Reading Slumps

I know a lot of people have experienced the dreadful reading slump. They're terrible, aren't they?! You can't seem to find a book that can keep your interest or sometimes you just don't feel like picking up a book at all. When you have a TBR list that has over 150+ books on it, it sucks! So many books, so little time.. And a reading slump doesn't help at all. So, what do you do when you are in a reading slump and you want to get out? Here is a list of things that I came up with that I do when I am in a reading slump!

1. Change what genre of book you are reading. Sometimes you need to change it up. If you have been reading too much Romance or Contemporary, maybe try a Dystopian or maybe Fantasy? This can really help when in a reading slump.

2. Try reading on a different platform. What does this mean? Well if you are reading a physical copy of a book, maybe try reading an e-book on either your eReader/iPad/phone. Or maybe even try to listen to an audiobook! I like to mix up what I read on. I may read a few books on my iPad and then a few in physical copy, or I may alternate between the two. This helps me out a lot. I'm not sure why it helps so much, but it does. Give it a try!

3. One thing that has really helped me out is to re-read one of my favorite books. You love that book so of course it is bound to help pull you out of that nasty reading slump! This has helped me out of several reading slumps!

4. Sometimes your reading location can affect you and put you in a reading slump! Change it up some! I normally read in my bed or in the recliner in the living room. But sometimes I need a change. Maybe try reading in a park, a coffee shop, at a bookstore, in the bath! There are so many options. Just find a different reading spot! It could help!

5. Take a break. Sometimes a break is necessary. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from reading. You have a life that you need to live, so go live it. Your books will always be there when you get back!

6. Sometimes just visiting a bookstore will help. I mean, you are surrounded by awesome books! While you're in there, you may find some books you are interested in reading!

If you are in a reading slump, give some of these a try. There are lots more ideas and ways to help get you out of a reading slump, these are just ones that have helped me in the past and I thought I'd share them with you!

Happy reading!

Review: Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Library Book

Pages: 336

Series: Standalone

Release Date: September 2, 2014

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This emotional, hilarious, devastating, and ultimately triumphant YA debut, based on actual events, recounts one girl’s rejection of her high school’s hierarchy—and her discovery of her true self in the face of tragedy.

Fall’s buzzed-about, in-house favorite. Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school. Inside, she’s a freak: a mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA (after all, her father is Romanian). But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauer, first most popular girl in school, will make her life hell. So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can’t get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life? Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it? Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates? Who?

Anatomy of a Misfit is Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Anika’s hilariously deadpan delivery will appeal to readers for its honesty and depth. The so-sad-it’s-funny high school setting will pull readers in, but when the story’s dark foreboding gradually takes over, the devastating penultimate tragedy hits like a punch to the gut. Readers will ride the highs and lows alongside funny, flawed Anika—from laughter to tears, and everything in between.

So when I first read that this book was a mixture between Perks and Mean Girls, I was a little nervous. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. There were some things that I liked and there were some things that I wasn't a big fan of.

So something that I didn't like was sometimes I felt like the story was drug out a lot. I'm not really sure why, but it just seemed like that to me.

I really liked our main character, Anika. I thought she was a great main character. Sure she didn't have the best life, but she went through a lot and learned a lot of lessons throughout the book. I really liked how it was like she was having a conversation with the reader in some parts of the story too. I thought that really helped with connecting to her.

Then you get to the ending and oh man. That was something I was really not expecting. It was a huge plot twist and completely broke my heart. I just wanted to grab Anika and hug her and never let her go. I could never image how she was feelings. My heart broke when hers did.

Overall, I did enjoy this book even though it wasn't the best read in the world. I would recommend this book if you are a fan of either Mean Girls or Perks.

Review: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Publisher: First Second

Source: Purchased

Pages: 221

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 7, 2011

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Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a ghost--is just what she needs.

But Anya's new B.F.F. isn't kidding about the "forever" part...

I'm not really sure what it is about graphic novels that makes them so awesome. I mean, I guess it could be the awesome stories mixed with the beautiful artwork.. Yes, we will go with that.

I absolutely loved the artwork in Anya's Ghost. I thought that it really helped capture you and pull you into the story. I thought that the artwork fit the story very well with the development of the plot and it really enhanced the book rather than just having artwork.

So I heard that this book was "scary." At first I wasn't quite sure how this book was going to become scary.. But then the book took a dark turn and the book became super creepy. This creepy element in the book made me REALLY enjoy this book a lot!

I loved the characters in this book. I thought all four of their roles (Anya, her brother, her mom, and the ghost) were very well written. Each one of unique but awesome.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. I think that this would be a perfect graphic novel for those of you who are new to graphic novels or haven't read them before. It's a quick and easy read as well as a really good book.

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

 

Publisher: Dutton

Source: Borrowed

Pages: 339

Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3

Release Date: August 14, 2014

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From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

I'm not sure why Stephanie Perkins decided to do this to us.. Again. I think she enjoys breaking our hearts just to pick the pieces right back up and then having us ball our eyes out from all the cuteness. But thank you Stephanie Perkins for another amazing book.

I don't know about you guys, but I loved Isla's character. I think that throughout the book, she has to learn a lot of things in life. By learning these things, I think that she was able to mature a lot as well as find out who she was somewhat. To be honest, her character reminded me a lot of myself. I am not one who likes to take risks. Taking risks scares me to death. 

Then you have Josh.. Oh Josh. Why do you have to be so cute?! You can really tell that he cares so much for Isla (even if she doesn't realize it.) He really seems like an awesome guy that any girl would kill to have!

Can we talk about that ending real quick (without spoilers of course...) But.. THAT ENDING. Like if I had to think of a perfect ending for this book, the ending I came up with would be crap compared to what Perkins did. THE FEELS. THE TEARS. THE BUTTERFLIES. THE EVERYTHING. Such an amazing ending to an amazing book and series!

Another thing.. That acknowledgment Stephanie Perkins did about her husband.. SO FREAKIN' CUTE! I'm going to be completely heart broken if she doesn't write any more romance books. NEED MORE ROMANCE FROM STEPHANIE PERKINS!

So, as you can tell... I really loved this book a lot. It is definitely one of my all time favorite series and I would recommend them to anyone. Especially if they want to feel all of the feels. If you haven't read these books, you need to go do that. Now. GO!

If you have read all three books, which was your favorite? 

I thought mine would remain Anna, but I think with the ending that Isla had, I'm going to have to pick this one as my favorite!

Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Source: Purchased

Pages: 296

Series: Standalone

Release Date: September 18, 2012

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SHHHH!

Don't spread the word!

Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.

You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

WOW. This book was crazy. It was not only really good, but it was also really scary. I'm not one for liking scary things because I get nightmares really easily but I could not stop reading this book!

All of the characters were very unique in their own way. I really enjoyed getting the perspective of Meg. I think that she was the best character to get the POV from.

I also really liked the romance in this book. I was really hoping that the two people who wanted to be together actually ended up together in the end. 

Throughout the whole book, it had me really wanting to know who the murderer was. Just when I thought I knew, they would get killed off and I was left confused again. I loved having to try to figure out who it was. But then that ending.. THAT ENDING. That was NOT what I was expecting. Oh man. When the stuff happened at the end, I'm pretty sure my eyes grew wide and my mouth dropped open. A big plot twist for sure.

Although this book was a spin off of another book (And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie) I still really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was really well written and very enjoyable. 

Overall, I am so glad that I decided to give this book a shot. It helped me out of my reading slump! If you like mysterious and scary books, this one is definitely for you!

I now have a page on Facebook!

That's right! I now have a page on Facebook that you can go like!

I will be posting links to all my blog posts as well as some other random things on there that are book related! 

Click here to go to the FB page!

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IF I STAY, THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS!

Publisher: Speak

Source: Purchased

Pages: 274

Series: If I Stay #2

Release Date: April 17, 2012

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It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

This book is told in Adam's point of view. For some reason, I had a hard time getting into the book in the beginning. However, I eventually got so hooked. This book was an amazing conclusion to an amazing book.

I really loved being able to see things through Adam's eyes. We all know that he had to also go through a lot when Mia got into the car accident. I really liked being able to know how he was feelings and learning a little more about his life.

I really liked how in the beginning of each chapter, it started off with lyrics from a song by Shooting Star, Adam's band. The songs were inspired by Mia and you could tell. You can see his pain and his emotions through the lyrics. I thought that this really added a nice tough to the book.

I really enjoyed the ending to the book. After the ending of If I Stay and after reading the beginning of this book, I really wanted Mia and Adam to be together. I felt like their love for one another was a once in a life time sort of thing. Although I thought Mia's explanation of her pretty much disappearing was a little lame, I am really glad that they were able to work things out and realize their love for one another.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I thought that it was a great wrap up to the duology. I definitely recommend reading both of them!

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Publisher: Speak

Source: Purchased

Pages: 262

Series: If I Stay #1

Release Date: April 6, 2010

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On a day that started like any other,

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.

Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.

This book was beyond amazing. I have no idea why I waited so long to read it. It is a very emotional and touching story. I literally read this book in less than 24-hours and then immediately started on the sequel because it was so amazing.

After reading this book, and having some real like events happen, I realized that life can change at any moment for either the good or the bad. Everything that you once thought was going to happen now isn't. Someone you thought you were going to see again is now gone. It's a very heart breaking thing to have to deal with.

This is one of those books where you are easily connected with the characters because the events in the story could potentially happen to you in real life. Knowing that this sort of thing could happen to you is very frightening. It is also really sad because a lot of us have had to deal with tragedy or seen it on the news. It sucks to start thinking about losing someone so close to you but this book makes you really think about things and life.

Gayle Forman really didn't waste time with stabbing you right in the heart. I wasn't expecting the tragedy to happen so quickly in the story. However, I think it is what made the book so amazing. We were able to get to know the family just enough that they mattered to us but they weren't overdone in the book. While reading this and seeing what was happening to everyone who was dealing with the tragedy really made me feel like I was also a character in the book and made me feel things that they were feeling.

Overall, I think that Gayle Forman did an amazing job with this book. She was able to break our hearts but with an amazing story. If you haven't read this book, you need to. NOW. I promise you won't regret it!

Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Source: Purchased

Pages: 449

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 6, 2014

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The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...

Oh my gosh. This book is beyond amazing. When I got to the end, I wanted more. Like, I really did NOT want it to end! LOVED IT.

This was my first book that I have read by Morgan Matson. I can guarantee that this will not be my last! 

I could relate to the main character so perfectly. I loved being able to go through everything with her as she grew throughout the book. I felt like I was one of her friends while I was reading this book. It was just so awesome.

The romance in this book was awesome. It wasn't one of those books where it was mainly focused on the romance, but it just kind of happened. AND I AM SO GLAD IT HAPPENED! OH MY GOSH. I loved Emily and the boy who I will not mention together! SO CUTE.

I thought that the whole idea of this book was amazing. I kind of wish I had a best friend and one that would do this for me to help break me out of my shell! I think that the list was super awesome and sounded really fun but also scary.

I loved the friendship aspect in this book. I have had some really bad experiences with friendships in the past, which is why I don't have a best friend, and I loved everything about Emily and Sloane's friendship. I think that Emily is very lucky to have such a great best friend to want to help her. I want a best friend like that!

I also think that the music in this book was awesome! The playlist that were in the book had some super awesome music in them and I discovered some songs that I didn't know about that I really like!

Overall, I REALLY like this book. It is a perfect summer read. I definitely suggest reading this book! You'll love it!

Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Publisher: William Morrow Books

Source: Borrowed

Pages: 181

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 18, 2013

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Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Laneis told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

I tried really really hard to like this book. I really did. Everyone was posting such awesome reviews about it saying how much they loved the book and how awesome it was. However, I thought the complete opposite. To tell you the truth, I had a VERY hard time finishing it. 

I found that the story wasn't all that interesting. Sure, there were some parts where you were like WHOA! but that was very rare. There weren't any characters that you cuold really "connect" with. And I thought that the story wasn't very original. I feel like something like this has happened before in another book or movie. 

I really didn't like how descriptive everything was. No matter how small it was, it had a huge and in depth description. I didn't find that necessary at all.

I feel like the story literally drug on and on and on.. yet the book was super short. It left me very confused and half the time I had no idea I was really confused.

Overall, I was really disappointed with this book. Like I said, I was really wanting to like this book. I'm really disappointed that I didn't. 

Review: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Source: Purchased

Pages: 398

Series: The Murder Complex #1

Release Date: June 10, 2014

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An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

Let me start off by saying that I DID read The Fear Trails before I read The Murder Complex and I really enjoyed it. I think that it was a great way to start the series and I would definitely recommend reading it before reading The Murder Complex!

Now on to The Murder Complex. When I first heard about this book, I knew that I had to read it. It sounded so good! I was a little iffy because there are a lot of cases where an author's debut books aren't very good. However, Lindsay Cummings KILLED it! (No pun intended haha) 

I loved Meadow as a character. She was so strong and heroic. I loved how much she cared for her family, especially her little sister. I loved how she wouldn't give up until she knew that her sister, as well as her family, was safe. She was an absolutely amazing character.

Zephyr wasn't your average book-boyfriend type of guy. I thought that he was cute, but not in that "jock guy" kind of way. There was something different about him that I really liked. I loved how he cared for Meadow. I loved how he wanted to just protect her no matter what. I loved him as a person. Also, what girl wouldn't love a guy who dreamed of being in a fairy tale with the girl of his dreams?! Like, that's so freakin' cute!

I liked how there were some parts of this book that literally made my heart beat so fast. I could really picture myself in the book, dealing with the things that were happening. And at some points, that was REALLY scary! But I liked that feeling! It made me feel closer with the characters.

There was only one thing that bugged me with this book. I really didn't like how some of the chapters were super short. Just when you would get really into the story with one of the character, the chapter would end. 

Overall, I really liked this book. And THAT ENDING. I cannot wait for the second book to come out so I can find out what happens. Lindsay Cummings is an amazing author and her debut book, The Murder Complex, proves that!