books i would like to read this year

It’s been so long since I’ve spoken about books on this page. I had briefly spoken about why I’ve been in a long reading slump on Twitter. However, I wanted to share it here and please be advised that word vomit will now commence: I’m no longer in love with YA (young adult). For a very long time I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want to accept that I had fallen out of love with a genre that made me fall in love with reading in the first place. This is not to say that I’ve completely cut off YA. However, it’s to say that my reading taste has changed. I forced myself for over a year trying to read YA and found myself constantly bored. Alongside this huge year long reading slump, being an author and dedicating time to my books/deadlines has become a priority. Also life but life always happens right? And yeah, letting go of YA has been very freeing. I accepted that letting go of a particular genre does not mean I’m letting go of the book community and that’s okay.

Any-who, I know I’m super late but these are books that I would like to read this year. I’m so excited to get to these. I’m not sure if I’ll post reviews for them because I’m still slowly figuring out what I want to do with this blog and I’m also not sure if I’ll get to all these books but I think I can do this. *crosses fingers*

The books are not in order of what I want to read, I did try to group them by genre though. The titles of the books will link you straight to Goodreads.

 

• The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
  Genre: New Adult Romance
  City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot. (full synopsis on goodreads)
• Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
  Genre: Romance, Fiction
  After a decade apart, childhood sweethearts reconnect by chance in New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s touching, romantic novel Love and Other Words…how many words will it take for them to figure out where it all went wrong? The story of the heart can never be unwritten. (full synopsis on goodreads)
• Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker
  Genre: New Adult Romance
  And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling. Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time. (full synopsis on goodreads)
• Crown of Lies (Truth and Lies Duet #1) by Pepper Winters
  Genre: Dark Romance
  THREE YEARS
  Since I ran away for the night, danced in New York streets, and almost got killed in an alley by two thieves. Until he showed up and saved me.
  THREE DAYS
  Since I threw a drink at the man my father expected me to marry, then found myself slammed against a wall with Penn Everett’s seductive voice whispering a proposal I couldn’t refuse. (full synopsis on goodreads)

 

• Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
  Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller
  In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind. But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . .
• Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger
  Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller
  In this explosive psychological thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger, a young woman’s mysterious gift forces her into the middle of a dangerous investigation of a little girl’s disappearance. (full synopsis on goodreads)
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
  Genre: YA Mystery
  Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him. When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late. (full synopsis on goodreads)

 

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
  Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? (full synopsis on goodreads)
• Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  Genre: Historical Fiction, Music
  Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.
  Book is told in interview format. (full synopsis on goodreads)
• Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatolv Pass Incident by Donnie Eicher
  Genre: Nonfiction, History, Mystery
  In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the incident—unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes—have led to decades of speculation over what really happened. This gripping work of literary nonfiction delves into the mystery through unprecedented access to the hikers’ own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and the author’s retracing of the hikers’ fateful journey in the Russian winter. A fascinating portrait of the young hikers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of the hikers narrative, the investigators’ efforts, and the author’s investigations, here for the first time is the real story of what happened that night on Dead Mountain.

 

• The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden
  Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
  The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege. Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.
• King of Scars (Nikolai #1) by Leigh Bardugo
  Genre: YA Fantasy
  Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army. Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.
• Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor
  Genre: YA Fantasy
  In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep. Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the Muse of Nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of. (full synopsis on goodreads)

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And that is all for this post! Any of these books you’ve read or interest you? I think I’m most excited to read Taylor Jenkins Reid and K.A. Tucker. Fun Fact: It’s my first time reading Taylor Jenkins Reid! I cannot wait to read her books, all I’ve heard is praise. Hope you all have an amazing day/evening/night on whatever side of the planet you’re on! xo

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December Wrap-Up 2016

Hello there! The last month of 2016 was filled of so many ups and downs but I am grateful that we have started a new year with new expectations and goals. I am very satisfied with how I ended my year in reading. I read a total of 5 books and 1 I DNFed (did not finish). Let’s get onto the books and what I’ve been up to this month!

What I Read:

 

 

Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter ★★★★★
Genre: YA Paranormal
Midnight Hour is the 4th book to the Shadow Falls: After Dark spin off series. I wrote a full non spoiler review for that book and you can check it out here! This is one of my favorite series and I still cannot believe that it is over.

 

 

 

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Replica by Lauren Oliver ★★★★★
Genre: YA SciFi
This is the first book the Replica series. A book all about clones and two girls that are linked in all of this somehow. One of my favorite reads of 2016. I definitely would recommend this. If you want to read a in-depth non spoiler review, then click here!

 

 

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RoseBlood by A.G. Howard
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling
This is the book I DNFed. This is what I wrote on Goodreads: DNFing at 80 pages. I really thought I was going to love this book but I found the story too slow paced for me and a little all over the place with the elements involved. Nothing was really making sense and things got a little repetitive already.

 

 

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The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden ★★★★.5
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adult
A Russian Folklore that will have you wanting to read every single word and will make you feel like you are there in the village with the family. I have a full spoiler free review here. Definitely a book worth reading.

 

 

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we carry the sky by McKayla Robbin ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
A poetry collection about femininity, identity, violence and healing. One of all time favorite poetry collections. I have a spoiler free review that includes some of the poems here.

 

 

 

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Black Butterfly by Robert M. Drake ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
A poetry collection about the transformation and rebirth of life and death. r.m. drake wrote this for all the people who have lost someone either living dead. I have a full non spoiler review that includes some of the poems here.

 

 

 

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Poetry:
I know I didn’t post much poetry this month and that was because since the holidays were around I didn’t want to post dark things during happy times. I decided to back off a bit on it but nevertheless I did post and in case you missed it:
not what you say i am
a question and a question and a question
People I Once Knew – Part 14
untitled; a teaser from the book i’m writing
it’s not that easy.

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I’ve also been working on my poetry book and I posted a couple of Waiting on Wednesdays, Top Ten Tuesday, Standalone Sunday, and Series Saturday. If you want to check out my memes then please click here. I hope you’re all having a lovely new year. Have you read any of these books or plan on too? Let’s chat in the comments!

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The Bear and The Nightingale Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: The Bear and The Nightingale (Book #1)
Series: according to Goodreads it doesn’t have a name yet
Author: Katherine Arden
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adult
Publisher: Del Rey
Format: ARC received at NYCC/Bookcon
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

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*Trigger Warning: Rape Culture
**There is a glossary in the back of the book for Russian word meanings/translations

Summary/Plot:

The Bear and The Nightingale is filled with Russian Folklore, Religion, Culture, and Fantastical Elements. We follow the family of the main character Vasilisa first before she is even born and we get to grow up with her also. The book starts off with kids being huddled together to hear the story of Frost, the blue-eyed demon, during a winter storm. While the mother of Vasilisa was carrying her in her belly, she always knew that Vasilisa was special and both her husband and the nurse told her to not have this baby. But she did and the day Vasilisa was born was the day her mother died. While Vasilisa is growing up, her father, Pyotr, decides that it is time to marry again because he feels that his daughter needs a mother in order to be tamed. Little do they know that the new wife wants nothing to do with them, she cannot stand Vasilisa, and she wants them to stop honoring the spirits. Then comes along a new priest, Konstantin, who also forbids the town to honor these spirits and puts the “fear of God” in the people’s hearts. Without the people knowing this starts to cause havoc in the forest, crops aren’t growing like before, evil creatures are coming around, the house spirits are moody. And Vasilisa’s stepmother wants nothing to do with her so it’s either marriage or going to a convent. But what no one knows is that Vasilisa’s gifts are growing and her nurses tale is slowly coming true.

Writing:

The writing was phenomenal. It was atmospheric in the most beautiful way. It had almost  a fairy tale vibe going on. Every time I picked up the book, I was sucked into the world and forgot my surroundings. I will admit that it is a tad bit slow paced which is why I bumped it down to a 4.5 rating. The story did drag a bit at the end. However, it was lyrical and even though it is being told from months before Vasilisa is born, it was a smooth transition from that time to her adolescence. I found myself drawn to each word that was being told.

The story is told in third person and I loved how we get perspectives from all the characters and we know what is going on with everyone as a whole. This worked out really well because all the characters involved in this story play an important part in the story/plot.

Characters:

We get to meet many different characters in this book, therefore I will keep this part short.

Vasilisa the main character who is this ugly girl. I loved how fearless she is and brave. The protector of her family. She’s wild and never cared for what people told her. Someone always told her how to behave and she would rebel against that. She was her own person, unstoppable. We also get to meet the forest and household creatures (spirits) which I COMPLETELY loved because they get their own voice. Alyosha, Vasilisa’s brother was so caring and while he heard the rumors that his sister was a demon and devil like, he ignored them all and still believed in her. Dunya the nurse, I also loved her character because she like Alyosha was filled of love and care. I also loved how she definitely gave us that “grandmother” sort of feel. Frost, the winter demon, I won’t say much about him but that I loved his character.

Thoughts:

This story is one that I will keep recommending to a lot of people. When I read that the author was making this into a trilogy I got excited because I was left with questions after the story ended. And I felt a connection to Vasilisa’s soul that I was just left with wanting more of her character. Although this is a short book, there were many times that I would put it down to just think. I liked how culturally heavy this book is and how the author did not hold back with portraying situations. I also really loved how Katherine Arden didn’t romantically involve Vasilisa with anyone, she was solely her own person.

The setting was great too. This is set in Northern Russia and the majority of the year in this book was filled of winter and snow. This book definitely gives you the “let’s grab a warm blanket and drink some coffee/tea” feel.

And lastly, I have to compare Frost the Winter Demon to the white walkers from Game of Thrones. If you love Game of Thrones, you know those scenes where the white walker is in the middle of the forest full of snow? That’s pretty much what you get in this book.

Grab this book and read it! This book will be released January 10, 2017

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