Bout of Books 13 -- Day 5 Progress Report

Hello, and welcome to Day 6 of the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon! 

Day 5 Progress Report

Pages read -- 140

        Total pages read -- 554

Books finished -- 2 (ACOTAR and Deadly Class Vol. 1)

Currently reading -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

        So far? I'm having a hard time getting into this one. I have heard such great things about it, and 

                     I'm sure I would like it, too. But it's a little slow at the beginning so it's taking a while to 

                     read, even though it's so short. 

Time spent reading -- 1 hour

        Total time spent reading -- 7.5 hours

Confidence level ?/10 -- Now down to a 4. Oops! There's absolutely no way I'll be finishing both 

                                         Perks and Austenland. I'm not even sure if I can finish one of those. But I 

                                         may switch to Austenland and see if I can power through it!

Day 6 Challenge -- Favorite Read Photo

Today's challenge is hosted by Stephanie at Once Upon a Chapter, so go check out her blog! The challenge is simple: take a photo of your favorite read so far in Bout of Books 13. And since I've only finished one novel and one graphic novel, I decided NOT to participate in the challenge today. *sad face* Honestly, we all know what my choice would be *cough, cough ACOTAR cough* So instead, I'm just going to get back to reading for the day! But be sure to hop on over to Stephanie's blog anyway, especially if you are participating in this final challenge!

So that's it for today's update! Check back tomorrow for my Day 6 Progress Report! Then on Monday, check back for my Day 7 Progress Report as well as the wrap-up for the whole week! 

Tell me: how are YOU doing during the read-a-thon? And what has been your favorite read so far? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS by Ann Aguirre

Title: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things
Author: Ann Aguirre

Summary: Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won't peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She's learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it's working just fine...until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He's a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted. 

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. he's got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. he doesn't expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage. 

But love doesn't mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again...

Why I read it: It looked so darn cute, and I needed a good, cute contemporary after reading so much heaviness this month.

Thoughts: I got pretty much exactly what I expected out of this book. It is a very cute, fluffy contemporary with quirky characters and a cute romance.

I finished this book a while back, and it's given me a lot of time to think about what I did and didn't like about this book. And I've come to the conclusion that this is not a bad book, not in the least. It's just not the kind of book I need.

I really liked these characters. Our main character Sage is so quirky and adorable, and it was so much fun to read from her perspective. In the first few pages, we learn that she has the nickname "Post-It Princess" at school because every day, Sage finds someone who is having a bad day and gives them a compliment on a pink Post-It note, sticking it to their locker. This was my favorite thing about Sage. It's so unique and quirky and absolutely perfect. I also enjoyed her commitment to the environment, and her refusal to ride in cars (for several reasons). I especially loved that Sage is an average girl, and she never goes through that "beautiful butterfly" transformation, noting that she was really gorgeous all along. She's just a cute teenage girl, whose butt may be a little too big for her figure. And I loved that. I related to that.

The love interest, Shane, is pretty interesting, too, though he's a little more cliched. He intrigued me a lot at first, but as the story progressed, his character fell a little flat for me. Lila, Sage's new best friend, I adored. She was definitely one of the most interesting characters in the book, with her penchant for reinventing herself to fit her friends. But she's able to be herself with Sage, and I enjoyed her sarcastic self so much.

I also really liked Sage's relationship with her aunt. There is a part near the end of the novel where they share this really poignant moment together, and it was probably my favorite part of the whole book. It made me tear up a bit, it was that lovely.

I love all these YA books set in fictional small towns. They feel so real, are so well fleshed-out, that I can see everything clearly in my head. From their school to Sage and Shane's houses, to the coffee shop. It was all perfectly described.

It's refreshing to read a book where the two main characters get together fairly early, and we get to see just how awkward a teenage relationship can be at first. That part was definitely realistic.

Now, unfortunately, onto the aspects I didn't love so much.

You might notice that the synopsis hints at some heavy topics, but I keep describing this book as cute and fluffy. That is one of my main problems with the story. One of the reasons I was drawn to this book (other than the absolutely adorable cover) was the promise of angst. I may be a glutton for punishment, but I love a good angsty book. Both Sage and Shane have dealt with some dark stuff in their pasts. In Shane's case, most of it is revealed fairly early on. But in Sage's case, it is heavily hinted at for most of the book until something happens to bring it all up again, and she finally confesses her story to Shane.

For how heavy these conversations were, I feel like it was glossed over a bit. Like, things were really bad for a few pages, but it was quickly gotten over through the power of love. For as many issues as Sage had, they didn't affect her character as much as they should have, at least in my opinion.

Sage often refers to her dark side, the product of her past, as Shadow Sage. And there a few moments when she lets Shadow Sage out to play. But whatever Shadow Sage did always felt incredibly tame in comparison to what she could have done.

This darkness really took me out of the story, because I didn't feel that the heaviness of their pasts were balanced by the the reactions and consequences. In other words: there was not enough angst. It felt too easy to get to the end of this book.

For the most part, I enjoyed the writing, but there were times when instead of just breaking the page to show the passage of time, Aguirre would very quickly summarize what was happening. Along the lines of, "We all finished dinner. Lila went home and I did the dishes. After cleaning up the kitchen, I watched TV with my aunt until it was time for bed. Then I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed where I fell asleep until the morning." It was too much telling for me. None of those sentences were necessary to the story, and I don't need a play by play of everything that happens. This happened often in the book, but I wish it would have just been skipped over until the next piece of action.

The other thing that bothered me is a pet peeve of mine, and I didn't even realize it was my pet peeve until reading this book. The title of the book is repeated several times. Sage refers to herself as "the queen of bright and shiny things" in her narration a couple of times, and then Shane refers to her the same way in a song he writes later in the book, despite the name never having been brought up in conversation. At least as far as we see. So having the title repeated so many times within the prose was a little annoying, and something I never thought to be annoyed by before. Oh well.

Overall, it's a very cute, light book, even though the subject matter demanded a little heaviness. I would still recommend this to lovers of contemporary, especially for younger readers.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read this book? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Bout of Books 13 -- Day 4 Progress Report and Day 5 Challenge

Hello, and welcome to Day 5 of the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon! 

Day 4 Progress Report

Pages read -- 80 

        Total pages read -- 414

Books finished -- 1 (A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas)

Currently reading -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

        So far? After finishing ACOTAR yesterday, I only managed to read 8 pages of Perks, so I'll 

                     need some more time to form a real opinion!

Time spent reading -- 1 hour

        Total time spent reading -- 6.5 hours

Confidence level ?/10 -- Moving on down to a 7. I only have three days of the read-a-thon left, so 

                                        I'm not sure I can read both Perks and Austenland, but I will make time for 

                                        both graphic novels. 

Day 5 Challenge -- Cover Color

Today's challenge is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, so go check out her blog! The challenge is to find at least four books with the same main color on the cover. And, true to form, I couldn't pick just one color! Though I may have fudged the rules a little...oops! You know me. 

COLOR ONE -- TEAL

So honestly, these are all slightly different shades of teal, but they just looked so pretty together, I couldn't resist!

Books shown: The Swan Gondola by Timothy Schaffert, Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson, True by Hilary Duff, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. 

 COLOR TWO -- TAN

It just so happened that Eleanor & Park and My Heart and Other Black Holes were right next to each other on my shelf, so I thought, Yes! It was meant to be. So I just found the other two to go with them! Though Broken Monsters has a little too much of the peach color. 

Books shown: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga, Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes, and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. 

COLOR THREE -- ORANGE 

I JUST realized I actually forgot to feature a book in this picture! The whole reason I thought of orange is because I saw The Martian on my shelf. And then I forgot to put it in the picture. *sigh* Oh well. This is still going to be my official entry! 

Books shown: Allegiant by Veronica Roth, The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke, World War Z by Max Brooks, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, and Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren. 

So that's it for today's update! Check back tomorrow for my Day 5 Progress Report and the Day 6 Challenge!

Tell me: how are YOU doing during the read-a-thon? And what color do you own the most books in? Let me know in the comments below!

Bout of Books 13 -- Day 3 Progress Report and Day 4 Challenge

Hello, and welcome to Day 4 of the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon! 

Day 3 Progress Report

Pages read -- 182

        Total pages read -- 334

Books finished -- 0

Currently reading -- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

        So far? STILL loving it. Even more! So fabulous. Can't wait to see how it ends today!

Next read -- Deadly Class Vol. 2: Kids of the Black Hole

Time spent reading -- 2.5 hours

        Total time spent reading -- 5.5 hours

Confidence level ?/10: Still a 10! I WILL do this!

Day 4 Challenge -- From Modern to Classic

Today's challenge is hosted by Ranty Runt of a Reader, so go check out her blog! The challenge is to choose a book that you believe will be considered a classic in 100 years, and provide two reasons for your choice. Also, the book must have been published in 2005 or later. (Which means Harry Potter is out. *cries*)

I'm telling you. If I thought the last couple of challenges were difficult, THIS one is a doozy! At first, all of my inclinations were towards books I haven't even read yet, such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. But I wanted to choose a book I had read, just so I could extra-special enthusiastic about my choice. So I turned to Goodreads and searched my "read" shelf, looking for books published in or after 2005. 

Let me tell you. 2005-2007 was a dark time for my reading habits. Going down this particular rabbit hole, I was bombarded with things like Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl and The A-List. I was a major teen drama junkie back then.

So I narrowed the search and looked for books that I given 5-star ratings. Let me tell you, this was still difficult. I could easily go with the obvious; The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, or The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. These are books that have huge fanbases, including me, and I find extremely well-written. The Hunger Games really revolutionized the dystopian genre, kickstarting it into popularity again. And The Fault in Our Stars is the story of two broken individuals, (classics love broken people), and it's a very real snapshot of life in our time, told through teenagers with cancer. Both of these could easily be considered classics within a 100 year's time.

But for my answer, I decided to go with a book that was very recently released by an author I admire a great deal. A book that I find beautifully written, and heartbreaking, and very important. I think this could grow to become a classic in the future, and more importantly, I think it should become a classic. And that book is...

All the Rage by Courtney Summers

If you've read my review on this book, you should know exactly how I feel about this book. But for the sake of the challenge, here are my two (plus bonus) reasons I think this book could become a classic. 

1. It is beautifully written. It is often the books with the most beautiful prose that sticks in our mind for generations to come. It's easy to read an entertaining story that is told in a very straightforward manner and think it is a fantastic book. And it could be. But it might not be something that lingers. I think All the Rage will linger for a long time. I know I will be recommending it to anyone and everyone that I can. 

2. It is very indicative of our time. All the Rage is an eye-opening look into the rape culture that pervades our society right now. Hopefully, a hundred years from now, rape culture will be a thing of the past, or at least on its way out. But this book will continue to resonate as a part of our past, whether rape culture still persists or not. 

Bonus. It is not a huge phenomenon right now. Many books that become classics are not popular in their own time. It is only later, when rediscovered by scholars and other readers, that they become considered classic literature. All the Rage is getting very good reviews from those of us that read it, but it is not trending, it is not something you see all over the place. 

So that's it for today's update! Check back tomorrow for the Day 4 Progress Report and Day 5 Challenge! 

Tell me: how are YOU doing during the read-a-thon if you are participating? And what book do you think could become a classic in the future? Let me know in the comments below!

Bout of Books 13 -- Day 2 Progress Report and Day 3 Challenge

Hello, and welcome to Day 3 of the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon! 

Day 2 Progress Report

Pages read -- 40

        Total pages read -- 152

Books finished -- 0

Currently reading -- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

        So far? Still loving it! So much. 

Time spent reading -- 1 hour

        Total time spent reading -- 3 hours

Confidence level ?/10: Still a 10! I CAN DO THIS. 

Day 3 Challenge

Today's challenge is hosted by Kristina Horrner, so go check out her blog! The challenge is to create a haiku about the book you are currently reading. So here is my best attempt! 

Feyre and Tamlin

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Romance will ensue

Ha! Okay. So that was cheating just a little bit. I mean, come on. It just worked so perfectly, how could I resist? So I'll try to do another! 

Huntress and Faerie

Beauty and Beast Retelling

With a Tam-Lin Twist

Okay. Slightly better. More descriptive. Summary. But still. Could be better. I mean, Kristina's is so funny! Maybe I should try a funny one. 

Two books, so much Fae

ACOTAR and Throne of Glass

Love those pointy ears

So this one is not strictly just about the book I am currently reading, but still. Sarah J. Maas wrote both books, and she really is obsessed with pointy-eared men. She said so herself last weekend. But let me try just one ore time to get it perfect. 

Tamlin, Lucien, Rhys

Where are all the ugly men?

Not that I complain

Okay, I think I'm done. I could probably come up with a million of these and none of them would be that good. I'm just not cut out for haiku writing, I guess. I'm just proud I came up with one, let alone four! 

Tell me: how is YOUR Bout of Books progress going? And can you write a haiku about the book you're reading? Let me know in the comments below!

Waiting on Wednesday (21): CARRY ON

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine!

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Release date: October 6, 2015

Summary: Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School fo Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he'll be safe. Simon can't even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can't stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you're the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything. 

Thoughts: If you've read Fangirl, you already know about Simon and Baz. And honestly, I'm still kinda waiting for them to tell us it's all been a huge joke, because I still can't believe that this is actually a thing. But I'm so excited for it! I can't wait to see Simon and Baz again, and see how Rainbow handles an actual fantasy novel! :D

Tell me: what are YOU waiting on this Wednesday? Are you excited for Carry On as well? Let me know in the comments below!

Bout of Books 13 -- Day 1 Progress Report and Day 2 Challenge!

Hello, and welcome to Day 2 of the Bout of Books read-a-thon!

Day 1 Progress Report

Pages read -- 112
Books finished -- 0
Currently reading -- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

• So far? LOVING it! 

Time spent reading -- 2 hours (distracted while watching TV)

Honestly, I could have done a little better yesterday if I hadn't been so fixated on LAST WEEK'S episode of RuPaul's Drag Race that I had already seen. But also in my defense, I drove home four hours yesterday after Sarah J. Maas's event in St. Louis on Sunday. So I lost a ton of reading time, and I was exhausted! So I'm still confident I can complete my goals for the week!

Day 2 Challenge

Today's challenge is hosted by Lulo Fangirl, and here's her explanation in her own words! 

Create the ultimate character face-off.
Pick two of your all-time favorite characters. They can be from the books you chose for the read-a-thon (or not — totally up to you).
Even though they are both your favorite, you HAVE to choose one as the winner. And tell me why.
Sell me on why this ONE character is your favorite character of ALL characters.

This is such a tough challenge, but also a fun one! So I decided to do NOT ONE, NOT TWO, but THREE rounds of competition! So we have my favorite females, my favorite love interests, and my favorite best friends. Because I couldn't just pick one!

Round One:

Celaena Sardothien vs. Alina Starkov

Celaena 

Who: Main character from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Why I love her: She's a teenage assassin who still loves dresses and eating and puppies. She's basically the best of both worlds--total badass, and complete girl. I love that she can be both. 

Alina

Who: Main character from the Grisha trilogy (Shadow & Bone) by Leigh Bardugo

Why I love her: She goes on such a journey throughout the series. She has to learn to deal with so much in such a short time, but her friends remain the most important part of her life the whole time. And she is unwaveringly loyal. 

Winner

.....

....

...

..

.

CELAENA SARDOTHIEN!

(Come on now, did you doubt for one second that Celaena would win?)

When I think of characters who have suffered in their lives, Celaena usually tops the list. She's been through so much in her life already, and it's only going to continue. There are only three books out so far in this six-book series, and already Celaena has gone through more character development than most characters do in their entire series. As much as I love Alina, I just can't imagine anyone overthrowing Celaena from her throne as my favorite female character. 

*Note on Round Two: Let's be honest. I can't use my newest book boyfriend for spoilery reasons. So all I'm going to say is Shatter Me. And you know.* 

Round Two:

Chaol Westfall vs. Carswell Thorne

Chaol

Who: The captain of the guard and prince's BFF in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

Why I love him: Yes, I am completely CHAOLENA forever and ever. Chaol is so loyal, but also ridiculously sweet, and fiercely protective of those he loves. The moment I fell in love with him was at the end of Throne of Glass, when he lays on the ground and puts his hand right outside the circle next to Celaena's. Like, I melted into a pool of butterflies at that scene. Plus, he's hot. Who could ask for more?

Thorne

Who: Captain and dashing rogue in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

Why I love him: If Chaol is the good guy, then Thorne is the bad boy. Whom I can never resist. Thorne is sarcastic and thoroughly unable to take himself seriously, but he's always there for his friends when they need him. And once again, he's hot. I just love a sexy bad boy. 

Winner

.....

....

...

..

.

CHAOL WESTFALL!

(Once again, could you not see that coming?)

Though I love Captain Thorne to pieces, no one gives me quite as many butterflies as Chaol. Everything he does for Celaena, or Dorian, or the kingdom in general. He's so loyal and protective, and he's going through just as much character development as anyone else in the series. I will also love you, Chaol Westfall. And thank you, Sarah J. Maas for giving him to us. 

Round Three:

Jamie Roth vs. Kenji Kishimoto

Jamie

Who: Secondary character in the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin

Why I love him: Let's face it. I just have a soft spot for male best friends. Jamie is relentlessly sarcastic, even in the face of danger. Jamie is always there for Mara, even when times are hard. (And I mean, REALLY hard.) He never abandons his friends. 

Kenji
Who: Secondary character in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
Why I love him: Kenji also falls into the relentlessly sarcastic category. He's overconfident and absolutely hilarious, even in the face of danger. (Wow, I really like this character type. Obviously.) He's friends with Adam to begin with, but the friendship he develops with Juliette is the one that made me fall in love with him.

Winner 

.....

....

...

..

.

KENJI KISHIMOTO!

What sets Kenji and Jamie apart in my mind is Kenji's soft side. Jamie has a bit of one, too, but he keeps his even more hidden. Kenji develops such a close relationship with Juliette that he's occasionally able to really open up to her and show her that vulnerable side of himself, the side that made my heart break for him. He's constantly protective of his friends, and he takes it upon himself to keep morale high, so he hides his fears and worries from most people. And that vulnerability is what makes Kenji my favorite best friend. 

WHEW. That was a little difficult, but I had more fun than I thought I would! That's it for today's Bout of Books post. Come back tomorrow for the Day 2 Progress Report and Day 3 Challenge! 

Tell me: how are YOU doing on the read-a-thon? And who would win in a face-off of your very favorite characters? Let me know in the comments below!