I have been obsessed with Spotify, since it's been my go-to app for discovering new music and artists, it definitely helped find these new songs I'm obsessed with! If you have not heard of it, be sure to check it out, it's available for your phone and laptop :)
Anyways, let's get onto the playlist!
1.) Dark Times - The Weeknd (ft. Ed Sheeran)
2.) Omen - Disclosure (ft. Sam Smith)
3.) Let It Go - James Bay
4.) Marvin Gaye - Charlie Puth (ft. Meghan Trainor)
5.) Real Life - Kopecky
6.) Who Is Goodbye - Fancy
So that's what I've been playing on my phone over and over for the month of August! Be sure to check them out, and if you guys have any other suggestions leave them in the comments or tell me on my social media!
Well I'm finally back? Yes no maybe so? Honestly I've been so crazy busy with school, whoever thought senior year was easy was lying. It's just a bunch of tests, quizzes, deadlines you're social life just falls down. I've been doing my best to keep up with reading and going to places for my In LA feature just so I don't feel bad I abandoned my blog!
If you guys have any tips on surviving back to school especially senior year and college admissions please comment below! I'd love to know what your guys tips are to survive such a hectic point in my life. Ahh!
In other great new, I'm me and my blog and getting featured over at Krystianna's blog, Downright Dystopian! Be sure to check out tomorrow!
Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine
Goodreads Summary: Cammie McGovern follows up her breakout young adult debut, Say What You Will, with this powerful and unforgettable novel about learning from your mistakes, and learning to forgive. Told in alternating points of view, A Step Toward Falling is a poignant, hopeful, and altogether stunning work that will appeal to fans of Jennifer Nevin, Robyn Schneider, and Jandy Nelson. Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing—until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.
Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people. Soon, Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?
Why I'm Waiting For It: I greatly enjoyed McGovern's Say What You Will and everything about that book was just eye - openning and fresh, so of course I CANNOT wait for this one! I like the cover a lot - the colors are amazing and I love the stepping stone-esque feel hence the novel's title. I like the plot of the novel and I want to see how McGovern weaves in Emily, Belinda, and Lucas's situation in the novel. The novel is so close, yet so far from being released, it is definitely going to be a great novel to read during the fall/winter months! Be sure to check out my review of McGovern's Say What You Will HERE!
A Step Toward Falling hits shelves September 23, 2015 from HarperTeen!
As summer is about to come to an end, it is that time when one's playlist is filled with all sort of great summer hits. This summer had some amazing songs and I found some great songs to share with you guys. Since I'm heading back to school this Monday, as a senior (YES!), my blogging game hopefully will be great like how it was this summer. Have a couple post scheduled for the month of August, so be on the lookout for those! Anyways, let's get to the playlist below! 1.)Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd 2.) Honey I'm Good - Andy Grammer 3.) Thinking About You - Calvin Harris (ft. Ayah Marar) 4.) Mess Is Mine - Vance Joy 5.) Running - James Bay 6.) Lean On - Major Lazer (ft. MO & DJ Snake) Be sure to check these songs out! I've been loving to listen to them while blogging and even when working it. It's definitely upbeat and cannot wait for the new The Weeknd album coming out this week!
For her post, we did her Top 5 Summer Books! Be sure to check out her choices below and comment below if you picked any of them up before or are about to :)
Her Top 5 Summer Reads
The Bane Chronicles - As a set of novellas, this book is perfect for picking up and putting down in the midst of a busy holiday. I'm currently reading this and I find it great to pick up in between kayaking and swimming when I just want a few moments to relax in the sun. Any set of novellas are perfect however these are particularly good as the stories are lighthearted and amusing.
A Court of Thorns and Roses - This beautiful faerie world of the Spring Court goes wonderful with a refreshing glass of cool fruit juice as you are sat out in the sunshine. You get so emerged in this novel, the day passed by so quickly, with you only pausing to eat or go to the bathroom, which makes it great if you have a free day during the summer where you just want to relax.
Nowhere But Here - For some reason, to me this book is the ideal summer read. I'm not 100% sure why, but in my mind this would be a perfect book to read on the beach or in your garden in the sunshine. I absolutely adore this novel, so would recommend it for any time of the year however I would say if you were going to pick one time to read it, I'd say summer.
The Heartbreakers - This is the traditional light hearted contemporary romance that is usually on people's summer reads list. It's quick enjoyable and heart warming. It isn't particularly deep and the writing isn't absolutely beautiful but it is good fun to read and for me that's the most important thing, especially in the summer. There's no point in reading something you're not enjoying.
Any of your favourite series - Most people believe summer is a time to read fluffy contemporary novels, but for me I find summer a perfect time to reread one of my favourites fantasy series. The ones I would never normally have time to reread, like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Being a book blogger, tragically means I rarely tend reread, so this is the perfect opportunity to do that without worrying too much about getting behind.
Be sure to check out Emily's blog and all her social medias! It was great having you on the blog :D
We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
Date Released: March 24, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Pages: 384 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Series: Standalone!
Goodreads Synopsis: Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels: The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever.
But then we all looked up and everything changed.
They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end.
To be honest, I was looking forward to picking this one up. There was a lot of good reviews here and there, with the exception of a couple bad ones, I knew I had to pick it up. We All Looked Up was a good portrayal of how teens would react and act if their circumstances forced them do value every second of their lives just as a asteroid, Ardor, is about to come crashing into Earth. The novel was good, nothing special, but I enjoyed reading about each of the character's journey into a world where they almost have nothing left. Opening and refreshing, it was a great novel :)
The novel has multiple perspectives from Eliza, Andy, Peter and Anita, four high school students who's lives are about to change because of Ardor, an asteroid, that is about to hit Earth. Wallach is able to paint a novel where any reader could relate to at least one of the characters and see themselves in their shoes. I enjoyed reading all of the perspectives, and I was actually able to keep up with the plot and characters. Wallach also bring in some diversity in his novel, by including a trans, Hispanic, and African American characters into the mix. While each character goes through with their own journey, it all eventually leads them together and it gives a lot of though to the reader. Like how would we change if an asteroid was coming to Earth to destroy the only place we know? What would we do with out limited time? I absolutely love it when a novel does that and if you do to check this one out!
The novel does suffer from a some slow points in the novel, with a couple drawn out chapters. Some times I found myself having to re-read a couple chapters before to remember where I was and what was going on. But overall, I still greatly enjoyed the book!
We All Looked Up is a great read if your looking for a realistic/contemporary that leaves you with a lot to think about life and how valuable time is. Check this one out!
Waiting on Wednesday is Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine
Goodreads Summary: An extraordinary debut novel by New York Times reporter Stephanie Clifford—a Bonfire of the Vanities for the 21st century mixed with Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep and Amor Towles's Rules of Civility. It’s 2006 in the Manhattan of the young and privileged, and a new generation of heirs and strivers are jockeying for social power and discovering that class, especially on the Upper East Side, still holds sway.
At 26, Evelyn Beegan is the product of new money, propelled by her social-climbing mother through an elite prep school, a posh college, and into Manhattan. Evelyn has always managed to stay just on the periphery of this world her mother so desperately wants her to become a part of. But when she takes a job at a new social networking site aimed at her very elite peers, she’s forced to leverage her few connections to work her way to the front of the pack. With the help of her prep school friends, Evelyn goes from lush "camps" in the Adirondacks and "cottages" in Newport, to Southampton weekends and clubs thick with socialites and Wall Street types, eventually befriending target #1, Camilla Rutherford—a young woman who is a regular on the front page of every society blog.
In order to be accepted by this rarefied set, Evelyn must be seen as someone with established old money. Her lies start small, but quickly grow, and as she relentlessly elbows her way up the social ladder, the ground underneath her begins to give way.
Why I'm Waiting For It: The minute I saw this on Goodreads I knew I had to feature it for my WoW! Social classes? Manhattan? Boarding school but also a job at a social networking site? Count me in! Definitely have high hopes for this one, and I do hope it turns out good, some reviews on Goodreads say it was a letdown. So hopefully it turns out good for me and I am obsessed with the cover!
Rise by Stephanie Clifford hits shelves August 18, 2015 from St. Martin's Press!
Each year the Noah girls play a secret game― Crushed. The rules are simple.
1. Use wisdom to pick your target. The boy can't be too weak or too strong-willed.
2. Blow the enchanted dust into your target's face to enchant (Crush) him.
3. Give verbal commands and assign them tasks to perform throughout the year. The more tasks completed, the stronger the witch's power grows.
4. At the end of the year, the witch with the most power wins cold, hard cash.
As if being a witch in high school isn't complicated enough, Kristen picks the wrong boy to Crush. Zach is tall, handsome, and a little scary. Her Crush spell isn't working on him like it has with the others. In fact, he is behaving the opposite of every other boy she's Crushed, hating her instead of adoring her. Something is definitely wrong. After someone attempts to kill her, Kristen realizes there is more at risk than a few hundred dollars. She may be betting with her life.
When Kasi Blake was in the third grade, she found out that a good story could get her out of trouble. Okay, some people call it a lie, but she didn't see anything wrong with using every skill available to her to avoid being grounded. Over the years, that didn't change. Her stories just grew more elaborate. When she was 12, she began to write them down, starting with a six-page tale about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the good girl that secretly wanted him. Kasi went on to write for Harlequin for a few years. Then, she published a vampire series on her own, and now she is publishing with Clean Teen.
Get ready for an exciting series on witches using their powers to play dangerous games at school. The first is Crushed. You can find her on Twitter @kasiblake, on FB, and she has a website under her name.
Kasi lives on a farm in the Midwest with tons of animals including cows, ducks, chickens, a dog, and cats.
I
consider myself a full-time writer with a part-time job on the side. I used to
teach Kindergarten thru 3rd grade, and it was a lot of fun.
Little kids are a hoot. Now, I do closed captioning for a local broadcast, but
that only takes about six hours. The rest of my time is split between writing,
taking care of our farm animals, and other commitments.
2.) Do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
My notes
fill up several notebooks, but I do the actual writing on my laptop.
3.) If this book is part of a series, tell us a little about it?
The Witch
Game Series focuses on a different set of characters and a brand new game in
each novel. Witch Hunt is the second book. At this moment, that’s all there is,
but I have several ideas for other books.
4.) Tell us about the cover/s and how it/they came about.
Marya
Heiman did the cover and did an awesome job. We talked about potential ideas
and searched for photos. Then, she ran with it. One of the ideas was for a girl
to be blowing pink dust out of her hands. It is a stunning cover.
5.) What was your favorite of this book to write?
Kristen
is a firecracker, and Zach is the mysterious bad boy at school. I loved writing
their scenes, watching them fight, and seeing them fall for each other.
6.) What writing process like?
I do
character bios, outlines, etc. Then, after I feel like I know my characters and
the story, I use Scrivener to write it. Scrivener is awesome because you can
jump around and write the scenes out of order if you want. It also has a place
for pictures of my characters.
7.) How has your writing changed from your first book to
now?
Well, I
started my first book when I was twelve and had no idea what I was doing. The
difference is like night and day. It’s easier for me to get lost in the story
now.
8.) How do you decided if a book is going to be a single or
a series?
I think
every case is different. When I wrote Vampires Rule, it was supposed to be a
single book. But I had a dream about it when I was halfway finished. The dream
made the story a lot more complicated, and I knew it would take at least three
books to tell it. When it comes to the Witch Game books, I purposely set out to
do a series. My hunter series that starts with Bait had to be a series because
so many things needed to happen to change the main character. Monster fighting
isn’t easy.
9.) Do you have a snack you must have to write?
No. I
don’t usually eat when I write. During the winter, I like to drink cocoa while
I write, but it usually gets cold because I forget to drink it.
10.) What would like your readers to know about you or your
books?
I
write the books I want to read, filled with action, humor, romance, and
paranormal elements. I love it when my characters come to life so I can live in
their skin and in their world. It’s always sad to say goodbye to them, like old
friends, but I know new friends are waiting. I also love to hear from readers.
They can find me on Twitter @kasiblake, on my webiste at kasiblake(dot)com, and
I have an author page on FB. Thanks for the interview.
Be sure to check out Kasi on her social media and check out her new book!
Before we get to Vivian's post, we did a quick little interview! It was fun and great meeting your Vivian!
1.) How long have you been blogging?
I only started blogging in April – so I really am a
newbie.
2.) Why did you start blogging?
I basically woke up one day and thought why am I not
doing this? I’m always looking at other people’s blogs about books, why don’t I
just invite myself into this community and share my love of books, with others
that get how I feel.
3.) How old are you?
Well, I will be 28 in 2 weeks (feel super old in this
group)
4. ) Favorite Book/Book Series? What genre do you mostly
read?
My favourite book series is the obvious Harry Potter but
to steer away from the mainstream. I would say that my favourite series is a
tie between Abbi Glines – Sea Breeze Series or Rosemary Beach Series.
I read a lot of New Adult/Adult Romance but do read YA novels
(maybe 2 a month).
5.) Why do you love to read AND blog?
I love to read because it takes me away from reality, a
place where anything can happen – for me it is just like watching TV. I also
love exploring my boundaries through reading. I love blogging more so for the
community then actually blogging. I love being around people and understood by
people; when it comes to reading. A lot of people do not understand my
obsession with books.
6.) Fav TV Show + Fav Song?
Fav TV Show (so many to mention) I love Friends,
Entourage, Gossip Girl & Grey’s Anatomy. Right now I can’t say I’m 100%
invested into anything. Music anything by Mumford & Sons, Florence &
Ed…
Now Vivian's book tag!
1.) Favorite Fictional Character?
One of my favourite fictional characters is Augustus Waters from Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I absolutely love his quirkiness, his loyalty and his gorgeous heart. His character is the right amount of funny and serious – I would totally want him as my best friend.
2.) Favourite Fictional Universe?
Hmmm Hogwarts is the obvious answer but lets say any book where vampires are real because heck, I would love to be in a universe where I am a vampire or vampires do exist.
3.) Fictional Arch Enemy?
Tough Question. How terrible am I, I can’t even think of the guy’s name in the Divergent Series that I dislike VERY much. Oh yeah his name is either Peter or Edward. Lets go with both because I know they were both horrible.
4.) Favorite Book Quote?
These Questions are a killer…
This is my favourite quote of all time from The Diary of Anne Frank
The quote says:
“In spite of everything, I really believe people are good at heart.”
5.) If you wrote a book what would it be about?
If I wrote a YA novel it would be set in high school and be about all the pressures of being a nerd and I don’t mean a popular valedictorian I mean a student who does nothing but study and goes home to deal with parents who think nothing is good enough and keep pushing.
If I wrote a NA novel it would be hearts, flower, romance and lots of swooning. **Hearty eye emojis**
Thanks so much Patrick for hosting me on your blog – I enjoyed the Book Tag
Thanks so much Vivian! Be sure to check out Vivian on her bio page and all her social media links below! :)
About Vivian:
Vivian is a Book Blogger from Sydney, Australia. Vivian started Beaute' De Livres - Beauty of Books to fuel her book obsession and eeting other people that understand her obsession a very welcomed surprise. With her Kindle in her bag always Vivian will read anything you throw at her. Beaute' De Livres - Beauty of Books is a bag of mixed goodies. Her reviews range from genre to genre (But mainly Romance because she is a MASSIVE sap). Beaute' De Livres - Beauty of Books is like a mixed bag of lollies, there are reviews, giveaways, weekly memes; basically a whole lot of things and thoughts.
You can find follow Beaute' De Livres - Beauty of Books on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Website
Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg Date Released: May 26, 2015
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books Pages: 336 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating: 4 Stars!
Series: Standalone!
Goodreads Synopsis: The author of OPENLY STRAIGHT returns with an epic road trip involving family history, gay history, the girlfriend our hero can't have, the grandfather he never knew, and the Porcupine of Truth. Carson Smith is resigned to spending his summer in Billings, Montana, helping his mom take care of his father, a dying alcoholic he doesn't really know. Then he meets Aisha Stinson, a beautiful girl who has run away from her difficult family, and Pastor John Logan, who's long held a secret regarding Carson's grandfather, who disappeared without warning or explanation thirty years before. Together, Carson and Aisha embark on an epic road trip to find the answers that might save Carson's dad, restore his fragmented family, and discover the "Porcupine of Truth" in all of their lives.
I absolutely loved The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg! It was fun, real and honest and it was just a book that opened up a lot about people and what life is. Konigsberg crafted such a well-written and funny YA novel that I believe any reader, young or old, definitely needs to pick it. Everything from its adventurous and fun protagonist Carson Smith to a secret that's been left in the shadows, it was an amazing read.
“Some things you remember, and some you forget. Of the things you remember, you have to wonder what’s real and what’s translated into a memory from a story you heard.”
The book begins with Carson who meets Alisha Stinson, a beautiful girl that he happens to met at the zoo. Who also happens to be a lesbian. In addition, Alisha faces a tough situation being kicked out of her house because of being a lesbian. Carson then decides to take her into his house and ultimately sets the path to finding his grandfather's long held secret to meeting new people. I greatly enjoyed Carson as a protagonist, he had such an ease and teenage spirit that any YA reader could relate to. His relationship with Alisha was something unique and special. I thought Alisha was a great contrast character to Carson because she was there to add some fun and spunk to their trip. I loved how the novel deals with Carson's grandfather's secret. Konigsberg doesn't automatically hit the reader with Carson's gay history. While this was my first LGBT novel, it definitely did not disappoint. The author does an amazing job in weaving a journey with Carson in finding who his grandfather was and telling his alcoholic dad who he was. The Porcupine of Truth touched upon issues of hate against "gays" but also the idea that they are also humans and need to be treated just like normal people. Ultimately, The Porcupine of Truth was such a thoughtful and real read. It opens a lot about human nature and how powerful the truth is. I loved everything about this book and I cannot wait to see what else Konigsberg has to write in the future! Definitely pick up the novel if your looking for a great LGBT novel.
