As most of you know, I started college this month, which means I have basically no time to read for myself except for like Saturdays. As a result, this wrap up is very small, and by small I mean I read three books...

Total Books Read: 3

Physical Books: 0
Ebooks: 3

Books for Review: 2
Books for Pleasure: 1
Books for School: 0

Books for Review:
Air Awakens by Elise Kova (Read for 4CornersBC) |review| |book talk| ★★★★
The Foxglove Killings ★★★

Books for Pleasure:
Eternal by CC Hunter ★★★ .75 ( 3 & 3/4)

Favorite Book:
Air Awakens. If you read my review and watch the book talk, you'll understand why out of my three options, it was my favorite.

(Only reason why Eternal isn't my favorite is because the Bond in it pissed me off more than the Bond in Air Awakens.)

How was your month of reading? Did you do better or worse than anticipated, or right on par?

Early this morning Four Corners of the Bookshelf, the book club I am a part of, had our very first book talk this morning. We discussed Air Awakens by Elise Kova via Hangouts on Air and on Twitter using the hashtag #4CornersBC.

If you missed the book talk or just want to watch the talk again, below is the video. Be sure to join the Goodreads group if you want to stay updated on the book club and want to get involved in the book community.

Hello one and all! I am back with another Top 5 Wednesday. Onwards!

     I know I have been pretty absent on this blog as of lately, and I haven't gotten any reading done since last week and that is because orientation week here at college has been crazy. I hope when orientation is over and I don't have events every day from the crack of dawn until midnight, I will be able to blog more and read.
      Anywho, today is a very special event... IT IS MY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BLOGGING!
      Honestly, I didn't think this blog would last this long. For the first like 4 or 5 months, I felt like no one was reading my stuff and I was ready to give up this blog and just read all by my lonesome self. But after a little while, I started reading other people's bog, commenting, and joining twitter- all which really helped me gain a nice nice audience.
      Now I am no big blog and I don't have a lot of followers, but I am okay with that because people still comment on my posts and in general just make me feel welcome.  Because of this community, I joined Booktube which has allowed me to actually vocalize my voice and I became a part of The Four Corners book club, something that definitely wouldn't have happened if I hadn't made my appearance more obvious.
     While I had promised you guys a giveaway or Q&A earlier in the summer, I am going to be honest: I don't have the time or money to do either. Hopefully later in the future I will be able to do these things, but as of now, it's not happening.
      For my final thoughts, I would like to thank you guys for reading this blog and I would especially like to thank those of you who comment. These things mean the world to me and give me the ability to continue running this little blog.

These bookish memes are probably going to compromise quite a bit of my blog until I get settled into college and formulate a schedule with time to blog. I apologize ahead of time.

Book: Air Awakens

Author: Elise Kova

Format: ARC

Publisher: Silver Wing Press (August 27th, 2015)

My Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

     So this review is going to be pretty quick because you will be able to hear most of my thoughts during the Four Corners of the Bookshelf book talk August 29th, 8am EST. Coming into this book I had extremely high expectations because Dani from Dani Reviews Things who originally read the book and connected with the author to get this book for our first book club book. In the end, the expectations for the most part were met. I liked the concept for the story and the world Elise Kova wrote. I thought she did a damn good job creating the world and just writing in general. I don't know what it is, but I really enjoyed her writing style. A lot of authors struggle to write fantasy novels that aren't cluttered or boring or just have uninteresting worlds but that was not an issue here. For the most part I thought the characters were good, but I didn't really like or attach myself to any of them. In the beginning I really wasn't feeling Vhalla, but she got better towards the end. I'm really excited to see what she is like in the next book because based off the teaser she is going to be hardcore and a complete badass, just how I like my female characters. Prince Aldrik... I thought he was moody and almost bipolar and as for his brother he is like the stereotypical prince, but I'm okay with him because he has a good head on his shoulders.
     
      There are a few things I did not like about the book. First of all, I thought there was going to be more of a fantasy element to it. For quite a bit of the book, I felt like fantasy wasn't even a main component of the story or important. The plot moved along pretty slow at times and it seemed almost like a fantasy romance book with more emphasis on the romance. Another thing I really really did not like was the love square that later became a love triangle. I feel like one of the men in this geometrical shape was unnecessary for the story. Also, although the author has never seen "Avatar: The Last Airbender" it had that feel to it, especially since Vhalla is the last Windwalker to be seen in 143 years and just pops up out of nowhere like Aang from The Last Airbender.
     
      Now on to the thing I absolutely hated about the book with every fiber of my body: the Bond. I hate bonds in anything, whether it be a book, tv show, etc. I think they are the dumbest thing on Earth. I feel like they are a cop out or reason for two characters to love each other or be drawn to one another and I hate that. I believe in stories where the love is real and not at all influenced. Yeah sometimes people will say after a bond is gone or even when the bond is there that the bond had no influence, but I think that is complete and utter bullshit.

      Overall I really did enjoy the book. It was interesting to read and really drew me in. I can't wait to talk about the book with you guys and I need the second book in my hands now!

Book: Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

Format: ARC

Page Count: (Final Hardcover) 307

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

My Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Let me start by saying I requested this book on Netgalley and was so excited when the request was granted because everyone and their mother in the book community has been praising this book. The hype was very much real and very high. That being said...

      So this is my last Friday at home before I move to college Sunday. I haven't gotten a lot of reading done since #BOOKTUBEATHON because I have been busy finalizing everything before I read. However, I have become a host of the Four Corners of the Bookshelf book club. To find out more on that group, click here.
      Anyway, for that group, our first read is Air Awakens by Elise Kova. We will be having a liveshow discussion as well as a Twitter chat about this book with the author, which you can find out more about if you click the above link.

So today's Top 5 Wednesday is required reading. I have had a ton of required reading throughout my schooling, and I'm sure I have much more to come during college, though not so English heavy since I'm an engineering major. Anyhoo, most of the time I don't like required reading, but there have been occasions where I actually liked, one might dare say loved, the books. Onwards!

For awhile I have been thinking of starting or becoming a host of a book club. Well by some string of luck and becoming an active member of the book community on Twitter, I joined forces with three other girls to form the Four Corners of the Bookshelf. Ely (@elysiumjayne) tweeted, asking if anyone wanted to start a book club with her, and I like, heck yeah!

I really want to start/join a little book club. Anyone interested?

— Ely (@elysiumjayne) July 8, 2015

But wait! We had a problem! I live in the United States, Ely is moving to Denmark, Michelle is over in Australia and Dani lives in the UK. Well, we’d have to be international then, turning to the internet to come together. We became the Four Corners of the Bookshelf, spanning the globe and reading books from all over the map.


We’re planning to read a book each month together. This will typically happen in the third week of the month, followed by a Hangouts session on the Saturday and an accompanying Twitter chat.

Our first book is Air Awakens by Elise Kova. I am currently in the process of reading it and quite enjoying it. Dani from Dani Reviews Things has already read it and loved it loads, so I have high expectations. You can find her review here as well as a giveaway she is hosting.

We want you to join us!

Here’s how:

• Join our Goodreads group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/169121-four-corners-of-the-bookshelf
• Read along with us!
• Watch the live Hangouts session and participate on Twitter using the hashtag #4CornersBC.
• Click here to find out more about the Four Corners of the Bookshelf and who we all are.

I can’t wait to see you all for our first Hangout later this month!!!

It’s release day for Elora Ramirez’s Secrets Don’t Keep! I am so excited about this fantastic young adult thriller, and I’m super excited to be sharing it with you. Elora is sharing an exclusive excerpt with us, and a giveaway, so be sure to check it all out!
Secrets Don’t Keep Synopsis: My name is Kera Collins, and I would do anything for a golden nod. At first glance, my life appears perfect: the best friends, the best school, the attention of Dex Albright, the deliciously irresistible grandson to the Headmaster. All I need is the prestige behind La Boheme, an elite secret society formed within the walls of my school, and my life would be complete. Once I’m in, I’ll be the one with all of the secrets. It’s just…no one told me these secrets could kill.
Exclusive Excerpt: I know most people don’t get excited about the beginning of another school year, but I’m not most people, and this isn’t your ordinary school. And somewhere deep inside, I think there’s a tiny glimmer of hope that maybe this will be the year I get a golden envelope. It sounds hilarious and fake, but it’s legit, and the definition behind Grove’s legacy of A-list alumni. La Boheme. A secret society offering immediate acceptance into an Ivy League of your choice. Social proof that lasts for decades. First dibs on societies that are just tiny rumors on our nation’s radar. Skull and Bones. Euclians. From there, the influence is unlimited. The society dates back to our school’s origin and holds roots in the birth of some of the most promising universities. Essentially, La Boheme is the breeding ground for the nation’s elite. The envelopes come the first week of school. I would do anything for a golden nod. I rub my fingers together in a small circle and daydream about endless funds and absolute power. We make our way down the cobblestone drive and I watch the lacrosse team, already on campus for practices, run drills on a nearby field. Given the way a few of them keep tripping over their sticks, I imagine this must be the first year team. To their right a few guys throw a football across the quad. Everywhere students are getting situated and carrying boxes into their tiny rooms, now makeshift homes until Christmas break. A slow smile spreads across my face and I nervously tap my fingers against my bare legs. My phone vibrates and I glance down to read the text. It’s Season.   OMG where are you?! You’ll never believe the rug I brought back from Bali. It’s divine.   I shake my head and type in a quick response. It’s about time you texted. I just got here. Be there soon.   I shift in my seat with anticipation. This year, Season and I managed to get into Ivy Hall, the building reserved for a select number of seniors. It’s by and large the most striking of the dorms, with stone edifices and ivy that snakes it’s way up and over the walls. For the past three years, we dreamed about living here one day. It rests against the back of the campus and in front of a wooded area that’s a rumored host to many soirees reserved for the third and fourth years. But that’s just a cover. Those parties? They’re La Boheme. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Just getting into the dorm feels like a transcendent promise. I gaze out the window and shuffle my feet in anticipation.



Elora Ramirez Bio: Elora Ramirez has been telling stories her whole life.   It started when she was four, when she taught herself how to read and write as a way to entertain herself while her grandmother kicked and danced in aerobics class. She cut her teeth on books from Dr. Seuss and writing anywhere she could find the space -- including her Fischer Price kitchenette, the pages of picture books, and Highlights Magazines.   She's matured a bit since then, now choosing to write in the margins of her books and on the mirrors of her apartment ideas and thoughts surrounding story and what makes us human. You can read more on her blog, eloranicole.com
  Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Author Goodreads

Enter Elora’s giveaway!! 
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

      I know you are all looking at that title and thinking, "What is she going on upon?" Well for those of you who are unaware, next week I go off to college where I plan on majoring in biomedical engineering. Well, engineering is definitely nothing like literature, writing, or something you might expect from someone who runs a book blog. Well I'm a science nerd through and through. Because of the difficult major I am tackling as well as being involved in extracurriculars and having a job, I am going to be extremely busy. There will be times when I will not be able to post that often. More than likely, the amount of reviews I put on here will be diminishing. Fear thee not, I will not be abandoning this. When I can post reviews, I will, but besides that I will try to keep a steady stream of content through blog tours or discussions. My goal is to blog at least once a week. I know that seems like every once and a blue moon, but I don't want to overextend myself. And don't worry, I will not be disappearing from the book community altogether because of the ever so wonderful Twitter. Seriously, if you want to talk to me or you are craving my presence, go to Twitter.

Book: No Kissing Allowed

Author: Melissa West

Release Date: 07/28/2015

Publisher: Entangled Embrace

Genre: New Adult

Synopsis: Armed with her besties, an embarrassing number of shots, and her list of 10 Wild Things To Do Before Adulthood, recent grad Cameron Lawson is partying it up before she starts her dream job at New York's biggest ad agency. Her last task?  Hook up with a random guy. And while it's so not her style, the super-sexy guy sitting next to her is definitely game. No names. No details.At least, that was the plan.
      On her first day of work, Cameron discovers her hook-up is none other than Aidan Truitt—her new boss's boss. Talk about failing the “no fraternizing with coworkers” policy on an epic level. Especially when Aidan makes it clear their one night was only the beginning. Falling for him could cost her everything, but sometimes the only way to get what you want is by breaking a few rules...
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just thought I would put up my Booktubeathon Day 01 Update here so y'all here in the book blogging community could see it.

Book: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Author: Matthew Quick

Format: Ebook

Page Count: 278

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

My Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis: Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.

       I read this book for the #BOOKTUBEATHON read someone else's favorite book challenge. Well this is my friend Tameka's favorite channel, which you can find her on Booktube and Goodreads. Anyway, coming into this book I knew nothing other than the fact that this guys wants to kill his best friend and himself.

      I fucking love this book. This book was brilliant on every level and I adore it with all of my heart. It was exactly what I needed to read. The writing was beautiful perfection and I love Leonard Peacock. I love the way his dark mind works. He clearly has issues, but he makes humor of it all and I'll be damned if I can't relate to that. It's even better because he is an atheist like myself and some of the ideas and contradictions he brings up on religion are so on point. Not only was Leonard Peacock an amazing character but Herr Silverman, his teacher was absolute perfection. I wish I ha someone like this man in my life. He really has a great view of the world and really points out the truths of the world. The journey and revelations Leonard had throughout the novel really spoke to me and made me so damn emotional. I'm sorry for all the swearing, but I honestly can't articulate how much this book really moved me. I wanted nothing more than to take Leonard and hold him in my arms. He had been through so much, saw the world as it truly is, and had no one in his life who really gave two shits about him besides Herr Silverman.

      I just... The messages and themes conveyed in this book are so powerful and the way Matthew Quick portrays them are excellent. There is so much the future can hold for us as long as we can just hold on to see it. This author clearly has a good head on his shoulders. I wish I had read this book earlier when I was still in high school because I so could have used it. There were so many times when my mindset was just like Leonard Peacock's.

     Honestly I would highly recommend this book to anyone if you don't mind reading dark contemporary laced with humor and you can handle mature content. If you can, please, I beg of you, read this book. Especially if you're mind is in a dark place or tends to wander to a dark place. This book can really put the world into a good perspective.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"If my classmates put as much effort into making our community better as they give to the college application process, this place would be a utopia."

"These people we call Mom and Dad, they bring us into the world and then they don't follow through with what we need, or provide any answer at all really-- it's a fend-for-yourself free-for-all in the end, and I'm just not cut out for that sort of living."

      Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Book: Hopeless
Author: Colleen Hoover

Format: Ebook

Page Count: 488

Publisher: Atria Books

My Rating: ★★1/2

Synopsis: Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Recommended for readers 17+ due to sexual content, harsh language and heavy subject matter.

      So I read this book for #BOOKTUBEATHON 2015. I had extremely high hopes for this book because I absolutely love Colleen Hoover's writing. I read Maybe Someday earlier this year and it just might be my favorite book of this year because it was just so damn beautiful. Much to my disappointment, I did not like this book at all. I didn't think the writing was good as normal and I didn't care for the plot. To me the plot was extremely predictable. I mean I predicted everything from start to finish at the beginning.

      I think a huge problem was I couldn't relate to anything. The romance between the two characters just seemed too fake. I found myself thinking if people actually behave like this. Are people really that horny and emotionally attracted to one another. Also do people who barely know each other become that attached so quickly. Especially for teenagers? Some of their actions and thoughts just seemed so unrealistic for teenagers. Maybe because I have never experienced anything like that and I am asexual. And the sex really bothered me because I felt like it happened for the wrong reasons and just seemed off to me. I just don't know because that has never really been too much of a problem for me before but it really bugged me this time. I guess it all boils down to I'm getting tired to "you're the one troupe". I'm tired of a girl being a certain way and it takes a boy coming into her life to magically make her fall in love with him and change who she is and her life. No. It doesn't work like that. I know literature isn't necessarily supposed to be realistic all of the time and in cases like this it should make people happier, but damn it I'm tired of reading this over and over again. The only redeemable part of this book was bits of the ending.

      I also didn't really care for Holder and Sky, individually or as a couple. Nothing about Holder spoke out to me. I didn't find myself attracted to him. Quite the opposite actually he creeped me out. I don't care that he know Sky when she was younger and that he supposedly loves her and all that, you do not climb into the house of someone who barely knows you through their window and get in their bed without permission. That is creepy as hell. It doesn't matter if you think you love that person, you have to business doing that. I felt like he had a savior complex and was extremely possessive. I mean, I understand where his savior complex come from and why he is possessive of Sky, but I still didn't like it. Also this is a personal pet peeve of mine but every time Holder called Sky "baby" I wanted to vomit. I don't know, couples call each other baby is gross to me. And Sky... she irritated me. Outside of her love for books, I couldn't identify with her and found myself frustrated with her. She was so wishy washy with her beliefs and actions. Yes basically all of her problems can be attributed to the abuse she sustained as a child, but I just felt she went about the wrong way handling herself. And how could she just let Holder into her life so quickly like that? I don't get it. Maybe I'm just more logical than her and I can emotionally separate myself from people and situations. As a couple, I just felt like a lot of it was purely physical. The make out scenes, dry humping, and sex scenes just weird me out more than they usual do. And I didn't even care when they first kissed because them as a couple does nothing for me.

      The one character I actually liked in this book was Karen. Karen was the bomb and I respected her for everything she did and for being such a good person. She went through hell and was able to make someone else's life better.

      As for Sky's dad. Fuck him and he got what he deserved.

      Overall this book just really disappointed me, revolted me at times, and kind of pissed me off. And I'm sorry for ranting and swearing but I just had to get my genuine thoughts out there.

So I filmed my July Wrap Up and instead of also writing a monthly wrap up I'm just gonna put my video down below because I am hella lazy.