Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon October 2014 Sign Up and Goals

Hosted by 24hourreadathon

I know this is really close to the date, but I'm finally announcing my plan to participate in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon. I will be staying at college this weekend and my roommate is leaving so with the apartment to myself I'm hoping to have a productive day of reading. My friend that I hang out with on the weekends mostly also has plans for Saturday. She says she feels bad, but I was secretly happy because I knew that would give me lots of hours of reading. In April I hung out with her while doing the read-a-thon. I just ending up spending most of the time in her room reading instead of talking to her. That isn't abnormal in our friendship because she knows I read a lot anyways especially on the weekends when I can ignore schoolwork. 

My plan for Saturday is to wake up around 7 when the read-a-thon starts and read in bed until around 8:00. Then I'm going to get dressed and go downstairs to do laundry. I don't trust the people in my complex so I stay downstairs with my laundry in the laundry room no matter how many weird stares I get. While I'm down there I will read. Once my laundry is done and put away then I'm going to take a shower and get ready for the day. After that I will just pick random places to read changing places frequently. I'm hoping it is nice outside so that I can read outside for a while. I also will probably head down to the library and read there for quite a few hours. Their chairs are so comfortable. I have a volleyball game to watch at 4:00 so that will be my long break for the day. I'm excited for the read-a-thon. 

I'm currently on page 234 of How Zoe Made Her Dreams Mostly Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer. I plan to finish this early in the read-a-thon day. Then I will start Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. I also have Moonlight by Ann Hunter to read on my computer. 

Hosted by My Shelf Confessions

I will also be participating in the Wonderfully Wicked Readathon which starts today. 

Book Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (no spoilers)

Book: Leaving Time
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publication: October 14th, 2014
Source: Publisher for Review
Read: September 27th - October 11th, 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):

Throughout her blockbuster career, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult has seamlessly blended nuanced characters, riveting plots, and rich prose, brilliantly creating stories that “not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us” (The Boston Globe). Now, in her highly anticipated new book, she has delivered her most affecting novel yet—and one unlike anything she’s written before.

 For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe that she would be abandoned as a young child, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts. 

Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest. The first is Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons—only to later doubt her gifts. The second is Virgil Stanhope, a jaded private detective who originally investigated Alice’s case along with the strange, possibly linked death of one of her colleagues. As the three work together to uncover what happened to Alice, they realize that in asking hard questions, they’ll have to face even harder answers.

 As Jenna’s memories dovetail with the events in her mother’s journals, the story races to a mesmerizing finish. A deeply moving, gripping, and intelligent page-turner, Leaving Time is Jodi Picoult at the height of her powers.

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My Thoughts:

* I received this book free from the publisher for review. I did not receive any compensation for this review. All thoughts and feelings about this novel are my own.*

I was so lucky to receive an early copy of Leaving Time. I'm so excited for the rest of the reading world to dive into this book. This book had me interested from page one to the last page. I was so excited to have time to read this book at the end of the day and would stay up late at night to get a few more pages in. This book also almost made me late for class more than once. This book was truly a page turner. 

The book switched viewpoints between, Jenna, her mother Alice, Virgil the detective, and Serenity the physic. At first I was really interested in Jenna's parts, but as the book went on Alice's chapters became my favorite. I liked her chapters most because she talked about Elephants. I learned so much about elephants and elephant grief through this book. The elephants in this book were characters all on their own and I became connected to them just like I did with the humans. Another part I liked about Alice's chapters is that she slowly revealed more about her life with Thomas and Jenna's early years of life at the Elephant Sanctuary. Serenity's chapters were probably my next favorite. Although I don't really believe in physic's it was interesting to see how her mind worked and what she was thinking in regards to solving the mystery of Alice's disappearance. I admire Jenna's courage. She never gave up hope that she would find her mother. 

The ending of this novel was truly jaw dropping. Towards the end I was starting to put the pieces together, but I never expected the twist Picoult put in at the end. Picoult wrote another winner with this novel. I loved this book from the beginning to the end. I'm so excited to share this excitement with the rest of the Picoult community. There has not been a Jodi Picoult book that I have read that I haven't liked and Leaving Time is no exception. I learned so much about Elephants through Leaving Time. I watched relationships develop and go through tough times. This book was such an interesting, trilling ride. I absolutely recommend this book to Picoult fans. This book was truly amazing. 

Happy Release Day Leaving Time! I hope everybody that reads you loves you as much as I did!

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (no spoilers)

Book: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publication: September 29th, 2011
Source: Local Library
Read:
Summary (from Goodreads):

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

 When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

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My Thoughts:

I do have to admit I did not fall in love with Lola the way I fell in love with Anna, but with that out of the way, I still did love Lola and the Boy Next Door. Stephanie Perkins wrote the book after all and she writes love stories that make me swoon. Lola had a slow beginning, but it did eventually pick up. I just don't think I fell in love with the characters as much as I did in Anna. 

Lola grows up in a modern family. She was adopted by her mom, Norah's brother, Nathan, and his partner Andy. Lola is a different person every day. As the summary says the crazier and more expressive the outfit the better. Lola is an outgoing spirit and I enjoyed that about her. One thing that took me a while to get used to is Lola's choice of her older boyfriend, Max. I really tried and I really wanted to like Max, but I just couldn't. I know that Perkins meant it this way, but I just couldn't warm up to Max. Especially when Cricket Bell is in the picture. 

Cricket and Calliope Bell move back to the house next door. At first we know that something has happened between Lola and the twins, but it takes a while before Lola tells the story of their falling out. Then we get the experience to watch their relationship develop and Lola to find the path she wanted to go. That is when I really dived into Lola and started to enjoy the story a lot more. 

Another fun part of this novel is that Anna and St. Clair are back for brief snit bits throughout the story. The ending was wonderful. I enjoyed Lola and the Boy Next Door. I will be reading Isla and the Happily Ever After soon. I hope to enjoy Isla a bit more than I did Lola. 

Book Review: On the Fence by Kasie West (no spoilers)

Book: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Publication: July 1st, 2014
Source: Local Library
Read: September 10th-12th, 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

 To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

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My Thoughts:

This book was amazing. I finished it about three sittings over a two day period while I worked around doing homework and other college related things. This book kept me wanting to read no matter what I actually needed to do. 

Tomboy, Charlie is the main focus of the novel. She has three older brothers although sometimes she has four when she decides to count her neighbor Brayden who is best friends with her brother, Gage. Charlie has virtually grew up with Brayden and she is more comfortable around him than anybody else. In a house full of boys and with Charlie's mother deceased, Charlie has to figure out how to be a girl in a boy filled world.  Charlie is not the typical girl as she enjoys playing sports, but when Charlie attempts to change who she is that is when her brother's and Brayden step in. I related really well to Charlie in this novel and I didn't always agree with her decisions. It was fun to see her grow, make mistakes, and learn from her mistakes. 

Brayden was sensitive, sweet, and caring. Brayden comes from a home with an abusive father and spend many nights outside to avoid his parents fights. When Charlie can't sleep, she meets Brayden at the fence. With the barrier between them they let all their feelings out and tell each other secrets they would never tell each other in the daylight. Even though neither one would ever admit it this is where their romance blossoms. When you have been friends for so many years is it worth losing a friendship for a relationship?

I loved the romance in this novel as well as the family dynamic and coworker relationships. I think On the Fence shows how a person can change, but they will learn from their mistakes and come to the conclusion they are supposed to come to. Another fun part of this novel is seeing characters introduced in The Distance Between Us.  The ending of this novel was great and everything I could have wanted for this novel. This is a wonderful novel for contemporary readers. I can't wait to see what Kasie West comes up with next. 

The TBR Tag

The To Be Read Tag was created by Dana @ Danasquare and her co-blogger Rachel @ A Perfect Called Books because they are curious about our tbr lists. 

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I keep track of my TBR on goodreads, but I do have a shelf titled owned books and 2015 releases which helps me keep track of tbr books also. Mostly my list is just on the tbr self on goodreads. 

Is your TBR mostly print or ebook?
My TBR is mostly print. I read very few ebooks and when I do they are usually books everybody is talking about or freebies off amazon. 

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?
I usually just choose whichever book needs to go back to the library first. 
A Book That's Been On Your TBR List The Longest
Home Front by Kristin Hannah, Change of Heart and The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult were all added on August 15th, 2012
A Book You Recently Added To Your TBR

I just added The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder. I mostly added this book because I think my sister will like it and I'm looking for books to recommend to her for next year's book challenge. 

A Book In Your TBR Strictly Because Of Its Beautiful Cover 

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle.  My sister and I actually bought this book because we thought the cover was beautiful and would look great on our shelf. 

A Book On Your TBR That You Never Plan on Reading 

The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I like to think that I'm going to read every book on my tbr list, but in all honesty these are books I think I will probably never get around to. The first book I think I would like. The second book isn't my type, so I will probably just remove Thirteen Reasons Why from list. 

An Unpublished Book On Your TBR That You’re Excited For 

I have 17 2015 releases I'm excited for at this point, but the books I'm most excited about are Fairest by Marissa Meyer and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. 

A Book On Your TBR That Basically Everyone’s Read But You 

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I will be changing this soon as this was my September random read. 

A Book On Your TBR That Everyone Recommends To You

The Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver. I have been meaning to read this series, but I have not got around to it.
A Book On Your TBR That You’re Dying To Read
I want to read them all. One I'm dying to read is Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George.
How many books are on your Goodreads TBR shelf? 
300. I wanted to get my tbr list down this year and it has remained around 300 the whole year. I add a book every time I read one it seems. Oh well I will never run out of books to read. 

I challenge anybody that reads this post and hasn't done this tag to do it. How many books are on your TBR Pile?