Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

GoodReads Summary:
Grandma Mazur is a widow…again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster, lothario (senior division) and heart attack waiting to happen…well, the waiting’s over.
It’s a sad day, but if she can’t have Jimmy at least Grandma can have all the attention she wants as the dutiful widow. But some kinds of attention are not welcomed, particularly when Jimmy’s former “business partners” are convinced that his widow is keeping the keys to their financial success for herself.
As someone who has spent an entire career finding bad guys, a set of missing keys should be no challenge for Stephanie Plum. Problem is, the facts are as twisted as a boardwalk pretzel with mustard.
Review:
I’m always excited for the newest Stephanie Plum release. This one was a little disappointing. I still enjoyed it in the usual way, but there seemed to be some unresolved issues. The story just ends after finding the one thing they’ve been looking for the whole book.
Stephanie is unhappy with her job and life at the moment. And that never seems to be resolved either. I’m not sure if it was left like this because of something that may happen in the next book, but I didn’t care for it.
As usual, I loved the family and other relationships. I’ll always be team Ranger, but I still like Morelli. I like that Stephanie and Morelli have reached a comfortable place in their relationship, but this doesn’t really allow for much Ranger love.
The mystery was an interesting one. I loved that it involved Grandma Mazur. She just cracks me up, along with the rest of Stephanie’s family. They’re so funny and wholesome, all around a great part of the story.
Overall, this story was as I expected. Full of antics and hilarity. Cars getting blown up and mystery. I will always love this series, for sure.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Summary:
Nothing’s more Jersey than a good delicatessen. And if you’re visiting Trenton, you can’t do better than the Red River Deli.
The coleslaw’s edible and the oil in the deep fryer gets changed-eventually. It’s a tribute to quality management, but that’s now in jeopardy because the last three managers have vanished. The only clue to each disappearance is one shoe left behind.
Stephanie Plum, Jersey girl and bounty hunter extraordinaire, is stepping into the manager’s shoes…well, shoe. The hottest detective on the force, Stephanie’s boyfriend, Joe Morelli, is running down clues, and the always mysterious Ranger is sticking too Stephanie like pork roll to an egg sandwich.
If Stephanie intends to avoid disappearing and hold on to 100 percent of her footwear, she has to do more than man the potato salad-she needs to find out who took the previous victims. Each disappearance leads to more questions, but with Stephanie and Lula running the deli, the most pressing question remains: How many ‘l’s in salmonella?
Review:
The Stephanie Plum series is one that I’ve been reading for almost as long as I’ve been a reader. My mom and Nana showed me these books when I was probably really too young to be reading them, but I’ve loved them since then. I’m going to keep this review pretty short and sweet because it’s easy to say all the things I want to about this book/series.
I love Stephanie. I always will. She is the best kind of hot mess express and its always a hilariously good time. Add Lula to the situation and you have a book that’s going to make you laugh out loud page after page. I think this book was fresh and new with the girls working in a deli instead of attempting to chase down their skips. It was fun and chaotic, like it always is when these girls get together.
I hate love triangles, BUT this series is my one exception. The seemingly never-ending love triangle between Ranger, Stephanie, and Morelli is what I LIVE FOR. I’m Team Ranger forever though and I think that’s why I like it, because she hasn’t ended up with him yet.
I will forever love the characters in this series. It’s like coming home to a familiar place when reading these books. It’s always a good time. Full of fun and laughter and chaos. The Stephanie Plum books never fail to provide a good time and entertainment. I will recommend these forever. They’re lighthearted and a good time, everytime.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

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Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Authors to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week we talk about our top ten with a different topic provided by Jana. This week’s topic is top ten – authors I’d love to meet.

1. John Green – I’ve seen him on tour but didn’t actually get the chance to meet him face to face. I’m basically obsessed with him. I’ve seen all his youtube videos and own all his books, several copies of a few of them too.
2. Sarah J. Maas – ACOTAR is one of my favorite series and I definitely loved the Throne of Glass series too. I would love to meet the incredible writer that brought these amazing books into the world.
3. Leigh Bardugo – Again, I totally love all of the books she’s written. I have the special edition of Six of Crows preordered along with King of Scars. I’d love to meet her and fangirl a little.
4. Nora Roberts – Nora has been such a staple in my reading life that she totally deserves a place on this list.
5. Janet Evanovich – I would like to meet her even though I haven’t heard the best things about her interacting with her readers.
6. Cinda Williams Chima – I would love an autograph from her. Her stories are incredible and she’s totally tweeted at me before (yes I squealed.)
7. Cassandra Clare – I feel like I have to meet her just for all of the time I spent agonizing over TMI and waiting for each book to come out.
8. Richelle Mead – All I have to say is thank you for the Vampire Academy.
9. Stephanie Meyer – The fifteen-year-old in me is making me put this on the list.
10. Ellen Hopkins – The things I would do to see inside her creative mind. She’s such an incredible writer. I’d kill for even a quarter of her talent.

What authors would you like to meet the most?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Author TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week we talk about our top ten with a different topic provided by Jana. This week’s topic is top ten – Books By My Favorite Authors That I Still Haven’t Read.
1. The Assassins Blade by Sarah J. Maas – I’m not ready to submit myself to the heartbreak I know this book will cause.
2. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo – I just haven’t gotten to this yet.
3. Collateral by Ellen Hopkins – This book is forever getting pushed back on my TBR list. I’ll read it eventually.
4. Catwoman by Sarah J. Maas – I just bought this one legit only because it’s written by Maas. I haven’t read any of the other DC superhero books.
5. Fox and O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich – I’ll get around to these eventually, maybe.
6. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling – I love Rowling’s other adult books but I really just don’t have a whole lot of interest in reading this one.
7. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb – Another series I’ll get around to reading, eventually, maybe.
8. The Child Thief by Bella Forrest – Forrest’s newest series. I have to finish a few other books before I can get to this one.
9. Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo – Again, I only want to read this because it’s by Bardugo and I love her.
10. Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins – Highly rated by my favorite author. I’m not sure how I haven’t read this yet.

Who are your favorite authors and which of their books haven’t you read yet?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

 

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Reading Slump

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Every week there’s a new topic where we get to choose our top ten and write about it. This week’s topic is top ten books that pull me out of a reading slump. This may or may not just turn into a list of favorite books. So here’s my list in no particular order.
1. Any of Nora Roberts books – I would list some specifics but then this would just turn into a list of my favorite books by Nora.
2. Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich – These books are always funny and interesting. They’re books that I can read super fast and can always pull me out of a funk.
3. Looking for Alaska by John Green – I just adore this book. I adore these characters. I adore all the feels it gives me. Even though I know it’s going to make me cry this is one of my go-to books when I’m in a reading slump.
4. Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands – These books are fast paced, interesting and just trashy enough for me to read no matter what mood I’m in.
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – I love these series too much. Like, honestly I worry sometimes about how much I love these characters. Reading these books are like going to spend time with my best friends.
6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – I don’t know what it is about Maas and the characters that she writes, but I adore all the characters in this series. They impress me and make me laugh. There’s never a dull moment with this series.
7. Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson – I’m a sucker for a good mystery. A bit of mystery and suspense, throw in a handsome male character and you’ve got a book that I’ll read in almost any situation.
8. Crank by Ellen Hopkins – Hopkins’ books are fast-paced and thrilling. I used Crank for this list but really I could put any of them. Her books are almost always about heavy hard hitting topics, but the way they’re written make them quick, but intense reads.
9. A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest – This is a sixty plus book series. I can read three of them in a day. They will always get me out of a reading slump because they’re unique and funny and the action never stops.
10. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – This was a recent read for me. But if all of her books are as good as this one was, I have no doubt I will turn to her books in the future when I find myself in a funk. The characters were funny and ridiculous and made it so I couldn’t put the book down.

Here are my top ten books that get me out of a reading slump (so basically a list of my favorites.) What would you put on your list for this week’s topic? Do you think I missed any? Let me know in the comments.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Bookish Mash Ups

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Every week there’s a new topic where we get to choose our top ten and write about it. This week’s topic is top ten books I would mash together. I think this is a wicked interesting topic. I’m not sure how I’m going to go about it, so in no particular order, here goes!

1. Rose Gardner Investigations by Denise Grover Swank & Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich – These are books about an aspiring private investigator and books about a bond enforcement officer. I think Rose and Stephanie would make one hell of a hilarious pair.
2. Renegades by Marissa Meyer & Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti – Two different types of superhero books. Both with similar abilities, sort of. But the worlds they take place in are pretty different. I think it would be interesting to see these two worlds collide.
3. Meant to be Broken by Brandy Woods Snow & One Small Thing by Erin Watt – Both are novels involving girls who are struggling with their feelings about a guy. Both thinking that their feelings are wrong and should be stifled and ignored. I think the two female main characters would be great friends and would be able to help one another immensely by sharing their experiences.
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson & The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith – These are both murder mystery sort of books but with a ton of different subplots along the way. I think they would be interesting to see together. Seeing the characters with their hugely different personalities would be funny.
5. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson & Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson – This is a choice for similar reasons to above except these are young adult murder mysteries. Again, the personalities in these stories would make for an interesting read.
6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas & Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch – If the Sara(h)’s wrote a book together I would be able to die happy as soon as I finished it. These specific books would be so cool to see together. In ACOTAR, there’s Fae with seasonal courts and magical abilities and in Snow Like Ashes there are different kingdoms for the seasons with different sorts of magical abilities. I think they would mesh well together with the similarities in the stories.
7. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare & A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest – Both of these series have a great variety of supernatural characters like vampires and werewolves and others unique to their books. Their also both full of headstrong characters that strive to do the ‘right’ thing at all costs. I would love to see these characters and worlds collide.
8. The Young Elites by Marie Lu & Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – These two came together in my head because of their magic systems. Both books have people with abilities that are not accepted in their worlds. Both have fantastic villains. Now that I’m typing this, I would LOVE to see the Darkling and Adelina join forces and run the world.
9. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins & Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow – I really think that Charlie could have been another character in Impulse. She for sure could have been a fourth perspective in that story. These characters could all relate for sure.
10. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead & A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands – I obviously had to throw my two favorite vampire worlds together. I think these worlds would be awesome to see together because of the different ways that vampires are created and the similarities that are already there.

This week’s topic was a hard one for me! I had a ton of fun looking at my shelves and thinking about all the different worlds I love colliding. I tried to pick bookish worlds that already had a little bit in common. I wanted my mashups to mostly make sense. Which bookish worlds would you want to see collide?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Novellas

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week we’re given a new prompt for a top ten list of all things bookish. This week is top ten of my favorite novellas or short stories. I’m going to be listing my favorite novellas because I don’t frequently read short stories unless they’re for college (and those aren’t usually too fun.) I’m not sure that I will have a full ten, but I’m going to do my best.

1. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas – If any of you even slightly follow my posts then this one is obvious. I’m obsessed with the ACOTAR series and not sorry about it in the slightest.
2. Fairest by Marissa Meyer – I read this forever ago, but I remember really liking it because it gave us a different point of view of the villain from this series.
3. Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists by J.K. Rowling – I went a little crazy after my last HP reread and bought all of the novellas on my Kindle.
4. Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies by J.K. Rowling – I loved the little inside details that were within these novellas.
5. Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide by J.K. Rowling – Again, from my novella buying spree on my Kindle.
6. Dorothy Must Die novellas (0.1-0.9) by Danielle Paige – I bought these novellas on my Kindle after my last reread of this series once the final book was released. I really enjoyed getting some more background on these characters.
7. Stephanie Plum novellas by Janet Evanovich – There are quite a few different novellas in this series that are holiday themed, from St. Patrick’s Day to Christmas. They’re all fun little additions to the series.
8. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare – A book full of novellas? Yes, please.
9. Tales from the Shadowhunter’s Academy by Cassandra Clare – I’m not sure if this counts as another book of novellas but I loved reading about Simon.
10. The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas – Okay so I haven’t actually read this book. I just finally got around to buying it last week and I will for sure be rereading the whole Throne of Glass series (starting with this book) before the last book is released this fall.

These are my top ten favorite novellas! Do you have any favorites that I didn’t include in this list? Let me know what your favorites are below in the comments!

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Book Tag – Halsey

Hi lovelies!

Back at it again with another book tag. I love Halsey so when I saw this book tag done on Downright Dystopian’s page I knew I had to play too! This tag is originally created by Paper Riot. Now, onto the book tag!

Amanda- Aelin Galathynius for sure. She’s from Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series. She’s kickass and doesn’t take anything from anyone. She even has the choice to not become queen and abandon her throne but steps up and shows the world that she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Antonia- Definitely Raisa ana’Marianna from The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. I just loved watching her grow throughout this series.

Amanda- I’m going to say all of the scenes written by Lynsay Sands. Sexy vampires from Atlantis? Yes please.

Antonia- Hmm… this is a tough one because I read a TON of romance. I’ll say anything by Julia Quinn because her love stories are just the best.

Amanda- The Darkling, for sure. He’s from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy. I don’t know what it is, but momma loves some Darkling.

Antonia- Queen Savilla from The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. She’s the queen of the endarkened (demons) and is simply evil. I just love that she has no redeeming qualities. She’s terrifying and awful and makes a fantastic villain.

Amanda- This was the hardest one for me out of all of these questions. I’ve decided to go with the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Our main character is forever trapped in a love triangle between the (mostly) marriage material  Joe Morelli and the sexiest man alive, Ranger. I wouldn’t say that there’s a lack of communication, more like a stalemate. They communicate but not enough for Stephanie to be able to actually make a decision between the two. (Though I don’t think I ever want her to actually make that final choice.)

Antonia- Kvothe and Denna from The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I really enjoy them together and wouldn’t mind seeing them actually get together in the future but they keep so many secrets and they’re both so mysterious that it gets in the way of them ever actually having a relationship.

Amanda- Tamlin and Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I talk about this in my reviews for this series, linked here. Though I’m sure many people feel this way. This is the couple that popped into my head as soon as I read the question. I loved them so much in the first book and then Tamlin just, ugh.

Antonia- Ember and Riley from The Talon Series by Julie Kagawa. I wanted them to be together for the first couple books so bad then somehow I ended up loving Garret so much that I stopped wanting her to be with Riley. (I still love Riley though.) And me changing my mind about characters that drastically really doesn’t happen often.

Amanda- This may be biased because of my pregnancy hormones. But when I read the breakup scene in the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova I literally spent a solid hour crying. To the point where my husband wasn’t sure what to do with me and just hugged me while I cried for an hour. I’m pretty sure he thought I was never going to stop.

Antonia- For me, this will always be Lyra and Will’s breakup at the end of The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I was around twelve when I first read it and cried for days. I still cry hysterically every time I reread it.

Amanda- Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. Every once in a while I say to myself, “you know what was a good book, Love Letters to the Dead. I should read that again.” I have recently bought it on my Kindle (I got it from the library the first time.) and I’m planning to reread it soon.

Antonia- All of them. This is actually a huge problem for me because I continue to think about books long after I’ve read them; it actually keeps me up at night. It’s why I reread so many books over and over again.

Amanda- Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I’m super not sorry about this either. The whole series is being written and released from Christian’s perspective. I have the first two and am waiting for the third to be released. While I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed, I will absolutely be buying and reading the third so I have all six books.

Antonia- Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I actually need to catch up on this one but since I first discovered these books I’ve been a little obsessed with them even though there’s now 29 books in the series and Kenyon’s still writing.

Amanda- If you read my posts on a regular basis you should already know the answer to this question. Looking for Alaska by John Green. If you haven’t read it read my review here.

Antonia- Beastly by Alex Flinn. This will forever be my favorite Beauty and the Beast adaptation. I reread it at least once a year and it always just gives me this light, happy feeling inside.

Amanda- Every and all of the couples we find in The Shade of Vampire series by Bella Forrest. This is a 50+ book series that spans over a ridiculous amount of years, several generations, and many worlds. Every couple we meet and read about has to go through some (usually life-threatening) struggle before they get their happy ending.

Antonia- Adrian and Sydney from The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. One of my favorite book couples but they struggle so much to keep their relationship going when both vampires and humans judge them for it. At one point Sydney’s actually institutionalized by her family for it.

Amanda- I try not to use the same book over and over when I do these tags, but I can’t help it for this. I would LOVE to be part of the Night Court squad from A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, reviewed here. It’s from the ACOTAR series, but we don’t get to meet them until the second book, so I’m using that one.

Antonia- The Demigods from The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. Awesome magical powers? Check. Funny and amazing and need to be my best friends? Double check.

Amanda- Hazel and Augustus from The Fault in our Stars by John Green. See my review here to get a more detailed post of my thoughts on this book. I love Hazel and Gus together because they’re both just kids that had to grow up too fast and spent too much time thinking about death. Then they found each other and had a bright spot in their lives, a reason to live if you will.

Antonia- Amanda and Chris from Beheld by Alex Flinn. I talked about them in my review (here) and I just loved them together so much I think I actually squealed while reading it.

Amanda- Chaol from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas is a good one for this I think. So many people hate him after certain events in the series. I understand why he did what he did and still love him even though it cost him his relationship with Celaena.

Antonia- Fire from Fire by Kristin Cashore. I’ve read quite a few reviews from people who didn’t like her which kind of astounds me because I adore her.

Amanda- Rose and Mason from the Rose Gardner Investigations by Denise Grover Swank. I wanted to put them for an OTP with obstacles, but honestly I don’t think they’ll end up together no matter how much I want them to be.

Antonia- None. Toxic relationships are pretty much an instant DNF for me. I’ve read about a lot of flawed relationships (e.g. Quentin and Margo from Paper Towns by John Green) but nothing that I would actually consider toxic. Even with examples like Quentin and Margo, I enjoyed reading about them but still didn’t ship them.

Amanda- Shadows of the Immortals by Marina Finlayson. This series is a super interesting twist on the Gods (from all different cultures) which is a topic I really like. I couldn’t put this series down once I started it.

Antonia- Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. This is a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and is still one of the most unique fairytale retellings I’ve read.

Amanda- This one is easy. Lyss and Hal from Cinda Williams Chima’s Shadowcaster (reviewed here) are both totally falling in love (if they’re not already in love) with one another. But neither will admit it.

Antonia- Hazel and Frank from Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. They get together later on in the series but for pretty much this entire book, they both are secretly pining for the other. It was adorable.

Amanda- Adelina Amouteru from The Young Elites series by Marie Lu, reviewed here. I hate to even say this because I love her but I also really hate her. I guess I love to hate her. Okay, I lied. I don’t hate to say it. She’s totally my favorite destructive character.

Antonia- Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. He’s so focused on his revenge the entire time that he ignores the chance to make a better life for himself but at the same time, his revenge plot is absolutely insane and amazing at the same time.

 

Book Tag – Reader’s Problems

We’ve become obsessed with book tags and we’re not sorry about it. We found the Reader’s Problems Book Tag posted by Linda at Linda’s Little Library! She has some great posts over there, so go check out her page. We saw this tag and thought it looked like fun.

You have 20,000 books on your TBR list. How in the world do you decide which book to read next? 

Amanda- This is actually a real life, everyday problem. One that I’m currently facing. I have at least twenty books on my TBR and I almost dread finishing a book because I don’t want to have to think about what I’m going to read next. But when I do finally decide, it’s usually based off whatever mood I’m in. I may want something quick and fun to read or I may be ready to get invested and lose a piece of my soul in some new series.

Antonia- Like Amanda, it mostly depends on my mood. I think more often than not it’s the book I’ve been thinking about longest or the new book I’ve been waiting for. Usually when I can’t decide between a bunch I’ll read the synopsis of each (even if I’ve read it a million times) and that’s how I figure out what I’m in the mood for.

You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it, do you quit or are you committed? 

Amanda- I’m committed. I’m not someone that is capable of not finishing a book unless I’m less than fifty pages into the book. This recently happened to me with The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (check out my review here) I finished the entire book and still really just didn’t love it. But the person that I am, I still read the second book, The Heart Forger (review here), and I ended up really enjoying it. I’m excited for the third to come out. So, yeah, I have to finish a book once I’m halfway because I’m pretty invested, even if I finish it and don’t like it, that’s okay.

Antonia- I’m not afraid to DNF but I try not to. Like Amanda, I’ve definitely read books I didn’t like but loved the rest of the series so I always try to keep that in mind when I don’t like something. I really only DNF when I either REALLY hate the main character or dislike the writing style so much that I have to keep rereading sentences because I can’t stay focused.

The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, yet still so far away from your reading goal on GoodReads. Do you try to catch up and how? 

Amanda- Wow, I love this book tag. This literally happened to me New Years Eve ’17. I spent half the night reading (even though I was at a friends house with a big group of my friends) because I needed to try to make it to 300 books for the year. I finished a book that night but only made it to 299 books for the year. Better luck next year I guess.

Antonia- It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to reach my yearly goals so I don’t worry about it too much anymore. I usually have so much going on in December that it’s unfortunately not very high on my list.

The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope? 

Amanda- Depending on the series I will not care or I will buy more copies of said books to make sure I have a matching set. For example, I own every book in the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich but I’ve bought them slowly over the years from yard sales and library sales and a few new hardcovers here and there – so not one book in this series matches. But my favorite series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas all have to be the same or I will lose my mind. It would bother me so much that I didn’t have a matching series (I do though, so it’s fine.)

Antonia- It’s definitely an unpopular opinion but I really don’t care. Sure it’s nice when they look all pretty stacked together but that frequently means having to buy hardcover copies and that means less money for other books.

Everyone and their mother really loves a book that you really didn’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings? 

Amanda- Antonia, duh. Mostly because she doesn’t read half of the books that I do. We both read our own kinds of books, so generally if I’m reading something popular that everyone loves (in certain genres) she hasn’t read it and I can complain to her. But I mean, I can complain to her even if she read it and liked it. So, Antonia is my answer regardless of what book it is.

Antonia- Amanda, duh. For literally the same reasons.

You’re reading a book in public and it’s going to make you cry. How do you deal? 

Amanda- I’m okay with that. I’m one of those crazy bookworms that you may see in public hysterically laughing at whatever is in my book. The same goes for crying. If the book’s going to make me cry, it doesn’t matter where I am.

Antonia- Unlike Amanda I really don’t like crying in public so I’ll usually just take a few deep breaths and hold back the tears or if that’s not possible, I’ll put the book away.

A sequel of a book you love just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you reread the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on GoodReads? Just cry in frustration?!

Amanda- I will reread the book. This is another real-life situation for me. I’m actually doing this now. I’m reading Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima (which I reviewed here when it came out a few years ago.) So even though I read and reviewed it, I know I’ve forgotten important details. So I’m going to reread it along with the second book, Shadowcaster, now that the third has recently been released.

Antonia- Definitely reread. I love rereading books. If it’s been recently enough that I remember a lot of it then I might find a summary and that’ll help me remember the rest.

You do not want anyone, ANYONE, borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people no when they ask? 

Amanda- This is actually really easy when you don’t have any friends (HAH, it’s true though.) And the friends I do have live hundreds of miles away from me. Also any friends that live close don’t read or aren’t comfortable asking to borrow my books (because I’m smart enough to not offer for them to borrow, which is something I used to stupidly do all the time.)

Antonia- I also don’t have friends so there’s no one to ask me. The few people I’m close to who read (like Amanda, husband, mom, sister) I know are trustworthy with books and will give them back. Anyone else I usually just make up some excuse not to.

Reading ADD, you’ve picked up and put down five books in the last month. How do you get out of your reading slump? 

Amanda- When this happens to me I tend to pick one of my go-to authors that write easy, fun, lighthearted books. This happened to me a few weeks ago and I got out of the slump by reading Come Sundown by Nora Roberts (reviewed here) and it was a quick read that got me out of my slump. Janet Evanovich, Linsay Sands, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips are other authors that I can read their books any time, but especially when I find myself in a slump.

Antonia- Again, my answer is very similar to Amanda’s. (Are we the same person?) Nora Roberts is always my go to when I can’t get into any books because I’ve literally never had that problem with any of her books (and I’ve read at least a hundred of them).

There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

Amanda- All of them. What kind of question is this?

Antonia- I wish I could say all of them. Unfortunately money’s often an issue for me. I’ll buy the 2 or 3 that I can’t live without then either wait for the others or try to find them at the library.

After you’ve bought all of the new books that you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you read them? 

Amanda- Um…About this. A long time. But only because I have to reread some books before I can get to the new ones. And because more new books keep coming out and I have to get to those too and read some of them first.

Antonia- I’ve gotten better about this since I don’t often buy a ton at one time but occasionally one still waits for too long.

 

Okay, so we had a ton of fun with this Reader’s Problems Book Tag, mostly because many of these are real struggles we face as bookworms. So if you’re reading this and think it sounds fun, consider yourself tagged!

Antonia’s Top Ten Tuesday- Series I’ve Given Up On

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week we’re given a new prompt for a top ten list of all things bookish. This week is top ten series I gave up on or do not plan to finish. This is mostly going to be series I gave up on but would probably revisit eventually because I don’t have a ton that I’d refuse to read again.

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon– I read the first book and liked it but as soon as I found out the main characters are apart for 20 years between the first and second books, I refused to read further.
2. The House of Night Series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast– This is one I’d absolutely be happy to reread eventually. It just felt like the series was being dragged out so much that I completely lost interest in waiting for the new books to be published.
3. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich– This is one that Amanda continuously pushed on me. I read a few and, while I really did enjoy them, I never loved them quite enough to read the entire twenty-five book series.
4. The Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout– I love her books and really liked the start of this series but for some reason couldn’t get past the second book when I first got them a few years ago. I’d like to actually get through this series finally.
5. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare– I loved these books but couldn’t make myself finish the last two. There was just so much happening and it felt like it went in a direction that I thought was unnecessary. I’ve always kind of thought this series should have stopped after the first three books.
6. The Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands– This one I absolutely still plan on picking up again. There’s just so many books that I got a little sick of it for awhile. She’s currently working on book 29 and I stopped somewhere around 16.
7. The Halo series by Alexandra Adornetto-I liked the first book and Amanda loved the rest of the trilogy; I just never liked it enough to take the time to read the other two books.
8. The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith– This is another one that I felt dragged on too long. I always thought the original series was perfect until more books were added on and they brought in ghost writers and all that nonsense.
9. Evernight by Claudia Gray– This is another series that Amanda loved but I couldn’t get into despite liking the first book.
10. A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin– I tried reading the first book. I tried starting from where I’d left off in the show. I absolutely could not get into these books and do not plan on trying again.

 

Well these are y top ten for this week. I’d love to see your own list. Thanks for reading.

-Antonia

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Beach/Pool Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week we’re given a new prompt for a top ten list of all things bookish. This week is top ten books to read by the pool/ at the beach OR it can also serve as your summer TBR. I’m going to be doing a combination of both because I’ve recently gone a little book crazy and ordered some new books so my TBR list grew by about thirty books (whoops). It’s also the perfect time of year for some of my favorite beach/pool reads so I’m going to list the books that are on my TBR that I would consider to be beach reads for me. Here is my list, in the order of my excitement to read them.

1. The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser – This is one of the books that is on its way to me after my recent buying spree. The description of this book sounds super interesting. One of those books you have to read in one sitting.
2. The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison – This thriller is one I’ve been waiting for it to come out for what feels like forever. I’m super excited to read this. I love a good thriller on the beach, getting lost in the sound of the waves and the excitement of the story.
3. Triangles by Ellen Hopkins – I read this book years ago. But I don’t know where it went. So I bought it again and it should be arriving sometime this week. I love anything written by Ellen Hopkins so when I saw this during the book sale (where I went buying crazy) I had to get it. I got a few other books by her as well.
4. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for almost six months. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. Every time I read the back I think, “wow this sounds good, why haven’t I read this yet?” So hopefully I’ll read it while I’m lounging around my aunt’s pool this summer.
5. A Voyage of Founders by Bella Forrest – This is season eight of the Shade of Vampire series. I don’t know what it is about these books, but I just can’t put them down. I’m waiting to read this one by the pool or at the beach, but in reality, I could read it anywhere at any time.
6. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld – Afterworlds will be a reread for me. You can check out my review for this book here. I loved this book, but when I first read it I had gotten it from the library. So I recently bought it at the book sale I keep mentioning. So I’m excited to reread it because I remember how much I liked it.
7. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira – This is another reread as well as another library find. I bought this on my Kindle before my husband and I moved (drove) across the country. I didn’t end up reading it while we were in the car, but I do want to read it soon.
8. Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy by Nora Roberts – Another buy from the book sale. I know I’ve read this trilogy, but I don’t remember what it was about. I could have made this list of beach/pool reads out of JUST Nora Robert’s books so I thought I’d include one that I already own that I know I’m going to read soon(ish).
9. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – I bought this book (and the second) on my Kindle, again before moving across the country. I didn’t end up reading it, but it’s still high on my list.
10. Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich – I wouldn’t be Amanda if I didn’t include this on my beach/pool reads list. I can read any of Evanovich’s books by the water. They’re the perfect beach reads, lighthearted and funny. It doesn’t matter which book in the series you pick, they will all have you smiling and laughing to yourself.

This is my top ten for this week! What’s yours?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Top Ten Tuesday, Beach Reads

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, is Beach Reads Week. This is a favorite of mine because I’m a total beach bum. And my favorite beach activity is reading while laying in the beautiful sunlight. So, this week’s topic has a few options and I’m going to try to touch on all of them; top ten great beach reads, top ten book I plan to read on the beach, top ten not typical beach reads, or top ten authors to read on the beach.

1 )Janet Evanovich –  She’s one of my favorite authors. Her books are all hilarious. They’re the perfect beach reads that will have people staring at your hysterical laughter.

2) The Belgariad & The Malloreon by David Eddings – This was a series that I recently finished. While it’s definitely not a typical beach read, they’re certainly books you can spend a few hours getting totally lost in.

3) The Last Vampire Series by Christopher Pike – If I’m being honest, I’m a sucker for a good vampire series and this definitely was. Another that’s not a typical beach read but the story will take you far away from the beach.

4) Nora Roberts – Anything by Nora is always good. Her romance novels are great beach reads that have me cracking up like a crazy person.

5) The  Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – I’m stealing one from Antonia’s TTT. This was an amazing series, and while it’s not a typical beach read I would read it at the beach anyway.

6) Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima – I’ve read this series once before, and the next series just came out, so this is a series I’m planning to read at the beach this summer.

7) Talon Series by Julie Kagawa – This is a series filled with action and adventure. The next book in the series just came out, so I definitely plan on reading this book at the beach very soon.

8) The 5^th Wave Series – The third and final book just came out, The Final Star. I’m going to be reading this at the beach as soon as possible.

9) Newsoul Series by Jodi Meadows – I read this series a few years ago and its really stuck with me. Ill be trying to read it again this summer on the beach.

10) John Green – Any of the books he has written are good beach reads. While some of them might make you bawl your eyes out in public, they’re all fantastic books.

These are my top ten this week. I love to read on the beach so this one was very fun for me.

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along, answer the following three questions and share a link to your post in the comments on her page. Enjoy!

What are you currently reading?

Amanda- Technically I’m not currently reading anything. I haven’t started it yet, but I’m going to start Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith tomorrow. It’s the third in the Cormoran Strike series. I loved the first two, so I have high hopes for the third.

Antonia- I’m currently in the middle of two books. Beastly by Alex Flinn is one of my all time favorites. I can’t even count how many times I’ve read it and I never get sick of it. It’s an amazing modern adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it. You can read my review of it here. The other book I’m reading is Soundless by Richelle Mead. Mead is one of my favorite authors and her newest book is unlike any of her others. I fully expect this one to be a new favorite of mine.

What did you recently finish reading?

Amanda- I recently read Zeroes co written by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti. You can read my review HERE. I really enjoyed this book. I’m still very upset I have to wait until September for the next to be released.

Antonia- I just finished reading A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn for the second or third time. As you can tell, she’s one of my favorite authors. This one is an adorable, unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Amanda- Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I keep looking at my shelf trying to decide. Im torn between a few different choices; The newest Stephanie Plum, Tricky Twenty Two, by Janet Evanovich, The Heir by Kiera Cass, or rereading one of my favorites, The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks.

Antonia- I’m not sure yet because I never really decide until I pick one up and start reading it. But I recently read the first book in J.D. Robb’s In Death series and I can’t wait to find out what happens to the characters next.

What are your answers?

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Rewind

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week we post our Top Ten for the weeks topic. This week’s is a rewind so we get to pick a topic we missed or wanted to revisit. I chose to do my top ten book I wish I could read again for the first time. Antonia chose a different topic, but also liked this one so her top ten is here along with mine. We hope you enjoy!

Amanda’s Top Ten:

1)Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling– I’d like to be able to re read this whole series for the first time because well, it’s Harry Potter and I love them.

2)Looking for Alaska by John Green– This is my all time favorite book ever. I would love to be able to read this for the first time again. It was an amazing book and I’m going to try to put it on as many Top Ten’s as I can.

3)Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn– I read this book when my older brother was in school and he had to read it for one of his classes. I’m really glad I got to read this book and it’s one that I’ll keep rereading forever.

4)Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich– I would like to read this book for the first time again for purely x rated reasons. This is one of my favorite books in the now twenty book series.

5)Exit Here by Jason Myers– This is another book that has made it to my favorites list. I’d love to read this again for the first time so that I can fall in love with the story all over again.

6)Burned by Ellen Hopkins– Ellen Hopkins needs to be on this list somewhere. Burned is my favorite of her books.

7)The Book Thief by Markus Zusak– This book was amazing. I did just recently read The Book Thief, but I’d love to read it again and again.

8)Twilight by Stephenie Meyer– I know, haha. I put Twilight on this list because this saga was a huge part of my younger years and I read it so many times I could almost recite it to you. If I could read these books over for the first time, I wonder how I would feel about them.

9)Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith– I put this on this list mainly because I would love to be able to sit down with all of the books and just go crazy reading the whole series for the first time.

10)The House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast– This is also on the list because now that the whole series is out I would love to be able to have all of them and read them all for the first time. I think I lost interest in this series because I couldn’t keep waiting for the next one to come out.

Antonia’s Top Ten:

1)The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory– This is a given for me. It’s my favorite series of all time and I wish I could meet the characters all over again.

2)The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima– These books made me feel so many different emotions. I wish I could experience that all over again.

3)Twilight by Stephenie Meyer– I wish I could love this series like I did when I was fifteen before the movie and all the twihards ruined it for me.

4)The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis– I wish I could feel all the feelings these books made me feel before they ruined my childhood by ending.

5)The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks– It’s one of my favorite love stories ever. I wish I could read it again without knowing how it ends.

6)Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead– I wish I could fall in love with Dimitri again without knowing what happens to him.

7)The Shack by William Paul Young– This book literally ripped my heart out, stomped on it with steel toe boots and shoved it back into my body. As masochistic as it sounds, I wish that could happen again.

8)The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling– I shouldn’t have to explain this one to anyone.

9)The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini– I wish I could read all four of these books consecutively for the first time. So much time passed between the release dates that I ended up forgetting too many details between reading them.

10)The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout– I only wish I could read all of these consecutively for the first time, after the last book comes out this summer. I had so many feelings for all of these books.

These are our top ten books we’d love to read again for the first time. What are yours?

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Winter TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we have a different topic that we write our top ten about. This weeks topic is top ten books on my winter to be read list. I haven’t quite thought about what I need to read that I haven’t yet. So, this list might be all over the place. Here’s what I came up with.

1)Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich– I’m totally obsessed with this series. They don’t have to be read in any specific order, and they’re all freaking hilarious.

2)Delirium by Lauren Oliver– I’ve heard a lot of really good things about this series. Its been on my TBR list for a while, but I’ve been slacking on my library visits.

3)The Book Thief by Markus Zusak– This is another that’s been on my list for a while because there’s a movie of it coming out. Every time I go to the book store I always pick it up, read the back, then put it back down. So I’m thinking it’ll be another I get from the library.

4)The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins– I haven’t read this trilogy in too long. I’d really enjoy reading them again. So, maybe if I actually put it on a list I’ll get to it eventually.

5)The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey– This book looks really interesting. I read another by Rick Yancey and loved it. So I figure this could also be a great book.

6)Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley– I found this book while looking through the list of Printz awards. It sounds like it has potential to be seriously good. Along with the fact that it won two awards, so there’s probably a reason for that.

7)Unstrung by Neal Shusterman– I need to have this. The first three were amazing. I know the fourth will be just as wonderful.

8)The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn– This just came out, and I adore Julia Quinn’s books. So it’s a must.

9)The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle– I just adore Lauren Myracle. This also sounds really cute.

10)Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, &Lauren Myracle– I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book. Also, John Green.

These are the books that I’ll hopefully get to spend my winter reading. What’s on your list for this winter?