Monthly Wrap-up: September 2013

Monthly Wrap-up is a monthly feature on my blog where I keep you up to date on everything that happened during the month. It's time for the September version :D

Stacking the Shelves #45 - Back from My Hiatus

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

that shows what we got in our haul that week

{Review} The Book of Lost Things - Cynthia Voigt

The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt
Series: Mister Max #1
Genre: MG Mystery
Release Date: Sept 10 / 2013
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Max Starling's theatrical father likes to say that at twelve a boy is independent. He also likes to boast (about his acting skills, his wife's acting skills, a fortune only his family knows is metaphorical), but more than anything he likes to have adventures. Max Starling's equally theatrical mother is not a boaster but she enjoys a good adventure as much as her husband. When these two disappear, what can sort-of-theatrical Max and his not-at-all theatrical grandmother do? They have to wait to find out something, anything, and to worry, and, in Max's case, to figure out how to earn a living at the same time as he maintains his independence. This is the first of three books, all featuring the mysterious Mister Max.

Waiting on Wednesday #41 - Lost in Babylon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating

{Weekly Craving} Sept 2013 #4

Weekly Craving is a feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

I'm Back! End of My Hiatus

Hi, guys! I'm back! Yay! *throws confetti* School has been busy but I think I've adjusted well enough to blog again :) There might be less posts than before due to how busy I am, but I will try to post as much as I did before. So here's my schedule for the week:

I might change my reviews because.. well.. I haven't finished reading either yet (haha oops). I'm three quarters through Mister Max and I haven't started on Sky Jumper yet. We'll see how it goes; I might finish both in time.

So that's it for now. Send me some hugs and kisses, will ya? ;)

{Weekly Craving} September 2013 #3

Weekly Craving is a feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

{Blog Tour} {Review} 15 Minutes - Jill Cooper

15 Minutes by Jill Cooper
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Release Date: Jun 15 / 2013

I have 15 minutes to save my mother’s life...

15 minutes is all the Rewind Agency gives you in the past, but for Lara Crane it’s enough time to race through the city, find her mother, and stop her from being killed in a mugging that happened over ten years ago.

But that’s not how it happened. The story she’s been told all her life is a lie and when Lara takes a bullet meant for her mother, her future changes forever.

The love of her life acts like a stranger. Her simple life is replaced with a giant house, glamorous clothes and a new boyfriend.

Except someone knows her secret. And he will try to stop her at every turn as she races against the clock to unravel a dangerous conspiracy.

15 Minutes is an edgy high octane YA thriller that can be described as Back to the Future meets Inception where the people Lara trusts change in an instant. She is in a timeline she doesn't understand, and is about to make one fatal mistake as she faces an enemy so familiar, he’s family.

{Weekly Craving} September 2013 #2

Weekly Craving is a feature to showcase books that are newly released in my TBR pile

Hiatus

Unfortunately, I'm going on a break for a while. I just started school and came back from Asia. I'm suffering from jet lag. School's been busy as well. I'm also going on a school trip for three days next week. I just don't really have the time to blog during all this madness. I'm planning on taking a break from now until Sept 23rd. That seems like a long time but I think that's what I need to get myself together. I might come back earlier or later, depending on how things go. Another reason for going on hiatus is that I've been really bored reading lately. I can't seem to get into any books and I hope to rekindle my love for books. I hope I would be back soon to share with you guys soon! But for now, good-bye :)  x

{Mini Review} Secrets of the Realm - Bev Stout

Secrets of the Realm by Bev Stout
Release Date: May 4 / 2013
Publisher: Creative Space

Blamed for her uncle's death, fifteen-year-old Annie is on the run. Knowing the perils she will face on the streets of eighteenth century London, she disguises herself as a boy. Her life on the streets is cut short when she becomes Captain Hawke’s cabin boy.

Not only must Annie work alongside the Realm’s motley crew of outcasts and gentlemen, she must also keep her superstitious shipmates from discovering she is a girl.

Annie vows she will never leave the Realm, where dreams are chased, shattered lives can mend, and secrets are stowed like keepsakes in an old desk drawer. But when her past catches up with her, can she return to the Realm? More importantly, will she have a choice?

*A review copy was provided for reviewing purposes*

Thank you to Bev Stout for providing the book! This does not alter my review in any way

Secrets of the Realm is a book about a girl who disguised herself as a boy and lived on a ship. From Annie Moore, she turned into Andres de la Cruz, Captain Hawke's cabin boy. Life on the ship was fun to read and I found myself being really into what happened to Annie. There was always the possibility that she would be discovered and kicked off of the ship. Crazy things happened all the time but what mattered was that Annie belonged out in the sea. I was really sad about how it all turned out in the end but I guess it had to happen  :(

{Weekly Craving} Sept 2013 #1

Weekly Craving is a feature that showcases newly released books on my TBR

{Mini Review} Catching Liam - Sophia Bleu

Catching Liam by Sophia Bleu
Series: Good Girls Don't #1
Genre: NA Contemporary
Release Date: July 8 / 2013

Twenty-one year-old Jillian Nichols only has one rule when it comes to boys: catch and release. Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.

So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint.

Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance.

Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.

*A review copy was provided for reviewing purposes*

Thank you to Sophia Bleu and InkslingerPR for the book! 

This does not alter my review in any way

Catching Liam was an okay contemporary. It involves the couple working together to work past their problems which in turn strengthens their relationship and builds their trust. There was something off about Jillian and boy catching is her way of not getting too close to anyone. She pushes everyone away and I felt really sorry for the girl. She also has some serious family drama. Catching Liam is a pretty average contemporary with its happily-ever-afters and everything.