My 2016 Blogging and Reading Resolutions

Hey guys! I hope you partied hard last night and that you had an amazing time. And I hope that 2016 will be fantastic for you!

I saw a bunch of bloggers that I follow make posts about their 2016 resolutions (*waves at everyone*), so I thought I'd join in on the fun. Here are my blogging and reading resolutions for this year:

• Make a dent in my TBR pile.

Now, I know what you're thinking. I say this all the time. But this time I'm serious. I've signed up for the Shelf Love Reading Challenge and I plan on finishing it. Last year I had my thesis to write, so my free time was dedicated to sleep. Now I have a bunch of time on my hands (when I'm not working, of course) that I want to dedicate to reading. Or a part of it, anyway.

• Post regularly

This is another thing I need to correct this year. I need to plan my posts ahead and I need to blog regularly. Which is what I'm going to do.

• Comment, comment, comment

Being an insecure introvert means that I rarely comment. Not because I have nothing to say, but because sometimes I fear my comment my be sorely misinterpreted. So I end up deleting a huge and thoughtful (in my opinion) response to a blog post because of that. I will change that this year and push that "Post" button more often. And if I offend anyone, it usually isn't my goal, so I'm sorry. (If it is my goal to offend, you'll know).

• Be more active on social media

This includes Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (maybe), Goodreads and all the other fun sites a book blogger usually uses. I'm one of those people with an irregular online activity, but I really want to change that. Which I'll do this year.

• Keep an open mind

Last year I discovered comic books. I am hooked on them, to be honest (which is probably why I managed to not only achieve my 2015 Goodreads goal, but to surpass it). So I'll keep an open mind to new genres, new authors, new everything. (That still doesn't mean I'll try audiobooks though, sorry!)

So this is it, folks. These are my 2016 resolutions for my book blogging self. What are yours?

Comic Book Tuesday #4: Secret Wars #1 by Jonathan Hickman

Author: Jonathan Hickman
Series: Secret Wars
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: January 1st 2015
My Rating: 3 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The final incursion is happening! The Marvel Universe is colliding with the Ultimate Universe, and neither will survive!

I think I may have chosen the wrong order in which to read comic books. The (short) blurb should have clued me in on the fact that this issue is probably one in a long story line within the Marvel Universe, but for some reason I decided to ignore my instincts and go ahead and read it. I have to mention that this issue was part of the 12 Days of Comics on ComiXology this year, so that's how I found out about the book.

The art is fantastic. The colors are rich and beautiful, the drawings themselves are gorgeous. There are certain panels in which I felt like I wanted the characters to have a little bit more variation to their various facial expressions. but all in all the art is beautiful and I could watch it all day.

The plot is interesting. Two Earths, with their respective heroes, fighting each other. The problem was that it was too full of characters. Too crowded. Maybe it's because I'm still new to comic books, but I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of characters in this issue. Also, it was kind of difficult keeping track on which character is on which side of the battle.

I did enjoy the idea of the two Earths fighting each other, which makes me wonder if there's a possibility to have two versions of each superhero in the final battle. I am curious to see who wins in the end, so I plan on reading the entire series.

Obsessed with Covers #27:The Crown's Game, The Cresswell Plot

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

I love this cover so much. First, that's a crown and who doesn't love a crown? Second, the crown is tricky, because the image in the front is also in the back, but it's made so that it looks like a shadow. At the same time, the reflection of the "shadow" or the back image is kind of stronger than the reflection of the original castle, so I'm wondering what the cover art is actually trying to show. I want to know how does the cover art relate to the story, so I will be adding this to my growing mountain of TBR.







The Crown's Game - Evelyn Skye

This is an extremely interesting cover. The doll's limbs are twisted in some really weird angles, each kind of pointing towards different directions. Also, they seem way smaller for how big her head is, which makes me wonder if that's not symbolic for that tagline too. I also love the white, pure dress of the doll. I'm all for symbols today, as you can see. I definitely will be checking this book out, because just the cover is making me highly curious about the story.

The Cresswell Plot - Eliza Wass

Did you see any cool covers this week?

2016 Shelf Love Reading Challenge

It's BAAAACK! We all know I did a horrible job this year for this challenge. I think I read only two books from my shelf and I bought a few books. To be fair, I didn't read all that much in general, what with my thesis and all. And ever since I graduated I've been in a reading funk. However I am very determined to make a good job in 2016. So I'm signing up again.

Shelf Love Challenge is hosted by the very awesome girls from Chapter Break, Second Run Reviews and Bookworm Brandee. The rules are simple:

• Read books that are in your personal library that were obtained before January 1, 2016.
• Responsibly obtain books for your personal library. You may wish to abstain from purchasing books or set a book budget for yourself. You decide the best way to get control of your TBR pile and read the books you already own.
• Library books (and textbooks) do not count for the challenge. You may use your library to obtain different formats of books you already own and count those towards your goal.

Like last year, I'll only count physical books into this challenge. I'm setting my goal to 21-30 books: give your shelves a warm friendly hug.

Unlike last year, however, I won't pick a list of books in advance. I'll use the tag selflove16 here on my blog for the books I've read for this challenge. And I'll also list them on Goodreads on this shelf. I think I have more than 30 books that I need to read, but I'll settle for that.

Anyway, I can't wait to get started once January gets here :)

Sunday Book Soundtrack #19: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

I read with music. If there's no music, I can't read. And not just read, but almost anything, like studying of cooking or doing chores around the house. The only time I don't have music is when I sleep. And during exams, but that's a different story.

Sometimes it happens that a certain song and a book or a scene from the book I'm reading sort of... click. It's like they were made for each other. At least for me. And so I will almost always think of that particular book when hearing that song. I thought I'd share my book soundtracks with you.

Keep in mind that I have a very... weird taste in music. You'll find mostly rock music, country or the 80s-early 90s music in these lists. I might use some "contemporary" songs from now and then, but don't bet on it being something other than those particular genres. Also, not always the songs will be in English. If I have a link to a translation for the lyrics, I'll post it. If you like a song I'm using, that's fine. If not, that's fine too, just don't say I didn't warn you.

The songs aren't always on a book's playlist for their lyrics. Sometimes they're there for an instrument or for a feeling I get when hearing them. Also, I won't always mention what scene I used them for. If it's not a spoiler, I'll share the scene, if it is a spoiler, I'll let you guess.

Anyway, I hope you like my playlists :)

This week's book soundtrack is for The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich. If you want, you can read my review here. The theme of the book is darker, so these songs

1. Of Verona - Dark In My Imagination
2. Metallica - Enter Sandman
3. Godsmack - Voodoo
4. Eminem ft. Rihanna - The Monster
5. 30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill

Book Review: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Series: N/A
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 15th 2015
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading.

*Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.


I've been trying to figure out a way to adequately express how I feel about this book for a while now. It's really hard to make myself seem half-intelligent when all I can come up with is "OMG I LOVED IT!" But it's true, I did love this book.

This book stayed with me for a few days after I finished reading it. Not in a "book hangover" way, but in a "this made me think about stuff" way. I love when a book can be about a million different things, depending on how you choose to read it. Kind of like a "Choose your adventure" story, only it's entirely up to you how you interpret it.

On one side there's the mental health aspect, which I loved. I liked that there were scenes which showed that the main characters were in therapy, but also that they had seemingly normal lives. I also loved the idea that you kind of don't know who's "healthy" and who's not. I kept wondering if there would be a twist at the end where everyone, including the detective, where all patients, The Sixth Sense style, if you will. I know, I watch too many movies :P

Then there's the supernatural, horror element. I know not many people were scared by this book, but I was. I stay away from true horror books, so this is as close as I could get to being really freaked out by a book. And I don't scare easily either.

Kaitlyn and Carly. Man, I felt so sorry for them. The entire time I was reading their story I kept wondering what had happened to them to  make them live the drama that they were living in. It doesn't matter if you think it's supernatural, therefore they're twins or if it's mental health, and as such there's only one girl with multiple-personality disorder, the fact is that this is a drama. And it's heartbreaking. There are a lot of little details that could make your heart break a little bit for these two girls.

I can also say that this is one of the few books where I didn't trust any of the secondary characters. Anyone could be a villain, anyone could have ulterior motives for hanging out with Carly and with Kaitlyn. I actually loved that the author made me doubt everyone, because, like I said earlier, it made me think about stuff and it made me see the book from different perspectives.

I loved the format of this book. There's diary entries, transcripts of interrogations and detailed descriptions of video and audio recordings. I loved that. In a way, it reminded me of some Hidden Objects video games, which I love, so I really enjoyed the format of the story. On the other hand, I reaaally wanted to know who the storyteller was, who was reading the diaries, who was "seeing" those videos. I really would've enjoyed seeing a glimpse into who that person was.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this story and I am definitely going to read more books from this author!

TV Madness: Strike Back

Hello lovelies! I've been in a funk ever since I graduated, mostly because I am still waiting to find an internship (apparently those are very difficult to find, even when you don't get payed *shakes fist*), which is why I've been missing. Anyway, I've read only a few comic books in this time and I need to review them soon, but first I have to talk about the awesome new TV show I just discovered, Strike Back. I will ask you to excuse my language in advance, but if you've watched Strike Back, you'll know it's appropriate. Also, in case you're wondering, this show is intended for mature +18 audiences.

 

How the fuck did I miss this show? Why did I not know about it? First of all, the first season has Richard Armitage in in, whom I love since he was Guy of Gisbourne in Robin Hood. And Andrew Lincoln. And then, for seasons 2 - 5 you have Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton. And then some really awesome guest stars. Allow me to fangirl.

 

Okay, I'm calm now. Somewhat.

Reasons to love the show:

1. No censorship. This is a huge thing for me, guys! I don't know how normal people speak, but when I'm angry/scared/frustrated/in a bad mood, I curse. A lot. My swearing could probably win me a prize for inventive use of words, except it is "impolite" *rolls eyes*. But I always get frustrated when in some TV shows the most swearing is "son of a bitch". I need a "fuck" every once in a while. And Strike Back delivers, guys! There's inventive swearing and it makes me giddy and happy.
2. The good guys sometimes lose. You know how frustrating it is to watch a TV show or a movie where everything turns out 99% exactly how it's supposed to, meaning the good guys win with few, even no casualties? Take The Avengers. Coulson died. What happened next? They made a TV show in which Coulson was revived. Not that I don't like Agents of SHIELD, I do, but...you know, I want some realism sometimes. In Strike Back some of the good guys die and the only thing you can do is curse and cry. And I love that. Because in their line of work the good guys can and even will die. So there's the dose of reality that I'm craving.
3. Good action. I love the action. I want a show where things get blown up, baddies are shot, there's blood everywhere, car chases, motorcycle chases... *le sigh* I think you get the point, right?
4. Hot actors. Okay so, the show was on Cinemax. So there's sex in it. Lots of it. While some might be bothered by that fact, it didn't bother me. Not because I'm a perv, but because there's really a good reason for the sex. Some called the nudity gratuitous. Maybe it's the psychology degree, maybe because I watch toooons of TV shows. But there's a reason for the sex. And that reason made me love one of the characters more once I found what it was *cough*Damien Scott*cough*. There really is a good reason for it and it gets revealed in one of the seasons why he's a bit reckless. 
5. Great characters. You probably know that in books, TV shows, movies I'm a character lover. I need good, amazing characters or I can't watch/read it. I just can't. If the characters don't call to me, if they don't make me want to root for them and if my only thought when they get hurt is "Oh well, maybe this will wake them up" then I can't continue with the story. So it's always amazing to get to read a book or in this case watch a TV show where I loved all of the characters. The good ones anyway. The villains I hated, but that was their job, to make me hate them. :P 

Reasons to not love the show:

I have none, guys. I just love the show. I heard a rumor that there's talks about a movie and I couldn't be more excited.

 

I need more of this show. I am not ready to admit that there's not going to be a new season (I'm in denial), so I might wait a few days and rewatch it. For science *wide grin*

What about you guys? Any new shows you've watched lately that you think everyone should see right away?

Comic Book Tuesday#3: Death Vigil: Volume 1 by Stjepan Šejić

Author: Stjepan Šejić
Series: Death Vigil
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: October 14th 2015
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Gifted? Join the Death Vigil in their ongoing war against the ever-growing power of the Primordial Enemy! Only catch is you have to die first. Become a corporeal immortal Death Knight and obtain reality-altering weaponry in the never-ending battle between good and evil.

Collects DEATH VIGIL #1-8.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Image Comics in exchange for an honest review.

I've always been intrigued with how different authors and writers interpret death and the possibility of afterlife. Šejić's take on afterlife is quite unique. The idea that for some people death is not the final ending, but really the start of an epic journey is quite intriguing. Each person receives a set of weapons that will help them fight demons and necromancers, weapons inspired by their most cherished memory. I liked that aspect of the story a lot, especially seeing how some of the characters manage to discover the full extent of their powers and those of their weapons.

As with most of the books that I read, what I liked the most was the fact that not everything is just white or just black. Not every good guy is 100% good and not every bad guy is a maniac that just wants to destroy the world. There are other reasons that make some of these characters be on the wrong side of things and, with two of the baddies I do understand what they really wanted and why they did the things they did.

The dialogue was funny at times, emotional at other times. I liked Sam the most, he was a real hero and I really enjoyed his brand of humor. Bernadette is the leader of this group and I really want to know her backstory, how she became the Grim Reaper. I did like that she didn't feel like a boss, but more like a team mate, fighting side by side with the others. Clara is the newbie and I liked that, in a way, the reader gets to experience that confusing journey into the world of the Death Vigil with her.

The artwork is simply gorgeous. The colors used are so rich and the drawings help create a wonderful story. There's an attention to detail in each panel and I enjoyed that a lot. At times the drawings felt a little bit too crowded, which is the only reason for my rating, but other than that I loved this story a lot and I really hope there's going to be more issues for this story, because I need more.

Book Tour: Reaper's Fall by Joanna Wylde

Author: Joanna Wylde
Series: Reapers MC #5
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 10th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

He never meant to hurt her.

Levi “Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf.

Melanie Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly. Harmless. Safe.

Now Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

*Disclaimer: I was offered an e-ARC of this copy from Netgalley and TRSOR Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

The latest installment in the Reapers MC by Joanna Wylde is out and I could not be happier. I've been waiting for this story ever since I read Silver Bastard, because the Painter/Melanie scene in that book took me by surprise. A lot!

If there's one thing I love most when it comes to book series is being surprised. Not in a "I did not see that one coming" way, but in a "I did not think I'd like that character" way. I have to admit that I was not one of Painter's biggest fans in previous books. He was always the guy I couldn't figure out, the one who seemed like the guy who can't make up his mind and then gets bitter once an opportunity is gone. It was frustrating to watch/read. But then this book came out and now I can say I love the guy. I get it now. I feel the need to just give him a bear hug, because boy, does he need it. Sure, he made some mistakes in this book that made me want to smack him a little bit, but then he managed to redeem himself. Plus, he's an artist and there's the cutest scene involving wall painting and he just won my heart with that one.

Melanie is one of the sweetest girls I've read about and she really needed a happy ending to her story. She's one of the characters that you just want to protect. London, the woman who would later become Picnic's old lady, took Mel in when the situation with her parents turned from bad to worse. Her family history played a huge role in her relationship with Painter, especially in the second part of the story, and I really can't blame her.

Another surprise came from Jessica. She really was a changed person and I can't wait to see if she'll get a story soon, because the poor girl has been through enough. I also keep my fingers crossed that Kit will get a story, because it's going to be funny to see someone try to tame her.


This book was filled with romance, hot sex and drama, but there were some incredibly funny bits too, that had me laughing out loud a lot. And all in all, it proved, once again, that Joanna Wylde writes some of the best MC books out there.

Comic Book Tuesday #2: True Blood

You might remember this story, but the Southern Vampires Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris was my first trip in the land of current urban fantasy. Up until that point I only had the 70s image of a "modern" vampire, as portrayed by Anne Rice. About 2 years after I discovered Sookie Stackhouse, the TV show True Blood came out. I was in nerd heaven, not only because I was excited to see some of my favorite characters on TV, but also because it was a good story, that deserved some screen time. While I did give up on the show and I haven't yet finish reading the series, I still get a bit excited when I remember about Bon Temps and the characters that live there and around the town. So when I saw that there were some comic books with the TV show characters, I decided to try them out.

First, let me start by saying that the one thing I did not miss was the ever-present "Sooookeeeh" that Bill said about...oh, roughly 5 million times an episode. As far as story goes, both of them used the TV show depictions of the characters. Not that I mind, since we got to see the hunk that is Eric Northman in the first one *drool*. I did quite enjoy the Tainted Love story a bit more, as it was more centered on Jessica, at least the first issue. I really liked Jessica, even though she was a new character, that wasn't in the books, and while I was watching the show I wanted more scenes with her, as she was a really interesting addition to the story. And I am curious to see how the story in the comic book ends, so I plan on buying the rest of the issues.

Both books have really beautiful art and with both of them you can kind of see that the artists tried to make the characters resemble the actors. I was a bit disappointed by that aspect, but then again it is understandable that the characters would be drawn to resemble the actors playing them.

If I were to rate these first issues, I'd give them three cups each. I do however have to say that reading them made me want to go back and read the series from book one. And I do plan to re-read them soon.