Get HOOKED on BOOKS! 2016 Virtual Adult Summer Reading Program!! #VASRP

Hey guys!

Today I'm having a sign up post for yet another reading challenge! But this one is a very fun one hosted by my friends Octavia from Read Sleep Repeat & Valerie from He Said Books Or Me!!

It's based on those library summer programs we had as kids and will work as a challenge with rewards and mini challenges and Twitter Chats!! Read more about it and sign up HERE or HERE!

I'm planning to work on this challenge and continue to make progress on my other challenges, and to add a bit more to it, I've decided to plan it as a double challenge! On one side I plan to finish a lot of series (mostly trilogies and duologies) that I've been meaning to finish for at least a year if not way more, and everytime I finish one, I plan to reward myself by reading one of my BEA ARCs! I'll be choosing only from the September books pile, but it'll be making progress on my ARC pile and rewarding myself for finally tackling those series!

So here is the intended pile for my 2016 Virtual Adult Summer Reading Program! #VASRP

Series that need to be finished on one side, non-series books that I really want to read, or I've been meaning to read for a long time in the other, and in the middle, my reward ARCs!

Looking at that pile, I think I'm clearly aiming for the Spin Bait Read level (17-24 books). Wish me luck guys!

2016 Challenges: #RockMyTBR hosted by The YA Book Traveller!!

Hello there guys!!

This week I'm gonna be working on the majority of the sign up post for all the challenges that I'm joining for 2016!!

I didn't want to go too overboard and do more than 3 but in the end, I decided to join 4!

My first challenge is hosted by my friend Sarah from The YA Book Traveler (also known for her amazing book trailers!!) and it's the Rock My TBR Challenge!

This is one of those challenges that I will be working my arse off this next year, because my TBR pile is considerable, and I'm scared when it comes to start shelving all of the books pending to read in the new library room!!

I've created a GoodReads list for the challenge and so far is a work-in-progress because as soon as I start opening boxes, I'm sure that I'll be adding MOAR books to said list!

 
So far, I've already found buddies to read The Waking Engine in January and Love Fortunes, and Other Disasters in February!! YAY for buddy reads!!

So, do you want to buddy read any of this with me?? Wanna join the challenge??

#RockMyTBR Book Tag!!

Hello there guys!

I've already started signing up for challenges for 2016 because I'm gonna limit myself to 3 that I know I'll be able to keep up with.

One of them is hosted by my friend Sarah from The YA Book Traveller, the #RockMyTBR challenge! And to make it a lil more fun, she's even made a book tag for it!

I don't usually take part in tags but I'm making an exception here because it can work as a lil bit of a list of books I plan to tackle during 2016 for this challenge!

Rock My TBR Song and Book Tag

Look at your books on your TBR and do the tag! It is open to all, even if you aren’t officially doing the challenge!

1. SMELL LIKE TEEN SPIRIT (Nirvana) – A Contemporary I Want to Read
I've had this one for quite a while and I'm pretty sure I'd love it because Ann Aguirre made me love NA!

2. SHUT UP AND DANCE (Walk to the Moon) – Most Anticipated Book You Have
After adoring ADSOM I really wanted to read this one but it's in one of my many unpacked book boxes and I cannot get my hands on it until they're unpacked

3. CENTURIES (REMIX) (Fall Out Boy) – A Twist on a Classic or Fairy Tale
I don't read many retellings, but I have heard so many amazing things about this one, so I hope I'll get to this one soon!

4. YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOT (The Flaming Lips) – A Science Fiction Book or a Book Set in the Future
I heard so many great things about this one and I grabbed it on a whim from Book Outlet, so I hope I'll finally get to reading it!

5. SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT (5 Seconds of Summer) – A Book with a Girl on the Cover
My #TBTBSecretSanta got this for me last year and not just one girl but three are in the cover! I've wanted to read it forever, but it was also packed away!

6. AFRICA (Toto) – A Book Set in a Foreign Country
Another of my #TBTBSecretSanta books from last year! It's set in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and I'm sure it's gonna be absolutely amazing!

7. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST (Queen) – A Book or Books That Will Complete a Series
I loved the other books in this series but I'm a bit scared of the potential heartbreak on this one! But I must be brave and read it once and for all!

8. SOMEONE NEW (Hozier) – A Book by an Author You Haven’t Read Yet
I own more than one book by Claudia Grey but I still haven't read any! 2016 will be the year for sure!

9. HELLO (Adele) –  A Book your DNF or Weren’t in the Mood for at the Time
I'm such a chicken! I know I'll love this one and I started it, but the first book was so creepy that I had to cover all mirrors at night! I've been meaning to continue reading this one but only on daylight hours... so I have to set up one of my days off aside to read this one!

10. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (Kylie Minogue)–  A Book you Bought Because of the Cover
I am usually quite reluctant to go for books only on cover lust (been burned too many times, I'm afraid!) but this one was too adorable to pass up!

I won't be tagging anyone since I so rarely do them myself, but if any of you feel like doing this one... Feel free to tag yourself!!

And maybe join the #RockMyTRB challenge, because let's be honest here... our TBR piles are life hazards! ;)

Mark This Book Monday: Hover by Melissa West!

Hello everyone!

I hope your week is starting right! Mine is starting rather nicely, having Monday off after working the weekend.

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I'm having one of those books that have been in my TBR pile for quite a while and I've finally read and reviewed! As such I'm counting it towards my 105 Challenge in the physical books in my TBR pile category!

Hover by Melissa  West

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read Gravity quite a while back, so I was a bit iffy on the details although I remembered the general overview, and anyways the author managed to include a bit of a reminder/recap in the first chapter and done quite well I must say.

This was an interesting sequel and I wouldn't say it suffers from sequel syndrome, the action has moved from Earth to Loge after the events of the first book, so things are rather complicated for Ari. She's not fully human any more, but she's not really welcome between the Ancients, at least not as far as Zeus goes.

I'm not sure if Ari was this out of control and easily baited in the first book, but being groomed as an operative and a commander in the making, she was reckless and too much of the "jump/hit now and think later" variety for me in this book... Her lack of control and rash actions really got in her way many times and made me shake my head every time, she got a lil better by the end of the book, but she one of her biggest faults in this book was not realizing that she cannot choose for others, if they want to fight for what they think it's right and take risks, you cannot tell them not to! You are not the only one that feels like the cause is worth fighting, dammit!

If Ari annoyed me in this book, Jackson on the other hand did have a lot of character growth and development. We get to see more than just the arrogant boy in book 1, we see him as a leader in Loge, as a friend, as someone that will do anything to save his family, who doesn't shy away from responsability and that will remain at Ari's side as a friend and ally. It was very interesting to see both his strong as his broken and vulnerable side.

What I liked was that the way to challenge and strenght the relationship was done in a very realistic way. Ari doesn't know if she can trust Jackson after he lied to her, he feels like he doesn't know him and she feels completely out of her depth. Jackson remains her friends and ally, even when she refuses to see it and keeps pushing him away, but once they start talking to each other and really getting to know each other, with the good and the bad, their relationship becomes my favourite part of the book.

We meet new characters in this book, all Ancients and we learn a few more things about Loge and their need to find another planet to live in. I was hoping we'll get a bit more about Zeus but he seems to be too mentally damaged and gone insane to be able to understand him. He's just evil and creepy and scary and a bit of an overwhelming villain.

I was quite glad that I had the sequel on hand when I reached the ending, because if even I wasn't as involved as I would have liked, the ending is one of those EVIL cliffhangers that leaves you in shock! 3 stars for this one.



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