Disis19 Hearts...

The last books I read in 2015!

Soundless by Richelle Mead My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am a person who reads for enjoyment. If a story is entertaining, that is all it needs to make me happy. That being said, I have to admit that I was concerned that I wouldn't like this book after hearing some reviews. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it! I do agree with others who wish there was more to the story. I feel as though I only scratched the surface of the myth and I would've appreciated more of the mythology throughout the story. Other than that, I thought this book was highly entertaining. View all my reviews

As of right now, I have read 116 books this year. That is a big difference from the 38 I managed to read last year (I also failed my reading challenge miserably last year, if you remember my post on it). I believe that I was able to read as many books as I did this year in large part to being introduced to BookTube and also the reading challenges and buddy reads that I participated in. In light of this, I thought it would be great to start 2016 off with a bang, and participate in a few challenges right off the bat. I saw the two following challenges over at Laura's (mom2triplets04) blog here . The first challenge I'm participating in is #RockMyTBR as hosted by Sarah K at the YA Book Traveler. The challenge is to read at least 1 book a month off your TBR. This was something I was thinking about before I heard of this challenge anyway, so I thought that it would be great to be participating with a group. If you're interested in joining, you can click here , and it will take...

Red Rising by Pierce Brown My rating: 4 of 5 stars Truthfully this is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars for me. I'm going to be honest and say that I really did not start enjoying this book until the half way mark. The very beginning was interesting, but I lost interest after the first 7 chapters. It really wasn't until the plan was starting to be put into action did I start to become invested in the story. As I read, I had a hard time remembering that the book is supposed to take place on Mars, as the scenery reminds me of Scotland. Probably didn't help that I also listened to a chunk of this on audiobook and the narrator has a slight Scottish accent. That actually helped with the appeal of the story for me, so not a complaint at all. I will be continuing with the series and am interested to see how Darrow's strategy plays out in the next installment. View all my reviews

Super up close and personal (〇o〇；) Sorry! #HarryXmasToYou Read-a-thon/Watch-a-thon Announcement Video by Maureen Keavy here Goodreads links to books mentioned are below:

I read 11 things this month!

Ignite Me  by Tahereh Mafi Shatter Me, Book 3 Ebook, 393 pages Read from November 15 to November 22, 2015 I read this book on Scribd here If you would like a free two month trial to their service, you can get one through my link here I buddy read this book, as well as the previous two installments with the lovely Christina de Vries. Please check out her blog here My rating: ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。 Image credit to Goodreads I pondered for a long time before writing my review, because I didn't know if I would be able to write it without a ton of spoilers. I am going to try here nonetheless. I am not promising there won't be spoilers though, so where they are, I will have them bracketed and hidden. You just need to highlight them to view, if you are interested. This conclusion to the trilogy was much more interesting and engaging than the previous installment. Though I enjoyed it, the first installment was still the best in my opinion. This final installme...

My first tag video! I was tagged by Raul (LatinLector). His video is here . Original tag was created by Novels and Nonsense. Her video is here .

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill My rating: 4 of 5 stars It's been a few hours since I've finished the book and still have no idea what to say about it.This was a very interesting read, and my first from Joe Hill. I started this on audiobook, but around the halfway point I had to switch to ebook because listening to the vulgar language bothered my ears. Listening to vulgar language is a very different experience for me than reading it and I found that listening to it was taking away from my enjoyment of this story. I am very glad that I switched over because if I hadn't, I might've had to put this book aside. We start with Vic at seven or eight years old and her first experience with The Shorter Way Bridge. After this initial meeting, we always skip past a few years before we meet up with Vic again, until she grows into an adult. I think the next time we catch up with her is when she's 12, then 17 and so forth. Each time we meet back up with Vic, things have h...

Monthly Recommendations is a Goodreads Group that was created by Booktubers Kayla Rayne  and Trina from  Between Chapters . The Goodreads Group is  here , if you would like to join us. This month's topic is Trilogies. I have realized that I don't read too many trilogies, but I do have four to recommend to you this month. Goodreads pages for these trilogies are linked below: Wondrous Strange Trilogy by Lesley Livingston The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong The Forbidden Game Trilogy by L.J. Smith The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts Have you read any of these trilogies or are you planning on reading any of them? If so, please let me know! Also, if you have a trilogy recommendation, I would love to hear it. Until next time, Take Care and Smi-Le Always!     ^ (   "   ) /___\     Di

Edgewise by Graham Masterton My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first Graham Masterton novel and I really enjoyed it! The story was very fluid and easy to read. I really like how it ended as well. I did not agree with how Lily went about things at times, but I can understand her reasoning behind it. All in all, a great read and I am looking forward to reading other books by this author in the future. View all my reviews

These are the books that are on my radar to read in November:

I read 6 books in October! Goodreads page links to books I mention in my Wrap Up can be found below. Christina De Vries channel here Raul's channel Latin Lector here Once Haunted, Twice Shy (Peyton Clark #2) by H.P. Mallory Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club #1) by James Patterson Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi Nearly Departed in Deadwood (Deadwood #1) by Ann Charles Rot and Ruin (Benny Imura #1) by Jonathan Maberry Try Scribd for 2 months free using my link here Let me know if you read any of these books or if you are planning on reading any of these books! Take Care and Smi-Le Always,     ^ (   "   ) /___\     Di

My daughter and I were fortunate enough to be able to catch local showings of the live action movies Shingeki no Kyojin ( Attack on Titan) Part 1 and Part 2 . Having watched and loved the anime, we thought it would be great to see the characters come to life. I was pre-warned by friends however, to not have high expectations going into it. Part 1 was pretty similar to the anime, though there were changes that confused me. Not having read the manga, I'm not sure if those changes were in the manga but I kept an open mind. At the end of Part 1, I was pretty satisfied with how the movie was done. The visual gore was a little over the top for me, but I expected it going in, seeing as I knew what to expect from the story. The action scenes were great, I thought The Colossal was amazing and the casting for Hange was spot on, in my opinion. I think that her performance was probably my favorite of both movies. Then a couple weeks later, we were able to see Part 2. This part, though i...

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry My rating: 5 of 5 stars Zombie books are not usually something I gravitate towards. Before this, the only other book I read about Zombies was Warm Bodies, which I liked but didn't love. This book, however was quite a nice surprise! The world building was awesome and watching the relationship between our main character Benny and his brother Tom grow, was just heartwarming. This is so much more than a book about Zombies. There's a little mystery, a little teenage romance, and great action scenes. So glad I came across this unexpected gem and am looking forward to further adventures without cast of characters. View all my reviews

Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles My rating: 4 of 5 stars Listened to this on audiobook from Hoopla through my library. This reminded me a lot of Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series, especially with the realtor aspect of the story. I do think this was a bit more enjoyable though. There were several times where I found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue. There were a few things that I did not enjoy though. The narrator sounded almost computer generated during much of the story, which bothered me a bit. **Spoiler (highlight to view) [ I personally thought that Violet should be stronger disciplining her children, especially her daughter who seemed to defy her at every turn and was persistently asking why she couldn't do something. And last but not least, Violet's co-worker who constantly harassed her. No one did anything to stop him or say anything, and she didn't do anything more than flip him the bird. I'm hoping that ...

So.....I bought some books this month ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪ Goodreads links to books mentioned below. All links to books in the middle of a series will go to the series page and not the individual books, so you don't have to worry about spoilers. I also mentioned Scribd in the video. If you haven't heard of this service, it's like Netflix for Ebooks. A subscription includes all you can read Ebooks and one audiobook credit a month, but they also offer a rotating selection of audiobooks you can listen to for free. If you would like to try out their service, you can get a two month free trial here . The Tommyknockers  by Stephen King Naughty in Nice (Her Royal Spyness #5) by Rhys Bowen Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok Volumes 1 & 2 by Sakura Kinoshita Backstage Prince  Volume #2 by Kanoko Sakurakoji Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1) by Stephen King If Hooks Could Kill and For Better or Worsted (Crochet Mystery #7 & #8) by Betty Hechtman Ptolemy's Gate (Ba...

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 4 of 5 stars I haven't decided if his is a solid 4 stars or 3.5 stars, but since I round up my ratings, I suppose it doesn't really matter. This book was slow going for me until after the 50% mark. I found Juliette weak and whiny up until that mark as well. Such a let down after how strong I perceived her to be in the first book. The romantic elements were so over the top, they were unbelievable. It did offer the opportunity for some good banter on it though with the person I buddy read this with. That being said, after the 50% mark the story flew for me. I did really enjoy it and ended up absorbing the last half in a few hours. My favorite character is still Kenji. He just says what needs to be said and had some great lines/speeches throughout the story. I'm still not sold on Adam or Warner. At this point, I am looking forward to seeing how the story ends, but I hope that the end does not hold disappointment for...

1st to Die by James Patterson My rating: 3 of 5 stars My first read by James Patterson. I enjoyed this, but I think if I hadn't watched the TV show before I started reading the series I would've enjoyed this book more. I was surprised with how short the chapters were and it gave me the illusion that the story was just flying by. The case did keep my interest and I will be continuing with the series. View all my reviews

My daughter has been a part of her high school marching band for the last three years, and this year is her final year. Usually during their tournaments, the parents and family in the audience are dressed in spirit wear. I made a scarf during her freshman year and this year, I decided on a hat. The pattern I used was my own, a take on a hat I saw in the Korean Drama You're Beautiful  staring Jang Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye. The original hat was done in one color, but I decided to try my hand at the two-color brioche technique here. It took me a couple of tries to get the join right, but in the end, it came out great! The band performed their first tournament this past weekend and were awesome, especially for it being their first time out of the gate this season. They were awarded Superior with Distinction, which I believe is the highest score you could be awarded. As with most music programs, fundraising is imperative for the survival of the program. I am pla...

Goodreads Group here Trina's Channel (Between Chapters)  here Kayla Rayne's Channel  here The Shining by Stephen King The Sculptor (Sam Markham #1) by Gregory Funaro - Free as of the day of this post on Kindle Unlimited The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories Re -told by Alvin Schwartz, Illustrated by Dirk Zimmer Nightmare Inspector:Yumekui Kenbun by Shin Mashiba Until Next Time, Take Care & Smi-Le Always!    ^ (   "   ) /___\  Di

Once Haunted, Twice Shy by H.P. Mallory My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have to say that I enjoyed the first book more than this one. In this installment, there wasn't the excitement or suspense I felt with the first one and I wasn't as drawn in to the story. This one was heavier in the romance and relationship departments and I was a little let down by the end. Still a fun listen though. View all my reviews

Radar just seems like a better term for the books I have in mind for the month. TBR makes me feel like I can't or shouldn't deviate from the books I mention at the beginning of the month. Especially with it being Halloween this month, I'd want to pick up season related books as much as possible! That being said, here are the books I have on my radar for October. Links for books past the first in the series will take you to the series page on Goodreads and not the actual book page, so you don't have to worry about spoilers: Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi - buddy read with Christina de Vries (channel  here ) Rot and Ruin (Benny Imura #1) by Jonathan Maberry - buddy read with Raul from Latin Lector (channel here ) The Impaler (Sam Markham #2) by Gregory Funaro Once Haunted, Twice Shy (Peyton Clark #2) by H.P. Mallory Stitching Snow  by R.C. Lewis A Whole New World (Twisted Tales #1) by Liz Br...

I read 17 books this month! The 6 I read for the read-a-thons are not included in this video, but I linked those wrap up videos below, if you're interested in my mini-reviews on those books. BookBuddyaThon Wrap-Up & Vlogs FairytaleaThon Wrap-Ups & Vlogs Hayate x Blade (Volumes 4 & 5)  by Shizuru Hayashiya The Vines  by Christopher Rice Fairy Tail (Volumes 13 & 14)  by Hiro Mashima Black Bird (Volumes 5, 6, &7) by Kanoko Sakurakoji Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn The Wrath & and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh (as mentioned in this review,  Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov as played by the USSR Symphony Orchestra in 1969) A Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)  by Lemony Snicket Until next time, Take Care & Smi-Le Always!     ^ (   "   ) /___\

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket My rating: 3 of 5 stars Really enjoyed the multi-voice cast, including Tim Curry, Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law. The sound effects were interesting as well, though at times, I thought it took away or even over shadowed the narration. I did actually read the physical copy several years ago and watched the movie rendition, so I'm interested to finally continue this series soon. View all my reviews

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this! I was familiar with the premise of A Thousand and One Nights before diving in, but have not actually read it. I did start this on audio and am very thankful I did, as it helped with pronunciation of names and terms. I also had Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov playing in the background while reading, which really helped create an ambiance for the novel. Of course the question is why the wives are killed each night, but I figured out part of the reason very early on in the story. That did not detract from my enjoyment of this story though, and I think the full reveal was perfect. Also I think there might be a misconception that our male lead is a villain, though I feel it's clearly stated on the book jacket that he is not what he seems. One thing that I do have issue with is that I did not realize this was going to be the first in a series going in! That being said, I don't ...

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn My rating: 2 of 5 stars Finally....I am finally finished with this book. It was almost two months of aggravation and attempted avoidance on my part to finally get here. I am trying very hard not to give this book 1 star, but I don't think I can go any higher than 1.5 stars. I do round up on my ratings, so 2 stars it is. I think if I didn't enjoy crime shows or stories, this would've appealed to me more, but throughout this book there were a lot of verbals on my part while reading/listening (none of which were nice). The only character I enjoyed was Go. I thought Nick had some redeeming qualities toward the end, but I can't stand Amy. I don't even know if I want to watch the movie now that I know how this unfolds. Unfortunately because of my experience with this book, I don't know if I want to try another one of Gillian Flynn's books....ever. At this point I would say that if I do, it will be a very, very long...

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer Snow White Blood Red (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #1)  by Cameron Jace Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe #1 ) by Rosamund Hodge Until next time, Take Care and Smi-Le Always!     ^ (   "   ) /___\

BookBuddyaThon was from September 7 through September 13. Three books, five challenges, and my first attempt at vlogging! Until next time, Take Care and Smi-Le Always!     ^ (   "   ) /___\

My daughter and I watched an anime earlier this year called Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!  and in it, there is a character called Wombat. He is totally cute (at least in my opinion), so I decided to try to knit my daughter a hat. This is the result and I'm pretty happy with it. I believe she likes it as well and that's all that matters. For all the deets on what pattern I used and such, you can see my Ravelry page  here . If you're interested in checking out the anime, you can watch it on Crunchyroll here or Funimation here . It is pretty hilarious and I find it a little similar to Sailor Moon, but with a team of boys. Until next time, Take Care and Smi-Le Always!    ^ (  "  ) /__\

Links for this video below: Monthly Recommendations Goodreads Group here Trina's (Between Chapters) Channel here Kayla Rayne's Channel  here Christopher Pike's Author Page on Goodreads  here Until the End (Final Friends, #1-#3) Chain Letter: Chain Letter; The Ancient Evil (Chain Letter #1-#2) R.L. Stine's Author Page on Goodreads  here When   by Victoria Laurie Murder for Choir (Glee Club #1)  by Joelle Charbonneau A Time for Dancing  by Davida Wills Hurwin I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1)    by Ally Carter Ouran High School Host Club, Vol 1   by Bisco Hatori Ouran High School Host Club Anime here

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 5 of 5 stars Now I know what all the fuss was about. This book was great. In the beginning, I was a little concerned with how I would get on with it. The descriptions were beautiful but I was constantly skipping the sentences and phrases that were struck out and would have to remind myself to go back and re-read it before moving forward. I did enjoy what was in those places though, as I thought it gave great insight to what Juliette was really thinking. This was a very fast, entertaining read and I appreciate that it did not have a cliffhanger ending. Can't wait to delve into the next one. View all my reviews

My first video! #BookBuddyaThon Links: My Book Buddy, Christina De Vries channel  here Hosts: ElenaReadsBooks channel here           ColdTeaandCrumbs channel here Books Mentioned: Undead and Unwed (Undead 1) by MaryJanice Davidson Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (Aurora Teagarden #3) by Charlaine Harris Better Read Than Dead (Psychic Eye Mystery #2) by Victoria Laurie Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Riggs #FairytaleaThon Links: Hosts: Rebecca Reads channel here           MadNovels channel here Books Mentioned: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer Snow White Sorrow (The Grimm Diaries #1) by Cameron Jace Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe) by Rosamund Hodge Other Books Mentioned: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels #1) by Anne Bis...

Looks like it's time for my August Wrap-Up! I read 9 books this month and participated in my first Read-A-Thon. Not to shabby if I do say so myself. Links to Goodreads pages for full summaries are included below. For reviews on the books I read during BookTube-A-Thon, please see the post  here . The books included in that post are as follows: Vampire Doll: Guilt-na-Zan, Volume 5 by Erika Kari Wicked Charms (Lizzy & Diesel #3) by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton Ghouls Rush In (Peyton Clark #1) by H.P. Mallory Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton The Maze Runner by James Dashner The next book I read was The Faerie Guardian (Creepy Hollow #1) by Rachel Morgan. Booktuber Benjaminoftomes ' Book Club pick of the month was this series. Lots of people read all the books that are currently released, but I just read this one installment. I really enjoyed this book about spunky guardian Violet Fairdale and her quest to correct a mess she's gotten herself into as w...

I have been on a Kdrama slump all year. To date I think I have only watched 6 or 7 dramas this year. My average is about 20 dramas yearly. If you've read my previous posts on Kdramas, I did have a watching streak a couple months ago, but I haven't watched a drama since July. You may also notice that I watch my dramas a lot like I read my books. I do not usually watch a drama or read a book when it first comes out and I will usually wait until the entire drama is done or most of the books in a series are out until I start it. This might explain why I haven't gotten around to this drama until now. Let me tell you that this drama was so good, I not only started it this weekend but I also finished it! It's been a very long time since I've been able to say that about any drama. The drama I'm talking about is Bride of the Century with Lee Hong Ki and Yang Jin Sun. The story revolves around Choi Kang Ju, who is the eldest son and heir to the Taeyang Group, the l...

I recently joined the new Goodreads Group Monthly Recommendations  created by BookTubers Kayla Rayne and Trina from Between Chapters  where we are recommending books around a different theme every month. This month's theme is Underrated Books. As we close in on Halloween, I thought it to be the perfect time to recommend to you not a single book, but one of my favorite series over the last year. I'm talking about the Ghost Hunter Mystery Series by Victoria Laurie. If you like cozy mysteries with a little spook, I think you'll enjoy this series. Some of the books in the series are more spooky than others, but they were all entertaining to me. I don't think many people know about this series so I thought it would be a great one to recommend! I do not remember how I was introduced to this series at all, but I do know that the first book in the series, What's a Ghoul to Do? , was added to my TBR shelf on January 1, 2012 (Thanks Goodreads!). It wasn't until Marc...

I participated in the BookTube-A-Thon for the first time this past week. It was super fun and I was able to read 5 books and complete 4 of the Reading Challenges. I'm pretty proud of myself (✿´‿`) Links to Goodreads for full summaries are included below. The first book I read was Vampire Doll: Guilt-na-Zan, Vol. 5 . I had bought this back in 2012 and hadn't read it until now. Being that I read Volume 4 in 2011, the story line was a little rusty to me. I was able to get back into it though and it was a light enjoyable read. If you haven't read the series, it's about a vampire aristocrat who'd been sealed away over 100 years ago. He was recently revived but as a female doll and can only transform to his true self by the blood of Tonae. The story line is slightly hilarious which makes for enjoyable reads. I completed two challenges with this read: Complete a book without letting go of it and read a book who's author shares the same first letter in their surna...

I've been reading quite a bit lately. Thought I'd share with you what my To Be Read line up looks like for this month. It will be a month of books with movies already made or books with movies that are coming out. I don't usually have a theme that I go by when I read, but it just turned out this way. Links to the Goodreads pages are included if you'd like to read the summaries. My plan is to start with Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton  This book has been in the #1 slot of my TBR list since I started Goodreads in 2008. After watching Jurassic World , I decided now would be as good a time as ever to finally request a copy from the library. There was quite a bit of a wait list for it, but it was finally released to me a few days ago and I've already started on it. The next books are in plan, but in no particular order. The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner Bought these books on Kindle when the first movie was being...

Finished this blankie for my Sister-in-law's new niece. All done with Caron Simply Soft yarns. It did take me a while to finish, not because the pattern is hard, but I put this project on the side a few times. When I started it, it wasn't for anyone in particular so there was no rush to complete it. This is actually the second blanket I've made from this pattern and I think it is very pretty. The pattern is free on Red Heart if you are interested. You can check my pattern page on Ravelry here for specifics in regards to the materials used. Until next time, Take Care and Smi-Le Always!        ^ (   "   ) /___\

After failing my 2014 Goodreads Reading Challenge, I'm happy to say that I am doing a great job so far this year. I have already exceeded the goal I set for myself, with the help of several manga that I have read in the last few months. Lately, I have been obsessed with BookTube. (Thanks Lee for introducing me to it! Her blog is Totallee.net - if you haven't checked it out, please do!) Anyway, that inspired this post, which I think would be a good addition to my blog and help me to post more often. Links to Goodreads are included below if you would like to read the summaries. Starting off with my Surprise TBR Pick #2 for June Mona Lisa Darkening (Monère: Children of the Moon #4) by Sunny. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I picked this book as the Surprise TBR Pick #2, but had not read the 3rd book yet, so I switched to that one instead. These books can be read as stand alone novels, but there are elements that continue throughout. I prefer to read them in orde...