#SlayThatSeries TBR + A Quick Update

Hello everyone! *waves* So… I’m not dead (apparently). First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for their support on this blog and on Twitter – it really means a lot to me. I promise that I haven’t forgotten about you or this blog, it’s just that I’ve been having trouble managing school, work and reading, which has put me in a blogging slump. Also, procrastination

Regardless, I have a lot of plans and things that I want to do here, so you can look forward to a lot of hauls (because I have bought heaps of books), tags, wrap-ups and reviews. I just don’t know how frequent posting will be.

I’m really hoping that, being my first read-a-thon, #SlayThatSeries will help me to get kick started and motivated once again. Plus, it’s the holidays and I now have Twitter so I can finally participate in all that awesomeness!

For those of you who don’t know, #SlayThatSeries is a read-a-thon hosted by Sara @ SarahwithoutanH and Chami @ ReadLikeWildfire (links are to their announcement videos) which provides an opportunity to catch up on series that you’ve been meaning to get to, but keep putting off for whatever reason. They could be series that are completed, ones where only part of the series is published, or you can choose to marathon a series that is completely new to you.

#SlayThatSeries will run from 12am your time on Sunday 27th September (aka today – talk about procrastination…) to Sunday October 4th.

The official twitter account is @SlayThatSeries, you can follow Chami @ChamiRosealia and Sara @_sarawithoutanH

Now that’s out of the way, onto my TBR!

I’m not entirely sure how much I’ll be able to read this week, but I really want to try and marathon The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I’m currently 142 pages into Cinder and am really enjoying it so far (though I’m just waiting for the moment where Captain Thorn waltzes in).

If by some miracle I manage to finish those, I want to start rereading the Throne of Glass books by Sarah J. Maas so that I can get onto Queen of Shadows and be able to appreciate it to the full extent.

Ideally, I would love to start with The Assassin’s Blade (which I have not read) but it’s currently on loan to my Aunt, so we’ll see how that goes.

If I’m not really feeling that, I could always start the Chronicles of Ixia by Maria V. Snyder.

Failing that, I also really want to get to Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan which I own in the stunning hardback edition and counts because it’s part of an unofficial duology with Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods.

Whichever way it goes, I know that I will never get to all of these books but at least I have options. Let me know your thoughts on what I should read, if you’re participating in this read-a-thon, or just anything in general.

I’ll hopefully be doing daily updates, but we’ll see how that goes. Either way, I will be updating my Twitter with all of my thoughts and progress, so be sure to come find me if you’re on Twitter too.

Have fun and good luck,
Lissa (aka joysofbookworms)

Twitter Newbie

Hello everyone! Just letting you know that I now have Twitter (@joysofbookworms).

If you have any tips, tricks, popular/useful bookish hash tags and people to follow, please let me know. Likewise, please comment your username(s) so that I can connect with you!

Have an awesome day 😉

May Wrap-Up 2015

Hello! I know it’s late, but I thought that I’d start participating in monthly wrap-ups. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.

Books Read (Link to Goodreads):
– A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Grey
– True Calling (True Calling #1) by Siobhan Davis
– Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern
– The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs
– More Than This by Patrick Ness
– A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
– Nothing But Shadows (Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy #4) by Cassandra Clare
– Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
– Hidden Heart (Hidden #2) by Amy Patrick
– The Sway (Hidden #1.5) by Amy Patrick
– Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
– Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi
– Fracture Me (Shatter Me #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi

Books Reviewed (Link to Review):
– True Calling (True Calling #1) by Siobhan Davis
– Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern
– The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs
– More Than This by Patrick Ness
– A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
– Nothing But Shadows (Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy #4) by Cassandra Clare
– Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
– Hidden Heart (Hidden #2) by Amy Patrick
– The Sway (Hidden #1.5) by Amy Patrick
– Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
– Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi
– Fracture Me (Shatter Me #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi

Despite finishing (and loving) A Thousand Pieces of You just over a month ago, I have still only written half of a review. Whoops…

Other Blog Posts:
– Triple Figures!!
– Teaser Tuesday #9
– Cover Reveal: Death Before Daylight (The Timely Death Trilogy #3) by Shannon A. Thompson

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So there we have it! Do you like this format? Should I continue with these monthly wrap-ups? Should I include the Book of the Month, make a separate post or discontinue it? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Book Haul #4: May 2015

Hello! Sorry for the late post, but either my phone or WordPress (I’m not entirely sure which was at fault) kept messing up so this is actually my fourth attempt at posting this book haul.

At any rate, I have 21 books to show you that I have acquired in the month of May and I am super excited about all of them. I shall try to introduce them to you in the same order as I attained them, but we’ll see how it goes. So, without further ado…

Poison Study (Study #1) by Maria V. Snyder.

The Assassin’s Curse and The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas.

Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Unite Me (Destroy Me & Fracture Me) and Ignite Me (review coming soon) by Tahereh Mafi.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight and Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor. All three of these are in beautiful hardcover.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

The Wizard of Rondo (Rondo #2) by Emily Rodda.

Emily Rodda is the author who got me into reading, so I’m gradually collecting all of her books in hardback.

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) and Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I have read and loved both the Lux and the Covenant series by her so I thought it was time to read some of Jennifer’s other works. Also, I’m pretty sure the next book in this series comes out later this year.

I have reviews on all of the Covenant books and the last three books in the Lux series.

Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard.

Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen.

Sarah Dessen is the author who introduced me to YA contemporary and I have read all of her books except for Saint Anything and The Moon and More. I’m excited for the promise of a cute contemporary with darker themes interwoven, as is typical of her books.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

All the Bright Places is the month’s pick for The Book Club of the Opinionated Hufflepuffs – and no, you do not have to be a Hufflepuff to join (I’m a Ravenclaw myself).

The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski.

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley and loved it so much that I simply had to get a physical copy.

An Embed in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir.

This is the next book on my TBR. I will definitely be picking it up over the long weekend (after I finish my review of Ignite Me). I’m super excited to get to it!

And that’s a wrap! Don’t they look gorgeous stacked up together?

Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have read any of these books and, if so, what your thoughts are.

Cover Reveal: Death Before Daylight (The Timely Death Trilogy #3) by Shannon A. Thompson

The day is finally upon us! Today, the new cover of Death Before Daylight, the third and final installment in the Timely Death trilogy, is revealed! This is an extra special occasion as Death Before Daylight never got the chance to be published. However, I was sent an eARC of this finale and it is brilliant! You can check out my review here and if you missed my cover reveals for Minutes Before Sunset and Seconds Before Sunrise you can check them out here and here.

Letter from the author, Shannon A. Thompson

It’s here! It’s here! The final cover of The Timely Death Trilogy has finally been released. A special thank you goes out to Clean Teen Publishing and this lovely Member of the Dark who is helping share this message today. Minutes Before Sunset, book 1 of The Timely Death Trilogy, re-releases on July 28 – with an all new interior and exterior – and both are beautiful. Seconds Before Sunrise follows on August 25, and Death Before Daylight (the only novel of the trilogy to never see the shelves before) is finally getting it’s day . . . hehehe . . . Well, it’s releasing September 15. Even more exciting? You can win prizes throughout all of these events and more by becoming a Member of the Dark . . . or a Member of the Light. Check out the details below! I look forward to speaking with you!

Shannon A. Thompson (a.k.a. SAT)

So, without further adou…

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Another beautiful cover for this trilogy! I actually prefer this one to the original… Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Synopsis:

Two eternities. One ending.

“Harmony would only come with destruction.”

The moment Eric and Jessica are reunited, they are torn apart. After the appearance of a new breed of shades and lights, the powers shift for the worse, and all three descendants find themselves face-to-face in the Light realm. When Darthon is in control, the last thing everyone expects is to finally hear the truth.

While Jessica learns the reason of her creation, Darthon’s identity is exposed to Eric—and only Eric—and Eric can no longer defend himself. With the eternities of the Light and the Dark resting on Jessica’s shoulders, she must choose who she will be—a light or a shade.

In the end, someone must die, and the end is near.

Dark Activities:

Become a Member of the Dark (or Light) by emailing ShannonAThompson@aol.com. Your email will never be given out, and you are not required to do anything, but you will win more prizes the more you participate.

Win a paperback of Minutes Before Sunset via Goodreads! 

Pre-order Minutes Before Sunset

Stay Updated via The Timely Death Trilogy FB page

Visit the Extras Page

Pin your favorite photos from The Timely Death Trilogy Pinterest board

But most of all . . .

Stay Dark.

Teaser Tuesday #9

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

– Grab your current read.
– Randomly open a page.
– Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
– BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
– Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

There’s an ache in the pit of my stomach that’s gnawing on my nerves. I want to hate him and judge him and scream forever but I’m failing because all I see is an 8-year-old boy who doesn’t remember that he used to be the kindest person I ever knew.

What are your Teaser Tuesdays? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure to check them out 🙂

Triple Figures!!

Thank you all so much!! As of today, I have reached…

… Which is beyond amazing!! Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thank you to everyone who has ever liked a post, commented or pressed the Follow button – it really makes my day.

Once again, THANK YOU!!

Love, Rosie (Previously Published as Where Rainbows End)

Read on May 4th, 2015

Author: Cecelia Ahern

5 Stars

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A story about love.
And how life gets in the way.

Best friends since forever, Rosie and Alex have shared their hopes, dreams, awkward moments – and firsts. But their bond is threatened when Alex’s family move to America. They stay in touch, but misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck seem to be conspiring to keep them apart. Can they gamble everything – even their friendship – on true love?

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I am a mess.

I honestly believe that I have never cried in a book more than I have today with Love, Rosie. My eyes are actually hurting now… Make no mistake about it, Love, Rosie is way more emotionally taxing than any Nicholas Sparks book.

For those of you who are unaware, this story is written entirely through correspondence – be it emails, instant messages, letters, cards, texts, you name it. At first I was slightly wary of this fact, but it had absolutely no impact of the quality or fluidity of the novel. In fact, because of its unique format, I believe that it may be easier for someone who doesn’t read that often to pick up and immerse themselves in the story.

Filled with angst and touching on issues such as teenage pregnancy, growing up, friendship, adulthood, love, marriage, relationships, parenthood, childhood, divorce, dreams and simply life in general, Love, Rosie is so real and touching and unique. Spanning over approximately 50 years, we are able to really get to know and connect with a large cast of characters from what is essentially three different generations. Patterns become evident and I really enjoyed the somewhat cyclical nature of this novel. I loved being a part of the characters’ lives, and I became quite attached to them all (aside from the notable morons who deserve a hi five… in the face… with a brick).

The silence. I just – that was certainly the best part for me.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to seeing how well Love, Rosie has been translated into film (I refused to allow myself to watch it while it was in cinemas as I had not yet read the book). However, I do warn you that while it does come highly recommended, you should prepare yourself for  frustration and tears – while it does have its high points I, at least, found this story to be quite emotionally taxing.

Book of the Month #4: April 2015

Akin to a monthly wrap up, Book of the Month is where I list all of the books that I have read this month and nominate my favorite.

Unfortunately, April hasn’t been that great of a reading month for me with a total of only four books. Hopefully May will bring with it many more books read. However, I do admit that it has been a pretty good month in terms of blog posts.

April Reads

The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski.

Ignite (Ignite #1) by Erica Crouch.

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) by Ally Carter.

The Whitechapel Fiend (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #3) by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson.

April’s Book of the Month is…

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… The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski.

A title that I actually discovered and viewed through NetGallery, The Winner’s Crime is an absolutely spectacular read. For more of my thoughts you can check out my review (just click the book title).

Honourable Mention

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Grey. I am so close to finishing this book but alas I was not able to do so tonight. Not only is this cover absolutely gorgeous, but the story inside is brilliant, enthralling and just so good. Be sure to keep an eye out for my review which I will hopefully be posting sometime tomorrow.

What are your thoughts? Have you read any of the books that I did this month? Do you have a different preference? Why/Why not? Do you agree with me? How many books have you read this month? Do you have any recommendations for me? Please leave your answers in the comments below.

Book Haul #3: April 2015

Hello everyone! Today I have a lovely book haul for you which I am super excited about! I have seven books to show you that I have been eyeing off for quite some time and have finally bought. Also, you can see a sneak peek of my gorgeous new shelves that I got last Friday! I am planning on doing a Bookshelf Tour, but it may be a while before I actually get onto that.

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) by Ally Carter. I had never read an Ally Carter book before so found this beautiful hardcover at bargain price I just couldn’t resist.

Magic Study (Study #2) by Maria V. Snyder. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a copy of Poison Study (Study #1) in my local bookstore so I ordered it on the Book Depository.

Fire Study (Study #3) by Maria V. Snyder.

Shadow Study (Soulfinders #1) by Maria V. Snyder. I believe that the Soulfinders series is a spinoff to the Study series.

Also, while I did buy Maria’s books for their content, I must say that these covers are absolutely gorgeous!

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Grey. I am currently reading this book and I absolutely adore it! Not only is the cover stunning, but the writing, characters and plot has had me hooked since the first page.

Paper Towns by John Green. I have heard so many good things about this books and with the movie coming out in Australia on July 21st, I simply couldn’t not buy it.

Scorpion Mountain (Brotherband #5) by John Flanagan. For those of you who aren’t aware, Brotherband is the spinoff series to Ranger’s Apprentice series which was a very influential set of books in my reading journey. I have actually also met John Flanagan, and he’s really cool. I can’t wait to marathon Brotherband books four and five!

That’s all for this month’s book haul! Keep an eye out for more monthly book hauls to come. Please let me know if you have read any of the books that I’ve hauled or series that I have mentioned as I would love to discuss them with you!

Until next time… 😉