Showing posts with label Jennifer Niven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jennifer Niven. Show all posts

Sunday, May 29, 2016

BEA 2016: Day 2


   Day 2 of BEA ended up being waaaay more packed than the 1st day, but also less stressful if you can believe it. With having the the day before in mind, we were able to plan our day to our advantage.

   The day for me started out with me running to the Macmillan booth in hopes of getting a ticket to the Metaltown 9:30am signing, once we were let onto the floor, but unfortunately I got there right as they ran out of tickets. So onto the Audrey Coulthurst 10am signing I went, she was one of my most anticipated authors for BEA so I was very happy to have been lucky enough to be roughly 25th in line!

Amy Lukavics signing The Woman
in the Walls
Eleanor Herman and I
   From 11am-11:30am, I was in line for Amy Lukavics and Eleanor Herman. At these times, they both had separate signings. They were signing The Woman in the Walls and Empire of Dust. Both ladies were the sweetest, and both had the cutest style! With Amy wearing a spiderweb dress and Eleanor dressing fancy to match her books!


   When I was in line for Eleanor, I was actually able to meet Bayram from Never Ending Books! I had first met him line when I first became a blogger, and it was awesome to finally be able to meet him! I actually was able to hang out with him a lot through out BEA, after him I also started to meet so many other amazing bloggers that I am friends with online! Although I didn't recognize many faces at first, it was heart whelming to have had them recognize me and say hello! Even with me being in aw for most of the convention, the peak of the aw factor was definitely when I got to meet bloggers in person!
Becca from Pivot Book Totes
   Including Bayram, I was also able to meet Brittany from Brittany's Book Rambles, As some of you already know, I adore her. So it was a FABULOUS experience! Becca from Pivot Book Totes, Becca is another person that I met when I first started blogging, and I learned so much from her when I first started blogging. It was an honour to meet her! Nori from Read Write Love 28, known as the Blogger Mom, Nori is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, she's just as sweet in person as she is online! And that's just some of the fabulous people I got to meet! I can't even begin to list or remember them all!

   From there I was forced to join the two insanely long lines for the Macmillan 1pm ticket drop. Sounds weird right? That's because it was. There wasn't an official ticket line until 12:45, I got there at 12pm. With nothing organized, it was chaos. In the end there was a stampede, and MANY unhappy people. All to get a ticket for the Marissa Meyer signing of her latest novel, Heartless. This ticket drop was by far the worst experience of BEA, right next to the second ticket drop for Marissa but that's a story for Day 3. Please take a look at the video below, just to see how hectic the whole day got.


   But in the end I was able to get a ticket for Vassa in the Night, and so my day would go on nicely. I wouldn't let not getting a ticket ruin my day.


   Both my sisters are big book nerds, just like myself. So I promised that there would be a few books that I'd pick up for them. Both had very specific requests, the youngest with a super small list and the other with a huge one. All the books on their lists being super hard to get, or not at BEA at all. So to actually get one from that super small list, I had to go to a Ransom Riggs signing. Ransom was signing Tales of the Peculiar. So after the Eleanor signing, I was off to see if I could get a ticket to his signing.

   After rushing there, I was able to get my hands on a ticket, but not only was the line HUGE, the 'book' that Ransom was signing turned out to only be a sampler. So I was forced to wait in an half an hour signing for a sampler that wasn't even going to be for me. At least in the end my sister was satisfied.

   From there I ran to the Jennifer Niven, Holding Up the Universe signing line where Stephanie (Doodle's Book Reviews) was holding a spot in line for me. Having not read All the Bright Places yet, I didn't really have much to say to Jennifer. But in all, she was such a sweetie anyway.

Jennifer Niven signing Holding Up the Universe
   From there I went straight to the Sarah Porter signing for Vassa in the Night. Where I once again ran into Bayram! So for the duration of the signing line, I was able to have someone that I knew to
Steph (Doodle's Book Reviews), Bayram (Never Ending
Books), and I. 
hang with. Which did't happen all that often, but you did make friends wherever you went.

   After that I had an hour to kill, so I used that time for food. Honestly, with everything going on you would always forget about basic things like food, water, and bathroom breaks. That was probably one of the biggest things about the convention that you really needed to worry about. Carrying snacks in your bag was a must throughout everything.


Adam Silvera
   From there I went to my last signing of the day, which was for Adam Silvera and History is All You Left Me. Where I could not give up the chance at messing with Adi Alsaid. Adi had some what threatened to not be friends with people who got to meet Adam, as well as if you read History is All You Left Me before him. And so, this is how the following photo came to be.
   I was also lucky enough to have met the OwlCrate ladies while waiting in line for Adam's signing. They were the sweetest! They even asked for my business/blogger card!


   While I was in line for Adam, the Empire of Storms cover was released. From what I heard there was an ENORMOUS crowd surrounding the Bloomsbury booth, and the crowd was just as excited as I was to see the cover. The cover did not disappoint as you all have probably seen. It was at a bit of a point where people were in line for selfies with the cover, I mean how could one resist a selfie?


   After that my day ended with me in the 5pm Epic Reads Drop line for Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. Steph and I had missed the drop the day before, so I wanted to be firstish in line to make sure that I got it. With Steph still in line somewhere else and me holding our spots roughly 40 minutes before the drop, I thought for sure that she would make it. But as I waited with a few other lovely ladies, someone who was originally in line with us, (we were still holding a spot for her.) very slowly approached us and whispered how Caraval, was being given out at the Macmillian booth in tote bags. Being one of the most anticipated books at BEA, and having not a lot of information on how to get it at the convention, it was in all of our best interests to run. That's exactly what we did, after throwing a quick text to Steph about the tote bags, I was off. Running in and out, I was super quick and was also able to get back my position in the Three Dark Crowns line. Something I did not know until I was back in line, was that Stephanie Garber was actually at the booth signing the ARCs that they handed out. With the Epic Reads drop line being closed off, Steph was not able to get back in line with me but she, as well as her mom were able to get their ARCs of Caraval signed. Her mom actually got hers signed to me because she knew I missed out on getting mine signed. So in the end we swapped and we were both happy!


   And finally my Book Haul from day 2!



   There you have it! Day 2 of BEA! Day 2 was probably my biggest hauls of all three days, and one of my most jam packed!

   If you haven't seen my other posts from BEA you can see those here:


   Until the next post!


Thursday, December 24, 2015

Ohana Talks: Bookish Christmas Wishlist


   My family has the same traditions for Christmas every year or every second year. But I decided that instead of giving you all the boring details of my plans, I decided that I'd do something for fun. So today I'm going to telling you what books I asked Santa for! (Yes, Santa;)

Hardcover:




Paperback:

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (International Edition)
Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder (UK Edition, black background with flame)
Storm Glass  by Maria V. Snyder (UK edition, black background)
Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout (UK Edition, white background with blue)


   Yes I know I'm bad for not reading a bunch of these yet, and to be honest I forgot to add a bunch of them. Oops, too late now.


   What books did you ask for for Christmas? What else do you have on your wishlist? Let me know int the comments!



Friday, December 18, 2015

Ohana Talks: Naked Hardcovers



   I love hardcovers, at times they can be my book weakness. When are they my weakness? When their covers are gorgeous. The picture above is just a few examples of the ones I own. Aren't they gorgeous?

   Today I wanted to show you some of my favourite naked hardcovers. I know that people don't normally know what the undercover looks like unless you own them, so these are just a few of my favourites that I have seen so far!


(Original Hardcover)
The Internment Chronicles, #1

White Rabbit Chronicles, #2

Bloodlines, #1

The Heirs of Watson Island, #1

Reawakened, #1




(Original Hardcover)
The Diviners, #1

Talon, #1

The Lorien Legacies, #2

The Raven Cycle, #1

The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3


   There is one other that I adore but have no picture of and do not own, and that's All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. If you ever stumble upon a copy of it in a bookstore, make sure to check it out.


   I think my favourite thing about hardcovers is that you only get them for the first year of publication, then the paperback releases and the hardcovers become impossible to find. I guess it just makes them unique to me because the people who find the series after don't get to experience the beauty. Don't get me wrong, I do hate that the hardcovers are impossible to find after the first year. I just enjoy it too.

   What are some of your favourite naked hardcovers? What do you like most about them? The covers? Or their spines?



Saturday, December 12, 2015

Ohana Talks: 10 Books I Wanted to Read in 2015 but Didn't


   At the beginning of the year I made a list of some of my most anticipated reads for 2015, while that list did grow throughout the year I still did not accomplish reading all the ones on my original list, and more. So today I have for you, my list of books that released this year that I wanted to read but didn't get a chance too!




   For some of these I just never got a chance at reading them( I wanted to buy them before reading them), and for some I just haven't had enough in my bank account to purchase them aha!

   What about you? Were there some books that you meant to read but didn't? Which ones were they? I'd love to know!



Sunday, October 11, 2015

Ohana Talks: Top 10 2015 Releases I Meant to Read but Haven't


  2015 is almost over and there are still so many books I have yet to read, including a rather large list of 2015 releases. Because of the large list, I've decided to put together a post with my top 10 that I've been looking forward to! So today I'm going to tell you about my top 10 releases of the year, that I haven't read yet but meant too!  

Red Queen 

Victoria Aveyard
HarperTeen
Red Queen Trilogy, #1
Published: February 10th, 2015

Description from GoodReads:


   This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

   The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

   That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

   Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

   But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...


   There was a lot of word about Red Queen before it was released, so much word that everyone was completely pumped within a month and dying to read it. I was one of those people, and even though months have passed I'm not dying to read it as much as I was in January, I'd still like to read it. 


The Wrath & The Dawn

Renne Ahdieh
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
The Wrath & The Dawn, #1
Published: May 12th, 2105


Description from GoodReads:


   One Life to One Dawn.

   In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

   Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?


   Who doesn't want an Aladdin retelling? That is what drawer me in!


The Last Time We Say Goodbye

Cynthia Hand
Harper Teem
Published: February 10th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   There's death all around us.
   We just don't pay attention.
   Until we do.

   The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

   Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

   As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

   Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.


   I adored Cynthia Hand's other series, Unearthly, so when I heard of this one I just knew I was going to love it!


The Stars Never Rise

Rachel Vincent
Delacorte Press
The Stars Never Rise, #1
Published: June 9th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

   When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

   To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

   Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

   The Stars Never Rise was another one of those books that I adored the authors other works, I've read all of Rachel Vincent's books except her recent releases from this year. That is going to change, starting with this one!


All the Bright Places

Jennifer Niven
Knof
Published: January 6th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
   Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
   When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 

   Every person that I know that's read All the Bright Places has cried, so I've felt like I need a good cry. So All the Bright Places is my go to for that! 


Insidious

Dawn Metcalf
HarlequinTeen
The Twixt, #3
Published: August 25th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   True evil is rarely obvious. It is quiet, patient. 

   Insidious. 

   Awaiting the perfect moment to strike. 

   Joy Malone finally knows who she is, where she comes from and how to live in two worlds at once. And now she can introduce her family and friends to her mysterious boyfriend, Indelible Ink. But when Ink's twin sister, Invisible Inq, calls in a favor, Joy must accept a dangerous mission to find a forgotten door between worlds—a door hiding a secret that some will kill to keep. 

   Unseen enemies, treasonous magic and an unthinkable betrayal threaten both the Twixt and human worlds as Joy races to expose an ancient conspiracy and unleash the unalterable truth—some secrets cannot remain secret forever. 


   After the ending in Invisible I'd just like to see more of that happy ending we got! 


An Ember in the Ashes

Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill
An Ember in the Ashes, #1
Published: April 18th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Laia is a slave. 

   Elias is a soldier. 

   Neither is free.

   Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

   It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

   But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

   There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.


   This was another one of those books that everyone was hyped for, so I obviously I became hyped too!


Every Last Breath

Jennifer L. Armentrout
HarlequinTeen
The Dark Elements, #3
Published: July 28th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

   Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

   Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

   Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell… 


   This one I have a reason for not reading yet, the first two books are some of my all time favourite books but with the publishing house being bought over it caused a few problems. So by not reading Every Last Breath I'm low-key protesting the cover change and the height change. I will eventually read it though, once I get over my little protest.


Fairest

Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5
Published: January 27th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

   Mirror, mirror on the wall,
   Who is the fairest of them all?

   Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 


   The only reason I haven't read this one yet is because I'd like to buy it and read it, and I just haven't gotten a chance at buying it yet!


Dead of Winter

Kresley Cole
Simon & Schuster for Young Readers
The Arcana Chronicles, #3
Published: January 6th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Can Evie convince her rival loves to work together? Their survival depends on it in this third book of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles, a nonstop action tale of rescue, redemption, and a revenge most wicked.

   Heartbreaking decisions 
   Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her—until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, the Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts…and stolen glances from a former love.

   Uncertain victory 
   Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on the Lovers. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana—or convincing Jack and Death to work together.

   Two heroes returned 
   There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first...?


  My sister and I actually bought Dead of Winter together but she read it before me, and now she's obsessed and won't give it up! I'll eventually get it from her to read, but for now I'm out of luck!



   Those are the 2015 releases I haven't gotten a chance at reading yet! What about you? Are there any 2015 releases you haven't gotten a chance to read yet?