Witchy Read-a-thon Wrap Up

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The Witchy read-a-thon was hosted by The Domestic Witch and ran from June 26th to July 2nd. In total I had 4 books on my TBR for this read-a-thon as it coincided with another one I was doing. In total I read 7 books this week, but I am only including the 4 books that fit into the theme of this read-a-thon in my wrap up.

 

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The week started off strong, I read and completed my first book on the first day of the read-a-thon.

Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This book contains Greek Gods and mythology in an urban modern day setting.

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After this I took some time and read books from The Casual Read-a-thon TBR. On the fourth day of this read-a-thon I read my second book in this wrap up.

Undead and Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson

I have been re-reading this series month by month and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to read the next book. This is a book about a modern girl who is suddenly the Vampire Queen and all the snarky humour you can wish for.

 

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The next day I completed a book for The Witchy Read-a-thon was day 6.

Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

I read this series back in high school and have wanted to do a re-read for eons now. I love this series. Also, it is under 200 pages and a super quick read.

 

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The last book I completed for this read-a-thon was finished on day 7, literally minutes before midnight.

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

I have been meaning to read this book for years. This is a book about a girl who is the daughter of Egyptian Gods. This had the structure of a contemporary novel with fantastical elements. I really enjoyed it.

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This was a really productive read-a-thon for me and I have been able to read some great books which I have really enjoyed.

 

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Keep Calm and Read On,

Kati

 

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JUNE WRAP UP

 

So, we are now half way through the year and it is time for another monthly reading  wrap up. I have dubbed June “The Month of Read-a-thons”. I decided to complete my first read-a-thon this month and from there it grew. I associate this is the massive, ginormous amount I read this month.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 

Format: Paperback

 

 

Review

 

Ruby Red by Kerstin Geir

Format: Paperback

 

Review

 

Branded By Fire by Nalini Singh 

Format: Audiobook

 

Loving re-reading this series in another format.

 

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Format: Paperback

 

A great fantasy novel that I’m surprised I hadn’t picked up earlier.

 

Every Day by David Levithan

Format: Paperback

 

This was the group book for this months “AYearAThon” Read-a-thon. I really enjoyed this and it was something different to what I’ve read before.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapians Agenda by Becky Albertalli

 Format: Paperback 

 

A contemporary coming-of-age story with LGBT+ themes.

 

Ms Marvel Volume 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson, Jacob Wyatt & Adrian Allophone

Format: Comic/Graphic Novel

 

 

This is a really good comic series that I am really enjoying.

 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Format: Paperback

 

 

Review

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling

Format: Hardcover

 

 

I am slowly making myself through the Harry Potter series. Excellent.

 

Grim edited by Christine Johnson

Format: Paperback

 

 

A collection of stories retelling fairytales. I enjoyed some of the stories, others had less sway over me.

 

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Format: Paperback

 

 

Another fantastic contemporary read by Colleen Hoover.

Soundless by Richelle Mead

Format: Paperback

 

I was walking into this half expecting to be disappointed because of all the bad hype. I actually didn’t mind this book, it was a good stand alone.

 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Format: Paperback

 

Review

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Format: Paperback

 

 

A re-read as part of the Booksplosion Book Club.

 

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Format: Audiobook

 

 

Continuing this series in audiobook form.

 

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Format: Paperback

 

 

I have been looking forward to reading a book about dragons and this did not disappoint.

 

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

Format: Paperback

 

 

An interesting retelling of the Queen of Hearts.

 

The Dry by Jane Harper

Format: Paperback

 

 

This was my local bookstores Book of the Month and I read it as part of the TBR Takedown Read-a-thon. I found that there was a lot of information in the bulk of the book that I didn’t particularly want or need and this took away from the book.

The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander

Format: Paperback

 

 

Review

 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Format: Paperback

 

 

I am loving this series so much. This book just added to my anticipation for the rest of the series.

 

Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Format: E-Book

 

 

Continuing on with the Dark-Hunters series.

You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Format: Paperback

 

 

This was the book in  The YA Chronicles June Box.

 

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Format: E-Book

 

 

A cute contemporary read.

 

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Format: Paperback

 

This book really gave me all the feels.

 

Undead and Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson

Format: E-Book

 

 

This is a continuing vampire series with a snarky humour that I love.

 

 

The Stats:

 

Format:

 

Paperback: 18

Hardback: 01

E-Book: 03

Audiobook: 02

Graphic Novel/ Comic: 01

 

Author:

 

Male: 03

Female: 18

Male and Female (Co-author): 04

 

Genre: 

 

Fantasy: 07

Contemporary: 06

Dystopian: 01

Paranormal: 04

Magical Realism: 01

Sci-Fi: 02

Retelling: 02

Thriller: 01

Historical Fiction: 01

 

 

Total Read: 25

 

That’s the end of my wrap-up for reading in June 2016. Have you read any of these books? Is there anything you would recommend for me to read? Please feel free to comment below.

Keep Calm and Read On,

Kati

THE GREAT TWITTER READ-A-THON

The Great Twitter Read-A-Thon is running from the 1st to the 3rd of July and is hosted by Sierra @ yearningtoread. For more information on this read-a-thon you can look here.

This is a really casual read-a-thon, as such there aren’t really any challenges.

There is a group book that people can read and the group discussion will be on the 5th of July. That group book is:

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 

So, I am definitely going to read this during this weekend.

I am going to put one other book on my TBR for this weekend and that is:

I am aiming to read both these books over the three days. I may continue on if I complete this but, for now this is my TBR for TGTRAT.

Are you participating in TGTRAT? Did you know about it? Let me know what you think of the books in this TBR in the comments.

Keep Calm and Read On,

Kati

Reading Challenges – Update

 

 

As it is the middle of the year I would like to update on my progress with my reading challenges:

 

Goodreads Challenge:

 

 

I had committed to reading 70 books in 2016 as per the Goodreads Challenge. As of the 29/06 I have read 82 books. I believe I am going to update this reading challenge to 120 books.

 

A to Z Challenge:

 

 

A – Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

B – Breathe by Abbi Glines

C – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

D – Dorothy Must Die – Danielle Paige

E – Every Day by David Levithan

F – Firstlife by Gena Showalter

G – Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

H –

I – Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

J –

K –

L – Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

M – Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

N –

O –

P – Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Q – Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

R – Rebel of the Sands by

S – Slammed by Colleen Hoover

T – Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

U – Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson

V – Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

W – What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

X – X-Treme Dating by Cathy McDavid

Y – You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Z –

 

 

I have six more letters to complete in order to complete this challenge. I believe I can do this.

 

 

The Monthly Challenge:

 

 

I have completed all the challenges for each month so far and will continue to do so.

 

 

I would also like to note that I have been working on the “Around the world in 52 books” challenge on Goodreads behind the scenes. I will post an update about that soon.

 

What do you think of my progress so far? Do you have any suggestions for the letters I have not completed yet?

BOOK TRAVELLING THURSDAYS

I have recently come across a Goodreads Group called Book Traveling Thursdays. The concept of this is that every Thursday there is a theme and the bloggers who participate in this group take that theme and pick a book that they associate with the theme. From this the bloggers find and post different covers of the book they have chosen.

If you wish to know more or join in please feel free to have a look at their Goodreads Page.

The theme for this week was:

 

Your Favourite Book of the Year So Far

 

 

I would have to say my favourite book so far this year would have to be Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare.

 

Original Cover:

 

This is the original U.S. cover. This cover has pretty much been released all over the globe.

 

Cover from my Country (Australia):

 

 

Australia is one of the countries that also received the original cover during the March 2016 release date.

 

My Favourite Cover:

 

 

Out of the two covers that I have found for Lady Midnight the original cover would have to be my favourite.

 

My Least Favourite Cover:

 

This is the only other cover I could find for Lady Midnight. This is the Italian cover. I don’t necessarily hate this cover, but I don’t see this relating to the story as much as the original.

 

As always, I am happy to talk to anyone about this weeks theme and the chosen covers. I will be back next Thursday for another Book Travelling Thursdays Post.

 

Bookcase Ahoy!

 

This is just going to be a quick little post.

I have finally managed to start putting up my bookcases. The first one it up and is looking pretty if I do  say so myself. I thought I would share with you the picture of my first bookcase. I am going to need a couple more to fit all my books, but it’s a start.

 

So, there it is in all its glory. With my The YA Chronicles Box and Harry Potter Box Set on top.

I am quite proud of it and can’t wait to start putting up the others.

 

 

OWLCRATE UNBOXING JUNE 2016

 

 

This is my first ever Owlcrate box, I have been seeing a lot of hype for this subscription box so I figured I would give it a try.

 

Owlcrate is a monthly subscription box from the U.S. that sends out a new release book and bookish items. If you would like more information you will be able to view their website here. Before we begin, I would like to clarify that I was not sent this box for review, I purchased it myself.

 

Now, onto the unboxing.

 

The theme for the June 2016 box was:

 

Royalty

 

When the box is opened this is what you can see inside.

This box featured a Mystery Mini Funko, I received Elsa. Isn’t she cute?

This lovely handmade bracelet is from Rich Love Shoppe and is inspired by Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles.

These adorable royal magnetic bookmarks are made by Craftedvan.

Evie Bookish has created this Red Queen inspired print that came in the June box.

A $10 discount voucher for an unusual bookmark also came in the box.

 

Finally, the book that came in this months box was

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows

This is a book I’ve had my eye on, I’m really keen to get into this novel. Owlcrate features hardback books in all of their boxes. I also had to comment on these page edges, aren’t they interesting.

This book came with a letter from the three authors.

Each month’s box comes with a card specifically designed for that month with the list of items and where they came from.

Finally, the last item in the box is a sneak peek for the next months box. In July Owlcrate is doing something a little different. The theme is Good vs. Evil. Half the subscribers with receive a “Good” box while the other half receive an “Evil” box. One box will contain hero items and the other will contain villain items. There is no way to guarantee which box you will get, it is a surprise. Owlcrate has promised that both boxes are extremely similar and are worth the same value and come with the same book.

Here is the complete items that came in Owlcrates Royalty Box.

This box is actually really reasonably priced considering the Hardback book and the items you get in it. International shipping is kind of expensive, but I feel that this does not subtract much from the great value this box presents.

If this has piqued your interest in Owlcrate please feel free to go to their website and have a look. Owlcrate is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, if you wanted to have a look.

Keep Calm and Read On,

Kati

Top Five Wednesday

This weekly book meme officiated in November 2013 and is still going stong! Every week there is a topic and your list will be based off this topic. For further information check out the Goodreads Page .

 

The topic for this week is:

 

Top 5 Settings You Want to See More Of

 

I love great world building in book and getting to read about magical far off lands. Therefore, I had to choose to complete this list.

 

Hogwarts

 

 

How can there be a list about settings we as readers need more about without Hogwarts? For me, there can’t.

 

 

Camp Half-Blood

 

Camp Half-Blood is so awesome and I love the wonderful world Rick Riordan has created in this camp. I cannot wait to get back to reading more about Camp Half-Blood.

 

 

Erilea

 

 

 

This is the land from the Throne of Glass series and I am only two books through but so far I really love the world building. Look at this beautiful map!

 

Narnia

 

Lets talk about world building…. Narnia is the perfect example of world building done right. I haven’t read all the books in this series yet and need to get to it. Here is another beautiful map.

 

Neverland

 

 

There have been a lot of Peter Pan retellings that I have seen around lately. From what we know of Neverland it is a wonderful land that I think has many more stories to tell.

 

 

What do you think of my list? What would be the top fictional setting you would want to see more of?

 

 

 

TBR Takedown Wrap Up

TBR Takedown ran from June 20th to 27th. TBR Takedown has finished for another round and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I participated and interacted via twitter and really enjoyed the sprints and chats.

There were five challenges for this Read-a-thon, they are as follows:

A book thats been on your TBR for over a year

The next book in a series

The first book in a series

A book that is out of your comfort zone

A book from a recent haul

The Books I Read:

 

The first book I read during this read-a-thon was:

 

Talon by Julie Kagawa

This book was excellent and I’ve been wanting to read something with dragons in it for ages now.

The second book was:

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

This is a new series – a retelling about the Queen of Hearts – I enjoyed this. I was expecting more but this is a series so there will be more.

Next was:

The Dry by Jane Harper 

I really did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. There was a lot of red herrings and plot points I did not think needed to be there.

The fourth book I read was:

The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander 

This was delivered to be by “Blind Date With A Book” so I did not know what I was getting until I unwrapped it. I was delightfully surprised by this book and loved the opportunity to read  book about the Romanov’s.

Next I read:

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas  

I needed to pick up this second book in the Throne Of Glass series. I’m loving this series and don’t want it to end too soon.

Finally I read:

Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon 

I had finished all the books on my TBR for this read-a-thon and decided on reading this. Sherrilyn’s books are a pleasure to read and I always enjoy the Dark Hunter world.

There you have it, the books I read for TBR Takedown. I’m rally happy with my reading this read-a-thon. Did you participate in this read-a-thon? How did you go?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week was a free week where we could choose a past theme the we wished to complete. Therefore, my Top Ten list is going to be:

TOP TEN AUTO-BUY AUTHORS

 

Each author name will be linked to their personal webpage:

 

Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

 

Sherrilyn is an author of multiple paranormal series, my favourite being the Dark Hunter series.

 

Nailini Singh

I love Nalini’s psy-chalngeling series. I have read other works by Nalini as well and they are just as good.

 

Cassandra Clare

 

 

The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Dark Artifices… I don’t believe I need to say more.

 

 

Colleen Hoover

 

 

Colleen is a new author on this list but I love the New Adult Contemporary books she writes.

 

 

Morgan Matson

 

 

Morgan is another new author and her Contemporary Fiction is beautiful.

 

Mary Janice Davidson

 

 

I have now read quite a bit of Mary’s work and I can say I am in love with her characters witty dialogue.

 

P.C. Cast

 

 

P.C. Cast is the author of the House of Night series with her daughter, as well as being an author of a number of other works

 

Richelle Mead

 

 

The author of the Vampire Academy series. I will give anything she writes a try.

 

 

Nora Roberts

 

 

Nora has written more than 215 novels and I will read anything she writes.

 

Veronica Roth

 

 

Veronica is the Divergent series. I cannot wait to read her next book, Carve the Mark.

 

 

That is my list of my top ten authors who I will auto buy their books. Are any of these authors on your list? Is there any authors you think I should consider?