Monthly Wrap-up: June

List of June reads. Some really good ones, some good ones, some not-so-good. A very productive blogging month for me, of which I'm proud because of all the life craziness that happened.

Libba Bray - Beauty Queens (audiotape) 
Meg Cabot - Underworld (Abandon #2)
                   - Awaken (Abandon #3)
Sarah Dessen - The Moon and More
Jennifer Echols - Dirty Little Secret
Abbi Glines - Forever Too Far (Too Far #3)
                   - Breathe (Sea Breeze #1)
Polly Holyoke - The Neptune Project
Laura Howard - the Forgotten Ones (Danaan Trilogy #1)
Julie Kagawa - The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
Jo Readman - George Saves the World by Lunchtime
Rainbow Rowell - Eleanor & Park
Jennifer E. Smith - This is What Happy Looks Like
Rick Yancey - The 5th Wave (Fifth Wave #1) 
Cheyanne Young - Motocross Me

Weekly Wrap-Up: June 23-29

BLOG TOURS! Lots of them this week!

Completed:
The Neptune Project - Polly Holyoke: 4 stars. See review here.
The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy) - Laura Howard: 4 stars. See review here.
Motocross Me - Cheyanne Young: 4 stars. See review here.

Currently Reading:
Awaken (Abandon #3) - Meg Cabot: Yeah, I couldn't hold myself back. I've totally read the ending. I regret nothing.

New to my bookshelf this week:
The Grass Is Always Greener (Belles #3) - Jen Calonita: I have been waiting forever for my library to order this and it finally came in!
Shadow & Bone (Grisha #1) - Leigh Bardugo
Perry's Killer Playlist - Joe Schriber: I haven't heard of this one, but I saw it at the library and was intrigued by the title, cover, and description. Plus, it's set in Italy, which I love.
Two and Twenty Dark Tales - Nina Berry: Anthology time!

Blog Tour: Motocross Me by Cheyanne Young

Rating: 4/5 stars
Pub Date: June 26, 2013
Publisher: 336Love
Genre: young adult contemporary
Format/Source: advanced digital review copy from the publisher
Status: Standalone

I received this drc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This post is part of the Motocross Me blog tour, hosted by Shane from Itching for Books. Check out the rest of the tour here. At the bottom of the post is a tour-wide giveaway hosted by Shane.

Summary:

When Hana Fisher moves to the small town of Mixon, Texas to live with her dad, she dreads having to work at the boring pile of dirt he fondly calls a motocross track. But when she gets there, she finds the rinky-dink dirt bike track from her childhood has grown into the most respected racing track in the state.

Now popular by association, Hana endures the pain and sweat of working in the summer heat in order to fit in with a sport she’s growing to love. She gets a real family, a best friend and not just one, but two of the fastest racers trying to win her heart.

When Hana abuses her status as the track owner’s daughter to help the gorgeous Ryan Russo cheat in the biggest race of the year, she risks more than just losing her job. Every good thing in her life is at stake now- her friends, her dad’s trust, and Ash Carter- the kind-hearted racer who may not be as alluring as Ryan, but is proof that nice guys don’t always finish last.

Blog Tour: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Rating: 4/5 stars
Pub Date: April 28/May 15, 2013
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: New adult, contemporary fantasty (fairies)

Format/Source: ebook, bought through Amazon's Kindle store

Status: Book 1 of The Danaan trilogy

Thanks to Julie and the ladies of AToMR Tours for setting up this tour!

Full schedule found here.

Summary:

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

Blog Tour: The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke + Giveaway

RATING: 4/5 stars
PUB DATE: May 21, 2013
PUBLISHER: Disney/Hyperion
GENRE: middle grade, dystopian, sci-fi
FORMAT: ARC

1. I received a copy of The Neptune Project from the publisher at TLA in exchange for an honest review.
2. My review is part of The Neptune Project Blog Tour, hosted by Shane @ Itching for Books! Thanks to Polly Holyoke, who encouraged me to join the tour, and Shane for having me! The tour schedule can be found here.

SYNOPSIS:

With her weak eyes and useless lungs that often leave her gasping for air, Nere feels more at home swimming with the dolphins her mother studies than she does hanging out with her classmates. Nere has never understood why she is so much more comfortable and confident in the water than on land until the day she learns the shocking truth—she is one of a group of kids who have been genetically altered to survive in the ocean. These products of the "Neptune Project" are supposed to build a better future under the waves, safe from the terrible famines and wars and that rock the surface world.

But there are some big challenges ahead of her: no one ever asked Nere if she wanted to be part of a science experiment; the other Neptune kids aren't exactly the friendliest bunch, and in order to reach the safe haven of the new Neptune colony, Nere and her fellow mutates must swim across hundreds of miles of dangerous ocean, relying on their wits, their loyal dolphins and one another to evade terrifying undersea creatures and a government that will stop at nothing to capture the Neptune kids ... dead or alive.

Fierce battle and daring escapes abound as Nere and her friend race to safety in this action-packed marine adventure.
 

Top Ten Tuesday #3: Best of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Best Books of 2013 (so far)

A note: I've read some pretty wonderful novels this year. Like amazing, gorgeous, well-written, thought-provoking, sob-inducing pieces of literary genius. Sadly, I had to cap this list at ten. All are rated 5 stars, but I had to leave some 5 stars out and also some amazing 4 star books. So these are the books that made me think the most. That made me feel the most. That broke my heart the most. That healed me the most. That taught me the most. That made me fall in love the most. These books are...the most. At least of 2013. Well, the beginning of 2013. Consider this my fervent recommendation that you read them immediately. Also, these are in order from earliest read to most recent, not in order of ranking. I'd rather flog myself with a copy of of the OED than rank them any more than I already have. Speaking of, since these all garnered 5 stars from me, I decided to give a silly rating based on what is noticable about each book.

1. Just One Day by Gayle Forman. WHERE was this novel when I was a freshman in college?! Seriously, this is like the most true rendition of college, ever. If you haven't read One Day yet, prepare yourself for ALL TEH FEELS. Love, heartbreak, depression, sorrow, joy, loneliness, self-realization... I mean, this is the woman who brought us If I Stay so that should tell you something right there. I absolutely can't wait for Just One Year.
Rating: 5 out of 5 vacation romances with European actors

2. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi. There's a well-known and loathed phenomenon known as the curse of the second book, meaning when the first book is awesome, the second is expected to be awesome and often falls prey to those high expectations. Well, clearly Veronica said, "Screw that," and wrote herself another fantastic story. More Perria! More drama! More romance! More danger! More everything! Mostly more Roar! *fangirls go wild* Even when I was mad at Veronica (unfortunately I read a really ridiculously sad part 5 minutes before meeting her and felt utterly betrayed and could only ask her WHY [she laughed at/with me]), I loved her. PS Cover for Into the Still Blue and 3 chapters were just released!
Rating: 5 out of 5 boys wearing tight leather pants

3. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead. Richelle laughs in the face of the second book curse because clearly, it's never happened to her. As brilliant as her first books are, her second books never disappoint and TIS is no exception. All I can say is, "ADRIAAAAAAN!" :P And Sydney. Seriously, Sydrian makes me so happy, I can't even say. Fiery Heart is going to be friggin awesome. Nover 19, get here fast!
Rating: 5 out of 5 steamy tabletop make-out scenes

4. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter. I won't call it the curse, but I wasn't as into Uncommon Criminals. Scoundrels, though, is a fantastic book 3 for the series with no end in sight. I think it's because Ally really mixed it up this time since Hale was a mark. Ally is a great writer with a wonderful imagination. I have no idea where she gets these crazy schemes, but I love reading about them. Clearly she's at the top of the NSA watch list because her novels are like the how-to on pulling off the perfect crime. Good thing her other series is the how-to on catching criminals! :D
Rating: 5 out of 5 adorable billionaires

5. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. GUH. If your heart wasn't ripped out of your chest several times while reading this, I'm just not sure about you as a person. I mean the feels, there were so many! First the.....and then the......and then the EPILOGUE. *dies* Also, chapter 19: Chicka. Chicka. YEAH!!!! That is all.
Rating: 5 out of 5 hottest love triangle action ever (No, not THAT. Pervs)

6. Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg. I was shocked when i read some less-than-thrilled reviews, but I guess some people just have vastly different taste than I do. I thought Revenge made a great point about judging people by their looks, whether they're not so attractive or whether they're good-looking, and by the tag "great personality". Seriously, I had a coversation with Real Guys about that phrase and it wasn't pretty. More in depth review here.
Rating: 5 out of 5 references to pageant reality shows

7. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan. This is not a well-known book, and none of my friends on any platform have read it so I wasn't sure what to expect reading this one; I only did because its setting matched a challenge I'm doing. Certainly the blurb doesn't do it justice. That whole pretending-to-be-someone-else nonsense is NOT the plot. Pronounce is about love and growing up and how sometimes, you do outgrow love if it happens early in your life. Also, a breakup doesn't always happen because the guy is a jerk. Sometimes, he's really nice, but it just doesn't work out. It's sad, but it's a powerful message. You may not like it as much as I did, but I do recommend giving it a try.
Rating: 5 out of 5 wishes for a Happily Ever After after the end

8. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. another writer who laughs in the face of the dreaded second book and instead uses the book to torture the ever-living crap out of her fans, especially those who have already declared allegiance to one love interest. DARN YOU, TAHEREH! IT's a really good thing I didn't read Unravel right before meeting Tahereh because I may have tried to kill her if I had. #TeamAdam, all the way, baby! FYI, Veronica is on our team, while Team Warner has a psychopath. I think we all know how this is going to end: Battle Royale, with the boys shirtless. I'm so okay with this, it isn't funny. Warner is a maniac, but at least he IS gorgeous! I am so going to the bad place for that....
Rating: 5 out of 5 swearwords (in a good way)

9. Burning by Elana K. Arnold. I came across Burning on Netgalley and fell in love with the cover. Then I fell in love with the blurb. I tossed out a request and was shocked when I was granted a digital review copy. I can't say enough good things about Burning. This book is gorgeous all the way through. Like Pronounce, this is a lesser-known book and the ratings are just not a good indication of how lovely it truly is. Just give it a shot. There was something in Burning that really resonated with me so I want to tell everybody abuot it! Full review here.
Rating: 5 out of 5 insane summer hippie festivals

10. Winger by Andrew Smith. Like with Burning, I can't say enough good things! Winger was touted as this hilarious coming-of-age novel about an underage high school junior who is this genius delinquent of a rugby player. However, I really wasn't expecting so much substance. Call me happily surprised! This will not be my last Andrew Smith novel because his writing is superb. Full review here.
Rating: 5 out of 5 empty tissue boxes because this book actually made me cry more than Clockwork Princess did. I know, RIGHT?!

11. The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa. Okay, so I'm cheating by adding a bonus book. HOWEVER, I made this list before I read The Eternity Cure, and after I read it, I couldn't not have it on this list. But I couldn't kick off any of the other books either so here we are. I'm really impressed with how well Julie pulls off her dystopian-vampire world in an industry flooded with vampire and dystopian novels. I definitely called a few of the bigger twists, but I don't think utter secrecy is Kagawa's goal.  I think her mastery of writing and characters and especially character relationships has only increased since The Immortal Rules. You'll be begging for #3 by the end.
Rating: 5 out of 5 blow-your-mind fight scenes

Weekly Wrap-Up: June 16-22

Somehow I managed to squeeze in 3 and a half books this week. Oh, yeah, and I'm still moving. And working. But mostly moving. Seriously,  I'm kind of astonished.

Completed:
The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave #1) - Rick Yancey: 5 stars. Really, really good book. Yanceey is just a phenomenal textbook writer. That being said, I had a really hard time not thinking of The Host while reading this book.
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) - Julie Kagawa: 5 stars. *sobs* WHY, Julie Kagawa, do you do this to me!
United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6) - Ally Carter: 5 stars based on the exerpt I read (the partial ARC Disney-Hyperion gave away during BEA)
Dirty Little Secret - Jennifer Echols: 5 stars. Jennifer's flair for romance and realistic and relatable characters + Nashville, which I consider my second or third home = utter joy.

Currently Reading:
The Neptune Project - Polly Holyoke

New to my bookshelf this week:

I bought books by Aimee Carter, Tessa Gratton, Julie Kagawa, Tahereh Mafi, and Ransom Riggs this week because they're coming to Dallas in a couple weeks. Giveaway, anyone? :D