March Wrap Up

What an eventful and at the same time boring month for me. I haven't met my expectations of reading a lot of books. This month I started my new job and I quite liked it. It only lasted two weeks though because then I had an emergency operation (I had to take out my tonsils, which is such a funny word in English - in German we use the same word as we use for Almonds). I thought that during my recovery I would have enough time to read lots and lots of books, but I didn't keep in mind that I would have to take a lot of pain medicine which made me so sleepy and unwell, that I barely touched a book in my first week. So let's see what I can sum up for this wrap up.

BOOKS READ

  

1. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon ★★★★
2. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell ★★★
3. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare ★★★★★

CURRENTLY READING

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

2016 READING CHALLENGES UPDATE

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2016
Progress: 17/30 (56%)

Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2016
Progress: 6/10 (60%)

For more information check out this month's Quarterly Update I.

BLOG RECAP

In case you missed it here's a recap of this month's posts and Reviews.
❥ I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson Book Review
❥ The Fever Code by James Dashner for Waiting On Wednesday
❥ Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu Book Review
❥ Stacking The Shelves #3 The Vacation Edition
❥ City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare Book Review
❥ The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey Book Review
❥ Stacking The Shelves #4 The Pop Vinyl Edition
❥ Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins Book Review
❥ Top Ten Tuesday #2 Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR
❥ Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon Book Review
❥ Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Book Review
❥ Stacking The Shelves #5 New Found Book Depository
❥ 1st Quarterly Update about my Reading Challenges
❥ Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods by Rick Riordan Book Review
❥ This month's Trilogy Tuesday featured The Maze Runner
❥ Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare Book Review

INSTAGRAMMING

  

    

NEWS AROUND THE BLOG

‣ Those of you who have been following my blog for a bit longer might have noticed that I made a few changes with the design and layout. In the past week I've started teaching myself some HTML and how to use CSS and slowly I think I'm making progress. One thing I still haven't been able to change is my header. I desperately want a nice Blog Title, but I don't have any photoshop skills yet, so that's going to have to wait. Maybe someday I'll finally do that. Anyways, I made changes around the blog, but also in the posts themselves. I'm still tweeking bits and bits here and there, but it's actually quite fun and I'm loving the playing around with the tools bit. I don't know if I'll ever settle for a fix layout, but at the moment I'm still trying to make it better and better. I hope you like it as much as I do!
‣ A huge part of my life contains watching television series. I obsess over them as much as I do over books. I really want to talk about them and it would be lovely to start discussions with other people who watch the same series I do. That's why I'm thinking about posting reviews & whatnot about tv series here on my blog, too. Don't worry. Primarly, this blog will always be about books. I'd just like to talk about my second favourite interest on here, too.

I'd like to know

What have you been up to in March? What books have you read and how happy are you with your month? Are there any special blog posts from you that I should be aware of or you want me to check out? Don't be shy and leave a comment! :)

Book Review: Lady Midnight

About the novel

Title: Lady Midnight

Series: The Dark Artifices #1

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, Magic, Angels

Published: March 8th 2016

Read: March 2016

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Copy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Cover: Paperback

Purchase Location: Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions… Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it? Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

Trilogy Tuesday #3: The Maze Runner

Trilogy Tuesday is a feature hosted here on my blog to talk about interesting book trilogies. Every now and then a Tuesday is dedicated to a trilogy series. Today's trilogy is:

The Maze Runner

  

ABOUT THE TRILOGY

The Maze Runner #1, The Scorch Trials #2 & The Death Cure #3
Author: James Dashner
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Published: October 6th 2009 (#1), October 12th 2010 (#2), October 11th 2011 (#3)
Read: 2015
Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★ / ★★★★

My Copies

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Cover: Paperback
Purchase Location: Hugendubel, Germany

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? (GOODREADS SUMMARIES)

The Maze Runner Summary

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human. When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. Remember. Survive. Run.

Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods

About the book

Title: Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods

Series: PJ and the Olympians companion book

Author: Rick Riordan

Genres: Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Young Adult, Children, Adventure

Published: August 6th 2014

Read: February 2016

My Rating: ★★★★

My Copy

Publisher: Penguin Export

Cover: Paperback

Purchase Location: Kinokunyia, Singapore

Goodreads Summary

"If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on... Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod? In this whirlwind tour of Greek mythology, Percy Jackson gives his personal take on the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece - and reveals the truth about how they came to rule the world.

Reading Challenges: Quarterly Update I

As March is coming to an end so is the first quarter of 2016. It has been quite an eventful few months and my reading progress is preceding better than I would ever have expected so soon already. This year I've joined a lot of challenges which even confuses me sometimes (I actually mixed up two challenges in my head and thought I was making real progress with one although it was the other). Let's have a look at all my on-going challenges. This post is here to help me keep an exact overview on where I stand and to look back to at the end of the year.

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2016

Progress: 16/30 (53%)

5 ★ Reviews

  

4.5 ★ Reviews

 

4 ★ Reviews

   

   

  

3.5 ★ and below

 

As this reading challenge contains all the books I read and not only a specific genre I won't repeat posting the cover pictures when I mention the books below. Also: If you are interested in reading a specific review just click on the image of the book you like and a new tab will open.

2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge

Progress: 4/10 (40%)

1. Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan

2. Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

3. Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

4. Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu

Addicted to YA

Progress: 1/3 (30%)

1. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Progress: 2/10 (20%)

1. Verloren (Hidden) by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

2. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Flights of Fantasy

Progress: 5/10 (50%)

1. Verloren (Hidden) by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

2. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

4. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

4. Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

The next quarterly update will be posted in June. See you then!

I'd like to know

Have you set yourself any reading goals this year or are you participating in any challenges (maybe even the same ones I am)? How's your first quarter been? Are you happy with your progress? Do you have any books to recommend for me to read for my challenges? I'm a little short of dystopian novels so don't hesitate and tell me about your favourite books.

Stacking The Shelves #5: New Found Book Depository

"Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual." It's a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 

Can you spot my three newest editions on the second top shelf? For the first time I placed an online order with The Book Depository and I was quite nervous. I don't like ordering things online when I don't have secure knowledge of the quality, but I just couldn't resist. I wanted my paperback edition of Lady Midnight and I got it... If you look closely you can see the damage it got during the travel overseas. I was really upset, but now I've calmed down a little and finally started reading this gem. (Book Depository offered me to send a new edition which left quite a good impression. I hope this one will be in top condition when it arrives.) Let's have a closer look at the books I got:

  

1. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (I'm so excited about this one! I've waited so long and can't wait to read a new trilogy from the shadowhunting queen)

2. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Dystopia, what else?)

3. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (I've read this one before and I loved it, now I finally have my own copy and can reread it because it's been years)

I'd like to know

Tell me about your newest additions to your library. Don't hesistate to link up your post in the comment section so that I can check it out. Have you read any of my newest books or are they still on your TBR?

Book Review: Attachments

About the novel

Title: Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, (Young) Adult

Published: March 27th 2012

Read: March 2016

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

My Copy

Publisher: Plume

Cover: Paperback

Purchase Location: Kinokunyia, Singapore

Goodreads Summary

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives. Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories. By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself. What would he say . . . ?

Book Review: Everything, Everything

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Series: -
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Teen
Published: September 3rd 2015
Read: March 2016
Rating: 4 ★

My Copy

Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Cover: Paperback
Purchase Location: Kinokunyia, Singapore

Goodreads Summary: Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all of her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddie, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. But does Maddie dare to step outside her comfort zone? Everything, Everything is about the thrill and heartbreak that happens when we break out of our shell to do crazy, sometimes death-defying things for love.

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My Review

This is the first book that I've read that I really really enjoyed the beginning and then was completely disappointed in the character's choices moving on. I loved the build up in this book and enjoyed the small chapters with all the different titles and the e-mail conversations and the cute drawings which gave the book a nice edge. 

The plot was well thought-through. From the beginning you get swept up in the protagonist's bubble and you can feel sympathy for her situation. Now after reading the blurb I actually thought that this character was a lot like me. "Allergic" in the sense of "real dislike" of the outside-world and not actually ill. The first half of the book is really sweet and if it weren't for work I would have read this book in one sitting. However, when I got to the middle part I was so perplexed that I didn't really continue reading for hours, but slowly got to the end after a week. 

Because of the importance of the content the following part of the review might contain spoilers! Continue on own account.

I understand that love can make you reckless and you want to do silly things and stuff, but hopefully I'll never become suicidal for another person. I can't really comprehend that Maddy left her house to go on a vacation with Olly, who's such a sweet guy (!!), and risk her own death. I mean it all went well, but she didn't know that. She actually left the house thinking she'd never return. Couldn't she imagine a future where she would get to life and where she would get to integrate Olly into her home? On the other side I can fathom that you would want to actually live and not just be stuck in a bubble your entire life. Especially when you've never had any real friends or a first love.

The major plot twist of this story wasn't actually that surprising. I keep track of my thoughts whilst reading in a notebook and quite early on I played with the thought that the mother could have invented her illness in order to not lose her as she did her husband and son (again me and my consiparcy theories). In a way I can actually sympathize with this and I feel really sorry for her. She just wanted to keep her baby safe and I hope that I'll never know what she must have felt during that time. 

Another thing that really bothered me was Maddy's reaction to finally finding out that she wasn't sick. Somehow she must be able to see why her mother did this and that she was sick and needed help. But she just kept being angry at her and didn't let it go and in the end even moved out of state. I could never do that to my mother even if she kept me hidden from the world for 18 years (because she somewhat had good intentions). Sure I'd be mad for a while, but after a few days/weeks I would beginn to forgive her. As far as I can see Maddy didn't and we don't know if she ever would.

Often I get very mad at book characters because they're too forgiving and not holding a grudge at all against people who betrayed them in some way. But in this case I'm mad at Maddy for being too much unforgiving and holds a grudge until the end of the book. I think I'll never be satisfied with any option the author delivers because I'll always want the opposite to happen.

Top Ten Tuesday #2: Ten Books on my Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.   

So Spring's around the corner although here in Switzerland it definitely does not feel like it. I mean, it wasn't this cold and bad weather for years and now suddenly it has to be all wintery again, but without the beautiful snow? Nonetheless, today's theme for Top 10 Tuesday is: Ten Books on my Spring TBR. Now of course I've got a lot more than only ten books to read, but to make it a little easier I'm just going to list the top ten I definitely will read and already own.

# 10 Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

 

I have been wanting to read this book for so long now. I love all of Rainbow Rowells' books because they're awesome and so moving. All of her stories speak to me on different levels and I can't wait to finally read a fantasy story about vampires from her. Especially since I've read a lot of hints about it in Fangirl. 

# 9 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I've heard so many great things about this book and it's been standing on my shelves since New Year. I need some new dystopian action and can't wait to dive into this new series.

# 8 Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Another dystopian novel on my TBR. I'm not really sure yet what to make of this series, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out.

# 7 Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

After spending so much time looking for this book I can't wait to read this. Besides Carry On this one is the only Rainbow book I haven't read yet. 

# 6 The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

After falling in love with I'll Give You The Sun I can't wait to read another great novel by Jandy Nelson. I hope this one will be just as great as her other book.

# 5 The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

I love the Percy Jackson series and can't wait to finally read the next series The Heroes of Olympus. 

# 4 Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis

This one doesn't need any further explanation. It's another book in the shadowhunting world, what more could I want?

# 3 The Giver by Lois Lowry

I bought this book because of its cover, but after reading the blurb again I think this might be a book I will really like.

# 2 City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Who doesn't love a reread? I decided to reread the Mortal Instruments series because I'm totally hooked on the TV show and want to remember all the little things from the books. 

# 1 Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This book's blurb just made me fall in love with it right away. I can't wait to finally read it. I think this is the one I'm anticipating the most.

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Your turn! Tell me your 10 books on your Spring TBR and feel free to link up your post in the comments. Do we have any books in common? Let me know. :)