Month: May 2015

2015 May Wrap-Up

Analee @ Book Snacks16 Comments

Hi there! It is the last day of May, so that means a little re-cap of this month! This will be in a more different format than my last wrap-up (similar to Poulami’s format)!

Books I’ve read this month (Link to Goodreads):

Yep, that’s it for my education. My grades are going down the drain…

Books I’ve reviewed this month: 13

Comparing this with the books I’ve read… *winces* oops! I’ve been quite behind with my reviewing! I’ll make that my next goal… hopefully I’ll be able to have all the books I’ve read this month reviews at least by the end of August, or mid-September at the most. (I doubt I’ll reach that goal, but I’m setting it!)

Tags I did this month: 5

Awards that I have been nominated for:

I forgot how long these awards have been sitting in my drafts folder, but I know it’s been a long time. I’ll get to these soon, I promise! Thank you so much to the wonderful bloggers who nominated me, I haven’t forgotten you! ❤ It means a lot to me that you would consider me and my little Book Snacks for a blog award!

‘Shadowhunters’ TV Show Casting Updates & Thoughts:

Other Book News:

Reading Challenge Updates:

Top 10 Tuesday

  • #4: May 5th (Books I will Probably Never Read-Didn’t participate)
  • #5: May 12th (Authors I REALLY Want to Meet)
  • #6: May 19th (Freebie: Greek Mythology books)
  • #7: May 26th (Beach Reads I Plan to Read this Summer)

Teaser Tuesday

WWW Wednesday

That’s What He Said Thursday

Friday Finds

Exploring My Bookshelves

Shelf Candy Saturday

No longer participating due to my discovery of it being a personal meme.

Discussion Posts/ABEA 2015

So there we have it! My May 2015 Wrap-up. Do like this format? Or would you rather the older format? Let me know in the comments below, your opinion matters! 🙂 How was your May reading? Don’t forget to also let me know below.

-A

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern (AKA Where Rainbows End) | Book Review

Analee @ Book Snacks20 Comments

(Stand-Alone)

Published: February 1st 2005

Synopsis:

 Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way…

From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can’t seem to get it right.

Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S.

She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She’s pregnant by a boy she’d gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn’t done with them yet.

From the gifted author of PS, I Love You comes this charming, romantic, addictively page-turning novel that will keep readers laughing and guessing until the very last page.

Love Rosie_bookcovers
Add to Goodreads

My Rating: 4.5 Stars 4.5/5 (Amazing)

Book Information

Publisher: Hyperion

Genre(s): Young-adult fiction, romance

Format: e-book

Hi there! Like all my pending reviews, this is way overdue, but oh well. At least it’s here now. Anyway, I absolutely loved this book! There’s nothing more to say. It was amazing. (The featured image is the book cover for Where Rainbows End, before it was renamed Love, Rosie. I just thought the cover looked prettier.) 🙂

Quick summary

Rosie & Alex have been best friends since forever, and when they got older they start to see eachother in a more romantic light. But when a mistake causes Rosie to become pregnant with a rebound guy, Rosie’s hopes and dreams are crushed as she becomes a single mother. On the other hand, Alex is on his way to a successful future and a new love. But fate has something different planned for the two best friends…Read More »

May 2015 Book Haul

Analee @ Book Snacks23 Comments

Yay! Book haul! These are books I’ve accumulated throughout this month. (Excluding the books I hauled in my Mini May Book Haul) Press the images for a bigger view. All titles link to Goodreads.

Bookbub e-books I added to my Kobo

Bought e-books I added to my Kobo

Physical copies

So excited for all these! ❤ Especially P.S. I Still Love You! Finally got my copy.

So that’s it for this month’s book haul! I got most of these at great prices, so I suppose it was a pretty good haul—except for the fact that I’m now out of money to buy books, while there are a ton of books I want to buy next month. *Sigh.*

-A

Armchair BEA 2015 | Book to Movie Adaptations

Analee @ Book Snacks4 Comments

Hello! Armchair BEA is coming to an end, unfortunately! Today’s topic is Book to Movie Adaptations:

Book to Movie Adaptions
What books do you want to be made into a movie or television show? What are some of your favorites? We’ll explore more about this topic, especially what works and what doesn’t.  Are there any upcoming shows or movies that you’re excited for? What are your recommendations?

Book to movie adaptations that I think stayed true to the book:

  • Harry Potter. These movies were all amazing, and there’s no big issue I have with them! The actors were spot-on and I will always remember them as perfect HP characters. I think these movies are one of the best book-to-movie adaptations out there, to be honest. I just loved these movies so much!
  • Hunger Games. These movies were another really good book-to-movie adaptation. I think Jennifer Lawrence made a great Katniss, and the plot stayed pretty close to the book.
  • The Fault in Our Stars. This movie was another adaptation that I think was spot-on. It wasn’t better than the book, but definitely is a rival. It was just that good (in terms of being similar to the book).
  • Pride and Prejudice (2005). This was the only adaptation I’ve seen of Pride and Prejudice, and I really liked it! It was pretty similar to the book, I think.
  • The Princess Diaries. This adaptation wasn’t that similar with the book, but it was a really good movie, so it’s on this list!

Read More »

2015 June Book Releases

Analee @ Book Snacks15 Comments

Hi there! Just one more day of May, can you believe it? With June nearly upon us, I thought it would be fitting to do a post on June 2015 releases I really want to read!

June 2nd:

June 9th:

June 16th:

June 23rd:

June 30th:

Are any of these on your TBR list? Which release(s) are you excited for? Let me know in the comments below! ❤

Happy reading!

-A

‘Shadowhunters’ TV Show Casting Update: Hodge Starkweather!

Analee @ Book Snacks25 Comments

As most of you know, ‘Shadowhunters’ started filming, and now we have another addition to the family – Hodge Starkweather has been cast!

Joining a cast of:

Dominic Sherwood as Jace
Alberto Rosende as Simon
Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle
Katherine McNamara as Clary
Matthew Daddario as Alec
Isaiah Mustafa as Luke
Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus
Alan Van Sprang as Valentine
Maxim Roy as Jocelyn

the role of Hodge will be played by:Read More »

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi | Book Review

Analee @ Book Snacks17 Comments

(Shatter Me #1.5)

Published: October 2nd 2012

Synopsis:

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me,Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Destroy Me_bookcover
Add to Goodreads

My Rating: 5 stars 5/5 (Outstanding)

Book Information

Publisher: Harper

Genre(s): Young-adult fiction, dystopia, romance

Page Count: 109

Format: e-book

Hello! I finished this quite a while ago, but I still remember my love for this book like it was yesterday! I love Shatter Me, the first book in the Shatter Me series, and this novella was no exception!

This is going to be a more shorter review, as it is only a novella, but read on for my fangirling over this book! Note: This is a spoiler-free review, unless you haven’t read the first book. If you haven’t read the first book, DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW. You have been warned. Read More »

Armchair BEA 2015 | Social Media & Character Chatter

Analee @ Book Snacks9 Comments
Armchair BEA

Hi there! I didn’t get the chance to post yesterday’s ABEA topic (Visual Expressions/Social Media) so I’m going to be mixing that in along with today’s (Character Chatter/Blogging 101).

Social Media
How do you use social media to expand your blogging/writing horizons?  Social Media is all about networking and connections, and utilizing today’s technology to the fullest.  Make sure you mention your own social media pages. Do you have another blog, maybe a Tumblr? Have a Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook? Or maybe there’s an underrated social media program that you like.

I don’t know whether this counts (I’m pretty sure it does though) but I use Goodreads for adding books to my TBR and making friends with other readers. I also use Goodreads for my reviews (book information like publisher, genre, page count, ISBN, and official synopsis of a book). Other than that I cross-post my reviews on Goodreads as well, and I love using it to interact with other readers and seeing what books are trending, interesting, etc.

As far as other social media platforms are concerned, I actually made a Twitter account only a couple of days ago. I didn’t have one before, but seeing so many bloggers having an account and utilizing it for blogging and connecting with people, I decided to make an account as well. As I just started using it I can’t really say if it’s good or not, but I’m liking it so far! 🙂 I can connect with so many authors, and other bloggers, and it’s lots of fun. ❤

I don’t have Tumblr, Instagram or Facebook, but I might make an account depending on how useful they are! This is where your thoughts come in handy: what are your opinions on these social media platforms (if you use them)? Let me know in the comments below, your opinions really help!

 Add me on: Goodreads | Twitter

Your opinion matters! What social media do you like to use?

Character Chatter

It’s time to give your favorite characters some love! Characters are essential to a story, and they can make or break a book for some readers. Now’s your chance to shine the spotlight on your favorite characters, or maybe your least favorite. Who’s your favorite couple? What are the components of a well written character? What are you favorite or least favorite cliches associated with characters?

Characters are one of the most important factors for me when judging and reading a book. After all, they are the story tellers, the people we get connected to throughout the book. If I didn’t like them, chances are I didn’t like the book, since if I don’t like the people we spend the most time with, I won’t like the overall story.

Anyway, I’m happy to say that throughout my reading years, I haven’t come across many characters that I genuinely hate or extremely dislike. However, there were characters whose POVs I did not enjoy, such as Amy from Flash Point by Nancy Kress. (You can check out my review on that here.) Then there are POVs I did enjoy, like Warner from Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (You can check out my review on that here.) Specifically, I LOVED his POV. Other POVs I enjoyed were Percy from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, Tessa from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, Penryn from Penryn & the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee, etc.

What these POVs have in common is that they all are relatable in some way, or, in the case of Warner, tug on the heartstrings. Percy keeps me smiling throughout the story, and is just simply so relatable that I can’t help but enjoy him. Tessa loves to read, and her personality reminds me of myself sometimes. Penryn is just so witty and interesting that I also enjoyed her POV. So I guess what I’m trying to say here is that well-written characters should be relatable and interesting, or else I end up not really caring about the character or finding him/her boring. Oh, and an honourable mention: Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. A no-brainer! She’s loyal, smart and witty, not to mention she loves books! We’d be besties.

Because I want to go curl up with a book right now, I’m going to finish this off with a quick list of my favorite book couples:

So there you have it, bookworms! Day 2 & 3 of ABEA.

Happy reading!

-A

Exploring My Bookshelves #7 (May 29)

Analee @ Book Snacks16 Comments

Hello bookworms! Today is the last Exploring My Bookshelves post of May, can you believe it? May passed by so fast… anyway, Exploring My Bookshelves is a weekly meme hosted by Victoria @ Addlepates and Book Nerds. The rules are:

1. Post a picture of your bookshelves (preferably literal, but e-book shelves work too)

2. Follow the theme/question about the books on your shelf that Victoria will have set out for us for that week. (Eg. favourite author, cover, etc.)

3. Include the cover and what you thought of it (if it’s read).

4. Link your post!

IMG_1422[1]

Topic: a book you bought just to complete the set

There are a lot of books I could name for this! A few of them would be:

What books have you bought just to complete the set? Let me know in the comments below or leave your link!

Note: After today, I will be making Exploring My Bookshelves into a monthly meme instead of weekly—it’s just more convenient that way. Credit goes to Summer @ Xingsings for the idea!

Happy Friday!

-A

Friday Finds #8 (May 29)

Analee @ Book Snacks23 Comments

Hi! Time for another Friday Finds, a meme hosted by Jenn @ A Daily Rhythm! To play along just show off some of the books you recently found and added to your TBR. Here are my finds for this week:

All book titles link to Goodreads:

What have you recently found and added to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below or leave your link!

#TGIF

-A

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 5 Update!

Analee @ Book Snacks8 Comments

Hiya! Time for another Popsugar Reading Challenge Update, this time for week 5! I’m happy to say this week has been quite productive! Since my last update, my challenge now stands at: 28/50 (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9)! A bit more than halfway through, yes! 😀

  • A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
  • A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  • A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
  • A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
  • A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
  • A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
  • A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
  • A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
  • A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
  • A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  • A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
  • A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
  • A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
  • A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
  • A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
  • A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
  • A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
  • A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
  • A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
  • A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
  • A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
  • A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

9 books in one week! Definitely my best. (The fact that Sisters is graphic novel and Aftermath was really short will be ignored…) I would love to celebrate my progress, but as a result of all this reading, my studying has been… procrastinated. I will most assuredly not be getting good grades this year… Oops! Better get to it. Exams almost over, though, woo-hoo! Hopefully I’ll be able to finish up the many rough drafts of my reviews that I have pending soon.

How are your reading challenges going? Let me know in the comments below!

-A

That’s What HE Said Thursday #8 (May 28)

Analee @ Book Snacks4 Comments

Aloha! Time for another That’s What He Said Thursday, a meme hosted by Chapter Break! I’m still reeling from Ignite Me’s amazingness (by Tahereh Mafi) and so here’s a quote brought to you by none other than Warner, one of the love interests in the story. (Whose review is coming soon!)

And I’ve fallen.

So hard.

I’ve hit the ground. Gone right through it. Never in my life have I felt this. Nothing like this. I’ve felt shame and cowardice, weakness and strength. I’ve known terror and indifference, self-hate and general disgust. I’ve seen things that cannot be unseen.

And yet I’ve known nothing like this terrible, horrible, paralyzing feeling. I feel crippled. Desperate and out of control. And it keeps getting worse. Every day I feel sick. Empty and somehow aching.

Love is a heartless bastard.

-Warner, Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Destroy Me_bookcoverThe feels, the feels! Oh my god I just about died from the feels reading this book! Isn’t this just so heartbreaking?

Come on Warner, you can do this. If Tay-Tay can, so can you. ❤

What do you think of this quote/tidbit? Have you read the Shatter Me series or this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! Planning on reading the series? Also let me know! I’d love to hear from you. 🙂

Happy Thursday!

-A

Translation & Literature | Book Snacks Babbles

Analee @ Book Snacks19 Comments

Hi! Recently I’ve discovered a company called Smartling, a translation software company that translates website content into many languages so that businesses can effectively communicate with their audience. This company raised several thoughts in my head. After all, there are so many books that have been translated, to and from so many different languages! How would the world be today if these books hadn’t been translated? Completely different, wouldn’t it be?

I recently finished re-reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and I loved it! I might even consider one of my favorite childhood books, but how would’ve I read this if it had not been translated from German to English? I wouldn’t have, and I would’ve missed out on a quite wonderful story. Another example would be Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, a book also originally written in German. I quite enjoyed this story, and I would’ve missed out on it had it not been translated. For other good examples, you should check out Poulami’s post. 

Translation is wonderful, in allowing us to have access to pieces of literature and novels that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to. As translation is so crucial in sharing literature with the world, there are of course several issues that must be addressed. When I read books translated from another language, I often worry about whether the same story has been translated, and whether the writing style will remain the same. After all, a different language means for a whole different way of communication, and there are of course language slip-ups that happen when translating a whole story. I know from my personal reading as well as from other readers’ opinions that translated books do not always provide satisfying reading experiences. If this issue could be resolved, translated books would have a larger value and would reach more readers.

So those are my thoughts on translation and literature! We all know the value of the written word (or so I hope!), and the world would definitely be different if books hadn’t been translated; they wouldn’t be accessible to many people today. What are your thoughts on translated books? Do you agree with me? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below!

Analee 10

Animal by Nikki Rae | Book Review

Analee @ Book Snacks8 Comments

(Stand-Alone)

Published: February 28th 2015 

Synopsis:

Ava has spent her life running from the monsters that lurk in the shadows, always the prey. She finally thinks she can settle down, have a normal life, and work on not being so scared of the world around her. That is until she runs into her worst fear.

He has finally found the potential family he has always wanted. All he has to do is make his little bird sing. Will Ava escape with her humanity intact?

My Rating: 4.5 Stars 4.5/5 (Amazing)Animal

Book Information

Genre(s): New Adult, Paranormal, Suspense

Page Count: 415

Format: E-book

Used for the Popsugar challenge: A book by an author I’ve never read before

Note: I received a free digital copy of this book via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. 

I was super excited when my review request for this book was approved! This has been one of the few New Adult reads of mine this year, and it was quite the read!

Reading the premise, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was intrigued, and that was all it took for me to request a review copy! I’m so happy I got to read this!Read More »

Armchair BEA 2015 | Introduction

Analee @ Book Snacks7 Comments

Armchair BEA is an online conference that runs in conjunction with Book Expo America in New York City. There are a large number of people around the world that are not able to join in the literary celebrations in the Big Apple, so Armchair BEA brings the celebration to you by allowing networking among other book bloggers, authors, and publishers as well as special coverage of the event, all from the comfort of your very own armchair. For more information, be sure to check out our FAQ page!

I found about this conference thanks to Emily @ Books and Cleverness as well as Casey @ Inspired by the Page, and I had to join! It seemed like lots of fun, so how could I resist? So to start, we have to answer a few introductory questions:

1. How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?

I officially created this blog in February, but I started posting near the end of March. So that puts me at a bit over 2 months of blogging. I’m a Canadian, born in the States. I got into blogging when I felt like sharing the books I read with other people who would enjoy them just as much as I did. 🙂 And so a blog was my solution.

2. Why do you loving reading and blogging?

Reading carries me to another world, a world with characters who have much more interesting lives than I would ever have. It’s simply amazing! I can always lose myself when reading a story, and all my worries, my stress, everything, just slip away. Reality is such a bore sometimes, and brings such stress, it’s the best gift when I can just forget about it all by reading a great book.
As for blogging, the next best thing to reading books is sharing the books you read with others who feel the same way about books that you do. Could there be anything more incredible than fangirling over the books we love to read? The blogging community is amazing, so welcoming, and it always makes my day when there’s someone who comments and says they feel the same way about a book that I do.

3. What is your favorite genre and why?

Well, I have several favorite genres, so:

I love contemporaries, because they provide a fun, light read that always has me smiling. It occasionally brings in everyday issues, not to mention slow-burn romances that always brightens my day!
On the flip side, I love paranormal romance books as well, because they incorporate three of my favorite components: action, romance and of course, paranormal beings. I love reading about a world with different kind of creatures just as much as I love reading books about every-day life.
And then of course there’s fantasy books, which I love for the same reason about paranormal romance books, basically. Fantasy books are introducing a whole new world that are usually amazing to read about.
Lastly, dystopias. I love reading about a world that seems perfect but really isn’t, not to mention a futuristic world. It’s always a pleasure to read about a futuristic world, especially because there are so many interesting factors added in; romance, action, and great storyline.

4. What book(s) are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading 2 books: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi & Fire in Frost by Alicia Rades. I had been reading Inkheart today as well, but I literally just finished it.

5. What is the top book in your TBR pile?

I have a lot of books on my TBR, but the top 2 I can name would be P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han & A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

So that’s it! Stay tuned for more ABEA posts in the next few days. 🙂

-A