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Friday 26 July 2013

TGIF: A week's break

Hey guys, as you may or may not have noticed, I've been pretty absent from the blogosphere lately. This is due to tendonitis in my right arm/wrist, as well as general busy-ness and just not feeling well. I'm just going to take an official week off to clear my head, get ahead with blog posts and de-stress a bit. I'll be back next Friday with a pretty personal post and then I should be back and the blog running regularly! I'll still be on twitter a bit, I just need to take an official break so that I'm not super stressed out about keeping up with the blog...


Talk to you guys next Friday!
Happy reading!
~Kristy

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Words That Make Me NOT Pick Up a Book


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic  is : Top Ten Words That Make Me NOT Pick Up a Book.

1. "The Next _______ (insert big-name title here [Twilight, Hunger Games]) -  I want something original, not something I've read before.

2. Erotica - No, I'm not a prude, but I am 16 and I'm not exactly sure my mum would be all that pleased with me picking up a copy of 50 Shades of Grey... So I just stay away from that section of the book store. 

3. Heavy Religious Ideology- I'm not a religious person whatsoever... I'm agnostic, so I'm not a fan of reading books that preach to me what I should and should not believe in.

4. Written in Verse - I'm a huge fan of poetry. I actually love writing poems and reading them, but something about a whole YA story written in verse scares me a lot. I've only tried it once, but maybe it's time to give it another go?

5. Zombies - I just haven't been able to get into a zombie book yet and they've kind of become a genre that I stay away from.

6. Abusive Relationship - When I say this, I mean a romantic relationship where the victim stays and makes excuses for her abuser and doesn't do anything about it. I just can't read something like that. 

7.  Sexism - Unless it's a book about dealing with sexism (against female or males), I don't want to read a whole book about how a person is being treated badly for their sex and nothing is done or said about it.

8. Homophobia -  Same with the above. If I get the feeling that a book is going to be stating a lot of homophobic slurs without any of the characters standing up and saying something about it, I don't really want to read it. 



I'm not sure what else to add, so I'll leave it at that. I'm sorry this is so late, I've been kind of off lately and not really into blogging this past while. Leave a link to your TTT this week and I'll check it out. 

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Monday 22 July 2013

Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Page Count: 242 pages, Paperback
Date Published: October 1st 2012
Find it on Goodreads: Stealing Parker
Source: Purchased (Ebook)

 Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.
Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.
Now Parker wants a new life.
So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?
But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

While I didn't love this one as much as its predecessor, Stealing Parker was still an enjoyable read.

What's different about this book is that Kenneally brings in the aspect of religion. At first, it seemed like your typical drama-filled younger girl falls in love with older man story that all turns out well in the end. But then there's also a lot of stuff to do with Parker's messed up family and how the church judged them. Parker contemplates a lot about God and the church and I thought it was interesting how Kenneally did that part of the book. She wasn't preaching or anything, it was just a part of the book, which I liked, as I'm not religious, so I don't particularly care for books that preach to me what I should believe. Thankfully, this is not one of those books.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, but sadly not as much as I had liked Catching Jordan. The romance once again wasn't what is first expected and Kenneally did a great job in maintaining a balance between the romance and the sports and the family drama of the story.

.5


Happy reading!
~Kristy


Saturday 20 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 12




I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


How do you fight blogger fatigue?


Wow, what a perfect subject for me right now. I'm going through a bout of blogger fatigue.... Actually, more like internet fatigue. I don't feel like doing anything on the net lately. But I'm trying to get over it and these are some of the ways that I do that!

1. READ. - If I get lucky and find a really good book, sometimes all that make me want to blog about it RIGHT AWAY! And then after that, sometimes I just get in the mood to write a bunch more!

2. Take a break - Sometimes, there's nothing else I can do. If I don't feel like blogging and cannot force myself to write, I'll take a bit of a break, go catch up on all of the TV shows that I'm super behind on (Supernatural, Game of Thrones, etc... Don't judge me) Or I'll go out with a friend or on my own or with my family! Something to distract me from the computer! Or, sometimes it's good to take an extended break, but not too long!!!

3. Write down any possible ideas for non-book review posts. Sometimes it's nice to write about stuff other than my review on a book. I love coming up with new ideas for TGIF posts (which by the way, are coming back regularly, it's just taking some time) or other discussion posts, because I LOVE TALKING TO YOU GUYS!

4. Ask for help - There are so many amazingly nice bloggers out there with great advice for stuff like this and I'm so glad we have the technology of twitter for us to be able to have quick convos about random stuff like this!


So yeah, that's 4 ways that I use to get over blogger fatigue, but I want to know if you have any tips on this subject, because I really need them! I just don't feel like blogging lately, so I might take a bit of a break soon, but I'd prefer to just get back into it!


Happy reading!
~Kristy

Stacking the Shelves (46)


Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week.

For Review:



These two books were both sent to me by the lovely Daria Snadowsky! I read each of them in a matter of hours as soon as they arrived and LOVED them! Reviews coming soon! Thank you Daria!


What did you get this week in books? Leave me a link to your haul!

Happy reading!
~Kristy



Friday 19 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 11




I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


Show of your 5 best blog posts...


Um, I'm not really sure what my 5 best blog posts are, so I'm just going to list 5 that I'm kind of proud of, I guess!









Okay, there you go! Do you have any blog posts that you're particularly proud of? Or if you're a regular reader, do you recall one of mine that you enjoyed? Let me know!

PS sorry this is so late and that this week has been lacking a lot. I've been so busy with summer courses, babysitting, driving lessons and then tonight while I was babysitting, the dad who is a physiotherapist checked out my wrist and I found out that I have tendonitis in my right wrist and arm, which is my writing hand, so that sucks. So yeah, that's why things have been slow this week... Injury/Business! Sorry about that guys!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Thursday 18 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 10



I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


How do you choose the next book you're going to read?
...



I'm not joking, I seriously have no idea how I pick out the next book I want to read. 

I'm the type of person who can read multiple books at a time... right now I have four on the go. It's really all about what mood I'm in. Sometimes, I just need a contemporary and other days, I know I won't be able to read anything unless it's a fantasy novel. It's not this big huge process and that's probably why my TBR is still so big and why I'm behind on review books... I kind of just pick what I am in the mood for. 


So what about you guys? How do you pick your next read?


I'm sorry this is so late, I've had an insane week with drivers ed, bootcamp, bio midterm and other stuff! 

Happy reading!
~Kristy


Wednesday 17 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 9


I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


Why Do You Blog About Books?


I have always been the reader in my group of friends. Since the first day of kindergarten, people have known me to have a book on me at all times. I love to read and I have since I was little... When I would get in trouble when I was little, it was basically because I was up reading at 2am and my punishment would be that my mum took away my book for the day. Not kidding, that happened a few times, actually. Reading has been an enormous part of my life since before I could remember. I loved being told stories and reading with my mum or dad... Again, when I was little, I loved bubble baths because my dad would bring out my favourite story book and read me a story while I played with my rubber ducks so that I didn't get bored. Reading has helped me bond with my parents in a lot of ways and I love that. Stories are what keeps me going when things get tough and I get scared or hurt. Reading is as much a part of my life as eating or sleeping is. And on January 14th, 2012, I decided I wanted to share my love for books and their authors with the internet. 

I love talking about books, quite obviously. Books are one of the things that I am most passionate about and I become so immersed into a story with its characters and the plot and everything else about it. After I finish a book, there are many times where I feel so overwhelmed by what I just read and I just have to talk about it. But sadly, not everyone else around me is as passionate about books as I am and they get annoyed pretty fast if I babble on and on about what I thought of this couple and what changes I thought could have been made and what I think of the cover, etc. Not everyone in real life wants to hear about what you want to talk about. It's just something you have to deal with and accept. But here on the internet, it's this huge, incredible space, filled with different communities all linking together and separating and looping around. There are people on the internet who are interested in everything and I'm sure if you look hard enough, you will find someone who shares your same passion. 

Last January when I started my blog, I didn't really know about the vast book blogging community. I had experience with the beauty blogs and beauty YouTube videos and also comedy/skits channels on YouTube, but I'd never really seen a lot on books, until Elle Fowler (allthatglitters21) started doing Glitteratures, (book reviews on her YouTube channel). It got me thinking about book reviews and blogging and vlogging and I decided to start A Little Shelf of Heaven. 

I blog because it gives me an outlet to blog about one of my greatest passions and to practice another great passion of mine, writing. I blog because I can communicate and interact with other people who share my same interests and make friends all over the world. I blog because it is a place where I can speak freely with no one openly judging me (that I can see) and it is a place where I can discuss things that I might not out loud. I blog about books because books keep me fueled like gas fuels the car. I blog about books because I cannot help but smile whenever I enter a bookstore and I want to share the feeling of a love of books. I blog about books because I want other people to learn and experience more types of literature than just the ones they have to read for school. I blog about books because I grew up as the nerd in school and I am proud of it and I want to have a place where I can let that out and let my nerdiness thrive. I blog about books because I love words and the language and I love to see how authors can create amazing stories that make us laugh and cry and make us angry and frustrated and elated. 

I blog about books for the love of books.

Literature is something I wish everyone could be interested in, but of course, then the world would be dull. But it is one of the best feelings in the world when someone you lent a book to texts you in Capslock, saying how much they loved the book and are looking for new recommendations. A Little Shelf of Heaven is a place where I can talk about the books I read and anyone in the world can see what I've written and what I thought about this book. It is a place of peace for me and makes me prouder than anything else in the world.

If you're a book blogger, why do you blog about books? If not, do you want to be? Or is there something holding you back?

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors Who Deserve More Recognition



Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic  is : Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition.

1. Katherine Longshore (Gilt, Tarnish) - Her books are both beautifully written, emotional and make you really connect with the characters, even though they once were real people.

2. Daria Snadowsky (Anatomy of a Boyfriend) - Daria's books are brutally honest about subjects that a lot of YA authors shy away from. She's not afraid to be blunt about important things like sexuality in a teen's life. 

3. Tara Woolpy (Raising Wild Ginger) - Tara writes books for adults and I've only read one, but it was emotionally heart-wrenching and very well written.

4. Hannah Harrington (Saving June) -  I think this book deserves a lot more attention than it received... it was great!

5. Nina LaCour (The Disenchantments) - I adored this book last year and am dying to see what comes next from this author... She's very talented!

6. Jess Rothenberg (The Catastrophic History of You and Me) - I personally believed that this was one of the best books of last year and I wish Rothenberg received more recognition on how amazing her book was!


These are all I can think of right now! There are plenty more but it's close to 1am and I need to go to bed! Leave me a link if you did this post this week!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 8



I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


QUICK! 15 things that appeal to me in a blog


  • good grammar
  • clean sidebars
  • nice design
  • writing that sounds like there is emotion behind it, not just monotone
  • not filled with memes
  • at least 1-2 reviews a week (but I get it if you miss a week here or there, because hey, I do that too)
  • none of those countdowns with sound effects!
  • original content, not just a bunch of book blasts
  • taking part in blogosphere community stuff, like challenges!
  • easy to navigate
  • simple url (nothing like booklover_198478xoxo.blogspot.com) 
  • discussion posts!
  • easy on the eyes to read  (NO WHITE TEXT ON BLACK BACKGROUND)
  • correct spelling
  • nice colours/design


Uh, that was actually kind of hard! But there you have it! 15 things I like to see when I check out a blog! What appeals to you in a blog?

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Monday 15 July 2013

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally


Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Page Count: 281 Pages, Paperback
Date Published: December 1st 2011
Find it on Goodreads: Catching Jordan
Source: Purchased (Ebook)

"Whoever said football and girls don't mix hasn't read Catching Jordan. I couldn't put it down " -- Simone Elkeles, New York Times bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry series
ONE OF THE BOYS
What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.
But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?
Ever since I began this book blogging thing, I've seen Miranda Kenneally's books everywhere I turn. Everyone seems to love them, so I decided to finally pick up the first book and see what the hype was all about. Thankfully, I really enjoyed Kenneally's debut!

The main thing I loved about this book was Jordan, our main protagonist. She's a total jock, the captain of her high school football team, funny, smart and strong. A total bad-ass role model. Her dream is to play for the University of Alabama on a scholarship and she won't take no for an answer. Her mind has never really been focused on guys... Until Ty Green moves to town. He's hot, a talented football player and he makes Jordan's stomach do all sorts of butterfly-type things. All of a sudden, Jordan's got something other than football on her mind and she doesn't really know how to feel about that.

I loved reading about Jordan's mindset when it comes to guys and how Ty made her confused about all sorts of things. I liked Ty, but from the start I had a feeling something was off. He made me a bit uncomfortable at times, but he was an extremely realistic character. That's my favourite part about this book, actually. This book is realistic to the core. Kenneally keeps enough balance between the sports and the romance and she adds in details about football to make it interesting. She even tackled (excuse the pun) the issue of sexism extremely well. Why do I say this? Because I got so mad at some of the characters at times, because of how they treated Jordan, just because she's a girl.


I can't go into too much more detail about the book, because of spoilers, but I will conclude by saying that I was very pleased with how this book played out. Kenneally attacks different issues during the story and she does so in ways that are difficult to pull off, but she does it. She keeps a great balance of romance, action, drama and humour in her story and there are even little twists and surprises to keep it exciting. This book deals a lot with relationships and not just romantic ones. There is a lot to do with family and friends as well and we see a lot of Jordan's life changing and shifting as new things in her life start to make themselves apparent. I loved Henry, he was probably one of my favourite characters and Jordan was such a well-rounded protagonist. This book is one that I think most contemporary fans will love and I strongly recommend it!



Happy reading!
~Kristy

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 7


I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


Describe your blogging quirks

1. If you haven't noticed, I kind of run my sentences along when I get really excited about a book and I just can't stop talking about the book because it was so amazing and I want to tell the world and... you get the idea. But when it comes to my formal writing at school, I cannot stand run on sentences! But here on the blog, they're what helps me express myself!

2. I forget about the slider up above all the time, so it's constantly outdated.

3. I am almost always behind schedule and rarely have posts actually scheduled in advance... A lot of times my reviews are super last minute! But I'm getting better!

4. I use a lot of GIFs... and I love them

5. I feel very uncreative on this blog sometimes... I see so many amazing challenges and posts that people come up with and I don't feel like I have offered something similar.

6. I'm a bit behind on my Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge but I always try to keep it 4% behind or less.. I will catch up!

7. I like to write my reviews once all the book detail stuff has been formatted and add the GIFs in when I feel the need. Sometimes I have an idea of which GIF I'll use, but a lot of times they just come with the words I write. 

8. The thought of moving to Wordpress scares the living daylights out of me.

9. I use the word 'so' to start a lot of my sentences...

10. When I write my reviews for the blog, unless it was a book that I didn't feel  much for, I try and keep my reviews light and original, like I'm talking to my readers instead of just lecturing them on a book. 


Okay, so that's 10 of my blogging quirks! There are plenty more, but I can't think of them at the moment, sadly! What are some of your quirky blogging habits? Do we share any?

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Sunday 14 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 6



I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by 
Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!



HOW YOU SHOP FOR BOOKS

When I'm at the local mall, I cannot help going into the bookstore and I think it's like that with a lot of us bookish people, right? There's just something about not going into a bookstore that kind of makes me hurt inside. 

I don't order a lot of books online, but when I do, I usually have a set one in my mind and go onto The Book Depository and order it from there with my mum's credit card and then pay her back in cash. 

BUT when I go to a physical store, it's a bit... erratic. There are some days where I know exactly which books I want and I just march straight into Coles and go right into the teen section grab the book and then...


I look and see alllll the books on the shelves and just...


 I then proceed to grab ten five more books and just as I think "Alright, let's go to the cashier!" I realise that I don't have enough money to buy six or more hardcover books....

Part of me just wants to find the next person I see and beg


But I know that won't really help so then I have to choose which one is coming home with me


I don't really know how I decide in the end... It's just a process of freaking out and a bunch of talking to myself, but eventually I choose which one I want, march on over to the cashier, chat with the girls who work there for a bit and then I'm on my way home!

How do you buy books? Do you have a process? Or is it just random?

Happy Reading!
~Kristy

Saturday 13 July 2013

Stacking the Shelves (45)


Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week.


Won: 


Thanks Brad @ BookYAReview and  Quirk Books!


For Review/Tour:

Thank you to the authors for a signed copy of this! 

Purchased:


Whoo! I've been dying to read this and gave myself 10$ to spend at the bookstore because I had finished three books off of my TBR since I made that deal with myself! I'm really into high fantasy lately and am super excited to read this one! Three more books to read and then I can buy another!

Leave me a link to your haul this week! I'd love to see what you got!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 5



I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


Recommend a tear jerker:

As you probably know, if you've been following for a while, I don't cry with books very easily. It takes a very specific mood or something pretty dang special for me to cry while reading a book. I mean, guys... I didn't cry when I read The Fault in Our Stars. 


But there are two books that I automatically think of when I hear 'tear-jerker'. These two books are ones that I actually did tear up a bit because of. One is The Summer of Skinny Dipping, which I haven't read in ages but remember loving and I also recall it being quite the sad book. The other is one I read last year, Second Chance Summer. This is one that made my eyes super blurry where I couldn't see the words on the page, even though the sad part was expected. 

There Are Some Summers You'll Always Remember
Sometimes I wake up shivering in the early hours of the morning, drowning in dreams of being out there in the ocean that summer, of looking up at the moon and feeling as invisible and free as a fish. But I'm jumping ahead, and to tell the story right I have to go back to the beginning. To a place called Indigo Beach. To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves. To the start of something neither of us could have predicted, and which would mark us forever, making everything that came after and before seem like it belonged to another life.
My name is Mia Gordon: I was sixteen years old, and I remember everything. Goodreads


Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.Goodreads | My Review

Both of these are summer reads and they both definitely look and sound fluffier than they actually are. They also both made me tear up, which is a hard thing for a book to do. I'm dying to reread The Summer of Skinny Dipping, as I don't own it, so I'm always looking for it in stores! And I might do a reread of Second Chance Summer if I can get the chance this summer!

What books leave you with tears in your eyes? Are you a person who rarely cries over books like me? Or are you one who tears up a lot?


Happy reading!
~Kristy

Friday 12 July 2013

TGIF: My Dilemma With Clockwork Angel


Alright guys, if you read my 15 confessions on Tuesday, you will have probably seen that I'm having a bit of a conflict with myself on whether or not I should try to read Clockwork Angel again. I attempted to read it January 2012, when I borrowed it from a friend, but I got about 1/4 way through and ended up putting it down as a DNF. This was pretty sad for me, since I really wanted to like this book! Especially now that I've read City of Bones and really disliked it, I am very unsure about whether or not I should try to give Clare's books another chance.

When Clockwork Princess was released, let's be honest here: the book world went crazy. I think I saw two reviews that weren't entirely positive and guys... That's TOTALLY INTIMIDATING. Because of the fact that I had DNF'd Clockwork Angel and seriously disliked City of Bones, I was ready to give up on trying to read these two series that so many people adore. But the thing is, I don't like giving up. So, I'm making it my mission to read City of Ashes this year, just to see if the series really does get better as the books go on. My main issue with City of Bones had been the writing in general, as well as the pacing. I've been told it gets better... should I see if I think the same?

BUT THEN, with all of the crazy hype about Clockwork Princess, now I'm wondering if I should give Clockwork Angel another try? I've asked around and have had multiple people tell me that I'd like The Infernal Devices series a lot more than The Mortal Instruments and I feel like that might be the case.

SO, I need your advice! What do I do? Do I pick up City of Ashes because y'all think I need  to know what happens with Clary? Or do I give Tessa another try and see what's up with all the swooning over the supposedly super charming Will? OR, do I just leave Cassandra Clare's books be and not give them another shot? Let me know! I'm in need of your sage advice! And let me know down below what you think of these two series! Love them? Hate them? I want to know what you think!

What do you think I should do?
  
pollcode.com free polls 

Happy reading!
~Kristy

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 4


I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!

What's the last book you flung across the room?

Usually, a 'fling across the room' book for me is one that I absolutely despised, or one that I completely adored and then it leaves off on a huge cliffhanger. But the last book I actually threw off of my bed and was super mad at was Sever by Lauren DeStefano. 



With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.
Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.
In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

Why it was thrown:

If you read my review, you'll notice that it's full of GIFs and capslock yelling and a pretty passionate little rant about why this book broke my heart and how mad I was that I couldn't talk about it because SPOILERS.


Anyway, I started off reading this book and was pretty disappointed at the beginning and had to force myself to read on, because I wanted to know what happened. I got to a certain point where I really started to enjoy it and then.... BOOM. DeStefano throws this huge SURPRISE! in our face and while I was impressed that she took a risk and did something you don't see a lot of in YA, I also felt like she did this just to get the love triangle out of the way in a quick manner. I was pretty mad at Rhine, as well, for just kind of forgetting all that she had been fighting for and against and going with whatever her brother said. 

So, yes, this is a book that I flung across the room due to heartbreak and anger. 


Okay, yeah, not as drastic as this, but I absolutely loved this GIF when I was trying to find something appropriate :P

There have been others where it was close, but this is definitely the last book I actually threw from my spot on my bed/couch to the ground.

Let's chat: What books do you remember getting so frustrated with that you had the urge to throw it down?

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Thursday 11 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 3

I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!


Who are your blogging BFFs?

So, here's the thing. I am uber shy. Like, I'll start up a little tweet saying "hi" to one of my fave bloggers and then quickly overthink everything and delete whatever I had written up. BUT, I will say that it has gotten better and I'm making friends! I think there's only one person that I can truly call a blogging BFF, (I hope!) but there are a bunch of others where I'm kind of like, "We could totally be friends but I don't know how to initiate that..."



*sigh*

Ah well! If you go back to my twitter, you'll see that there is one person who I'm talking to the most and that is...

BRAD! (AKA BookYAReview) I started watching his videos on YouTube and then one day in Home Depot, I decided, hey, why don't I tweet him? So I did and now, I'd say he's probably one of the coolest/nicest bloggers ever! I did an interview with him about BookTubing last month and that was super fun! He's also motivated me to start doing YouTube videos, which is scary, but fun! If you have not checked out his blog or YouTube channel, please do so! He's totally awesome! And I'm not sure if he'd consider me a blogging bff but well... he's who I consider mine!


So, Brad, if you're reading this, thank you for being my blogging friend! 

Also, there are so many bloggers that I'm just dying to say hello to, but I have to work up the courage to do so. And I mean, I do talk to people on twitter, like Eileen, but no one else who I automatically think of when I need to talk books with someone! I kind of feel like Sheldon...


So um, yeah! Guys, seriously, I'm trying really hard to put myself out there and ask people questions and make friends... I also just get really nervous, you know? But there are so many amazing people in this community of booklovers and I would love to get to know some more of you! So if you're not as shy as me, don't hesitate to say hi! As bad as I am at initiating it, I love talking to new people! I'm going to try a lot harder at making an attempt at conversing with more people on twitter and actually sending an email if I have a question... Stuff like that! 

Thanks for reading my little rant/spiel about all that!


Happy reading!
~Kristy

Wednesday 10 July 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge ~ Day 2

I'm taking part in the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine! This is a great way to get to know a bit more about the bloggers behind these book blogs!



DAY 2 -- BEDTIME READING RITUAL?


I don't have a set bedtime ritual, in the slightest. It's very rare for me to get to bed before midnight and after that, I'm usually up for a few more hours, either reading, working on the blog or watching whatever show I'm into at the moment. So, it's not a set thing, but I do like to read at least a little bit before bed every night! (Although, let's be honest... if the book is good, a little bit turns into a LONG time.

So, what usually happens:


I start to realise that most normal people are in bed right now and have been for a while, so I retire downstairs to my bedroom. 

From there, I curl up with my dog, grab my laptop and usually I'll work on the blog for a bit or watch a movie (during summer). Then, once I realise that my laptop is getting to be hotter than Ryan Gosling, I put it down and pick up my book and read and read and read until suddenly...



Oh right, it's three am and I have to be up in a few hours. Reluctantly, I put my book down and just kind of...


What's your bedtime reading ritual like? Is it something set in stone or is it dependant on the night?

Happy reading!
~Kristy
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