#TBRTakedown Readathon

I found a fun readathon on Shannon's youtube channel (Leaning Lights). What makes it so fun is the challenges that she's included...

1. A book that has been on your TBR for over a year.

2. Unread sequel.

3. 1st book in a series.

4. Out of your comfort zone.

5. A book from your most recent haul.

The readathon will be June 1st to June 7th. You can find out all the details by clicking on the Leaning Lights link above. I think this one is really cool because it will help me to actually pick what to read. Sometimes I look at all my books and think....maybe I should just take a nap.

I will update with my list soon.

Blog Tour - Aoleon: The Martian Girl by Brent LeVasseur

Title: Aoleon: The Martian Girl

Author: Brent LeVasseur

Pages: 94 Kindle

Source: Provided by iRead Book Tours for an honest review

Rating: fun, fast story with cute graphics

Summary from Goodreads:

Crop circles magically appear in Farmer Johnson’s field. A mysterious light sweeps over the night sky and awakens Farmer Johnson and Gilbert, the boy next door.

Curious, Gilbert ventures out to discover the source of the light and stumbles into a beautiful Martian girl sitting in a crop circle. Farmer Johnson also investigates the strange light, and thinking that Gilbert and Aoléon are vandals, he chases them. But they sprint to Aoléon’s saucer and escape only to be pursued by the U.S. Air Force.

Gilbert has never been attacked by swarms of giant killer robots. Never met strange aliens from other worlds. Never skyboarded across a megalopolis hidden deep inside an extinct volcano. Never trekked across a vast Martian desert. And never been eaten alive by a gigantic slor (well, almost never, unless you count Billy the fat bully at school).

And luckily, he has never ever confronted an evil ruler of Mars bent on conquering the Earth to steal its cows.

Never...until now!

This may be the adventure Gilbert always wished for.

If only he can survive.

Join Gilbert and Aoleon in this exciting middle-grade science fiction and fantasy adventure!

***********************************************

Aoleon is a sweet story that flies by. I've become a big fan of science fiction and the premise of this one is very promising. It's a short read made even shorter by the delightful illustrations. They really made the story even more enjoyable. I was quite surprised by the detail they had and there were so many! Having a picture to go with the text was a nice change from my usual reads. Some of these are hilarious!

The characters and fun and I found the dialogue to be quite funny. Gilbert is a typical young boy but his boring world changes when he meets Aoleon. She's from Mars and there interactions are really funny. But Aoleon and Gilbert find themselves in both humorous and nail biting situations...there is lots of action and adventure. It's designed for middle schoolers but the humor will have the adults laughing too.

As a mom of two boys I liked that there was an educational component to it. It's not in your face learning so you'll have no complaints from the little ones...they'll be enjoying the story too much to notice that they are learning about science, astronomy and more!

This is the first part of a series and I liked the way the ending left me wanting more. I look forward to reading the other installments. It's fast paced and fun. What an adventure! 

I'd recommend this one to anyone who enjoys humorous books, illustrated books, sci-fi or adventure.

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Aoléon: The Martian Girl 

Those Girls by Lauren Saft {Thoughts On}

Those Girls by Lauren Saft
Provided by the Publisher for an honest review.
Kindle 336 pages
Rating: Loathed

I can't remember a time when I hated characters more than I hated all of these. I guess that normally I would just set the book aside if I wanted to throat punch every.single.character. And I did want to throat punch them. Hard.

And yet, I couldn't put this book down. I read more than half of it and made myself go to sleep. I think that it is a testament to Saft's writing ability to get such an emotional (albeit negative) response from me.

Those GIrls is the story of Alex, Mollie and Veronica, a trio of wealthy, snobby, just plain mean girls. I had all kinds of problems with the way they acted to each other and to other people. I had a huge problem with all the drugs, the sex and the lack of parents. How the heck did the parents not notice that everyone was either having sex, drinking alcohol or getting high? Veronica's parents were always gone so hers sort of gets a pass - but the flip side of that is what kind of parents let their 16 year old daughter live pretty much alone all year round?

It seemed like there could have been some lessons learned throughout the book but by the end they had not changed. Not a single one saw how horrible they were. And then the book just ends. The end. Just like that.

If this book is any real indication of the way 16 year old girls are, I need a padded room to keep my boy well away from them. Ridiculous. 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green {Thoughts On}

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (website, Twitter)
Pages/Type/Source: 337, Kindle, I purchased

From Goodreads:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

I. Can't. Even.

I resisted this one for quite some time. Books that are hyped as much as this one has been usually end up being a disappointment to me. It just can't live up to my high expectations. I had booktube videos going in the background while I was working and three of them mentioned this book. I bought it from Amazon and was going to read a few pages before bed. Several hours later I had finished the book. It has literally been years since I've read a book in one sitting.I just could not put it down!

Obviously this book will have you feeling all the feels - it is about teenagers who have cancer - but the thing that makes it so great it how funny it is. Without giving any spoilers, I am so surprised that it was so funny. It was so heartwarming and left me feeling hopeful which is amazing for a book about this topic.

It reminds me of a book that I read when I was little called Invincible Summer by Jean Ferris. Same type of story and it slayed me too. It's been at least 25 years since I read it and I still remember it and the cover artwork.

There was one line towards the end that completely and utterly broke my little book reading heart. I didn't know if I could even finish it but wanted to see how things wrapped up. I think that the ending was fitting. 

So glad I gave this one a try. It was a definite 5 star read for me.

ARC Envy #22 - Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Every week several of my favorite bloggers post vlogs or whatever of all the great book hauls they've received for the week. Since I'm a tiny little fish in the huge book blogging pond, my mailbox isn't stuffed with all the great ARCs that they get. Dana's ARC Envy is my way of highlighting an ARC that I *wish* had been sent to me too. 

Title: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Expected Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Judging a book by its cover:  I like the colors

Know anything about the author?  Kaufman wrote These Broken Stars which I am sad to say I've never read but have.

Why do I want it?  Has gotten some great buzz from a few of my favorite people who have excellent bookish taste.

Summary from Goodreads:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

What ARC are you envying this week?

Bout of Books Master Post for Updates

Day 5 Update:

I got to 48% of From a Distant Star. Didn't get much reading done at all.

Day 4 Update:

I finished Those Girls yesterday and read about 25% of another one. Today begins #CrushYourTBR so I'll be doubling up on my read-a-thons. Fun! Hope everyone else is enjoying their BoB reading time.

Day 3 Update:

I read 59% of Those Girls by Lauren Saft yesterday. 

Day 2 Update:

We had a fun afternoon with friends so I didn't get much reading done. Spent part of the evening trying to decide on a new Kindle book to read. I dipped in and out of several before giving up and going to sleep.

Day 1 Update:

I finished the last of Pines, read Red at Night, a novella by Katie McGarry, read 2 chapters of Huckleberry Finn for my online class, and read 30 pages of Rush, and completed the day's mini challenge. Not bad! I missed the Twitter chat because the boys and I were watching The Avengers.I was amazed at the number of people signed up this time around...so exciting!

Intro Post:

Today is day 1 of Bout of Books 13.0! Excited to get some extra reading done this week. I'll be updating every day starting tomorrow.

Today we have a mini-challenge from Writing My Own Fairy Tale to answer the following bookish questions:

1. How do you organize your shelves? Right now they are separated by fiction and non-fiction and I have a table that is covered in stacks. My goal for the weekend is to move my bookcases into another room and put them by color. I love the rainbow shelves that others have!
2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres? I don't read romance anymore except for books by Katie McGarry. In Pushing the Limits she made me swoon AND root for a girl named Echo. Echo? I didn't think it possible.
3. What is the last 5 star book you read? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I can't even. Review coming soon.
4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon? Probably Ruth by Eve Silver. I won it from Epic Reads during a Tea Time forever ago. And I'm also looking forward to finishing The Pines which I'm currently reading so that I can watch Wayward Pines on Thursday. M. Night Shyamalan is going to do amazing things with this trilogy I am sure.

5. What book do you recommend the most? Hard to say but Shadow and Bone maybe? I fangirl on that one a ton.

Happy Bout of Books, everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Authors I Really Want to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event at The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is the top authors we'd like to meet. I have an aversion to meeting "celebrity" types because I'm afraid that they will be jerks and that will make me hate their team/tv show/books/etc. But if I had to choose which ones I'd take a chance on I'd pick...

(In no particular order)

Leigh Bardugo....I've fangirled over all of her Grisha trilogy books and she is the nicest on Twitter. She actually was near me in Florida but my car at the time wouldn't make the trip. Sad face. Plus she gave me the Darkling...future husband #2. I know he's kind of evil but...

John Green...to tell him that I almost couldn't finish The Fault in Our Stars because all the feels. I could break out in sobs right now just thinking about the line that shattered me.

Ransom Riggs - because anyone who can craft an outstanding story (or two!) from creepy vintage photographs has got to be all kinds of awesome.

Katie McGarry - She is the Queen of Swoon and the only romance books that I read, let alone actually purchase, are hers. Perhaps she could summon my own hot boy to swoon over.

Sarah Addison Allen - her books are so magical. I've loved every single one I've read.

Natalie Lloyd - her book A Snicker of Magic is one of the most heartwarming books I've ever read. To write something so sweet, you've got to be sweet.

Mira Grant - to beg her to make the Newsflesh trilogy a series of way more than just 3. I can't get enough. Never have hundreds of pages flown by so quickly.

Patrick Ness - his Chaos Walking trilogy is one of the most original series out there (although the dog scene - heartbreak) and A Monster Calls crushed me in the best possible way. That man can write!

Cynthia Rutledge - I read her long ago and loved her work. Back before all the social media today, you'd have to write a letter or an email to your favorite authors. Not only did she write back but she sent me my first ever autographed book. That kindness has never been forgotten.

Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games got me back reading when I was going through the darkest time in my life. It let me escape from my reality and for that I am very grateful.

Bout of Books Day 1 - Mini Challenge

Today is day 1 of Bout of Books 13.0! Excited to get some extra reading done this week. I'll be updating every day starting tomorrow.

Today we have a mini-challenge from Writing My Own Fairy Tale to answer the following bookish questions:

1. How do you organize your shelves? Right now they are separated by fiction and non-fiction and I have a table that is covered in stacks. My goal for the weekend is to move my bookcases into another room and put them by color. I love the rainbow shelves that others have!
2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres? I don't read romance anymore except for books by Katie McGarry. In Pushing the Limits she made me swoon AND root for a girl named Echo. Echo? I didn't think it possible.
3. What is the last 5 star book you read? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I can't even. Review coming soon.
4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon? Probably Ruth by Eve Silver. I won it from Epic Reads during a Tea Time forever ago. And I'm also looking forward to finishing The Pines which I'm currently reading so that I can watch Wayward Pines on Thursday. M. Night Shyamalan is going to do amazing things with this trilogy I am sure.

5. What book do you recommend the most? Hard to say but Shadow and Bone maybe? I fangirl on that one a ton.

Happy Bout of Books, everyone!

ARC Envy #21 - Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Every week several of my favorite bloggers post vlogs or whatever of all the great book hauls they've received for the week. Since I'm a tiny little fish in the huge book blogging pond, my mailbox isn't stuffed with all the great ARCs that they get. Dana's ARC Envy is my way of highlighting an ARC that I *wish* had been sent to me too. 

Title: Nowhere But Here
Author: Katie McGarry (website, Twitter)
Expected Publication Date: May 26, 2015

Judging a book by its cover:  Not bad :-) 

Know anything about the author?  The queen of swoon. 

Why do I want it?  Read and absolutely adored everything that she'd done. Let's not lie...she is an autobuy so I'll be picking up this one as soon as it is released!

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both. 

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down. 

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

What ARC are you envying this week?

Bout of Books 13.0

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, 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 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books is my other favorite bookish event. The best part about this one is that there are no rules - just read what you can and have fun. Sometimes I have had goals and other times I've just gone with the flow. This time I'd like to read 3 books and attend one Twitter party. The Twitter parties are crazy fast but awesomely fun. If I can make one, that will be great.

As of now, there are 250 readers officially signed up. Want to join the fun? Go here and find out all the details.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Will Probably Never Read

                   
Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly event hosted at the Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is books that I will probably never read. When I first saw this one I thought that there were millions of books I'd never read so narrowing it down to the top ten would be quite hard. So I decided to take a look at my TBR shelf on Goodreads and start there. I'd got 594 listed as of now (craziness!) and ten I probably will never read and need to delete are:

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) by Laren DeStefano - I enjoyed the first in this trilogy but the second one was underwhelming. I've read so many negative reviews of this third book that I don't even really want to try to read it.

The Typewriter Girl by Alison Atlee - I added this one at the suggestion of a great bookish friend but when I picked it up to read it, it just didn't grab me. Love the cover though!

Taken (Taken #1) by Erin Bowman - I was so excited when the synopsis of this one was released and couldn't wait to get my little paws on it. Then the reviews started coming in and lots of my favorite bloggers didn't enjoy it. So it got pushed further and further down the TBR until now I just don't think I'll try it.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - This one has been on my TBR so long that I don't even remember why I added it.

Moranthology by Caitlin Moran - I read another of her books and her sense of humor isn't my sense of humor. Don't think that I'd like this one either.

Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows #1) by Yelena Black - I'm not sure why I added this one either. A suggestion from another blogger no doubt. I used to love this cover and now it bugs me.

Red Rain by R.L. Stine - Pains me to put an RL Stine on this list since I loved him so much growing up but I tried this one and didn't like it. Reviews I've read have convinced me that I wasn't wrong so I'll probably never try it again. Shame.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare - Never got into this series and with so many others out there, I don't think I will.

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake - I tried this one several times and never got past page 30ish. Several favorite bloggers love this one though.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith - Goodness was I excited about this one. Dystopian without a bunch of romance. Again with the mixed reviews and lack of time.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? 
Author: Mindy Kaling (Twitter)
Pages: Audio so 4 hours 37 minutes
Rating: 4 stars

I listened to this one during Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon. Had originally picked up a few audiobooks for when my eyes gave out on me but ended up starting this one really early. I listened to it while cheering on other blogs. 

I don't read a lot of biographies and memoirs since they generally leave me not liking the person they are about but this one definitely didn't have that effect. Kaling is funny and charming.

It's a fairly short book but it is packed with her memories and thoughts. I enjoyed her different stories about life in Hollywood but especially liked her more personal, every day stories. Her voice makes the audio so much better. Had there been another narrator, I don't think the stories would have been quite as good.

She's planning a follow up book and I look forward to it. Will be interesting to see how she has grown as a writer since then.

I'd recommend Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? to anyone who enjoys Hollywood or wants to read about someone in Hollywood who is not....blond. She talks quite a bit about being different and that's what makes her so awesome.

ARC Envy #20 - The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Every week several of my favorite bloggers post vlogs or whatever of all the great book hauls they've received for the week. Since I'm a tiny little fish in the huge book blogging pond, my mailbox isn't stuffed with all the great ARCs that they get. Dana's ARC Envy is my way of highlighting an ARC that I *wish* had been sent to me too. 

Title: The Fill-In Boyfriend
Author: Kasie West (website, Twitter)
Expected Publication Date: May 5, 2015

Judging a book by its cover:  Cute!. 

Know anything about the author?  She's awesome sauce. If you want a new book boyfriend, she can deliver.

Why do I want it?  Read and absolutely adored The Distance Between Us. 

Summary from Goodreads:

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

What ARC are you envying this week?