Books to Keep You OUT of a Reading Slump

Reading slumps are actually the worst! I have been hit by one reading slump after the other, and I am tired of them. Anyways, here are a few books that always help keep me out of a reading slump, and I hope they will help you too!

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Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This is such a fun and easy contemporary that you can’t help but want to read cover to cover, and then pick up another book. Fangirl follows a girl named Cath, who is entering her first year of college with her twin sister, Wren. Cath and Wren are complete opposites, and while Wren wants to explore and meet new people, Cath wants to keep safe in her own little bubble. But when Cath meets her scary roommates friend, Levi, she finds herself slowly coming out of that comfort zone and learns that stepping out of your comfort zone a bit is alright. I love this book and think every fangirl and fanboy should read it!

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Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy sucks you in from the first few pages and doesn’t let you out, and luckily, it has a whole series awaiting you once you get sucked into that world. Vampire Academy follows two girls, Rose who is a protector of vampires and her best friend, Lissa who is a vampire, as they return to the school they ran away from a year ago. There is lots of action with lots of fun and headstrong characters that you can’t help but fall in love with!

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City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – City of Bones, like Vampire Academy, also has a series (multiple actually) awaiting you once this story captures you. City of Bones follows a girl named Clary whose mother goes missing, and she sets out to find her while unraveling the truth about who she is. She falls into a world of demons and angels and realizes she has a larger place in this world than she thought. I love the huge and diverse cast of characters in this series, and I think it is a lot of fun so I definitely recommend it for a good series marathon this summer as well!

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Divergent by Veronica Roth – While the other two books in the series aren’t that amazing in my opinion, I really enjoyed Divergent and always have a blast reading it. Divergent follows a girl named Tris who lives in a world that is divided into five factions, Dauntless the brave, Amity the kind, Abnegation the selfless, Erudite the smart and Candor the honest. This is a beloved trilogy which also has movies out, and I think that it is a great and easy read to keep you out of a reading slump.

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I know I know, I rave about this book WAY to much but that is because its amazing and always makes me want to keep reading! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before follows Lara Jean, a quirky, shy girl who writes love letters to all the guys she has loved before, but then one day those letters get sent out and her life gets flipped upside down. Everyone needs to read this trilogy. It’s as simple as that!

Those are a few books that always help me stay out of a reading slump and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Movies I Watched in May 2017!

Books to Read When You’re Bored!

This past weekend I got snowed in and I was super bored so I used my boredom to create a new blog post, so here are a few books that I like to read when I am bored. They captivate you and make you never want to put them down!eleanor%20and%20park2

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell – I talk about this book a lot but I can never stop reading this book when I pick it up. I am engrossed into the story every single time I read Eleanor and Park, and somehow I never seem to get bored of it. Eleanor and Park is about two very different people named Eleanor and Park and about their relationship that starts off shaky but blossoms into some more. I love, love this book and everyone needs to read it!

Ruby RedRuby Red by Kerstin Gier – This is a book on time traveling and I absolutely love it. It follows our main character Gwen who comes from a family of time travellers but it is believed that the gene has skipped her, that is until she finds herself hundreds of years in the past. Now with her new abilities, she is thrust into the hectic world of time traveling totally unprepared. This book has it all! Romance, time travel, humor and overall is a fantastic read that you will not want to put down.

divergent_hqDivergent by Veronica Roth – Divergent has such a unique concept and the writing just flows so nicely that you are whisked away into this world without even realizing it. In Divergent, we follow Tris Prior who after taking an aptitude test that determines where she belongs in her society, finds herself having to hide who she truly is. While in my opinion the last two books in this dystopian trilogy are not as good, the first one is definitely worth the read!

thesummeriturnedprettyThe Summer I Turned I Pretty by Jenny Han – This is summer contemporary book that is such a fun and easy going read. You are easily locked into this summery beach scene and overall it is just a fun time. The Summer I Turned Pretty is about our main character named Belly who is returning to the beach house she has spent her summers at since she was little. There she reunites with old family friends Conrad and Jeremiah and together they have a summer filled with romance, drama and fun.

PJOPercy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan – In this book, we follow Percy Jackson a sarcastic and snarky character who after finding out his father is a Greek God, is thrust into a crazy world of monsters and demigods while also being blamed for stealing Zeus’s lightning bolt. Determined to prove he is not the thief, he goes on a journey to find it along with two friends before the summer solstice. This book is filled with awesome adventure and hilarious moments so I really recommend you pick it up if you haven’t. You won’t regret it!

Those are some books to read if you are bored and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Reading/Writing Update!

Beginner’s Guide to: Dystopian!

I enjoy doing this post so here is a beginner’s guide to dystopian books!

divergent_hqDivergent by Veronica Roth – This is a no brainer because the Divergent trilogy is one of the most iconic dystopian books ever! I really loved the first book, Divergent, and while the other two weren’t my favourite, I still really recommend this series because it is unique and a great read! Divergent is about sixteen year old, Tris Prior who has to take an aptitude test that will determine where she belongs, but when the results are complicated she finds herself having to hide who she truly is.

The Hunger GamesThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Again, another famous dystopian series that you have to read if you haven’t already. The Hunger Games takes place in a world where every year, twenty-four kids are picked to fight to the death in payment for a war that happened many years ago. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to fight in her sister’s place, she becomes the spark of a growing revolution.

Shatter-MeShatter Me by Tahereh Mafi – Shatter Me is a fun and entertaining trilogy that is so poetic and heart wrenching. It follows a girl named Juliette who has been imprisoned for many years because she has strange powers, but when she is broken out she realizes she isn’t the only oddball in her world. There is lots of action and romance in this book trilogy and I totally recommend it!

selection-cvrThe Selection by Kiera Cass – This series is basically a mash up of The Bachelor and The Hunger Games and is honestly so awesome. The main character can get on your nerves but overall it is a thrilling and adorable read! The Selection follows America Singer who enters a competition for the Prince’s heart but things get complicated when she is in love with somebody else.

Legend_Marie_Lu_Book_coverLegend by Marie Lu – The first two books in this series are so flipping fantastic and you NEED to read this trilogy! Legend takes place in a futuristic California and follows our two main characters, June and Day. June is part of the army and Day is a convicted criminal, but when June sets out on a mission to hunt him down she realizes things aren’t the way she was taught they were.

Those are my dystopian recommendations and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Intro to Journal Writing!

January 2017 Talk!

January is a fresh new year which means lots and lots of fantastic new books and movies. Here are all the movies and books that I am excited for and I cannot wait to finally watch/read them!

Movies:

The Book of Love – I read the synopsis of this movie and it looked pretty interesting so I definitely want to give this movie a shot! It comes out January 13.

Sherlock: The Final Problem – So excited to see the epic finale of Sherlock because it such an amazing (sort of) TV series that I know for sure, will have a fantastic finale. This finale comes out on January 16 2017!

Books:

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken – I haven’t actually completed Passengers (the 1st book in this duology) but I plan on it sometime next year. I am excited though, that the 2nd and final book in this duology is almost out! I am not going to say much about what happens but I will explain briefly what the first book is about. Passengers follows this girl named Etta, who is a talented violinist, who discovers that she comes from a line of time travelers. It is very historical and interesting and I recommend it for any history lovers! This book comes out January 3.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth – This is a sci-fi novel written by yes, Veronica Roth of the Divergent series! I am really excited to read more from her, and I have also heard pretty good reviews so I cannot wait to pick it up. Carve the Mark is about a planet where violence is dominant and everyone who lives in this galaxy, is born with a unique gift, and while most benefit people from their gifts, they do not benefit our main characters. They then, seek to restore their gifts and the balance of power in their world. I think it has a very interesting plot and I hope it is as good as it sounds! Comes out January 17.

Caravel by Stephanie Garben – This book seems really interesting and I am really intrigued. Caravel follows a girl named Stella who has never left the island that she lives on with her sister and father. She has an arranged marriage with a guy she does not want to marry, and that ruins her dream of seeing Caraval, which only comes once a year. That is, until she meets a sailor who takes Scarlett and her sister there, only for her sister to be later kidnapped and soon Caravel becomes a competition on who can find her first. I  cannot wait to get my hands on this book which comes out January 31.

I am very excited for all these movies and books to come out and I hope you are too! If you have any other January 2017 releases that you are excited for, definitely comment below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fairy Tale Book Tag!

I decided to create a new tag that associates fairy tales with books, and while this has most likely been done already, I wanted to make my own! It was very fun to make so I hope you enjoy it 🙂

Beauty and the Beast – Pick a book where love triumphs everything.

There were a few choices for this one but overall I am going to have to say Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead because despite everything that happens (not going to spoil anything) to Rose and Dimitri, they still fight through it and we really do see that their love for each other is stronger than any obstacle thrown at them…if you have finished the series you definitely know what I mean!

Cinderella – Pick a book with a beautiful cover change.

Anna and the French Kiss had an absolutely terrible cover before the new one which I now really like. The old cover had the Eiffel Tower in the background, a close up of a park bench with 2 people sitting on it and their hands almost touching. Long story short it is definitely one of the worst covers I have seen but the cover change is very nice so it is all good!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves – Pick a book with a large cast of characters.

Definitely going to use this one to talk about The Mortal Instruments because the whole series has a great and diverse cast of characters. We have Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus as the main people we follow and I honestly love all of them (not all the time though…) and I find it very fun following them on their adventures. They are hilarious and unique in their own ways and I could read in their POV’s forever and ever and ever.

Sleeping Beauty – Pick a book that put you to sleep.

Ha ha ha…Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I really loved the first book in this trilogy, Divergent, but the second one was such a let down! It was slow and nothing too exciting happened. I also felt as if the writing declined slightly and I also didn’t really enjoy where the story went and how some of the characters dealt with certain situations…

Red Riding Hood – Pick a book with a “big bad wolf” in it.

I am also going to use this to sneak in some Harry Potter because honestly, Voldemort is the villain I least want to meet. In the books and movies he just unnerved me so much and he is definitely the worst of all villains. Just the way he looks with his nostril slits and pale skin, and just how cruel and insensitive he is scares me more than a wolf that’s for sure.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Pick a book with a world that sucked you in.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan! I find the world in this series so intriguing because of all the mythology. We never actually leave the real world, but Rick Riordan throws in the right amount of mythology to make it a place you never want to leave. Overall, Greek Mythology, to me, is the extremely interesting and I always love to read about it.

That was my Fairy Tale Book Tag and I hope you enjoyed it! If you do this tag definitely tell me because I would love to see all your answers for the questions!

 

 

 

Dystopian Recommendations!!!

I love the dystopian genre so here are a few recommendations for any of you looking for more dystopian books or if you are new to the genre!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi – This is a dystopian trilogy that is full of action and romance and is just amazing. Shatter Me is about a girl named Juliette who has been locked up for years because she has a curse that allows her to kill by touch. One day, a boy named Adam is thrown into the same cell as her and together they break out only to run into the arms of the government that locked her up. Highly recommend this book because it will make you love the dystopian genre even more.

Divergent by Veronica Roth – I am sure most of you have read these books but if you haven’t you should! I loved the first book but that last two kind of let me down…you still have to read them though because of that ending. Divergent is about this world where people are separated into 5 factions: Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, Amity and Candor and it follows 16 year old, Beatrice Prior as she takes the test that determines what faction she is. If you haven’t read this trilogy I don’t know where you’ve been honestly.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I couldn’t make a dystopian recommendations post and not add this trilogy in because it is like the Queen of Dystopian. I really enjoyed the first two books of this trilogy and while the last book is kind of meh, I overall really like the story line and characters! The Hunger Games is about a girl named Katniss who lives in a world where 24 kids from the poorer districts are sent to the Capitol to compete in a match to the death. The books have a pretty gruesome idea but its very entertaining honestly.

The Selection by Kiera Cass – I am not 100% sure this is a dystopian but I think it is so I am going to add it in here. The Selection is about America Singer, a girl who is picked for the Selection which is a competition to win Prince Maxon’s hand in marriage. The only thing is, she doesn’t want to run in this competition because her heart is elsewhere. I absolutely adore this series because it is so dramatic and amazing. The first 3 books are my favourite but the last 2 books switch characters and it kind of looses its interest for me…but still read them!

And those are few dystopian recommendations for all of you and I hope you liked them!

 

Top 5 Least Favourite Book-to-Movie Adaptations

Hey guys! I just wanted to say that these are just my own personal opinions so please don’t take it too seriously! Comment some of your least favourite book-to-movie adaptations!

The Fault in Our Stars – I am okay with this movie, but I was a bit disappointed with this movie. The book wasn’t my favourite either but I was really hoping the movie would be much better just because they had AMAZING actors but what can you do 🙂

Insurgent – I loved Divergent but Insurgent was kind of boring in my opinion. I am able to watch it from time to time but when I went watched it in the theatres I actually fell asleep oops…

Beautiful Creatures – I haven’t read this book but I don’t think I will just because the movie was pretty bad and kind of tainted any good review I had on it. The acting was just really weird, and the effects were kind of bad…I’m sure the books are better though!

Eclipse – I really enjoyed Twilight the most out of these and enjoyed Eclipse the least…I just felt that nothing really happened and it was a bit of an annoying movie honestly…

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – I think we can all agree that this was a pretty terrible book-to-movie adaptation but the actors were really good. I actually enjoy watching this movie every once and a while but I have to make sure I separate it from the books.

Those are a few of my least favourite book-to-movie adaptations. Please no hate these are just my personal opinions and honestly I don’t hate any of these! I just don’t like them as much as others.

 

How I Got Into Reading

I’ve been seeing this around Booktube so I thought, hey, why not talk about this on my blog. So here I am, about to discuss how I got into reading and what books really started me off on my long, time consuming addiction.

I find that a lot of readers say that they have always been reading but I haven’t. It actually wasn’t until I was about 9 that I actually began reading thicker books and actually enjoying it. Before I was 9, I absolutely despised books. If there was a movie based on a book I refused to watch it because I thought it was going to be boring. I did give reading a try though when I was younger. I tried to read the first Harry Potter book but I just couldn’t sit down and read it because I couldn’t understand it, which was frustrating so I gave up. But, at the beginning of grade 4, I discovered the Magic Treehouse series and the Geronimo Stilton books which I adored but only read them when I had to because I obviously didn’t want to be classified as a nerd…Anyways, one day my teacher came up to me and said I needed to start reading more books in my age level because apparently the books I was reading were for 7 year olds not almost 10 year olds which totally bummed me out and I just stopped reading all together.

One day, though, I was visiting my cousins and my cousin forced me to watch Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and I just rolled my eyes and said okay. About halfway through, I realized that this movie was amazing (don’t ask why I thought it was amazing-I was 10 and at the time never read the books). Well my cousin then told me that there were books and I could read them so I practically praised her that day. As you can probably guess, I flew through that series like it was nothing and quickly moved onto the spin-off series, The Heroes of Olympus, and loved that even more. I was obsessed with anything Percy Jackson related and I actually NEVER read anything else until I was about 12. It was the middle of summer and I was at the library when I noticed a book called City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and I don’t know what fascinated me so much about it but I checked it out and brought it home, quickly starting it. And it was Percy Jackson all over again. I finished the 6 book series in 6 days! It became my favourite series ever and it still is. I soon realized there was MORE books about the Shadow world called the Infernal Devices trilogy and I jumped into that, loving it. After reading the Mortal Instruments it opened my eyes to other series. Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Selection, Harry Potter (which I can read now) etc, etc and now here I am…still crazy about books and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

So that was my longish story on how I got into reading! I hope you guys liked it and I will most likely be posting my April TBR tomorrow!

Instagram: @chasing_jace

 

 

Books I Own but Haven’t Read

Here is a list of all the books I own but just haven’t read, not because they are boring but because I keep putting them off for new books I get but I think we all have that problem.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. I am not entirely sure what this is about but I know it is some sort of contemporary book. I will get to this eventually but it is not on the top of my list to read at the moment so I am not sure when that will be.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I am currently reading this book and loving it so it will be off this list pretty soon! Highly recommend it if you love Harry Potter.

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E Pearson. This is the second book in the Kiss of Deception series and while I really enjoyed the first book, this book just started off with a slow start and I wasn’t able to get into it. Hopefully if I pick it up again, read more and be able to get into the book.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. I just recently bought this book and I am planning on reading it sometime in April. I heard it is a bit slower compared to the first book which I enjoyed but I am only hoping that I will like this book just as much.

Four by Veronica Roth. I started this book (or is it a novella?) two years ago and I just found Four’s point of view very boring but maybe if it I try reading it now it will be more appealing, fingers crossed.

Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. This is the only Cassandra Clare book I have not completed but only because I got distracted with her Infernal Devices trilogy and never got around to finishing this book but I will read it!

New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. I have only read Twilight it the series and it was okay but I never had any motivation to continue on with the series but I think eventually I will finish it just because it is so popular.

Vampire Academy by Rachelle Mead. My cousin recommended this series to me and it is loved by a lot of people so I thought I would give the series a shot! I haven’t gotten around to it yet but I will soon. I don’t read much vampire based books so this should be good!

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas. This is a novella to Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series which is amazing. I have heard this novella is really good so I am planning on reading it before  I pick up her newest book, Queen of Shadows.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. When I picked this book up, I just wasn’t in the mood for high fantasy so when I attempted to read it I just wasn’t in the right mood so I never finished it. Again, I hope to get to this soon since the next book in this series is coming out very soon.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I just have heard great things about this book and I saw it for a very cheap price so I thought why not? Sadly, I haven’t been able to pick it up because of all the other books I have to read…

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I have heard so much about this series and it makes me extremely excited to read it! This book is very different from what I usually read so it will be a great way to get a look at other ‘types’ of YA books. I am planning on reading this over my Spring Break which is in the next 2 weeks!

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I bought this book on my tablet because it was only $2 but I haven’t tried reading it yet. I don’t know when I am going to read this book but hopefully soon and I really would like to love it!

Passengers by Alexandra Bracken. Okay, so everyone seems to love this book but I am halfway through and I am very bored…I put this book down a month ago after trying to read it but I just can’t get into it but I am determined to finish it!

So those are all the books on my shelf that I have not read and it actually isn’t a whole lot considering I have just over 100 books! Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading this and comment below some books you own but haven’t read yet either!

PS: A Lady Midnight book review will be coming soon!