I originally saw this tag on A Book and a Cup of Coffee!

1. Best Book You've Read So Far in 2016?

I've read about fifty books so far this year and Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is EASILY the best one I've read. I loved the characters. I loved learning about the history behind it. It gives you the feels. Seriously, it's been like six months since I read this book (HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!) and I'm still not even close to over this book.

If you decide to read this book. Please come talk to me about it. PLEASE?!

2. Best Sequel You've Read So Far In 2016?

I went through all the books I've read so far this year and I think that only like 2 of the books I have down were sequels? The Dream Thieves was actually the last book that I finished and I am SO in love with this series so far! I might have actually DNFed a book after this one partially so that I could get on to Blue Lily, Lily Blue faster. BUT ONLY PARTIALLY! I also didn't love the narrator's voice and it wasn't about what I thought it was going to be about.

3. New Release You Haven't Read Yet But Want To?

Okay, I'm going to go with ALL OF THEM! I haven't read really any of the books I have been so excited for this year yet! I have ELEVEN of the books pictured below and I haven't read them yet. I'm hoping that after ARC August I can get all my ARCs read and then I can work on some of these!

               

              

               

                    

          

4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of 2016?

Once again, like ALL of them!! I have like all of these preordered, I think. I'm so excited. I can't pick just one.

          

          

          

5. Biggest Disappointment?

I was SO excited to read this one because I had heard EVERYONE raving about it and the premise sounded so cool! But this one just didn't work for me, sadly. I kind of want to read the second one to see where it goes, but at the same time, I wasn't even excited for the cover reveal so maybe I don't want to anymore. :(

6. Biggest Surprise?

This one was a surprise for a couple reasons. One was because it wasn't about what I thought it was about exactly. Also, contemporary isn't something I usually choose to read, but I absolutely ADORED this book! It deals with mental health and was SO good!

7. Favorite New Author (Debut Or New To You)?

1. Maggie Stiefvater

2. S. Usher Evans

3. Roshani Chokshi

8. Newest Fictional Crush?

     

I loved both Julian from Caraval and Gansey from The Raven Boys! They have both made their way onto my fictional boyfriend list! But they'll never top my beloved Liam Stewart! *heart eyes*

9. Newest Favorite Character?

One of my favorite characters so far this year is Emilia from Salt to the Sea. I think she's so brave and strong and I love her so much!

10. Book That Made You Cry?

This book was so sad! There have been a few others that made me cry this year *cough*SaltToTheSea*cough*, but this is probably the most recent book that made me cry! I can't wait for the movie to come out because I think this one missed the theater in my little town.

11. Book That Made You Happy?

I just finished rereading this book and if it's even possible, I think I loved it even more the second time! Everything about this series makes me happy and I'm excited to reread the rest of this series as soon as possible!!

12. Most Beautiful Book You've Gotten So Far This Year?

Seriously, I have been raving about this cover since I first saw it. Why have I not gotten around to reading this yet?!

13. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End Of This Year?

See questions 3 and 4.

14. Favorite Book Community Member (Blogger, Bookstagrammer, Booktuber, Etc.)?

Truly, I love you all! Everyone here is fantastic and I refuse to play favorites! ;)

15. TAG! Who's It?

YOU ARE!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Midnight Release Party

So as the whole world surely knows, July 31st was the long awaited release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!

Harry Potter #8

Publisher: Little Brown UK

Publication Date: July 31st, 2016

Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads):

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

I have been jazzed for this book for quite some time and when I found out that the Barnes and Noble two hours from where I live was going to be having a midnight release party, I knew I had to go! I went to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school. I enjoyed that, but it was NOTHING compared to this. Probably because it was at Walmart and not a bookstore...

So when I found out about the event, I told the BF that he had to come with me! I'm so glad he was able to get away from ranch work for a couple days to come with me! We got to do some shopping and go out to eat and relaaaaax.

Around 8 pm we finally headed to the bookstore to participate in all the games and festivities! I had bought a set of Hufflepuff robes to wear and I thought I was gonna feel so silly in them, but there were plenty of other people there that were dressed up so I felt a lot better about it.

When we arrived we got tickets for our place in line and a coupon for 20% off one item. So obviously some shopping had to be done, right? Of course!

Each Hogwarts house had a table set up with different activities at each one. The first one the BF and I hit up was the Slytherin table where they had Harry Potter Taboo. This was pretty fun even though I think everyone in the little group we had going on felt awkward having to play with complete strangers.

After Slytherin, we hit up the Ravenclaw table where they had two different trivia games going on. We had to wait a little bit for more people to come over for this one, but it was pretty fun even though I was incredibly rusty on my trivia. Shameful. My team lost, but the girl who single handedly won for the other team apparently reads the books summerly so there was really no hope.

Gryffindor was next with a game where you draw a wizarding person/animal/thing and it gets stuck to your back and you have to ask people questions to figure out who/what you are. I was Hedwig. I didn't like this game just because I was uncomfortable asking people questions. I felt like I was bothering everyone I walked up to.

The Gryffindor people were kind of stingy with their prizes. Each house had pins and magnets with the house crest on them and the other houses just let you have them, but Gryffindor made you win before you could take some!

Last we went to the Hufflepuff table. They were out of pins when we got there, but they still had magnets so that was good at least. Hufflepuff's challenge was a scavenger hunt! They had printed off pictures of all of Voldemort's horcruxes and hidden them around the store and you had to go find them all. I liked that game the best because I didn't have to really interact with other people. And it took quite awhile which was nice because we had four hours to blow!

Besides those activities, there were coloring pages to work on and a wall to write about your Harry Potter memories. There was a costume contest for adults and for children. I don't know why any of the adults even bothered entering because there was a girl there who sewed her own Hedwig costume for the event so there was a clear winner from the moment she walked in!

While wandering around the store all night, I found a Game of Thrones Grey Worm Funko Pop in the clearance bin so I obviously had to snatch that up! And I used my 20% off coupon on a hardcover of The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson since they had it out early and I couldn't resist. After that we brought our purchases out to the car and sat outside for like half an hour until it was about time to start lining up for the book!

I'm so glad that we got there kind of early because we were in the third line they started and it only took about 5 minutes from when they started ringing the books up for us to get through the line and get out. I was exhausted by the end but it was so much more fun than the other Harry Potter release party I had attended! I'm so glad I went!

And now I am the proud owner of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!

Did you go to a midnight release for this book? How was yours?

Goodbye July!

Okay, did July just zoom by for anyone else or was it just me? I feel like I completely slacked in every aspect of my life this month. Except reading. I think I read a pretty decent number of books in July! I let myself just really casually blog for the month so beyond finishing Top Ten Tuesdays for the month and writing up reviews of the books I read, I didn't really do too much. But that gave me plenty of time to plan out what all I wanted to do in August!

Reading Updates:

          

          

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

The Chasm by S. Usher Evans

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

54/75 for the year

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Books Acquired:

Bought: 4

The Chasm

This Savage Song

The Beauty of Darkness

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Otherwise Acquired: 3

Ivory and Bone

Burning Sky

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Total: 5

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In My Corner of the Blogosphere:

I shared my package I received in the Geekgasm Swap hosted by CG Swaps!

I shared which August releases I NEED as soon as possible!

I signed up for the #ReadThemAllThon hosted by Aentee from Read at Midnight! Such a fun idea!

My #BBCP16 team debuted our feature, Book Nerd Bites! I shared a recipe to make pastry swans swimming a lake of butterscotch!

I reviewed Blue Lily, Lily Blue, The Dream Thieves, Ape House, The Chasm, Me Before You, and All the Feels!

I participated in a blog tour for The Chasm by S. Usher Evans!

I signed up for ARC August!

I shared my journey with Harry Potter for the #PotterheadJuly blog tour!

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Life Updates:

So, how many of you started playing Pokemon Go this month? I did! It's SO much fun, but I can't find any Pokemon at my house because I live in the middle of NOWHERE! I have to drive like 20 miles to be able to find any! Playing this game seriously brings back so many memories! I used to be so into Pokemon when I was younger. I remember trading cards on the bus. I feel like I kinda lost interest when they started introducing new generations.

Who is your go-to starter Pokemon? Mine is easily Charmander! Always has been, always will be! <3

What's the coolest Pokemon you've found/hatched so far? I hatched an Aerodactyl! I was so pumped!

What's the one Pokemon that you haven't gotten yet that you're DYING to acquire? I WANT A LAPRAS!! D: D: D:

Besides Pokemon, I think the most exciting thing about July for me was hitting up the midnight release for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at my nearest Barnes and Noble! I'm not gonna say too much about that right here because I'm gonna have a recap going up tomorrow! But it was so much fun! I'm so glad I was able to go!

Beyond that, July was pretty uneventful. I didn't really watch any TV shows. I saw Finding Dory and Central Intelligence at the drive in theater. I loved them both! Central Intelligence was funny, but kind of ridiculous. Finding Dory was cute! That's really about all that was noteworthy about my month!

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Looking Ahead:

I'm going to be participating in both ARC August and the #ReadThemAllThon this month! It's gonna be tough, I think, but I can do this!

TBR:

#ReadThemAllThon:

Spells and Sorcery by S. Usher Evans

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

Wrecked by Maria Padian

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

ARC August:

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Santorini Sunsets by Anita Hughes

Wendy Darling: Seas by Colleen Oakes

The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine

Nemesis by Anna Banks

Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Other:

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

I am absolutely not under any kind of impression that I am going to get through all of these! I think that my main goal is going to be getting through my #ReadThemAllThon list + Nevernight and Santorini Sunsets. And I WANT to reread The Wrath and the Dawn before I read The Rose and the Dagger, but that very well might not happen. I am determined to evolve my Charmander into a Charizard for the League challenge!

How was your July? Are you participating in either of these reading challenges?

Top Ten Tuesday (#53)

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

This week's topic is Top Ten Books I'd Buy RIGHT NOW If Someone Handed Me A Fully Loaded Gift Card!!

1. There are SO many books that I would want to buy if I had a fully loaded gift card full of someone else's money! First and foremost, I would go out and buy audiobooks of all of Alexandra Bracken's books. I'm so obsessed with her work, I need to have all the editions/versions of her books. I would never listen to the radio again if I had these.

Just so that not all ten of these consist of different editions of Alex's books, I'm going to include FOREIGN EDITIONS here! Especially the Australian ones! Those have such neat covers! I need them so badly!

2. The next thing I'd go out and buy would be the editions of the Harry Potter series that look like this:

I think this cover is SO cool! I want the box set of these covers so bad. I can't even get over how much I love them.

3. I want to buy the Game of Thrones series in hardcover! I just recently watched the show up to season 5. I finished it while season 6 was on so I haven't gotten to watch it yet, but oh my! I love the show so much so now I obviously have to read the books!

4. I want to buy The Raven Boys in hardcover and also all the rest of Maggie's books! I just read the whole Raven Cycle series and I loved it so much! I want to binge the rest of her books! I can check out the Shiver books from the library here, but if someone handed me a fully loaded gift card, I could just buy them on someone else's dime! I really want to get my hands on The Scorpio Races ASAP!

(LoL, I had this book before, but I traded it for another book I thought would be hard to find in a decent shaped hardcover. Why Cyra?)

          

          

There are so many books out there that I want to buy! If I had a gift card, these are just a few of the other books out there that I would LOVE to buy!

5. The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

6. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

7. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

8. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

9. After the Woods by Kim Savage

10. Everland by Wendy Spinale

What are some books that you'd buy if you had a fully loaded gift card?!

Blog Tour Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Today we are kicking off the Stalking Jack the Ripper blog tour hosted by the Knights of Whitechapel! This is definitely a book that you're going to want to buy ASAP when it comes out on September 20th and I am here to tell you exactly why!

Untitled Trilogy #1

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson

Publication Date: September 20th, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: ARC Trade

Pages: 336

Add it on Goodreads!

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.

If you're looking for a great dark, kinda creepy read for October this year, you need to pick this book up on September 20th when it comes out!

Stalking Jack the Ripper is a story about a girl from an aristocratic family living in 1888 London. Whlie most girls her age are doing things appropriate for young ladies at that time like attending fancy tea parties and gossiping, Audrey Rose Wadsworth is cutting open dead bodies and trying to solve a series of brutal murders.

When the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper is hunting down prostitutes in London's East End, Aurdrey Rose is apprenticing under her Uncle Jonathan, a scientist/doctor/coroner combination. She gets a front row ticket to study the gruesome corpses of the Ripper's victims. Along with her Uncle's other apprentice, Thomas Cresswell, Audrey Rose is determined to figure out who the Ripper is before he hurts anymore women.

Audrey Rose might be one of my favorite female protagonists that I've read about this year. She is so kickass and she's a feminist! She receives a lot of crap for her interest in working with the dead because it is an inappropriate interest for a young lady, but she doesn't ever seem to miss an opportunity to let these people know that she is every bit as capable as a man to do anything she desires. She's also incredibly smart and brave to be working on these cases when they're a crazed killer on the loose hunting women. She's just so strong and inspiring. <3

Thomas Cresswell is another wonderful character. He is so interesting because he's so hot/cold sometimes. He has the uncanny ability to just turn off his feelings and emotions at will, which is super handy in the type of work that he is in and wishes to remain in. He's also so shamelessly flirty and full of himself, I kind of love it.

The relationship that Audrey Rose and Thomas have is awesome. It's one of those relationships that seem to develop through teasing. Like they always seem to be flirting with each other from day one and one day it just starts being real. The banter they had was fantastic!

I loved how dark this book was. How you get the detailed descriptions of what the bodies looked like after the murders and the descriptions of what it's like to feel around inside a dead body. I liked all that! It reminded me of my Advanced Biology class in high school when we got to go to a college cadaver lab. But this book was far more exciting. 

The mystery was thrilling and while I did have the culprit pinned before Audrey Rose did, I did NOT see coming what the killer's motivation would be for killing all those women!

Okay, so, I can't really think of anything about this book that I didn't like. I thought it was interesting from start to finish and I'm excited to see what kinds of adventures Audrey Rose and Thomas will go on in the future. I have one thing that came to mind that I wondered about while I was reading it that kind of bugged me, but try as I might, I can't get it into words that I'm happy with sharing so I'll just keep it to myself and see if anyone else wonders about the same thing.

Overall, I was super impressed with this book! I loved the darkness of it, I loved the characters, I love how nicely things wrapped up while also leaving it open for future adventures. I would highly suggest you get this one on September 20th when it comes out! It will be a perfect spooky October read!

About the Author

Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats. Stalking Jack the Ripper is her debut novel. It incorporates her love of forensic science and unsolved history, and is the first in a new series of gothic thrillers.

It will be available everywhere September 20, 2016.

Author Links:

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