Month: August 2015

How I Organize My Bookshelves

There’s a bunch of ways people organize their bookshelves. Some do it by color, some by author, some by series or genre. I find that it can be relaxing and kind of fun to organize your shelves.

The way I organize them changed recently, but I did keep some of it the same way as before, just in a new location.

So, here are my shelves for reference!

Okay, these first three pictures are all of just one bookcase.

First shelf (top left): It consists of tall story books and fantasy books (a few dystopian, too).

Second shelf: It consists of some of my favorite series/authors: The Mortal Instruments/Cassandra Clare, Throne of Glass/Sarah J Maas, and The Remnant Chronicles.

Third shelf (top right): It’s adult fantasy with some horror-esque/spooky novels and a few YA fantasy.

Fourth shelf: Science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, and some of the books I won from giveaways! (Because I had no where else to put them.)

Fifth (bottom) shelf: Some of my religious books, including my gigantic study bible, and the Harry Potter series trunk.

This large bookcase is one in which I put my primary books, aka the ones I want to get to ASAP. Mostly.

Next, I have two smaller bookcases with three shelves each and I arranged them a little differently.

Shelf one (top left): Hardcover contemporary and non-fiction, including some favorites.

Shelf two: Adult fiction, YA dystopian, and YA contemporary.

Shelf three (top right): Classics, classics, and more classics. And some DVDs we borrowed from a friend.

Shelf four (bottom left): Vampires, Narnia, unicorns. You know, because those go together.

Shelf five: Manga! And the Divergent series.

The shelf below that one is books I still have to donate, I just haven’t done it yet. (Attachments, man. I can’t help it.)

So really it’s up to you on how you want to organize your bookshelf. Maybe I’ll do a tutorial type of post soon about how to organize it in different styles, but I just wanted to show you the way I do them.

August 11, 2015
The Heart of Betrayal Book Review

Title: The Heart of Betrayal
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Series: Book #2 in The Remnant Chronicles
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 470
Format: Purchased Hardcover

“The Heart of Betrayal” continues to follow Lia, Rafe, and Kaden as they are now in Venda, Kaden’s homeland. Lia and Rafe are both prisoners, but as things begin to unfold in Venda, more lies are starting to trickle their way into their lives. This sequel is definitely riveting and it includes more heart-pumping, jaw dropping events that are sure to make fans of the first book crave more.

I know I do.

This sequel was slow to start out, but it quickly grew and built into a fantastic installation that had me craving more and wanting to find out what happened next.

As this is a sequel, there will probably be spoilers ahead.

Let’s talk characters.

Lia is becoming a lot stronger in this book. She had just gone through hell and back with her emotions and to then be thrust into a world where she believed only cruel barbarians lived was just the icing on the cake. She quickly learns, though, that she can’t let any weaknesses show lest the Komizar play with those weaknesses. I thought that she did her best trying to grasp not only the concept of what it was like to live in Venda, but what it was like to be a strong, independent person. She couldn’t rely on anyone but herself to get her through to the next day, let alone the next moment. She did find confidences here and there in some people, but in others she knew she couldn’t trust them. I felt that she grew throughout the book, but she also definitely let her heart lead sometimes instead of using her head. At times she did act stupidly and some of her thought processes made me mad, but I understood that she was raised to believe a certain way, and the fact that she’s opening up to this new way is actually refreshing.

Rafe kind of grew on me a little more in this book. I thought that he wasn’t so arrogant in this sequel and that he was definitely not only the prince – and a skilled liar – but that he was a warrior and that his first instincts were to protect those he cared for – namely Lia. I thought that he was kind of slopping at times, his temper and emotions leading him into near consequence, but he had help one way or another to remind him that this wasn’t a land he could stand out in; he needed to play the part he set out to play, and that was all he could do. I didn’t appreciate some of the lies that he weaved throughout the book, with or without Lia, but I knew that was part of how they’d have to eventually escape.

Kaden, I think, was caught between a rock and a hard place when they reentered Venda. His loyalties to his country and the Komizar run so deep that sometimes I thought he’d abandon Lia for stupid reasons, but I think that as his feelings for Lia continued to grow his loyalties were tested. He showed more of his true self, of the wounded boy he once was and the strong Assassin he had to be. I totally felt for him on a deep level because, well, I love him, and I think that he’s just one of those people that grew up too hard and too fast. Yes, he acted impulsively and rudely sometimes, but I knew that he also had a part to play if he wanted to keep not only Lia, but Rafe, alive (even if he wanted to kill Rafe with his own two hands, he did it for Lia).

The Komizar was the newest character introduced and boy oh boy, did I not like him. I thought he played the part of the vicious, cruel leader well, holding himself on a high pedestal and wanting all the power and control for himself. He had a few tender moments, but they were all just a game he was playing with Lia and the others. He seemed always to be a step or two ahead of everyone and it made for an interesting story for sure. I wasn’t sure how it would end with him because of his cunning, but he got what he deserved, suffice it to say.

We even got a few chapters with Pauline as our main girl and I really missed her. She’s so kind and innocent and I love how her faith in Lia never falters. I think that doubt does creep in, though, toward the end, but I’m wondering what will happen in the next book and whether or not her loyalties and faith with still remain with her best and closest friend.

Now as for the plot, I did think that it was a bit slow at times and I was unsure of where it was actually going. I did appreciate the glimpses of Lia’s gift here and there and that we got to see it more developed than before. I’m hoping more will come in the next book. In terms of the main plot, there were a lot of loose ends to either tie up or continue to draw on and I thought that it was executed really well, especially in the second half of the book. We got to see political drama, an army beyond imagining, the world of Venda and its people, and so much more.

I really had a lot of emotions in this book that made me feel for the characters, making me want to keep them close and take care of them – or strangle them. There were many parts where my jaw dropped open or where I rolled my eyes or sighed with relief.

I do wish there was a little more romance in this book with a certain someone… I’m still rooting for a certain team! But now I have some theories about what may or may not happen in the next book…

Anyway, I give this book a 4.5/5 stars and highly recommend it!

August 10, 2015
Shoutouts (Part 1)

Hey peeps. So, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I figured that I’m just going to jump right in and do it, and that is this: giving shoutouts to some awesome book bloggers/tubers/bookstagrammers/booklrs/etc. I feel like we don’t give each other enough credit, or we do only on the platform we use, so I want to reach out and share some of my favorite peeps and their content.

So, without further ado, I’ll list one person per category this time around and probably add more the next time I give a shoutout.

Blogger

ChocolatePages – Not only does Amanda have the best handle ever (chocolaaaaaateeeee), but she also does an assortment of posts, not limiting herself to just book reviews. She also does recipes and giveaways! I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t love to cook up new stuff every now and then? She’s very thoughtful and honest in her reviews and I definitely think you should check her out!

Booklr

books-and-cookies – Mary is such a sweet girl and I think that she is definitely a great booklr! She posts and reposts a lot of cool pictures and fun things relating to books, plus she has sections where she does book reviews and gives her honest opinion, as well. When she gushes about a book, SHE GUSHES. You can tell when she does or doesn’t like what she reads. Definitely check her out if you’re ever on tumblr! I believe she focuses mostly on YA books, but there is a mix in there!

Booktuber

RonLit – She is very intellectual and very sassy. I love her discussions as there’s a lot she talks about that I don’t normally see around the BookTube world. She does many reviews on classics and books she reads for her master’s classes, but she does mostly discussions on things in literature that can and should be talked about. She brings a fresh, fun take on topics and if you’re looking for someone who’s more on the adult/analytical/sassy side, definitely check her out!

Bookstagram

Bookaholic_Banter – She’s a fun person who uploads pictures of what she’s reading, fun pages, giveaways, and more on her profile and the way she does them is simple, but it gets right to the point. I enjoy seeing her photos of what she’s reading and maybe it’ll spark my interest into what I might want to read at some point. She does have a main blog, but I follow her on Instagram, soooo there you go.

There you have it! Shoutouts to four lovely ladies and just a snippet of what you can expect to find on their pages/blogs/etc! I hope you check them out and maybe you’ll find something you like.

I’ll try to do these shoutouts every so often as I think it’s important to acknowledge fellow book lovers across the world! I promise to include all or mostly males next time.

Any people you follow that you recommend? Let me know who and which platform and I’ll definitely check them out!

August 9, 2015
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Maps
Hey peeps, I promise I’m not dead. Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday! Today’s topic is all about our favorite maps in books. I love maps. They’re so helpful when you’re trying to get your bearings when reading and everything, especially for fantasy novels.

So here are some of my favorite maps!

5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This map is simple, but it’s also large in that the world itself holds many places and secrets, so I just love the idea of the travel of just the one continent.

4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This is a lovely map of the world. It resembles what our world looks like, but it’s definitely something of its own.

3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Though I haven’t read this book yet, I just love the map in it! I love the drawings and the detailed side designs. So lovely!

2. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

I love the color they used for this, plus I just love the design and layout and how it has the three flags of the three houses at the bottom.
1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
We’ve all heard of this map from Harry Potter and I still think it’s fantastic. A map that shows when and where people are walking, how fast, how long, etc. So cool.

What are some of your favorite book maps?
August 5, 2015