Ahh! I'm so bad at blogging!

I can not believe I haven't blogged since April.  To be honest, I haven't even thought about blogging in months.  I have been reading a ton, but it's just been recently that I've wanted to write about what I've been reading again.  It might have to do with packing up my life, moving to Arizona, and starting a new job!

In the interest of keeping track of the books I have read so far, here's a quick and dirty list.

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
This is the second in the Shade series.  Really interesting premise- trying to figure out the mystery of why everyone born after Aura is able to see ghosts.  I also really like Zachary as a love interest.  4 Stars

Providence by Jamie McGuire
This book was entertaining enough, but not especially well written or memorable.  There were some interesting paranormal elements, but the whole 'world' didn't really make sense to me and some parts of the story were undeveloped to me.  3 Stars.

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren
This was the second in the Rivers of Time series.  I love the female characters and how fierce they are.  I am fascinated by the concept of time travel and so that really makes the story for me.  4 Stars.

Entwined by Heather Dixon
This was a retelling of the fairy tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses.  I didn't realize that when I started reading it, so it took me a minute to figure everything out (I really need to do a better job of reading book summaries instead of just picking pretty covers from my Amazon Wishlist).  I thought it was a pretty fleshed out story- there were so many details and so much background that made the book much deeper than just a fairy tale.  4 Stars

The Angel Experiment, School's Out Forever, Saving the World by James Patterson 
This series was recommended to me by a student, and there were parts of it I really liked.  I love Max's snarky, fresh voice.  I love the quick pace.  But the whole story line was so ridiculous and far-fetched and random, I could never fully get on board.  It was action-packed, which is great for young readers, but to me it just felt less nuanced than I would have liked.  I think I am done with the series after the first 3 books.  It still gets 3 Stars from me for humorous dialogue, which I love.

Fire Study by Maria Snyder 
It took me months to get through this book because I kept putting it down without wanting to pick it up again.  I loved the first in the series SO much (Poison Study), but the series went downhill for me.  This one sadly is 2.5 stars.  I just wanted everything to feel finished, so I read it, but almost wish I would have stopped after Poison Study.


Rival by Sara Bennet Wealer 
This was a pretty average book,  and not at all what I expected.  I wouldn't really recommend it to a friend- it didn't really feel like anything happened, and I didn't fall in love with any of the characters. 2 Stars


Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
This book I really enjoyed!  I love Greek mythology, and I couldn't put it down.  Helen ends up being remarkably beautiful and talented, and I actually didn't hate her.  She was raised with a sense of humility, which felt sincere to me.  I wasn't as in to the love story as I thought it would be, and it was a major focus of the book.  I was most interested in the way the story was unfolding.  My only complaint was that the writing wasn't always clear- like something would happen literally, but the writing was so vague I couldn't figure out if it was actually happening or if the author was being figurative.  It led to some minor confusions, but overall I enjoyed this one.  4 Stars.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick
This book was so intriguing.  The main character can't remember the past, only the future (and only in glimpses).  She writes notes to herself to get through each day, and uses her future interactions with people to interact with them in the present.  The premise was fascinating, and I really liked the main characters, the love story, and the plot twist at the end.  It really made me think a lot about the brain and memory, and I loved trying to figure out the complexities of having a character with no history- only a future that she doesn't know if she can trust or she can change. 4 Stars.

Matched by Ally Condie 
Matched is another dystopian Young Adult novel.  Cassia is living in a perfect world where all of her decisions are made for her- and she can't wait to find her perfect match as determined by the data.  When she is paired with her childhood best friend, Xander, she thinks it's perfect.  However, her feelings become complicated with another childhood friend, Ky. I liked the way that this story was told, particularly how words and poetry were the catalyst for Cassia's growth and independence.   The English teacher in me loves that.  4 Stars.


One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
This is a cute love story where Eliza's ex-boyfriend and friends got their hands on her journal with a list of things she was too afraid to do, and put her through a night of dares straight from the list in order to get it back.   I thought it was entertaining how Eliza's best friends bickered and egged her on.  I liked Eliza and Cooper together, they were both kind of weak or insecure in realistic ways, but I still rooted for them throughout the book.  The ending was a bit anticlimatic (I feel like this always happens with books that are told over a short period of time, like a day in this one).  3 Stars

HourGlass by Myra McEntire
I really liked Hourglass.  The cover is beautiful, I loved the main character's name, Emerson Cole, and it has the time travel element that I enjoy so much.  The whole supporting cast of characters was so strong- I loved Emerson's brother and his wife.  They were so loving.  This was probably my favorite book that I've read in awhile, and it's definitely 5 Stars for me.