Armchair BEA: General Fiction--Life Changing Books

SO. Life changing books? LET'S DO THIS.

When I was little, maybe 5 or 6, my teacher read this to the class.

And that was it. I was suddenly loving books. (Strangely, I NEVER read the Magic Tree House Series and the ones I did read? I remember thinking they were too easy and too boring and too short. I was a strange kid. I also researched killer mermaids.) But I never really read anything BUT Boxcar Children until I discovered:

her. Nancy Drew. 

The Nancy Drew books took me 1.5 years to completely read (since I was also into Sailor Moon at the time. Seriously. WEIRD KID.) I read all of them. the yellow books, the comics, the ones with the elementary Nancy Drew, the others--all of them. Every. Single. One.

You know, I used to go to my school library every day before school and for 15 minutes after school. So maybe that's why I became such close friends with my librarian when she urged me to read this.

And...I loved it. It was wonderful, it was real, it made my little 9 year old self think and it was the first time I truly loved a character. So I read more and more of Sharon Creech's books. She was my first favorite author. Even the author of Nancy Drew couldn't compare in my little eyes. 

I read Ruby Holler first of course. 

Then Chasing Redbird. 

Then Hate that Cat. Love That Dog. 

Absolutely Normal Chaos (which absolutely SCANDALIZED me with it's kissing scene at the end. But I may have read that part over and over, glancing over my shoulder guiltily. WHAT. It was an adorable scene!) 

Heartbeat.

Replay

The Wanderer

I never could finish Walk Two Moons though! But I even read her picture book. A Fine, Fine School. 

And I absolutely adored all these books. They were beautiful, wonderful, absolutely stunning. They were heartbreaking. But out of all of these, none touched me like Heartbeat. I forget what it was that made me love it so much--but I do remember reading it over and over, clutching it as I walked to school. It was...hopeful. And I think that was OFFICIALLY when my love for books started.

But that's not where the story ends. I was still hesitant to read any fantasy and my mom told me to read only award winning books. But then again, librarian to the rescue. I visited her and asked her for recommendations. And what did she say? That I already read most of her recommended books. But on her desk, there was a ripped up book, completely torn, half taped up. She was fixing it. But I could still see the cover. And it looked like this.

Yep. The PJO series was my librarian's sidekick.

I was intrigued. Why were they running? Why the fog? Was that an EYE? And I asked to borrow it. She said to come back the next day--so I did. And even though I'd never read the series before, even though this was just the second book, I snatched it and devoured it. And then went back to get books one and three. And read them out of order--but I still understood everything!

So yes. Rick Riordan definitely made a humongous change in my life. But what sparked my YA addiction? None other than this series. 

But that's a story for next time. 

Armchair BEA: Development and Genres

Ah. My development as a blogger. Now THAT is something to talk about. I mean, my first post was unbelievably, ridiculously, horrible and cringe worthy. My first review was ranty, had poor grammar, and reused the same word several times. I don't even want to LOOK at them.

Now my reviews still aren't "professional" but they're...better I think. And honestly, sometimes I hate calling them reviews. Can I just call them my opinions? Because that's what they are right?

And my online presence has SO grown lol! Now I'm on twitter and FB 24/7 connecting, stalking, posting about random things...it's actually really scary when you think about how much I looked at social media with contempt. Ugh. I would like to slap past me! Social Media is EVERYTHING now! And I'm a lot more outspoken on the internet actually...so if I said I was the quiet one in class, WOULD YOU BELIEVE ME?

Probably not. It's been almost a year and a half, and the best year ever.

As for genre...
My favorite?
Contemporary, Thriller, and High Fantasy. And Historical Fiction.

Okay. So maybe I should say Favorites. I CAN'T CHOOSE JUST ONE!
Contemporary books usually make me giggle even when I feel depressed, or they make me sob like an absolute baby and rip my heart out. Obviously I'm into self inflicted emotional pain.
Thrillers absolutely kill me and have me clutching a door frame at a twist. Or they have me looking furtively over my shoulder. Because I'm paranoid like that.
High Fantasy takes you to another world and worldbuilding is almost always my favorite part of a book. Poor worldbuilding? Unless the other parts are absolutely amazing, POOR BOOK.
Historical Fiction takes you to another world too--except one that existed. And that, my friends, is always something magical.

AND here's my priority (wrong word, but I hope you know what I mean) list when I read.

1. Worldbuilding
2. Originality 
3. Main Characters
4. Plot
5. Romance/Love Interests
6. Minor Characters

And as for books I absolutely have to recommend?

My Favorites List
My ABSOLUTE Favorites list

Armchair BEA: Icebreaker

Eep! SO excited to participate in Armchair BEA again! Last year was a bit of a fail for me actually lol! But with my BFF off at BEA (well, on Thursday and Saturday) I WILL BE SLOWLY WITHERING HERE. Or not. Since there's Armchair BEA. I also answered one extra question?

1.Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures. 

It is cockroach season. 
Of course, that means this is Texas.

2.What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? 

I, MY FRIENDS, am currently reading Book of Broken Hearts, Burning Sky, and Truly Madly Deadly. Favorite book of the year? HOW CAN I PICK BETWEEN SOME QUIET PLACE AND IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS? I can't. 

3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 

Ummm...I started my blog at 11?

4. Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read? 

Well, it's an interview I did on my BFF's blog. Okay, well, 2. Apparently I went super crazy

First one: http://eileenlisblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/blogger-interview-fiction-freak.html

Second one: http://eileenlisblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/blogger-follow-up-interview-fiction.html

5. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? 

Totally A.G. Howard of ze Splintered. Like, seriously? SHE'S THE NICEST PERSON EVER AND she's just amazing! Plus Splintered was my favorite read of 2012. So DUH.

Character? Ash from Iron Fey. Always. Completely. <3

6.What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 

My favorite part of the blogosphere? Absolutely the people. They're the absolute best, they totally understand the stress of blogging sometimes, they're my partners in fangirling, and they're just amazing. Bookish people are also the craziest--and that always counts for something! 

Link me up to your posts! I promise to stalk comment!

September Girls by Bennett Madison

Goodreads Blurb

When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn  to him. 
Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here.

Oh, it's case of the deceiving cover again. I mean, the cover was absolutely gorgeous and the synopsis was definitely intriguing! But the actual story was, I found, very different from what I expected. 

So the first thing was the writing. It was a bit awkward sometimes and the cussing was...extreme. Every few sentences and almost every paragraph had a cuss word and it got super old super fast. The way it was written was also a bit awkward and while there was an air of mystery surrounding the story, it was also a bit obvious and a bit boring.

Also, *spoiler* the way to break the curse was also pretty messed up.

The plot also left a lot to be desired for. It didn't have any twists whatsoever and was actually pretty boring most of the time. It was nice to read, I guess. But what really disappointed me was that we never found out exactly what the girls were, and their parents...didn't make a whole lot of sense. We never went in depth with their situation, and since the book really sort of revolved around that, the story lacked. Also, very repetitive and there were a ton of things just suddenly popped out at you that made no sense whatsoever.

I was also a bit confused as to how DeeDee was really that different. The only reason she was "different" was because she'd rather read than party, but for all he knew, she was the only one he stumbled in on. It was coincidence after coincidence and it got super frustrating seeing DeeDee actually act like all the other Girls. 

Sam was also pretty shallow--and oh my gosh the number of times I wanted to punch him are innumerable. 

What I did like? The switching POVs. We got few glimpses into the supernatural world through this other POV which I can't reveal, and those were, by far, my favorite chapters. I did like Kristle though, despite her faults, and found her a strangely refreshing blunt kind of character, even if I did want to strangle her sometimes. (No, all the time)

Characters. Flat, obnoxious, disgusting, sex-crazed, etc.

The book sort of not really redeemed itself in the fact that it had a sort of impact on me and hit me as one of those raw kind of books. Maybe not beautiful, and maybe not gritty, but somewhere in-between. It's one of those books that you can sort of understand, not on a fictional level, but in the message the author was trying to send. But oh, it was so not worth the read. 

But, ermm, if I may offer a sort of snarky version of this review? (I restrained. I'm sorry. But)

Okay, I really wanted to punch all the characters so many times for being idiotic, drug addicts, and so demeaning, especially the guys. It made me want to throw a brick at something, preferably something glass. So the way it was written was sometime pretty, and it did give a raw message, but still. The characters? The plot? Eh. Also, hello? Can we please get some closure? I possibly hate this, and sort of like it because of the rawness. I think. My feelings are mixed. So mixed. But seriously. Lots of drinking, mostly sex, lots of objectifying, and a lot a lot a lot of anti-feminism/females-are-only-good-for-certain-ahem-things.

Pages: 256

Genre: Supernatural

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 21, 2013

Rating: Uh. No.

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

SO I DID ANOTHER VLOG. I hope you don't throw tomatoes like it!

Oh wow. Awkward. I know. You should start bringing out the tomatoes now.

RECEIVED
Our Song by Jordana Fraiberg
Hysteria by Megan Miranda
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris
Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howard
Gated by Amy Christine Parker
Beautiful and Cursed by Page Morgan
Spirit and Dust by Rosemary-Clement Moore
Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab
Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield
Coda by Emma Treyvane
The Program by Suzanne Young
Golden by Jessi Kirby
Parallel by Lauren Miller
The Ward by Jordana Frankel
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Ink by Amanda Sun
Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Weekly Recap
Chosen at Nightfall by CC Hunter
Reboot by Amy Tintera
Waiting on Wednesday
The Rules by Stacey Kade
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Goodreads Blurb

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.
Literally.
Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.
Then Eli’s dream comes true.
Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Haha, remember how excited I was for this? So much that I sent in an ARC request the DAY the cover was released? And then I put Nightmare Affair TWICE without knowing? Yeah.

The Nightmare Affair definitely lived up to my expectations!

I loved Dusty! She was such a smart alack and I loved her recklessness! Most of the time! As fiery as her red hair, Dusty was definitely one of those headstrong characters you just had to love--those she does act impulsively often. But she definitely made up for it with her wisecrack jokes that made me LOL (no seriously.)

But, my favorite character by far, was Selene. And no, not just because I ALWAYS wanted to change my name to that. She was a Siren who was against the "objectification of sirens as sex objects" which was so AMAZING. I loved her! Seriously. 

The romance was seriously amazing. It wasn't slow at all and you could just feel it coming! Not to mention, Eli was perfect for a YA love interest! Though he did have his moments. You know when you want to shove two people who you KNOW like each other, but won't admit it, together? Yeah. It definitely made things interesting though! And made for some hilarious moments.

The plot was a bit predictable though, and I desperately wanted to point out the obvious to Dusty. She seemed to have a habit of trusting the wrong people. Although, admittedly, I wasn't even close to discovering who the biggest antagonist was. I was too caught up in...other things.

The first half of Nightmare Affair was a bit slower than I'd expected, but still enjoyable! We learn about the world of the paranormal and it was so much better than typical werewolves and vampires, faeries, and the regular ones. Mindee Arnett manages to mention Sirens, Psychics, Wizards, Hags, Faeries, Mermaids, Demons, and more! I loved the world she created with the world split into 3 different magickinds based on how they get their power--it was fascinating to learn! The author manages to twist the usual typical paranormal school/camp and turn it into something original which, by the way, is super hard to do considering all those books! Not to mention--hello? Nightmares?

Absolutely, I'd recommend this for fans of the Shadow Falls and the Hex Hall Series! The Nightmare Affair is a perfect read for readers who are looking for an original paranormal mystery and it definitely has me waiting for the next one! (I promise that's not just because of Eli and Dusty though.)

Pages: 367

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Arkwell Academy #1

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release Date: MArch 5, 2013

Rating: 3.5--->4 stars