Burn, Rewrite, Reread Tag

So I haven’t been explicitly tagged for this, but when Haven did this, she technically tagged “anyone and everyone” so I’m technically allowed to do this because it sounds like so much fun. The idea for this tag is, in case you don’t know, to randomize your read shelf, pick the first three books, and list whether you’d burn, rewrite, or reread each of the books on there. So let’s go!

Round 1:

Burn: The Fill-In-Boyfriend by Kasie West – I remember liking this plenty when I read it, but ultimately the main character and all her relationships with people were much to shallow to be believable. Pass for now!

Rewrite: Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger – Can you believe I rated this five stars in 2014? As I remember, the whole book centers around a a rather cheesy romance that I would love to rewrite, but the world-building and main character were super fun.

Reread: The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan – I haven’t read the Percy Jackson series in…eons. I would love to reread the series and get some insight into my obsessed fifth-grade self. 😉

Round 2:

Burn: Liars, Inc, by Paula Stokes – My review of this was initially very favorable, but I remember little to nothing about this book, which says something about its quality. Rereading my review makes me think that I was young and naive and didn’t understand how game-changing some flaws can be. Nope!

Rewrite: Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly – This is really a rather typical angel book, but pretty enjoyable. I’d love to have seen less (or none) of the love triangle, though.

Burn, Rewrite, Reread Tag

Hey guys! I know, it’s been like 80 years since nivs @ ilvermoreads tagged me for this post, but I’ve only finished it now and I definitely want to share it with you. The goal is to randomize your Goodreads “read” shelf, choose the first three books, and state whether you would Burn, Rewrite, or Reread them. Let’s get to it!

Round 1

Burn: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge – The concept behind this book was super interesting but the world building and plotting was much too directionless and complex. Nope!

Rewrite: Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – Ah, the bane of my existence. There are a shitload of things I’d love to change about this book, starting from that whiny ass main character who calls herself an assassin. I do think it could have been a better book if some aspects were written better.

Reread: Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins – This book was so cute and a perfect quick contemporary read. Would love to visit it soon!

Round 2

Burn: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout – I read this book a long time ago and I did like it, but I doubt I would enjoy it as much if I read it now.

Rewrite: Gardenia by Kelsey Sutton – Really liked the contemporary aspect of this novel, but would totally rewrite the lackluster thriller/mystery plotline.

Reread: Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Um, do I really need to explain myself on this one? I think I’ve raved about this book enough 😀

Round 3

Burn: The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay – I must have gave into the hype during my time reading this book, because I rated it 3.5 stars, a completely inaccurate rating. I remember strongly disliking it after (not much) contemplation.

Rewrite: History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera – There’s actually not much I would change about this one because I liked it well enough, but I could have used more dialogue and less commentary. Great book though.

Reread: Champion by Marie Lu – Man, it’s been ages since I’ve visited the Legend series! I remember loving this book though and I’m definitely planning on rereading the trilogy soon. Hopefully before I get my hands on Warcross.

Round 4

Burn: Luxe by Anna Godberson – This isn’t a bad book necessarily, but when compared to the other two listed, I kind of have to put it in this section.

Rewrite: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski – I actually dislike this book so much more than Luxe, but it really could have been so much better with better character writing and world-building.

Reread: The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry – Excluding the cringey instalove romance, I actually quite enjoyed this book and would like to read it again soon.

Round 5

Burn: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza – My god, I read this book years ago! I honestly don’t remember much about it, and I guess that would be a sign that I didn’t have that much love for it.

Rewrite: Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – My own expectations deceived me in the case of this one, but I’m sure I would have enjoyed it so much more if certain plot points were written differently.

Reread: A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: Another book that I haven’t touched for years, but I do remember it being one of the most interesting and diverse novels I’ve ever read. Mixed with the fantasy element, it turned out to be a pretty fascinating read and I would love to reread it again. I’ll have to if I want to continue the series.

Let me know your thoughts below and I tag … anyone and everyone! Go! 🙂

Sunshine Blogger Award

This is like a 100 years late, but thank you to Danielle @LifeOfALiteraryNerd for nominating Musings And Books for this award. Y’all should definitely check out the content on her amazing blog. Let’s jump right in. 🙂

The Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog
2. Answer the 11 questions penned by the nominator
3. Create your own set of 11 questions and nominate 11 other bloggers to answer them
4. List the rules and display the award logo

Haven:

What is the last book you added to your TBR?

The last book I added to my TBR was The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly, which is a bit random because it’s not a recent release or anything (it was published 2 years ago). I don’t usually add books immediately after I stumble upon them to my TBR unless they really, really interest me, and this one seemed totally up my alley.

If you could get an ARC of any book that comes out later this year what would it be?

Definitely All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater, which comes out in October. I’ve seen so many people bitching talking about the ‘cultural appropriation’, without even have read it and it pisses me off. How Stiefvater will handle the representation definitely has me more curious than usual, but I would read anything she writes anyway.

What is your favorite place to read?

Hmm, there isn’t a specific place I like to read because I do most of my reading in a semi-uncomfortable desk in school, haha. I’m fine with reading anywhere, but reading on my bed when I’m completely stress-free is my favorite. I’d love to get a special chair reserved for reading someday, though.

What author do you want to read more of?

So many! I definitely want to check out more Morgan Matson, Sarah Dessen, and Kasie West, who are all trademark names in YA contemporary. I’ve only grazed the surface of Maggie Stiefvater and Marie Lu’s novels too, so I’d love to read more of them.

What author can you not get into?

Hmm, I don’t know. I have to say that I’m simply not interested on hopping on the Sarah J. Maas hype train. I wasn’t that keen on Throne Of Glass, and while I’ve heard the series gets better, I can’t muster the curiosity to actually check them out. Maybe I should read A Court Of Thorns And Roses first?

What book do you think everyone needs to read?

All The Rage, by Courtney Summers, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. I couldn’t pick just one! All three of these books are so important in different ways, and especially with the way the world is now, I think everyone needs to read these novels.

If you could turn any book into a movie/tv show what would it be?

Six Of Crows! Unwind! A Darker Shade Of Magic! I would turn every book I read into a movie, but the worlds of these books are so vast and intriguing, they would make absolutely amazing movies/tv shows if they were done right.

What is your book dream vacation spot?

I absolutely love Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, so I’d vacation there for sure. Maybe take a tour around Ravka, visit the Wandering Isle. Crack a cold one with the Dregs in Ketterdam. 😉

What is your favorite genre to read?

My favorite genre to read is probably contemporary, right now. I used to be a huge science-fiction and fantasy fan, and while I still am, I’m leaning toward all types of contemporaries nowadays.

What is the last song you listened to? (Bonus if you can relate it to a book)

I think it was ‘Palm Trees’ by Goldlink. Wish I could relate it to a certain book, but I do love that song. 🙂

Who are your top 5 characters (books, TV, movies, anything)?

AHHHH this is so difficult, it’ll take me forever to think of them so here are just a few off the top of my head! I love Shawn and Gus from Psych (faves!!), Zuko and Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender (we need a Rush Hour type buddy cop movie from these two), and Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa from Six Of Crows (I love everyone but these two are special). I would list Will Herondale too, but I haven’t read The Infernal Devices in a while so it would be invalid. He’s still my ultimate book boyfriend though, we’re just on a break right now. 😉

Aliza:

What is the last book you added to your TBR?

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Surprisingly, I haven’t read this modern classic yet, and I really want to, although I’m not sure I’m ready for the crying that’s supposedly associated with this book.

If you could get an ARC of any book that comes out later this year what would it be?

Obsidio, the third book of The Illuminae Files. Although the book technically comes out next March, it was initially slated to be released this year, so it’s not technically outside the rules of the question? Anyway, I love Illuminae’s unconventional narrative style, and am excited for the conclusion of the series.

What is your favorite place to read?

Probably a quiet library, although there aren’t any in the area where I live, so my favorite place is more of a fantasy for now. 😦

What author do you want to read more of?

Cristin Terrill – I devoured both her standalone novels, and although those are the only two she’s written, I hear she has some good stuff in the works. But seriously. Read All Our Yesterdays. 

What author can you not get into?

Nicola Yoon – She wrote Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star, and I despised the first one and couldn’t read the latter, despite the incredible hype she’s been getting. I guess her style of overly cheesy romances is just not for me, although I appreciate the diversity in her books.

What book do you think everyone needs to read?

There are so many, but Unwind, In the Woods, and Vicious. These are all so thought-provoking and awesome, I highly recommend them all.

If you could turn any book into a movie/tv show what would it be?

I don’t think it’s possible to watch something based off a cherished book and not hate it simply because the main character has honey brown hair instead of golden brown hair. But, and only if it was executed perfectly, This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab or Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis.

What is your book dream vacation spot?

Definitely the different Londons of the Shades of Magic series (which has some of the best world-building I’ve ever read), particularly Kell’s Red London.

What is your favorite genre to read?

I read fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary, and have little preference for one over the other. Just depends on my mood I guess, although contemporary is my go-to genre when I’m in a book slump.

What is the last song you listened to? (Bonus if you can relate it to a book)

“The Willow Tree March,” by The Paper Kites. I like the instrumental bits in this song, but the only book I can relate it to is Grendel by John Gardner, which we had to read for school (I actually had to analyze the song lyrics of this song for a project, if you can believe it). I’m not at all a fan of the book, but some of the lines in the song really do relate to the themes of Grendel.

Who are your top 5 characters (books, TV, movies, anything)?

I’m going to resist the urge to make all of them Avatar: The Last Airbender characters, so I’ll pick just Zuko. Other than that, Kaz from Six of Crows, Penryn from Angelfall, Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices, Mariko from Flame in the Mist, and Alucard from the last two books of the Shades of Magic series (I guess that makes six but you can take it up with me if you have a problem with it 😉)

Questions:

What’s your biggest book disappointment?

What book surprised you the most?

What do you turn to for getting out of a reading slump?

Which YA book character would you love to be best friends with?

Which book character do you identify most with?

What is your favorite fictional universe (from anything) ?

Favorite book-to-movie/tv show adaptation? Least favorite?

What are some YA cliches/tropes that you’re okay with if they’re done right?

Are you a fan of graphic novels/comic books? If you are, what are your favorites?

What book has effected you the most emotionally?

Which fantasy superpower from any YA book would you like to steal?

We nominate:

Reading Through The Night

Books And Sword

Jamishelves

Reading With Rendz

All Around Me Are Familiar Pages

DuskAngelReads

romweasley

Yours A-fiction-ately 

Book Princess Reviews

Book Pandemonium

Booksinked

Thanks for reading, guys! Leave a comment below with your thoughts 🙂

– Haven and Aliza

The Candy Book Tag

Hey guys! So, we were recently tagged by Betty at bettybookreviews to do the Candy Book Tag. It’s been a while since we’ve done a tag and this is a nice change from the usual posts we do. Thank you Betty! You can find her tag here.

Haven:

Apples – Ah. Healthy food. It’s deep, meaningful and probably won a lot of awards but, um, it really isn’t your thing.

This book remains to be hyped ever since its publication and has been awarded several times, but I honestly was not feeling it. WW2 stories are usually very emotional, and I was expecting to be moved somehow yet I never was. You can actually find my review of it here.

Milk Chocolate – This is a book you’d recommend to absolutely EVERYONE.

Most of my friends often ran away when I recommended this book to them, but I am and have always been insistant nonetheless, and I’m sure Liz has been too. Words can’t explain how amazing and eye-opening this book is. Liz actually met Neal Shusterman somewhat recently, and documented her experience in an updated review of Unwind. You can find it here.

Black Jellybeans – Why do these exist??

I honestly despised this book after finishing it, but I rated it 2 stars because I was afraid of rating books 1 star back then (don’t ask). I need to have words with whoever published this though, for real.

Chocolate Kisses – Awww this novel had the best romance

There are a plethora of romances that I adore, and if I chose to narrow down my favorites out of a bunch of contemporaries, I would get nowhere. Heartless is a book I had read and reviewed recently, and I loved the romance so much. Peep my review here for more of my thoughts.

Gummy Spiders – Eek! You made sure to check under your bed every night for a week after reading this scary one.

I haven’t read many horror-inspired YA books, and this is the only one I can think of. It’s a great book, though! I can’t say it scared me so much, but it does have a mysterious and creepy atmosphere (if you couldn’t tell already from that cover).

Jumbo Lollipop – This took you forever to get through, but hey! You did it!

The Bone Witch took me a damn century to get through, and while I’m still not completely sold on it, there were a lot of redeeming qualities. Check out my review here.

Cotton Candy – Admit it, you loved this when you were younger (you probably still do). Think children’s or MG fiction.

Don’t judge me guys, but The Clique series was my favorite thing ever back in the day. It was perfectly petty in my opinion, and made for great entertainment. I would probably hate it if I read it now, but it’s still special to me.

Aliza: 

Apples – Ah. Healthy food. It’s deep, meaningful and probably won a lot of awards but, um, it really isn’t your thing.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock has been acclaimed by famous Goodreads reviewers, and I expected to cry a lot while reading it, but overall thought the experience while reading it was just meh. This was one of my first ever reviews, and I don’t remember it that much, but hey, it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Milk Chocolate – This is a book you’d recommend to absolutely EVERYONE.

Haven is going to sigh from a lack of surprise, but Six of Crows. Duh. I love this book more than anything at the moment, because it has awesome world-building, awesome characters, feminism, and the best anti-hero for a lead character. Ever.

Black Jellybeans – Why do these exist??

Hey, I like the black licorice-flavored jellybeans (but am apparently the only one). I seriously agree with Haven’s pick for this tag, but my book is Twisted Fate. Man, is it terrible. Plot holes galore, pointlessness, it was the whole package of bad.

Chocolate Kisses – Awww this novel had the best romance

I read way too many cheesy romance novels (more than I care to admit) and These Broken Stars, despite being as cliche a romance as it can get, made its way onto my “favorites” shelf. I love these star-crossed lovers so much. ❤

Gummy Spiders – Eek! You made sure to check under your bed every night for a week after reading this scary one.

I Hunt Killers is one of the very few YA horror books I’ve read, but it was great – the complexity of characters made this a standout. The creepiness of this books lies in the way Barry Lyga does not shy away from gruesome descriptions and deep delving into the minds of the serial killers.

Jumbo Lollipop – This took you forever to get through, but hey! You did it!

The Outsiders was a required-reading book in 7th grade, but I never read it because I moved that year. My sister read it this year though, and after her incessant pushing, I finally picked it up. I get that it’s a classic and all, and also a very short book, but it just took me wayyy too long to get through it.

Cotton Candy – Admit it, you loved this when you were younger (you probably still do). Think children’s or MG fiction.

Agh, I’m a cliche. I just didn’t read many uncommon book series’ when I was younger, but Percy Jackson holds a special place in my heart. (Even though I quit on the Camp Half Blood Books lately because there were WAY too many of them).

We Tag:

Book Princess Reviews

The Book Cover Girls

Thanks for reading, guys! 🙂

The Ultimate Book Tag

Hi peeps, it’s Haven! Today I am back with another book tag, like I promised (a long time ago), and it is called the Ultimate Book Tag. This tag was created by Megan on Goodreads.

Q: Do you get sick while reading in the car?
A: I get sick while reading in the car, but not when reading in the bus. I try to avoid reading in a vehicle entirely, because it’s not good for you, but yeah, it’s pretty weird.

Q: Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you?
A: I usually don’t pay attention to the writing style, but I think Gabrielle Zevin’s style pretty unique. I read All These Things I’ve Done (and reviewed it) a while back, and despite it being a dystopian book, the writing style is surprisingly straightforward and blunt. This is different for me, because usually books set in a fantasy or dystopian world contain more lyrical and flowy writing (does that make sense?).

Q: Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
A: I honestly don’t know why everyone compares these two, since they are so different. I haven’t read the Harry Potter series (I’m getting ready for all the tomatoes you’re about to throw at me haha), I’ve started it when I was young but I found it a little boring so I put it aside… and never came back to it. I was just more into realistic fiction when I was younger, so it’s understandable. I was okay with Twilight when I first read it, but after reading more and gaining more insight, I didn’t like it. I’ve read books like Twilight that I’ve hated, so I’m not experiencing Twilight Saga again. So, I guess I would go with Harry Potter. I have to read it eventually. 😀

Q: Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?
A: I need a backpack when I go to school, so yeah. Besides books, I carry 2 binders, one for each day (block schedule), a pencil pouch, headphones, and my lunch.

Q: Do you smell your books?
A: Nope. I’m being completely honest. I’ve only bought a few books (I’m a library person), and all I’ve done is read them. But, the next rare occasion where I buy a book… I might try it. 😀