Beat the Heat Readathon Wrap-Up

The Beat the Heat Readathon was officially over Sunday at 11:59 PM, but I never got around to writing the wrap-up, so here it is... Better late than never, right?

My goals (for the readathon) were as follows:
- read 7-9 books total
- read at least one classic
- participate in a few mini-challenges

Okay, this is kind of sad (at least in my opinion), but I did not complete any of my goals for the readathon... Hehe. I only finished three books, and got fifty pages into a fourth, and did not read any classics (although I did read two books from genres I do not normally read). In addition, I attempted some mini-challenges, but did not fully participate in any of them.

The books I read:

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I'd like to just give a quick shout-out and thank Jessi @Novel Heartbeat and Reanna @Phantasmic Reads for hosting this readathon. Although I did not reach my goals, I still had a lot of fun :)

That's all for this readathon! If you participated, how'd you do?

~ Alexandra

10 Finished Series I Have Yet to Finish - Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is "Ten Finished Series I Have Yet to Finish". I am really bad at finishing series, so there were plenty of series to choose from. Here are my top ten finished series I want to finish reading. These are series I've started but have not gotten around to completing (pictures do not include the books I have already read):

The Splintered trilogy by A.G. Howard

The Hybrid Chronicles by Kat Zhang

The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead

The Pushing the Limits series by Katie McGarry

The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The Testing trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau

The Defiance trilogy by C.J. Redline

The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (already started reading Shadow and Bone)

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (started The Fellowship of the Ring)

And just for fun, here are ten more series that I haven't even started yet and want to/need to read:

• Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor
• Taken trilogy by Erin Bowman
• Graceling trilogy by Kristin Cashore
• The Maze Runner series by James Dashner
• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
• The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
• The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken
• His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers
• Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer

~Alexandra

UPDATED DISCUSSION: Final Thoughts of a First-Time Rereader

In June, I tried to reread Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and ended up putting aside the reread. I wrote a post about rereading and my thoughts as a first-time rereader, which you can view here. Although my fears have remained the same (see below), my thoughts so far have vastly changed since I first tried rereading the book. Now that I am almost done rereading Throne of Glass, I thought I would share my final thoughts on my rereading experience.

The Main Reasons I Don't Reread:

1) I already know what happens so it is not as exciting and interesting
2) I am worried that I will not feel the same way about the book the second/third/fourth/etc. time around
3) See #2 except applied to my feelings/opinions about the characters
4) I have an overwhelming TBR as it is and it is a "waste of time" (for lack of a better term) to read something I've already read when I can read something new
5) After reading it the first time, I may have discovered a book/books that I liked better (so when I reread it, I will not enjoy it as much as the first time around/it will pale in comparison to other reads

FINAL THOUGHTS ON REREADING:

The first time I tried rereading Throne of Glass, I had just finished A Court of Thorns and Roses, and was still in a bit of a book hangover. Picking up Throne of Glass for my second attempt at rereading only seemed logical because Queen of Shadows was coming out and I needed to catch up. Anyway, my view on rereading (and my view of Throne of Glass) has greatly changed. I guess I'll address my feelings toward reareading Throne of Glass by addressing the 5 main reasons I don't reread.

1. I read Throne of Glass for the first time back when it came out THREE YEARS AGO. So my main reason for not rereading was completely invalid. I thought I remembered what happened, but it turns out I only knew the very basic plot, and completely forgot about some major details. If I tried to read the second and third books before rereading Throne of Glass, I think I would have truly been lost. Or at least a little lost.

2. I don't feel the same way about Throne of Glass. Except unlike what I thought, I actually like it better. I am definitely more engrossed and seem to be enjoying the book more than when I read it back in 2012.

3. In addition to not feeling the same way about the book and story in general, my feelings have changed slightly toward the characters. I used to absolutely HATE Chaol with a burning passion, and although I am still not keen about his existence, this hate has begun to diminish. (Let's see how long that lasts though.) I have yet to decide whether this is a good or bad thing.

4. Most of my TBR consists of series, so I guess it isn't a waste of time to reread a book in order to catch up on the rest of the series and essentially eliminate books from my TBR. Also, I guess it's not a waste of time if you reread a book you like/love because you know you'll enjoy it, rather than a book that may only be okay... To be honest, I'm not sure if this reason to not reread should be valid.

5. It's hard to say if this one is applicable or not because Throne of Glass was never my all-time favorite book to begin with. I enjoy it very much, but it has never been at the very top for me. Also, I'm in the midst of reading a bunch of assigned reading books, so I'm obviously (?) not going to enjoy those as much as books that I can choose for myself, such as Throne of Glass.

~Alexandra

September TBR

I can't believe September is already here!! Summer went by so fast...Anyway, I have big hopes for this month in terms of reading, even though I will have a lot less free time because of my classes. Here's my TBR!

Books I'm Currently Reading and Want to/Need to Finish

I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO FINISH THIS REREAD. I actually (surprisingly) like it a lot more the second time around, and want to finally read Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire since Queen of Shadows just came out yesterday and everyone is spazzing out and running around as if their souls have been ripped out of there bodies.

(Also, I wrote that post about my thoughts on rereading, and even though I tried rereading Throne of Glass toward the beginning of the summer, my thoughts on rereading have vastly changed since then and I want to do an updated post.)

I'm 54 pages into this, and so far, I'm loving it!! The Grisha world is so intriguing and I literally just met the Darkling and really have not decided what I think of him yet. This is less of a priority at the moment because of my Throne of Glass catch-up but I am still really enjoying it and hope to pick it back up soon (and the sequels as well) since it's amazing and I also really want to read Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo's new book), which comes out in a few weeks.

I found this book through some blogs I follow (and I also have chatted a bit with the author, Elise Kova, on Twitter a bit), and the premise really attracted me to it. I love Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the blog where I discovered the book said it was kind of like that. So far it's been pretty good, but it's not my absolute favorite. (Then again, I've only read 2 chapters so it's pretty hard to say for sure.) I'm really looking forward to continuing with the book and seeing the plot unfold.

This is an assigned reading book, and I already completed the other two assigned reading assignments (as well as all my other classes' summer assignments), so this is the only thing that stands in my way until my classes start back up again. I really enjoyed the book at first, but am worried that I'm starting to dislike it because the imagery is fantastic, but it's kind of overwhelming at times and I've been getting a bit confused. Hopefully I'll start enjoying it again, and if not, that's just too bad for me because I have to read it anyway.




September TBR ~ SEQUELS

I know I put Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire on my TBR for the past few months, but I am DEFINITELY going to read them this month because the highly-anticipated fourth installment, Queen of Shadows, just came out yesterday and I don't want to be spoiled (and trust me, there are already plenty of spoilers starting to surface).

I absolutely adored Pushing the Limits and Dare You To, the first two books in the series, and am so excited to finally pick up Isaiah's story (especially since it's been sitting on my shelf for quite a while now and I haven't read much contemporary lately)

After reading Legend, I immediately bought the rest of the trilogy, but I got about 80 pages into Prodigy a while back and never picked it up again. I really want to wrap this series up so I can focus my attention on The Young Elites (and I also just loved the first book and want to know the rest of June and Day's story)

I really love retellings, and A.G. Howard's Splintered was a fantastic Alice in Wonderland retelling. I have had this book for a while now (like many other books), but I always seem to struggle to pick up sequels. So I'm hoping this one is a great continuation of the story, and I hope I finally pick a side in the love triangle because I still have yet to do so.

NEW RELEASES I WANT TO READ (There are so many other wonderful books coming out this month that I wish I had the time to read, but I guess those will just have to wait.)

I've actually never read a Wild West book before, but I have been dying to read an Erin Bowman book for a while now, and this book just sounds like so much fun and a new experience/genre to try out. I've heard such fantastic things about this book and really want to read it.

 

This book seems to be a favorite these days, and I've only heard the best of the best about this book. I unfortunately missed the opportunity to snag a copy when I was at BookCon back in May, but since summer's zoomed by, I can finally pick up a copy! I am so psyched for this book and really hope I get a chance to pick up a copy and read it this month.

I really really need this book. I've only heard the best about this book (like pretty much all of these books I've mentioned so far), but I think this is a really unique one. It's not every day that a book like this one comes out, and I think it covers really the really important topic of self-image and feeling good in your own skin. I could use some tips from Willowdean, and I have pretty much been wanting to read this book even before it got such high praise.

That's all for my TBR! What are your reading plans this month?
~Alexandra

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: September 22, 2015

Via Goodreads: A world battered by climate shift and war turns to an ancient method of keeping peace: the exchange of hostages. The Children of Peace - sons and daughters of kings and presidents and generals - are raised together in small, isolated schools called Prefectures. There, they learn history and political theory, and are taught to gracefully accept what may well be their fate: to die if their countries declare war.

Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan-Polar Confederation, is the pride of the North American Prefecture. Learned and disciplined, Greta is proud of her role in keeping the global peace — even though, with her country controlling two-thirds of the world’s most war-worthy resource — water — she has little chance of reaching adulthood alive.  

Enter Elián Palnik, the Prefecture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Prefecture’s insidious surveillance, its small punishments and rewards, can make no dent in Elián, who is not interested in dignity and tradition, and doesn’t even accept the right of the UN to keep hostages. 

What will happen to Elián and Greta as their two nations inch closer to war?

This book sounds absolutely amazing!  The use of hostages is fascinating and the relationship that may develop between the two characters intrigues me so much.  The synopsis totally captured my attention without giving away too much of the plot, so I am so excited to see how the events of the book unfold!

On ARCs

*I know this is not a particularly unique topic, but it is an important one nonetheless, and I would like to it. I do not know specifics, and if I did, I would not share the information anyway. This post is not meant to harm or hurt anyone’s feelings (and shouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings) but is rather my own humble opinion.

A book bloggers, we are dedicated to books. Many of us joined this community to share our love of books and find new ones to love; we have joined this community to meet like-minded people who love what we do. That’s the reason I joined, anyway. It has come to my attention, however, that some bloggers feel as though they have a right—a prerogative, if you will—to ARCs. Yes, our blogs are dedicated to spreading the word for books we love, and yes, it is lovely to receive early, advanced copies of books we were anticipating in order to spread the love even more. But as bloggers, should we not see this opportunity as a privilege? I recently heard from a blogger friend that other bloggers feel so entitled to these ARCs that they would stop blogging if they stopped receiving them. As a new blogger, I have yet to request any ARCs, but ARCs or no ARCs, I would still blog. I would still blog because I care enough about books and am passionate enough about the subject that I want others to enjoy it too.

To those people who feel entitled to ARCs and claim they would stop blogging if they stopped receiving ARCs, I have some questions for you. Do you not love books alone enough that blogging, ARCs or no ARCs, is worth it? Do you not find sheer joy in discussing books you love (and sometimes fighting over swoony romantic interests) to continue? Do you not, even just a little, enjoy it because you make friends? Do you care that much more about ARCs and flaunting them in people’s faces than the friendships and community you have because of your blogging career?  I know I love books and want friends enough to continue to pursue my blog, whether my requests for ARCs are accepted or not.

As I said before, I joined this community to share my love of books and meet like-minded people. And to quote Beca from Pitch Perfect, “Love you, awesome nerds.” I’d like to say that that applies to every book nerd out there, but people who feel entitled?  I’m sorry, but even if they are extremely good people at heart, I’m going to have to say the way they’re using their blogs is disrespectful.

Do they think they’re doing authors/publishers/etc. a favor? Perhaps they are, but there are plenty of other bloggers who are grateful for every ARC and book they receive, who do not just expect the ARCs to fall into their laps. I am not by any means saying that they don’t work for the ARCs like everyone else, but doing all the work solely so they can receive the ARCs? I just don’t find that right.

I think that it is absolutely wonderful that publishers produce advanced reader’s copies. I love that we have a chance to experience books—a thing dear to our hearts—before anyone else.  But above all, we have to recognize that it is a privilege, not a right. For the love of books, be grateful: for books, for authors, for ARCs, for this wonderful community, for everything that makes this possible and for everything that makes blogging special. Blog because of your love of books. Blog because you want to. Blog because you love to share your opinions and find out others’.

~Alexandra

August Wrap-Up + Summer Numbers

I can't believe summer is over!!! I know technically speaking, it isn't fall until the 20th or 21st or something, but as soon as late August/early September hits, it's pretty much back to school or work for us all. The past three months have gone by in a blur, and I thought I'd share my August wrap-up, and then do some quick calculations.

Books I Read in August:

Looking For Alaska by John Green | The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover (review) | A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (review)

Started in August/Currently Reading:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
West with the Night by Beryl Markham
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

August Discussions:

On Adaptions and Reboots
On Reading in Order (Whether It is a Series or Not...
Physical Books vs. eBooks - Pros and Cons
Why I Love the Idea of Duologies

Other August Excitement:

My Blogging Life:

• I finally shared more about myself. If you missed it, I shared ten things about me.
• I was nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award!! In case you missed it and want to learn how my blog was started, find out some of my tips for new bloggers, and who I nominated here.
• I joined Twitter to keep up with author/bookish news, blogging news, etc. I mostly post random things that don't make sense, but I also have blog updates, random commentary as I read, and more. Username: @lit_legionnaire. I don't bite, so feel free to reach out to me :)
• I signed up for three challenges: BookTubeAThon (wrap-up here), Beat the Heat Readathon (week 1 update here), and the 2015 Discussion Challenge (for more info and my goals, see here).

Some News in the Blogosphere:

• Let's start with the bad news, shall we? It breaks my heart, but there was a book blog plagiarist on the loose. I saw this news on Twitter and it seems like things are starting to be resolved, but it honestly hurts to know that some of my friends who work so hard on their blogs have had to go through this. They put so much effort into their blogs, so it is truly unfair that this person is doing something so horrible and tries to take credit for something he/she did not write.

• On a happier note, Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books got co-bloggers!!! I have been a huge fan of Rachel's blog for a while, but her new co-bloggers Mishma and Julia Anne are absolutely lovely people and bloggers too! They write fantastic reviews and discussion posts, so you should definitely check them out if you aren't doing so already! (See the welcome post for Mishma and Julia Anne here.)

• Mishma and Jillian @ Chasing Faerytales wrapped up their blogging event "Learnt It The Hard Way" (or LITHW, for short). It is a really informative series of posts about tips and tricks for bloggers new and old, and I learned a lot from it! Check out Mishma's lovely wrap-up post here.

• The Summer Blogger Promo Tour, hosted by Amber and Jessica @ The Book Bratz, came to a close. More info here if you missed it, and see their wrap-up post here.

AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR A QUICK SUMMER RECAP...

HERE ARE THE NUMBERS:

Books I read this summer (including graphic novels): 10 books
Pages I read this summer (including books I set aside/have not finished): 3429 pages

How was your summer?

~Alexandra