Dean Winchester Friday... It's Back, Baby!

Dean Winchester (or sometimes Jensen Ackles) Fridays make me a very happy fangirl. You'll see why when you look at the pic.

Poor Dean. He’s always getting kidnapped or attacked by humans and monsters alike. I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending for him (whenever that may be), but knowing Supernatural’s showrunners, it’s not going to happen.

Waiting on Wednesday: Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill

 "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

Ever the Brave

Erin Summerill

(Clash of Kingdoms #2)

Publication Date: December 5, 2017

Hardcover, 464 pages, HMH Books

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave.

After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she'd like to, and now he's insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.

My Thoughts

I read Ever the Hunted, book one in the series, back in April. I thought it was a quick, fun, fantasy read. I liked the storyline and the characters. I’m hoping for some more world-building and character development in the sequel, though.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Stacking the Shelves: The I Didn't Buy Any of Them Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

I didn’t buy a single book since my last book haul, but somehow I managed to accumulate a very hefty amount. NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute is very good about providing its students with a plethora of good reads. Unfortunately, it cost a pretty penny to ship all of these books back home.

Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert

The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

White Working Class by Joan C. Williams

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

Everything All at Once by Bill Nye

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen

Managing Oneself by Peter F. Drucker

Happiness (The HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)

Remember Who You Are by Daisy Wademan

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada (Manuscript)

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins (ARC)

The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera (ARC)

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee (ARC)

In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody (ARC)

Thanks, Tor, Abrams, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster for generously donating these books to SPI students. Also, thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the swag and the ARC of You Bring the Distant Near. I got to visit their office, and believe me, it was as magical as any book nerd would expect.

Special thanks to an editorial assistant at Simon Pulse (no name sharing, just in case she doesn’t want me to) for The Last Magician, This Mortal Coil, and When Dimple Met Rishi. (She gave me another bound manuscript, but I let my roommate borrow it before I could snap a pic. It’ll be in my next StS haul.)

What books have you bought/received lately?

Six days until Game of Thrones Season 7. I'm not going to make it.

Six days, ya’ll. SIX TORTUROUS DAYS!

The trailers for season seven of Game of Thrones have been out for a while now, but I can’t stop watching them! It’s seriously become a problem.

While I watched the trailers back when they were first released, I didn’t write up my thoughts. Now that I’ve finally had some time to relax, I really want to share with you all some quick thoughts about the most recent trailer: #WinterIsHere.

First and foremost, Jon freakin’ Snow. I don’t care if there are haters out there, Jon Snow is my favorite GoT character. He may make some stupid decisions sometimes, but those decisions are always about saving lives. The bit about the “pack survives” delivered by Sansa was breathtaking, and how it ends with Jon slashing Longclaw down. Well… just know that I fangirled. Hard.

After my initial Jon Snow reaction, most of my thoughts were all over the place. These trailers are so fast-paced. It’s brilliant editing in that it tells non-book readers (or even non-video-theory-watchers like myself) very little about what’s happening this season, but I have to watch the trailer over and over again to truly make things out. It was a very smart hype move on HBO’s part.

Jon Snow being bada$$.

Also, Beric Dondarrion’s flaming sword is back, Jaime is in some awesome armor, Grey Worm looks like he’s about to set himself loose on an unsuspecting location, and Arya is finally going north (or so it seems).

Oh, and then there are the dragons. Drogon is big. HUGE. But there aren’t any Ghost snippets. I know some were filmed though, so at least there’s that.

All in all, I loved the trailer. It’s everything a show fan could want. There are pyrotechnics (What would GoT be without a little fire?), white walkers, and dragons. I couldn’t have asked for more.

That’s enough about my feels. How pumped are you for season seven? Let me know in the comments.

Waiting on Wednesday: Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

Immortal Reign

Morgan Rhodes

(Falling Kingdoms #6)

Publication Date: December 12, 2017

Hardcover, 400 pages, Razorbill

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

My Thoughts

This is the last book in a series I’ve been reading for five years. FIVE YEARS! I can’t believe it. I was such a little baby. Now, I’m out of school with no job and no prospects. (Insert Charlotte Pride and Prejudice quote about being a burden to my parents here lol.)

I’ve had my ups and downs with the past few books, but overall, this series is really good. I’m ready for more Magnus and Jonas, but if Lucia could just disappear, I wouldn’t be upset.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

My Very Crazy, Hectic NYC Life: An Update to End All Quick Updates

Long time no see, my fellow book lovers. I’ve been gone for months now, and it feels weird being back.

In case you all didn’t know, I was super busy with grad school last semester. I also just started at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute (SPI) in New York City. I’ve been learning all about the business of publishing, and it’s been awesome!

So, just a quick update on my life:

1. Like I mentioned, I graduated from grad school. I now have a Master of Arts degree in Writing. It was a super stressful year of my life, but I am now free from higher education (not counting my summer course certificate program). I won’t be going back for a PhD anytime soon, if at all.

My last day as a graduate assistant. :*(

2. I am currently living in New York City. I moved up here June 4^th for SPI, and I may or may not stay for longer. It depends on if I can find a place to live. (If you or someone you know has recommendations for places recent college grads can live in NYC, please holler at me.)

My building. For now.

3. I’ve done a few touristy things, but I’ve been so busy with SPI that I haven’t really been able to do much exploration beyond what I did earlier this year.

Something cool, though, is that I have class in the building where Fantastic Beasts’ Niffler scene was shot. It’s called the Woolworth Building. 

I don’t get to go inside the part where it was filmed, but I can see it from empty classrooms. There are crying gargoyles in it. It’s kind of freaky.

Fearless girl and me. (And some other lady because it was super crowded.)

Alright, so that’s my quick update for ya’ll. If you want to hear more about my life in NYC, feel free to contact me here or on social media. I’m a semi-open book! ;)

Stacking the Shelves: The Quadruple ARC Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Okay, so it’s been a ridiculously busy couple of months for me. I’ll post an update tomorrow with a longer explanation, but I just want to apologize for not letting you all know that I was going to be MIA.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve accumulated some books that I thought you’d all enjoy looking at.

Avenged by Amy Tintera

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Bersker by Emmy Laybourne (ARC)

In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody (ARC)

The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh (ARC)

The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris (ARC)

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

The Paris Review (literary magazine)

Flame in the Mist was a graduation present to myself from myself (and a little bit from my mom). Oh, and in case you were wondering, the dustjacket is safe; it’s just at my parents’ house. Avenged was a treat-yourself buy, and the rest were provided from the publishers. Thanks, publishers!

As you can see, I’ve got a lot of reading to do and very little time to do it in. I’m not even sure where to start…

What books have you bought/received lately?