TGIF (55)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Back to School Reading:

Which books would you like to see in today’s high school Literature classrooms?

I owe my re-love of reading to my Young Adult Lit class. It is that little fact that really makes me think that if more teachers went above and beyond the required reading material, then maybe there would be more teen readers out there today. What if teachers were to push certain books onto you because they knew you could relate to certain characters? What if they got reluctant readers to enjoy reading because of a well matched book recommendation? Mrs. Andersen, my YA Lit teacher had an AMAZING classroom library on top of an awesome required reading list (After interrogating her yesterday I found out some of her required reading this year and it includes The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner, and Looking For Alaska by John Green just to name a few). Add these great books and our daily discussions about the latest Y.A. books that were rocking her socks off and you have one incredible combination. There was so much love for YA books in that class and I just know that so many others learned to love books as well. However, I know not everyone has the option to take a Young Adult Lit class during high school. And even more than that, the amount of books their teachers are able to provide for them may be limited. A few books that I wish so badly would be in more classrooms would be:

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (8/17-8/24):

TGIF (54)

Life As Kate (22)

In My Mailbox (37)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Tune In Tuesday (66)

Book Playlist: Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour

 

 

 

TGIF (53)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Unexpected Books:

Which books did you have reservations about reading, but ended up loving once you did?

It feels so good to be back and doing these TGIF posts again AND on such a good week since I totally love this question! Before I list things off here, let me be completely honest about something: I am totally SHOCKABLE. I am not even kidding here. I can have certain exceptions for books, I can predict that I am going to like/dislike certain books but 9 times out of 10 I am getting shocked good or bad. With that being said, here’s a list of book that shocked me the most:

Any Other Night by Anne Pfeffer

When I first accepted this book for review, I thought I was going to enjoy it. I mean it sounded interesting enough. I did not anticipate falling in love with it. The storyline and characters were so much more than I could have expected.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

One of the best books I’ve read so far this year! I don’t want to say I thought it was going to be boring exactly but I mean come on, it’s about poetry! I hate poetry! Some of the major points in this book caught me completely off guard and it is most certainly safe to say I was also shocked to see how much I fell in love with the poetry this book introduced me to!

On Little Wings by Regina Sirois

The summary of this book makes it seem nice, the cover is pretty, it seemed like a nice simple read. But as it turns out, I enjoyed it times 1000 because it was not nice and simple! The writing was truly beautiful and the family/life issues dealt with in this book were so relatable. It was one of those books I did not expect to fall in love with but in the end I am so glad that I did!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Holy wow! I just finished this one the other day and I was blown away! I hadn’t heard much about this book so I really went into it blind. I did not expect the world to be so fascinating, the characters to be so interesting, and Sarah’s storytelling to be so impeccable. It has been a good while since I’ve been so totally enraptured with a fictional world.

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

This is the first real “adult” book that I have read and I must say, I have so been missing out! After meeting Meg, I assumed that her books would be funny and charming. And I was right of course but this series has been so addicting and I did not expect that! It is charming, and it is funny but it is also mysterious, full of quirky characters, and there is also romance. If every adult book was like this I would most certainly be re-thinking this whole YA thing (kidding….sort of!)

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the scariest cover ever! I wanted to basically punch my best friend for suggesting we read this for book club because Katelyn + scary DO NOT MIX…AT ALL. However, what I found within the pages of this book was a super fascinating story and an author’s extreme talent of turning old, creepy pictures into a story that made sense and was supremely enjoyable!

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Ask me what my favorite book is and it will likely not be this one (I mean come on, Sarah Dessen…DUH!). But ask me for a book recommendation and I will always, always, always suggest this book. I really picked this up on a whim at the store. I never heard anyone really gushing about it but I liked the pretty colors on the cover. Holy-freaking-bejezus! There is music, there is the most interesting main character EVER, and there is just so much goodness filled throughout the pages of this book. Maybe it’s because of the little-to-no expectation I had for this book or maybe it’s just that it’s that good (the more likely option) but this was definitely the most shocking (in a good way) books I’ve ever read.

This week on Kate’s Tales Of Books And Bands (8/3-8/10):

I’m Back (Hurray!!!!!!)

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Tune In Tuesday (64)

It’s Almost Party Time! Please stop by and help me get ready for a blog birthday!

 

 

 

TGIF (50)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Show Me Your Cover:

What are some of the worst book covers, but hold some of the best stories inside? Don’t be embarrassed, show us your cover!

I had a really hard time with this question! I went through all of my top rated books but as I was doing so, I realized something: I love almost all of their covers! Most people are very particular about covers but that just isn’t me. Sometimes I like people on the covers, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I like the more artistic look and other times it just doesn’t work for me. After quite a bit of searching and even more nit-picking, I did come up with a few covers I was not a fan of (sort of. I still like most of the covers, just not for that particular book)

Ex-mas (A Love/Hate Story) by Kate Brian

It’s been a while since I’ve read this one but I remember finding it totally adorable! The cover is cute enough but it also has a little too much cheesiness.

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Don’t get me wrong, this cover is very pretty HOWEVER I am not a giant fan of such a specific image of the main character. I had someone all dreamed up in my head and this cover made it a little hard to let my imagination run free.

Trade Secrets by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

My reasons for not liking this cover are very similar to the above one. I had the character all figured out in my head but then when you go and look at the cover it’s just not quite the same. This book is so full of quirkiness, adorableness, and music! There should be a guitar on the cover (just saying!)

Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Are these real people or is that a drawing? Isn’t this the same two people on another YA book even though the other one has a different background? Why doesn’t this cover match the edginess of the first book’s cover? All these questions explain why I do not like this cover.

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Holy freaking creep-fest, Batman! I had nightmares for weeks and weeks after looking at this book. The story inside is a bit scary yes, but I do not need to pee my pants every time I look at the book!

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This cover also creeped me out like no other. When my best friend suggested this as our next book club read, I almost smacked her. The story is just so great and really not all that creepy so I really wish the cover didn’t portray that! I love that Ransom used all these old, freaky photos throughout the whole book but using one on the cover may scare readers away, ones who would have loved the book!

This week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (5/18-5/25):

TGIF (49)

Life As Kate (16)

Tune In Tuesday (60)

Elements by Kate Fuentes + Blog Tour + Review (kind of!)

Katelyn Visits GReads!!!!!!!!!

TGIF (21)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Book Blogs That Make You Smile:

Pick 5 book blogs you visit often & think others should, too.

Oh goodness Ginger! I love this question like no other because 1) I like books 2) I like blogs 3) I LOVE blogs that talk about books!!!! Now before I begin to list of the wonderful bloggers who brighten my day, I want you to keep in mind that I love and appreciate every book blogger out there! The time and energy it takes to read and review books not to mention all the social networking, is a TON of work and I just think we are so full of awesomeness for making the book blogging community such an amazing place to be a part of. Now on to blogs that make me grin like a fool!

Obviously, I cannot do this post correctly without mentioning Ginger. I mean her blog is just so freaking amazing there are pretty much no words! Her reviews are so heart-felt and awesome, almost too awesome if there is such a thing. Right now I am at the point of screening what I read on her blog. My wallet just can’t take it anymore! I end up wanting to buy almost EVERYTHING she posts about. Even if it is a review of a sucky book I somehow convince myself that I need to buy it for the sole fact that Ginger gave it a chance as well. Yeah, it has gotten THAT bad. And as if Ginger’s blog wasn’t great enough with all the book talk she is also a music fan, a HUGE music fan!!! I love talking about good tunes almost as much as books and I know for a fact that Ginger always has a great music recommendation. Her Tune In Tuesday feature is one of my favorite features ever, it has made Tuesdays the best day of the week! Every time I look at her blog, I stumble across another thing I love whether it be a new author, a new book, or even a new band! Her blog brightens my day every time I stop by!

Oh my darling, darling Ashley! Ashley & her blog rock my socks off on a daily basis. She is pretty much one of the greatest bloggers ever, FOR SERIOUS. I can say with admiration and deep respect that she puts even some of my best reviews to shame. Her words are so wonderful and well-thought out. She can go on and on about any book, talk about the characters, the plot, what she likes, what she doesn’t like and I never get sick of reading about it. She has such great, deep thoughts about everything, that normal people (such as myself, although many may argue that I am NOT normal but any means…) would not even consider, and I love her for that. I sincerely appreciate EVERYTHING she puts on her blog because I know how much time she takes to really think about and gather her opinions on something. Her wonderful mix of seriousness and utter foolishness brings a smile to my face every day :) She is well, for lack of a better word, Basically Amazing!

Cyndi is SO GREAT! We have recently been talking more and more and more on Twitter and I have come to the conclusion that she is one of the biggest sweethearts ever! She is continually making me laugh about anything and everything! Also, she is a HOTTIE and you better not let her forget that! On a more serious note though, she is a super great go-to person when you need a book or music rec. I love that her eclectic taste in music is so different from mine yet no matter what she shares with me, I instantly love it. Her book reviews make me want to buy more books than my bookshelf can hold and I have picked up so many great, new bands from her!

Sarah is one of the greatest teachers I have ever met. Whether I become an English teacher like her or a math teacher (ehhh, according to my Trigonometry score, I just may be leaning towards English), I can only hope that I am as good as she is. Her blog makes me smile for the simple fact that you can tell just how dedicated she is to her job. The interviews she set up between debut authors and her students is the most amazing feature I have ever seen! Really, if you check it out, you will understand EXACTLY what I mean! She is always, always thinking about her students. I love that nearly all her reviews, meme posts, etc. contain the words “my students.” She is truly an inspiration!

How could I forget about my blog’s number one fan??? Mandie puts a smile on my face every single day. She supports my blog so much and I appreciate that more than she could ever know! All the comments, RT’s, Tweets, and the fact that she is just there for me are all perfect examples as to why I think she is so awesome. Through weekly memes like Tune In Tuesday and TGIF, I have been able to really get to know Mandie. We talk quite often on Twitter, usually about books or music (are you catching on here? I OBVIOUSLY like to talk to people about books and music) but no matter what the conversation is about, I ALWAYS leave it smiling. She is the nicest, most wonderful person…oh, and she is writing a book. Yay!!!! It will be awesome and I can’t wait to read it so make sure you cheer her on through her writing process!

As I said before there are so many great, awesome-tastic book bloggers out there. For the complete list of blogs I like to check out every now and then, please refer to my “Bloggers To Check Out” page! That list is so full of great talent!

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (10/14-10/21):

TGIF (20)

Life As Kate (3)

In My Mailbox (27)

Squalor, New Mexico by Lisette Brodey

Tune In Tuesday (30)

Changing MY Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Book Reviews: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Publishing

Pages: 352 Hardcover

My Rating: 4/5 stars

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Every so often, I say just how surprised I am by certain books and after reading Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, I can now add it to the list! When my friend first suggested this for our book club pick I just about died. I was thinking there was no way in heck that I would actually enjoy a book that looks like that. The cover creeped me out like no other and I was sure I would begin to get nightmares after reading this. However, once I actually got started, I found it to be a highly more enjoyable book than I could have ever anticipated with many twists and turns included throughout to help grab my attention.

The main character, Jacob, was hard to connect with near the beginning of the story. He seemed distant and unattached from reality. The way he talked with his friend and interacted with his parents, all just seemed off for me. However, once the storyline got rolling, I was able to understand and appreciate the character and all of his quirks.

Jacob’s trip to the faraway island with his father was a very special trip meant to give Jacob a break after the death of his grandfather. However, the trip also means that Jacob finally gets the chance to hunt down Miss Peregrine and hopefully find some answers regarding his grandfather’s death. The trip served a much higher purpose then just that though! Not only did Jacob get to solve the mystery of his grandfather’s life and death, but he allows himself to grow as a person. I loved seeing how quiet and awkward he was before the trip and then during the trip he becomes adventurous and more confident with himself. It was definitely during this trip that I really began to care for Jacob as a character. I was rooting for him and wishing he would be able to find out everything he was in search of.

The sense of mystery regarding Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children kept me guessing for a majority of the book. I was desperately trying to put the pieces together right along with Jacob. To say I was surprised when learning the truth about the long-gone peculiar children, is a bit of an understatement. I hate to call this a paranormal book because it just doesn’t have that type of feel, instead I think it is more of a twisted reality. The way the author takes reality and mixes it with these crazy things that are so out-of-this world they almost seemed possible, is really quite genius. The idea behind what the peculiar children actually are and how they can still have contact with the world after years and years of their alleged death just astounds me. You can tell the author put a whole lot of thought and creativity into making this world.

Even though the mystery was a huge part of the story, what really stole the whole show were the antique photographs throughout the whole entire story. I mean adding the pictures to this book (or maybe adding the book to the pictures. It just depends on how you look at it) was the most brilliant idea ever! It is through these photographs that we get to meet most of the peculiar children. A young girl who floats, another girl with a mouth on the back of her head. An invisible boy who can sneak around undetected. The author placed pictures that fit character and scene descriptions so well at all the right places in the story. I enjoyed “meeting” each and every character in the story but having a picture in there of them just made it a bit more special. I have long out-grown picture books but now I just may have to pick a few up especially if they are anything like this book! I would say the story would be enjoyable without the pictures in it but in reality, the pictures bring something new and unique to the table. Never have I read a young adult book that used so many odd pictures to help tell a story. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a book I will likely never forget!

In My Mailbox (23)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library. I have been 1) extremely lazy….err, I mean BUSY and 2) my mailbox has been overflowing with awesomeness so this week’s IMM is actually 3 weeks in one which means LOTS OF BOOKS! Also, I am kind of changing the way I do my IMM posts to make them a bit easier to read. I hope it helps!

Won:

The amazing girls over at Mint Tea and A Good Book (an AWESOME blog to go check out if you haven’t already) had a sister themed giveaway and I was so psyched to find out that I won! Thank you ladies for allowing me to add these wonderful books to my home library! For the giveaway I won:

Ten Rules for Living with my Sister by Ann M. Martin

My Thoughts: This book sounds absolutely delightful! My older sister was out of the house when I was growing up so I am used to being the one in charge. I am so excited to read about a younger sibling!

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

My Thoughts: I am so thrilled this was one of the books that I won! I can already to relate to the main character and I haven’t even begun reading the actual story yet!

Sass & Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler (signed)

My Thoughts: This sounds like the cutest book ever! Watching two sisters deal with their emotions regarding two different guys is going to be awesome!

Next is a HUGE, AWESOME, EXTRAORDINARY pile of books that I won from Bailey at IB Book Blogging! She had this awesome blogoversary giveaway that puts all other blogoversary giveaways (including my own!) to shame! She sent over 10 ARC’s and some awesome swag! Thank you so much Bailey!

The Jewel and the Key by Louise Spiegler

My Thoughts: If you know me at all, you know that I love a good book about time travel. I am really interested in seeing what this book has to offer!

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

My Thoughts: Oh my goodness! This one sounds freaky, mysterious, and haunting! I can’t wait to see what it is all about!

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

My Thoughts: I could not think of a more perfect story for YA/MG girls! It sounds like a touching book about friends, popularity, understanding, etc. I am sure this will be one that I share with my younger sister!

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

My Thoughts: This seems like it could be a funny, unique, action-packed story plus I am loving that the MC is a guy!

You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

My Thoughts: This one sounds like it is going to be a tear-jerker for sure! I can’t wait to read it!

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

My Thoughts: In all honesty, I am a  bit nervous to start this book! I have heard wonderful things about Ellen’s books but I also know they are like big, winding, twisty emotional roller coasters.

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

My Thoughts: I know I already have this book once but hey, I am excited about this still! A war against high school guys and girls sounds amazing!

Family by Micol Ostow

My Thoughts: My gosh this book sounds amazing! I don’t usually go for books that are dark and creepy like this but I am SO EXCITED to read it!

Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle

My Thoughts: This sounds like the greatest mix of sad and happy. The summary shows how this book covers tougher issues but then on the back of the book there is a quirky little list of “Reasons to Be Happy” and you can tell it is going to have it’s lighter moments too!

Going Underground by Susan Vaught

My Thoughts: I am POSITIVE that this is the best giveaway I have ever won. This book sounds amazing too! I love that it deals with texting explicit pictures. That is such a big issue in society today so I can’t wait to see how it is portrayed in this book!

Bought:

The first three books I got when the Borders sale went from 25% to 30%. I cried when I walked into Borders that day. Seriously, I can’t believe Borders will soon be gone for good!

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

My Thoughts: Can I just say that I am SO PUMPED to read my first verse novel?!?! Everyone raves about Lisa Schroeder all of the time so I think she is a good first choice!

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

My Thoughts: Ok, I am convinced that this book will soon be a favorite for me. Just last week I couldn’t log onto Twitter without seeing a million tweets about this book!

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

My Thoughts: Karsten is one of my favorite authors and I haven’t even read anything by him yet! His vlogs are the funniest things ever created. This sounds like a new, unique, refreshing paranormal book!

The rest of these “bought” books were from my latest trip to Borders (yesterday). I got a ton of books at 50% off. While I still am extremely sad my favorite store will be closing, I loved all the good sales!

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

My Thoughts: This was CHEAP and it sounds pretty cute. I am sure it will be a while before I actually get to read it but I just couldn’t pass it up!

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

My Thoughts: This one sounds like a book I’d love! I good girl getting caught in a bad act, that is something a lot of us go through!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My Thoughts: A few people who I know were a bit apprehensive about reading this book but then ended up loving it. The whole premise sounds SO GOOD!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

My Thoughts: This sounds like the most hilarious book ever. It is like Miss USA meets Survivor. I cannot wait to read it!!!

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

My Thoughts: This book was another one that was super cheap and sounded cute. It sounds like a light, fun read PLUS I love me some coffee :)

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

My Thoughts: Books that deal with mother and daughter relationships are usually somewhat hard for me to read however I truly believe that I will love this one!

Take A Vacation! by The Young Veins

My Thoughts: This isn’t a book but it is music (my other love) so I just had to include it! Have any of you heard of The Young Veins before? Well I sure as heck haven’t so I am anxious to hear them!

Borrowed:

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My Thoughts: Kati, my best friend is so kindly allowing me to read her copy of this book. She said it is one of her favorite books! Does that mean I am anxious to read it? Well, heck yes it sure does!

That’s it for the past couple weeks! Thanks for stopping by. Let me know what you think of the book that I got and don’t forget to leave a link to your IMM post!