Monday, December 30, 2013

Best Reads of 2013

It's that time of year again! I can't believe how quickly 2013 went, but hey, time is bound to fly when you're reading so many amazing books. This year I managed to read 45 books, and choosing a top 10 was challenging to say the least. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my favourite reads of this year:


1. Divergent by Veronica Roth


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

2014 Challenge #3: Ebook Reading Challenge


I had a lot of fun with the challenge last year, so I'm excited to attempt the 2014 Ebook Challenge hosted by Workaday Reads. This year, whilst I do plan to read lots of ebooks, I'll be playing it safe and aiming for the CD level - 10 books. 

1. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell {review}
2. Awaken by Meg Cabot {review}
3. Pivot Point by Kasie West {review}
4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner {review}
5. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi {review}
6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead {review}
7. Eve by Anna Carey {review coming soon}
8. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier {review coming soon}
9. Reboot by Amy Tintera {review coming soon}
10. 

2013 Challenge #3 - Ebook Challenge COMPLETE


Last challenge for 2013 COMPLETE!


Given that I have sooo many ebooks, this year I decided to take part in the 2013 Ebook Challenge hosted by Workaday Reads, aiming to read 10 ebooks for the CD level. In the end, I managed to read 15 ebooks this year! So, more than I needed to, but not quite enough to move up a level. Ah well, maybe next year I'll be able to make it to 25 ebooks for the DVD level. 

Here's what I read throughout the year:  

1. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald {review}
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre {review}
3. Uglies by Scott Westerfield {review}
4. The Host by Stephenie Meyer {review}
5. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks {review}
6. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart {review}
7. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs {review}
8. The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky {review}
9. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin {review}
10. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin {review}
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett {review}
12. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton {review}
13. Wicked by Gregory Maguire {review}
14. Eragon by Christopher Paolini {review}
15. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi {review}

Friday, December 27, 2013

2013 Challenge #5 - Books in a Series Reading Challenge COMPLETE

4 down, only 1 to go.


Given that most of the books I read these days are a part of a series, I decided to take part in the Books In A Series Reading Challenge hosted by Book Stacks On Deck, aiming to be Obsessive are read 20+ books from series. And with 33 books read this year as a part of a series, I think I well and truly reached that goal! Here's what I read throughout the year:

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #1) {review}

2. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Mara Dyer #2) {review}
3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments #1) {review}
4. Ingenue by Jillian Larkin (The Flappers #2) {review}
5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) {review}

6. Wither by Lauren Destefano (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) {review}
7. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (The Steampunk Chronicles #1) {review}
8. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2) {review}
9. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
(The Caster Chronicles #1) {review}

10. Uglies by Scott Westerfield (Uglies #1) {review}
11. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (The Host #1) {review}
12. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2) {review}
13. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (The Arthurian Saga #1) {review}
14. Splintered by A.G. Howard (Splintered #1) {review}
15. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Maraget Stohl
(The Caster Chronicles #2) {review}

16. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs (Tempe Brennan #4) {review}
17. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (Anna #1) {review}
18. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) {review}
19. A Clash of Kings by George R.R Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) {review}
20. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) {review}

21. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #1) {review}
22. Underworld by Meg Cabot (Abandon Trilogy #2) {review}
23. Legend by Marie Lu (Legend Trilogy #1) {review}
24. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
(The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey #1) {review}

25. Wicked by Gregory Maguire (The Wicked Years #1) {review}
26. Angelfall by Susan Ee (Penryn & The End of Days #1) {review}
27. The Enchantress by Michael Scott
(The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel #6) {review}

28. Ruby Red by Kerstin Geir (The Precious Stones Trilogy #1) {review}
29. Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Divergent #3) {review}
30. The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen (Bright Young Things #3) {review}
31. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (The Bone Season #1) {review}
32. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (The Inheritance Cycle #1) {review}
33. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #2) {review}

2013 Challenge #2 - Outdo Yourself COMPLETE


3 challenges done, 2 to go. 


This year I attempted to 2013 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen. In 2012 I read 28 books, so my goal this year was to read 30. And boy, did I do that and then some, managing to read 45 books! In the end, I managed to complete the I'm on fire! level, reading 17 more books than I did last year. Here's what I read throughout the year:

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth {review} {amazon}
2. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin {review} {amazon}
3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare {review} {amazon}
4. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald {review} {amazon}
5. Ingenue by Jillian Larkin {review} {amazon}
6. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon {review} {amazon}
7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor {review} {amazon}
8. Wither by Lauren Destefano {review} {amazon}
9. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross {review} {amazon}
10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel {review} {amazon}
11. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer {review} {amazon}
12. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl {review} {amazon}
13. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre {review} {amazon}
14. Uglies by Scott Westerfield {review} {amazon}
15. The Host by Stephenie Meyer {review} {amazon}
16. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks {review} {amazon}
17. Insurgent by Veronica Roth {review} {amazon}
18. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart {review} {amazon}
19. The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes {review} {amazon}
20. Splintered by A.G. Howard {review} {amazon}
21. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl {review} {amazon}
22. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs {review} {amazon}
23. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake {review} {amazon}
24. The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky {review} {amazon}
25. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin {review} {amazon}
26. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith {review} {amazon}
27. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin {review} {amazon}
28. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor {review} {amazon}
29. The Help by Kathryn Stockett {review} {amazon}
30. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton {review} {amazon}
31. Underworld by Meg Cabot {review} {amazon}
32. Legend by Marie Lu {review} {amazon}
33. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison {review} {amazon}
34. Wicked by Gregory Maguire {review} {amazon}
35. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith {review} {amazon}
36. Angelfall by Susan Ee {review} {amazon}
37. The Enchantress by Michael Scott {review} {amazon}
38. The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales {review} {amazon}
39. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn {review} {amazon}
40. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier {review} {amazon}
41. Allegiant by Veronica Roth {review} {amazon}
42. The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen {review} {amazon}
43. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon {review} {amazon}
44. Eragon by Christopher Paolini {review} {amazon}
45. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi {review} {amazon}

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Book Review: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: 5th February 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: eBook
Pages: 348
Rating: 5.0/5.0


This book was read as part of the 2013 EBC, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:
buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery"tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life"

Review:
Usually I give myself longer to process a book before writing a review. But, 2 days after finishing this one, I need to get this review up to stay up to date with the schedule I wrote myself for the Christmas break, so here goes nothing. Unravel Me was amazing. Simply amazing. 

It's been well over a year since I read Shatter Me, but Unravel Me transported me back to that world instantly. With the unique writing style that Mafi has employed in these books, how could it not? Merely pages into the book I'm asking myself Why did I wait so long to read this? Seriously, I don't understand why this wasn't at the top of my TBR, because Ignite Me definitely is. I just love how Mafi has employed this pseudo stream of conciousness for Juliet. You really get to understand Juliet better as a character because of it. You hear everything she's thinking, feel everything she's feeling through the poetic nature of the prose, understand the thoughts she's ashamed of having as they've been crossed out. It's nothing short of genius on Mafi's part. Everything is intensified, which makes this one of those books you struggle to put down. 

Let's talk a bit about Warner, because he's one of my favourite characters by far. We learn a lot more about Warner in this novel. You get to see a lot more of the good, rather than the bad. He's very much a tortured soul - it's obvious that years of mistreatments have shaped him into who he is; there's a back story there just waiting to be told. I believe a lot more in Juliet and Warner's relationship than I do in Juliet and Adam's. Juliet and Adam always felt a bit instalovey for me; it seemed that the main reason Juliet was ever interested in him was because he was somehow immune to her touch. I think her relationship with Warner, on the other hand, shows a much more natural progression - he has to work a bit harder to win her over, so I'm much more inclined to want Warner with Juliet. Plus, that bedroom scene - lordy lordy bee. 

Overall, Unravel Me was a very solid follow up to Shatter Me. This has a strong, action filled plot, a love triangle that I didn't hate, and a lot of new and interesting personalities were introduced. Plus Kenji; lets not forget about the awesomeness that is the witty, inappropriately acting yet serious when needed Kenji. And after that intense ending, I cannot wait to get my hands on Ignite Me early next year. 

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday (29)


buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery
Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...


Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Summary from Goodreads:"Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be."

Why I'm Wishing for It:
I've started to hear quite a bit about this one, and when a book starts popping up around you all the time, you can't help but become interested in it. If I saw this in a book store, I may pick it up because of the beautiful cover, but I don't know if the blurb would convince me to buy it. But, every time I hear about this it's always positive, so I'm curious enough to want to give it a go

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?
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