Feature and Follow Friday #15

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View

How it Works: 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question:

Change the Plot. If you could, what book would you change the ending or a plot thread? 

Go ahead and do it...change it.

 This Week's Answer:

What an amazing question. There are so many books that I would change the conclusion or a plot point if I could. I think the biggest one right now is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This book is quite possibly the worst offender when it comes to my First Book Syndrome symptoms. The fact that there was absolutely no conclusion really aggravated me. Seriously, I feel like I went through an entire book for no reason. What a waste of time! When I first read it, I didn't hate it as much as I do now but as I think back on the ending I seem to be getting angrier with time. It almost makes me not want to read the rest of the books.

What book do you want to change the conclusion or a plot point? Did you read Beautiful Creatures and hate the ending too? Should I read the rest of the Caster Chronicles? Leave me a comment, share your thoughts!

Remember, this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see than feel free to follow. I am indifferent to the way you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Release Day ARC Review: Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick

Title: Tsarina Author: J. Nelle Patrick (the penname for Jackson Pearce) Published: February 27, 2014 Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Natalya knows a secret.   A magical Faberge egg glows within the walls of Russia's Winter Palace. It holds a power rooted in the land and stolen from the mystics. A power that promises a life of love for her and Alexei Romanov. Power, that, in the right hands, can save her way of life.   But it's not in the right hands.

Happy Book Birthday to Tsarina! I was so fortunate to have an eARC of this book via Netgalley due mostly to my addiction to Twitter. So remember folks, it pays off to follow your favorite authors and spend a lot of time staring at your Twitter feed. This book is one of my most highly anticipated books of 2014. It combines lots of my favorite things: historical fiction, fantasy, Russia, the Bolshevik Revolution. The list goes on and on.

The book is categorized as a  historical fantasy but it felt much more like the former. The fantasy elements didn't come in much until the end of the books. And despite the fact that it was of major importance to the plot it felt like a minor part of the story. I would have liked to see a little more fantasy. It felt like much more of an adventure story than anything else. While there was a lot of travel montages, which I usually hate, in Tsarina it seemed to work. Maybe it was because I have always wanted to travel to the places they were going or maybe it was because  it seemed to fit the plot. The plot and pacing of this book was pretty great. It slowly builds to a crescendo that results in an epic conclusion full of plot twists and action. I was slightly annoyed at the completely wide open ending of a book I was sure was going to be a standalone. I'm trying to do a standalone challenge people, stop leaving doors open for sequels! GOSH!

What I loved about the book is I'm not sure if I want to cheer for the Romanovs or the Bolsheviks. My feelings on alternate history make it hard to want something different to happen. But it's also because that's the story that was written. This is a very turbulent time in Russian history and many of the Russian people weren't sure who to support. The book is very well researched and the author paints the picture of turmoil and indecision. As the story develops the main character Natalya gets a true taste of her beloved Russia. As a royal she's been very sheltered to what's going on outside that palace and the struggle many people are faced with, and she doesn't always like what she sees. The book explores this idea about right and wrong, power and privilege, and what is best for the people. It's a book not just about Natalya succeeding, it's about Russia succeeding. It's hard to pinpoint a clear villain of this story. Everyone is wants the power and to control Russia and everyone thinks they know what is best for the people. There is a lot of gray and uncertainty which causes the story to feel  much more deep and compelling.

In addition to a compelling plot with a deeper meaning, the book also has some fantastic characters. Natalya is spunky and determined to save her country and the boy she loves. She's a great protagonist and has an amazing character arc throughout the story. I also liked her best friend Emilia who initially seems vapid and self-centered but is incredibly smart and resourceful. She gets Natalya out of many a jam. I also liked Leo the Red who has kidnapped them and is using them to get what he wants. He is surly and gruff but he has strong convictions and cares about helping others. It makes him a really interesting character. There are also some interesting mystics who added some dramatic irony to the book, as the power of the Constellation egg is tied to their power as well as the power of the Romanovs. The book was full of characters that walked the fine line between good and evil and made me wonder if they were doing the right thing or not, which, as you know, I love.

Speaking of love I read this as part of my anti-love month so I feel like I have to mention the romance in the book. I did however feel kind of indifferent to it. I didn't feel like the book put a lot of focus on love. There were of course romantic elements and a bit of a love triangle. It didn't feel like insta-love but it also didn't feel like it was slow-burning either. I didn't focus on the romance even though it did feel like it represented a larger significance for the story.

On the whole I enjoyed Tsarina. I give it an 8 out of 10.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of modern Russian history, fans of historical fiction, and people who like adventure stories. I heard this book compared to A Great and Terrible Beauty, which is a book I really enjoyed. For me however, I found more comparisons to Shadow and Bone and the Grisha trilogy. If you are a fan of that series then check out Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick


If you've read Tsarina leave me a comment with your thoughts. If you haven't read it, then check it out and of course... HAPPY READING!

ARC REVIEW, RELEASE DAY SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY: THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHASE!

THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Bantam – Random House

On sale: February 25, 2014
978-0-345-54308-0
THE CHASE at your favorite retailers

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling authors of The Heist, return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O’Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line. 

Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals. Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad. A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.

WATCH THE CHASE TRAILER 

My Review of The Chase 

*** I received an Advances Reader Copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinion in any way***

If you are a fan of Janet Evanovich you will love The Chase. I haven't read anything by Lee Goldberg but I have seen the TV show Monk and really enjoyed it. Despite the fact that this book is co-authored, it flows with relative ease even with the alternating perspectives throughout the book. It has the same lighthearted tone as the Stephanie Plum books, but instead of the murder mystery our main characters are a notorious thief and his FBI handler trying to pull of a daring heist. It's Stephanie Plum meets White Collar and I loved it!

The characters are instantly likeable. Nick Fox, the thief, is now number 10 on the FBI's Most Wanted List and is very swoonworthy. He's definitely a playboy type of guy who uses his looks to get ahead but he's also sarcastic, witty, hilarious, smart and a damn good thief. Meanwhile Kate O'Hare, the FBI agent, is a strong and kickass female. She doesn't pull any punches but she does punch and hard! There is a scene in the beginning of the book where she throws two muscle-bound enforcers through a window. She is tough as nails but she is also smart, savvy, and snarky. Nick and Kate have a great dynamic. They enjoy working together but they bicker a lot and there is a fair amount of sexual tension. In addition to Nick and Kate, I also loved the secondary characters. Kate's father, Jake, who is an ex-military operative who eagerly goes on missions with them. He's obsessed with weaponry and is always packing the heavy artillery was amazing. I also loved the rest of the crew including Boyd a terrible character actor who wants to be true to the character no matter how small the part and Willie their reckless adrenaline junky of a getaway driver.

As far as the plot goes, it was interesting and exciting. It quickly moved from mission to mission, as what seemed like a simple heist turned complicated. Each wrinkle in the plan added more of a challenge for our heroes and I waited to see how they would outsmart their target and pull off their heist.With Janet Evanovich I usually expect a pretty good mystery. In The Chase there was no murder to solve and unlike Ocean's 11 we didn't have to figure out how the theft had occurred, but I was still curious to see how the characters were going to pull everything off. Just when I thought everything was hopeless, they proved me wrong and figured out another crazy scheme to save themselves or get what they wanted. It was definitely a page-turner. There is so much action. And I mean this in the Hollywood movie sense of the word. There are thrilling fight scenes, car chases, narrow escapes from the law, and lots of explosions. It kept me engaged and interested from the first page all the way to the last.

This is the second book in a series that starts with The Heist. I haven't read The Heist, it was actually in my TBR pile, but when I got the opportunity to review The Chase I started reading it immediately. Even though I didn't know the story going into this second book I was able to jump right into the story. They do a great job of catching the reader up to speed. If you follow my blog then you know that I am not usually a fan of first books so it may have been better to start with this one. It was a quick and fun read and I read it in just a few days.

I give The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg an 8 out of 10

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Stephanie Plum books, the TV show Blue Collar, heist movies like Oceans 11, or are looking for a fun and engaging read that will keep your interest and take a short time to read. It would be a great beach read. Check the book out and enter the giveaway to win Janet Evanovich swag including an "I <3 morelli="" t-shirt="">

 

ABOUT JANET EVANOVICH 
Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Connect with Janet

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  |  Google + |  Fancorps

ABOUT LEE GOLDBERG 
Lee Goldberg is a screenwriter, TV producer, and the author of several books, including King City, The Walk, and the bestselling Monk series of mysteries. He has earned two Edgar Award nominations and was the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.

Connect with Lee

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  | Google +

ENTER THE CHASE GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjM1YmFiZTdlYjI3MzI3YWI0NTU3Mjk0OWM3MTIyOjQw/

Top Ten Tuesday - Best Secondary Characters

 A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week we are able to choose topic that was done previously that we either didn't get to do or one that we really enjoyed. I have only been doing this meme for the past three months so that gives me a lot of older ones to choose one. I was intimidated by my choices so I did one that I just barely missed. I almost did the one from the week just before I started because that's how I first learned about Top Ten Tuesday but then I saw this one. I'm a huge fan of secondary characters. I often hate main characters because they're usually annoying tropes or not very likeable. My favorite character is usually one of the periphery characters, the villains or the comic relief. So here is my list of the top ten best secondary characters.

****(Some of these answers may contain spoilers so be warned)****

1.) Carswell Thorne in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
I found Thorne totally enjoyable in Scarlet but now that I'm reading Cress I am completely obsessed.  I love his dynamic with practically every other character in the series. Plus who doesn't enjoy a lovable rogue? He's cocky, smart, funny, kind, and has a touch of the crazy. I'm not sure who is in love with him more, me or Cress.
(Honorable mentions in the series to: Iko, Queen Levana, and Wolf)

2.) Margaery Tyrell in A Song of Ice and Fire
There are a lot of amazing characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, there are like 3,000 characters to begin with (you think I'm kidding but I'm not). Of all the non-P.O.V. characters Margaery is the one that I wish we had from her perspective, especially in A Feast for Crows. She's very shrewd and I know she's playing the game. I know that she has tons of secrets and I want to find them out.
(Honorable mention in the series goes to Littlefinger, Varys, Oberyn and Doran Martell, Melisandre, and the Reeds)

3.) Circe in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy
The character development of Circe in this series is phenomenal. She's a great villain but has so much more going on than that. She's one of those characters that lives in a world of grey that makes you wonder a lot if they are good or bad. She keeps you questioning and is so fun to read.
(Honorable mentions to Felicity, Pippa, and everyone that teaches at Spence Academy)

4.) Fred and George Weasley in 
the Harry Potter series
I am obsessed with the Weasley twins (when I used to hang out in HP chat rooms my name was fredandgeorgefan). They are fantastic comic relief characters but also really smart, brave, and amazing. These two, I can't even!
(Honorable mentions to Snape, Luna Lovegood, Tonks, and Neville)

5.) Colonel Brandon in 
Sense and Sensibility 
Poor unappreciated Colonel Brandon. He is quiet and a little shy but he is also sweet, kind, and understanding. He is the person you can bare your soul to and he won't judge you for all your faults. He is a person you want in your corner when times get tough and he will stand by you no matter what. Not your typical romantic lead, but he's all the more enjoyable because of that fact.

6.) Ford Prefect in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series
What can I say about Ford Prefect. He's always up for a good time, has that dry and sarcastic sense of humor, he's resourceful and pragmatic, and knows exactly what to do in pretty much every situation. And if all else fails, he'll just get drunk and wait it out. He's a good friend to Arthur Dent on his journey across the universe and if I was traveling throughout space I would want Ford by my side.
(Honorable mentions to Marvin the Paranoid Android and Zaphod Beeblebrox

7.) Grandma Mazur in 
the Stephanie Plum series
Everyone's favorite Jersey grandma. She can't drive, loves guns, giving her family a hard time, helping Stephanie on missions, and attending wakes at the local funeral parlor. She's a fantastic comic relief character and if she was my grandma then family gatherings would be so much more exciting
(Honorable mentions to Lula, Morelli, and Ranger)

8.) Johanna Mason in 
The Hunger Games series
I LOVE Johanna. She's brave, bold, and full of sass. How can you not love a character who strips down naked when she first meets the heroine to make her uncomfortable. She's smart, resourceful, and funny but she's reckless and is brutally honest. She will say whatever is on her mind no matter the consequences. Johanna is a hardened warrior and in the series she is sort of everything Katniss doesn't want to become. I love her because she is so open about her hatred of the Capital and will fight to bring it down no matter what.
(Honorable Mentions to Finnick, Rue, and Prim)

9.)  Peter in the Divergent series
My love of Peter grew over time. I initially saw him as a fantastic villainous character. He is so easy to hate especially in the first book, but as the series develops and you learn more about him he becomes much more gray and odious. He has this totally fucked up moral code that I actually have a lot of respect for and his character development at the end of the series makes him totally heartbreaking if you ask me. He's like the Severus Snape of this series and I love it!
(Honorable Mentions to Marcus, Uriah, and Christina)

10.) Luke Castellan in 
the Percy Jackson series
So Luke is incredibly similar to Peter, at least the way I feel about them is very similar. By the end of the first book he becomes this characters that is so easy to hate but there is so much grey to him. He is one of those characters that makes you wonder if he is good or evil and question if he is doing the wrong thing for the right reasons or if he is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. His character development by the end of the series totally surprised me and brought me to tears.
(Honorable Mentions to Grover, Tyson, and Nico)

11.) Genya in the Grisha Trilogy
Yeah, so I cheated and have more than ten. I couldn't narrow it down! I loved Genya from the very beginning. She is so sweet to Alina and is the only friend she has at the Little Palace. She has a really cool Grisha power but the others look down on her because it's not a traditional power. As the series goes on she makes some interesting decisions based on certain motivations and I find her all the more interesting and compelling because of it.
(Honorable Mentions to Tolya and Tamar, the Apparat, and Baghra)




Those are my Top Ten Best Secondary Characters. Okay so I super cheated and listed over 40 characters here but I just love secondary characters. What are your favorites? Did you do this topic the first time around? What topic did you choose? Leave me a comment and of course... HAPPY READING!

Feature and Follow Friday #14

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View

How it Works: 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question:

What is the last book that made you cry?

This Week's Answer:

Ugh, this question! If you follow me on twitter or have seen a previous Top Ten Tuesday post about this topic then you know, I'm a cried. I cry often and unabashedly. I keep a list of the books that make cry and of the 15 books I've read this year, half of them made me cry. The most recent book, however, was Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. There was a part towards the end that hit me hard! 

What's the last book that made you cry? Have you read Scarlet? Did you also cry?

This is a blog hop, so thanks for stopping by! Take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow. I'm flexible as to your manner of follow so pick your poison... GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. And of course HAPPY READING!

Book Review: A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

Title: A Mad, Wicked Folly

Author: Sharon Biggs Waller

Published:

Amazon Goodreads

Synopsis:  Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
           
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams

This is the second book I have read in the past two months set in Edwardian England. Maybe I should blame Downton Abbey for that or maybe I should just credit authors for realizing that this is a pretty compelling period in history, at least for me it is. It was a time of transition. Queen Victoria, not quite the feminist icon she is made out to be, was pretty conservative but when her son Edward takes the throne things start changing. It was a particularly interesting time for young women. Not only was the country modernizing, including moving away the tradition class structure, but the fight for women's suffrage was really taking hold. However, the people in power,  were reluctant to give up their control. Needless to say there is a lot of conflict.

Sharon Biggs Waller does a great job of setting that scene for the reader. We feel the sense of conflict between the desire to change but having to fight the establishment that wants to keep things the way they are. She weaves the fictional characters and situations around real life events and historical figures within the backdrop of the women's suffrage movement in England. As the reader I felt completely immersed in this world. The plot wasn't filled with action and it wasn't really character-driven either. It was a nice mix between the two as the characters were influenced by what was happening around them.

This was a particularly interesting book to read with all the talk in the book blogging community about feminism and what makes a strong female character. Vicky, our main character, isn't someone you might think is really a feminist.  In the beginning all she just wants is to be an artist. But the blinders come off when she shames her family and is forced to return home, give up her art, and marry someone that her parents pick for her so that she can not only restore her reputation and theirs. But Vicky isn't satisfied just being a wife and mother. She is determined to get into the Royal College of Arts. So she continues to draw and find compelling subjects to draw. This is how she gets connected with the suffragettes. Throughout the book Vicky has a great character development and I really identified with her as a protagonist. She knows what she wants and she is willing to fight for it and do whatever it takes. She comes to the realization that it's more of a political struggle slowly and she realizes that she can use her gift for art to fight. As a character she  is a little stubborn and reckless but that adds to her charm. Throughout a lot of the novel I was nervous for her that all her hiding and secrets were going to come to a head and the proverbial shit was going to hit the proverbial fan. 

But probably the most interesting thing for me was the romance. I read this book as part of my anti-love month, but I had heard from other reviews that it is totally shipworthy. There is a pretty interesting "meet cute" with a police officer named Will, who Vicky is initially attracted too and really wants to draw. My head however was in a totally different place in terms of romance and I couldn't really see their relationship as a good idea. I had just come off a book that turned the romantic notion of marrying for love and being poor but happy into a bad thing. When I started this book I felt like I had a very cynical view on love, and the ship that I was shipping was not the one you would expect. But as the book went on so did my opinion of the ships and romance in general. It takes a rare book to restore your faith in love but A Mad, Wicked Folly was that book for me. Just think how you will feel about the book if you are in the romantic sort of mood.

A Mad, Wicked Folly is a great piece of young adult historical fiction. It immerses you in the time period, has compelling characters you roof for, and the right amount of romance. I give it 8.5 out of 10

If you are looking to try Historical Fiction give this book a try. If you have read it, what are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and of course HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday - NIL by Lynne Matson

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

This is my first time taking part in this meme but I wanted to communicate my excitement for an upcoming debut that I've been looking forward to reading for the past few months, ever since I learned about the book.

The Book 

Nil by Lynne Matson 

Published: March 4, 2014 by Henry Holt

Amazon Goodreads 

Synopsis: On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die. Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s naked in an empty rock field. Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that she has to find a way to beat the clock, and quickly, in this thrilling debut novel by Lynne Matson 

Why I'm Excited 

I am a huge fan of the TV show Lost. I it was the only show that I would never miss and all my friends and family knew when Lost was on don't bother talking to me because I will either ignore you or yell at you. When I saw the first season I felt like I had never seen anything like it before. The mysterious island, the odious characters with intriguing backstories, the connectedness with one another and the island. I have heard not only from the description but from reviews I've seen of the book that it is a lot like Lost, so already I'm hooked. 

But much like my feelings of the TV show, I feel like this book is unlike anything I have ever heard in literature. Teens abandoned on an abandoned island, one year to escape, and mysterious happening on the island. I'm really excited about experiencing this isalnd. I'm also really excited because of all the intriguing teasers the author Lynne Matson has been posting. Lynne and I have been following one another on twitter since December and from time to time she will have giveaways, post island secrets, and offer up information about the book that gets me more and more excited. The book sounds like it is full of action and adventure, romance, and a lot of personal struggle. This is a book that I cannot wait to read. 

I won a signed ARC in December from the first #NILtribe giveaway and I've been waiting to read it ever since. If you follow my blog you know that I do themes for each month. So I planning the month of March around NIL. The month will be full of books about island adventure and escape. I cannot wait! It's taken so much self-control to wait this long, but I know it'll be worth it! 

So... what are you waiting to read? Have you read NIL? What did you think? Leave mea comment and of course, HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday - Reasons I Love Being a Reader/Blogger

A weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish

Top 5 Reasons I love Being a Reader 

1.) Explore New Worlds
The quote in my header from A Dance with Dragons says it all. A reader lives a thousand lives. You can to go back to a favorite period in history, imagine what the future will be like, explore world ruled by magic, or you can just go to a city you've also wanted to visit. And you can do all of this without leaving the comfort of your own home.

2.) Helps Relate the People and Situations

Not only are you able to explore places but you're able to explore the minds and lives of people you may not otherwise get to. Not only is this interesting but it helps you be able to relate to people from all walks of life. Check out this recent study that says reading makes you more empathetic!
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/oct/08/literary-fiction-improves-empathy-study

2.) Positive Outlet for Emotional Insability

Not that I'm emotionally unstable but there are times where I just need a good cry, a good laugh, or to get really angry. I know books and even chapters I can read that allows me to do that in a more healthy way.

4.) Always Have Something to Do

I take the bus to work. I'm a hurry up and wait kind of person, I don't have cable. But I always have a book. Whether it's on the kindle app on my phone or a paper book. I'm never without something to do and never bored.

5.) Instant Decor
Books are so pretty and colorful. My pride and joy is my bookshelf. I love having my books on display. I'm not a big decorator. In my last apartment I only hung a single picture but the first thing I did when I moved was set up my books.

Top 5 Reasons I Love Book Blogging

6.) Found Some Amazing Books

Since blogging my TBR pile has exploded. While this is intimidating it is also fantastic. My favorite book so nfar this year I found through blogging and I found some the Grisha trilogy from a blog.

7.) Interacting with Authors

It's like bookish celebrities. I haven't met any authors in person because no one ever comes to Pittsburgh, but when an author favorites a tweet, responds to a tweet, or even follows me, I feel very special. I totally geek out!

8.) Positive Way to Express my Opinions

I sometimes express my opinions in negative ways. What I love about blogging is that it gives me a way to communicate my feelings and opinions. And it let's me express thoughts and theories with others.

9.) Making New Bookish Friends

I've been blogging inconsistently for four years but just recently I found this amazing community of people. I love being able to read other people's options, comment, and chat on twitter. As I meet more people in the community the more I enjoy it.

10.) It's Fun!

Because of all the reasons listed above. But also because it allows me to be creative. Not only the writing but also finding gifs, designing the layout, and so much more.

Why do you love reading and blogging? Leave me a comment and of course Happy Reading!