Stacking The Shelves: January!

What is Stacking The Shelves all about?

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I thought it would be easier to do monthly stacking the shelves posts opposed to weekly or periodically!

 Actual Shelf!

Easy by Tammara Webber- Made the leap from Ebook to 'real book' because I love it so much and it was half price!
Bunheads by Sophie Flack- This one caught my eye on one of my many Through The Ever Night Searches
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- Decided to try this one out!
Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi- It took me three weeks to get my hands on this one!

Borrowed Shelf!

Reckless by S.C Stephens- reserved! So glad I get to finish the series off with a proper book- symbolises the success S.C Stephens has had :)
Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon- I don't really remember what prompted me to try out this book but I'm glad I did!

Virtual Shelf!

Beautiful Things Never Last by Steph Campbell- I loved Grounding Quinn and I had to catch up with their story
Up In Flames by Nicole Williams- Love Nicole Williams Love a sale :P
The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein-This one keeps popping up so I thought I'd check it out!
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally- This one is so popular I need to read it :)
Falling by Jolene Perry- Apparently when I'm drunk in charge of a smart phone I snap up 77p offers!

Review Shelf!  
(picture wont upload!)

Vain by Fisher Amelie- I loved Thomas and January so I jumped at the chance to review Vain!

Unmaking Hunter Kennedy by Anne Eliot- This one is high on my review list!

NetGalley

Speechless by Hannah Harrington- I've heard great things about Saving June and Speechless did not disappoint!
Dare You To by Katie McGarry- I loved Pushing The Limits, I'm excited to read Beth's story.

 
What did you add to your shelves in January?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Top Ten Contemporary Reads of 2012!

Hosted By Fiktshun, Two Chicks On Books, Magical Urban Fantasy Reads, Confessions Of A Bookaholic, & A Life Bound By Books

 

 I'm a bit late to this meme but it is Christmas! Hope you are all having a fabulous celebration!

I've chose Top Contemporary reads as my topic because I've read loads of contemporaries this year and I kind of already had this post written, so I just tweaked it! 

Easy by Tammara Webber

I have been re-reading this one like crazy! I love the side cast of characters, the theme, the romance, Jackie, Lucas... Everything really! Reviewed in October.

 

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman

No surprises here! I loved these two books- brilliantly unique contemporaries with a fantastic cast of characters and a brilliant use of flashbacks! I loved how the two books are from two different point of views and both felt very emotionally deep and real. Reviewed in July!
 

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson has been one of my go to summer contemporary authors since Amy and Roger! I loved concept and plot line of Second Chance Summer and the complex characters. Reviewed in July.

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

A fun festive witty contemporary read which incorporates so much of New York City and it's diversity! Reviewed in October.

Because of Low by Abbi Glines

 

I have gushed over Abbi Glines Sea Breeze series it's no surprise this one made it on this list! Because of Low was so sweet and based around family drama which I loved. Reviewed in September

 

Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt





I loved how hot and sweet this was! I liked how Whit seemed to be the more troubled on as usually in YA/NA the guy is the most 'broken'. Such an unexpected great read. 

 

Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy.

 I liked the setting and the pace- it really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it! So glad I got the chance to take part in the tour! Reviewed in December!

 Charade by Nyrae Dawn

Sped through this on Sunday- it is so amazing! I can't believe I waited so long to read it!

Review is on it's way!

 

What has been your favourite contemporary read of 2012?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxxx

Top Ten Tuesday: Contemporary Reads of 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: I'm choosing Contemporary 2012 reads!

 

This freebie week fits in really well with my feature! I decided to do my top ten contemporary books I've read in 2012! YA and NA!
 

 

Easy by Tammara Webber

I have been re-reading this one like crazy! I love the side cast of characters, the theme, the romance, Jackie, Lucas... Everything really! Reviewed in October.

 

 

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman 

 

No surprises here! I loved these two books- brilliantly unique contemporaries with a fantastic cast of characters and a brilliant use of flashbacks! I loved how the two books are from two different point of views and both felt very emotionally deep and real. Reviewd in July!

 

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

 

Morgan Matson has been one of my go to summer contemporary authors since Amy and Roger! I loved concept and plot line of Second Chance Summer and the complex characters. Reviewed in July.

 

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

 

A fun festive witty contemporary read which incorporates so much of New York City and it's diversity! Reviewed in October.

 

 

Because of Low and While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

 

I have gushed over Abbi Glines Sea Breeze series it's no surprise these two made it on this list! Because of Low was much more sweet and based around family drama whereas While It Lasts was hotter and involved more emotional drama. I love the contrast between the two and the continuation of the cast while keeping the two stories separate. Because of Low reviewed in September and While It Lasts reviewed as part of  Young Adult and New Adult Month.

 

  Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

 

This book has everything you could ask for in a YA contemporary novel, a heroine you can connect to, a hot boy with depth, a unique yet familiar plot and utterly addictive! Reviewed in July

Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt





 I loved how hot and sweet this was! I liked how Whit seemed to be the more troubled on as usually in YA/NA the guy is the most 'broken'. Such an unexpected great read. Reviewed as part of Young Adult and New Adult Month!
 

What has been your favourite contemporary read of 2012?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxxx

Easy by Tammara Webber

A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her saviour, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy

Another book I've seen all over blogs and just had to pick up! The hype was right again I really enjoyed reading this!

What I loved:

• Emails- I really loved  the way the emails between Landon and Jacqueline were included in the book! They were witty and flirty in a realistic way. They really added to the college feel of the book.
• University setting- I loved how this was set at University! University based books are becoming more and more prevalent but I loved how this one incorporated friends from home, breaks from college and the Greek system.
• Erin- I loved her so much she made it in to my Top Ten Minor Characters!She is the best kind of friend, loyal, funny and reliable.  I love her attitude towards what Buck did to Jacqueline- how supportive she was! I also loved her approach to self defence class- so much fun!
• Realism- Jacqueline's reaction to the attack was so realistic, even though I was desperate for her to report Buck I could understand why she didn't want to.           I liked how the girls banded together, with the Sorority President making an emotive speech about supporting victims and standing up to would be rapists. I also found the fraternity reaction sadly realistic, no one likes to think they know a rapist. I loved the reiteration of it not being the victims fault. Despite the prominence of sexual abuse in the book it wasn't preachy and it didn't take away from the story.
• Romance- I don't want to spoil the romance aspect but I loved it! It was sweet and passionate! I loved how they supported each other and how Lucas encourage Jacqueline to face up to her attack and learn to protect herself.
• Side Characters- This book had so many well developed characters it's hard to pick out my favourites! I liked Benji, how he came out of nowhere and made a brilliant addition to Jacqueline's life. I loved his dismissal of the other students and the class banter he had with Jacqueline. I loved Dr. Heller, from his thoughtful decision to allow Jacqueline to make up her grade to his connection to Landon, such a generally good man! I liked Kennedy's brother, Carter, shame Kennedy wasn't more like him! I even liked Ray Maxfield despite the small glimpse we got of him. I could go on but I don't want to name every character!

What I didn't love as much:

• Kennedy- He had a few redeeming qualities but he crossed a line! I disliked him after hearing how he let Jacqueline follow him to  College and then dumped her essentially to mess around in college before his anticipated political career! He redeemed himself a little at Thanksgiving and the way he believed Jacqueline no questions and went after Buck. However the fact he tried to prevent Jacqueline reporting it to the police is just awful! Typical politician :P

 

I have a lot of love for this book! Such a good message, great relationships between well written characters- deserves the hype!

 
What do you think of Easy?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

*increased rating due to the fact I can not stop reading this one!*

Top Ten Tuesday: Minor Characters

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Minor Characters

Check out my new header! What do you think of it? It's my very first homemade one :)

I love a well written cast of side characters so this topic is perfect for me! I've tried to vary my favourites between recent and older reads but it was hard as recent reads stick in my mind longer!

In no particular order as always!

 Xander from Matched and Erin from Easy by Tammara Webber

Erin

I loved her character, she was both stereotypical and surprising. As a sorority girl whose dating a frat boy you expect to read either a clever but shallow girl or an airhead with an inflated sense of self- Erin was none of these stereotypes! I liked her defence and encouragement of Jacqueline even in the face of harming her own relationships. I loved how she instantly signed them for self-defence classes and her enthusiastic engagement in them!  I would love to room with her at University, she'd be so much fun!

Xander

I named him as one of the things I loved most about Matched and if I'm honest I think I loved him more than Cassia! There was so much more to him than met the eye. He was perceptive, competitive, loyal but also observant enough to know who or what to be loyal to! Don't know if my opinion will change on reading Crossed and Reached but as it stands I find him to be a good solid male character with value and flaws!

Briony from Amy and Roger's Epic Detour and Jeremy from While It Lasts

 

Briony

She barely had any 'screen' time but she really impacted me! I loved her sunshine attitude and I feel her and Amy could have been best friends judging from the way she changed up Amy's suitcase. I loved her family slogan of Get up Dress up Show up.

Jeremy.

I loved this guy! He was such a good brother and a fantastic support to Eva. I admired how his sacrificed a year of his life to be with her and grieve with her even when he was ready to move on. I really hope we see more of him!

Roar from Under the Never Sky and Finnick Odair from Catching Fire!

Roar

I loved Roar! He is such a genuinely nice guy. I liked the bromance and acceptance between him and Perry. I loved how he treated Aria so nicely and looked out for her. I loved his parallel forbidden love story with Liv. I'm excited to read more about him in the short story.

Finnick

I defy any one who's read The Hunger Games series to dislike Finnick! He was such a conflicted yet intriguing character. I loved him in Catching Fire with his bravado and teasing coupled with his genuine devotion to (name). I liked the development of his character in Mockingjay although it was harsh in ways. I loved his relationship with Katniss and Peeta, he seemed to get them as individuals and as a couple. His own relationship with Annie was so sweet I couldn't;t help but love them.

 

Jonathan from the Song of the Lioness Quartet and Rosto from Terrier

Jonathan.

Who doesn't love a prince? Especially a clever, heroic one! I loved how he grew from an arrogant boy to a mature balanced ruler who could approach situations level headed. He was probably the only character who was liked by almost everyone! I love his bromance with George who was his complete opposite! I

Rosto

I initially liked how much he reminded me of George, a witty thief! I loved how he treated his role as King as caregiver and did his best to keep his people feed. I loved how open he was especially as it annoyed Beka! I loved his affection for Beka- I really missed him in Bloodhound and Mastiff

Genie from Castle in the Air, Howl created by Diana Wynne Jones

 

Genie/Howl

I love his attitude and snarky replies. He really adds to the book and leads  to his goal. The twist in the end is actually why I love him the most because it was glaringly obvious once you read it!
Howl was the quintessential useless wizard! He was a lady's man but incapable of looking after himself. Vain and cowardly but proved himself to be clever and heroic when necessary. The man gave his heart to a fallen star- how can you not admire and love that!

Missing from this post!

Ron and Hermione

Let's be honest they were never minor characters past chapter of the Philosopher's Stone

George Cooper, Neal, Raoul, Nawat, Kaddar etc by Tamora Pierce

I could probably do a top ten minor characters featuring just her books! So I tried to vary my two TP representatives :)


Let me know your favourite minor characters!
Much love!
Lettie!
Xxxx

August Round Up!

Monthly Feature- rounds up all the books I've read, progress on challenges and reviews my blogging!
It is kind of an expansion (?) of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!

August in numbers!

Total posts= 14

Book read= 11

Reviews Posted= 4

Meme Posts= 5

Other Posts= 5

Total Posts- 13 (unlucky!)

What I read in August!

*Plus*
The Future of Us by Kahlen Aymes.
The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window by Kirsty Moseley.

What I Reviewed!
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Going Under by Georgia Cates

Weaker review month than July!
However this is because I stock piled reviews for my September holiday so the blog isn't abandoned while I'm gone!
I read two more books than July and I have reviewed over half of August's books all scheduled for Thursday onwards, not too bad!

What I Posted!
Discussion post- I'm really proud of this post- it took me awhile to write and post as it was my very first discussion post so I'm happy it's been well received! Just need to decided on the next subject!
Favourtie Books Post- Check out what books have been my favourite since starting this blog!
Update post- Technically a meme update but it evaluates which of the books I anticipated I'd read over summer and the result!

Did I achieve my blog goals?

Post at least one review and one book non meme post a week.
Didn't think this one through. Before August I had written very few non meme/review posts so I set the bar way to high for August! I am hoping to spend some time coming up with a good amount of ideas for these posts for October.
Make strong progress on my challenges.
Whoops! I kind of went on a YA contemporary spree- unfortunately I'm not taking part in a contemporary challenge!
Take part in more 'activities' like readthons and read alongs.
Yay- I did this one! I took part in the Summer Wrap-Up Readathon (4th August to 12th August) and Bout of Books (13th August to 19th August). I really enjoyed this goal and I hope that next time I can take part in the social aspect of readathons as well!
Beat my total monthly posts of 17!
I totally forgot to factor in the Olympics! All my friends and family caught Olympic fever so I neglected my blog- whoops. At least it's only every four years!

What I hope to achieve in September blog wise!

• To post 15 posts- This one is more achievable than last month as already have a lot of scheduled posts ready and I've factored in outside life! I am also hoping to post at least 8 reviews.
• To improve the standard of this blog- I have updated and posted a clear Review Policy. I am launching a ratings system today to help differentiate between reviews. I would love suggestions on how else to improve!
• To learn more about blog design. - I really want to change up my blog but my knowledge of blog design is so limited. If anyone has any tips or hints please let me know!!

I really enjoyed August as a blog month, I am disappointed I didn't achieve my goals but I have set more realistic ones for this month!
I will be posting my Autumn TBR list tomorrow so stop by to see what I plan on reading!  

How was your August? Did you succumb to Olympic fever too?
Much Love
Lettite
Xxx