Why I Love Wednesdays... Favorite Villain

I am returning with my feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Villains

Why I Love...Klaus (Niklaus Mikaelson)

Here I go again choosing a character from a book I haven't read :)

No but really.  A tv show based from books totally count.  I've started watching the new season of Vampire Diaries and I've fallen in love again.  How did I go without this show?!  Anyways...I love Klaus as a villain.  Even though he has soft moments every blue moon, Klaus is a real villain.  I don't want to ruin it for you in case you are behind and need to watch it on netflix and catch up (*looking at Jade*).  Klaus shows up in season 2 and boy is he a formidable foe.  He can't be killed, he used to travel around with his family members in caskets, and he is such a manipulator.  Oh and kills tons of people without blinking, even those who supported him once upon a time.  You think he can't be all that bad and then he reminds you that he's pretty bad.  I absolutely love this series and I can't wait to see what Klaus does next!

Which villains do you love? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!

If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:

When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."

Please link directly to your post and not your blog.

Please participate :)

Previous Why I Love Wednesday Posts

Review: Elegy for Eddie

Elegy for Eddie by Jaqueline Winspear
Series: Maisie Dobbs #9
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Pages: 335 (Hardback)
Source: TLC Book Tours
Author's Website | Blog | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

In this latest entry in the acclaimed, bestselling mystery series, Maisie Dobbs takes on her most personal case yet, a twisting investigation that will take her across London, from her childhood neighborhood to the highest echelons of power.

My Rating:

My Review:

Review: The Maze Runner (Audiobook)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Series: Maze Runner #1
Genre: Dystopia. YA
Length: 10 hours and 50 minutes
Narrator: Mark Deakins
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

My Rating:

My Review:

Review: Naked in Death

I've been meaning to try this series for some time and when I started the readathon in the backseat of a car, leaving one of the saddest and heartbreaking funerals I had ever been to, a dystopia read was not an option. I just wanted something new. So here we are.

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #1
Genre: Mystery, Romantic Suspense
Pages: 294 (ebook)
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

In hardcover for the first time, here is the novel that started it all-the first book in J. D. Robb's number-one New York Times-bestselling In Death series, featuring New York City homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Roarke.

It is the year 2058, and technology now completely rules the world. But New York City Detective Eve Dallas knows that the irresistible impulses of the human heart are still ruled by just one thing-passion.

When a senator's daughter is killed, the secret life of prostitution she'd been leading is revealed. The high-profile case takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the rarefied circles of Washing-ton politics and society. Further complicating matters is Eve's growing attraction to Roarke, who is one of the wealthiest and most influential men on the planet, devilishly handsome... and the leading suspect in the investigation

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My Review:

Feature & Follow: Irritating Writing Devices

I'm joining in for the Feature and Follow Hop which is hosted by Parajunkee & Allison Can Read, if you want to join in just follow hosts and the featured blogs, The Y.A. Book Blogger &  Carmen Jenner (methods of following should be available on their pages.  

Feature & Follow Question of the Week:

Q: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book?

1.  Cliffhangers. Cliffhangers.  Cliffhangers.  I hate them.  I feels like the author is trying to bully me into reading his/her next book and I often feel like I didn't get my money's worth out of the book.

2.  Love Triangles.  Honestly, I don't think girls/women are that indecisive.  Plus, the love interests seem so stereotypical.  Uhhhh!

Honestly, I don't think either of these two would bother me so much if they weren't EVERYWHERE!  Why are cliffhangers the norm?!  That's silly.


If you decide to follow me, please choose the method of your choice.

There's GFC, Networked Blogs, Email, and RSS.  Choose whatever floats your boat!!

 

Last Book to Give You a Hangover?

Source: sweetcaroline97.tumblr.com via Angela on Pinterest

Just finished The Maze Runner and I'm so disoriented.  What's the last book that gave you a book hangover?

Why I Love Wednesdays...Favorite Book Family

I am returning with my feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Book Family

Why I Love...Teenie's family

If you think about it, this is a ridiculously hard questions to answer.  As I perused through the books that I read this year it became quite clear that families are simply missing in books these days.  Somehow isn't strong, tough, or have experienced a difficult time if they managed to have a family to support them.  Last time this prompt came up, I picked the March family from Little Women. I started to choose them again before I realized I had already done so.

So who to pick.  I could pick the Black Dagger Brotherhood because they are a family of sorts.  But that wasn't really what I was getting at. I desperately want to pick Karou's makeshift family in The Daughter of Smoke and Bone (because I find more reasons to love this book every time I think about it), but again, that's a makeshift family and I wanted to pick strong family unit.   Ultimately, I settled on Teenie's family in Teenie by Christopher Grant.   Teenie had both parents in her home and siblings that were very mean but loving.  When I think of the joke that they played on her concerning the ashes in a urn, it makes me chuckle.

But honestly this question shouldn't be so hard.  Where are the families in books?

Which book families do you love? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!

If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:

When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."

Please link directly to your post and not your blog.

Please participate :)

Previous Why I Love Wednesday Posts

Review: Insurgent (Audiobook)

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #2
Genre: Dystopia
Length: 11 hours and 22 minutes
Narrator: Emma Galvin
Source: eLibrary
Author's Blog | Twitter
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My Rating:

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Review: Pandemonium

Interestingly enough I read Pandemonium and Insurgent at the same time. Even though I preferred Delirium to Divergent by a long shot, I think Insurgent wins the battle of the sequels. I enjoyed Pandemonium but it didn't bring the magic of Delirium along.  Come back for the Insurgent review tomorrow (please!).

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #2
Genre: Dystopia, Yound Adult
Pages: 375 (eBook)
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

My Rating:

My Review:

Double Mini-Reviews: Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened (Where Have I Been?!)

Lover Eternal  by J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires
Pages: 441 pages (paperback)
Source: Bookshelf
Author's Website | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Quote:

“V shook his head. “Remember what you saw in that clearing, cop? How’d you like that anywhere near a female you loved?”

Butch put down the Bud without drinking from it. His eyes traveled over Rhage’s body.

“We’re going to need a shitload of steel,” the human muttered.”

Lover Awakened by  J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #3

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires

Pages:  434 (paperback)

Source: Bookshelf

Author's Website | Facebook

Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Quote:

“Besides, you think I'm not used to hurting? For me, it's home sweet home, my brother.”

My Rating:

My Review:

This is a Coffee Kind of Day

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

This is all good when I had class afterward. But I've got to actually work now and go to the gym after work. How do you guys handle your reading addiction and stay awake during the day time.  Does this happen to you?

Why I Love Wednesdays...Favorite Childhood Book Series

I am returning with my feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Childhood Book Series

Why I Love...The Babysitter's Club

I really did have quite a few loves as a kid.  I was loyal too. When I was interviewed by a local newspaper back when I was in second grade, I told them that my favorite books were The Babysitter's Club.  When I think back to my childhood, those are still the books that stick out the most.  I remember them vividly.  I remember Claudia's grandmother dying and Stacy (was it Stacy?) having diabetes.  I even remember some of the babysitters that came later like Jesse.  I looked up to these girls.  Babysitting sounded like the greatest job in the world.  They had real problems that I could identify with at such a young age.  Plus they seemed so much older and mature to me.  I believe they started off in the sixth or seventh grade.  This was such an unforgettable series for me.  When I get my library, I'm going to find the entire series and stock them where I can see them and reminisce.  Oh but there were a few more loves and I just had to share.

Which childhood series did you love? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!

If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:

When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."

Please link directly to your post and not your blog.

Please participate :)

Previous Why I Love Wednesday Posts

Review: Life As We Knew It (Audiobook)

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Series: The Last Survivors
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult
Length: 9 hours and 2 minutes
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Source: eLibrary
Author's Blog | Twitter
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

My Rating:

My Review:

Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Audiobook)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Genre: Dystopia, Zombies, Young Adult
Length: 9 hours and 31 minutes
Narrator: Vane Millon
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

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Dewey's #Readathon Hours 19-24: Internet Craziness

I'm still awake and I'm still reading.  I apologize for the lack of updates.  Internet has been down at the in-laws and commenting through my phone is just downright annoying.  I don't have time for that.  It has been disappointing that I haven't been able to take part in the social aspect of the readathon but it is what it is.  The Hubby has been working tirelessly to get me back online.  He's so sweet.  Since I'm not sure how long internet will be up, I wouldn't expect any updates from me until tomorrow.  But just know I'm still reading!

Hour 19

Books read: 1.5
Current read: Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
Snacks eaten: Tea, Funyans, Shrimp pasta, and candy straws (do as I say not as I do).

Happy Reading!

If I can, more updates to come.  *Fingers crossed*

Dewey's #Readathon Hour 8-16: Just getting Started

Hour 8 has started and so have I. I'm still in a car and on my iPad so excuse me if I'm a little slow getting around. I'll still be cheering everyone on soon enough.  I'll announce the winner of the challenge as soon as I can.

Hour 8 & 9

Books read: none :)
Reading: Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Snacks eaten: none but I've had my tea

Pictures and all that fun coming soon.

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: Turn to Page

Hey Read-a-thoners!!  Are your reading juices pumping yet?!  Is that sneaky little nap trying to carry you away to dream land?  Well we refuse to let that happen.  Never fear, we have a challenge just for these moments.  So grab your coffee/tea, stretch those muscles, and grab your read.  It's challenge time!!

For this challenge, you must turn to page 32 of the book you are currently reading (or the nearest page with text on it) and find the most entertaining phrase to complete the following sentence:

"If only you knew ________, you'd run screaming into the night!"

For example, mine might say: "If only you knew my aunt would kill you if she saw you, you'd run screaming into the night!""

Post your sentence in the comments so everyone may enjoy!  Don't forget to include the title of the book you are reading and your email so I can contact you.  Let the laughs begin :)  Push through we've got tons of reading fun ahead.

On winner will be chosen after hour 8 and the winner may choose a book of their choice from the Book Depository (or Amazon) under $15.  This challenge is open to all read-a-thoners who have a mailing address that the Book Depository ships to.

Happy Reading!!  You can do it!!

Dewey's #Readathon: Things Gone Crazy

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon is tomorrow!  Whoot Whoot!!  While I'm really excited, I'm sad to say that I won't be participating at the same extent as last time.  Unfortunately, an unexpected passing of a close friend means I will be at In-Laws this weekend and attending a funeral.  I know, I know... this year keeps throwing crazy things my way.

BUT I will still participate.  The Hubby said he would read with me cheer me on.  This is his way of saying "I'm sorry you are stuck reading with someone who will grate your nerves and bother you endlessly." I'm not excited about reading somewhere that is NOT my space, but I can't imagine giving up one of my favorite holidays.  Yes I said holiday.

I've posted some tips based on my previous experience.  So check them out.  I've got some Tips & Tricks for you and a helpful post on what NOT to do (take special note of number 3).

I don't have a book pile because most of my books are in storage.  Cause I'm smart like that.  I only have review requests with me, which should be a good thing.  I guess.  So we'll see what comes out tomorrow.

As for food... I'm so sad.  I learned my lesson that time I tried to get through a read-a-thon with some grapes.  I have no idea what food I'll be munching on but I know for sure... for sure... that I am going to have a delicious German Chocolate cupcake with all of its fatty goodness.  If previous readathons are any indication, it will be gone in the first 25 minutes of the readathon.  After I've had my tea of course.

If I have some time on Friday, I'll check on Pinterest to see what I can whip up.  If worst comes to worst, I'll make my world famous guacamole and cut up some cucumbers, buy a vegetable tray, and a cupcake.  I can live off these things. Seriously.  But not grapes.  I can't live off grapes.  I tried.

Oh and I'm hosting another mini-challenge.  It was so fun last time, I had to do it again.  So check in here at 11 am central.

So enough about my unconventional readathon plan.  Tell me.  Are you giving the best book challenge in the world a go? Don't be afraid to link up in the comments if you've already done a post about your plans.  Despite the change in plans, I'm still excited.

Review: Silver Sparrow

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
Genre: Cultural (African-American), Adult Fiction, Young Adult (cross over)
Pages: 352 (paperback)
Source: Publisher | Algonquin Books
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

With the opening line of "Silver Sparrow," My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist, author Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man 's deception, a family 's complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon 's two families the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich yet flawed characters the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle she also reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another 's lives.

At the heart of it all are the two lives at stake, and like the best writers think Toni Morrison with "The" "Bluest Eye "Jones portrays the fragility of these young girls with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women, just "not" as their mothers

My Rating:

My Review:

Review: Across the Universe

Across the Universe is a book I've wanted to read since I started blogging. When I started blogging, this book was everywhere. I must have entered 50 giveaways trying to get this one book. Then I got busy and I never got around to buying it. Enter my eLibrary. Yes!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Series: Across the Universe
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Pages: 416 (ebook)
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My Rating:

My Review:

Why I Love Wednesdays...Characters I Love to Hate

I am returning with my feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Characters we Love to Hate

Why I Love... Jason from Fallen Together

I've picked a character that many of you may be unfamiliar with. Jason from the Fallen Together is a character I just love to hate. I mean, he leaves a girl in a ditch alone when she goes into a seizure. He doesn't get help and only puts a blanket over her. That's such a horrible thing to do. Things could have turned out so bad. Things eventually change and he grows up. He's still the type of guy that I just couldn't call a friend. I probably wouldn't even like him as a person.

But I bring him up because he actually has some redeeming qualities and Ms. De los Santos did a great job making him so complex that you could see how some could like him. Though I did feel bad for him and wish him the best in the end, I still couldn't get over the earlier behavior. When the book was over, I found myself thinking of Jason the most. It is amazing how complicated the human spirit can be.

Which characters do you love to hate? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!

If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:

When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."

Please link directly to your post and not your blog.

Please participate :)

Previous Why I Love Wednesday Posts

Review: Shatter Me (Audiobook)

My renewed interest in my challenges has taken me on quite a reading adventure. So much so that I got a little too comfortable. I stopped reading descriptions and looked only for the dystopia designation. Shatter Me, thus proved to be a grave mistake. I didn't go into it with huge expectations though the premise excited me.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me
Genre: Dystopia
Length: 9 hours and 12 minutes
Narrator: Kate Simses
Source: eLibrary
Author's Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My Rating:

My Review:

Guest Post: Now Trending: YA mythology

Today we've got a wonderful guest post from author, Leigh Michael. Leigh Michael is an author of YA fiction. She's worked within the advertising world for nearly a decade before writing her debut series, Annabelle's Story. Leigh lives in Washington, DC with her husband and goldendoodle. Please learn more about Leigh and her works at www.LeighMichaelBooks.com.  Help me welcome Leigh to Reflections of a Bookaholic!

Now trending: YA mythology

(Guest post by Leigh Michael)

The love of dystopia, steampunk, vampires, and things that go bump in the night are trends that are still going strong (as they should). Thanks to authors like Rick Riordan, P.C. Cast, and Josephine Angelini, mythology is a YA trend that has also made a name for itself. Here's 3 reasons why I believe mythology is worth the hype. 1. Writing mythology is two-fold: an impressive imagination and extensive amounts of research. I personally love this combination that's seen in various genres. 2. As we all know... Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are the three main Greek Gods. Which means, there's potential for story lines in the sea, the underworld, and all of earth's land and sky. Really makes ya question the saying, "the sky's the limit."   3. Sure, there's Greek Mythology (as I just mentioned), but that's just scratching the surface. In fact, mythology is defined as "A collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes." In other words, lots of fun variations, prophecies, and adventures to behold. So are you ready to dive into mythology? Below are a few books that aspire to be hot buttons in the YA mythology trend. Pick 'em up and become a part of this growing genre.