2014 End of the Year Book Survey

As I was trying to decide how I wanted to handle my end of the year review/wrap up post, I came across this survey from Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner, and decided that it was exactly what I was looking for. I might add/adjust a couple of things, but other than that it looks wonderful! Want to fill it out as well? Feel free to join in! Jamie has a link up for those who participate so you can check out everyone else's survey, too.

Number of Books You Read: 129

Number of Re-Reads: 3

Genre You Read the Most From: YA Dystopian 

1. Best Book You Read in 2014? 

(If you have to cheat - you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist) 

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell...Positive by Paige Rawl with Ali Benjamin...The Book Thief by Markus Zusak...and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn't? 

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski. I didn't love it!

 

3. Most Surprising (in a good or bad way) Book You Read in 2014? 

 Good Way - The Book Thief (I put this one off for awhile, and hate that I did, it was so amazing!)

Bad Way - The Secret Diamond Sisters (I didn't expect to hate it, I thought I would love it...nope)

4. Book You "Pushed" the Most People to Read (And They Did) in 2014?

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Anytime I have students that aren't sure what to read, I pick these up for them in the library. I have definitely suggested them to family and friends as well. I'm not sure how many have actually read them, though.

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

Best Series Started - Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Best Sequel - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Best Ender - Creators by Tiffany Truitt

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

I discovered a lot of new authors this year, but my favorite would definitely be E.V. Fairfall. Cannot wait for her book to release in 2015!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

The Twilight Saga graphic novels - they were my first graphic novels ever, and I really did enjoy them.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell. This book had a lot of action, and was certainly thrilling. I definitely could not put it down.

9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki - I will want to re-read it before the sequel comes out. I read this one as an e-book before it was decided to release a physical book, so it's been awhile! 

 

10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2014?

Endless by Amanda Gray 

 

11. Most Memorable Character of 2014?

Hazel Grace Lancaster - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2014?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (because J.K. Rowling)

13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2014? 

Positive by Paige Rawl - EVERYONE needs to read this book!

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited UNTIL 2014 to Finally Read?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book You Read in 2014?

This one is pretty difficult because I was not very good about marking quotes in books this year, I am going to try to be better about that in 2015! 

This is one I do remember loving from Dear Killer though, so I will use that one:

“Sometimes I imagine we're all like paper stars, folded up and gathered together, each of us convinced that we are glittering and celestial, each of us bent into a shape so we believe we're something we're not.” 

 

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read in 2014?

Shortest - Jellybean Kisses: Book One by Amy Evans (42 Pages)

Longest -  Awakening Foster Kelly by Cara Rosalie Olsen (672 Pages)

17. Book That Shocked You the Most?

(because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth - if you've read it, you know why. No spoilers.

18. OTP of the Year (you will go down with this ship!)?

Hazel and Gus from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year?

Katniss and Prim Everdeen from The Hunger Game Series. I just love their sister relationship, it's beautiful in the books and movies.

 

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From an Author You've Read Previously?

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler 

 

21. Best Book You Read in 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation from Somebody Else/Peer Pressure? 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

22. Newest Fictional Crush from a Book You Read in 2014?

Peeta! Probably not new to most people, but I read the whole series this year, and I just love Peeta.

23. Best 2014 Debut You Read?

Branded, definitely.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting you Read this Year?

So, you can probably see this coming since I re-read one of the books...but Harry Potter is always going to win on these types of questions.

25. Book That Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read?

My True Love Gave to Me. I loved reading all the holiday stories, and the short romances were adorable!

26. Book that Made You Cry in 2014?

The Fault in Our Stars...cried like a baby, it happens.

27. Hidden Gem of the Year?

The Lost Souls series by Tiffany Truitt. I had not heard anything of it before the blog tour, and I devoured the whole series, it was wonderful.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

There were quite a few on this one, actually...Let's go with We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

29. Most Unique Book You Read in 2014?

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell...it was unlike anything I have ever read!

30. Book That Made You the Most Mad (doesn't necessarily mean you didn't like it)?

Mockingjay...and I did not like it, not one bit.

1. New Favorite Book Blog you Discovered in 2014? 

I just started blogging this year, so all the blogs I discovered were this year. There are a ton I can mention, but I think that I will probably do a whole other post just to talk about some of the book blogs I love, so I am going to save it until then! 

2. Favorite Review that you Wrote in 2014?

I enjoyed writing a ton of my reviews, but I would say my favorite one would probably be the one I wrote about Dear Killer or The Book Thief.

3. Best Discussion/Non-Review Post You Had on Your Blog?

I really enjoyed the Top Ten Tuesdays that I completed, and I also really enjoyed hosting the Blogger Spotlights that I did.

4. Best Event that you Participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Once again, I will say that I really enjoyed participating in Top Ten Tuesday this year.

5. Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2014?

I would say that this would definitely be starting my blog! It's obviously the best blogging moment for me, since it had to happen for me to be here.

6. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

It looks like my Stacking the Shelves posts definitely got the most views!

7. Post You Wished Got a Little More Love?

I do wish that my Cover Concepts posts would get a little bit more love.

8. Best Bookish Discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Book Outlet! I knew nothing about it before, and it is the greatest thing ever now. You can get so many great, newer releases at wonderful prices.

9. Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals that you had Set for Yourself at the Beginning of the Year?

I achieved my first Goodreads goal of reading 100 books by May, so then I upped it to 150, but I did not achieve that one.

1. One Book You Didn't Get to in 2014 But Will be Your #1 Priority in 2015?

The Young Elites by Marie Lu. I received this one for Christmas, so now I intend to read it ASAP.

2. Book You are Most Anticipating for 2015 (non-debut)?

Fairest and Winter by Marissa Meyer. Cannot wait to finish The Lunar Chronicles!

3. 2015 Debut You are Most Anticipating? 

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. Series Ending/A Sequel you are Most Anticipating in 2015?

Same as the book I am most anticipating, Fairest and Winter by Marissa Meyer

5. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2015?

To successfully accomplish all of the challenges I set for myself.

6. A 2015 Release You've Already Read & Recommend to Everyone?

Sleeping Tom by E.V. Fairfall! 

This was lots of fun! Thanks for helping make 2014 such a great year, I love all of my readers/followers, and I hope that you all have an amazing New Year!

 

2014 Releases I Still Want to Purchase - Part 4

Back again to finish sharing some of the 2014 releases that I still need to add to my shelves. I feel that this list might help when it comes time to make a list of books I would like to receive as Christmas gifts from friends and family (lets be real, I will probably have quite a few books on my Christmas list). Here are the releases I still hope to purchase from September (Part 2), October, November, and December.

September Releases (Part 2):

Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

  

 Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman

Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters. Living with the shame of her grandmother’s insubordination, Emmeline has learned to keep her head down and her quick tongue silent.

When the settlement leader asks for her hand in marriage, it’s an opportunity for Emmeline to wash the family slate clean—even if she has eyes for another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where she uncovers a path she can’t help but follow. The trail leads to a secret that someone in the village will kill to protect. Her grandmother followed the same path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next.

 Schizo by Nic Sheff

Miles is the ultimate unreliable narrator—a teen recovering from a schizophrenic breakdown who believes he is getting better . . . when in reality he is growing worse.

Driven to the point of obsession to find his missing younger brother, Teddy, and wrapped up in a romance that may or may not be the real thing, Miles is forever chasing shadows. As Miles feels his world closing around him, he struggles to keep it open, but what you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling.

 Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer 

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be  at home in New Jersey with her sweet British  boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching  old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing  him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.

Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

 Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.

Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept "separate but equal."

Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

October Releases: 

Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond

A ballerina, twirling on a wire high above the crowd. Horses, prancing like salsa dancers. Trapeze artists, flying like somersaulting falcons. And magic crackling through the air. Welcome to the Cirque American!

Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.

Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.

As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.

 Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck.

The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop—until she learns he’s a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy.

By the time he learns she's ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared).

 Stray by Elissa Sossman 

Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.

When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.

But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.

After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?

 Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez

Valentina Cruz no longer exists.

One moment, she was wrapped in Emilio’s arms, melting into his kiss. The next, she was witnessing the unthinkable: a murder in cold blood, ordered by her father and carried out by her boyfriend. When Emilio pulled the trigger, Valentina disappeared. She made a split-second decision to shed her identity and flee her life of privilege, leaving the glittering parties and sultry nightlife of Miami far behind.

She doesn’t know how to explain to herself what she saw. All she knows now is that nothing she believed about her family, her heart, or Emilio’s love, was real.

She can change her name and deny her past, but Valentina can’t run from the truth. The lines between right and wrong, and trust and betrayal, will be blurred beyond recognition as she untangles the deceptions of the two men she once loved and races to find her own truth.

 They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire

Every year, the lives of ten girls at Vienna High are transformed.

All because of the list.

Kenzie Summerall can't imagine how she's been voted onto a list of the hottest girls in school, but when she lands at number five, her average life becomes dazzling. Doors open to the best parties, new friends surround her, the cutest jock in school is after her.

This is the power of the list. If you're on it, your life changes.

If you're on it this year? Your life ends.

The girls on the list have started to die, one by one. Is it a coincidence? A curse? Or is the list in the hands of a killer?

Time is running out for Kenzie, but she’s determined to uncover the deadly secret of the list...before her number’s up.

 Compulsion by Martina Boone

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

November Releases:

 Empire of Shadows by Miriam Forster 

Cast out of her family three years ago, Mara turned to the only place that would take her—a school where students train to protect others. But Mara is stunned when guarding a noble girl in the Empire’s capital turns out to be more dangerous than she could’ve imagined. More shocking still, she finds the boy she thought she had lost forever outside the gates of her new home.

Mara knew her life in the dizzying Imperial city would hold dangers. How could she have known that her heart, as well as her life, would be at stake?

 A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

December Releases:

 No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.

When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.

Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.

 Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

 Zodiac by Romina Russell 

Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, Rho can’t solve for ‘x’ to save her life—so instead, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories.

When a violent blast strikes the moons of Cancer, sending its ocean planet off-kilter and killing thousands of citizens—including its beloved Guardian—Rho is more surprised than anyone when she is named the House’s new leader. But, a true Cancerian who loves her home fiercely and will protect her people no matter what, Rho accepts.

Then, when more Houses fall victim to freak weather catastrophes, Rho starts seeing a pattern in the stars. She suspects Ophiuchus—the exiled 13th Guardian of Zodiac legend—has returned to exact his revenge across the Galaxy. Now Rho—along with Hysan Dax, a young envoy from House Libra, and Mathias, her guide and a member of her Royal Guard—must travel through the Zodiac to warn the other Guardians.

But who will believe anything this young novice says? Whom can Rho trust in a universe defined by differences? And how can she convince twelve worlds to unite as one Zodiac?

 

Top Ten Books I Read In 2014

It's Top Ten Tuesday time! I'm linking up over at The Broke and The Bookish. I cannot believe that we are already half way through December, and ten days away from Christmas! Madness! Of course, it makes sense that these prompts revolve around the year ending and a new one beginning. Last week I shared the top books I'm looking forward at the beginning of 2015, today I am going to share the Top Ten Books that I Read in 2014. I decided to keep it as an overall list instead of doing a genre (they're all YA though, of course). It was hard to decide on the top ten, but here they are, counted down from ten (actually eleven, oops!) to one (my most favorite of the year). 

 11. How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker

Why it Made the List: This was the first ARC I received, and I was so thrilled by the idea of it. Then I read the book and realized just how amazing it really is. It teaches a great lesson that everyone should read, and it has incredibly realistic characters and events.

 10. Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson
Why it Made the List: I requested this book through Netgalley, and was thrilled when I was approved. Of course, that means that I read this in ebook form. I thought that this was a wonderful, cute contemporary and it was perfect to read in the summer. I loved the characters and the romance, and how it certainly was not instalove, or even a love triangle. The ending was very satisfying as well.

9. The Lost Souls Series by Tiffany Truitt
Why it Made the List: I was so excited when I was able to read this whole series in order to do a blog tour because the synopsis of all three books sounded amazing. They were so good once I start reading that I marathoned the whole series and read them pretty quickly. It was an intriguing and interesting dystopian series that I could not get enough of.

8. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Why it Made the List: Like a lot of people, I jumped on the bandwagon and began reading this series once I found out that it was going to be a movie. I did read the whole series before the first movie even came out, though. I was immediately drawn into the world, and really enjoyed the whole series. While the whole series was great, book one was definitely the best for me.

7. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Why it Made the List: This is another ARC I received in the mail; the first that I had requested directly from a publisher, so it was very exciting! This was an adorable contemporary. I loved the couple, and I really enjoyed how we could see how cute they were through the eyes of so many other people, and not the main characters themselves. It was a fun twist on a love story.

6. The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson
Why it Made the List: This is one of my more recent reads, once I was on my kick of reading memoirs. It is on the Lone Star this for the year, which is a list of award winning books for middle school students in Texas, so I wanted to give it a read. It was excellent, so much so that I read it in one day and could not stop thinking about it. It was so wonderful, emotion, and through-provoking.

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Why it Made the List: Yup, I jumped on this bandwagon as well. Once it was released there would be a movie, it became pretty difficult to get my hands on a copy of this book without buying it. I was about number 30 in the waiting list at my public library, so luckily the librarian at my school was able to get it for me. Since then I have re-read it twice, and purchased my own copy (or two...I ended up liking the movie edition as well). Such a good read.

4. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Why it Made the List: I am sure that this one will probably show up on a lot of lists. It took me awhile to get to this one, mainly because I did want it to die down a bit first. Everyone was talking about how amazing it was, and I was afraid I would be disappointed at the one who didn't actually like it. Turns out it really IS amazing. I was intrigued by how it was written, and it was just so beautifully done.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Why it Made the List: I cannot believe that this book took me so long to get to, especially since it sat on my shelf for a couple of years. I guess it was all the talk around the movie that finally convinced me to pick it up, and I am so glad that I did. This book was so, so amazing. It was incredibly sad, of course, but I loved how death was portrayed in it. It was incredibly unique. 

2. Positive by Paige Rawl with Ali Benjamin
Why it Made the List: I got this one from a fellow blogger who did not have time to read and review it on her own blog. Instead, she was offering them up to other bloggers. I had my eye on it for awhile, so I was thrilled that it was still available. This one was very eye-opening, and definitely a tear-jerker. It has so many amazing life lessons that everyone should read about.

And number one...

Drumroll please...

1. Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell
Why it Made the List: I was so completely blown away by this book! When I first read about the synopsis I was definitely interested, but I had no idea that it would be as amazing as it was. It was dark and twisted, and the exact opposite of things I usually like to read about, and maybe that's why I liked it so much. The writing was wonderful, and it was so vivid and believable. While the ending was not all I hoped, I do still think that this book is amazing, and it certainly holds the number one spot for me in 2014.

What were your top ten reads of the year?

2014 Goodreads Reading Challenge

[Quick side note before I begin this post. I usually do my Stacking the Shelves on Saturday, and then a post like this on Sunday. However, I am expecting one my shipments from Book Outlet's Black Friday sale to arrive today, so I will share those books in a STS post tomorrow.] 

I know that I am not alone in saying that I spend an insane amount of my computer time looking around on Goodreads. I knew of the site before I began blogging, and while I thought it was cool then, I did not realize just how awesome and helpful it was until I did start my blog. Along with starting my blog, came realizing that Goodreads allowed you to set a reading challenge for yourself in that current year. How many books could you read by the time the new year came around?

At the beginning of February when I started my blog, I decided to be extremely optimistic and set my goal for the year at 100 books. I had already enjoyed reading before, and did like to read in my spare time, but even I knew that this was probably extreme and unlikely. I wanted to actually challenge myself though, so I went with it. I had no idea that starting this blog would cause me to begin devouring books as much and as often as I could (of course, do note that a lot of this initially came from my requesting WAY too many books on Netgalley and signing up for WAY too many blog tours at the very beginning of my blog, because I thought I needed to. I've definitely chilled out with all of that.).

Due to those factors, it was mid-May when I completed my challenge of reading one hundred books. WHAT? I had been sure I was kidding myself at the beginning of the year when I set the goal, and then I completed it in less than half the year. After finishing, I felt great, but still had a lot of the year left so I had a couple of friends tell me that I should change my goal, challenge myself again. I decided that they were right, so I upped my number to 150, sure that it would probably be no problem after all of the reading I had already done so far throughout the year. Unfortunately, I was a bit wrong.

Over the past couple of months I hit a pretty severe reading slump. I read what I needed to for review and some books I wanted to read, but it was not nearly what I had been reading before. It happens to all of us, and I try to remind myself of that when I get really frustrated about it. I had always been ahead of the challenge, and suddenly I found myself getting more and more behind.

It is December 13th, and I am currently at 126 books read this year. That means I would have to read 24 books between now and December 31st in order to complete my goal. I think we all know that just is not going to happen. Am I disappointed that I won't complete it? Yes and no. I HAVE already finished one challenge of 100 books this year and I HAVE read 126 amazing books this year. But yes, defeat is a difficult thing to swallow.

Still, with half of December left, I have decided to challenge myself to get to 130 books before the end of the year. That, I feel, is a very obtainable goal. I have already picked the four books that I hope to finish before the end of the year as well, so I thought that I would share them with you. Two of them I have already begun, so that should make it quite a bit easier!

1. My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by various authors

I am already through three of the stories in this anthology, and I loved all three of them. I am very excited to continue with them and see what else the book has to offer. I hope to finish this one by the end of this weekend.

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I am at about page 200 in this one, so almost half way done. Like with Cinder, this one is a bit slow for me as of now, but I am hoping it will pick up like Cinder did pretty soon. I need to get through it so that I can get to Cress and be ready for the releases next year.

3. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

She is so funny, that I think I will be able to get through this one incredibly fast once I get started on it. I need to finish one of the others first, though.

4. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

I am ready to read the Throne of Glass series, and I have been told by a couple of people that I should start with the novellas, so that is what I intend to do. It seems like novellas might be easier to get through in my limited time frame as well.

So, there we have it. I am challenging myself to make it to 130 books read, and I intend to succeed. How are you guys doing with your Goodreads challenges? Have you already met your goal, or are you in the same boat as me? I would love to talk about it in the comments below!

2014 Releases I Still Want To Purchase - Part 1

There have been so many great new releases this year, and I have yet to purchase a lot of them. I really, REALLY love hardback books, but they are always so expensive that I just can't justify spending at least $17.99 on EACH of them. I tend to wait until they release in paperback since they are then about half the price. However, I am making my first trip to Books A Million today, and look forward to possibly picking up some of these books. Christmas is also coming up, which could result in quite a few new books. Still, I thought that I would start sharing the 2014 releases that I would still LOVE to purchase. It will be in several different parts because there are still so many. Enjoy!

January Releases: 

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother -- whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her...and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop... 

 Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

 Defy by Sara B. Larson
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

 And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Soon after, angry and guilt-ridden Emily is sent to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where two quirky fellow students and the spirit of Emily Dickinson offer helping hands. But it is up to Emily Beam to heal her own damaged self, to find the good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

 No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 689 688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.

Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.

 A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller
Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
           
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?

February Releases:  

The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman
Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.

Rowan's village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan's door once again. Only this time, its appetite is insatiable.

 Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

 The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe
For sixteen years, Daisy has been good. A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly. A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad. She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave.

But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal. Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy? Should she side with her parents or protect her brother? How can she know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go?

 Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

March Releases: 

Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger
Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.

But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.

With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

 Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that's as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice's scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she's said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she caused irreparable damage to the people around her—and to the one person who matters most?

 Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same. So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

 Searching for Beautiful by Nyrae Dawn
Before, Brynn had a group of best friends, a loving boyfriend, a growing talent for pottery. She had a life. And after…she had none.

When Brynn lost the boyfriend who never loved her, the friends who feel she betrayed their trust, and the new life just beginning to grow inside her, she believes her future is as empty as her body. But then Christian, the boy next door, starts coming around. Playing his guitar and pushing her to create art once more. She meets some new friends at the local community center, plus even gets her dad to look her in the eye again…sort of.

But can Brynn open up her heart to truly find her life’s own beauty, when living for the after means letting go of the before?

 #16ThingsIThoughtWereTrue by Janet Gurtler
Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue

When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue

Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?

5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

 Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland
Zephyr Mourning has never been very good at being a Harpy. She’d rather watch reality TV than learn forty-seven ways to kill a man, and she pretty much sucks at wielding magic. Zephyr was ready for a future pretending to be a normal human instead of a half-god assassin. But all that changes when her sister is murdered—and she uses a forbidden dark power to save herself from the same fate.

Zephyr is on the run from a punishment worse than death when an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend (a surprisingly HOT friend) changes everything. Because it seems like Zephyr might just be the Nyx, a dark goddess made flesh that is prophesied to change the power balance. For hundreds of years the half-gods have lived in fear, and Zephyr is supposed to change that. But how is she supposed to save everyone when she can’t even save herself?

 Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington
When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

 A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?

Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?
An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting.

These are all of the releases from January through March that I am really hoping to purchase in the near future. Keep an eye out for parts 2, 3, and 4 of this post! :] Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them?