Tag: jay kristoff

Book Tag

Mid-Year Freak Out!

A Morrow

For those of you who don’t know, which included me too until this week, there is a popular book tag out there that’s a bit of a tradition in the bookish community, The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag! This year, I’m participating, and to be honest I cannot believe half the year is already over! So many books, so little time…

I stole my questions this year from The Literary Phoenix. I loved reading her post and love her blog! Check her out.

And check out these questions! Let’s goooooo:

What is the best book that you’ve read so far in 2019?

Ohh boy. This was a tough one. I chose three.

  1. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
  2. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
  3. The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon

What has been your favorite sequel of the first half of the year?

Gemina & Obsidio by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff. I can’t believe it took me this long to discover The Illuminae Files! WOW this series was amazing. It’s YA Sci-Fi, but I would honestly recommend it to anyone who likes Sci-Fi, or anyone who likes fast-paced novels that read like you’re actually in the book. I could rave about this series for a long time.

Is there a new release out that you haven’t read yet but you’re really excited for?

Yes! Aurora Rising by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff.

Haha on the note of my last answer, the same authors came out with a fourth book this year and I cannot wait to read it. It’s already been optioned for a movie and has stellar reviews. So excited.

What is your most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

See last week’s Top 10 Tuesday! There are so many!

What is your biggest disappointment so far?

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare — I’m sorry! I wanted to like this so badly because the series is so beloved in the YA world. I might check out one of her other series or try the sequel, everyone swears it gets better, but I wanted to love this immediately! Sigh. It happens. I tried.

What is your biggest surprise so far?

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte.

I loved this!! I expected it to be relatively similar to a lot of other YA fantasies out right now, but Four Dead Queens surpassed my expectations. It was original, it was fun to read, it had like a hundred twists at the end and I didn’t see most of them coming, I was so pleased. Would definitely recommend. Look for a review of this title soon.

Who is your favorite new or “new” author?

Robin Benway, who is new to me, has blown me away this year. I read both of her books in the same month and blew through them both. Far From the Tree is one of my favorites of the year.

Who is your favorite fictional crush from this year?

I don’t really have one I feel crazy strong about, so I decided to answer a slightly different question: Who is your favorite fictional SHIP from this year?

And that, my friends, would be Wylan van Eck and Jesper Fahey from Crooked Kingdom. I squealed through that entire scene!! So cute.

Which book has made you cry?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This book made me feel…pretty much every human emotion, haha. I loved it so so much and it was so tragic and beautiful. I recommend this book to anyone, all the time, with all my heart. Just have tissues nearby. And maybe your therapist on call.

A book that made you happy?

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. I enjoyed her debut novel, Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda, but I LOVED Leah on the Offbeat. This book felt like parts of my teen years, the feel and the spirirt of it, and I loved Leah’s surly, insecure, whole-hearted self. She and Abby are one of my favorite couples of the year!!! OTP

Your favorite book to movie/tv adaptation that you’ve seen so far?

Can I choose anything other than Good Omens by Neil Gaiman??

I reread the book this year and since the adaptation came out this year I’m going to count it. This show might be the best adaptation I’ve ever seen, when it comes to accurately capturing the spirit of a wonderful book. I loved every bit of it! Can’t wait for more.

What is your favorite post that you’ve written this year?

I really enjoyed writing both the reviews for Baby Teeth and The Unhoneymooners! I also love Top Ten Tuesdays.

Show us the most beautiful book that you’ve bought this year!

I have spent a lot of energy and patience this year trying to buy fewer books and borrow more, so I don’t have a book for this! A lot of them have been gorgeous but then I return them to the library and they go brighten someone else’s day for a while.

What are six books that you want to read by the end of the year?

There are WAY more than six, but here are a few.

  1. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
  2. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
  3. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
  4. Snow Falling by Jane G. Villanueva (haha any more Jane the Virgin fans out there?? I have to read this)
  5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
  6. Educated by Tara Westover

Whew, that was in depth! That’s it for this year, and what a seriously fun year its been. And it’s been a month here at Story-eyed! I’m a little overwhelmed with how much I have to read right now, but more than anything I am so grateful for all of it.

Tag, you’re it next, @Jenniefromthebook! Have fun! ❤

Did you freak out this year? Send me your mid-year posts in the comments!

WWW

Its “What Are You Reading?” Wednesday!

A Morrow

I’ve seen a lot of bookish memes and list ideas here on the book-blogging circuit, and I wish I could do all of them! One of my favorites has been a trend of bloggers posting their current reads on Wednesdays.

This week I’ll be taking inspiration from Taking On a World of Words, and trying out their “WWW Wednesday!”

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m reading now:

A lot of Sci-fi and Fantasy this week! And a lot of sequels!

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I LOVE this series! I don’t want it to be over, but I’m almost done with this book and it’s the last in the Illuminae trilogy. To anyone who likes Science Fiction, action-packed and movie-like writing, or are interesting in an extremely creative format in both written and audio form, I recommend this series with all of my heart. I wish I could read it again for the first time, but I’ll just have to settle for reading it again.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Another sequel! I read Mistborn, the first in this triology, last month and I loved it so much. A good friend recommended it and then went on to gush about how good the series was, so I have to read the rest of it and find out. This world is so original and complex! I’ve read a lot of Fantasy in my lifetime and this isn’t really like anything else I’ve read before, in the greatest way. I’m enjoying the second installment in this series a lot so far, even though I’ve only just started it.

Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

I don’t know why this book is taking me so long! I’m enjoying it a lot, to be honest, but there are so many books on my radar right now that I’m excited about and currently enjoying that I’m having a little trouble concentrating. I wonder why! I loved Furyborn, the book that precedes this one in its trilogy, and I’ve been waiting patiently for Kingsbane to release! So far its great, and look for a review on my blog soon.

What I’ve recently finished:

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

I haven’t read as much this week because I’ve been traveling! But I did finish this gem, and I loved it. With the Fire on High was musical, poetic, colorful, and delicious. I was highly anticipating this sophomore novel by Acevedo and she did not disappoint. Look for this review on my blog this week!

What I think I’ll read next:

I can’t decide! There are too many options and I’m excited about all of them. Here are a few of my choices:

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

This is the sequel to Truly Devious, which I reviewed last week. I’m really excited to jump into this one, I want to know more about solving these murders! This being the second one in the series, I’m looking forward to a deepening of the story that was begun in Truly Devious and I can’t wait to see what Johnson has to offer.

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

This looks sooo interesting! I’m so eager to start this one. I loved A Head Full of Ghosts, another adult horror novel by Paul Tremblay, and if this is half as good I expect to be happy. Plus, I haven’t read a horror novel in a long time! It’ll be fun to jump back into that world for a while, and I’ll review it here when I’m done!

Splinters are Children of Wood by Leia Penina Wilson

This is a DRC I’m reading voluntarily for its publisher. It’s a short, delightful collection of poems and I haven’t read a lot of poetry lately, so I’m excited to pick it back up.

What are you reading this week? What are you excited about? What should I read next?!

Reviews

Mini-reviews!

A Morrow

Sometimes I read a book and it’s either not long enough to write a full review, not new enough to write a full review, or I just don’t have time to write all the reviews I would like to write. That’s where mini-reviews come in!

Here are some of the books I’ve been reading this week and some of my thoughts about them, without all the fanfare:

Croquette and Empanada by Ana Oncina

This adorable little gem is a short book of comics following the lives of Croquette and Empanada. These delightful little stuffed foods fall in love and navigate the trappings of a relationship, such as who gets the covers at night and who kills bugs in the apartment. I read this DRC courtesy of Andrews McCeel Publishing and I look forward to seeing it come to print, it’s so cute.

Gemina by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff

I JUST finished this book this morning and WOW! I have yet to remain emotionally stable through either of the Illuminae Files so far, and I’m hoping to squeeze the third one in before June. I can’t believe this author duo managed to top Illuminae, because I was doubtful. They totally did, guys. My mind is still a little blown. I love both the physical and audio copies of this book, so descriptive and motion-packed. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes some YA space action.

Internment by Samira Ahmed

I still can’t decide if this book was refreshing or depressing or wonderful, or most likely it’s all three. This just hit close to home, so accurate to our world now, which is the whole point of it. So I guess it accomplished its task! It felt good to read through a satisfying conclusion to what I wish was as simple of a solution in the real world. But that’s more of a critique of the real world than Internment. For anyone struggling with the emotional climate in America today, check out Internment.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Technically I’m not finished with this one yet, I’m about halfway through it, but I just have to say…wow. And since I’m reading this for my Mark-up Exchange, I’ve been writing that word next to a lot of moments in this book. I need to diversify. This book is completely and totally insane. I’m enjoying every second of it. What the hell?!

What have you finished this week?

WWW

It’s “What are you reading?” Wednesday!

A Morrow

I’ve seen a lot of bookish memes and list ideas here on the book-blogging circuit, and I wish I could do all of them! One of my favorites has been a trend of bloggers posting their current reads on Wednesdays.

This week I’ll be taking inspiration from Taking On a World of Words, and trying out their “WWW Wednesday!”

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m reading now:

I have started so many books this week, it’s crazy town here! Here are just a few!

I’m about halfway through Claire Legrand’s new release sequel to Furyborn, Kingsbane, and I am really enjoying it so far. The last book ended on such an interesting twist that I was dying to find out how it would impact the group and dynamic, and I have not been disappointed. Look for a review on my blog for this one soon!

I jumped on the Illuminae train late, but damn it is so good! I’m buddy reading Gemina with a couple of friends in my book club and it continues to consistently shock and surprise me. I have yet to be emotionally stable all the way through one of Kaufman and Kristoff’s space dramas, and yet that’s honestly half the fun. I look forward to finishing this series this month!

Baby Teeth, by Zoje Stage, is my book choice for the Mark-up Book Exchange I’m participating in this year! I’m a third of the way into this intense little gem of a novel, and can I just say, “wow?” I cannot believe some of the things I am reading. I find myself shaking my head at this story in disbelief over and over and over again. I can’t wait to finish it! My guess is that I’ll fly through this one, so look for a review sometime in the next week or two.

What I’ve recently finished:

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal was probably one of the most anticipated releases of the Spring, I felt like I was reading about it everywhere. I just finished it this morning and I have to say, It wasn’t what I expected but it wasn’t bad! This unique novel covers a lot of ground, both wildly unfamiliar and sometimes too familiar, but I enjoyed it all the same. Look forward to my full review this week.

Internment by Samira Ahmed has been out for a while but I had yet to read it until this week. Damn. What a wonderful, depressingly realistic, beautiful statement of a piece. This book follows a “what if?” scenario in 2018 America where Muslims are brought to Internment camps like we once did with the Japanese in WWII. The parallels to our current political system were loud, bold, and unapologetic, and I appreciate this book’s existence. Would recommend.

Bodega by Su Hwang is a charming little collection of poems that I was so graciously granted a pre-release of by Milkweed Editions in exchange for an honest review. Bodega is about one girl’s experience growing up in a Korean-American family and the bodega they own in New York City. I loved the description and tangibility of this book, and I can’t wait to share my review with you all this week!

What I plan to read next:

I’m so excited about both of these!

How to Build a Heart is another wonderful ARC I received from Algonquin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. The synopsis, following a girl without roots trying to decide who she is, sounds heartfelt and compelling. I’ve heard good things about this author, so I’m excited to find out for myself!

With the Fire on High is the highly anticipated new release from Elizabeth Acevedo, author of The Poet X, which I also read this month. I loved The Poet X, Acevedo has such a vibrant and poignant voice. If the reviews are any indication, With the Fire on High is another hit, and I have been waiting eagerly to read it too.

Look for these reviews in the next few weeks.

What are you reading this week? What are you excited about? Tell me in the comments and have a great reading week!