Monthly Wrap-Up 9-30-2015

Hello, Luvs

I'd say I got more books this month than last month, but it'd be a lie. I got the same amount. Six.

Let's see these Six beauties! 

The Books I have purchased or received in the month of September are (in alphabetical order by title): 

~Air Awakens by Elise Kova

Actually, Library Luv got me wanting to read this! and at the moment (9-28-2015) I am reading it but by tonight I think I'll be done! Hopefully. The cover is gorgeous and I'm still fan-girling that I got the ARC of it. AA is my first ARC and Signed book. <3 so thanks Elise if your seeing this! *Hugs* (Received from Elise Kova <3) 

~Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas 

I read Throne Of Glass in July? I think, I'm not positive. But I finally got book two. And I'm super pumped to read this because I was in LOVE with the first! *swoon* and I am TEAM CHAOL! <3 (Purchased on Amazon) 

~Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) by J.K.Rowling
I've only read 1 and 2 but I want to read them all I already love this series, even though I know a lot of the deaths . . . stupid twitter and buzzfeed. But I will read these and most likely cry for Dobby's death still (Highlight the 'highlighted' section to see the name of the dead, if you already read all the books). (Purchased at Half Price Books) 

~Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) by J.K.Rowling

Pretty much the same as above. .  . <3 (Purchased at Half price books)

~Red Rising by Pierce Brown 
Okay, so this book has been on my TBR list to buy for quite some time now. I finally own it and extremely excited to read this novel! EEEEP. (Purchased on Amazon)

~To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 

I have been wanting for a while before I started this blog and I finally own it and very happy. I can't wait to read it and hope it as good as I am wanting it to be, because I have heard so many good things about this book and the author Jenny Han and I really don't want to hate this book because the cover is also GORGEOUS. I love the decorations of the wall behind her. Just sayin. (ROOM GOALS). (Purchased at Half price books) 

Those are the books I have received or bought this month! Continue to see the books I read this month. 

That Includes : 

~Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

~Ink by Amanda Sun

~Rook by Sharon Cameron

~Air Awakens by Elise Kova 


That is everything I have read and/or purchased of the month of September . . . be looking for the TBR post, I am going to try to make it as Halloween-y as possible! 

Happy Reading, Luvs

Top Ten Tuesday #2

This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and each week a new theme is put out! I honestly am really bad at explaining things so go over to their blog and check it all out! :P 

This week's theme is

'Ten Books To Read If You Like This Book/Author' 

If you liked the Splintered series by Anita Grace Howard, then you should read 

1- Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

2- Cinder (Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

3- The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn

4- Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn

If you liked The Selection by Kiera Cass, you should check out 

5- Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

6- Red Queen (with way more action *wink*) by Victoria Aveyard

7- Matched by Ally Condie 

As you can tell my recommendations are probably horrible! But all the books I listed are amazing! I would go to ten but I just don't know which to recommend . . . 

What are some of your readalikes?

HAPPY READING, LUVs

Top Ten Tuesday #1

So, I have seen tons of bloggers doing this weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish 

And well I now it's no longer Tuesday, that was yesterday. My post is only a day late! but it's okay, I'll be on time next week . . . hopefully :P 

Each Week there is a different topic and this week is 'Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR'. 

~My top ten below~

In No-particular order

1- Drown by Esther Dalseno 

2- Through The Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

3- Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

4- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

5- Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

6- Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

7- Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix J.K. Rowling

8- Fire falling by Elise Kova

9- Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

10- The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

My Book Count!

This is just to show you LUVLIES what books I have on my shelf. The books I am putting down are not from a library they are books I actually own! 

It's going to be quite a long list

Not as Long as Sasha Alsberg's though XD

(P.S.  click the Authors name to go to their page, some authors may not have a link, either I'm not sure if it's their website or someone with the same name or the author does not have a blog/website :P)

A-Z (Authors first name)

Ally Condie

• Atlantia 
• Matched
• Crossed
• Reached

Anita Grace Howard

• Splintered 
• Unhinged 
• Ensnared

Barry Johnsberg

• The Crimes and Punishments of Miss Payne

Cassandra Clare

• The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones 
• The Mortal Instruments: City Of Ashes
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass

Chanda Hahn

• Unenchanted 
• Fairest
• Fable
• Reign
• The Iron Butterfly
• The Steele Wolf
• The Silver Siren

Danielle Paige

• Dorothy Must Die

Diana Gabaldon

• Outlander 

Elise Kova

• (Coming in the mail "ARC") Air Awakens

Grimm Brothers

• The Complete Grimm's fairytales

J.K.Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry potter and the Deathly Hollows 

James Dashner

• The Maze Runner 
• The Scorch Trials 
• The Death Cure
• The Kill Order 

Jenny Han

• To All The Boys I've Loved Before

John Green

• Paper Towns

Kiera Cass

• The Selection: The Prince and The Guard
• The Selection
• The Elite
• The One
• The Heir
• (Pre-ordered) Happily Ever After

Louis Lowry

• Number The Stars

Marissa Meyer

• Fairest
• Cinder 
• Scarlet
• Cress

Piece Brown

• Red Rising

Sabaa Tahir

• An Ember In The Ashes 

Sarah Dessen

• Lock & Key 

Sarah J. Maas

• A Court Of Thorns And Roses

Scott Sigler

• Alive

Suzanne Collins

• The Hunger Games
• Catching Fire
• MockingJay

Veronica Roth

• Four 
• Divergent 
• Insurgent
• Allegiant 

Victoria Aveyard

• Red Queen 

Victoria Lamb

• Witchfall

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVEL BUDDY!!

Today is my Travel Buddies Birthday!

And since we live SOOOO far apart and I can't be there on her birthday, I'll just have to celebrate from a distance. But I did some little things on Twitter for her and got a few people to wish her happy birthday, and I thank them all for being so nice about it <3 

But this post here is just so you know it's her birthday! 

But I want to make it special for her, guys, she turned sixteen! Now she has to wait for me to catch up in January XD 

Happy Birthday Library Luv!!!! 

Beyondthebookreviews.blogspot.com 

@splintered_Luv

*sends hugs* 

Drown by Esther Dalseno RELEASE!

Hello Luvlies! 
I have some very special news! 
The title to this post pretty much gives it away! but keep reading, it gets even more interesting, I promise! As you may know! I am a huge fan of Fairy-Tale re-Tellings. I love anything that has to do with re-tellings of classic Disney princesses or princes. But you aren't here to read about what I like, no! you're here to hear about the lovely new book and amazing, sweet, awesome author Esther Dalseno!
In this lovely post I'll be putting the information about 'Drown' and then there is a Q&A with the amazing Esther Dalseno! plus a little extra sneak peak to something pretty cool *winks*

Information below:

Title- Drown
Release Date- October 2015 (Date is unknown but it is coming out in Octoboer!) 

Synopsis- 

Seven emotionless princesses.
Three ghostly sirens. 
A beautiful, malicious witch haunted by memories. 
A handsome, self-mutilating prince.

Belonging to a race that is mostly animal with little humanity, a world obsessed with beauty where morality holds no sway, a little mermaid escapes to the ocean's surface. discovering music, a magnificent palace of glass and limestone, and a troubled human prince, she is driven by love to consult the elusive sea-witch who secretly dominates the entire species of merfolk. Upon paying an enormous price for her humanity, the little mermaid begins a new life, uncovering secrets of sexuality and the Immortal soul. As a deadly virus threatens to contaminate the bloodstream of the whole merfold race, the little mermaid must choose between the lives of her people, the man she loves, or herself, 

A complete reinvention of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale, this is a magical-realist fable that captures the essence of sacrifice and the price of humanity. 

Q&A with Esther Dalseno

~What made you want to start writing?

Esther- I started writing when I was a child. I quickly learned that books were my greatest pleasure and immediately began trying to create my own. I finished my first novel, which was a direct plagiarism of Star Wars, in grade 6.

~How long did it take you to write 'Drown'?

Esther- it took 6 months to write Drown. I wrote it in a beautiful little country called Laos in South East Asia. I'm Australian, but I left Sydney nearly 10 years ago and have been traveling ever since. I am a big scuba diver, and the atmosphere under the water when diving in countries all around South East Asia really influenced the pacing and dream like quality of Drown. When I say down and wrote it, after a failed relationship, I was quite alone with only my dog. My motorbike and my manuscript.

~What was the HARDEST part of writing your book?

Esther- The hardest part of writing Drown were the negative voices in my own head, asking me what the point of writing was, and what I intended to do with it, and that it would never amount to anything. They didn't come often but when they did, it would floor me. But I conquered my doubts and finished anyway.

~When did you first consider yourself a writer? 

Esther- I have always considered myself a writer (although too shy to introduce myself as such.) I undertook a prominent creative writing degree in Sydney and was surrounded by other writers. I quickly found that a lot of my peers considered being a writer sitting in a fashionable cafe with a moleskin notebook, pretending to be writing by looking thoughtful, but not writing a word! Or reading certain literary publications that bored me to death. Or quoting obscure writers (in other languages, even better!). I couldn't bear it. To me, if you put pen to paper, your fingers on a keyboard, and a story comes out, no matter who does or does not read it, then you are a writer. 

~Is Drown a stand-alone or a series?

Esther- Stand alone

~If you could choose, which writer would you consider a good mentor?

Esther- Mentors would include Susannah Clark of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami who is a god among kings. 

~What does your writing process look like?

Esther- My writing process starts early in the morning and involves editing, editing, editing. Then I write half a chapter to one chapter. I need to do it in absolute silence because I find music influences the tone and pacing of my narrative. 

~Do you plan to write more stand-alones? or a series?

Esther- Early next year, my next novel 'Gabriel and the Swallows' is due for publication. It as a sequel, but only one. 

~Do you have anything specific you'd like to tell your readers? 

Esther- Don't hate me. 

~***~ 

Now for the 'more' special surprise! 

Esther Dalseno had said above that she has another novel that will be 'due for publication' early next year. And as it says above it's called "Gabriel and the Swallows" but there's more to this surprise!

The synopsis to this story will be below, yes the Synopsis! 

Title- Gabriel and the Swallows

Author- Esther Dalseno

Release Date- (unknown) early next year

Synopsis- 

 One-Wine scented Italian night, loner farm boy Gabriel Laurentis rescues a wounded creature, a miraculous young girl with the wings of a swallow. Badly bullied and dwelling in an imaginary world, Gabriel's only friend is the beautiful and mysterious Orlando Khan, followed everywhere by an unexplained flock of swallows. As Gabriel wrestles with manhood, questions haunt him: is the foundling really who she says she is? Who is the Dark One that lurks in the ancient tunnelts beneath their city, or is he just a figment of Gabriel's imagination? And is the girl's condition merely a mutation of nature, or something much more sinister? Gabriel encounters mysteries as old as blood and bone, of ancient rites and foreign lands, and must make a deadly decision that changes the course of life as he knows it. 

Amazing!

I personally loved both Synopsis'! I thought they were amazing, and I honestly can not wait to see the cover to Gabriel and the Swallows *Swoon* 

About Esther Dalseno

                                                

                                                    Info taken from Esther Dalseno's website  estherdalseno.com

Esther Dalseno was born in a rural Autralian town that is not quite the outback.

Returning to Australia after spending her formative years in the USA, she left Sydney in 2007 to become an English teacher in South Korea. She told everyone she would be back in a year. 

She is yet to return.

Esther has lived in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand and has traveled the world extensively. 

She now lives in Berlin with her husband, daughter, and perkigese dog, all acquired along the way. 

She was previously published in acclaimed short story collection, We All Need a Witness, by Pan Macmillan. 

Her second novel, Gabriel and the Swallows, is due for release in 2016.

Esther Dalseno Contact Info:

Twitter ○ Website ○ Goodreads ○ Facebook ○ Instagram- @Esther_Writes ○ Publisher's Instagram- @3littlebirdsbooks

I hope you liked this post! I had so much fun doing it and talking with the amazing author! I personally am excited to be reading this book when it comes out and her other book, Gabriel and the Swallows! I hope you get her book also! <3 

Goodbye for now, Luvs. 

Enjoy the book!

and go follow Esther Dalseno on any social media you can. She is an amazing person and had such a great time talking to her :) 

The Secret Life Of A Book Blogger

hey!

You ready for "The Secret Life Of A Book Blogger" Tag? I spent awhile thinking about this, and finally got all my answers!

If you want to see SJBouquet's tag, click the picture below.  

There are 11 questions, and there will be 11 answers. . . Duh :P

  1. How long have you been a blogger? I always wanted a blog, and over the years I've had sooo many...but my only problem was "What do I make this blog about" and all of them failed in a week . . . but then one day I picked up a book, and then a few months later I was a booknerd and creating a blog. So for this blog, I've officially been blogging for 3 months. (it's a start!) 

2. At what point do you think you will stop?  Hopefully never! I love blogging, and I've met so many amazing people doing so, like my travel buddy, SJBouquet, and some more.  Hopefully, I never stop. But you never know :) 

3. What is the best thing?  Best thing? about blogging? *scratches head*  I mean, tons of things are the 'best thing' but I'd have to say being able to meet Weird-O's that read + blog like you *winky face, points at You-Know-Who* you know who I'm talking about, Weird-O. 

4. What is the worst thing?  people who put you down for doing what you love! When you read books and they say "That genre's stupid. and you should read something that you learn from". YA does teach! it may not teach us about Biology or Math but it teaches us to be creative. A story can teach us to be different or that happy endings can happen and even if they don't you can still be happy! or how my plan is--One day, I will get my acceptance letter from Hogwarts and they will put me in Ravenclaw and II'll be the proudest Ravenclaw in Hogwarts!" 

I just hate it when people put me down for reading YA or Fiction in general...sorry about the lecture. 

5. How long does it take you to find/create pictures for your post? 

It depends, for my 'Monthly Wrap-up' and 'TBR' header photos it took me about 20 minutes to find + make + edit them each and for gifs and pictures I normally get them from google. But! I am planning to start taking pictures of the books that I am reading instead of using internet photos, so lets see how that goes, I'm hoping it only takes about five minutes. :) 

6. Who is your book crush? 

Pffffftttt, oh your serious?

Well them...I think everyone has a book crush for EVERY book you read, but I'll pick my top three (No specific order) 

~ Morpheus from splintered by Anita Grace Howard

~Jared/Teague from Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn

~Kael from The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn

No judging!

7. What Author would you like to have on your blog? 

All of them! I can only choose one? can I make a list? 

Pierce Brown (Have not read RED RISING but plan to!) 

Chanda Hahn 

J.K.Rowling

Anita Grace Howard

Danielle Paige

Kiera Cass 

Scott Sigler 

Amanda Sun

Cassie Clare 

Ally Condie 

James Dashner

John Green 

Suzanne Collins (Because I don't think she has a twitter! and it would be awesome to have her on my blog!) 

Sarah J. Maas 

Sabaa Tahir 

Victoria Aveyard 

Veronica Roth

It'd be between all of them! plus more >:) 

8. What do you wear when you write a blog post? 

Whatever I have on. Pants and a shirt, pajamas, a dress. 

Whatever's on is on.

9. How long does it take you to prepare/write?

normally, I wing it. But when I do my book-tag with @Splintered_Luv it normalyl takes a few hours to think about and then I think of what I'm going to say for a little bit then I write it. So that takes about a day at most for me. With my reviews I sit down and write as soon as I can, and that normally takes me 1-5 business days. 

No, but seriously it does take me about 1 day to a week to get a review done :) 

10. How do you feel about the book/ blogger community/ culture? 

I think it is great for meeting amazing people and being able to put your own thoughts out for other booknerds to see/ reply. you make a lot of  amazing friends this way and can meet tons of people like you. <3 

11. What do you think one should do to get a successful blog? 

One should be thyself. Kinda took your answer SJBouquet *Sends love* 

Talk about what you want (I am working on getting a 'successful' blog) and so far I've learned, you need to get out there! you cannot make a post and expect people to just flock to it. It just doesn't happen! and also customize your blog until it's perfect in YOUR eyes. If you don't like a certain layout, change it until you do like it! 

I hope that is good, I am not a PRO so, SJ's answer is probably better. <3 

Since SJBouquet didn't tag anyone, I am not either! 

If you want to do this tag just do it! And tag @SJBouquet on twitter! or her blog. :) 

A tree grows in bookland  Hope you enjoyed the tag!  Have a nice day/evening/night, Luv