Top Ten Tuesday (17): Authors I REALLY Want to Meet

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic seemed SO apropos considering that I just went on a mini-road trip across the state this last weekend to go meet Sarah J. Maas on the ACOTAR tour! Since I live in almost the exact middle of the country, authors very rarely come anywhere near where I live, so I don't get to meet very many. This is also the reason my signed books collection is so small. But Sarah J. Maas just came to St. Louis, so I have many hopes for the future!

Sarah J. Maas -- Okay, so this one is cheating because I just met her, but I would love to meet her again! She's so lovely and hilarious, and her books are auto-buys for me, so maybe again in the future!

Leigh Bardugo -- I just absolutely LOVE the Shadow & Bone series, and if I met her, maybe I could claim my stake on Nikolai. PLUS, her new Grishaverse series is starting this fall, so this is totally possible! 

Susan Dennard -- Sooz is Sarah's bestie, and the two of them are just so fantastic. So how great would it be if I could meet them in one place at the same time?! I also love Susan's books, and I can't wait for Truthwitch early next year! 

Courtney Summers -- Not only am I becoming a huge fan of Courtney's books, but I am also just a fan of her in general. If you're not following her on Twitter, you're missing out. Even though I don't watch Supernatural (yet), her obsession with it is so darn entertaining. She's also the straw that broke the camel's back in convincing me to watch Veronica Mars. (LIFE-CHANGER. Sidenote: if you haven't watched Veronica Mars yet, what are you doing with your life?) And seriously, if you need some more reasons to read her books, go read my reviews of This is Not a Test, the sequel e-novella Please Remain Calm, and her latest release All the Rage. 

Tahereh Mafi -- The Shatter Me series totally caught me by surprise early this year. I was expecting to enjoy them, but I was not expecting to love them quite as much as I did. They are easily some of the most beautifully-written books I've ever read. And let's be honest: she gave the world Warner. Where would I be without Warner in my life? I can't wait to read anything she writes!

Rainbow Rowell -- I have read three of four Rainbow Rowell books by now, and they were all brilliant. I used to not read very many contemporary novels, but her books were what really got me back into the genre. And now, this fall, she's releasing a fantasy novel based on the fanfiction in her book Fangirl! And that, I just can't wait for. 

Marie Lu -- Marie wrote my absolute FAVORITE books that I read in 2014, the Legend trilogy. To meet her and get her to sign books would be an absolute dream come true. Plus, her new fantasy series The Young Elites started in October, and it is also fab. 

Scott Westerfeld -- Scott is my most owned author, as I own all fourteen of his young adult novels. FOURTEEN. You think I'm a fan much? I still haven't read Afterworlds yet, but I've read the rest and absolutely LOVED them. So yeah. I'm a Scott Westerfeld superfan!

John Green -- I mean, come on? I know I've only read one John Green novel (TFIOS), but still. He's a pretty awesome person, as well. That would so much fun! 

J.K. Rowling -- Need I say more? 

Tell me: who are some authors that YOU would really want to meet? Let me know in the comments below!

Book Birthdays! -- May 12, 2015

Wow, slow week for YA releases. I've only got two to show you, so let's get on with it!

*Note: when celebrating birthdays for books in a series other than Book 1, I will not list the summary, in the interest of avoiding spoilers. If you've read the first book(s) in the series, or are just insanely curious, follow the book title link to the Goodreads page to read the summary there! 

Series Starter

Title: The Wrath and the Dawn
Author: Renee Ahdieh

Summary: Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch...she's falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. 

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all. 

Series Ender

Title: End of Days

Author: Susan Ee

Series: Penryn & the End of Days #3

Tell me: what new releases are YOU excited for this week? Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments below! 

Bout of Books Day 1 Challenge!

It is officially Day 1 of the Bout of Books read-a-thon, and with Day comes the first challenge! Today's challenge is a simple bookish survey hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale, so let's get started!

1. How do you organize your shelves? 

HA! The answer to that is "I don't." I try. I try so hard, but then I buy more books and I have to reorganize them in any way that they fit. So I have one short bookshelf that's double-stacked. I have books laying on top of upright books. I have books in eleven places in my house, and less than half of those places are actually bookshelves. So I just put books wherever I can find a spot, honestly.

2. What is one of your favorite books that's not in one of your favorite genres?

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I primarily read YA and graphic novels now, and I've never been very into classics. Even though I'm a HUGE reader, there have been SO many times that I couldn't finish a book for school, and ended up just having to skim over it. Because I just find myself so bored with most classics. But Fahrenheit 451 is one of the rare exceptions. It's just so good, and maybe I love it because it's about books. Who knows? 

3. What is the last 5 star book you read? 

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. It was just so darn wonderful and beautiful and heartbreaking, which are my favorite three words when describing books I love. 

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon? 

Well, I just got back from St. Louis where I got to meet Sarah J. Maas and have her sign a copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses for me. Eeep! And that's definitely the book I'm most excited for. So excited that I may have read the first ten pages before the read-a-thon officially started. Oops! #sorrynotsorry 

5. What book do you recommend the most? 

There are so many wonderful books and series I could have picked for this answer, but I'm going with a book I recently read and just can't stop thinking about how amazing it is. I think literally everyone should read All the Rage by Courtney Summers. It's such an important book about rape culture and the way society treats it like it doesn't exist. Such an amazing story. Go read it!

So that's it for today's challenge! I'll be back tomorrow with the Day 2 Challenge and my Day 1 Progress Report. So thanks for stopping by! 

Tell me: what is the last 5 star book YOU read? And if you're participating in Bout of Books, how is Day 1 treating you? Let me know in the comments below!

Announcement: BOUT OF BOOKS 13

Hey guys, I think it's about time I finally decided to participate in a read-a-thon! It's been almost a year since I started this blog and my Youtube channel, so I thought I might try this thing! For those of you who 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 12:01 am Monday, May 11th, and runs through Sunday, May 17th 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 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. -From the Bout of Books team

Because I live with my parents, and I have a part-time job, and I have a lot of TV shows that I watch, I often don't get to read as much as I'd like to. I especially don't usually have the time to participate in these read-a-thons that look like so much fun! But since it's almost the end of the school year, I don't have as many substitute jobs. And my parents are going away for the weekend next weekend, so I'll have some free time while I take care of our dogs. So I thought, why not? I'll try this! 

I will be doing my daily updates from this here blog, but hopefully I will also be able to put up a couple of videos throughout the week. Fingers crossed! 

Bout of Books Goals!

In order to get the most out of this read-a-thon, my goal is to help reduce my TBR by reading several shorter books and/or graphic novels! Throughout the week, I'll be keeping track of both the number of books I read AND the number of pages I read. So without further ado, here are some of the books I'm hoping to get to during the read-a-thon! 

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas -- 416 pgs.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. But Danielle! You just said you were going to read shorter books. I know! But I'm going to a Sarah J. Maas ACOTAR signing on Sunday, and I just can't wait to pick this book up. I will probably start this Sunday night, so I will just be finishing it at the beginning of the read-a-thon. But I can't wait any longer!

2. Deadly Class Vol. 2: Kids of the Black Hole by Rick Remender, Wesley Craig, and Lee Loughridge -- 128 pgs. 

I read the first volume at the beginning of last month and loved it, so what a better time to pick this up than a read-a-thon? 

3. Austenland by Shannon Hale -- 202 pgs. 

I have had this book for SIX YEARS. And I still  haven't read it. But I loved the movie! And it's short, so I'm confident I can knock it out next week. 

4. The Perks of Being a Wallfllower by Stephen Chbosky -- 213 pgs. 

Another case of loving the movie, but haven't read the book. Though this one I actually picked up last year, so it's a newer shameful unread book. But this will be remedied!

5. Chew Vol. 1: Taster's Choice by John Layman and Rob Guillory -- 128 pgs. 

I found this cheap at Vintage Stock last month and it just sounds like fun!

So there you have it! I'm fairly confident I can get through all of these. Hopefully! Check back next week to see my progress and cheer me on! (No really, I may need that encouragement to make it through. Ha!)

Tell me: are YOU participating in Bout of Books 13? If so, what are you planning on reading? What's your plan of attack? Also, if you've participated in read-a-thons before, do you have any tips for a newbie like me? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: ALL THE RAGE by Courtney Summers

Title: All the Rage
Author: Courtney Summers

Summary: The sheriff's son, Kellan Turner is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything--friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy's only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn't speak up. Nobody believed her the first time--and they certainly won't now--but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear. 

Why I read it: After reading This is Not a Test last year, I fell in love with Courtney Summers's writing and her storytelling. So I knew that I was going to start buying every book she ever writes. And I felt a deep need to read it right away.

Thoughts: This book. I know that I've seen these exact words from many reviewers and bloggers already, but this is an important book. Not just a good book (but it is excellent, too). But an IMPORTANT one.

The book begins a year after Romy's rape, so we are thrust into her life as she deals with the fallout and aftermath of her accusations. Her friends have abandoned her, her family has suffered, and her only armor is the red lipstick and red nail polish she obsessively applies.

The story isn't told in a straightforward manner; there are a couple of flashbacks, and then a flashforward, but it's an effective story-telling tool. Every event is placed in the timeline very deliberately in order to better explain something else that is happening, or to pack an emotional punch. And boy, did those punches hurt.

Romy is beautifully written, and it's so easy to fall into her corner, backing her at every confrontation. At the same time, she doesn't always make the right choice, and in that aspect, she is profoundly realistic. I think people want to believe that rape victims are all the same: shy and defeated and fading into invisibility. Romy does the opposite; she tries to be stronger, better, harder, determined to not be a victim anymore. And in doing so, she hurts people. And though I often wished for her to do better, I felt I understood her every move and every emotion.

And that hurt, too. Realizing that everything she did, for better or worse, she did because she felt it was out of her control.

Every supporting character also feels like a real person, from Romy's mom and her boyfriend, to Romy's classmates at school, and even Romy's coworkers. Every character has a backstory, a reason they are the way they are. Every character has a reason for being in the story. Romy's mom and her boyfriend, Todd, broke my heart. Unlike many YA novels, the parents here are always there, worried and trying to understand. They broke my heart knowing exactly how much they wanted to help Romy, but not knowing how because they didn't know exactly what was going on. Then there's Leon, Romy's coworker at the diner who has a romantic interest in Romy. The way this relationship played out was also so realistic it hurt.

The mystery aspect was also an interesting way to move the story forward, and the way it all unfolded was imperative to Romy's journey.

The one thing I absolutely knew going into this book was that the writing would be perfect. Having previously read This is Not a Test, I expected the prose to be beautiful, and I wasn't disappointed.

I won't lie. It physically hurt to read this book. It's eye-opening to realize that this is exactly the way so many girls get treated when they've accused someone of rape or sexual assault, especially in a small town like the one in the book. Their words are not believed. The boy tells a different story, and his word is gold. Even when she is believed, the focus is often, "This boy had so much ahead of him, and now it's all been taken away. His future is being taken away" or "The girl had too much to drink. She was wearing provocative clothes. She had a crush on him in the first place." She is shunned, and bullied, and abandoned by others who don't even want to associate with the "girl who cried rape."

It's sickening. And frustrating. And completely rage-inducing. And that's why this book hurts so much.

But it's also why this book is so important. Everyone should read this, and think long and hard about all those cases they've heard of and how they reacted to them.

I can't recommend this book enough. Whether you've read Courtney Summers before or not, you should pick this up.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read this book yet? What were your thoughts? Share them in the comments below! 

Review: FORGED by Erin Bowman

*WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS for books 1 and 2* 

Proceed at your own peril. 

Title: Forged
Author: Erin Bowman
Series: Taken #3

Why I read it: To finish the trilogy and find out what happens!

Thoughts: This is my second favorite series conclusion of the year so far.

Forged brings the trilogy full circle in terms of characters and plot, and it was everything I wanted and needed from this conclusion.

As usual, I especially loved Gray. He's different from the usual YA protagonist that I read about. For one, he's a guy, and I normally read from the perspective of girls. But he's also forced to make difficult choices, and he's sometimes selfish. Even so, he goes through some major character development throughout the trilogy, and it's evident here. He's been through so much in the last two books; from his father's death to his strained relationship with Bree, and dealing with the Forgeries of Emma and himself. But he never stops fighting for his friends and family.

I also love his relationship with Bree. She is so strong and abrasive sometimes, and she always has walls up. And I love that the relationship between the two of them isn't easy. It's tense and tenuous, because both of them are so stubborn and headstrong. But that's why I love them so much.

There's not a character I don't enjoy in this series. All of them are very unique and bring their own flair to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the events of this book. It was action-packed, and I was constantly flipping pages to find out what was going to happen. And it was heart-breaking. I actually cried toward the end, because the journey of our characters is not an easy one. There are deaths that devastated me, and there is lightness and hope that kept me smiling. It's messy and things are never perfect, but I couldn't think of a better conclusion to the story that I've loved since page one.

If you're a fan of complex characters, high-energy action and romantic tension, I highly recommend this dystopian trilogy!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read Forged yet? What were your thoughts on how it ended? Let me know in the comments below!

Waiting on Wednesday (20): FANDEMONIUM

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine!

Title: Fandemonium

Author/Artist: Kieron Gillen/Jamie McKelvie

Series: The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 2

Release date: July 21, 2015

Thoughts: I bought and read the first trade paperback volume of The Wicked + The Divine a couple of months ago, and just completely fell in love with it. It's all color and clean lines and 80's inspired, and the story and the characters are all so intriguing. And best yet, it was so damn entertaining. And I can't wait to continue the story!

Tell me: what are YOU waiting on this Wednesday? Let me know in the comments below!