Showing posts with label Karen Hattrup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karen Hattrup. Show all posts

Monday, June 22, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #472, June 22nd

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #471
Teaser Tuesday #479
WWW Wednesday #479
WOW #475
Will the Time Come #472
Third Sentence Thursday #462
Random Reads #448
First Lines Friday #475
Book Blogger Hop #141
Last Letter, First Letter Reading Challenge Update 74
The Reward Challenge Update #457
Wheel of TBR #4
How Well I Stuck to It #309
Wrote that Review Update #306

Week 25 Reviews:
Siege and Storm
The Too-Clever Fox
Little Knife
Ruin and Rising
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Kiss Collector
American Demon
Dragon Actually
Chains and Flames
Our Year in Love and Parties
Blood Will Out
Looking for Alaska
Annie and Fia
Mind Games
Perfect Lies
Storm Glass

OK, so I got 45 posts in 7 days, it was a pretty great read, I read a good deal, and so I posted a good deal, sometimes 4 posts for 1 book, because yeah. I'm crazy! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read An Abundance of Katherines, Artemis, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, The Language of ThornsDark SongEtiquette & Espionage, and Season of the Wolf.

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy–loving best friend riding shotgun—but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.
The bestselling author of The Martian returns with an irresistible new near-future thriller—a heist story set on the moon.

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo returns to the breathtaking world of the Grishaverse in this unforgettable tale about the opportunity—and the adventure—of a lifetime.
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets—a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.
Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.
Two Carpathians find hope in the bond that ties their souls in this passionate novel in Christine Feehan's #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Stolen from her home at a young age and tormented for centuries, Elisabeta Trigovise is scared to show herself to anyone. Even though she has been rescued and is now safe within the Carpathian compound, she has lived in fear for so long she has no idea how to survive without it. She wants to answer the siren call of her lifemate--but the very thought terrifies her.

Before he found Elisabeta, Ferro Arany was an ancient warrior without emotion. Now that his senses have come alive, he knows it will take more than kind words and soft touches to convince the fractured woman that they are partners, not master and prisoner. For now, he will give her his strength until she finds hers, allowing the steady rhythm of his heart to soothe Elisabeta's fragile soul.

But even as she learns to stand on her own, the vampire who kept her captive is desperate to claim her again, threatening the song Elisabeta and Ferro are writing together.
In a world of danger and uncertainty, the Alpha has enough to worry about without him...

For Alpha Evie Kitwanasdottir, things are never easy. The Great North Pack has just survived a deadly attack. Evie is determined to do whatever is necessary to keep her Pack safe, especially from the four Shifters who are their prisoners.

Constantine lost his parents and his humanity on the same devastating day. He has been a thoughtless killer ever since. When Constantine is moved to live under Evie's watchful eye, he discovers that taking directions and having a purpose are not the same thing.

Each moment spent together brings new revelations to Constantine, who begins to understand the loneliness of being Alpha. He finds strength and direction in helping Evie, but there is no room for a small love in the Pack, so Constantine must work harder than ever to prove to Evie he is capable of a love big enough for the Great North Pack itself.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Week 25 Review: Our Year in Love and Parties

From Goodreads:
In this poignant, funny, and romantic novel, four nights of epic partying will see two teens through their highest highs and lowest lows over the course of one unforgettable year. Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman and Mary H.K. Choi!

Tucker knows that some relationships take work. With his best friend, Bobby, and his mom, everything is simple, steady. His dad, on the other hand, seems to only show up when he wants to bring Tucker down. Then there's Erika Green, who comes back into his life, stirring up old feelings. A small part of him knows he shouldn't get too attached during senior year. But a bigger part doesn’t want her to disappear again.

Erika from before the video loved to shock people. Now, she just wants to hole up in her quiet college life and leave the past where it belongs—in a dumpster fire. But then she reconnects with Tucker Campanelli. Erika can't explain what it is about him. There's just this undeniable connection between them, and she really doesn't want to lose that feeling. Not yet.

My Review:
This book was a really great read, and the concept that it was told over the various parties that these two both attend was pretty interesting. I read Karen Hattrup's debut novel, and I enjoyed it, and it was really great to read her 2nd published book!

A part of this book is the potential romantic relationship between Tucker and Erika. There's a lot of missed opportunities, because of hurt feelings, misunderstandings and high emotions. But there's also everything that's going on in these characters' lives.

Like, when Erica was in high school, a sex video of her got out, and now she's in a witness in a case of rape. So there's that. And Tucker has some family issues, from his dad, to the situation of his grandmother and cousin. Plus there's their friends and those relationships.

Tucker muses about the magic of parties. I've never been, but yeah, I could see that in the ones that they attend. Sure, things go wrong, they fight with the ones they care about, but there's moments that just connect them, and it was really great to read!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a really great read!

Author: Karen Hattrup
Read: June 17th, 2020
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2020 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: October 8th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 5

I read my next book, Our Year in Love and Parties, and I'm going to be reading Blood Will Out next! Yeah, I had work, and then a dentist appointment. I did get some time with my audio book, but not a lot of time on the next book I wanted to read, which is why it took me so long to get an update. But I've decided that I'm going to do this for the next 2 days as well, I'm currently not scheduled to work tomorrow, and only a few hours on Thursday, so I hope to get at least the rest of my Wheel of TBR weekly books read, since I haven't read any of them yet. But 2 of them are short, 2 of them are rereads of books that I really enjoyed, and they're all ones that I'm looking forward to reading, so I hope I devour them, and quickly!

My Reading Journey:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 15th, 8:35 PM
Pages Read: 540

Kiss Collector by Wendy Higgins
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 16th, 12:01 AM
Pages Read: 307

American Demon by Kim Harrison
Started On: June 16th
Finished On: June 16th, 8:14 PM
Pages Read: 464

Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken
Started On: June 16th
Finished On: June 16th, 10:28 PM
Pages Read: 352

Our Year in Love and Parties by Karen Huttrup
Started On: June 17th
Finished On: June 17th, 11:41 PM
Pages Read: 368

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari
Started On: June 18th
Currently On: Page 0 of 269

Goals: 6-8
Read: 5
Pages Read: 1653

Magical Readathon 2020 O.W.L.'s Update 13 and Wrap Up

So I read my final book of the O.W.L.'s, and it was Our Year in Love and Parties, which is for Divination. Yeah, I only took 1 1/2 weeks to complete the O.W.L.'s, all of them! I'm happy, and I can't wait for the Hogsmeade visit, and the the N.E.W.T.'s in August! Though next year it looks like it'll be the same kind of format, but in a new, created world just for the Magical Readathon/Reading Group.

I just wanted to say, here at the end, that J.K. Rowling's tweets about transgender women, it's complete unacceptable. Trans women are women, and what she said was incredible hurtful and shows what growing as a human being she needs. I hope she does grow because this world doesn't need any of that negativity, and negativity of any kind.

Harry Potter has been a part of my life for a long time, and as I'm looking at Dobby, who was just making sounds in his sleep, touching his cancer lump that's either directly or indirectly take him away from us, well. Harry Potter in my life is more than what J.K. Rowling created, and I can separate the person from the content created. I sincerely hope that all the damage that has been inflicted will mend.

My Reading Journey:

His Hideous Heart Anthology
Prompt Fulfilled: Ancient Ruins
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 10:28 AM
Pages Read: 253

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Prompt Fulfilled: Transfiguration
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 7:47 PM
Pages Read: 484

The Lasaran by Dianne Duvall
Prompt Fulfilled: Astronomy
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 10:33 PM
Pages Read: 460

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Cristo
Prompt Fulfilled: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Started On: June 8th
Finished On: June 8th, 11:20 AM
Pages Read: 344

Without a Trace by Amanda Stevens
Prompt Fulfilled: Arithmancy
Started On: June 8th
Finished On: June 8th, 7:58 PM
Pages Read: 256

The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn
Prompt Fulfilled: Potions
Started On: June 9th
Finished On: June 9th, 10:02 PM
Pages Read: 128

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Prompt Fulfilled: Herbology
Started On: June 10th
Finished On: June 10th, 6:00 AM
Pages Read: 464

Here, There, Everywhere by Julia Durango and Tyler Terrones
Prompt Fulfilled: Muggle Studies
Started On: June 11th
Finished On: June 11th, 10:23 PM
Pages Read: 304

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Prompt Fulfilled: History of Magic
Started On: June 12th
Finished On: June 12th, 8:58 PM
Pages Read: 356

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Prompt Fulfilled: Care of Magical Creatures
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 15th, 8:35 PM
Pages Read: 540

Kiss Collector by Wendy Higgins
Prompt Fulfilled: Muggle Studies
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 16th, 12:01 AM
Pages Read: 307

Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken
Prompt Fulfilled: Dragon Tamer Training
Started On: June 16th
Finished On: June 16th, 10:28 PM
Pages Read: 352

Our Year in Love and Parties by Karen Huttrup
Prompt Fulfilled: Divination
Started On: June 17th
Finished On: June 17th, 11:41 PM
Pages Read: 368

Prompts Left: None!
Read: 13
Pages Read: 4616

WWW Wednesday #479, June 17th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme!

I'm currently reading Our Year in Love and Parties, and I'm really enjoying it!
I read Dragon Actually, and I really enjoyed both of the stories! 
I'm going to be reading Blood Will Out, and I can't wait, it sounds really great!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 4

I read my next book, Dragon Actually, and I'm going to be reading Our Year in Love and Parties next! Yeah, I'm going to take that 4 hour/2 full length books tomorrow. I have an early morning, and so an early night tonight, so I want that time!

My Reading Journey:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 15th, 8:35 PM
Pages Read: 540

Kiss Collector by Wendy Higgins
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 16th, 12:01 AM
Pages Read: 307

American Demon by Kim Harrison
Started On: June 16th
Finished On: June 16th, 8:14 PM
Pages Read: 464

Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken
Started On: June 16th
Finished On: June 16th, 10:28 PM
Pages Read: 352

Our Year in Love and Parties by Karen Huttrup
Started On: June 17th
Currently On: Page 0 of 368

Goals: 6-8
Read: 4
Pages Read: 1653

Magical Readathon 2020 O.W.L.'s Update 12

So I read my next book of the O.W.L.'s, and it was Dragon Actually, which is for Dragon Tamer Training. I'll be reading Our Year in Love and Parties next!

My Reading Journey:

His Hideous Heart Anthology
Prompt Fulfilled: Ancient Ruins
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 10:28 AM
Pages Read: 253

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Prompt Fulfilled: Transfiguration
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 7:47 PM
Pages Read: 484

The Lasaran by Dianne Duvall
Prompt Fulfilled: Astronomy
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 10:33 PM
Pages Read: 460

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Cristo
Prompt Fulfilled: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Started On: June 8th
Finished On: June 8th, 11:20 AM
Pages Read: 344

Without a Trace by Amanda Stevens
Prompt Fulfilled: Arithmancy
Started On: June 8th
Finished On: June 8th, 7:58 PM
Pages Read: 256

The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn
Prompt Fulfilled: Potions
Started On: June 9th
Finished On: June 9th, 10:02 PM
Pages Read: 128

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Prompt Fulfilled: Herbology
Started On: June 10th
Finished On: June 10th, 6:00 AM
Pages Read: 464

Here, There, Everywhere by Julia Durango and Tyler Terrones
Prompt Fulfilled: Muggle Studies
Started On: June 11th
Finished On: June 11th, 10:23 PM
Pages Read: 304

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Prompt Fulfilled: History of Magic
Started On: June 12th
Finished On: June 12th, 8:58 PM
Pages Read: 356

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Prompt Fulfilled: Care of Magical Creatures
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 15th, 8:35 PM
Pages Read: 540

Kiss Collector by Wendy Higgins
Prompt Fulfilled: Muggle Studies
Started On: June 15th
Finished On: June 16th, 12:01 AM
Pages Read: 307

Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken
Prompt Fulfilled: Dragon Tamer Training
Started On: June 16th
Finished On: June 16th, 10:28 PM
Pages Read: 352

Our Year in Love and Parties by Karen Huttrup
Prompt Fulfilled: Divination
Started On: June 17th
Currently On: Page 0 of 368

Prompts Left: None!
Read: 12
Pages Read: 4248

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Week 22 Review: Frannie and Tru

From Goodreads:
When Frannie Little eavesdrops on her parents fighting she discovers that her cousin Truman is gay, and his parents are so upset they are sending him to live with her family for the summer. At least, that's what she thinks the story is. . . When he arrives, shy Frannie befriends this older boy, who is everything that she's not–rich, confident, cynical, sophisticated. Together, they embark on a magical summer marked by slowly unraveling secrets. 

My Review:
Reading this book was really great! It was a book about family, about the truth, and about racism. That their family was in tight financial straights, and her cousin comes to live with them, with some secrets. And she is going to be going to a basically a public school where it's much more diverse then her private school.

Frannie was a bit naive. She thought a bottle of alcohol would cement her friendship with Tru like magic. And then a few other things along the way, as she experienced more, she grew up, and that was really great to watch her do that!

I loved the name of their band! Suck It, Sparrow, is definitely something unique, and just something said in a moment that got co-opted for being the band's name. So yeah, that would be a great story of naming their band!

One line near the end of the book, that she felt bad that she hadn't thought about some things before, I understand. I'm a sheltered, privileged white girl who grew up on the outskirts of a decent sized town near a big city. As far as diversity goes, of skin colour, sexual orientation and gender orientation, yeah, I can't think of many people off the top of my head who are different. Like I said, sheltered. I'd like to think I'd react well, but I'll never really know until it happens. Which isn't the same thing as this paragraph started, but they're connected. Kinda. Just my small attempt to explain why I feel the same way.

That ending, that was really great! It wasn't all good, what with Tru leaving without saying goodbye, and just after the truth of why he was sent there came out. And how her old friends reacted seeing her boyfriend come towards them. But yeah, the last chapter, doing the jumping into Prettyboy, I'm just wondering if it's Devon or some other guy, because there really weren't a lot of details (and the ones that there were, I don't remember what the characters descriptions are beyond boy/girl and skin colour.) Yeah.

Really enjoyed this book, it was just fantastic!

Author: Karen Hattrup
Read: May 25th, 2016
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a DAC Book, SAC 2016 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Expected Publication: May 31st 2016
5/5 Hearts
4.5/5 Books
5/5 Stars