2016 Wrap-Up | January 2017 TBR

Merry (belated) Christmas to all of you who celebrate it, happy holidays to those of you who do not, and happy early New Years!

Yes, I know it has been five whole months since I last made a blog post. Yes, I know I've neglected my Youtube channel. Do I regret it?

Absolutely not.

This year has been so AMAZING for me in terms of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as:

• Visiting New York City in late May/early June
• Attending the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts in the discipline of vocal music during the entire month of June
• AND LET'S NOT FORGET GOING TO FREAKING HAWAI'I DURING THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 23-30 FOR A BAND TRIP AND GETTING TO PERFORM AT THE PEARL HARBOR MEMORIAL IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR

Anyway...

Since I have gotten to do so many things outside of the world of books, I did only read 28 books this year, but I beat my personal goal of 25 books, knowing full well that this year was going to be crazy. Speaking of those 28 books, let's get on to those, shall we?

THE 27 BOOKS I READ IN 2016:

• Between Faded Lines by Allison R. Naumann (review to come)
• Imprinted by Andrea Michelle
• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
• A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• The Awakening by Kate Chopin
• How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Sunrise by Mike Mullin
• The Crown by Kiera Cass
• Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
• A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
• AP World History Crash Course by Jay Harmon
• Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard
• Hunted by Abi Ketner/Missy Kalicicki
• Discovering April by Sheena Hutchinson
• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• The Geneva Project: The Timekeeper's Daughter by Christina Benjamin
• Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
• Shiver, Linger, Forever, and Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
• Silas Marner by George Eliot
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

In January of 2017, there are not any sequels being released (or anything of the like), so I will not be re-reading any books this month for that purpose, but I know I will be reading an ARC of The Practice Boyfriend by Christina Benjamin (one of the sweetest and kindest authors I've ever met).

This book will be released on January 24th, and I'll be releasing more information (like the cover reveal) as well as a spoiler-free review that I will have posted before the release date so that you all can have an idea if you would like to read it (I'll also have the pre-order links posted, for your convenience).

I hope to have Between Faded Lines by Allison R. Naumann reviewed on here by the first week of January since I just recently finished it. On my To-Be-Reviewed list is Uncovering Officer Smith by Sheena Hutchinson and College Rules! by Sherrie Nist-Olejnik, PhD and Jodi Patrick Holschuh, PhD (sent to me by Blogging for Books), so those have top priority. I have four more books also on my review list, but all of them are a part of series that have releases in February, so I'm saving those so I can do a series binge (three of the books are within the same series, so it seems worth it to just do a huge bundled review)! xD Also, in 2015, I read I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan AND ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE! So of course, when I found out that there was a sequel, I bought it, but I have yet to read it, so I will be, hopefully, re-reading I'll Be There and its sequel, Just Call My Name.

That's all for now you guys! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe by email or with your Google account, and make sure to follow me on my social media platforms. As always, if you have any comments or requests, feel free to post them on any of my social media platforms!

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So much love to all of you during this holiday season, and many thanks for all of your support!

💚💝 The Book Lioness 💝💚

May & June Wrap-Up/July TBR

I have missed you all so much! Please don't riot for the fact that I haven't posted since the beginning of May!  I have been CRAZY busy with a trip to New York City, Governor's School for the Arts, visiting family up in Michigan for the Fourth of July, getting everything ready for band camp (which starts tomorrow!!!!!!!), working full-time at a doctor's office, taking an online class for Personal Finance, and completing three summer packets to prepare me for my junior year of high school. Not to mention the fact that I just got a beautiful one year-old Siamese cat that I have named Belle (favorite Disney princess, for the win)! Anyway, this whole paragraph was meant to explain why my "Read" list is going to be so small. So, let's get this over with...

Books I Read

• "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen
• "Lady Midnight" by Cassandra Clare
• AP World History Crash Course
• "The Crown" by Kiera Cass
• "Sunrise" by Mike Mullin

July TBR

Before school starts back on August 5th, I have to read:

• "How To Read Literature Like A Professor" by Thomas C. Foster, and
• "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain

I'm also hoping to get to the review copy I received from Allison Naumann of her book "Between Faded Lines" (Living in the Shadows, Book 1) but I will have to see how crazy it is trying to finish all of my school work!

I hope all of you amazing, wonderful people are having a safe and blessed summer! If you have any requests for posts, feel free to email me anytime at thebooklionessblog@gmail.com!

Much love,

Catheryn

March and April Wrap-Up!

Books Read:

• The chapter of John in The Holy Bible
• Part 4 of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
• Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• The Timekeeper's Daughter by Christina Benjamin
• Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
• Silas Marner by George Eliot

Important Updates:

• On March 12th, I turned sixteen years old!!
• I am officially attending Governors School for the Arts for their choral program as a soprano!
• I attended the first annual SE-Ya Book Festival on March 11th with my school's book club (our librarians and club sponsors are the founders of SE-YA), and it was absolutely AMAZING! I'm attaching a ton of photos below :)

 I.W. Gregorio and me

 Julie Murphy and me

 Courtney C. Stevens and me

 Ruta Sepetys, David Arnold, ,and Adam Silvera

 Jasmine Warga and Courtney C. Stevens

 Jasmine Warga and me

 David Arnold and me

 Ruta Sepetys and me

 Katie L. McGarry and me

 Katie Cotugno and me

 Katie L. McGarry, an author that I can't remember the name of, Helene Dunbar, and Katie Cotugno

 Katie L. McGarry and the Unknown Author

 Katie L. McGarry and the Mysterious Author Lady

Helene Dunbar and Katie Cotugno

The "Shiver" Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater: Review

Hey guys! To clarify, I did not receive these books for free to review. I purchased all three books (plus I just purchased Sinner, a companion book to the series) and am merely posting about them on here to express my absolute LOVE for this series and this author. I actually read the first two books, Shiver and Linger, in sixth or seventh grade by borrowing them from my school's library, but by the time the third book, Forever, was finally able to be checked out, I had read so many other books since that I had forgotten the little details. So, a couple months ago I decided to re-read and finish out the series, and holy feels. I forgot how absolutely amazing and sweet and PERFECT Sam Roth and Grace Brisbane are together. Their relationship is one of trust, respect, and true love, and I think more relationships these days need to be like theirs (minus the sleeping in her room without her parents knowing; never do that, kids). This series is about werewolves in a completely un-cheesy way, giving the concept such a realistic standpoint to the mythical creatures that you almost begin to wonder if maybe they could be real. The characters are very real in their personalities, and they're all imperfect in their own ways, showing the true nature of humans so beautifully and carefully that it gives you an insight into some current problems many teenagers face. All in all, this series is definitely 5 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it to all ages and all genders (although parents or younger readers, be warned that there is some minimal language in there). There is something in there that will touch with you, and give you a new perspective on life. 

These precious beauties will soon be signed by Maggie, since she is visiting my school on March 10th, along with Tessa Gratton and Brenda Yovanoff. That's all for now my little book cubs. Keep reading!

Much Love,

The Book Lioness!

February 2016 Wrap-Up!

Hey guys! Spring is finally in the air, and daffodils are beginning to bloom. Soon cherry blossoms will be dotted on trees, pink and white as the moon. (A moment to acknowledge my beautiful poetry, haha!) I haven't really done much this month, besides testing and reading. I have been accepted into the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts for Choral Music, a summer program where I will live on the Middle Tennessee State University for a month while getting to grow in my musicianship alongside other musicians as dedicated as I am about the art we create. I also just took the ACT for my second time (the first time was my seventh grade year, in which I made a 27) and this time around I scored a 31! I am a tenth grader this year, so I have time to improve my score even more. But, now I am going to move onto the books I read this month!

February Read List:

—Cruel Crown (Steel Scars/Queen Song) by Victoria Aveyard

—Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

—Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

—Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

—Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

—Parts 2 and 3 of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

—All of Mark from The Holy Bible

—All of Luke from The Holy Bible

"Glass Sword" (Red Queen Series book #2)

This isn't really even a review, just more like a rant for me to vent all my emotions after finishing this book. 

If you've followed this blog for long enough, you'll know that I read Red Queen late last year-ish and absolutely fell in love with Victoria Aveyard's writing. Since then I've read the bond up of the two companion novellas she has written, Cruel Crown. After several long months of waiting, the sequel, Glass Sword, was FINALLY released on February 9th, and I received it on the 12th. I started it sometime last week and finished it today and I have been completely overwhelmed by the "feels". This book has lovingly caressed my soul, nurtured it, dropped it a couple times, followed shortly by some more coddling, before ripping it to shreds and lighting the pieces on fire like mere kindling, much like Cal would do. It kills me that I can't fully rant because, well, frankly it's rude to spoil people (haha I find it rude anyway, so it's not just a bashing comment), but to sum it up...

MARE BARROW IS A FIESTT LITTLE STUBBORN LIGHTNING GIRL WHOSE HEART OUTWEIGHS HER BRAIN AND I CANNOT FREAKING BELIEVE WHAT SHE DIS TO PROTECT CAL AND KILORN AT THE END OF THE BOOK IT JUST MAKES ME WANT TO CRY AND SOB MY BOOKISH TEARS. AND OMG ALL THE OTPS THAT HAVE SAILED IN THIS BOOK, PRAISE JESUS. BUT EVEN WORSE, WHEN ONE OF YOUR OTPS GETS RUTHLESSLY SEVERED IN HALF BY THE AUTHOR. 

I think that's all. If I have a re percussive attack over this book, I may end up posting again. Who knows, lol. But this book was amazing, the series is amazing, Victoria Aveyard is amazing, everything is just really amazing so if you haven't read Red Queen or Glass Sword or Cruel Crown yet, but all of them and binge read them. You definitely won't regret it!

Much love,

The Book Lioness!

(Rawr)

January 2016 Wrap Up!

I'm starting a monthly wrap up so you guys can see what non-review books I've been reading, and maybe a couple of my other favorites, like music, movies, food, etc. And maybe a little sneak at my photography skills outside of book pictures!

Here's what January looked like for me!

Books I Read:

—Hunted by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

—Discovering April by Sheena Hutchinson

—The Martian by Andy Weir

—Matthew 1-28 from The Holy Bible

—'A Feather From a Thousand Li Away' from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (for my English course)

Photography:

Winter Storm Jonas in Tennessee

That's all I have for this wrap up. Hopefully I'll have some more interesting stuff for you guys next month once I get results back from my state's Governor's School program. Have a great February!!

With love,

The Book Lioness

"Cross the Stars" Pre-Release Blitz

Title: Cross the Stars

Series: Crossing Stars Duet #1 

Author: Venessa Kimball writing as V. Angelika

Genre: New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 8, 2016 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28397859crossthestars 

Blurb:

A year shy of graduating from Georgetown University, Ella Wallace feels like she is losing direction. Having carved her own path through life, rejecting her family’s elitist influences, the last thing she wants is to waste time and prove her parents right. A happenstance summerlong program abroad offers the perfect opportunity to immerse herself in volunteer work, finding richness in family and purpose she has never experienced before. 

Prince Rajaa bin Ammaar is returning home to Jordan from Georgetown University. His intent is to spearhead a refugee program meant to bring peace to his country. Amidst threats of civil war and revolt, Raj stands for his convictions, even when they challenge his family and the very culture he is preordained to uphold. A chance encounter at a crowded party in D.C. brought Ella and Raj together for one fleeting moment – two people never thought to meet again. But it’s not until their diverse worlds collide in Jordan that they realize the power of their connection. With the refugee program as their reuniting bond, they must cross the stars and defy their clashing cultures to protect their forbidden love.

With the culturally rich Jordanian backdrop, Cross the Stars will take you on a journey into the geographical and cultural Middle East, the resilience of people amidst turbulent civil unrest, the parallel unrest of two lovers’ clashing fates, and the diversity they must challenge with every breath to keep their love alive.

PreOrder Now:

Amazon US: http://goo.gl/L9OtSW 

Amazon CA: http://goo.gl/QWQMqv 

Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/ZkEKAj 

Amazon AU: http://goo.gl/1n0572 

Nook: http://goo.gl/nZAZVv

Kobo: https://goo.gl/p9r8oUi

iBooks: Coming Soon

Author Bio: 

 

Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa Kimball embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: a young adult urban fantasy series in 2010, with a 2012 release with Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly Publishing. She has also written the Teen contemporary romance series, the Evan series. Venessa also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name V. Angelika. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children, chauffeuring said children to extracurricular activities, catching a movie with her hubby, and staying up way too late reading.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VenessaKimballAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VenessaKimball 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/venessakimball7

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/VenessaKimball/e/B008HFW8CS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14817283.V_Angelika 

Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/81aa7894823/ 

"The Martian" Review

Yes, I do already have another review for you guys, and before you kill me...I saw the movie before I read the book. MERCY! Haha, anyway, I received this book for free through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. Since I'm feeling lazy, the synopsis will simply be a photo of the back of the book, but I will still have my review and favorite quotes included. Let's dive into Andy Weir's The Martian. 

Review:

This book was so flipping hilarious. Yes, it was serious with the whole Mark-Watney-could-die-at-any-given-moment-on-Mars scenario, but Watney's dry sense of sarcasm WAS LITERALLY ME EVERY DAY AT SCHOOL. I connected so well with the way he pretty much laughed at any situation he was in, after first admitting to himself how totally screwed he was, of course. I loved how realistic and plausible everything seemed, from the Hab on Mars, to NASA in America, and the Hermes floating through space. 

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars, without a doubt. Although a word of caution to any younger readers: lots of explicit language.

(Very Few of My) Favorite Quotes:

[ ] = In place of a foul word.

"I wondered why I wasn't more dead."

"I'm a botanist and mechanical engineer; basically, the mission's fix-it man who played with plants."

"My [butt] is doing as much to keep me alive as my brain."

"[Heck] yeah I'm a botanist! Fear my botany powers!"

"I suppose I'll think of something. Or die."

"If ruining the only religious icon I have leaves me vulnerable to Martian vampires, I'll have to risk it."

"How come Aquaman can control whales? They're mammals! Makes no sense."

"We have a certain bond, after I spent two days in it during the Great Hydrogen Scare of Sol 37."

"Once I got home, I sulked for awhile. All my brilliant plans foiled by thermodynamics. [Darn] you, Entropy!"

"It's a desert so old it's literally rusting."

"I wonder what NASA would think about me [messing] with the RTG like this. They'd probably hide under their desks and cuddle with their slide rules for comfort."

"Fortunately, when you spend a lot of time in space, you learn how to [poop] in a bag. And if you think things are bad after opening the [urine] box, imagine the smell after I drop anchor."

"With all due respect to Carl, I can call it whatever the [heck] I want. I'm the King of Mars."

"I've gutted that poor rover so much, it looks like I parked it in a bad part of town."

"I haven't been this excited about a yes since prom night!"

"Jack, I'm going to buy your whole team autographed Star Trek memorabilia."

"Turns out the L in LCD stands for Liquid. I guess it either froze or boiled off. Maybe I'll post a consumer review. 'Brought product to surface of Mars. It stopped working. 0/10.'"

"They did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that was sometimes, but it's true...This is so fundamentally human that it's found in every culture without exception. Yes, there are [buttholes] who just don't care, but they're massively outnumbered by the people who do. And because of that, I had billions of people on my side."

"Discovering April" Review!

Hey y'all! I hope you guys haven't been too blizzard-ed (?) out with winter storm Jonas and all the snow storms the south has been receiving! But, cold weather is the PERFECT time to cuddle up with a blanket, coffee (or hot cocoa), and a good book, and that's precisely what I have done! This review is over "Discovering April" by Sheena Hutchinson, an author of which I had the pleasure of meeting at UtopYA last summer. Featured will be my review and rating (of course), the synopsis of the novel, as well as my favorite quotes, and links to Sheena's social media/website. Let's begin discovering "Discovering April"! (See my punniness? xD)

Synopsis:

April Landau thinks she has everything she’s ever wanted. Her high school sweetheart, a house she can’t afford, her bipolar tabby cat, and she’s all set to begin her Junior year of college. Just when she least expects it, her life gets thrown for a loop. When things between her and her long time boyfriend unravel, she becomes stuck in a downward spiral of emotion. Finally, opening her eyes to the fact that she may have given up more than she ever could have imagined in this relationship. She finds herself struggling to keep her head above water.

Enter April’s next door neighbor— Jared Hoffman. He’s her complete opposite. A high school drop out who was forced to take over his parent’s business after their untimely death. It’s no surprise this tragedy affected him greatly, causing him to recede almost completely from society. 

But he has one secret. A secret he’s been carrying around for years. 

What happens when their worlds collide? Can an old friendship be the one thing that brings these two back to life? 

Review:

Okay, let me just start off my saying that this book is only for readers of a mature age due to quite a bit of sexual, steamy scenarios. With that out of the way, I can digest and process my feelings towards the novel. I felt like the title was very true to the story; as you watch April realizing who she was before she started dating her boyfriend Hunter, you see just how much she truly gave away in that relationship, and it's so realistic to see that she was literally blinded by love and so filled with denial that she allowed herself to stay in an unfaithful relationship with him. Now, when Jared comes back into the picture (plus the switched POV in the epilogue), you see that initial childhood connection spark up between them, and it's really touching to see how their love lasted through Jared's loss of his parents, all of April's horrible boyfriends, and the several years of no communication between the two neighbors. The story felt very true to how much pain and fear, along with the immense happiness, you feel in a strong relationship. Amazing work, Sheena.

Eating:

4 out of 5, just because of the amount of mentions to sex and the language scattered throughout. Again, this novel should only be read my readers of a mature age. It's not Fifty Shades, but it definitely has quite a few mentions to it, and I don't want to risk any children accidentally reading it and getting a huge surprise.

Favorite Quotes:

"When you spend practically every moment with someone and then they just disappear, you just don't know how to act when you're alone."

"I'm expecting an answer, one that will make everything fall into plae. Maybe there is no answer. Mate sometimes, the guy is just a complete asshole. I wonder if Prince Charming ever screwed over Cinderella. Is there really such a thing as happily ever after?"

"Sometimes you just need to get away from it all to refocus again."

"Staring at the sloping symbol before me [infinity symbol], it loops around in a never-ending reminder that everything comes full circle."

"One smile from him made my anger disappear like a feather on the wind. Either I'm in love with him, or I'm in need of serious medication."

"From the moment he showed me the stars—the real stars—I have been unequivocally his."

"Men, real men, that is, do these things for women, not because we have to, but because we feel they deserve to be honored in some small, tiny way every single day."

"I glance up and see the gleam in his eyes, and my stomach twists in a weird sensation. It's strange, because I don't know how to describe it. It's not anxiety or those butterflies everyone always talks about. It just feels...real."

"I guess you can't find what you aren't looking for."

"The people around us disappear, the floor beneath us falls away, the music is a distant melody, and it's just us. Us. Just like that, I became part of a couple, us."

"You've said life is a series of choices, but I think it's also a series of opportunities, a series of lessons, a series of me moments all strung together that loops around into a lifetime—it's a lifetime of moments. Every decision, every person that has entered my life, has shaped who I am today."

"After being with Jared, how am I suppose to settle for anything less?"

"I guess there are just some things you new to know for yourself. There is no substitute for peace of mind. There is no reasoning with love, no common sense, no thinking. Feelings like love and friendship are beyond common sense, beyond all reason."

Sheena Hutchinson:

www.sheenahutchinson.com

Instagram: @author_shea