Waiting on Wednesday: October Releases!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I decided that I'm going to change up Waiting on Wednesday. Instead of doing one every week, I'm just going to do one once a month and feature all the books coming out the next month that I'm salivating for.

Here are the books that I'm waiting for in October!


The Midnight Star by Marie Lu
The Young Elites #3

Summary (from Goodreads):

The thrilling finale to the New York Times bestselling Young Elites series from “hit factory” Marie Lu.

There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she’s achieved.

Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds when a new danger appears, putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite and the very world they live in. In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

Bestselling author Marie Lu concludes Adelina's story with this haunting and hypnotizing final installment to the Young Elites series.


Nemesis by Anna Banks
Nemesis #1

Summary (from Goodreads):

The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?


Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Summary (from Goodreads):

Witch’s apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man.

Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey’s suspicions about the sea. No one but the island’s witch, who isn’t as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn’s stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water — stealing her heart in the process.

Now, Bridey must work with the Isle’s eccentric witch and the boy she isn’t sure she can trust — because if she can’t uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return.

What books are you looking forward to in October?

Top Ten Tuesday (#60) - Ten Books on my Fall TBR!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish!

Today's topic is Ten Books on my Fall TBR!


1. Nemesis by Anna Banks


2. Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley


3. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis


4. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo


5. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake


6. Replica by Lauren Oliver


7. Wrecked by Maria Padian


8. The Young Elites by Marie Lu


9. The Rose Society by Marie Lu


10. The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Those are just ten of the books I hope to read this fall!!

What books do you want to get to this fall?



Book Nerd Bites (#3): The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker

Monday, September 26, 2016


Book Nerd Bites is an original monthly feature created by Becca, Cyra, Kristie, Natasha, and Valerie as part of the Book Blogger Creativity Project hosted by Nori. Each month we will be sharing exciting recipes inspired by some of our favorite books. Feel free to join in, but please make sure you link your post back to us so we can enjoy your favorite bookish delights as well!

Don't forgot to use if you want to share your food inspiration with us on twitter or instagram!

For today's Book Nerd Bites post I will be featuring...


The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker

This month we decided to go with a Back to School theme. So we all chose books that at least partially take place in school. In The Girl Who Fell, there is a scene where the main character gets asked out by the new guy in school at a park. I think he brings tuna sandwiches to the park so they can have a little picnic.

Thinking about tuna sandwiches made me think about this super tasty tuna salad that I looooove to make. It's really easy and doesn't take a lot of work!

Ingredients:


-Pasta
(I use two 7 oz boxes of shells)

-Mayo

-Tuna
(I usually use two cans for the amount of pasta that I make)

-Celery Salt

-Salt

-Pepper

-Cayenne Pepper

-Lettuce

-Tomatoes

-Baked Lay's Potato Chips

Instructions:

-Cook the pasta according to directions. If you're inadequate in the kitchen, what I do is put the pasta in a pot, add water, bring to a boil, and then let it boil for 6 minutes.

-Strain pasta and rinse with cold water. Then pat it dry with a paper towel.


-Drain tuna and kind of shred it with a fork and add to pasta.


-Add however much mayo you want. I think I used like three big spoonfuls for what I made. Maybe you like more, maybe you like less. Go with what you feel.


-Add salt, pepper, celery salt, and cayenne pepper. I don't know how to tell you how much to use because I just sprinkle a bunch in there. Again, go with what you feel.


-Mix it all together. Add lettuce and tomatoes if you want them. Or whatever else you think would be tasty. I didn't have any of that handy when I made this, but it's really good with that stuff in it.

-Devour it.

I think this salad is better cold, but it's still good right after you get done making it. I really like to eat it with baked Lay's crunched in it. I also add like a ton more cayenne pepper to my portions. Because I like it spicy.

If you want to check out what recipes the rest of the people in my group are going to feature, here is the schedule:

Monday - Cyra
Tuesday - Natasha
Wednesday - Becca
Thursday - Kristie
Friday - Valerie
Saturday - Nori

Have you read The Girl Who Fell? What did you think of it? Are you going to try this recipe? I promise you won't regret it!

Review: The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine

Sunday, September 25, 2016


The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine
Fear Street Relaunch #5
Publisher: A Thomas Dunne Book For St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: September 27th, 2016
Rating: 2 Stars
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 288

Summary (from Goodreads):

R.L. Stine's Fear Street series is back, and in The Dead Boyfriend, he tells the frightening tale of teenage love - and how it can go terribly, murderously wrong. 

Caitlin has never had a real boyfriend before. When she starts seeing Colin, she throws herself into the relationship with fervor. She ignores her friends who warn her that Colin may be a phony and that she is taking the whole thing too seriously. Caitlin is smitten. She doesn't care if she loses her friends. All she wants is Colin. When Caitlin approaches Colin with another girl, she completely loses it. She snaps. Everything goes red. When she comes back to her senses, she realizes that Colin is dead - and she has killed him. 

But if Colin is dead, how is he staring at her across a crowded party? 

Terrifying from the first page to the last, The Dead Boyfriend is a heart-racing young adult novel from the master of teen screams himself.

***I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher.***

If you read the synopsis I provided, the boy's name is Colin in it, but in the book his name is actually Blade. So you're not confused like I was right away.

It has been a really long time since I read an R.L. Stine book. I was never really into them all that much, but my sister was. I read a few of them and remember them as being fun so I thought requesting this one would be fun too.

However, I think that I must have REALLY grown up since I read my past Stine books. Because I didn't enjoy this book.

I'm not even really sure what to say. Caitlyn meets Blade at the mall where she notices him staring at her from across the room. She goes up to him to demand an explanation as to why he is staring at her and they end up leaving together and falling madly into insta-love. Her friends apparently think that things are going too fast, but she doesn't listen until Blade blows her off and she accidentally stumbles across him at a club, on a date with another girl. She promptly freaks out.

Long story short, Blade ends up dead and then comes back to life.

Really, I don't know what to say about the characters because you don't really get to know them at all. Caitlyn, who is the main character, is so over the top dramatic about everything. She acts kind of insane all the time. She's kinda really dumb.

Blade, the love interest, is just that. All I really know about him is that he wears a red sweater and meets an untimely end.

Caitlyn's two friends, Miranda and Julie, don't really get too much thought either. They seem to be caring friends. They're worried about Caitlyn as she spirals into insanity and try to do little things to cheer her up.

Deena Fear is probably the character that gets the most description in this book. Every single time she shows up we get an in depth description of her goth-y black and purple outfits down to the color lipstick she's wearing and another mention of how her eyes look owlish behind her glasses.

It's constantly described how she's so crazy and everyone knows to stay away from the Fear family. They do dark magic and blah blah blah. I mostly thought Deena was annoying. She just shows up out of nowhere and starts telling Caitlyn that she needs to do this and that and doesn't give any sort of explanation EVER about why or what they're doing?! Why would anyone just follow blindly along with a crazy person who is trying to get your help to perform dark magic on a dead person?

I am pretty sure I hated the plot twist at the end. I just don't think I followed it all that well because I really didn't care.

I really didn't like the writing. It was just... way too juvenile. Everything was kind of just ridiculous all together I felt. It wasn't scary at all. The only time I felt my pulse flutter at all was when Caitlyn's driving was being talked about because she sounds like a HORRIFIC driver. Seriously, how did she not die in this book?

Overall, I was not a fan of this book. I remember Stine's books as being a lot more fun, but I was also a lot younger. That being said, I think that the younger crowd would probably find this book thrilling. I think I'm just too old to enjoy his writing anymore. I think the only people I would recommend this book to would have to be way younger than me. I personally don't think that I will be reading another Stine book. I gave this two stars because there were at least a few parts of this book that made me actually want to keep reading.

Are you a fan of R.L. Stine? Have you read this book? What did you think?

Stacking the Shelves (#58)

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to highlight books received each week!

During the week of September 17th - 23rd, I got...

Purchase:



The Union by S. Usher Evans
The Prince and the Heiress by S. Usher Evans

Trade:


Signed sampler of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken! Thank you @bibliophile012!


Passenger Luggage Tag! Thank you @whittynovels!

Subscription Box:


Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake


Remade by Various Authors. This is the first part of a serial or something like that! It sounds really interesting!

What kinds of goodies did you get this week?


Top Ten Tuesday (#59)

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's topic is about audio. I'm going to go with Ten Audiobooks I'd Like To Listen To.

I have decided that I really like rereading books by listening to the audiobook. I don't really LOVE listening to books for my first time reading them. I listen to them usually while I'm on my drive home to my dad's for the weekend or at work. And I tend to space out a lot so at least if I've already read the book, I can kinda figure out what was going on while I was spacing out. Haha!

So basically, to be more specific, my topic is more like top ten books I'd like to reread as audiobooks.


1. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken


2. In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken


3. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that there weren't ever audiobooks made for this book, but I would still love to listen to it if I'm wrong.


4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I have a post idea that I want to do someday and I need to reread this book and a few others to get the information I need to write it. I have mixed feelings about this book now that I know where the ship's going. I also want to reread it before I finally read ACOMAF, if I ever do.


5. Delirium by Lauren Oliver


6. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver


6. Requiem by Lauren Oliver


7. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi


8. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys


9. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Since this one is going to be a movie before too long, I better brush up on what all happened!


10. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

I just recently did an A Glimpse Back in Time post on this book and it made me want to reread it SO BADLY!!! Such a wonderful book!

What are some books that you'd like to reread as an audio? Or just reread? Or just listen to in general?






Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Monday, September 19, 2016


The Witchlands #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: January 5th, 2016
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Purchase
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416

Summary (from Goodreads):

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

When I finally started blogging last year, this book was REALLY buzzed about. So obviously it was going to become one of my most anticipated books of 2016. I got my copy from my first-and-so-far-only book signing I've ever been to! But by the time that rolled around I couldn't bring myself to read this book because it was all I EVER saw on Twitter. I was just sick of hearing about it.

I finally picked this book up for one of the #ReadThemAllThon prompts. This was the book I chose to read for the thunderous hype prompt. I am super glad that I waited for the hype to die down before reading this book, but it was still in the back of my mind and definitely affected how I felt about this book, I think in a more negative way. I did really enjoy it, but I was just still expecting over the top amazing and it just wasn't as exciting as I was hoping.

Probably my favorite thing about this book was how the main focus was the friendship between Safi and Iseult. They really work well together, I love how they kind of even each other out. Iseult is calm and level-headed, she thinks things through. Safi is definitely more impulsive and wild. I love how they would give their lives for each other without a second thought. I really hope that this friendship remains the main focus of the series!

I also loved the relationship forming between Safi and Merik! I like how he makes her realize that her  actions affect other people. He doesn't coddle her or treat her special or anything like that. I liked that about their relationship and I just like them.

I'm really excited to learn more about Aeduan. He's so mysterious, but he doesn't seem like he's really as bad as he acts like he is or makes himself out to be. I want him and Iseult to get together and go on double dates with Merik and Safi.

I think that what probably disappointed me most of all, is that I kind of thought that this book would be more... exciting? I mean, it WAS exciting, but like not to the level that I was expecting, going in. With all the hype, I was expecting to be totally blown away and I just wasn't and I'm disappointed about it. But that is definitely not to say that this book wasn't good. Because I really did like it. I just felt like it was kind of slow.

Overall, I liked this book. I would definitely recommend this book if you like fantasy and strong female friendships! I am looking forward to Windwitch in January, but if the street team starts up again for this book, I will probably have to wait to read it again.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Have you had hype kind of ruin any books before?

Stacking the Shelves (#57)

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to highlight books received each week!

During the week of September 10th - 16th, I got...

Publisher:


Thank you so much St. Martin's Press for this hardcover of The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine!

I'd never been a huge reader of his books before, but my sister used to read all of them. This year I wanted to make it a point to read more horror-ish books around this time of year and this will be perfect!

Netgalley:


Edelweiss:


Super excited for all these books I got this week! <3

What kinds of goodies did you get this week?


A Glimpse Back in Time (#5): Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Wednesday, September 14, 2016


A Glimpse Back in Time is a feature where I talk about the interesting history behind the books that I read! If you want to see previous posts for this feature, look here!

Today I'm going to talk about Stalking Jack the Ripper and discuss the infamous serial killer that inspired the book!

If you want to know what I thought of this book, check out my review!

CONTENT WARNING: 

***I used photos of the victims and a crime scene photo in this post and they are rather graphic and clearly deceased. I also have a bit of a description of what was done to each body. If this is not something that you wish to see, turn back now.***


Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Publication Date: September 20th, 2016

Buy Links:

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |  Indiebound

Summary (from Goodreads):

Presented by James Patterson's new children's imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion...

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

By now everyone should have heard of Jack the Ripper. He was the infamous serial killer that went on a short murder spree in London's East end during the fall of 1888. There are five murders that are most commonly attributed to the Ripper, but 11 murders that happened from 1888 to 1892. All of them collectively are known as the Whitechapel murders.

The five victims that are blamed on Jack the Ripper are:

Mary Nichols
Annie Chapman
Elizabeth Stride
Catherine Eddowes
Mary Kelly


Mary Nichols was the first victim, discovered by two carters on their way to work in the early hours of August 31st. As the streets and alleys were dark, they thought that she was just drunk and left her there, agreeing to alert the first policeman they saw on their way to work.

They didn't notice that her throat had been cut so ferociously that she had nearly been decapitated. Upon closer inspection of the body at the mortuary, it was noted that she had also been disembowelled.

Several men from the nearby horse slaughter yard that watched the investigation were questioned as suspects, but they were eventually cleared. Her murder was also suspected to possibly be the work of the gang who likely killed the first two Whitechapel murder victims.


Annie Chapman, the second Ripper victim, was murdered on September 8th, 1888. She was discovered a little bit before six am, but had previously been seen alive shortly before that talking to a man who was described as foreign looking and wearing a deerstalking hat.

She was also found with her throat slashed. Her hands were raised as if she were trying to reach for her throat. The post mortem found that she had been disembowelled as well, and the killer had taken off with her womb.


Elizabeth Stride was discovered around one am in Dutfield Yard on September 30th, 1888. Her body was a little bit different than the previous ones found because the first two women had their skirts hoisted up around their waists, but Elizabeth's were in place, as if she were laid gently down.

The last person to see her alive was a young Hungarian Jewish boy who claimed to have seen her with a man who threw her to the ground where she quietly screamed three times. He thought it was just a domestic dispute and crossed the strew to remain uninvolved, but was then followed by a second man that was apparently sent by the first man. The young boy lost him and the second man was somehow cleared as a suspect despite hanging out at a crime scene and following the boy who likely witnessed the beginning of the third Ripper murder.


Catherine Eddowes was also murdered on September 30th, 1888. While police were discovering Elizabeth Stride's body, Catherine Eddowes was just being released from the police station after being taken in there to sober up around 8:30 pm.

About 15 minutes before she was estimated to have been killed, she was last seen with her hand on a man's chest by three Jewish men. Only one noticed anything significant about the man and it's likely he saw Jack the Ripper. As with all the previous victims, her throat was slashed. And her skirts were lifted up around her waist.


The last definite victim of Jack the Ripper, and also the youngest at age 25, was Mary Kelly. She was discovered murdered around 10:45 am on November 9th, 1888. Her body had been skinned, her face mutilated beyond recognition, and her internal organs were removed and strewn about the bed. She was scarcely recognizable as human. There was a bloody pile of human flesh on her bedside table. Her breasts were also removed.

Most of these women were much older than Mary Kelly, usually around 40 years old. They all seemed to have been known to drink and be prostitutes.

There were many suspects investigated in the murders of these women, but ultimately none of them were decided to have been the Ripper. The police didn't seem to really have any solid evidence against any of them. Some of the more outrageous suspects were Lewis Carol and Prince Albert Edward Victor. 

Modern research seems to favor Thomas Cutbush. Files about him say that the newspaper at the time claimed that he had caught a venereal disease from a prostitute that resulted in delusions that caused him to kill prostitutes. Actually his mental illness was hereditary. His records say that he was not suicidal, but he was a danger to others. Over the years that he was in the asylum his mental health severely disintegrated until he died in 1903.

There were three suspects that police liked better than Cutbush, but they were wrong about many things about these people and ultimately they were cleared. They were:


I could go on forever about this! I've only used one source for this post, but it is full of excellent information. About the news coverage, about the whereabouts of each of the victims before their murders, about each of the different suspects, about the letters, just everything!

But I'm getting cross-eyed from reading all of it, so I will leave you with a link so that you may research some more if you wish.

Source:


I got ALL of my pictures and information from this website. Seriously, if you're curious about anything about Jack the Ripper, look at this website!

Have you read Stalking Jack the Ripper? Do you plan to? Any thoughts on old Saucy Jack?
CopyRight © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan