Waiting on Wednesday (119)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Mortal Danger
Author: Ann Aguirre
Hitting the Shelves: August 05, 2014

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...

Why I want this: Even though I have yet to read Horde, I'm a pretty big fan of the Razorland trilogy and I don't even like zombie books all that much.  So that's really saying something! I'm also a huge fan of revenge stories so this looks right up my alley! 

Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Title: Second Chance Summer
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: May 08, 2012
Source: Purchased
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

My Thoughts: 

There is just something about Morgan Matson’s books that warm my heart, make me happy, and make me cry all at the same time. I don’t what it is. Maybe her writing is just magic like that! I can definitely say I experienced all this and more when I read Second Chance Summer. It’s such a wonderful contemporary novel and a really great summer read!

Second Chance Summer is about a girl, Taylor, who realizes that during her upcoming summer she is going to have to face a lot of people that she hurt five years ago; her best friend who has hasn’t seen or spoken to since that summer and her ex-boyfriend whom she ran away from. Even though there are so other really tough things going on in her life, this becomes her summer of second chances.

I really like Taylor. There’s nothing extraordinary about her and she believes that she doesn’t do any one thing well. She’s the middle child and the middle of everything else; average. She’s also the type of person who always tries to take the easy way out. Throughout the novel she begins to understand that if you do things the hard way, it’s probably going to be worth it and you’re going to learn so much more.

So of my favorite parts of the book were the meals with just Taylor and her dad. As a reader, I really got a feel for her dad’s character and became really attached to him. So naturally it was really hard and sad letting go when the inevitable happened at the end.

I really enjoyed the notion of getting second chances and being able to right something that you know you wronged in the past. It’s a really great message that it’s never too late to say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness.

If you’re a contemporary lover and enjoy books that make you sad (like me) then I highly recommend Second Chance Summer!

What Does the Bookworm Say? Reading on a Budget

Hey there and welcome to this week's What Does the Bookworm Say?! This week we're talking about reading on a budget. Check out Thuy @ Nite Lite Book Reviews, Nicole @ The Reader's Antidote and Kimberly @ The Windy Pages to see if they are budget readers.

Let's be honest. I wish I had a disposable income to spend as I wish. But like most people I do not. I must be mindful of my spending.  If left to my own devices I could easily spend a paycheck on books but I am a responsible adult and budget my book spending.

I'm completely different now than how I was when I first started blogging.  I used to buy a ton of books just to buy books! I felt like I had to do a book haul every week! But then I got real with myself and when I added it all up I was just spending way too much money on books. And I also realized that I could do whatever I wanted with my blog and I didn't have to do a book haul every week.  Now I do a book haul maybe once a month and I am much happier.

Since I know I'm going to ALA soon and I know I'll be coming home with more books than I know what to do with, I have been making a real effort lately not to buy books whenever I feel like it. The only time I have been buying books is when a new book from a series or author I love comes out, when Barnes & Noble has a coupon weekend, when they are extremely discounted or new issues of graphic novels.  I have been using the library heavily this year and checking on Kindle deals almost daily.

I try to budget my book spending because I also like to buy expensive makeup and skin care. So I need to have room in my budget for all these things; and traveling. Love to travel and go on little trips.  So yeah, budgeting is the only way for me to be able to do all the things I love!

Do you read on a budget? Have a topic you would like us to talk about? Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday (118)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Ashes to Ashes
Author: Jenny Han
Series: Burn for Burn #3
Hitting the Shelves: September 16, 2014

New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.
After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.
Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?

Why I want this: I absolutely love Jenny Han and this series! At the end of Fire With Fire I was like "WWWHHHAATTTT!!?!?!? I totally didn't see that coming" because it was crazy!!! And I can't wait to see what happens at the end of the trilogy!! 

'Bout of Books 10 Wrap-Up!

All in all I did pretty well and read most of what I wanted to read.  I started off the read-a-thon with a bang and pretty much read an entire book on Monday.  I still did pretty well throughout the rest of the week but kind of slacked the last couple of days.  But I still got a lot read! 

Total books read: Dear Killer, Since You've Been Gone, Locke & Key, Vol. 4 & 5, Saga, Vol. 1, 2 & 3 and half of Sapphire Blue.

Didn't really touch Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead.  I had only planned on reading Saga, Vol. 1 but it was just so good I ran out and bought 2 and 3 and ended up reading those as well! 

Total pages read: 1594!!!!

Oh wow! It definitely did not feel like I read that many pages!! Crazyness!!! I'm pretty pleased with myself even though honestly I could have finished Sapphire Blue because I had a ton of downtime at work to read it on my phone but I just didn't feel like it. Oh well, I'll probably finish it this week! 

That read-a-thon was great! I can't wait for the next one and I might even participate in the challenges next time as well! Happy reading bookworms! 

'Bout of Books 10: Mid-Week Progress

We have now completed three days of the 'Bout of Books 10 read-a-thon and I've done pretty well.  Since I didn't work until the evening on Monday I was able to start my reading off with a bang and practically read a whole book! 

So here's my reading progress so far!

Monday:

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell: pg. 92-359 (book completed)

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: pg. 1-103

Total pages read: 370

Tuesday: 

Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill: pg. 1-102

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: pg. 103-114

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier: pg. 1-110

Total pages read: 223

Wednesday: 

Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill: pg. 102-146 (book completed)

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: pg. 114-325

Total Pages read: 255

Total read so far: 848

Waiting on Wednesday (117)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Get Even
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Series: Don't Get Mad #1
Hitting the Shelves: September 16, 2014

Follows the secretive exploits of four high school juniors - Kitty, Olivia, Margot and Bree - at an exclusive Catholic prep school.

To all outward appearances, the girls barely know each other. At best, they don't move in the same social circles; at worst, they're overtly hostile.

Margot Mejia – academically ranked number two in her class, Margot is a focused overachiever bound for the Ivy League.

Kitty Wei – captain of the California state and national champion varsity girls' volleyball team, she's been recruited by a dozen colleges and has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Olivia Hayes – popular star of the drama program, she's been voted "most eligible bachelorette" two years running in the high school yearbook and has an almost lethal combination of beauty and charm.

Bree Deringer – outcast, misfit and the kind of girl you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the stop sign red-haired punk is a constant thorn in the side of teachers and school administrators alike.

Different goals, different friends, different lives, but the girls share a secret no one would ever guess. They are members of Don't Get Mad, a society specializing in seeking revenge for fellow students who have been silently victimized by their peers. Each girl has her own reason for joining the group, her own set of demons to assuage by evening the score for someone else. And though school administration is desperate to find out who is behind the DGM "events", the girls have managed to keep their secret well hidden.

That is until one of their targets – a douchebag senior who took advantage of a drunk underclassman during a house party, videotaped it on his phone, and posted it on YouTube – turns up dead, and DGM is implicated in the murder.

Now the girls don't know who to trust, and as their tenuous alliance begins to crumble, the secrets they've hidden for so long might be their ultimate undoing.

Why I want this: Wow, that is one super long synopsis.  But definitely intriguing and something I can't wait to dive into! Also, I've been a long time fan of Gretchen McNeil and I've read almost everything she's written.  I still need to read 3:59 but I have it on hold at the library so I'll definitely be getting to it soon!