I Feel Like Gabbing Today

THIS POST WAS INSPIRED BY BOOKISH (AND NOT SO BOOKISH THOUGHTS) @ BOOKISHLY BOISTEROUS
AND THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY @ THE QUIET CONCERT.

I have no idea how often I will have this post or when exactly I'm going to post it. This is a work in progress. I do however know that I want to share my very random thoughts that pop into my head with you. Many are bookish thoughts and many are not. Sometimes these posts will be one topic and sometimes just a list of random ideas, who knows. This week it is a list. I feel like I don't have enough discussion type posts on the blog so I am giving this a whirl.

1. I may love books and reading is without a doubt my first and foremost favorite hobby, but I also love movies and tv shows. For some reason, I have honestly no idea why, I avoid writing a lot of posts about my other hobbies. I just always feel like I can only write about books on here, but this is my blog so really I can talk about whatever I want.

2. NaNoWriMo begins super soon, like super super soon (tomorrow), and I am not ready. I have a basic idea of what I want to write about but that is it. The worst part, I never even finished editing the book I wrote last year. Therefore, sometimes I'm pretty sure I shouldn't even do NaNoWriMo thisyear. I mean what's the point? BUT I am going to participate anyway so I guess I don't care that much.

3.Confession: I am just like almost every one else this time of year, I love all things pumpkin. I'm not ashamed. I even tried the iced pumpkin mocha at Dunkin. I don't regret it.

4. I love binge watching tv shows. The catch, I very rarely ever finish a show I begin watching. I get bored. I do however sometimes end up finishing the show eventually when I feel like it at a much later date.

5. Now I'm going to share with you my most deepest darkest secret... sometimes I'm just not in the mood to read. It doesn't happen often but it has known to occur from time to time. I hate when it happens. Usually my husband forces me (don't worry he does so in a nice way) to sit down to read, and I always end up thanking him profusely.

6. There is some crazy blogger/author stuff going on right now (I'm sure you have heard about it on Twitter). I like to stay out of all drama, but I will say that I never in any circumstance think stalking is okay.

7. They encourage us to dress up for Halloween at work (the library). Last year I was Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series. Today I am going to be a minion!

8. I don't understand turning any and all costumes into slutty costumes. This list of sexy Halloween costumes that shouldn't be sexy sums up my thoughts on the topic perfectly.

That's it for this round of It's a Book Life's Gab Session. I actually really enjoyed gabbing with you and I think I will be making this a weekly thing. We shall see. Join in on the Gab Session below. I would love to hear your random bookish and not bookish thoughts!

Review: The Blood of Olympus by: Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus by: Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus #5) (Oct 7. 2014)

502 pages

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source: I bought it.

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

My Review

The Blood of Olympus is the last book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Although the series ended perfectly I am incredibly sad to say goodbye to all of my wonderful demigod friends, especially Percy Jackson and Annabeth. I love that couple.

I honestly don’t even know what to say in this review because I have reviewed other books in this series and I pretty much say the same thing. I love the characters. I love the way Riordan manages to have comical moments mixed in with the dark moments. I love how fun these books are. I love the adventures and I love how the Greek and Roman Gods are depicted. I love it all. Although in this last book Riordan did play an evil game of making us worry about who will die throughout most of the book.

There are only two things I have ever had a problem with throughout all the Percy books. First, each book in this and the Percy Jackson series sticks pretty much to the same quest plot line, but honestly that never stopped me from loving these books it’s just a small thing. Second, there is never enough Percy Jackson in the Heroes of Olympus series. I know that it’s not all about him, but he is still my favorite and we didn’t get chapters from his POV in this last installment. However, I did 100% enjoy the other POVs in this book and I understand why Riordan picked those characters to finish out the series. So I guess I can't even really say anything all that negative about these books no matter how hard I try.

Bonus: There is a hint to Riordan’s next series that focuses on Norse Mythology in this book so keep an eye out. It made me even more excited for his next trilogy!

I enjoyed every minute of my time with these remarkable demigods. I encourage anyone and everyone to give these books a try if they haven't yet. I will remind you that The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is more middle grade and The Heroes of Olympus is more teen. The bottom line is that these books are fun, fun, fun.

Library Loot #27

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire fromThe Captive Readerand Linda fromSilly Little Mischiefthat encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.

** I actually had only one young adult novel in my possession from the library so I figured a trip was a must. I found a lot of good ones this time around.

My Library Loot

1. & 2. The sequels I have been meaning to read.

3. I have yet to read the first book but I still have it from a previous library trip.

4. I love the cover and I love trying new things, in this case a graphic novel.

5. & 6. Some picks for the Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Read-A-Thon I plan to participate in.

7. Since I work at a public library....

8. I hope this murder mystery is a good one since so many are repetitive.

9. The last book in the trilogy.

TTT #27 - Top Ten Characters Who I Would Want To Be For Halloween & Reading Suggestions

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted over atThe Broke and the Bookish.

This week I chose to do the Halloween costume topic. I had a blast choosing which amazing fictional women I would love to be for Halloween if money and my lack of creativity weren't issues.

1. Celaena

2. Elsa

Source

3.Daenerys

Source

4. Tauriel

Source

5. Luna

Source

6. Katniss

Source

7. Skeeter

Source

8. Rogue

Source

9. Harley Quinn

Source

10. Rapunzel - Cress or Tangled version

Source

Bonus: Halloween Reading Suggestions

Book Riot - Oh, the Horror: Scary Reads for the Season
Epic Reads - 21 Bone-Chilling YA Reads
The Attic (Part of Fortnight of Fright @ The Book Addict's Guide) - Find Your All Hallows Read

Review: Afterworlds by: Scott Westerfeld

Afterworlds by: Scott Westerfeld (Sept. 23, 2014)

608 pages

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: I received a copy from the best book blogger friend a girl could ask for, Nicole over at The Quiet Concert. Thanks again!!!!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

My Review

I have been thinking about how to write this review for some time. I am honestly at a loss for words, which doesn’t happen very often. Afterworlds is a very daunting novel, it’s 608 pages, and man does it look it. So the big question is, did I love this book as much as I thought I would considering I greatly enjoyed many of Westerfeld’s other novels? I honestly don’t even know how to answer that question.

I really liked Afterworlds and I loved the idea of having a book with two stories in it. I mean it’s a two for one deal. Who doesn’t love those? It’s too bad that since there were two books in one I don’t think either story was as good as it could have been.

I liked both Darcy (the writer) and Lizzie (the MC in her novel). I also found both of their stories entertaining. I’m not even sure I could tell you which one I liked more, both had their positives and negatives. The worst part was the switching back and forth. Not because it was hard to follow but because I was really enjoying one story and then it felt like I got ripped away into the other one. It wasn’t always a pleasant feeling, although it did make me completely engaged in the novel. It was fun however to get to think like a writer and a reader while reading.

My favorite part of the whole book would have to be when Darcy’s friend does research for her novel. She does hands on research, she likes to experience things her characters do first hand so she can really write it. I found this technique interesting and funny to read about.

So what should I rate Afterworlds? I honestly still am not sure. I liked it a great deal but it didn’t blow me away as much as I hoped it would. It also takes a good chunk of time to read so I don’t want to waste anyone’s time in case they don’t like this. In the end, I’m giving it four stars and telling all you readers out there to proceed with caution. I obviously don’t regret reading Afterworlds and I hope you don’t either. Unique it is.

The Bookish Report

Here are all of the top bookish stories, blog posts, pictures, and videos I found this past week. I put this post up every Sunday so come back again next week for more bookish awesomeness.Click away and enjoy your Sunday!

News

If you are a fan of The Selection trilogy then you will probably like this news.

J.K. Rowling will be publishing a story about Dolores Umbridge on Halloween.

Fictional Books Within Books We Wish Were Real - Need I say more?

Compare your reading habits to other readers! It's kind of interesting.

I love inforgraphics, and you are going to love these ones about word usage in classic literature.

If you are a Colleen Hoover fan then you are going to want to read about this chance to win her books for free for life!

Epic Reads has revealed a whole lot of awesome book covers of their summer releases.

I need ALL these bookish things.

Fellow Book Blogger Posts

This is some gorgeous book photography! Thanks Lit-Rate-Ture

If you missed this round of Reader/Blogger Wish list no worries, here is a recap.

I feel the need to share thisquote with you that I found on Corrie The Book Crazed Girl.

Here are a couple of well written personal posts about the Shannon Hale craziness that I think are good to read that are more about safety online than anything.Finley Jayneand Jamie's posts.

A True and Funny Photo

SOURCE

Review: Spark by: Brigid Kemmerer

Spark (Elemental #2) by: Brigid Kemmerer (Aug. 28, 2012)

345 pages

Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal

Publisher: Kensington

Source: The library.

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can't. Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he's not doing it. And no one seems to believe him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Because Layne has a few secrets of her own...

My Review

In the second book of the Elemental series, Spark, we get to continue reading about the Merrick boys’ crazy life from Gabriel’s point of view, and it jump starts right where it left off.

I was hesitant when I first started reading Spark because Gabriel wasn’t my favorite character in the first book, he was actually maybe my least favorite. It turns out that I really didn’t have anything to worry about. Gabriel really grows in this novel and we discover why he is kind of a jerk, which he isn’t so much by the end of the novel. He actually is pretty likable. I’m really glad I gave Gabriel a chance.

I was very curious about the new character, Layne, and I really liked the friendship she formed with Gabriel. I would have liked even more time with Layne and Gabriel, which I never thought I would say, but there it is. I also enjoyed getting more time with the other Merrick boys. I just really like the family dynamic in this novel along with the friendships and romantic relationships.

Spark seemed pretty run of the mill for the most part, but it still had some surprises. The ending was nicely done and really set it up well for the next installment in the series. I hope I get around to reading the next book sooner rather than later.I think this series is a good choice for paranormal fans. Who doesn't love some cute and sexy guys with magical elemental powers in their books?

The Bookish Report

Here are all of the top bookish stories, blog posts, pictures, and videos I found this past week. I put this post up every Sunday so come back again next week for more bookish awesomeness.Click away and enjoy your Sunday!

News

I think Amy Poehler is hilarious. I cant wait for her book to come out. Seeing herauthor photo has me even more pumped.
Marvel is going to publish a young adult novel starring Black Widow!
29 Moments Any Librarian Knows Too Wellis going to make you laugh.
A US tourist got locked in a London bookstore. He managed to tweet himself out of there pretty quickly, but if that was me I would have been having a party.
Thursday was Dictionary Day! To celebrate I think you should read up on your YA vocabulary.
The Mortal Instruments Series is heading to TV. Since the movie didn't do so well they are thinking this is a better plan. I liked the movie okay, just not that ridiculous love plot line.

Fellow Book Blogger Posts

ReadThe Seven Deadly Sins of a Book Blogger.I have been guilty of a couple of these.

I'm hoping to find the time to make this cute Halloween bookmark.

I really enjoyed reading Lite-Rate-Ture's post telling authors to stay weird and be proud of writing a book even if some of the reviews are negative.

Yup, I am a book junkee.I'm sure you are too.

Very True

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I Participated in The GIF Tag

This one is pretty simple. Stacie over at Books Galore gave me a list of 10 books that I had to find a GIF for and write one sentence to represent how I felt about each book. I did change two numbers around but that was it. I had a lot of fun doing this one. Thanks Stacie!

1. Starcrossed by josephine angelini & under the never sky by vernoica rossi

Who knows if I will ever read these.

2. Fangirl by rainbow rowell

I fangirled over the cuteness of Fangirl.

3. Throne of glass by sarah j. maas

Sometimes it kills me, but mostly it blows me away.

4. the 5th wave by rick yancey

Eh, I tried to love it but I only liked it.

5. daughter of smoke & bone by laini taylor

Unlike everyone else I really wasn't a fan.

6. Delirium by lauren oliver

I really liked the first book and then it kind of went down hill a little.

7. shadow and bone by leigh bardugo

gio!pts;ifhadjfdafk?afn = So stressful to read... but oh so good.

8. the maze runner by james dashner

I liked the first book a lot.

9. vampire academy by richelle mead

Okay, I guess I need to finally read this.

10. The scorpio races by maggie stiefvater

Enough said.

AND I TAG:

So many people have done these tags lately that I am losing track of who has done which ones. Therefore, I choose whoever feels like doing this! Below are the ten books I give you to respond to. Please let me know if you choose to do this tag below so I can see your answers. Have fun!

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

3. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

4. Cress by Marissa Meyer

5. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

6. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

7. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

8.The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

10. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Review: Anna and The French Kiss by: Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss (#1) by: Stephanie Perkins (Dec. 2010)
372 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Romance
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

My Review

Why did I choose to read Anna and the French Kiss after all of this time? Well, apparently every other person LOVES it hardcore and I was starting to feel left out. I wanted to know why everyone was all

Therefore, I decided to take the plunge and see what all the hype was about. I don't regret it. I immediately found the main character Anna to be really down to earth and pretty cool.

So it started out fine. I liked Anna and everything was going pretty good, and then the first cliche thing happened and I got scared. I got really nervous that the whole book was going to be one big annoying romantic cliche and that I wouldn't like it. I became nervous of being the only one not to like this book. I felt a little something like this.

BUT I kept reading. Then at about 50 pages in I felt my mood towards this book take a turn, for the better. Anna and the French Kiss made me laugh, and I love a book that can make me laugh.

I started to like the characters more and more. I LOVED the setting and getting to see Anna explore Paris along with St. Clair. I was really liking it. In fact, I was finding the whole thing to be cute, fun, and everything you would want in a romance novel. Not to mention I may have been crushing on St. Clair.

Then I started to get antsy. Would these two ever actually end up together? I figured that they would, but still. I was getting tired of the whole "will they won't they" scenario.

Yet I still couldn't stop enjoying Anna and her adventure in Paris. When I finally finished reading...

It's easy for me to see why everyone loves Anna and the French Kiss. I ended up enjoying it a great deal. So far I have liked what Stephanie Perkins has written and I look forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy. To all of those who haven't read this book yet (so the one or two of you) I suggest you give it a try the next time you are in the mood for a cute and incredibly fun romance novel set in Paris, which I now want to visit.