2018, Time to Get Tackled

Last year, Ashley and I (she’s no longer on here) decided to start a reading challenge that would allow us a way to read some of the books on our shelves. We both had a bad habit of buying a bunch of books but prioritizing certain ones vs. others and ending up with a whole bunch of books on our shelves that were, sadly, unread.

I absolutely loved it, because it allowed me a more structured way to let me choose some of the books I owned but hadn’t gotten around to reading. So, without further ado, here’s the reading challenge prompt for 2018! (this is meant to be a reading challenge, but if you’re on IG as well, feel free to tag your challenges as you complete them with #tackleyourlibrary2018 , I’d love to see your stuff! — UPDATED: picture for IG included at the bottom, feel free to repost it on there and tag me (@ bookschief_managed)

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There are 15 prompts, I’m going to include  my choice for each one- all of them are books I own that I haven’t read yet. BUT if you just want to pick books you want to get from the library, books you want to buy or get in 2018, whatever it may be. Be creative, have fun!

1. Book recommended to you. Vendetta by Catherine Doyle. (recommended to me by Ash)

2. Pre ’17 debut. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

3. A book you can read in a day. Soul Eater, Vol. 2 by Atsushi Ohkubo

4. Book by a favorite author. Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

5. Book by someone of a different race/ ethnicity from you. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

6. Next Book in a series you’ve started. Golden Son by Pierce Brown

7. Book in a series you meant to read in 2017. The Gunslinger by Stephen King

8. Book with multiple authors. Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

9. Book by an author local to you. Rose Society by Marie Lu (fellow Californian/ LA area resident)

10. Large book (400+ pages). Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

11. Past Goodread choice winners (or other award if you choose). The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan.

12. Book with an ugly cover. The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

13. Book that starts with one of your initials. Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

14. Cover buy. The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

15. Non YA read. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

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If you guys are planning on participating, let me know, feel free to post your own so I can see it and I’ll go comment on and like yours!!

Here’s the picture for IG:

-Lauren xx

Rain is a Good Thing

Pendragon: The Rivers of Zadaa (book six)

5/5

This one was amazing. I loved learning more about where Loor came from and actually seeing how the society there functioned. One of my favorite things about the series is seeing all the different worlds and the societies that exist in each one.

This one was interesting, seeing the difference between those that lived above ground and those that lived below, controlling the water. These societies were so interesting to read about.

Bobby grows so much in this book, from his humbling experience towards the beginning, to him training to be more physically capable. So happy to see him growing over each book, learning more as he goes, gathering information but also gathering more questions. But I love his resilience. Not everyone would continue trekking on after everything he’s been through.

The last probably 50 or so pages were the biggest mind-fuck ever. So much happened and so much was set up for the next book and I am so freaking excited to see what happens next. Gahhh

Thank you to my amazing boyfriend, yet again, for having me start this series.

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Currently Reading:

Pendragon: The Quillan Games (page 23)

Renegades (page 12)

 

-Lauren xx

The Fall Time, Cozy Time Book Tag!

I was encouraged by the lovely lady over at Boston Book Reader to do this tag! Thanks for the encouragement, love! (:

CRUNCHING LEAVES: The world is full of color- Choose a book that has red/ orange/ yellows on the cover.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. Just look at that gorgeous cover!!

COZY SWEATER: It’s finally cold enough to wear warm clothing- what gives you the warm fuzzies?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I just absolutely adore this trilogy and there’s no other way to describe them other than fluffy. I’ve read the trilogy at least ten times through and have yet to grow tired of them.

FALL STORM: The wind is howling and the rain is pounding- Choose your favorite book or genre that you like to read on a stormy day.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. There’s honestly nothing better to me on a stormy day than a cup of tea or coffee and any of the Harry Potter books. They’re just the most nostalgic books ever and are perfect for those rainy days.

COOL CRISP AIR: What’s the coolest character you’d like to trade places with?

Karou from the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, hands down.

HOT APPLE CIDER: What underhyped book do you want to see become the next biggest, hottest thing?

Arcana by Jessica Leake. I honestly wish that more people had heard of this book. I’m going to get the second one ASAP but I flew through the first. It’s so well-written and the characters and the world they have them set up in is perfect.

COATS, SCARVES, AND MITTENS: The weather has turned cold and it’s time to cover up- what’s the most embarrassing book cover you own that you like to keep hidden in public?

Infernal Devices/ Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Okay, so albeit it’s not a series I’m embarrassed by in any capacity. But it’s more because as much as I ADORE talking about the series and the world, I don’t like how often I’m interrupted while reading any of Clare’s books- especially when the majority of people ask about the show and that’s a subject I don’t like to touch with a ten-foot pole.

PUMPKIN SPICE: What’s your favorite fall time comfort food(s)?

Sweet potatoes. (not my photo- came from: Potato picture )

Well, that about sums it up! If anyone else wants to do it, go for it! There’s only a few days left in fall, that’s why I wanted to do it now! :p

-Lauren xx

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Currently Reading:

Pendragon: The Rivers of Zadaa (page 63)

Halfway There

5/5 Stars for this beauty yet again!

It’s officially hit a new level of “what the fuck” with this series. I think I probably yelled that at the book about ten times in the last 10 pages alone. Thank goodness I was home alone when I finished.

Aghhhhh. This book was so clever. I loved that the main species in this territory wasn’t human, it made it even more interesting and the world building once again was fantastic. But then- surprise- humans still exist in this territory, but not quite as expected. Shines a lot of light on the way we treat some of the beings on our planet, but I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the book in all its glory.

MacHale is so good with character development and the characters truly being unique and *themselves* the whole time. I absolutely love all of these people and characters so much. And Saint Dane is one of the most incredibly evil, vindictive, and clever villains I’ve ever come across and my hate for him just increased exponentially.

Pendragon has got to be one of the most resourceful main characters ever and I love watching him learn as he goes. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done. He’s one of the least static and most progressive characters ever without it being overkill. He’s still, after everything, under every layer, Bobby Pendragon and I admire that.

I’m really loving getting to see all the different travelers from all the territories and how they interact with each other. It doesn’t always run as smoothly as it could, but that’s realistic and I loved it.

I’m so upset that I have to wait a few hours to get my hands on the next book. I need it right now. Aghhhh.

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Currently Reading:

Truthwitch – Page 15

Let’s Stick to Reality

Pendragon #4- The Reality Bug by D.J. MacHale

5/5 stars!!

Seriously… this one was so freaking good. I can’t even begin to properly form my thoughts on this book, it was absolutely amazing.

I’ve always been a sucker for Virtual Reality stuff- the first season of Sword Art Online remains a favorite anime of mine- and this definitely didn’t disappoint in that regards at all. I absolutely loved the premise of this, both good and bad.

Goodness though, the bad stuff in this one was very VERY bad and I’m still a little in shock. And now I need to get my hands on the next book or I’m going to go crazy.

This series keeps bringing up more questions but not answering any and it’s driving me up the wall.

–Lauren xx

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Currently Reading:

Pendragon #5- Black Water (page 151)

Truthwitch (page 14)

 

Greetings, Earthlings!

Well, I figured that it was about time I went ahead and did this whole blog thing on my own. Ash was kind enough to let me share her blog for a while, but I figured it was time to venture out on my own and create my own blog, so here we are.

I’m a 25 year old living in Southern California for the moment, figuring out this whole thing we call life. I’ve navigating this world with the help of the most amazing, supportive boyfriend ever, and he’s been encouraging me to dive further into this bookish world, so here I am.

Reading has always been a part of my life. There’s an entry from my baby book that my mom came across not too long ago that said I wouldn’t sleep in my crib unless I had at least 3-4 books in there with me. When I was about 7 my dad started reading the Lord of the Rings series to me (starting with The Hobbit) and not too long after that, my sister read the first few Harry Potter books to me; and that Christmas a boxed set of the first 4 books became my most prized possession. I was a goner after that. I read every Goosebumps book in the library and started branching out from there. Books became a huge part of my life and I practically lived at the school and city libraries. I was a sucker for the written word.

Writing has always come naturally to me, I’ve written fan fiction for Harry Potter since I was probably 11 years old and have always loved writing essays for school (weird, I know). So, here I am- putting words on a website. Enjoying my opportunity to branch out and have another place to leave my reviews and engage with this amazing community.

I hope to be very active here and hope to start interacting with all you lovely people!

-Lauren xx