Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own. 

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Review: Off Script by Kate Watson

Emma gets a Hollywood-tinged, feminist update in this funny and fierce retelling of Austen’s classic about a well-intentioned but tragically misguided matchmaker.

The summer after her first year of college, teen starlet Emma Crawford returns home to Manhattan to prepare for the role of a lifetime—and play career matchmaker to her friends. When Emma’s search for an assistant leads her to the wide-eyed Brittany Smith, Emma sees the big screen in the girl’s future. And because Emma knows best, she’s sure that steering Brittany onto the right path is all she needs to do to make her a star—even if Brittany doesn’t know it yet.

Emma’s plans start to unravel, however, when professional soccer player Liam Price re-enters her life. Not only is Liam her former best friend’s older brother, but he’s gorgeous, smart, and has no problem pointing out the (totally exaggerated) flaws in Emma’s plans. But as Emma comes in close contact with the darker side of Hollywood, she starts to question the glamorous world she’s always known and realizes her role in it needs to change—if she can find the courage to go off script.

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

Hi guys! I was tagged by Delaney at Book Lovers Lifting and Crushing. Thank you so much for the tag, I'm so excited to get to it. Go check out her blog, she is so kind and I love reading her posts. I've seen, and I'm sure a lot of people have, so many booktubers/book bloggers do this tag and it's so interesting to see the different reading habits and books readers have gone through throughout the year - especially this year since it's been so crazy. 

So let's get right into it and I hope you enjoy!

Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.

Mystery Blogger Award

I was just nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Brooke and Kevin over at Quill Quotes. Thank you so much for nominating me. Go check out their blog! The Mystery Blogger Award is a book tag created by Okoto Enigma to find and promote bloggers who "haven't been discovered yet". This sounds like such a fun way to get to know other bloggers and bloggers you're following so lets get started!

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

When Nora and Patch are forced together as lab partners, Nora would rather fall to her death than put up with his elusive answers to her questions, his teasing, and his infuriatingly handsome face and hypnotizing eyes. It seems Patch was put on earth just to drive her crazy.

But before long, Nora's defenses start to break down as her curiosity about Patch heats up. Why does he always seem to be wherever she is and know exactly what she's thinking? How does he know what to say to both attract and repulse her? And what is up with those V-shaped scars on his chiseled back?

As their connection grows stronger, Nora's own life becomes increasingly fragile. Nora needs to decide: Is Patch the one who wants to do her harm or the one who will keep her safe? Has she fallen for one of the fallen? 

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

The 50 contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras.

But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.

Discussion: Book Cover Changes

Book cover changes are so controversial. Most of the time, people hate them. It messes up the aesthetic of your collection when not all of the cover matches, and often, it's a downgrade from what the original covers looked like. They can be frustrating and annoying (especially if they happen in the middle of a series).

Books that Shaped me as a Reader

Without even realizing it, books have been such a formative force in my life. Since I learned how to read, they not only helped me grow academically but also personally. I thought it would be nice to go through each book that made an impact enough on me and my life as a reader throughout my childhood. I think a lot of the books that have impacted me are universal for a lot of young readers and I'd love to have that bond with so many of you!

Book Unhaul

I'm on Spring Break so I thought it was the perfect time for some spring cleaning. This means a book unhaul! My first book unhaul. I'm usually one of those people that keeps any and every book I've ever owned but recently, I've found that I need so much more space on my already tiny bookshelves and I was already taking books out I didn't like or am not interested in reading and putting them in a different storage. But after enough books taken out, I thought it was finally time to part with them. Plus, if I can sell them on ebay and get a little extra money from them, that's just a win-win situation right? So here's my unhaul:

20 Questions Book Tag

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to get this post up. It's been a month since my last post and I'm so upset about it but school really has been taking up all of my time. However, I've constantly been thinking of posting, reading and I've even bought a few new reads. I thought, what's a better way to come back after a while of not posting? A book tag of course! 

Discussion: How I Read

Reading is such a personal experience, in my opinion. The process is unique for everyone. I always find it super interesting to see the process other readers do in order to actually sit down (or lay down) and read a book. So I thought it'd be fun to let you in on how I read, from how I decide what to read to what I do while reading, when I read, and everything in between.

My Reading Goals (Not Necessarily for the New Year)

This isn't my first post of the year but I'll use this as the opportunity to say Happy New Years! I already know starting out that this is not going to be a great reading year for me as the limited time I have to read is going to be even more restricted. I'm going to have to take courses in the summer semester that will take up most of my time so I was so disappointed that I won't really be able to post my reading goals for the year or a 'the books I've read in 2020' thread on Twitter. But, the more I thought about it, I realized that the goals I have, reading wise, are not just limited for 2020. They're goals I can work on constantly and so I want to share my reading goals that I plan to start and reach, eventually - even if it isn't for this new year.

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.