Back in the Game with More Reading Challenges ☾

Hello everyone!
I know I've kind of abandoned this blog, but I'm back and starting it up once more, hoping to stick with it and update regularly.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump the past couple of months, and have just recently gotten out of that slump with some great books! It may be a little late in the year to start a reading challenge, but I'm going to count the books I've already completed toward this challenge, and hopefully this will keep me motivated to read more.

This is the POPSUGAR 2016 reading challenge! I attempted the 2015 version last year and unfortunately didn't complete it, but I'm much more determined this time around. I will be doubling up on some of the challenges, if a book happens to complete two or more. Here are the categories, and I will be crossing them off as I go:

• a book based on a fairy tale
• a National Book Award winner
• a YA bestseller
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• a book you haven't read since high school 
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• a book set in your home state (or country, given I live in Canada)
• a book translated to English
• a romance set in the future
• a book set in Europe
• a book that's under 150 pages
• Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling
• a New York Times bestseller
• a book that's becoming a movie this year
• a book recommended by someone you just met 
• a self-improvement book
• a book you can finish in a day 
• a book written by a celebrity 
• a political memoir 
• a book at least 100 years older than you
• a book that's more than 600 pages
• a book from Oprah's Book Club
• a science fiction novel 
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• a book recommended by a family member
• a graphic novel 
• a book that is published in 2016
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
• a book with a protagonist who has your occupation
• a book that takes place during Summer
• a book and its prequel
• a murder mystery
• a book written by a comedian 
• a dystopian novel
• The 100 by Kass Morgan
• a book with a blue cover
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
• a book of poetry
• the first book you see in a bookstore
• a classic from the 20th century 
• a book from the library 
• an autobiography
• a book about a road trip
• a book about a culture you're unfamiliar with
• a satirical book
• a book that takes place on an island 
• a book that's guaranteed to bring you joy

Total Completed: 7/40

Book Review | Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

"It makes me cry because it means that fewer and fewer people are believing it's cool to want what I want, which is to be married and have kids and love each other in a monogamous, long-lasting relationship."

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Author: Mindy Kaling

Genre: Non Fiction - Memoir

Length: 222 pages

Publication Date: November 1st, 2011

Publisher: Crown Archetype

Format: Paperback

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

Review:

First of all, funny lady memoirs are my thing right now. It started with Lena Dunham's memoir (Not That Kind of Girl) and is continuing with this one. Bossypants and Yes Please are most definitely next on my list. But anyway, this book is a masterpiece. It is so completely Mindy inside and out, her voice as a writer is incredible. I could hear her saying everything as I was reading it, and I loved it. By the time the book ended I was sad, as it meant I had to say goodbye to a friend. 

Mindy is an inspirational and hilarious woman. First of all, she's not skinny and she knows it. She accepts it. That's something so admirable. One of my favourite parts in her book is when she's talking about her weight, and she says being skinny isn't something she really cares to do. It's low on her list of things to accomplish, and I love that. I love that she doesn't care. She's amazing. 

She's such a hardworking woman, which is something else I really admire. She's gotten so far, knowing from a young age exactly what she wanted to do and going for it-- and she made it happen. I really look up to everything she went through to get where she is today. I just really love this book, it has a really special place in my heart and I've gained so much love and respect for this woman, it's insane. I think I rank this book above Not That Kind of Girl, which is saying a lot. Lena Dunham has been my role model and inspiration for a long time, and now she's sharing the spotlight with Mindy.

Self acceptance is something a lot of people have trouble with (myself including) and Mindy just discusses it so well in this book, without ever really discussing it. I think everyone should read this book, every gender and age could take something away from it, and I love that. 

Have I mentioned that I love this book? 

Rating: ★★★★★

December Wrap Up!

1. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Wrapped up this series at the very beginning of December, and I'm very happy with this conclusion to the haunting trilogy. You can see my full series review here with a spoiler-free section and a part discussing some spoiler-y things!

Rating: ★★★★★

2. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I really enjoyed this! It was sad and heartfelt, and I really enjoyed the flashback aspect of this book. We got to learn so much about Mia and her family that way, and I just found the whole thing interesting. I didn't really connect to any of the characters in particular though, and I did find the writing immature. Still debating on whether or not to do a full review - I might wait until I read the sequel.

Rating: ★★★★

3. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Lots of YA this month, huh? This book was absolutely amazing, though. It was beautiful and cute and heartwarming/heartbreaking. It was just as happy as it was sad, with a great ending. It just dealt with a lot of topics in a way that I have really seen before in YA - including sex. Sex was treated as though it wasn't a huge deal, which I really liked. It was just done in an excellent way, and I loved the scrapbook and playlist aspect of the book! Time to read more Morgan Matson.

Rating: ★★★★★

4. Judging a Book by its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto

Thought I'd throw in a non-fiction to mix it up, since I don't read nearly as many as I would like. This book I enjoyed a lot, it's nice to read from the perspective of someone who loves books equally as much as I do. Books about books are a dream come true. However, the author's voice was very... pretentious. She came off as though she was bragging the entire time, and it was hard to get past. The first half of the book I loved, but I found myself skimming through the last half. It was getting boring and repetitive, and I just wasn't into it anymore. If the book was written with a less condescending and arrogant voice, I think I would have enjoyed it more. But hey, did you know Kurt Vonnegut coined the phrase "flying fuck"?

Rating: ★★★

5. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

I've never been a big fan of new adult, and the first half of this book I had a lot of problems with. I didn't like the writing, the the story seemed cliche, and it was pretty predictable to me at first. I find a lot of new adult books seem like they're more fanfiction that actual novels, just because of the writing style. This one wasn't an exception at first, but then it got so much better. The story took a turn I wasn't expecting, the main character became so much easier to relate to, and it broke my heart. I was sobbing near the end, the characters were so great and their development was perfect. If you're trying to read this, I highly recommend you stick with it, because it gets so much better near the end.

Rating: ★★★★

6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This was a weird one... I don't really know how I feel about it. I found myself skimming some parts of it since it didn't really make sense to me. But then there were some parts that were really wise and I think overall, the book had a good message. It just wasn't really for me.

Rating: ★★★

Those are all of the books I finished this month, but I also wanted to talk about one that I started and did not finish.

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

I ended up reading the first three stories from this anthology before I got bored, so I'll tell you my ratings of those three.

Midnight by Rainbow Rowell: ★★★★★

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: ★

Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Pena: ★★★

I don't know, I enjoyed this for the most part, but I think I'm going to put it down. I'm just really not in the mood for this any more with the end of the holidays, and I don't feel like it's worth carrying over into the new year. 

That's all for this month, guys! I hope you all had a fantastic new year :) 

Currently Reading

Hey guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've been on here to update my December wrap-up, but I haven't posted anything in a few weeks, so I thought I'd tell you what I'm currently reading.

I'm one of those horrible, confusing people that read several books at the same time. I start books and don't ever pick them up again, instead turning to something else. So, these are the books I am currently in the middle of or have started within the last couple of months, and ones that I plan on finishing very soon.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

This is the one that I'm really into at the moment. I just started it today, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's fast paced and keeps you entertained, and I'm really enjoying the writing style. It's a Christmas book, and even though Christmas is over, I'm still very much in the holiday spirit and this is a great read this time of year. 

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

According to my ereader, I am 8% done this book. I've only read the first story, which I really enjoyed. I plan on finishing this before the new year, even though again, this is a holiday book and the holidays are basically over. 

Sophie's Choice by William Styron

I'm only about 20 pages into this book, but I'm enjoying it so far. It's a massive book, and I know it's going to send me on an emotional journey, one that I'm not sure I'm ready for. I'm taking my time with this one, but I hope to get further into it very soon. 

Bone by Jeff Smith

I'm reading the bind up of all of the volumes, which is massive. I'm 235 pages in out of 1341. I left this in my dorm room though, so I haven't been able to pick it up at all this month. I'm hoping to finish this within the first couple months of the new year though! It's just a fun, light read. 

So, these are the four books that I'm currently into! I'd like to finish the first two by the end of December (3 days!), but the other two I'm taking my time with. I need 2 more books to complete my Goodreads goal, so I hope I can do it!

TMI Book Survey!

So, this is a tag taken from BookTube (called the TMI Tag - BookTube Edition), that I thought I would answer here, because it seems like a lot of fun! It's basically just me answering a bunch of book related questions, let's go! (The original can be found here.)

1. Who's clothing style from a book do you like?

The first person that comes to mind is Isabelle Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments, because she has a really kickass sense of fashion. I feel like I would also love Bronwyn's from Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, because she seems to know what she's talking about. Or anyone from any book set in the 1800s because yes please.

2. Your book boyfriend/fictional crush?

Oh my. Are you really asking me to chose just one? I'm going to have to go with Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs from The Infernal Devices. They're from the same book so I can have both, right?

3. Ever loved a character but then started hating them?

Four from Divergent. Loved him in Divergent, tolerated him in Insurgent, hated him in Allegiant. I really don't like that book series at all.

4. Biggest/longest book on your shelf?

It by Stephen King. According to Goodreads it has more pages than Under the Dome, but I'm too lazy to go check my editions.

5. Heaviest book on your shelf?

Again, either It or Under the Dome by Stephen King. Or the bind up of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

6. Do you have any book posters? 

Unfortunately, I do not.

7. Do you have any book themed jewelry? 

I do! I have a Harry Potter bracelet and quite possibly some other things that I'm forgetting. 

8. Book OTP?

Probably James and Lily Potter.... but I have a lot.

9. Favourite book series?

HARRY POTTER ALL THE WAY. 

10. Favourite book to movie soundtrack?

Catching Fire was good. So was If I Stay, but I haven't actually seen that movie. 

11. A book story you miss/wish would continue?

Harry Potter. And The Infernal Devices. 

12. Favourite Standalone? 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. And Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. And a million others that I'm not going to name.

13. When did you start reading?

When I was like... 5. 

14. Which Hogwarts house are you in?

I've always been in Slytherin, but the last time I took the Pottermore quiz, it sorted me into Ravenclaw. That changed everything in my life.

15. Quality you look for in a book?

Fast paced. 

16. Favourite book quote?

"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them."

17. Favourite author?

Sylvia Plath, J.K. Rowling, Oscar Wilde, Rainbow Rowell, Cassandra Clare, and too many others.

18. Favourite book cover. 

The Retribution of Mara Dyer! Mostly because what's on the cover was actually a scene described in the book and it made me happy. 

19. Action or romance?

BOTH. 

20. Where to you go when a sad moment happens?

Into a very dark corner from which I don't emerge for years. 

21. How long do you need to finish a book?

Depends on the book. Anywhere from an hour to a year. 

22. How long is your mourning period?

This depends. But usually I'm good after a few hours. Or days. Or years.

23. Least favourite book?

Fallen Too Far and Never Too Far by Abbi Glines. Ugh. These were SO BADLY WRITTEN and I felt offended as a woman while I was reading a lot of it. I've stayed far away from new adult ever since.

24. Turn on in a character?

Witty. 

25. Turn off in a character? 

Judgemental. 

26. Name a scary book. 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King (or anything Stephan King). 

27. Last book that made you cry?

The Cider House Rules by John Irving.

28. Last book that you gave 5 stars?

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

29. Any favourite book titles?

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh.

30. Last book you read? 

Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto.

31. Books you're currently reading?

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham, Sophie's Choice by William Styron, Bone by Jeff Smith, and slowly but surely getting through The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales. 

32. Last book adaptation you watched?

Mockingjay part 1! 

33. A book character you've always wanted to talk to?

Draco Malfoy.

34. An author you've always wanted to talk to?

J.K. Rowling. (This is getting a bit repetitive, isn't it?)

35. Favourite book snack?

I don't eat while I read! So probably a hot beverage of any kind. 

36. Book world you want to live in?

Harry Potter! 

37. Book world you don't want to live in?

1984 by George Orwell. Or any dystopian world. 

38. Last time you smelled a book?

Probably not that long ago. 

39. Weird insults used in a book?

I can't think of any off of the top of my head, but there were probably some great ones in The Mortal Instruments. 

40. Favourite romance book?

Fangirl & Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, Anny and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, and My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I love my YA contemporaries, leave me alone.

41. Do you write?

All the time. 

42. Favourite magical item? 

Wands. 

43. Your Quidditch position?

Let's be real, I would be terrible at Quidditch.

44. Name a song you connect to a book. 

Erm. Can I say Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something to Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote? Too late, I did. 

45. Favourite book related chat up line?

YOU LIKE BOOKS? COOL, SO DO I. 

46. Have you ever used it?

Unfortunately, I have.

47. Favourite book fandom?

Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. 

48. How many books do you own?

I'm going to say around 200, give or take. I don't actually know.