June Wrap Up and July TBR (To Be Read)

June Wrap Up

I really can't believe June is over. Summertime always seems to fly by while the winter drags on. I'm starting my summer classes on July 1st. I'm nervous, but excited about getting used to University Life. My summer is over for a little while, but will be back towards the end of July. I read a total of 9 books in June. I'm really proud of this accomplishment. I read a lot of amazing books in June and I can't wait to share. 

1. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle was not a novel that was over excited or what I expected. I liked Robin Hood, but I do have to admit it was a bit of a disappointment. Come back in September for a full month of Robin Hood themed posts. I'm working on reading books and watching movies for the project. 

Read My Classics Retold Introduction Post

2. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstilktskin by Liesl Shurtliff. I really enjoyed this middle grade novel. It was an play on names and the story of Rumpelstilkin. The story was truly fascinating.

Review

3. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer is the sequel to Cinder. Scarlet was just as good as Cinder and I really enjoyed getting to know the character of Scarlet and catching up with Cinder and Prince Kai.

Review

4. My Teenage Dream Ended by Farrah Abraham. I'm a bit embrassed to even say I read this book, but this book explained a lot about Farrah. It only took me a day to read. Fans of Teen Mom will probably enjoy it while people that don't like the show won't.

5. Another Winner by Jodi Picoult. I read Plain Truth with a friend over the period of a week and this book was an awesome book to discuss. It had so many twists and turns and controversy. You could never guess what was coming next. I learned a lot about Amish life.

Review

6. Warm Bodies was a different novel than I had ever read. I really enjoyed this Zombie Love Story.

Review

7. Towering was a Rapunzel Story that I will be reviewing during my Rapunzel feature to be announced at a later date. I really enjoyed Towering and Alex Flinn's twist on Rapunzel's story.

8. I read Sisters in Sanity for the Gayle Forman read along and a review will be up later this week. I really did enjoy the book although I believe that Gayle Forman has better books. This is her first book and the first book I have read by Gayle Forman.

9. 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber equals my new favorite book in the Cedar Cove Series. I'm so excited for the tv series premiere in July.

July TBR

July is going to be a busy month as I head off to University to take some summer classes. It will be the longest period of time I have ever been away from home and there will be a lot to learn. I'm keeping my reading stack low this month and planning to only read 4 to 5 books. I'm doing a no TBR month again in July. I had a lot of fun with the no TBR in June that I wanted to do it again. I probably won't bring my TBR pile back until September or October. I might in August just because I'm not starting college until the end. 

Thanks for reading

Rachael 

Library Books Read-a-thon Wrap Up

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

I can't believe how fast this week has flown by. I want to thank everybody that participated in the read-a-thon no matter how busy you happened to be. 

I read a total of 934 pages in seven days which is an average of 133 pages per day. 

Books Read:

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, Towering by Alex Flinn, and Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

Books Started:

50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber and Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

I enjoyed my week hosting and participating in this read-a-thon. I have another one planned for a later date and would love to have more people participate. Thanks

Rachael 

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 7 Link Up Your Wrap Up Posts

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

I can't believe how the days have flown by. I got a lot of reading done this week. Although this week was super busy as I finished packing for college. I'm almost ready to leave on Sunday. I did complete the word search except I couldn't find two words. It is fine if I'm the only one who did it. It was all in good fun. 

I hope you have all had a good time getting those library books done whether they were from your local library or your own library.

I will be posting my wrap up post tonight. I want to thank everybody who participated. I literally thought I would be the only one doing this read-a-thon. We had 14 people who signed up and participated in some way or form. It just blew me away. I will be hosting another read-a-thon at some point so look out for that. 

Link up your Wrap Up Posts Below. 

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 6

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

Aren't the days just flying by. Tomorrow is our last day. I know I have got a lot done although I didn't finish all of my library books. 

Library Books Read-a-thon

R P L J S O W C C F N U L C G S H R G U F F D Z T N P G Z S 
Z Y I L Q E H N M I A R X O S K X P Z U R I Q E F I G M D R 
Q H O I S C V I S N W H G M V A P H Y I E N L C S I U T E I 
H L J V C A Y L C E J B J P O I S L E O M Q I Z H U M R W A 
F Z I Q Y Y I J E S B A W U I N C N Y W S Z L Q N V U K G H 
D X Y W C Z H L X H E Z V T P T D U B T W E L L L O V E D C 
F U D A M V D U E C S N H E S L L U L T X L C C C L H Q M J 
S B E K G A G S U K M K I R Y K N U Q M O L K A O I V L D T 
Z V T D D A I T U L F Z O S X F D U X D A D H N F B V A N N 
B U P M A M D G S F Y W W O B A I O V Q Z O U H T R G Z I B 
P M I H H T K N A L N X I Z B E Y X I B J S A V L A V S K X 
B S H W J P E M V A Z L D S T I U A F E O E I L N R M U H O 
V P N D O H V S C N M O V I E S F N Z G V O N U T Y A E M E 
H T P L D T L S I T U B S L M A C S O G G W K G Z C C R I O 
S B Y I O G Y D N W E Y J A R Q A L T O B G W S X A E K X N 
N I H O Z L E Y O S E T A D G Z O R C B K B O I A R D P F J 
A C L X L K D S I Q Y L M O V C W D Z D L N R X A D K O U S 
I I W U C Y N O Q Q P T B Q D B A J M O D I V E T M T I R B 
R E S E F R D P C H R A E W I H V S K K P J B B E A Y G O O 
A S H A E P Z E A P S Z F L E G V N H Y N G A H I R G I N L 
R C E D L V L B W Z B S E Q D T Q W X K Y N N Y N I U H Z L 
B Z L U S I E E B E T U O D E K C E H C A Z F S N O J S K G 
I J X R F T K D H A Y L L I Z G F Q K E Z W B Z E J N D M R 
L H C A I Y E N W J A D Z A V L N B W D F S W F W H P T G K 
V V H Z Z G L U N V G B E T C X G F X A L J M J J W M G F Z 
N E E Q N W P D R K H T L C N E W T L P A X Q G P T M W M C 
W D X E V H V B N P G B X S I I R Y A D H D N S Q U N C R U 
R L J P Y Y E J C S N E E T K M O N G I N H N E R D L I H C 
Y M Y W A D P K F D T Q V Y Y K A I V B W W R L L K O M K M 
A N M Z G O A M W X Y K M H H U Y L Z B G S P W Y F K N C Z 

ADULTS
ALPHABETIZED
BOOKS
BOOKSHELVES
CHAIRS
CHECKED-IN
CHECKED-OUT
CHILDREN

COMPUTERS

DEWEY-DECIMAL
DUE-DATES
FINES
FRIENDLY
HELPFUL
KIND
LIBRARIANS
LIBRARY-CARD
MOVIES
NEW
OLD
QUIET
SCAN
TEENS
USED
WELL-LOVED

Today I made a word search for all of you to do if you want. I haven't even done the word search yet. I came up with 25 words that I associate with the library. I would love to hear more words that pop into your head.

Post your Update Link Below. Feel free to use the same post. 

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 5

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

It is Day 5 of the read-a-thon and I can't believe the days have flew by so fast. Everybody is doing great and I'm really meeting my goals as well.

Today's prompt is to talk about your librarians. I always go to the same library so I have gotten to know my librarians well.

Post your updated in the linky below feel free to use the same post all week. 

Top Ten Books I have Read so Far this Year

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I have Read so Far this Year


Click on the title for my review.

1. Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah tops my list at number one because I have never read a more emotional, heartfelt book that had so many values. This book touched me in ways I can not explain.

2. City of Ashes is a book a just finished, but a book I fell in love with. I love learning more about Clary, Jace, Simon, Alec, and Isabelle. My review will be up soon.

3. Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer- When it comes to this series I can't choose which one is my favorite. The whole world that Marissa Meyer created is fantastic. The characters are loosely based on the fairy tales, but are original works. Simply amazing series that I would recommend.

4. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult- Jodi Picoult ranks the top of my list of favorite authors so of course I fell in love with her new book. This book was full of mystery and the story of a jewish woman during WWII. I really enjoyed this novel.

5. The Host by Stephenie Meyer although this book is large and took me a number of days to read I fell in love with this book and movie. This book isn't the twilight series although I liked the twilight series also. The Host has a fantastic world and amazing character development.

6. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Although I rate The Time Traveler's Wife as number one on my all time favorite books I didn't feel I could put it so high on this one because it wasn't my first time reading it this year. The Time Traveler's Wife is a truly emotional novel that tests the constraints of time. 

7. Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett. I really fell in love with Rapunzel Untangled. I found the twist the author put on the typical Rapunzel story to be amazing. 

8. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. This was the final novel I had to read to complete all of Sarah Dessen's books and I'm happy to say it quickly became one of my favorites. Just Listen had amazing characters that really drove the novel. 

9. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurliff. Rump was so adorable and I loved remembering the original tale while looking for the twists the author put on the story. Especially the twist on names that she put in the novel.

10. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. The original novel of Peter Pan. I fell in love with this novel and learned that Disney did a pretty amazing job when it came to adapting the movie from this book.


Thanks for reading


Rachael

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 4

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

Day 4 of the read-a-thon has begun and everybody is doing a great job. I loved seeing pictures of all your guys libraries yesterday. They were all so creative and unique. 

Today I would love you to talk in your update post about how many books you check out when you go to the library. What do you do if a book is due, you can't renew it, and haven't read it? 

Link your update posts below. Feel free to use the same post all week. I know I will be. 

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 3

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

It is officially Day 3 of the Read-a-thon. Are you cruising through those library books yet. 

Today I would love for you to show pictures of your local library in your update post. I wrote a full discussion post on My Love of Libraries. 

Link your Update below. Feel free to use the same post. 

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 2

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

Day 2 of the Read-a-thon is beginning. Everybody has such high goals for the read-a-thon and I really hope you are able to complete their goals. I understand that life gets in the way of even our high reading expectations. 

I probably picked the busiest week of my whole summer to host this read-a-thon. I'm moving down to University on Sunday so I need to get packing this week. I'm hoping to get as much reading done as possible. 

Good luck to you all. Go ahead and Link your update post below. Go ahead and use the same update post all week. That is what I usually do. I hope you all are enjoying those library books. 

Library Books Read-a-thon Progress

Hosted by: Rachael @ Rachael Turns Pages

Day 1 June 22nd

Day 1 did not go as planned. I was supposed to babysit yesterday so I planned to get a lot o read done while she was sleeping. That got canceled in the morning so I ran errands with my dad instead which took most of the day. Then my grandma came over and I didn't get any reading done while she was here. We went out for supper at the Cracker Barrel which was really good. Then after we came home I finally got some reading done before going to bed. 

pg 312 to pg 349 in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Total Books Read: 0

Total Pages Read: 37

Day 2 June 23rd

Sunday was another busy day for me. We headed to a small town and took a train ride through the quarry where we ended up having to stand the entire ride. Then we went and saw Monsters University. I loved the movie. Another great movie by Pixar-Disney. I had a lot of time to read on Sunday.

pg 47 to 74 in 50 Harbor Street

pg 349 to pg 453 in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (finished)

pg 0 to pg 66 in Towering by Alex Flinn

Total Books Finished: 1

Total Pages Read: 234

My local library. I spend a lot of time here reading and doing homework during the school year although those days are over because I graduated. I love to just walk around and look at books also. 

Day 3 June 24th

Day 3 was a more relaxed less busy day. I went to the library in the morning to pick up Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen and Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman. Then I went to look around and I picked up Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner and Angels Falls by Kristen Hannah. Bringing my library pile back up to 7 books checked out. To answer my question or request for today it all depends how many books I check out each time I go to the library. My usual check out is one to two, but sometimes I'm there checking out one to two per week. If the book is a new release and it is due I usually read it while it is over due, but if it is a book that I can have back in a couple of weeks I will just return it and check it back out. 

In the afternoon yesterday we went to my neighbors house for a couple of hours and then we came home and relaxed for the night. 

pg 74 to pg 165 in 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber

pg 66 to pg 119 in Towering by Alex Flinn

Total Books Read: 1

Total Pages Read: 378

Day 4 June 25th

Today I have asked that you talk about your librarians. I always go to the same library rarely going to the other branches so over the years I have got to know my librarians well. My favorite librarian has just finished her first year of being a librarian, but before that she was a Home Economics Teacher that I had since 7th grade so I knew her well before she started working in the library. She is always willing to lend a helping hand, is always smiling, and isn't afraid to admit when she makes a mistake. 

The other two librarians are really nice. They are older ladies, but they are always really sweet when I come in to pick up books and ask about my life. They are also really helpful and will work with you. 

Yesterday was pretty uneventful besides going to my neighbors house and Aqua Zumba at the pool. I got quite a bit of reading done. 

pg 119 to pg 205 in Towering by Alex Flinn

pg 165 to pg 200 in 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber

Total Books Read: 1

Total Pages Read: 499

Day 5 June 26th

pg 205 to pg 293 in Towering by Alex Flinn

pg 0 to pg 66 in Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

Total Books Read: 2

Total Pages Read: 653

Day 6 June 27th

Today I went a bit crazy and took a trip to the library five minutes before they closed to pick up City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and Fly Away by Kristin Hannah. I'm so excited to read both of them. I obtained Sisters in Sanity through an Inter library loan so I really wanted to finish it before I went home. As I have told you guys I'm leaving on Sunday and that is a book I can't risk being over due. I went out to the car and I had around 80 pages left of Sisters in Sanity so I thought it wouldn't take me too long to finish it. It was 8 o'clock when I started reading and 9:30 when I finished. I had took my parents car instead of my own so I didn't have to move their care to get mine out so I figured they would be worried since it usually takes me around 15 minutes to go to the library. They accepted my explanation because they trust me and know how crazy I am about books. Sisters in Sanity had a pretty great ending. I was able to put the book in the box so they can ship it back tomorrow. 

pg 66 to pg 290 in Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

pg 200 to pg 206 in 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber

Total Books Read: 3

Total Pages Read: 883

Day 7 June 28th

pg 206 to pg 240 in 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber

pg 0 to pg 17 in Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

Total Books Read: 3

Total Pages Read: 934

Library Books Read-a-thon Day 1 Link Your Goal Posts.

Hosted by Rachael Turns Pages

Day 1 of the Read-a-Thon has began and since I know that there won't be any update posts ready I invite you to post your goals/starting line posts below. 

I know I'm excited to get started on my large stack of library books starting with finishing City of Ashes. 

Library Books Read-a-Thon Goal Post

These are all the books I have  checked out from my library right now. The books are City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber, Towering by Alex Flinn, Poision by Bridgett Zinn, Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah, Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, and Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman.

I obviously do not expect to finish all 7 books in the course of this week. I'm already far into City of Ashes and I'm going to power through 50 Harbor Street as it is due next Sunday. After I finished City of Ashes I will most likely start Towering. My goal is to be to finish City of Ashes and 50 Harbor Street and at least start another book. 

Thanks for reading

Rachael 

Spring Reading Thing 2013 Wrap Up

Hosted by Sandra @ The Musings of a Book Addict 

The Original List

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

3. Splintered by A.G. Howard

4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

5. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

6. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

7. Warm Bodies by Issac Marion

8. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

9. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

10. And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

The Revised List

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

3. Splintered by A.G. Howard

4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

5. That Summer by Sarah Dessen

6. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

7. Warm Bodies by Issac Marion

8. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

9. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

10. And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

11. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
12. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
13. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
14. Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett.

I started out with 10 books. I was working my way through the list until I hit Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I read around 100 pages and I was bored out of my mind and confused so I quit. That is when I revised the list and added more books to bring my goal up to 14. I'm proud to say I completed all 14 books on the revised list.I enjoyed most all of them. I read more books than just that since March 20th. Below will be all the books I read from March 20th to June 20th. 

The books from left to right are

Glitches by Marissa Meyer

Marvel Fairy Tales by C.B. Cebulski 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult 

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry 

Splintered by A.G. Howard 

311 Pelican Court by Debbie Macomber 

 Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

44 Cranberry Point by Debbie Macomber

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn 

Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett 

Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah

Happy Birthday Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 

That Summer by Sarah Dessen 

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen 

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen 

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle 

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

My Teenage Dream Ended by Farrah Abraham 

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marian

I finished a grand total of 24 books in the period of March 20 to June 20 which is 2 months. I'm very proud of that accomplishment. 

Thanks for reading

Rachael 

Book and Movie Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Book: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Publication: October 28, 2010
Source: Local Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary (from Goodreads):

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

 Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

 This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight..

My Thoughts:
I have to first say that Warm Bodies was probably not the normal type of book I would read if it wasn't for the movie. I originally had no interest in the book or movie until my sister talked me into to. I made room for it on my TBR list.

I started off really liking the book then it hit a point where the book got slow. I haven't read a zombie story before, but I was glad this one lack blood and gore. After R met Julie the book really took off although there was some slow parts. R is a zombie he isn't the normal heroin of a romantic story, but for a zombie love story he was pretty good. Julie acceptance of R was amazing.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It wasn't a book I absolutely loved, but I don't think I was the right candidate to fall in love with a zombie love story. This book was different and the author obviously had a good idea for it to be made into a movie. The ending of Warm Bodies was really cheesy, but I was okay with it because I felt the book needed a happy ending.

Credit

Movie:
The movie was also very well done and followed the book almost a tee. It left out a few unnessary parts and changed a couple of points from the book. As an adaptation the movie was top notch. I really liked how the film showed the characters and explained R's life. The movie had a few dry parts also that followed the book, but I didn't enjoy those moments in the book either. I suggest you watch it for yourself. They don't show anything that deals with blood, but there were a few moments I could have done without. I don't get into horror movies. This was far from one. At its heart it was still a love story. I suggest you give the book and movie a try.


Thanks


Rachael

Summer Solstice Readathon Starting Line and Progress

 Hosted by Rie @ Mission To Read and is cohosted by Melissa of Harley Bear Book Blog, Lindsay of The Novel Life, Kathrin of StackedNPainted, and Melina of The Pretty Nifty YA Reader. 

I started the Summer Solstice Read-a-thon this morning at 8:00 a.m. central time. I will be doing all my updates in this one post as to not flood everybody's subscription box. My goal for this Read-a-thon is just to get as far as possible in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare and listen to a little bit of 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber. I'm starting on pg 201 in City of Ashes and I'm on pg 37 in 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber. 

I got up bright and early to start reading. From 8:10 to 9:27 I read pg 201 to pg 230 in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Total Pages Read: 29

Total Time Read: 1 hour 17 min

pg 37 to 47 in 50 Harbor Street by Debbie Macomber. I read from 9:45 to 10:00 a.m.

pg 230 to pg 271 from 1:27 to pg 2:32 in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

pg 271 to pg 252 from 2:33 to 2:52  in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

pg 282 to pg 288 from 6:32 to pg 6:50 in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

pg 288 to pg 294 from 7:09 to 7:20 in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

Total Pages Read: 103

Total Time Read: 3 hour 14 min