Reader Rayna

Month: December 2014

  • Top Books of 2014

    I may have only read 20 books this past year, but I still read some great books that have stuck with me and have made me think. I’m going to list my top five books from this year, and they are:

    1. The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Mass. The first three books are out in this six part series, and I read all of them this past year and loved each and every one. This is definitely a favorite series filled with action, fantasy, politics, romance, and a kick-butt assassin heroine. My favorite of the series thus far is Heir of Fire, but they all are awesome. (Yes, I’m counting this as one book.) I rated each 5/5 stars.
    2. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. This is the first book she wrote and it was the first book I read this year. Though some parts seemed to drag, I did really enjoy it and glad I read it as an introduction into Austen’s writing. It’s a book about two sisters who deal with the loss of their father, their romantic lives – and lack thereof – parties, politics, and other such things that happened in that culture during that time. I rated this 4/5 stars.
    3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman. This was my first Gaiman book and it was a beautiful piece of work. It had adventure, faeries, magic, and a great storyline. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more by Gaiman. I rated this 5/5 stars.
    4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. This book was very cute and funny and I highly enjoyed it. It allowed me to reminisce on my college days (which weren’t that long ago) and just enjoy a cute story of love, family, friendship, and going out into the world. I rated this 5/5 stars.
    5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This book was hyped way up this past year, but it was a really great read and I really enjoyed the story and the characters in them. I rated this 5/5 stars.

    What were some of your top books from 2014? Let me know in the comments below! And here’s to a New Year! Happy New Year’s everyone!

  • December Wrap-Up & Book Haul

    December was a very productive month in terms of reading and other things going on in my life. I managed to read six books this month! It’s the most I’ve read in one month in a long time. I’m very proud of myself for it.

    So, let me first go through the books I read this month, then I’ll talk about my book haul, then I’ll list any tags I did I at the end of the post, including any discussions I did.

    So the six books I read as month are as follows:

    1. “Exquisite Captive” by Heather Demetrios. I did a full review of it, so you can check out what I thought about it there. I rated it 4/5 stars.
    2. “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell. I also did a full review of this book, so you can check out my thoughts there! I rated it 5/5 stars.
    3. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” by J.K. Rowling. This book was much better than I was expecting, as it included much more details than I was expecting. It was much different from the movie (as this was my first read through) and I was very glad to have read it. Great character and plot development happened in the novel and I can’t wait to read the next. I rated this 5/5 stars.
    4. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han. You can read my review and see what I thought. I rated it 4/5 stars.
    5. “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman. What beautiful writing. You can read my review here. I rated it 5/5 stars.
    6. “This Night So Dark” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I seem to be onto a patter here. I did a review! I rated it 4/5 stars.

    All of the books I read this past month left me wanting more. Sure, some of them had their faults while others blew me away, but that’s to be expected, right?

    Now my book haul! I bought seven books this past month, and they are:

    1. “The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne. I got this book while on my honeymoon in Walt Disney World and I was so happy to get it! It’s fully illustrated and in color, so I’m sure it’ll transport me back to me childhood.
    2. “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. I got the pocket edition and it is very adorable in its small size! I’m behind the times in not having read any of Tolkien quite yet, but I hope to in the upcoming year.
    3. “Siege and Storm” by Leigh Bardugo. This is the second book in the Grisha trilogy. It’s very hard to find this book at my local Barnes & Noble, but I managed to find this one at another one!
    4. “The Daughter of Smoke and Bone” and “Days of Blood and Starlight” by Laini Taylor. This is the first and second books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this trilogy and how the writing in it is beautiful. I hope to enjoy it when I read it!
    5. “The Darkest Minds” by Alexandra Bracken. This is the first book in The Darkest Minds trilogy and I hear a lot of good things about it. Mind control, super powers? Cool stuff!
    6. “This Shattered World” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. This is the second book in the Starbound trilogy. I’ve started reading it already and so far I’m really enjoying it.

    Those are all the books I’ve gotten in the past month. All bought with gift cards, so I’m not really going against the project five books or anything like that. I’m very excited about this upcoming year! Read about some of my resolutions I hope to stick by in 2015.

    Tags! I only did one that I didn’t already have in this post, so here it is:

    Reading Habits Tag
    1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading? Either at my desk or on the couch in the living room.
    2. Bookmark or random piece of paper? Bookmarks are cuter, but I’m not opposed to pieces of paper.
    3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages? I prefer stopping at the end of a chapter or section.
    4. Do you eat or drink while reading? Sometimes.
    5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading? Occasionally music, but I prefer silence.
    6. One book at a time or several at once? Several at once, but I try to focus only on one at a time.
    7. Reading at home or everywhere? Everywhere!
    8. Reading out lout or silently in your head? Silently.
    9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages? Yes. >> Sometimes. I have a bad habit of reading the last page of a book before starting the beginning.
    10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new? Break the spine.
    11. Do you write in your books? SACRILEGE. No.

    Links to various discussions I talked about this past month:

    Accompanying video: December 2014 Wrap-Up & Book Haul

    So that is it for my December Wrap-Up and the many things that has happened this month. Wow. Anyway, what did you read this month? Did you enjoy your choices? Let me know in the comments below!

  • This Night So Dark Book Review

    thisnightsodark

    Title: This Night So Dark
    Authors: Amie Kaufman; Meagan Spooner
    Series: Starbound novella #1.5
    Publisher: Disney Hyperion
    Publication Date: October 7, 2014
    Genres: Young Adult – Science Fiction
    Pages: 109
    Format: eBook for Nook

    “This Night So Dark” is a novella in the Starbound series by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and tells a story after the events of “These Broken Stars” about a time Tarver was in a facility and had to escape from mercenaries while also rescuing scientists from the facility. It’s a fast-paced novella that’s only about fifty or so pages long, but there are extra pages toward the end with excerpts from “These Broken Stars” and the second Starbound novel, “This Shattered World.”

    Overall the novella was fast-paced and placed in the world at a good place. As a reflection story, it definitely told about the past events as through the eyes and memory of our lead character, Tarver. His voice is dominant in this story and it reflected the flow of “These Broken Stars.”

    As a sci-fi adventure, it does hold a few aspects of science fiction, such as taking place in space upon another planet, with different weapons, facilities, terms, and other such things. But it also focuses a lot on fighting and military aspects, keeping in line with how a soldier would react in certain situations.

    The story itself was engaging and it kept me wanting to read more. Sometimes, though, I did feel that it dragged on in a few parts, or that a few details could have been left out, but it was overall enjoyable and a believable story within the world that the Starbound novels take place in.

    A few new characters were introduced that played important roles in the story, such as a solider-mercenary, Gil, who turns out to be working for the “bad guys” in the story, and a scientist, Sanjana, helps Tarver out throughout a majority of the novella. Each is portrayed well in their respective positions and add to the story rather than take away from it.

    If you’re a fan of “These Broken Stars” I suggest reading this, too. It helps to know more about the world and how the story played part in the first novel in terms of Tarver’s character.

    I rate this novella 4/5 stars.

  • Stardust Book Review

    stardust

    Title: Stardust
    Author: Neil Gaiman
    Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks – an imprint of HarperCollins
    Publication Date: This edition: August 29, 2006 (originally published in 1998)
    Genres: Adult – Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
    Pages: 250
    Format: Purchased Paperback

    “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman is a story about a young man, Tristran Thorn, who goes out into Faerie after seeing a falling star with the girl of his dreams and vows to get it and bring it back for her – and she would give him whatever he desires. On his journey to the star, he discovers that the star is a young girl and the two of them set off on a harrowing journey back to Wall, the town where Tristran is from. Along the way they encounter many friends and foes, and the tale which is spun is one that is in itself unique and inspiring.

    This book was beautiful. The writing style that Gaiman presents in this short novel is lovely and unique, and it spins the tale of Tristran very wonderfully, while also weaving in tales of other characters within the story that all eventually come together in a great wrap-up of a conclusion.

    When I first started reading the book, I was unsure of what to expect, but as I continued on, I felt that I was engrossed in the world and that the characters and everything around them came to life in my imagination. The story telling was fantastic and the plot itself was unique, but one of which could be told over and over again.

    I thought the character of Tristran was one definitely of a boy growing up in the world, one of which he started as naive and stubborn, but also he seemed very gentle-hearted and kind. As he journeyed through Faerie he learned more and more about the world and how each thing that is said or done in Faerie has a price that comes with it (rules, rules, rules!). He definitely has growth and development within the novel and toward the end I can see where he has finally learned all there was for him to learn as he made his way back to Wall.

    Yvaine, the star, grew along with the story, as well. She played the part of loathing captive to gentle young woman as the story progressed. I believe she was part comic-relief a few times in the novel, but there wasn’t much humor in the book that was outright and in your face. It was more subtle and hidden within the pages.

    The characters that dotted the story throughout, from the witch-queen to Septimus and Primus, to all the others in between, played integral and important roles throughout Tristran’s story, for sure. I thought that the way they were all introduced separately in their own story lines, and then brought together at the end for a clean ending, was well done and made the story that much better.

    The plot, too, was one of which is unique and could be told a thousand different ways, but I enjoyed the story of a boy seeking to please his true love, only to find himself on a difficult journey and getting an outcome much different from what he expected. It was a fun, grand adventure, and this book is definitely one of my top five favorites for the year.

    (Also, I read his name as Tristan, not Tristran. Very slight difference that I didn’t notice until halfway through the novel.)

    I rate this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

  • Bookish Resolutions for 2015

    Well, it’s that time of year again (or close enough to the time) when we make empty promises to make our lives better and do one amazing, incredible thing for the year to come. As much as I don’t like making resolutions, I figured I’d do some book related ones to not only share with you all, but to challenge myself to accomplish in the year to come.

    I’m going to split this into two parts: one for general reading and one for my blog/vlog channel.

    General Bookish Resolutions

    • I want to read at least three classics books in the upcoming year, if not more.
    • I want to read at least three to five books per month, if not more.
    • I want to accomplish my reading goal set on Goodreads for the year by the end of the year. Goal will be set to 30 books.
    • I want to attempt to get as many books off of my TBR as possible, therefore participating in the Project Five Books and the 0 by 16 challenge.
    • This is sort of bookish, but I want to revise my NaNoWriMo novel over the next several months and see about the possibility of getting it out there to the public.
      • This is related: participate in NaNoWriMo 2015.
      • This is also related: write/work on another story throughout the year.

    Blog/Vlog Channel Resolutions

    • Do corresponding videos to blog topics, i.e. reviews, hauls, etc.
    • Participate in more discussions and create more discussion topics.
    • Tags are fun and should be shared, therefore… more tags!
    • Wrap-ups and TBRs will be shared as the months go by, so those are a given.
    • Hauls, of course. But only when I can afford it and when I’ve achieve the read 5, buy 1, OR if I have gift cards (from birthday or otherwise).
    • Maybe spiffy it up more and buy a domain? That’d be cool.
    • Start seeking ARCs (advanced reader copies) possibly? We’ll see how that goes.

    Yup, so those are just some of the bookish related resolutions I have planned for the next year. Very broad and general, but I think that there’s still something to reach and achieve within them. I want to be faithful and stick to this and not give up on it like I thought I’d do, so yeah!

    What are some of your bookish resolutions for 2015? Let me know in the comments!