Songs That Keep Me Going – The 2017 Edition {Something Different Sunday}

14 Comments

Songs That Keep Me Going

Post header background: Designed by Freepik

Hi everybody, and welcome to a new edition of Something Different Sunday!

Today I’d like to talk a bit about music! As you may already know, music has always been an important part of my life. I’m someone who forms big emotional connections to certain songs and as such, music plays a really big part in keeping me motivated. It’s also something that always manages to get me through tough times. So I figured, why not talk about some of those songs? For me, sharing these songs is a way of opening up and sharing my thoughts and feelings with you, without getting too personal and whiny, but on the other hand, perhaps these songs can help someone else as well!

I figure this will be a recurring topic, so I’d like to start with songs I relate to a very specific time period, namely my personal experience with the first half of 2017.

Continue reading →

Fabulous, Darling! — The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzi Lee {Book Review}

8 Comments

the-gentlemans-guide-to-vice-and-virtue-by-mackenzi-leeTitle: The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue (Guide #1)
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: June 27th, 2017
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: Young Adult – Historical

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 4,5 stars
My rating in words: LOVED this book!

What it’s about:

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Continue reading →

Ten Books That Take Me Back To My School Days {Top Ten Tuesday}

46 Comments

170822 Back To School

Hosted by The Broke & The Bookish
Post header background: Designed by Creativeart / Freepik

Hi everybody, and welcome to a new Top Ten Tuesday!

Today’s topic is in honor of the new school year that’s about to start, so I thought I’d take the time to take a little trip down memory lane and tell you about some of the books that take me right back to my own school days. (Which weren’t THAT long ago, I promise…)

Maybe a little disclaimer before I start: these are not necessarily required reading books. In fact, I think most of them are books I read in my own time and had nothing to do with school. But they still bring back memories of my school days. More so than the books I read FOR SCHOOL, because honestly, I don’t remember much of those. And I have mixed opinions about required reading in general. I get that there are some books that are classics and must-reads, but I also think teaching kids the joy of reading is way more important and they should be given the option to read something THEY want as well.

With that said, let’s get into my list of books that take me back to school!

Continue reading →

Yours In Demigodishness & All That — The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan {Book Review}

10 Comments

The Son of Neptune by Rick RiordanTitle: The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books
Release Date: October 4th, 2011
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 4 stars
My rating in words: I really liked it!

What it’s about:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn’t know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn’t ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her “gift” for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn’t say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the “other” camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

Continue reading →

Book Recommendations For Casual Readers {Top Ten Tuesday}

47 Comments

170815 recs for casual readers

Hosted by The Broke & The Bookish
Post header background: Designed by balasoiu / Freepik

Hi everybody, and welcome to a new Top Ten Tuesday!

Today’s post is all about recommendations, and I specifically want to talk about books I’d recommend to casual readers. What do I mean by casual readers? I mean those people who pick up a book maybe two to three times a year (probably on their vacation). The readers who like reading, but don’t consider it a favorite way to pass the time. Most people I know IRL are either non-reader, or a casual reader. So if they don’t read that many books, I’d still recommend them to read these books below.

Let’s be real, if you’re reading my blog, you’re most likely a fellow bookworm. And I LOVE recommending books to my fellow bookworms and getting recommendations back. But the chances that I can recommend a book to one of you fellow bookworms that you a) haven’t heard of yet or b) haven’t already read yourself are pretty slim. It doesn’t always have the same satisfaction as recommending a book to a casual reader and having them fall absolutely head over heels in love with it.

So this is my recommendation post for all you casual readers out there! (And of course I secretly do hope one of these will turn you in a super bookworm…)

Continue reading →

July 2017: The Month Of My First Hiatus (But Now I’m Back! Well, Mostly…) {Monthly Wrap Up}

25 Comments

July 2017

Hi guys, and welcome to my July wrap up!

As you may recall, I announced my first-ever semi-hiatus at the beginning of July. It was a tough decision, but I had been in a slump for too long already and I needed a little break and time to figure out a new blogging & life balance. And though I felt SUPER guilty about it, I’m happy I did it. I may not be 100% back yet, but I have a new-found drive to read and blog again. So please be patient with me over the next few weeks as I slowly but surely get back to blogging! In the meantime, let’s get into what I did during this hiatus:

Continue reading →

Starting A New Adventure — The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan {Book Review}

18 Comments

The Lost Hero by Rick RiordanTitle: The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books
Release Date: October 12th, 2010
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 4 stars
My rating in words: I really liked it!

What it’s about:

Jason has a problem.
He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret.
Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools.
When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason’s amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?

Continue reading →

June 2017: The Month of Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes… & A Blogging Announcement {Monthly Wrap Up}

40 Comments

June 2017

Hi guys, and welcome to my June wrap up!

June was pretty… eventful. I actually didn’t read a lot, I didn’t listen to a lot of music and I didn’t watch a lot of movies and tv. But some great things did happen to me and a lot of things changed. Things that have also led me to make a blogging announcement. I’ll explain everything in my post below, but first let’s talk about what I did read/listen to/watch in June!

Continue reading →

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag — 2017 Edition {Tag Thursday}

22 Comments

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 2017 Edition

Post header background: Designed by Freepik

Hi guys! Since we are (almost) at the middle of the year, I thought it would be fun to take a step back and look at what 2017 has been like so far and also to take a look at what’s still to come with the Mid Year Book Freakout Tag (2017 version)! This tag is created by ReadLikeWildfire and Ely Jayne

At this moment I have read 38  books of my total goal of 75  books to be read this year. So looks like I’m right on track! Let’s get started!

Continue reading →