The Christmas Carol Book Tag

I've been seeing this tag around lately on a lot of blogs and thought it looked fun so I decided to do it myself! I first saw this tag on booksbyj.blogspot.ca's blog and thought it looked really cool! I wasn't tagged by anyone I just felt like doing this for fun to get in the Christmas spirit! Without further ado, here's the tag!

1. "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch"
Name a villainous character you can't help but love to hate.

Queen Levana from the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. She's just an amazing villain, and I love to hate her so much, and since she's such a mystery it makes hating her that much more interesting!

2. "All I Want For Christmas is You"
What book do you most want to find under the Christmas tree this year?

In The End by Demitria Lunetta because I just read In The After and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

3. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Name a favourite character that had to overcome a major obstacle. Why are they your favourite?

Ah, this is a hard one. For this I'm going to go with Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Throughout the book we see Cath struggling with who she is and how introverted she is. She's my favourite in this aspect because I related to her a lot.

4. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
Which character do you think is on the top of the 'Nice List' and who's at the top of his 'Naughty List'?

I think Sebastian, from the Mortal Instruments series is definitely on the tippy top of the Naughty List, how could he not be?
I think Baby from In The After is on the top of the Nice List because she's so sweet and such a good person.

5. "Frosty the Snowman"
What book just melts your heart?

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I cried through the whole thing, not because it was sad, but because I just love Cricket Bell so much.

6. "Feliz Navidad"
Your favourite book that takes place in a country other that your own.

The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. This series takes place in the past, in London, England. It was a phenomenal series (mostly because of Will Herondale).

7. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
What book do you read to get you into the Christmas spirit?

There isn't a specific book I read to get me into the Christmas spirit, it's just whatever I'm currently reading, or what's next on my TBR list.

8. "Sleigh Ride"
What character would you most like to spend the holidays with?

Probably Ron Weasley from Harry Potter because when reading the books I've always loved Ron so much, so to spend the holidays with him and his family would be amazing!

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas Carol Book Tag! Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

Top 5 Most Anticipated Books of 2015!

These are some of the books I'm most looking forward to purchasing and reading in 2015! I'm so excited for all of these and can't wait to finally have my hands on them!

1. Ensnared by A.G Howard. I'm constantly talking about this series because it's literally my favourite of all time so of course I can't wait to finally give this on a place of honor on my shelf! It's set to release on January 6th 2015 by Amulet Books.
"After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?"




 2. Fairest by Marissa Meyer. This is the 3.5th book in the Lunar Chronicles series. If you haven't started this series yet I highly suggest you do, it's phenomenal! This is to be released on January 27, 2015 by Feiwel & Friends.
"In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series."




3. I Was Here by Gayle Forman. This is her newest contemporary novel, I'm so excited for this because I've loved every other book by her so far!  This is also set to come out on January 27, 2015 by Viking Juvenile.
"When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question."

4. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge. Despite having a stunningly gorgeous cover, I love Rosamund's writing. I can't wait to see what this novel has in store! It's to be released on May 5, 2015 by Balzer + Bay.
"Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?
Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption."




5. The Heir by Kiera Cass. This is the continuation of the Selection series, another favourite of mine, and I'm so ecstatic for this one! It's gorgeous and to be released also on May 5, 2015 by HarperTeen.
"Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought."





What book are you most looking forward to reading? Thanks for checking out my blog!
~Birdie

Announcement: More Uploads Coming Your Way!

I have exciting news! From the 19th to the 24th of December I'll be posting something on the blog everyday! Whether it be a review, a tag, or a wrap-up there will be something new everyday! This is to make up for the lack of posts over the months my blog has been running, and also because there are so many fun, Christmas themed things I want to talk about! I hope you enjoy them, and I hope they put you in the Christmas spirit!
~Birdie

Merry Christmas!

2015 Reading Resolutions

As of December 7th, 2014 I've read 89 books. Which to me is a huge accomplishment, I've never read this many books in a year in my entire life. The main difference this year than any other reading year for me is that this year I discovered the reading community, whether it be on BookTube or on Book Blogs, these two mediums have pushed me to read much more and to really see the value of reading.

My reading goal on Goodreads for 2014 is to complete 90 books, I'm only one book away from meeting this goal, but the number I've been pushing myself toward is 100. Of course, during the summer 100 looked like an attainable number, but now that school's started again this is going to be a hard feat. There are a lot of things I'd like to change about the way I read in 2015.

Firstly, I'm definitely going to set a reading goal on Goodreads because they're a great way to keep track of how many books you've read, and keep you going so you can complete your goal. I don't think I'll be aiming for 100 books in 2015 because it's really not a realistic number for me and what's going on in my life right now. My goal will probably be set on 70-80 books but I haven't quite decided yet.

Another thing I'm going to work on is scheduling out my time more. Since I know have a lot of school work and I'm attempting to run this blog, I need to schedule out certain days where I'll post on the blog, and make time for school work and reading. This, I think, is going to be a challenge for me because I'm really bad at making and sticking to schedules but I'm definitely going to work on that because I really enjoy reading and blogging.

In 2015 I'm also going to try to read a wider variety of books, I find I generally gravitate towards Young Adult, mainly dystopian and contemporary. I plan on trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and read some middle grade, some more paranormal, sci-fi, and graphic novels. The few books I have read from these genres were excellent, and they've made me want to read more from this genre.

Overall, in 2015 I just want to expand and improve my reading habits, that's my one major goal. I hope to become a better blogger and review more books, and I hope to read more books and not waste so much time on reading slumps, or books I'm not liking. I really hope these resolutions aren't like the other ones where you forget about following through the week after New Years.
Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

The Almost Truth by Eileen Cook

The Almost Truth by Eileen Cook
Published: Simon Pulse, December 4th, 2012
Pages: 246
Source: Paperback, library
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3.9/5 (79%)

How I Felt: Ok, there needs to be a universal law that no standalone book can end like this! There's just too much left unclear. Recently for me, many contemporaries have been ending in this "loose string" fashion, so the rest is left up to the reader. I don't like this technique one bit, if I get to the end of a story it's because I've grown to love the characters (or at least tolerate them) so I'd like to see how their story ends, not make up one of my own. If I wanted to fill in the pieces of the ending myself, I would've wrote the book. All that being said, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book. I had a great time reading it, it actually got me out of a slump. I just would've liked to see how the characters solve the problem we were left with to think about.

I really like the concept of this book, it takes place on an island where there are distinct social class differences. The rich all stick together and the same goes for those with less or almost no money. I originally picked this book up because I read that it was about a girl who was a con artist; this intrigued me because I never read a book about a character like this before and the whole premise was new and exciting. Not quite so surprising with contemporaries, but this book turned out to be much more than a poor girl looking to make money faster, this book was deeper than that, and this added a new element to the story I really enjoyed seeing play out.

If this book had anything it's amazing character development! We went from reading about Sadie who thought she had her whole life planned out; in the fall she'd take all the money she saved and move off the small island where she grew up to attend Berkeley and make a new name and life for herself. All her plans were ready to be set in motion until her mom used her funds to pay for a lawyer to get her father out of prison. After this point things start falling apart for Sadie. This story is all about Sadie trying to figure out who she really is, and her trying to come to terms with her life and move forward. A lot of development was shown by Sadie's parents and herself. In the beginning of the novel Sadie had almost no respect for her parents whatsoever, she wanted to leave them and her life on the island behind as soon as possible. But by the end of the book you could see how much her love for her mom and especially her dad has grown, and the same goes for her father because he didn't like to show her any sort of love.  Out of everyone in this book my favourite character would have to be Sadie's best friend, Brendan. He was always there for Sadie when she really needed him and I admired him for that, I also admired him for his wit and his ability to always know what to say to Sadie to put her at ease (which comes with being friends for so many years).

The reason I didn't give this book a four or five star rating was because I didn't think the plot was well executed or written/planned out. It was a little choppy, especially towards the end. I also couldn't give it the full rating because of how it ended, everything I wanted to happen was finally falling into place and then the book just ends.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it was entertaining, funny, and just all around sweet.  I recommend it if you like contemporary or mystery books. I look forward to reading more by Eileen Cook in the future!

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Couples

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey or GinerReadsLainey on YouTube. This week's topic is top 5 favourite fictional couples. This is such a fun topic I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a post about it. It's pretty hard to choose couples because I don't want to spoil any love triangles going on in any series, so I'll do my best, enjoy!

5. Cath and Levi from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I found both of them so cute! I couldn't get enough of their relationship!
Book Rating: 5/5

4. Lola and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I loved these two so much! While reading this book I couldn't help but cry every time Cricket was in a scene or even mentioned. I don't know what it is about these two but they've just stuck with me.

Rating: 4.8/5

3. Hermione and Ron from the Harry Potter series. I was a big shipper of these two from the beginning of the series. I love Ron's wit mixed with Hermione's smarts, I think they're perfect together and I wouldn't except it any other way!




2. Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster from the Fault in our Stars by John Green. I love their relationship, they're so adorable together, I had the best time reading and seeing their relationship grow and progress. This is one of the most heart warming/breaking books I've ever read, and I thank Gus and Hazel for sharing their journey.

Rating: 5/5

1. Day and June from the Legend series by Marie Lu. They are just the ultimate power couple. They are both so independent and strong, but they work so well together. I love them both separately, but I love them even more when they're together because they become unstoppable!








Those are my top 5 favourite couples! This was a really hard decision and a lot of my other favourites were cut out. Some honourable mentions will have to be: Aria and Perry from Under the Never Sky, Katniss and Peeta from the Hunger Games, and Katy and Daemon from the Lux series. Thanks so much for reading!
~Birdie

Top 7 Favourite Book Covers

This was a topic for Top 5 Wednesday a few weeks ago and I really liked this idea so I decided to dedicate a whole post for some of the most beautiful book covers (in my opinion). There was also too many gorgeous covers to pick only 5, so I narrowed it down to 7. These novels are in order: 1 being the prettiest out of the 7.

7.  Crewel by Gennifer Albin

















6.  Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

















5.  Black City by Elizabeth Richards

















4. The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

















3. Splintered by A.G Howard
















2. Entwined by Heather Dixon
















1. The Heir by Kiera Cass




















All these covers are stunning! Of course there are many more covers I think are beautiful as well. To see a list of some other ones I love I'll leave a link to the books I voted for on the Goodreads list.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/user_vote/3023289
Let me know what your favourite book cover is! Thanks for reading! ~Birdie