Goals and Challenges for 2015

So....this year was kind of a fail for all the goals and challenges I set for myself last year, and it was for a lot of different reasons (mostly personal) but I've really missed blogging and even reading. I know I didn't even reach my Goodreads goal which I have always surpassed in the past.

This year I want it all to be different, I'm going to set more reasonable goals for myself because in 2014 I set goals that I would have accomplished in the past when I didn't have as many responsibilities and school work to focus.

Goals

Obviously this was going to be number one because I barely posted this year. I know there were months where I only posted about 5 times.... Even if I post just once a week its better, but it should be more with Harleen joining me. It might get bad during AP weeks and finals but we should be posting regularly otherwise.

Whether that be by commenting back with you guys, commenting on other blogs, or just chatting with you guys on Twitter. I really just want to put myself out there and make new friends. Please feel free to initiate the conversation!!

Yes, that is a lot less that my usually 100 or even my 200 from 2013, but I'll be dealing with college apps, SATs and ACTs, among SO MUCH MORE in 2015 so I'm going to keep it reasonable and something I'm sure I can reach.

Challenges

This series has been getting TONS of good reviews so I thought I would join the band wagon, because why not?

I do want to read at least 15 books off of my TBR pile because it keeps getting bigger and bigger...especially since I started working at a bookstore.. :/

What challenges and goals have you set for 2015?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want Santa to Bring Me

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today I will be doing a top ten books I want Santa to bring me. (Also, this is my first post on the blog! YAY!)

 10. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt 

 9. Darkness Before Dawn by J. A. London 

 8. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

 7. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

 6. Entwined by Heather Dixon 

 5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

 4. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

 3. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins 

 2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

 1. Splintered by A. G. Howard

 What books do you want from Santa this year?





Review: More than Exes by Elizabeth Briggs

Author: Elizabeth Briggs
Publisher: Self-Published
Number of Pages: 79

Synopsis:

"Keyboardist Kyle Cross may look like a bad boy with his tattoos and piercings, but he’s really the good guy who’s always stuck fixing his band’s problems and never gets the girl. His band is competing in a college Battle of the Bands, but when their bassist doesn't show, Kyle must track her down with the help of the person he least expects: his ex-girlfriend Alexis Monroe. 
Kyle hasn’t seen Alexis since she dumped him in high school, and she’s dropped her preppy image for fiery red hair and a bold new attitude to match. With only hours before his band goes on stage, Kyle has to be a little bad if he wants to win both the Battle and the girl he's never gotten over. But when their old problems resurface, the good guy might just get his heart broken all over again."

I was definitely looking forward to this book when I got it and while it was good it could have been a lot better. It was a lot shorter than I expected it to be and the story could have been a lot more developed.

Kyle and Alexis relationship was seen in the first book of the series,More than Music, and we finally got to see their relationship and how it came to be in this novella, and it really didn't live up to expectations.

We know from the beginning of the novella that they used to date in high school and when they broke up Kyle was devastated. I was expecting a novella with flashbacks, a few more days involved, but it takes place in just one night and it just seems a bit unbelievable. I really don't know anyone who would be willing to get back together with the ex that shred their heart in just one night. It's just not realistic.

A lot more effort and thought could have been put into this story, I'm disappointed that Kyle and Alexis's story is not something we can readily read about. I'm not saying the book should have been this 200+ page novel that had all the works but 79 pages just wasn't enough to do this book justice.

It was great to see the guys back together and we do have a little more insight into Kyle's story which was great. 

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

*A copy of this book was provided by the author and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Discussion: Why I Won't Read Girl Online Right Now

Girl Online came out on November 25th and I was so excited to read it! I don't know how many of you know, but I am in love with YouTubers. Joe Sugg, Zoe's brother, is the reason I became an addict. I am a very big fan of Zoe's and Im a die hard Zalfie fan :D

Girl Online was Zoe's first book, her debut, and it broke the record for the most amount of books sold from a debut author, obviously because of her 6 million+ subscribers. 

The reason I am not going to be reading Girl Online anytime soon is because of all the drama associated with Zoe's book. 

Tons of people are miffed at Zoe for ghostwriting her book and frankly I don't know why they are all so upset. Tons, and I mean TONS, of celebrities ghostwrite their books. For heavens sake, JAMES PATTERSON ghostwrites his book. For all of the fans of First Love by James Patterson, sorry to say but it was ghostwritten. I don't have a problem with people ghostwriting, I'm less inclined to read the book if it is, but if the story sounds fabulous I'm going to read it.

I don't want all the commotion surrounding the book to influence how I feel about the book while I'm reading it, that's unfair to Zoe and her ghostwriter. I want to decide how I feel about the book, BASED on the book, not what others are saying it. 

The second reason is because I am miffed at Zoe for ghostwriting the book, not because she decided to do that, but the fact that no credit was given to her ghostwriter. If you take a look at most books that are ghostwritten, the author bio at the back of the book will most likely give credit to the ghostwriter--Zoe didn't do that. She took full credit for writing it when in reality all she did was outline the book, which is definitely not the hard part.

In no way does this mean I'm boycotting Zoe's book. I am a huge fan of hers and I do look forward to when she decides to continue vlogmas and posting on Youtube. I will eventually read the book, it just depends on when the mood hits and if the controversy has died done.

 How do you all feel on the topic? Have you or will you be reading Girl Online?

Meet the Newest Bookworm!

I am so excited to introduce you all to my new co-blogger! She's one of my favorite people in those whole entire world and I really don't know what I would do without her.

It's my sister!! Her name is Harleen.

Well I guess it's ours now...

I've been thinking about getting a co-blogger ever since this blog turned 1 because I am getting closer and closer to my senior year of high school and that means that there is just so many things to do in preparation for college and it can get to be a lot. I was thinking about having anyone sign-up to be a potential co-blogger but I'm possessive, just ask Harleen. I couldn't comprehend the thought of sharing something so precious to me with someone I barely know, so I started harassing Harleen until she finally agreed about a month ago.

So I hope you all will welcome her and give her as much love and you all have given me! Since you all probably want to know a little more about her, here are some questions I asked her.

1. Just tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I'm 15 years old and I love books just as much as you do... okay maybe not as much, but I still love them. I read young adult fiction usually, but I will occasionally pick up a middle grade or new adult. I'm a sophomore in high school so I don't always get a lot of reading done these days, but winter break is coming up! Other than that, I love How I Met Your Mother, I'm kind of obsessed with Instagram, and I love Bollywood. 

2. What is your favorite book?

Oh my gosh, never ask me that question! Ugh, there's so many. I love the Percy Jackson series (and The Heroes of Olympus series), The Mortal Instruments series, Pushing the Limits series, all of Simone Elkeles books, and the Hex Hall series.

3. Favorite non-bookish activity?

Watching How I Met Your Mother, obviously! That or watching Bollywood movies... don't judge me...

4. If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Definitely Rick Riordan. His books are just so detailed and funny you could read them over and over again and never get tired of them. So, I feel like if I ever met he would just be so interesting and funny that at no point will it get awkward. Which is like my biggest fear....

5. How do you pick your next read?

Usually I just look at our shelves and try to find a book I'm in the mood for. Or I pick a book you've been raving about. Usually those two combine together in the end.

6. What are you reading right now and how are you feeling about it?

Right now I'm reading Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout and absolutely loving it! Although, I will say that it's not as good as the other books have been, but I definitely love the plot in this one!

I am so happy to have you here Harleen!! You all will be able to tell who wrote a post by the name they leave at the bottom of the post. We are still trying to work out whether or not we are going to have a schedule on who posts when or if its just going to work randomly.

My biggest goal is that this will ensure that we are posting more often and that all of you will be able to see more from us.

If you have any questions for Harleen then leave the question in the comments below and she'll be sure to get back to you ASAP, I'll make sure she does :)

But I am seriously SO EXCITED :D

Review Tour & Giveaway: Inside Out by Lia Riley

Author: Lia Riley
Publisher: Grand Central Forever
Number of Pages: 384

Synopsis:

"When Talia first moved from California to Australia to study abroad, she never dreamed she'd find the love of her life. Bran understands her like no one ever has before. And despite the numerous challenges they've faced, they've always managed to figure out how to stay together. But this time they'll face their toughest hurdle yet. Is their love strong enough to keep them together?"

Purchase

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

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This was a great end to the series. Lia Riley really knew how to pull it all together and she didn't leave the entire book to be sappy and ridiculous--no. She created an amazing plot line.

Talia is a great girl but we all know from the very beginning of the series how Talia spirals into this place that no one wants to be, in fact it is practically heartbreaking to see. By the end its Bran's turn to have a little life crisis and it really shows the strength in their relationship.

“Talia, I love you. No matter how hard you fall, I’ll be there to catch you in the end. You’ve fought for me and deserve no less in return.”

Throughout the whole book we really see how Talia and Bran really hold each other up without pulling the other one down. They both balance each other out. You see how far they had come, from Bran being someone who never imagined being in a real relationship and definitely not with a girl like Talia, and now he doesn't let her fall. It was truly amazing to see the transformation that these two went through as a result of each other. Not to mention ALL THE STEAMY SCENES...THEY MADE ME JEALOUS. Yeah, I'm just gunna admit it rather than just have everyone think it.

To give my total, honest opinion about this book I'm just going to say one thing. I don't really care if you loved, hated, or just didn't care about the last two books, you MUST read this book if nothing for the ending. IT WAS SUCH A PERFECT ENDING!! Where's my shocked emoji?  There it is! (In a totally good way I mean shocked, I wasn't expecting that ending at all.) So definitely, definitely read this book!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

* A copy of this book was provided by the publisher and tour honest in exchange for an honest review.

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Author Bio

Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling XXXX with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live in Northern California.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Giveaway

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