fun to read, with such a unique premise and diverse cast of characters. If you haven’t read it, I definitely recommend it!
  • Fuse (Pure, #2) by Julianna Baggott
    • I just really need to finish this trilogy soon. I can’t believe I’ve been putting it off for so long!
  • Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
    • I really enjoyed Welch’s previous novel and so when I found out she was writing a companion book to it set in Ireland, I was hooked. Ireland is my favorite place in the world and holds a special place in my heart, so I cannot wait to dive into a book set there, especially one with a little bit of romance!
  • Titans by Leila Meacham
    • I love Meacham’s writing. She does a great job of bringing the history of Texas to life in her books. This one sounds even better than her previous ones and so I’m really looking forward to diving into it. Turn of the century Fort Worth? A boy and girl from two different worlds? Sign me up!

Have you read any of the books on my summer TBR? If so, what did you think of them? Are there any particular books that you really want to read this summer?

WWW Wednesday – March 14th, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

  • The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy – audiobook
  • The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1) by Erika Johansen – physical book

Eh, one of these days I’ll finish this damn audiobook even if it kills me!

I finally picked up The Queen of the Tearling after owning the entire trilogy for a while now. I’m not very far into it yet, but I’m loving it so far. It definitely has an epic fantasy feel to it that I think would translate well for a television or movie adaptation. I can’t wait to see how this story plays out!

What did you recently finish reading?

20312462

  • Jackaby (Jackaby, #1) by William Ritter – physical book, 4/5 stars

This ended up being an enjoyable quick read. I really enjoyed the paranormal/fantasy elements mixed in the historical setting. Jackaby is definitely a fun character. If you’re into socially awkward geniuses (think Sherlock Holmes), then you’ll be a big fan of Jackaby.

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer
  • The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight, #2) by Melissa Grey
  • Fuse (Pure, #2) by Julianna Baggott

I’m really hoping to tackle some more of my backlisted series that have been on my shelves for way too long. However, my reading habits have really been all over the place and a bit moody, so I may end grabbing something else. Who knows at this point what to expect for my TBR over the next couple of weeks, haha! SURPRISES!

What are you currently reading? What do you plan on reading next? Did you finish any books this past week? If so, what did you think of them? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday in the comments below!

WWW Wednesday – March 7th, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

  • Jackaby (Jackaby, #1) by William Ritter – physical book
  • Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View by Ben Acker – physical book
  • The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy – audiobook

I’m not really sure it’s still counts as currently reading since I haven’t picked up Star Wars in a couple of weeks, but eh, whatevs. I do plan on slowly making my way through it. Maybe I should read one short story after finishing two chapters in my main read? Now there’s an idea…

I let my blogging bestie Britt from Geronimo Reads pick my next read after finishing Honor Among Thieves, from among the TBR books that I’ve owned the longest. I had a feeling that she’d pick Jackaby and I was right! I’m only a few chapters into it so far, but I’m enjoying the writing style. I can tell this will be a quick and entertaining read.

Seriously, I plan to finish The Disappearances by Friday… EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!

What did you recently finish reading?

  • Wandering Star (Zodiac, #2) by Romina Russell – physical book, 5/5 stars
  • Honor Among Thieves (The Honors, #1) by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre – physical ARC, 4/5 stars

I finished Wandering Star and am now dying to pick up the next book in the series. However, I’m going to stay strong and try not gobble up the rest of the series quickly, but try and savor it. My goal is to hold off a couple of weeks at least before moving on to Black Moon. We’ll see how that turns out though.

I also finished Honor Among Thieves, thanks to Lilly from Lair of Books for sending me her copy of the ARC because she knew that I’d love it… and she was right!!! This book was so awesome and I loved it. The characters are all really interesting, especially Nadim. He’s basically an alien version of Abel from Defy the Stars (except with more emotion and less unintentional humor) and I’m so here for it.

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight, #2) by Melissa Grey
  • Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer
  • Fuse (Pure, #2) by Julianna Baggott

Seriously, my goal this year is to try and complete/catch up on all of the series that I’ve already started. It’s going to happen! So plan on lots of series popping up on my TBR for a while.

What are you currently reading? Did you finish any good books this past week? Not so good books? What do you plan on reading next? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments below!

Try A Chapter: Round #2

I first did this back in February when I wasn’t really sure what book I wanted to read next. After finishing up Crooked Kingdom the other night, I was having the same mini-crisis as I stared at my TBR bookshelf and wanted to read ALL THE BOOKS! Everything sounded so good that I just didn’t know how to pick only one. Luckily, I remembered this awesome tag created by BookParadise on Youtube. Praise the book gods!

RULES:

  • Pick 5 (or more) books from your tbr
  • Read the first chapter of all of them (including the prologue if there is one)
  • Tell your readers if you’re sold on the book and what you thought of the first chapter.
  • Are you going to finish the book this month?

I picked 5 fairly different books this time around, just like I did before. I actually let one of my guy friends choose from like 25 different books based on their spines and this is the list he came up with, haha!

My Choices:

  1. Fuse (Pure, #2) by Julianna Baggott
  2. Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1) by Michael J. Sullivan
  3. Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold
  4. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
  5. The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson

9752754.jpg

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price…

Option #1: This one included a small prologue where we are introduced to a new character, who kind of creeped me out a bit, not gonna lie. However, this series in general is just a tad creepy anyways. But the opening chapter was very engrossing jumping right into the story a few months after the end of the previous book. It was Pressia’s POV chapter and I loved how it ended on a cliffhanger with her. I’m really intrigued to see what happens next with her.

26863057

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

Option #2: This one started off immediately, with the catalyst to the main conflict happening within the first 10 pages. I really enjoyed Raithe as a main character, even in just the short amount of time. He was funny and his sarcastic interactions with another character, Malcolm, had me laughing aloud. I definitely could tell by the writing that this is going to be a true epic fantasy tale.

18490706

Artemis is a pleasure planet created by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…

But the Empire was shattered in a horrific war; centuries later humanity has lost much of the advanced technology, and Artemis is a fable told to children. Until young archeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world.

After crashing his ship, he encounters Adara the Huntress and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey with her will lead Dane to discover the planet’s secrets…and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind.

Option #3: I think the premise for this story sounds so interesting. It’s part science fiction, part action-adventure and has me really intrigued. I actually wanted to be an archaeologist when I was in high school, so I was able to easily connect with Griffin. I appreciated that this story immediately starts off with action. It’s so much easier to become engaged with the plot and story immediately when that happens. I also liked how the writing was easy to follow along with, whereas some science fiction novels can leave you scratching your head with so much terminology.

28449257

In the latest masterpiece by Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child’s life.

Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.

Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, THE WONDER works beautifully on many levels–a tale of two strangers who transform each other’s lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.

Option #4: I was a little unsure how I was going to feel about this one. I don’t typically pick up mystery/thrillers very often, but I have to say that this one surprised me a bit. I was immediately intrigued by what was going to happen next. I couldn’t wait to flip the page to learn more about the situation that Lib found herself in. I also really liked the writing style, it flowed very well but was also straightforward. I also like how I didn’t really care for Lib. She’s a bit full of herself and quite judgmental towards the Irish, which I thought was a good choice that reflected the feelings of that era.

32670125.jpg

Present day: When a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she is thrown into a hidden world that lurks just under the surface of our own. With her career and her life at stake, June Stefanov will ally with a remarkable traveler who exposes her to a reality she never imagined, as they embark on an around-the-world adventure and discover breathtaking secrets of the past…

Russia, 1725: In the depths of the Kremlin, the tsar’s loyal mechanician brings to life two astonishingly humanlike mechanical beings. Peter and Elena are a brother and sister fallen out of time, possessed with uncanny power, and destined to serve great empires. Struggling to blend into pre-Victorian society, they are pulled into a legendary war that has raged for centuries.

The Clockwork Dynasty interweaves past and present, exploring a race of beings designed to live by ironclad principles, yet constantly searching for meaning. As June plunges deeper into their world, her choices will ultimately determine their survival or extermination.

Option #5: Out of all of my choices, this one was originally calling to me the most. It had a little bit of everything – steampunk, action, history, etc. And why is it that I feel like steampunk has a fall feel to it? Am I the only one who thinks that? Either way, I thought this one started off pretty good. Nothing really exciting happened, though I thought the prologue was very well done. I am very interested in seeing where the story will go from here though!

And The Winner Is…

Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1)

I think I’m really in the mood for science fiction right now. It’s one of my favorite genres and lately has just really been speaking to me. I also was really intrigued by the premise of this story, as well. It looks like it might almost venture into some sort of Indiana Jones-style adventure story and that excites me. It’s also less than 300 pages long which means it should be really quick to get through, which might leave me enough time to pick up another book before October! (I’m looking at you, The Wonder!)

Do you ever have trouble deciding on just one book to pick up? How do you determine what book you’ll read next? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think about them?

August TBR: Where I Try Way Too Hard

Well it’s that time of the month again… And by that, I mean that a new month is starting which means a whole new monthly TBR! Obviously. I’m a little late getting out my TBR this month but I’ve just been really busy between work and all that jazz to sit down and formulate what my reading plans were for August. I was also in a bit of a mini reading slump this past week which affected my blogging plans. But I’m finally here, right?! So let’s get to it!

August Tome Topple Readathon TBR & Announcement

Yes, I am participating again this round! I’m joining in a few days late because of my stinking reading slump which has pushed me back just a tad. However, I have full plans to catch back up and finally start on my two book picks for this round!

Tome Topple is a readathon hosted by Sam @ ThoughtsOnTomes. She’s one of my favorite booktubers, in case you don’t recognize the name. This readathon is all about reading those big books on your TBR that you’re usually too scared to grab. The only rules is that the books must be over 500 pages and cannot be an anthology of short stories. Sounds easy, right?! This readathon is running from August 4th – August 17th. You can visit the Goodreads Group to learn more about the readathon.

And the choices for my readathon TBR are….

  • Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo
  • Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

I’m aiming for only two books during this readathon, as I will be starting late due to the fact that I’m still reading Six of Crows at the moment. So the logical first book for the readathon should be its sequel, Crooked Kingdom. Then I want to finally pick up Lost Stars so I can check another Star Wars canon novel off of my list. I’ve also had both of these books since they were published, so you know, just a little behind on reading them. OOPS!

August TBR

  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner
  • Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo – currently reading
  • A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
  • Heartless by Marissa Meyer
  • Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
  • Fuse (Pure, #2) by Julianna Baggott
  • American Fire by Monica Hesse
  • The Child Thief by Brom
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #1) by Trenton Lee Stewart

I think I might be a little ambitious with my TBR for this month, especially after not really reading at all during the first week. However, if I can even get through half of these books then I will be satisfied. I think I have a really good mix of genres this month, which should help keep me from getting too bored. At least I hope so.

What books are on your TBR for this month? Are you participating in Tome Topple? If so, what books did you choose to pick up for it?

Musing Mondays – December 12th, 2016 (A Very Large Book Haul)

Musing Mondays is a weekly theme, now being hosted by Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker, that asks you to answer one of the prompt questions and that week’s random question.

PROMPTS:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) this past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Does reading help you to release stress during stressful times? If it does do you have a favorite book that you return to for calm?

I bought the following book(s) this past week…

So I actually purchased these books from Book Outlet during their Black Friday Sale, but they finally arrived last week. Needless to say, I got way too many books. However, for only spending $60 on all hardbacks except for three, I think I got an insane bargain. I don’t even feel bad about it.

See, I told you that I bought a lot!

Does reading help you to release stress during stressful times? If it does do you have a favorite book that you return to for calm?

I would have to say that reading does help me relax when I’m feeling stressed. I think it’s because my mind becomes focused on what I’m reading, and not what is bothering me. However, I don’t have any particular book that I turn to. I’ll just pick up whatever book I’m in the middle of.

What books did you buy recently? Have you read any of the ones from my haul? Does reading help you release stress? Leave a link to your Musing Monday post in the comments below!