December Confessions and Giveaway Winner

You guys, I always have these grand plans to get so much reading done during the month of December, but it always takes a back seat to family parties, visiting friends, various Christmas activities, and general merriment and by general merriment I mean eating copious amounts of cookies and drinking too much wine.  :) But that's what the holidays are all about, right?

Can you believe 2014 is almost upon us? I can't wait to see what's in store and fingers crossed that it involves some pretty great books. I don't know about you, but there are so many fantastic reads coming out in 2014. I.can't.wait!

Books Read in December:
1.  Just One Year (Just One Day #2) by Gayle Forman - 4 out of 5 stars
2.  Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by Duchess of Carnarvon - 4.5 out of 5 stars
3.  Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean - 4 out of 5 stars
4.  Shatter Me by Taherei Mafi- 5 out of 5 stars
5.  City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare - 3.5 out of 5 stars (review to come in 2014!)
6.  Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi - 5 out of 5 stars (review to come)

December Top Five:

1.  Favorite Book: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - I think this will be the start of my new-to-me favorite sci-fi/fantasy series and book two, Unravel Me, was just as good!
2.  Biggest Surprise:  Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean - I thought historical romances were lame, but this book took me by surprise. It was a lot of fun!
3.  Biggest Dissapointment: I love The Mortal Instruments series, but City of Fallen Angels was sort of a middle of the road book for me.  
4.  Favorite Post:  The time I won NaNoWriMo…I'm still in shock!
5.  Favorite Part of December:  My favorite part of this month was celebrating Christmas with my family and my little guy, Dylan. He's sixteen months, so he was much more excited for Christmas this year than last; it was a lot of fun…for all of us. Experiencing the magic of Christmas through a child is simply the best!

Giveaway Winner:

The winner of Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by Countess of Carnarvon is….

#15 Rhonda L.  

Congrats, Rhonda! Thanks for entering and I hope you enjoy the book.

If you didn't win, be sure to check out my International Giveaway to celebrate my 4th Blogoversary!

Happy New Year and in the immortal words of Neil Gaiman, "May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"It's a Wonderful Life" -  one of my faves!

I am taking a short blogging break to spend time with family and friends this holiday season.  I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday and a fantastic New Year!  I'll be back in 2014 with some book reviews and fun giveaways.

Don't forget to enter my two giveaways: Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey and My 4th Blogoversary International Giveaway.

Happy Holidays,

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

This week the topic is "Books That We Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing" and as always, I have a very lengthly TBR list.  Here are some of the books I'd love to see under my Christmas tree. (This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, so check it out!)

 

1. Evertrue (Everneath #3) by Brodi Ashton - Ok, so I really can't expect Santa to bring me this, but he could pre-order this one for me! :)

2. Overseas by Beatriz Williams - I fell in love with Williams' A Hundred Summers, so I am dying to read more of her in the future and this book sounds promising.

3. The Caged Graves by Dianne Salerni - I have been dying to read this book, because Dianne is a local author and the story takes place in Catawissa, PA, which isn't far from where I went to college.

   

4. Timekeeper (Timeless #2) by Alexandra Monir - I loved Timeless and have been meaning to continue with the series.

5. Star Cursed (Cahill Witch Chronicles #2) by Jessica Spotswood - This is a series that I'd like to continue with in 2014, especially since I enjoyed the first book.

6. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate - I NEED to finish this series. What am I waiting for?

   

7. The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead - Although I really didn't like book one as much as her Vampire Academy series, I am still interested in this novel.

8. Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick - I need to finish this series as well.

9. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - This is one of the two novels by Dessen that I haven't read and I hear this one is great!

10. Sweet Peril (Sweet Trilogy) by Wendy Higgins - I really enjoyed Sweet Evil, so I am looking forward to this one.

What do you think of my list? Let me know and Happy Holidays! 

Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 338

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Pub. Date: November 15, 2011

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."

Juliette has been imprisoned for months in an asylum as she is a threat to society.  Her touch kills, which is why they have her locked up and they pretty much ignore her. The world is in ruins, destroyed by war and the environment is in shambles. All Juliette has is her journal, that is until she gets a cellmate, Adam.  Things start to pick up once she realizes that Adam looks familiar and questions whether she knows him.  The Reestablishment, a military group, wants to use Juliette to their advantage and they feel she will help them gain control in a world that is falling apart.  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is an addicting debut that took me awhile to warm up to, but once I did, I was undeniably hooked.

Readers can't help but feel sorry for Juliette in Shatter Me.  I can't imagine not being able to touch anyone or to have any human contact; plus, she has been held up in this asylum for so many months, isolated from the world around her.  Her parents treated her like crap and she never really had any friends, so Juliette's backstory is a sad one.  She starts to find a friend in her mysterious cellmate, Adam, but in the back of her mind, she knows that he is familiar, but can't place him right away.  I don't want to say too much, because of spoilers, but I loved their relationship.

Warner, the head of the Reestablishment is an interesting and complex character as well.  Obviously, I wasn't the biggest fan of him based on his actions in Shatter Me, but he is intriguing and I definitely want to learn more about him as the series continues.

I will admit that the writing style was rather strange at first in Shatter Me and it took me awhile to get used to it. Mafi's writing style is definitely unique and I give her credit for taking risks; however, I must say that it was rather jarring at times, overly flowery, and filled with a lot of metaphors.  But once I became acclimated, it didn't bother me and as I said, I become hooked. This is especially true of the second half of the book as it has a ton of action and adventure.

I thought I was over the whole dystopian genre, but obviously I am not. I can't wait to read Unravel Me, book two in this series, as well as Ignite Me, book three, which comes out this February. I highly recommend Shatter Me if you are looking for an addicting tale; it's going down as one of my favorites of the year.

Stacking the Shelves (34)

This week I am sharing books I received for review and a few books that I bought.  If you want to learn more about these books, click the title and it will take you to the Goodreads page.

For Review:

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon - Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion
The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher - Thanks to Chicken House and Big Honcho Media
The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High by Laurie Boyle Crompton --  Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks

 

Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore - Thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic
The Curl Up and Dye by Sharon Sala - Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks

Bought:

 

The Supreme Macaroni Company (Valentine #3) by Adriana Trigiani
Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2) by Rae Carson 

So what do you guys think? Have you read any of these books? Let me know! This new meme is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  

2013 End of Year Book Survey

One of my favorite posts of the year is the "End of Year Book Survey" hosted by Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner. Check out which books made my "Best of 2013" list.

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? 

It's really hard for me to narrow it down to just one, so I have made some categories.  Also, you'll find a mix of books on my survey---some older books I have read this year that were fantastic (and made me wish I had read them earlier!) along with some pretty fantastic books published in 2013.  

Adult Historical Fiction- A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, and Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

Adult Fiction - On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves and All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

Young Adult Fiction- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland, Golden by Jessi Kirby, and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Young Adult Historical Fiction- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys and A Northern Light by Jennifer Connelly

Young Adult Fantasy/Science Fiction- Everneath by Brodi Ashton, Boundless by Cynthia Hand, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, If I Should Die by Amy Plum and The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean is my most surprising book. It's the first time I have ever read a historical romance novel and I thought I would hate it, but it was surprisingly funny and addicting.

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

I read The Fault in Our Stars in early January and have been recommending it to everyone! I also read an ARC of These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and have been telling people to read it ever since.  For my friends who like adult historical fiction, I have been recommending A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

The Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand isn't new to me, but I finally got around to reading Hallowed and Boundless this year and absolutely LOVED them!  I also read the first two books in the Everneath series by Brodi Ashton and really enjoyed them as well.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

New to me: Rainbow Rowell, Beatriz Williams, Meg Donohue, Tahereh Mafi

Debut Authors: Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, Leila Holland

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? 

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (refer to question number 3 for the reason). Also, Lady Catherine, the Earl and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon was out of my comfort zone since it's non-fiction, but I loved it since I am pretty much obsessed with Downton Abbey.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen - I love a good summertime book cover and this one is my favorite.

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Hazel and Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars and Josie from Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Golden by Jessi Kirby, and All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue - "Summer is Avalon, New Jersey: thick, humid air cut with the salt funk of low tide and flip-flops smacking against hardened soles and hair drifting around you like seaweed as the ocean lifts you up toward a cloudless sky and the feeling that you will never be anything but young."

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations”  and “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.”

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest– Austenland by Shannon Hale - 197 pages

Longest — The Diviners by Libba Bray - 578 pages

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Obviously all of the important moments from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green…there were so many amazing moments that made me want to stop to discuss. 

I also was freaking out as I was reading Boundless by Cynthia Hand, which is the conclusion to the Unearthly series. Also, the last book in the Revenant series, If I Should Die by Amy Plum, had me flipping the pages and wanting to talk about it with friends.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Augustus and Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Golden by Jessi Kirby, Tarnish by Katherine Longshore, Boundless by Cynthia Hand, and If I Should Die by Amy Plum.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Young Adult: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (Thanks, Christina!)

Adult:  Swimming Pool Summer by Rebecca Farnworth (Thanks Leanna!)

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

I read mostly Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal novels with some historical and contemporary fiction mixed in. Also, I read about 25 adult books this year, which is way more than last year.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Tarver from These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

These Broken Stars had great world building along with The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and All the Summer Girls by Meg Donahue

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys - I feel like not enough people have read this book and/or talked about it. Also, Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland is an awesome summertime read that I want more people to read and for it to receive more attention.  

Book Review: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Pages: 422

Genre: Adult Historical Romance

Pub. Date: March 30, 2010

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing. But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile. If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love."

Lady Calpurnia, or Callie, is only twenty eight years old, but according to Regency England's expectations  that puts her in full blown spinsterhood status.  For years, she has admired Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston, from afar and has never acted on her crush as he is known as a notorious womanizer or rake.  Frustrated with her life, she makes a list of things that she would like to do that break the conventions of society, like gamble in a men's club, attend a duel, and go to a bar. One night she finds herself at Gabriel St. John's door throwing herself at him.  He, of course, finds her amusing and thinks that they can have an agreement between them as Callie might be a good chaperone for his half-sister who is entering society soon.  As they spend more and more time together, the two form an undeniable connection.  But could this libertine actually fall for a wallflower?  Sarah MacLean's Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is hilarious, escapist, sexy and a deliciously fun read.

Before reading Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, I had never read a historical romance in my life. Actually, I was sort of a book snob and judged romance novels as being super creepy and pure smut.  I always imagined older women reading these types of books by the pool on vacation and manipulating the paperback in order to hide the embarrassing covers from their children. I mean look at some of the covers; can you blame them?  However, many bloggers that I trust rated this book highly and I thought, why not? I like historical fiction (Regency England!) and I like romance, so I tried it with an open mind.  I am so glad I did! 

Lady Calpurnia is a seriously fun heroine. Essentially, she has given up on herself and succumbed to spinsterhood. She doesn't even really try anymore and just admires her crush, Gabriel St. John or Ralston, from afar.  When she finds herself chaperoning his wild-child half-sister, Callie finds herself in close quarters with him.  Sparks ignite between the couple and I absolutely adored their witty banter, hilarious antics, laugh out loud situations, and of course, the steamy sexytimes.

Gabriel St. John was like a brooding and naughty Mr. Darcy in Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. I was definitely a fan of him and although he made some frustrating decisions throughout the novel, I felt that it only added to his bad-boy persona.  

Yes, there were some cheesy moments in Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and some too-good-to-be-true situations, but I expected that in a romance novel; after all, we can trust that the characters get together, right? I read this novel with an open mind and with the sole purpose of having fun, so I let those minor irritations fall to the wayside.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is a fantastic book to read if you need something fun and light.  Sometimes you just want to escape the daily grind and where better to do that than in Regency England following Callie's adventures.  Also, if you were like me and you never read a historical romance, I highly recommend Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake as your first.  

Waiting on Wednesday: Boys Like You

This is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.  "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.

Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

Pub. Date: May 1, 2014

Goodreads says, "One mistake. And everything changes. For Monroe Blackwell, one small mistake has torn her family apart –leaving her empty and broken. There’s a hole in her heart that nothing can fill. That no one can fill. And a summer in Louisiana with her Grandma isn’t going to change that… Nathan Everets knows heartache first-hand when a car accident leaves his best friend in a coma. And it’s his fault. He should be the one lying in the hospital. The one who will never play guitar again. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness, and a court-appointed job at the Blackwell B&B isn’t going to change that… Captivating and hopeful, this achingly poignant novel brings together two lost souls struggling with grief and guilt – looking for acceptance, so they can find forgiveness."

Doesn't this sound like an incredible summer read? I love the whole idea of the female main character spending the summer with her Grandma down South.  What do you guys think?

Top Ten Tuesday: New To Me Authors I Read in 2013

I feel like 2013 was all about me trying to read novels by some popular authors that flew under my radar and I am so glad that I made the time to do that, because many of them became instant favorites.  Here are the new-to-me authors that I read in 2013:

Sarah MacLean - I read my first historical romance novel this year and found myself really enjoying MacLean's writing style. It's the perfect combination of humor and romance.

Tahereh Mafi- While it took me awhile to really appreciate Mafi's unusual writing style, I fell in love with the plot of Shatter Me.

Rainbow Rowell- Can I just say how much I adore her writing style? So many of her lines in Eleanor & Park were quote-worthy.

Rae Carson- I loved her world-building in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. So thankful I finally got around to reading it this year.

Elin Hilderbrand- Being a beach bum, how could I have never read her books until now? So happy I found the time to read two this year, Beautiful Day and The Island.

Meg Donohue- I fell in love with All the Summer Girls because it takes place where I vacation every year. I am looking forward to reading her other books in the future.

  

Lauren Willig- Being the historical fiction lover that I am, I finally got around to reading two of her books this year, The Ashford Affair and The Passion of the Purple Plumeria. 

Brodi Ashton- I adore the Everneath series!

Ruta Sepetys- Out of the Easy is one of my favorite books of the year. I need to check out Between Shades of Gray now.

Leigh Bardugo- She is a master of world-building and I found Shadow and Bone to be very entertaining.

So, what do you think of my list? What authors are new to you this year? Let me know! This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, so check it out!

My 4th Blogoversary and Giveaway

Four years ago I started this blog for my professional development at work and I am so glad I stuck with it.  Books are my passion; otherwise, I don't think I would have been able to stick with this blog through the ups and downs of my life these past four years.  

I also am so thankful to have met so many bookish friends through my blog, awesome people in publishing/marketing, and more importantly, those of you who are reading this post.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me.

I have seen so many book blogs come and go these past four years. I can honestly say that four years later, I am still excited to write reviews, read comments, and simply gush over books with all of you. 

Some fun facts about Confessions of a Book Addict:  

These past four years I have written over 350 reviews, over 1,030 posts, read over 380 books, and tried my hand at NaNoWriMo three times. (I finally won this year!)  

Traveling is also a huge passion of mine. These past four years, I have traveled to Key West (twice!), Ireland, Italy, Outer Banks, Jamaica (twice!), Sanibel Island, and of course, the shore!  

Lastly, my top five most popular posts of all time are:
      
       *Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
       *2012 Beach Reads and Summer Reading List
       *Book Review: We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
       *2011 Beach Reads and Summer Reading List
       *Book Review: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

I want to celebrate by hosting an international giveaway!  One lucky winner can spend up to $25 at the Book Depository on books of his/her choice; just be sure that Book Depository can ship to where you live.  Please refer to my giveaway rules and the deadline is January 3, 2014.  Thank you again to all my readers and Happy Holidays!

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