Booking Through Music (#1) - The Ring and The Crown

 

 

Booking Through Music is my way to share my favorite songs with a book alongside. It could be a current song, one I just rediscovered, or just want to share this helps share that with readers! Booking Through Music is to connect to my readers more and you can also join in every Saturday!

 

 

I lately have been listening to a lot of great music! I think music when reading really helps bring the story and characters alive. And for this week's Booking Through Music I have:

 

-American by Lana Del Rey

-Drunk in Love by Beyonce ft. Jay Z

-Empire by Shakira

My Book:

 

The Ring and The Crown by Melissa de La Cruz

 

I think the songs I have above really hit the novel's emotions and the way the characters feel things. American by Lana Del Rey is one of my favorites it's definitely a must listen for this book!

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to drop down in the comments your Booking Through Music!



Waiting on Wednesday (#58) - Tease by Amanda Maciel

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

 

 

Goodreads Summary:

Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.

At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media.

During the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.

In this powerful debut novel inspired by real-life events, Amanda Maciel weaves a narrative of high school life as complex and heartbreaking as it is familiar: a story of everyday jealousies and resentments, misunderstandings and desires. Tease is a thought-provoking must-read that will haunt readers long after the last page.

Why I'm Waitng For It:

I feel like Tease is one of those 'big-trend" books. Sucidal books and coming-into-terms books are going big this year. Some turn out great, while others turn out a mess, I hope Tease turns out on the good side! I love the concept and crossing my fingers it delivers!

Tease is hitting shelves on April 29, 2014 from HarperCollins Publishers

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Fresh Off The Press (#17) - March 24 - March 30

Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It’s where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from (March 24 - March 30)

 

Hardcover:

 

 

 



 

Paperback:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing books releasing this week! Hope you pick them up soon!

 

19 & Counting (Mini-Review): An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Date Released: September 21, 2006
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 229 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: BN
Rating: Loved 5 Stars!
Series: Standalone!

Goodreads Synopsis: When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. 

From Goodreads

 

An Abundance of Katherines is a true John Green book. From his great main character, Collin Singleton to the heartbreaks and makeups there's no surprise, An Abundance of Katherines shines. I love the concept, I love Colin's witty personality, and it's definitely a must-read!

In the book, we meet Colin Singleton - and as you might guess he's single especially in his situation were he dated 19 Katherines. Exactly 19. And in the book we see Colin reaccount these memories through present day experiences. From a roadtrip with his best friend Colin to meeting another guy named Colin, he analyzes all his relationships. I thought Colin was great and it was easy to slip into his mind and experiences. Hasan and Lindsay were great too, loved them as secondary characters! The really moved the plot and I kept the pages turning. I LOVED the scenes when Colin over-analyzed his relationships with all his Katherines. It was great seeing each relationship come alive, when Green has chapters with a "past" scenes included. The math was wickedly amazing, I'm not a big fan of math but this actually made me excited!

Overall, An Abundance of Katherines, is a must-read for an Green fan. If you read Paper Towns you will like this one a lot and especially if you are dealing with relationships it gets it right. Cannot wait to re-read this when I have the time!

 
This one is a must-read!

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Discussion Post: What Happened To Originality?

This Week's Topic:
"What Happened to Originality?"

 

First off, what do YOU think is originality? Take a moment and actually think through about what it is.

 

*Originality - ability to think or express oneself in an independent and individual manner; creative ability (Taken from Dictionary.com)

 

Your thinking..I got this. I'm orignal. But think back how many posts are true and you?
 

 

Coming from a blogger, blogging 2 years hard, I think originality is the thing that makes or breaks a blogger. Truly it does. Remember last year when plagiarism was all over the bloggingsphere and we all had to re-read everything to make sure it was OUR thoughts?

 

Yes, originality is super vital for every blogger. Newbie or experienced. Finding originality is a challenge in writing the art of reviews. Here are my 3 top ways to avoid plagiarism and retain originality:

 

1.) You Did WHAT Before Writing that Review?

I have a heads up on wiriting review. I almost never read any one else's opinions on a book if it's a book I need to review. I want to have my true feeling about it, not clouded by someone else's ideas. Doing this you both avoid plagiarism and you start to develop a new style of book reviews. And soon it will be a habit that will help you alot! But after writing that review feel free to read others! You also want a feel for what other bloggers thought of that book too and it helps you gain insight!

 

 

2.) Have Your Voice!

Every blogger has a voice in the blogging world no matter how experienced or least experienced you are. It's your unique style of writing, or design or even the way you say things that distinguishes you from others. Find the voice and stick with it!

 

 

3.) Don't Rush Think Through

Admit it, you had moments where your rushed to write a review to get SOMETHING up on your blog. While you may think that's good, remember the motto: "Quality over quantity" You may have a laundry list of posts but if half of them are crap, who's going to bother reading them? You can have 5 of the best posts a month and you can grow more than crappy, laundry list posts. Have posts you a proud of! Don't rush EVER!

 

 

Have posts you want to dance to because of how great it is! *dances*

 

 If you have any tips for originality tell me! And feel free to express your opinions below!

 

Waiting on Wednesday (#57) - The Art of Secrets by James Klise

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

 

Goodreads Summary: A Fire Destroys . . .
A Treasure Appears . . .
A Crime Unfolds . . .

When Saba Khan’s apartment burns in a mysterious fire, possibly a hate crime, her Chicago high school rallies around her. Her family moves rent-free into a luxury apartment, Saba’s Facebook page explodes, and she starts (secretly) dating a popular boy. Then a quirky piece of art donated to a school fund-raising effort for the Khans is revealed to be an unknown work by a famous artist, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and Saba’s life turns upside down again. Should Saba’s family have all that money? Or should it go to the students who found the art? Or to the school? And just what caused that fire? Greed, jealousy, and suspicion create an increasingly tangled web as students and teachers alike debate who should get the money and begin to point fingers and make accusations. The true story of the fire that sets events in motion and what happens afterward gradually comes together in an innovative narrative made up of journal entries, interviews, articles, letters, text messages, and other documents.

Why I'm Waiting For It: The cover, The fire, and bullying? I think this one is going to be a great lowkey contemporary this year! I love the concept and I think it's going to be one to play with your emotions as well as the main characters' Saba's emtions. I cannot wait for this one!

 

The Art of Secrets will be releasing on April 22, 2014 from  Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill!

 

Find The Art of Secrets On:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Fresh Off The Press #16 (March 17 - March 23)

Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It’s where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from (March 17 - March 23)

 

Hardcover:

 

 

 

Paperback:

 

 

 

Those are the amazing books being released this month! Hope you pick them up soon! I am really looking forward to picking up Taken, Side Effects May Vary, and Elusion!

 

One Kick Butt Story: Wicked Little Secrets - Kara Taylor

Wicked Little Secrets by Kara Taylor
Date Released: April 14, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 304 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: For Review
Rating: 4 Stars
Series: (Prep School Confidential #2)

Goodreads Synopsis: Anne Dowling becomes entangled in a web of secrets involving a missing student and a conspiracy at Wheatley Prep in this fast-paced, juicy follow-up to Prep School Confidential

Anne Dowling—a fresh, original, and funny new YA heroine whose knowing, irreverent voice will remind readers of Pretty Little Liars and Private—is back for her second semester at Wheatley Prep. Although things have settled (somewhat) since her roommate Isabella’s death, Anne's still kind of obsessed with the disappearance of Wheatley student Matthew Weaver thirty years ago, since she found a picture of him and his crewmates with the words “they killed him” scrawled on the back among Isabella’s things.

When Anne learns that her boyfriend Brent’s dad is one of the now-powerful Wheatley alumni who rowed crew with Matthew, and that the crew team continues to induct new members with a creepy-sounding ritual called “The Drop,” she knows further investigation could put her relationship with Brent in danger. Determined to discover the truth, she reaches out to Anthony, Isabella’s townie brother, who helps her delve deeper into the secrets in Wheatley’s past. Secrets someone would kill to keep hidden. As the school’s Spring Formal—and its notorious afterparty—approaches, Anne sees the perfect opportunity to do some off-campus digging into the lives of Wheatley’s VIPs in this thrilling, unputdownable read—but if she’s not careful, she’ll be the next student who never comes back. 

From Goodreads

Wicked Little Secrets is a great addition to the amazing Prep School Confidential series by Kara Taylor. Usuallly sophomore books suffering from being weak compared to the first, but in this case the second book was EVEN BETTER! Wicked Little Secrets was filled with kiss ass Anne Dowling, heating romance, and a striking balance of suspense and chill. It was a great book!

 

Is it possible to compare Anna Dowling to Nancy Drew? I'll leave you that after you read the book...

 

I love what Kara Taylor did with Anne in the second book!  She really kick her up with some kick ass lines and she just bring the whole story alive.  She has that no-good-intention-policy which I loved seeing as the book progressed. Anne's personality had me coming back over and over every time I had to take a break..I wanted more. And usually when a book does that for me, it is hands down a winner. In addition, the plot was more fast, moving, and enticing. We see a different side to Wheatley, Brent, Anne, Anothy, and all the other great characters that is more in depth and Kara explores more emotions in her sophomore novel.

 

In Wicked Little Secrets, I loved how everything flowed. From how Anne has an interest to find out what happpened to Matthew Weaver ever since she found a photograph of him saying "they killed him" to the piecing of clues. It made sense and Kara knows how to fully weave a seamless story that only makes you excited to see what will happen on the next page! Some scenes were creeping me out! *chills*

 

There was also a couple things I had to point out. The book mainly focused on the Matthew Weaver aspect, but I usually found myself clouded by all the names of characters or random lines I got lost. I even had to re-read a couple of pages back just to remember, so it's definitly one of those book you should fully pay attention to. Also I was hard at time to keep up with the clue Anne and Anothy found. Other than that I thought the book was impressive and enticing!

 

Definitely pick up Wicked Little Secrets if you liked Kara's Prep School Confidential or whether you love Nacy Drew! I even suggest guys picking this one up despite the cover, it has a great story filled with a great plot line! I love it :)

 



Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads



Waiting on Wednesday (#56) - The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

 

Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

 

 

Goodreads: Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

Why I'm Waiting on It: Jennifer E. Smith rocks out the YA contemporary genre! And this one just sounds amazing really a black out and two people get close? How great is that? It also reminds me of Gayle Forman's Just One Day so I'm definitely interested to pick up both and this one will definitely deliver.

 

The Geography of You and Me will hit shelves on April 15, 2014

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

 

Fresh Off The Press #15 - (March 10 - March 16)

Welcome to Fresh Off The Press! It’s where I'll showcase all the great books hitting shelves in a week. These are all YA titles and hope you get to pick them up soon! These books are releasing from (March 10 - March 16)

 

 

Hardcover:

 

 

Paperback:

 



 

 

 

Those are the amazing reads hitting shelves this week! Who is excited for them? :)

 

New To Shelves (#53) - The King & The Crown

New To Shelves is a way to share all the great books I got this whole week and to add to my TBR Pile! It also includes a roundup of what's going to happen next week on the blog. It's a new name but similar meme.

 

I'll be linking up to:

I had a great week this week! I got through a good amount of books, so expect to see reviews on them and things finally simmered down so I can head back to some serious blogging and challenge myself! In addition, my fitness goal this year has been great. I've been walking up early everyday just to exercise or strech I've been happy were I am right now :)

 

 

The Haul:

 

The King and The Crown by Melissa De La Cruz (For Review)

 

 

Enough said. It's going to be a great Mel book for sure :D

 

 

This Week On The Blog:

Review of Paper Towns by John Green

Fresh Off The Press (#14) March 4 - March 9

Review of Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

Coming Up This Week on The Blog:

Review of Dirty Little Lies by Kara Taylor, An Abundance of Katherines, etc

WoW and Fresh off The Press

Discussion Post: What Happened to Originality?

 

Hope you had a great week and BIG THANKS TO HYPERION FOR THE BOOK!