Thursday, January 28, 2016

Winter by Marissa Meyer ~ My Review


Winter by Marissa Meyer 

Publication Date: November 10th, 2015 
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends 
Pages: 824 
Received: Purchased my own copy. 
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars






I was so excited to read Winter, at the same time I wasn’t in a hurry to read it because I knew it was the end of one of my favorite series, The Lunar Chronicles. It was bittersweet, knowing the series was coming to an end, but as the same time, I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to end!

I love these characters, Cinder, Prince Kai, Iko, Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, and Thorne! Now with the addition of Winter and Jacin, there's more to love! But at the same time, there's almost too much going on - too many characters to follow. And at 800+ pages it’s also the longest book in the Lunar Chronicles series. 

I had hoped to reread this first three books of the series before reading Winter because it had been so long since I had read them, but didn’t, instead I jump right in! The first hundred pages or so we touch base with all the characters to see where they’re at in the story. That part was a little slow for me, but soon after the action begins. It’s non-stop excitement, as Cinder and the gang travel to Lunar and try to defeat evil Queen Levana! 

I loved the fairy-tale aspect of the story, and the Star Wars-y feel! Did Thorne remind anyone else of Han Solo? 

If you’ve not had the pleasure of reading The Lunar Chronicles, I’d suggest you do so quickly! This futuristic, fairy-tale is awesome! With a continuing storyline, the series starts with Cinder, and the story keeps building, adding new characters with each book; ending with an exciting conclusion in Winter!

Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads.

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks! 


Marissa Meyer's Website 

While I was on Marissa Meyer's blog I noticed she's currently giving away a set of signed copies of The Lunar Chronicles! This link will take you there!  

Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you! 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

What are you Reading? & #FitReaders ~ January 27, 2016

* * This post contains affiliate links. * *


What are you Reading? is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:



  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you plan on reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm reading Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Believe it or not, this is my first time reading it! I'm really enjoying it! Harry Potter is so cute! I have watched the movies, so it's not totally new to me.






What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading The Twisted Road to You (Perfect, Indiana) by Barbara Longley. It was really good! I'll have a review up in the next week or two! 







What do I plan on reading next? I'm not sure. I'll see what I feel like when it's time! :) ~~ I need to organize my TBR pile, so I have a better idea of what's up next! I'm slowly working on by Bullet Journal. I think it might just work for me! 


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

I link my 'What are you Reading' post with Lipsyy Lost and Found.

#FitReaders 2016 is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog and That's What I'm Talking About

I got 4 days of exercise in this week, logging a total of 11.84 run/walk miles! I'm happy about that! 


So, that's it for this week! Let me know what you've been reading, or if you've been getting any exercise! 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Then Comes Winter Road Trip & Giveaway!

Hey, Everyone! Did you know that Meryton Press is giving away a signed copy of Then Comes Winter? It's not just a plain signed copy, but a unique signed copy! Check out the information below!




This past November, Then Comes Winter, a collection of winter themed short stories, embarked on a trip to visit the hometowns of the talented authors who contributed to its making. Along the way through three countries, the traveling copy of Then Comes Winter has been collecting autographs and souvenirs and visiting special places in each region.

The book's final stop is yet undetermined. Its wanderlust will end once a winner is chosen on February 14, 2016, through this Rafflecopter drawing which will determine the lucky winner whose bookshelf will house the only paperback of the anthology signed by all the authors and the editor. Be a part of this unique journey and enter to be that final destination. 

Are you the one lucky reader to win the Then Comes Winter paperback that is traveling the world to be signed by all twelve authors? Enter today to be the final stop on its road trip. In the meantime, enjoy some of the photos from the road trip thus far. And follow along on its final stops through the US.

Birch Bay, Washington, USA

Victoria British Columbia, Canada

Calgary Alberta, Canada

Dunville Ontario, Canada

Bucharest, Romania

Monroe, Wisconsin

For more information, and to see more pictures head over to Meryton Press.





* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

You can enter the Rafflecopter right here! 

  • This is a group blog tour giveaway.
  • One person will win a signed copy of Then Comes Winter.
  • Open Internationally.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Wow! So fun! Good luck, Everyone! 

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

What are you Reading? & #FitReaders ~ January 20, 2016

**This post contains affiliate links**


What are you Reading? is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you plan on reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm reading The Twisted Road to You (Perfect, Indiana Book 4) by Barbara Longley. It's good so far! It jumps right into the action - I like that!

What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. I really enjoyed it! 





I also read The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith. I like this story, but not as much as the first two books I read by Ms. Smith. Owen and Lucy's relationship fell flat for me, but I really enjoyed reading about what was going on in their individual lives.






What do I plan on reading next? I'm not sure, maybe the next Harry Potter on my list! :) 



FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


#FitReaders Update: It was a big week for me! I ran/walked a total of 14.52 miles this week. With Saturday being the longest run/walk at 5.03 miles!! Which is more than a 5k, so, I got my virtual ribbon. 




#FitReaders 2016 is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog and That's What I'm Talking About.  Thanks! 



What are you reading? I'd love to hear!  

Friday, January 15, 2016

Mini Bloggiesta ~ January 16 - 17



Yes! Bloggiesta is happening this weekend! I love this event! I'm a procrastinator, and Bloggiesta is a fantastic way to motivate me and keep me accountable! Plus, I always learn something new and have fun! 



It's the beginning of a new year, and I have some blogging housekeeping to do (some of which I've been putting off for a long time)! Here's a list of what I hope to accomplish:


  • Clean out my blogging stuff and book cover folders
  • Make a 2016 reading challenge page.
  • Make some progress bars for my challenges.
  • Clean up my sidebar.
  • Visit other Bloggiesta participants and leave comments. I've visited about a dozen, and hope to visit more.
  • Check out the new Mini-challenges! - I've checked out all the new mini-challenges and they all seem good. The one that spoke to me the most is Bullet Journaling by Emily Reads Everything. I'm going to get a blank journal and give it a try.
  • Update "List of Review" page. 

So far that's it. If I get done with this list, I might work on a review. Sadly, the Twitter chat is happening at a time I can't attend. Those are always fun - you should go if you can! 

Are you doing the Bloggiesta?



Wednesday, January 13, 2016

What are you Reading? ~ Jan. 13, 2016


What are you Reading? is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you plan on reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm almost finished with Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. It's so good! I never really thought about what it would be like to be blind, except for trying to get around and doing things without seeing, but not what navigating around relationships would be like. Parker is a brave, strong girl with a list of rules you do not want to break. To break a rule is to lose Parker's trust, and you can't get that back. 

What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading Winter (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer. I love this series and hate to see it end! 






What do I plan on reading next? I hope to get to The Twisted Road to You (Perfect, Indiana Book 4) by Barbara Longley. 








FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

What are you reading? I'd love to hear!  

Monday, January 11, 2016

TBR Reading Challenge 2016

I have a few more challenges I'm doing this year besides the Dystopia and Austenesque. I'm also going to do my own TBR Reading Challenge to get to those books that have been sitting on my shelves and reader for a while now. I was going to do the 2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge hosted by Bookish Lifestyle, but they require reviews with each book read, and frankly, I don't want to put that much pressure on myself.  So, once again, I've made up a banner, and here I go! You are welcome to join me if you would like! 







I'm lowering all my challenge goals this year. I want to enjoy my books and not rush through them just to get to the next. With that said, I hope to read at least 10 books from my TBR pile this year.

I will post a list of books I've read as I've completed them here. 


And, of course, I'm doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge! I hope to read at least 50 books this year. You can see my progress on the sidebar or follow me on Goodreads! --->


A non-bookish challenge I'm doing this year, is to run at least 1 mile 5 days a week. I've had a good start this year by already running/walking 16.4 miles this month!  I will be linking my progress with Geeky Bloggers Book Blog #FitReaders 2016. Hop over to join this one, too! 





Ok, I think that's it! Let me know if you are doing any challenges! 

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

What are you Reading? ~ Jan. 6th, 2016


What are you Reading? is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you plan on reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm currently reading Winter (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer. Oh, I'm so loving it! I started it before Christmas but put it aside before I got too far into it because while traveling I listen to a couple of audiobooks. 






What did I recently finish reading? I finished three books since my last What are you Reading? post:

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor. I loved this story!! 



Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City Book 1) by Penny Reid. Loved this romantic comedy!





Darcy and Elizabeth - Answered Prayers: A Pride and Prejudice Short Story by Mary Lydon Simonsen. Another great story! Although, it was much too short! (only because I wanted to see more of Darcy and Elizabeth) 







What do I plan on reading next? I want to read Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. This is the book that came in December's Uppercase subscription box. My goal is to read them as I get them! Lol! Fingers crossed! ;)


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

What are you reading? I'd love to hear! 

Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016

Another challenge I'm doing is the Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016. This is another favorite challenge for me. I have plenty of Austenesque books I need to get to! 



I'm doing the Marianne Dashwood Level (6 to 10 books). I hope to exceed this, but it's a start! 

I will post a list of books I've read as I've completed them here.

If you would like to join us, just click on the link above or the picture. 

Are you doing any challenges this year? 

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2016

Hey there! It's that time! Time to start announcing my reading challenges for the new year! Once again, I'm doing the Dystopia Reading Challenge 2016 hosted by Tracy from Cornerfolds and Claudia from My Soul Called Life.



I'm pretty excited about this because I love dystopian stories! 

I'm going for the Recruit badge. To earn the badge, I have to read and review five dystopian books. Reading them won't be the problem, it's the reviewing. Lol! I've been so bad about reviewing books lately. Well, maybe this will give me the kick in the pants I need to get going again! ;) 

For more information about this challenge and to sign up you can go to Cornerfolds

I'm starting with Winter by Marissa Meyer, which I'm currently reading!

I'll update this post as I finish each book. 

Do you like to read dystopian stories?

Saturday, January 2, 2016

2015 Reading Challenge Wrap Up!

Happy New Year, Everyone! 2015 was certainly a busy year for me! Most noteworthy: we bought a house and moved! That was pretty exciting! Back to books, here is a wrap up of my 2015 Reading Challenges. 

Goodreads Reading Challenge - I did complete this challenge, but just barely! I chose a short story for my last book but, I figured, after reading Outlander, it all balanced out. ;) I'm so happy I finished it! I was two books behind most of the year. 

60/60 completed!

You can see my Goodreads 2015 in Books here.


Dystopia Reading Challenge 2015 





This was my favorite challenge this year! I exceeded my goal of 7 by reading 11 dystopian/apocalyptic books! 





My review for Alive by Scott Sigler



Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge



I thought I had not finished this challenge until I sat down to do this blog post. Originally, I was only going to count books published in 2014 and older, but that became confusing for me as I sometimes didn't realize when the book was published since I had them on my list for a while. LOL! So, in the end, I just combined them! 
11/10 completed! 



I reviewed:

Stronger Even Than Pride by Gail McEwen
Forever Yours by Robin M. Helm
Suddenly Mrs. Darcy by Jenetta James
Emma Knows All by Laura Briggs and Sarah Burgess



TBR Pile Reading Challenge




This was a good challenge for me. It helped me get to those books I always put off. Some of these I really loved and was so glad I read! Code Name Verity was one of those! Incredible book! 
12/12 completed!





That was my year! For more information about the challenges, just click on the challenge banners above. 

I'm going to be posting my new challenges for 2016 soon! 

How was your year? Did you complete your challenges?

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