Review: Day 21 (The 100 #2) by Kass Morgan

Title: Day 21 (The 100 #2)

Author: Kass Morgan

Published by: Little, Brown and Company

Released: 2014

Summary: The 100 have been on the ground 21 days and have gotten the surprise of their lives, they are NOT ALONE! They are left with so many questions. How did the Earthborns survive the nuclear apocalypse? Are they dangerous? Can The 100 trust them?

Wells is trying to figure out how to protect his people with this new development. He also meets someone unexpected in the woods.

Bellamy and Clarke are on the search for Octavia, who was taken by Earthborns.

Luke and Glass are stuck on a dying ship and must find a way off of it.

The 100 are learning that survival is not for the weak. Life on the ground might be more than they bargained for.

My Thoughts: It's official, I love The 100 anything! The show on the CW is my favorite of favorites, but I've been pleased that the books are good as well. Now, if you go into the books expecting a carbon copy of the CW show, you are going to be disappointed. They're not the same, but that's why I like both of them. They have the same, interesting premise and take it in two different ways. Just very, very fun.

The books are definitely a more mellow version then the show. Don't get me wrong, they still contain danger and excitement, but a more mellow version of it. There is also more emphasis on romance in the books. If you crave Bellarke, you're going to appreciate the books, and fight for Bellarke all the more when it comes to the show. (Can anyone say CANON haha) But the book characters are not carbon copies of the show characters. They are both their own, separate thing. Just putting that out there.

Now as to a review of Day 21, I am pleased. It was very addictive, I felt like I didn't want to put it down while I was reading. Some really cool twists and turns were included.

I really enjoy the space station element in the book. For all the craziness that's happening on the ground, there is just as much craziness in space. So dramatic and so good!

The ending did feel very quick and wrapped up, which is slightly odd for a book in a YA series.

Really enjoyed this! I can't wait to see what happens next.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Great!

Reading Right Now! (97)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

--Bluescreen (Mirador #1) by Dan Wells-- I'm excited to jump into this one. I am already a fan of Dan Wells, purely based on his I Am Not A Serial Killer John Cleaver series, which is a great series and you should read it!!! I'm about 50ish pages into it and I'm interested, but I wouldn't say I'm hooked yet. This book is a future Los Angeles where technology has taken great strides. People can have this thing implanted in their head and literally plug into things, which just sounds weird. Umm so far I've learned that the main character is good at VR Video Games, people broadcast their lives 24/7, and the majority of the population is super super poor.

I'm excited to see how this goes though. I have a lot of faith in Dan Wells.

Depending on what the weather does, I could be stuck at home for awhile. They are forecasting winter weather where I live and in the South, people freak out at snow. So I might have a lot of reading time on my hands.

I do have a question though. Does it count as having a diverse cast if it's written by a white male author? Or white female author? No shade, I'm not one of those super critical, and annoying, booktuber/bloggers who throws a book away if there is no "diverse" cast mentioned. But do those super politically correct bloggers automatically dismiss books written by white people? The only reason this comes to mind is that this book is written by a white guy and virtually all the cast of characters so far are people of color. Just a curiosity I had. Not that I need to explain myself or defend myself, because I'm not ashamed of being a white/Caucasian person, but I could really care less about the color of an author. I think it's much easier to enjoy the book if I know nothing about the author, especially what they say on twitter or their social commentary. Anybody else with me? I do think that white authors can't really win though. If they write with a main person of color cast they could be not taken seriously. If they write with a mainly white cast, they are accused of not being diverse enough. And then if they write anything that remotely points to a savage tribe or a villain with a slightly darker skin tone, the internet goes crazy and their book is flooded with one-star reviews. I think that's kind of sad, just to have this no-win situation.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading? Let me know in the comments below.

Around The Year In 52 Books: Week 1

Part of my 2017 goals was to take part in more reading challenges, and one of those challenges I wanted to take part in was the AROUND THE YEAR IN 52 BOOKS CHALLENGE (hear echoes in the distance of challenge... challenge...challenge. Growing fainter each time)

Check it out for yourself here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/174195-around-the-year-in-52-books

You're supposed to read a book a week, and you pick the book based on prompts for each week. I don't know how well I'm going to do at this, but I'm going to take a shot. I'm not sure how strict the challenge is, if you're supposed to go week by week or if you can go out-of-order? I don't think I'll be that strict with myself. I will try to do a post for this Challenge every time I either am ready to tackle the book or if I have a plan for the book. I want to try a week by week basis, but we'll see.

WEEK 1:

A BOOK FROM THE GOODREAD'S CHOICE AWARDS 2016

MY CHOICE:

TITLE: Dark Matter

AUTHOR: Blake Crouch

I've heard all the buzz about this book and it kind of made me want to read it. Also, that cover just kind of screams READ ME! I don't really know a whole lot about this book, but I've heard it's very fun. I believe this book was a contender in the Science Fiction category of the awards. I can't wait to read it.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 2017 Goals

This week's Top 5 Wednesday is all about our Top 5 2017 Goals. This doesn't have to be all about reading goals, it can be about whatever goals you want to talk about. Here are my goals!

Fingers Crossed

5. Try as hard as I can to get my library addiction under control- I'm going to be honest with you, I don't have a lot of faith of me actually being able to stick to this one. I am a certified library addict. My addiction is strong. I love the library because you can read all kinds of things for free, and the library offers so much good to the communities that they serve. I actually have two library systems that I use. The first has this cool thing where it's part of a consortium, so it's partnered with other libraries in the state. That means that if I can't find a book at my local library, I might be able to get it from another county. I probably have abused this system, because I'm always requesting all kinds of books. The other library system I use has an unlimited checkout number, which is bad for an addict like myself.
I will always be pro-library. There is no shame in using the library. It still supports publishers and authors, and you don't have to worry about going broke or buying 10+ bookshelves to house your collections. I know some people don't like libraries because they have a thing against used books, dirty books, personally, I think that's a first world problem that is pretty easy to get over.
So yeah, I talked too long about this. I don't really think I'll have enough will-power to actually meet this goal, but I'm aware that I have a problem.

4. Read more of the books on my shelves- Along with my library addiction, I have a book buying addiction, but I don't tend to read them as fast because I'm always reading library books. I would like to read more of the books on my shelf. I hope I'm able to do that this year, we'll see.

3. Get Caught up on my Netgalley ARCS and Review books I have been sent, and also keep going with my bookstagram, bookblog, and resurrect my booktube channel- I pretty much crammed everything I could into this goal, but they are all things that I really want to keep on top of. I've been really bad with my Netgalley ARCS and Review books in 2016, probably because of my severe library addiction, so I would like to get more caught up on that. I love getting ARCS, and don't want to ruin it for myself because I'm so bad at reviewing them.
I want to keep my bookstagram and book blog (this thing here) updated and keep the posts coming. I think I did a good job of that in 2016. I did a much better job of scheduling and writing posts for my blog and I've been liking seeing my viewing stats go up. I've also been pretty proud of my reviews of 2016. I think writing my review, on paper, right after I review them has been a good way for me to transfer those reviews to the blog.
I've also been pretty happy with my bookstagram in 2016. I've been better about posting and I've been pretty pleased with my numbers. With my bookstagram account, I also incorporate other stuff, like my makeup addiction and my pets. So, I just want to keep those going and do the best I can with them, and most importantly, have fun!
What I would really like to do in 2017 is resurrect my booktube channel! I've been such a bad person with that. I've had some computer issues with uploading videos, which put me off of it, and I've just been lazy about sitting down to film. So I would like to get back to booktube. We'll see if that happens.
If you want to visit my book social medias, I'll link them here:
bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotbookcitement/        (@gotbookcitement)
booktube: https://www.youtube.com/user/acbsgotbookcitement   (acbsgotbookcitement)
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7412993-ashley 

2. Take part in more reading challenges- I really want to do some yearly challenges this year. I've picked out two, which I will link the Goodreads Groups below, and I hope I do a good job of completing them. Challenges can either be fun, or stress you out. I'm hoping the ones I've chosen are fun and I'll be able to complete them in full.

Around the Year in 52 Books: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/174195-around-the-year-in-52-books 
This one might be the most challenging, just because it is 52 books, but it seems like it could be really fun.

Book Bingo!: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/178222-book-bingo
I'm hoping to do a blackout of the board, but we'll see what happens.

1. Read 55 books (preferably more) for my 2017 GoodReads Reading Challenge- And lastly, I want to read at least 55 books in 2017. I don't think I'll have any problem with this. I had 55 as my goal for 2016 and surpassed it no problem. I find the GoodReads Yearly Reading Challenge to be a lot of fun. I've done them every year since 2012, and have managed to meet my goal every year. I tend to set it low, just so it's not so stressful to meet it.

So that's my Top 5 Wednesday Top 5 2017 Goals! What are yours? If you want to join in on the Top 5 Wednesday fun, you totally should. Each Wednesday is a new, fun topic to contemplate and consider. Check out all the other Top 5 Wednesday-ers Here!

Review: Alienated (Alienated #1) by Melissa Landers

Title: Alienated (Alienated #1)

Author: Melissa Landers

Published by: Hyperion

Released: 2014

Source: Library

Summary: How awesome is it to win a contest you never even entered! Well, that depends on what you won. Cara Sweeney has won the honor and privilege of hosting the first ever alien exchange student. Plus, the option to go to any college she wants with scholarship money. 

Cara isn't exactly excited about hosting an alien though, especially an alien boy. Ever since the L'eihr race has been discovered, humans have been dealing with the reality that we are not alone. The L'eihr's do have awesome technology, and have provided a cure for cancer, so that's a plus in their favor. The feeling of mistrust still lingers in the air. 

Cara must learn to live with her new, alien roomie Aelyx. It helps that he's cute. Maybe Cara will feel more for Aelyx than she ever imagined.

My Thoughts: This was a fun, little story. It had a very addicting quality about it that I enjoyed. It was mostly just a fun read.

As I went farther into the book, it became an odd mix of fun and serious/dangerous issues. It kind of threw me for a loop when I came across that change. I wasn't expecting it. The writing still had that addicting quality about it, but it wasn't as fun anymore. It was sad seeing the way the town reacted towards Aelyx. How Cara ended up ostracized and losing all her friends. They way human nature can react to differences can be just so sad.

I also felt like the romance got put on fast forward halfway through the book. They had this whole cool, slow burn thing going, and then it just went into hyperdrive. I like those romances that take a little time, so I didn't really enjoy the suddenly we're in love bit.

This book was an interesting mix for me. I liked some parts, and was just okay with others. I'm definitely going to continue on with the series, because I'm interested.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

We Are Not Alone!

December 2016 Wrap-Up!

Here is what I read in December of 2016! I didn't do too bad for the end-of-the-year. I read 4 books and 5 comics and mangas. I did get stuck on one book at the end of December, and I just didn't manage to finish it, so that will be my first book read for 2017.

  

 

  

Books And Ratings

--Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard-- 2.8/5 -- Hooray! I'm finally done with this trilogy! I'm planning on reading the bind-up book of the novellas. I wasn't too impressed with this ending. I'm really not too impressed with this series. But, I finish what I start.

--And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich-- 4/5 -- What Did I Just Read??? This was so weird, but kind of good at the same time. I can't wait to read more by Dawn Kurtagich. I think she's going to be one of my favorite, scary, weird book authors. I kind of wasn't surprised by the ending, just because I've read endings like that before, but this was definitely a messed-up ride.

--Death Note, Volume 7: Zero by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata-- 3.5/5 -- I don't know how to feel about this installment in the series. Honestly, it made me a little sad. It's definitely changed up everything that's going to happen in the future.

--iZombie, Volume 2: uVampire by Michael Allred, Chris Roberson, and Gilbert Hernandez-- 4/5 -- This was fun! I liked it. The art style really reminds me of Scooby-Doo. Plan on continuing with this one.

--Arata The Legend, Volume 3 by Yuu Watase-- 4/5 -- This was alright. I really enjoy Yuu Watase. She's kind of like a comfort manga writer to me. Like, I automatically know that I'm going to like her stuff. I read her when I was younger, when I was first getting into manga, and I plan to continue reading stuff by her.

--Nailbiter, Volume 2: Bloody Hands by Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson, Adam Guzowski, and John J. Hill-- 4/5 -- Super interesting and messed up. Lots of mystery. I can't wait to see where this is going.

--Rosario + Vampire, Volume 1 by Akihisa Ikeda-- 3.5/5 -- Ehhh didn't love it, didn't hate it. It's definitely more of a fan service manga. Lots of short skirts, big boobs. It had a very episodic feel to it too, so I don't know if it's a manga that you turn to for plot.

--Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook-- 3.3/5 -- I enjoyed this. I wanted to read more by Eileen Cook ever since I read her book With Malice. This book almost felt too short, like it needed a little bit more meat for the story to really achieve the emotional impact it was aiming for.

--Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch-- 4/5 -- Really liked this one! It was sooo cute. I'm going to have to read more by Jenna Evans Welch.

My What An Experience Book:

Favorite Read of the Month:

Number of Pages Read in December 2017:

2,267

GoodReads 2016 Reading Challenge Reached and Surpassed

Goal: 55 

Number of Books Read: 82

So that's how I did in December 2016. I'm ready for 2017. I've set my GoodReads 2017 Reading Challenge at 55 Books again, just because I feel like it's a little bit of a challenge, but it's also not full of stress where I don't think I'll be able to make it. How did you do reading wise in December?

Reading Right Now! (96)

What I'm Reading Right Now! is...

--Lies I Told (Lies I Told #1) by Michelle Zink-- I have been reading very slowly this week. I think the holiday season really had an effect on my reading. It's not even that I've been super busy, it's just that I've been in a mood where I'll do something else rather than pick up a book.

This book is pretty interesting. It's about this family of grifters. Basically, they go to new places, scout out the wealthy, get close to them, and steal their money. They are con artists, liars, and they are always putting on an act to trick their marks. Our main character, Grace, was adopted into this family. She grew up in foster care, with some not so nice foster families, so she is very grateful to her adopted parents, so grateful that she is willing to participate in the crimes. She has an adopted brother too. This con is in the ultra rich community of Playa Hermosa. Her job is to get close to a boy named Logan, his father is the rich, rich mark.

I'm just kind of interested in this. The parents are just so wrong, because I'm pretty sure they only adopted these kids for use in their cons. Sometimes teenagers are more easily accepted than adults. 

As I said before, I've had kind of a weird reading week, so I've been reading this one kind of slow. I'm on page 120ish. I think if I wasn't in a weird mood, this would be a book I'd fly right through. It has very short chapters, and I do have a soft spot for books that involve criminals and criminal enterprises. It kind of reminds me a little teeny bit of Revenge (the TV show) and another TV show that I can't remember the name of. It's a show that has former con people that now help save people. It's driving me crazy that I can't remember what it's called, Oh well.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?