November Wrap-up!! (Sorry for being a month late!)

Hello again!! Happy New Year's Eve! I hope everyone had an awesome 2016! I cannot believe how busy one can be in December....I have been so busy.....I had dress rehearsal for my play, a dance recital, and two play performances all together, school is killing me, and I've been on vacation visiting family for Christmas... I know there's seriously only one day until 2017 (oh my gosh how did that happen?!), but I had this entire post typed out and just forgot to post it and it seemed a waste to not post it.....

But November was a really good reading month!! I read 14 books and enjoyed most of them! Out of the books, I read one 3 star, eight 4 stars, and five 5 stars. My absolute favorite was definitely Red Queen! Oh my gosh I loved that book! And my least favorite was probably The Cheetah Girls movie novelization....

November's monthly book challenge was "A Book That Intimidates Me". So naturally I picked The Kill Order because I've been slightly afraid to read it because of the content, but I did it! December's challenge is "A Book I Own But Have Never Read"! And I have decided to read Four by Veronica Roth! I actually just finished it today! I have wanted to read it for so long but I've just never gotten to it...And now that there's a sequel coming out with the pre-order of Carve the Mark (which one of my best friends is getting and letting me borrow), I'm really in a Divergent mood so I chose the perfect month to read it!

I'm definitely planning on doing my monthly challenge again next year! I randomized the prompts on my phone, so all but a few of the prompts are different from this year and I have an idea of the books I wanna use for each month! Now, on to the books!

Also, oh my gosh I just figured out how to put emojis on my blog posts!

• Oct. 6th/Nov. 2nd - The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. My friend Abby bought this book because she absolutely loves the movie that's based off of this book, and because I love The Secret of Moonacre too, she let me borrow it! It wouldn't have taken me almost a month to read it, except for the fact that I was distracted by other books that I needed to read. I'm pretty sure I prefer the movie, though that may be because I saw the movie multiple times before reading the book, but I did really like the way everything turned out in the end of the book! I wasn't a fan of how young the characters were when they got married, but it does coincide with the time it was based in, so I don't mind too much. I ended up giving this book 4 stars!

• 3rd/5th - The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. I had seen the movie that's based on this book somewhere and thought it sounded really good but never got the chance to watch it (and still haven't)! I bought this book with birthday money this year and I'm very glad that I bought it! I absolutely loved the kids and I just wanted to hug all of them from the very beginning...😂 I was surprised that this book had magic in it though....there were rumors of magic in the beginning, but I didn't really expect the rumors to be true and it didn't really seem to fit most of the story line of the book to me... I did enjoy it though (as the 376 pages read in two days would suggest...😂) and I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads!

• 5th - Three Cheers for Keisha (Magic Attic Club - Book 4) by Teresa Reed. I love the Magic Attic Club books.....I actually have the Rose and Alison dolls that my parents gave me when I was younger along with some of the books. I haven't read many of the Keisha books, but this one was very good and I really should read more of them some time... I actually forgot that I gave this one 5 stars.... This is why I have Goodreads pulled up in a separate window to look back on for dates and ratings!

• 6th/8th - The Wedding Planner's Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore. If you're ever in the mood for a lighthearted little love story, then this book would most likely be a really good choice! The writing was definitely different from what most books are like... I liked how there was a quote from a book or poem at the beginning of each chapter! I gave this one 4 stars!

• 13th - The New Kids (Shugo Chara - Vol. 5) by Peach-Pit. This is the first book in the series so far to get a rating lower than 4 stars... It had a cute story, but I felt like it was a major filler book and didn't really move the story line along. This one got 3 stars.

• 14th - Betrayal (Shugo Chara - Vol. 6) by Peach-Pit. I feel kind of ashamed that I can't remember what happened in this book.....I think I remember some of the main things based on the title.....😂 Anyways, this one got the usual 4 stars....

• 14th - Inuyasha Vizbig Edition Volume 5 (Inuyasha - Vol. 13, 14, and 15) by Rumiko Takahashi. Rin finally came in in this one! It was so good! I honestly can't believe I managed to read it in a day though..... 562 pages..... The magic of manga...😂 I gave this one 5 stars!

• 8th/14th - Red Queen (Red Queen - Book 1) by Victoria Aveyard. Oh my gosh I cannot believe how much I absolutely loved this book! It was so hard for me to stop reading whenever I opened it! And that ending threw me off so much....was not expecting that plot twist....I can't wait to read Glass Sword and I hope it will meet my expectations! In case you couldn't tell, this one got 5 stars...😂

• 15th - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium : Movie Novelization by Suzanne Weyn. It felt like I was rewatching the movie the entire time I was reading this...😂 I gave it 4 stars.

• 15th/16th - The Cheetah Girls : Movie Novelization by Deborah Gregory. I have learned that I don't really like movie novelizations if I've seen the movie multiple times.... They're seriously word for word with no description at all....I really only gave this one 4 stars because The Cheetah Girls is one of my favorite childhood movies...

• 16th/18th - The Sun Trail (Warriors : Dawn of the Clans - Book 1) by Erin Hunter. So my friend Shelby is reading the Warriors series for the first time (she's currently on the second New Prophecy book) and since we'd been talking about it so much, I got the idea that I wanted to reread the entire thing.....from the prequel series all the way through until I got completely caught up......Don't know if I'll actually do that...but I'm going to try!! I'm pretty sure this is my third time reading this book? I love this series so of course it still gets 5 stars from me!

• Black Cat (Shugo Chara - Vol. 7) by Peach-Pit. This one is probably one of my favorite volumes in the series so far! Multiple parts of this one made me laugh... I really need to work on finishing the series soon considering I have volumes 8-12 sitting literally in front of my face on my bookshelf right now! 😂 That being said, this book still didn't make me think "oh my gosh this is one of my absolute favorite books!" so it received 4 out of 5 stars as well.

And finally...

• Desert Dancer (Phantom Stallion - Book 7) by Terri Farley. Still continuing my series-long buddy read with my friend Sierra! I loved this one too and of course it got 5 stars!

Alright, that's it for now! My December Wrap-up along with a 2016 Wrap-up kind of post will be up (hopefully) within the next few days! Happy New Year!

New Books!! Woot Woot!!

Okay, yes I totally just said "woot woot"..... But I really love getting new books!!

So, my dad found three of the books at a thrift store last week! On the top is The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens! It's the first book in the Books of Beginning trilogy! I've read it once before as an e-book from my library last year or the year before, but I can't remember anything about it....XD Not to mention I absolutely love the way the pages are in this book! (They're the uneven pages like parchment or something! I absolutely love books with pages like that!) The two books in the middle row (from right to left) are Plain Pursuit and Plain Proposal by Beth Wisemen! Plain Pursuit is the second book and Plain Proposal is the fifth book in the Daughters of the Promise series! I don't have any more from the series, but to my knowledge they're standalones so it should be okay! I haven't read an Amish book in a while, so it should be interesting seeing if I still enjoy them or not!

The three books in the bottom row I found today when I went to Goodwill with my parents! On the left is The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo! I saw the movie last year (I think) on Netflix and I found it for 50 cents at Goodwill so I figured I'd buy it and see how the book is! I own the movie novelization version of this and I've never read it....I actually didn't even know that it was an actual book until today....XD The book in the middle is Puzzle in Patchwork by Roberta Updegraff. It's the twelfth book in the Church Choir Mysteries series published by Guideposts! I actually really like these books....they're Christian mysteries that I can get through pretty quickly and I enjoy them a lot! Finally... On the right is Jealousy by Jessica Burkheart! It's the seventeenth book in the Canterwood Crest series! I own, have read, and reviewed (Link here! Review! Take the Reins by Jessica Burkheart (Canterwood Crest - Book 1)) the first book and I'll probably get the other books from the library...

Well that's it for this post! These books came at a very good time since I wasn't sure what to post this weekend! Until next time!

Instagram Giveaway!

So, I posted this later in the day than I wanted to, but here it is!! I've officially been on Instagram for a year!! I can't believe it's already been a year since I started this account!!! So in honor of this event, I'm doing a book giveaway! The book will be a mystery based on the genre that you choose (Genres are below) and I'll also include a mystery bookmark! All you have to do is comment on the giveaway post with your Instagram name (if you have one) and what genre you would like if you won! The giveaway will be open until November 14th!

The genres will be - YA Fiction
- Adult/YA Nonfiction
- Poetry
- Children's Fiction
- Middle Grade Girls' fiction (Christian and nonreligious)

NOTE: Due to the cost of international shipping, this giveaway is available to US residents only.

October Wrap-up!!!!!

Hello again! I'm actually remembering to post!!! This is technically a day or two early, but with the books I'm currently reading right now, I will definitely not be finishing either one by tomorrow night.....XD I joined a book club with my school that "meets" (on the computer) twice a month!! And I'm now a book club helper, so I'm excited!

So, I apparently had a pretty busy month this month because I only read 8 books and 4 of them I could literally start and finish each one in a day... But at least the books I read this month were good! Five of them were 4 stars and the other three were 5 stars!

October's reading challenge was to read " A Book That I've Read at Least Once" and I may or may not have jumped at the chance to read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (aka the first book in my favorite series) for like the 4th, 5th, or 6th time.... (I may or may not have lost count of how many times I've read it....XD) Next month's challenge is "A Book That Intimidates Me" and so far I plan on reading The Kill Order by James Dashner, but I'm not positive so it may change.....

• 5th - Who Do You Want to Be? (Shugo Chara - Vol. 1) by Peach-Pit. I borrowed this one from my friend Shelby again so that I could refresh my memory before I read book 4. 4 stars once again, and still as good as I remember!

• Sep. 14th/Oct. 5th - Valkyrie (Valkyrie - Book 1) by Kate O'Hearn. I bought this book in May with a birthday gift card and actually read it this month....XD I actually have a different cover than the one shown in my collage, but that's the one Goodreads decided to give me when I saved the pic....XD I really enjoyed this book and am very excited for the next one! I gave it 4 stars!

• 6th - Friends in Need (Shugo Chara - Vol. 2) by Peach-Pit. Borrowed this one to refresh my memory also! I enjoyed it and it still has 4 stars!

• 7th - Can a Bad Guy Turn Good? (Shugo Chara - Vol. 3) by Peach-Pit. Same as volumes 1 and 2! XD 4 stars!

• 8th - Character Swap! (Shugo Chara - Vol. 4) by Peach-Pit. I actually read a new one!! This one was very good and it got 4 stars! I borrowed volumes 5, 6, and 7 from Shelby so I'll hopefully read them in November!

• 11th/18th - Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass - Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas. Oh. My. Gosh. I loved this book from the very first sentence! I enjoyed it so much and I'm really hoping to get the whole series for Christmas this year, because I borrowed this one from Shelby for my book club and I hated giving it back....... In case you couldn't tell, I gave Throne of Glass 5 stars! The cover in the picture is actually different from the one I read and I absolutely love the design of the copy I read!

• 19th/23rd - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children - Book 1) by Ransom Riggs. This was another book for book club! I actually read it for a book club with my friends a couple of years ago and wasn't a big fan, but I bought it this time because I wanted to reread it anyway and I actually liked it a lot more this time! I actually gave it 5 stars this time around!

• 23rd/29th - The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Book 1) by Rick Riordan. I don't think I even need to write a review for this one anymore.........we all know I gave it 5 stars....XD

Well that's all for this month!! I'll be making another post either tonight or tomorrow talking about a giveaway I'm doing on Instagram (I'll be posting my Instagram name on the side bar of the blog!) so stay tuned!

And the Worst Book Blogger Award Goes To.....

Me.....Unfortunately....I have been really bad about remembering to post....Between vacation, school, drama, and dance I completely forgot that this blog existed for a bit.....But I'm going to try very hard to get back into posting once a week (probably on the weekends)! So here's an update for the past 4 months....

In June I read 10 books! One 3 star (The Sea of Monsters : Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan), four 4 stars (Our Strange New Land by Patricia Hermes, Zodiac by Romina Russell, The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer, and Against the Tide by Tui T. Sutherland) , and five 5 stars (Dark Sunshine by Terri Farley, The Renegade by Terri Farley, Half-Blood by Jaye L. Knight, Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, and The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz)! Scarlet was my book for my June prompt which was "Book chosen for me by a friend" which was chosen by my friend Sierra! (Technically Zodiac could fit into that prompt too as my friend Shelby got me to borrow it from her and read it!) I can't decide if my favorite of the month was Half-Blood or Scarlet....I absolutely loved both of them!!

In July I read 7 books! One 3 star (Descendants : Junior Novel by Disney), three 4 stars (Pretty Lady of Saratoga by Deborah G. Felder, Inuyasha - Volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi, and The Clone Codes by Patricia C. McKissack), and three 5 stars (Free Again by Terri Farley, Rise and Fall by Eliot Schrefer, and The Challenger by Terri Farley)! Technically the book I planned to read for the July prompt, which was "A book that was published before I was born", didn't get read....however I ended up reading Pretty Lady of Saratoga which was published a year before I was born so I still succeeded!I honestly can't pick a favorite out of these....XD

In August I only read 2 books.....that was a very busy month for me though....I seriously started drama, dance, school, and went on vacation all in the same month... Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain by Richard Roberts and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll were both 3 stars! I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for the August prompt which was "A book that was/is banned".....let's just say that it is a very...interesting....book....XD My favorite of the two was Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain! While I wasn't a fan of the amount of romance between a couple of 13 (if that) year olds, I really liked the fact that the book was from the POV of villains instead of heroes!

Finally, in September I read 6 books! I actually only had one 4 star book (The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot) and the rest (Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul, Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz, and Inuyasha - Volumes 2, 3, and 4) were all 5 stars! I read the Princess Diaries for the September prompt "Book I previously abandoned".  My favorite was Dragonspell! It was so good!!!

~~~~~~

Also, I joined a bookclub with my school this month and the first meeting is on Friday!!! They apparently decided last month (I hadn't joined yet) to read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and even though I doubt I'll finish it by Friday as I started it on Monday, I decided to try and read as much as I could (thankfully Shelby owns it!!) and so far I am in love!!! I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a few months!! I absolutely love that Celaena is the type of person that falls in love with a library out of the whole castle and stays up until 4 in the morning even though she has to get up early the next morning!

Okay! All caught up!! I'll try to post weekly from now on!!!

~Allie

New Books From Books a Million!!

My books came in today!!!! I was so impatient all day long waiting for them to be delivered! And even though they were sent in two different boxes from two different states, they got here at the same time because one arrived a day early! I should not be set free with giftcards to book stores......eleven books in less than a week....XD

On the top left is The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan which is a book of short stories and things for the Heroes of Olympus series. I've already read it before a couple of years ago but I definitely plan on reading it again soon because I don't remember it very much....and I just bought it so I kinda have to read it at least once....XD

On the top in the middle is The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. It's the second book in the Kane Chronicles so I finally have the whole set!!!! I love the colors in this cover! Although my favorite cover is The Serpent's Shadow... Again, I've read this one once before but I plan on rereading the trilogy again soon!

Top right is The Apprentice's Quest by Erin Hunter. This one is the first book in the new Warriors series, A Vision of Shadows, and I can't wait to read it!!! I wasn't expecting another series at all and I was sad because I wanted to know what happens after The Last Hope! And I found it for 10 dollars in hardback and it just came out in March so I'm really happy I found it!

Bottom left is Cinder by Marissa Meyer, the first book in The Lunar Chronicles. I've read this one twice, and since I have to wait a while to get Winter in paperback, I'll probably end up reading it again....there's a short story in the back that I plan on reading soon though! I found this one on sale for 5 dollars and I was so glad! 

Middle on the bottom is Cress by Marissa Meyer, the third book in The Lunar Chronicles! I am so excited for this book!! My friend Sierra has told me how amazing it is so many times, and after Scarlet my expectations are really high now! And I got it for 7 dollars which I was really excited about! 

And finally, on the bottom right, is The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. I first heard about this book when I found the movie somewhere and thought it sounded really good before noticing it said it was based off of a book by an author that I knew XD I've been wanting to read this book for a while now and every time I've looked for it at my library it's always checked out so I found it on Books a Million's website and went ahead and bought it! It's smaller than I expected, but I still can't wait to read it!!! 

Okay, that's it for this one, but my review of Scarlet will be up soon!! 

New Books From Barnes and Noble! With a Slight Rant at the End...... (Newly Updated)

Okay, so as the name of the post says, this is part partying and part ranting...... My cousin Lainey gave me a 20 dollar Barnes and Noble giftcard for my birthday and since Barnes and Noble is pretty far away from us, I went online and picked out five books - two books and a box set with the first three in the series. The box set came in on Friday and the other two books came in yesterday! 

I bought Rogue Wave by Jennifer Donnelly, which is the second book in the Waterfire Saga, and I can't wait to read it! I loved Deep Blue so much! I also got The Unwanteds, Island of Silence, and Island of Fire by Lisa McMann, books 1-3 of the Unwanteds series. The Unwanteds was a suggested book in a book club my friends and I used to do, but we ended up choosing another book and I was really interested in this series! 

 Finally I got Inheritance by Christopher Paolini which is book 4 in the Inheritance Cycle. I still have the entire series to read before I reach this one.....XD Unfortunately, when I opened the box that contained Rogue Wave and Inheritance (The Unwanteds was shipped seperately), there was absolutely no packaging to keep the books from being tossed around during shipping (they were shipped to Georgia from New Jersey) and Inheritance's cover was cut, along with the first three pages having an indent from whatever cut it. It looks like they cut it with a box cutter or something when opening the box of books and they paid zero attention to the fact that this one was damaged when they packed it. I was so angry yesterday...... I've bought books from Amazon and received them slightly damaged (to the point where I doubt I'll be ordering books from Amazon again as both times the books were presents) but this is a bookstore. I expect a bookstore to package their books correctly so that they won't be damaged during shipment, and to make sure they're not damaged when they put them into the box. I plan on going to the Barnes and Noble store sometime this week to take this copy back and get a new copy. 

In order to end this post on a happier note, I still had my 50 dollar Books a Million giftcard from my birthday last month, and I ordered six books on their website yesterday!! Hopefully these are all delivered safely!! I can't wait to get them!! I'll also be posting a review sometime this week! Maybe even tonight if this storm keeps up...... 

UPDATE : The only had three copies of Inheritance at the store and they were all banged up and I wasn't about to have them order it again, I just got my money back..... which means no Inheritance for a little while.....