Bout of Books 9.0

Hey there my fellow bookish darlings!
What better way to start of 2014 than a READ-A-THON! And a week long one at that, with tons of fabulous giveaways and mini-challenges. Wanna participate? Here's the deets:


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 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


My Goals:
Read at LEAST 1 book a day. I can TOTALLY DO THIS! And twitter chat with all you lovely fellow book readers. Take NOTES during my reading, tag things i like, highlight, whatever! And most importantly, make sure i have fun!

My TBR:

     

  

         

1. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
2. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
3. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
4. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
5. Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning
6. Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
7. Angelfall by Susan Ee

REVIEW: Fangirl

Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
Pages: 438-US Hardback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: September 10, 2013
My Rating: 5/5
Book Summary:

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? --goodreads.com

My Thoughts:
This was such a perfect witty and lighthearted read, full of hilarious dialogue and some incredibly likable characters. And although i found myself laughing through a majority of the story, there were still some extremely tender and touching moments that weaved throughout the entirety of the book.  

Our main character Cath, truly spoke to me, and reminded me of myself on so many levels; Her quirkiness, nerdy tendencies and addiction to to all that is Simon Snow. She's sarcastic and true, and is a character that i think many readers will find themselves relating with. Not only with with her involvement in fandom, but with her deep rooted issues as well.

The love story the unfolds throughout is one that i did not expect at first, but am so extremely glad that it happened. It's one of hilarity, sweetness and some awkward, real-life moments. The kind of moments you yourself find in, and always wonder if it happens to anyone else.

After flipping the very last page, i couldn't help myself but order every other book that Rainbow Rowell has written. She has one of the most wonderful author voices that i have ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and i am so very excited to see what she has in store for us next. 

Book Haul

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

Blythewood by Carol Goodman

  

For Review:

The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra

(Big thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copies)

Needless to say, I've had a seriously awesome week in books. I already own and have read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but as i'm sure most of you can fully understand, there's no harm in having more then one edition! I'm not sure how many of these newly collected books i'll be able to get to in the month of November, seeing as how i'm trying to bust my way through NaNoWriMo... but i'm sure December will be a full month of lounging and reading. Hope you all have a great week. 

#FridayReads

Good evening my bookish lovelies,
I know it's been a while since i've done any updating, however i promise you, it's for good reason! Not only am i now in full swing of Fall semester at University, but i've recently begun writing my very first novel. On top of all that i've been spending my days as a mum and girlfriend (while also sneaking in as many naps and NetFlix TV shows as i can.) Now that you're in the know, how about a post on what i plan on reading this weekend:






1. First, i'll be trying to finish up the last couple hundred pages i have left in The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I am really quite obsessed with this read and can't wait to read more of Brown's work.










2. If i've got any other spare time, i'll be hoping to start Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. The first book in this trilogy, A Discovery of Witches, was one of my favorite books of 2012. I am more than thrilled to continue on see what happens!





How about you? What are your #FridayReads? 
Follow #FridayReads hashtag on Twitter. My handle: @hmmcw

Bout of Books 8.0 Read-a-thon

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 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

My Bout of Books TBR:

1. Juliet by Anne Fortier

2. DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

3. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

4. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

If i finish these 4, ill be sure to add another boom or two to the list. Whats on your Bout of Books TBR?

#30dayread Challenge

There's a current book challenge ensuing through the BookTube-ing community that's quickly picking up steam.. the 30 Day Reads Challenge.  Of course the moment i heard about this, everything in me was screaming I MUST PARTICIPATE. Lately i've been in a bit of reading slump, so what better way to remedy such a tragedy. I'll be following BookTuber SHOUTAME, and her 30 day plan. Find below a quick YouTube link to her video discussing her TBR pile and a little more about the challenge...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI8NeIj8KPo

Here's some quick info:

1. Challenge starts today (June 17) and runs through July 16.
2. Read at least 200 pages a day for 30 days
3. Read any book you fancy, whether short or long (a fantastic way to knock out some of those massive novels we all have sitting on our shelves.)
4. By the end of the 30 days, you will have read at least 6,000 pages
5. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram with #30dayread

You can follow my progress here on the blog as well as...

Twitter: hmmcw

Instagram: hmmcw



Waiting On Wednesday: The Bone Season.

Weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Showcase which books you're going crazy over to be released!

The Bone Season

by Samantha Shannon

Release Date: August 20, 2013

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The honest to god truth as to why i am utterly thrilled to start this book? Critics have hailed Shannon as the next J.K. Rowling. I MEAN SERIOUSLY?! Quite honestly i'll probably go into this story with a bit too much expectation... but my goodness am i excited to see if it truly lives up to the hype.