tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31128894679642995752024-03-06T06:14:41.223+01:00schakarin- a book blog - Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-12212147828431127912021-05-20T23:07:00.003+02:002021-05-20T23:11:31.106+02:00What I've Read In 2021 So Far<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrcev_Z5PpISIP4yP_QHnCXIQZ_4CgkA8Ht7hcMG0FfannL70g0h6-CRqSzNHrJVD-wsp9UXo9fY6Bk537d2SUgmmNCOL8A81laih9XwkKmoshj5gtZxD1-rTkCpKivesdbclrjgS8ko/s640/What+I%2527ve+Read+in+2021+So+Far.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrcev_Z5PpISIP4yP_QHnCXIQZ_4CgkA8Ht7hcMG0FfannL70g0h6-CRqSzNHrJVD-wsp9UXo9fY6Bk537d2SUgmmNCOL8A81laih9XwkKmoshj5gtZxD1-rTkCpKivesdbclrjgS8ko/s16000/What+I%2527ve+Read+in+2021+So+Far.png" /></a></div><p>After not having such a great reading year in 2020, 2021 has been going much better for me. I'm actually ahead in my goodreads challenge (!) and have already read 22 out of my goal of 52 books for the year. In the spirit of catching this blog up to what has been going on in my life, I thought I'd talk about all the books I've read so far this year. Just think of it as one big monthly wrap up for the months January to April.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">January</h3>
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<li><b>Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga by Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell and Gabi Nam, 5/5 ★</b></li>
I started the year with a quick and enjoyable read. Fangirl is one of my favorite books of all time and I have reread it countless times already. Did it have to be adapted into a Manga? No. Did I still love it because the story is just so close to my heart? Absolutely. So five stars from me it is!
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<li><b>City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab, 4/5 ★</b></li>
I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. I'm not a big middle grade reader, and this was no exception in that it's definitely not my new favorite book. But Victoria Schwab nevertheless did not disappoint and created a unique and spooky atmosphere in this ghost-hunting novel set in Edinburgh, and I ended up enjoying myself more than expected.
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<li><b>The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang, 4.5/5 ★</b></li>
After loving The Kiss Quotient, I had really high expectations for this one and luckily I was not disappointed. The first of many great romances I've read in 2021 so far!
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<li><b>Beach Read by Emily Henry, 4.5/5 ★</b></li>
Just like the previous book, Beach Read had high expectations to live up to. I had read some amazing reviews before going into this, all of which were entirely justified. This book made me an emotional mess, and I cried and laughed while reading it.
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<li><b>The Invitation by Vi Keeland, 4/5 ★</b></li>
I did mention that I read a lot of romance books this year, right? To be honest, I can't remember much about this, other than that I flew through it and that I liked it!
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<li><b>Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman, 3.5/5 ★</b></li>
Reading this book was a real journey for me. It all started in January 2020... It literally took me over a year to finish this book - I can't believe it. I flew through the first part, then basically had to push myself for every sentence I read before not being able to put the book down again towards the end. I really don't understand it. Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed the story and found the concept of the Scythes to be very thought-provoking.
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<li><b>Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas, 3/5 ★</b></li>
After enjoying so many romance novels in January, I wanted to give a new sub-genre a try and read some historical romance. Unfortunately, this book didn't wow me in any way, and I ended up giving it a mediocre three star rating. Looking back now, I'm pretty sure historical romance just isn't for me.
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">February</h3>
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<li><b>The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N. K. Jemisin, 4.5/5 ★</b></li>
This was an incredibly intriguing start to what I'm sure will be a fantastic trilogy. With very clever and complex world building and storytelling, this book kept me guessing at what was going on almost up until the end. I absolutely can't wait to continue with the series, and just thinking about this book makes me wonder why I haven't done so yet!
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<li><b>The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon, reread, 5/5 ★</b></li>
After a long and excrutiating wait, we finally got another instalment in one of my favorite series of all time this year. And in preparation for that, I decided a reread of this book was in order. Luckily, I loved The Bone Season just as much as the first time around. I can't stop recommending this book, so please read it if you haven't already!
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<li><b>The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2) by Samantha Shannon, reread, 5/5 ★</b></li>
Of course, I had to continue with this fantastic decision that was to reread The Bone Season, and of course this second book couldn't be any less than five stars either.
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">March</h3>
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<li><b>The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3) by Samantha Shannon, reread, 5/5 ★</b></li>
The last book to reread in this series before moving on to new stuff, and another five star reread.
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<li><b>The Dawn Chorus (The Bone Season #3.5) by Samantha Shannon, 4/5 ★</b></li>
This was a good novella but of course not that much happened and I was eager to get on with the actual storyline, so this is only four stars. But I'm not complaining that we got some more Paige and Warden.
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<li><b>The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4) by Samantha Shannon, 5/5 ★</b></li>
If you haven't noticed alreay, this really is an absolutely fantastic series and the newest instalment was no exception. I will say that the ending absolutely killed me and I can't believe we'll once again have the most excrutiating wait for the next book ahead of us.
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<li><b>A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J. Maas, 4/5 ★</b></li>
This book was exactly what I had expected. There were definitely some scenes that were a little too much for me and had me rolling my eyes, but overall this was an addicting read and I enjoyed seeing Nesta's character develop.
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<li><b>Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert, 4/5 ★</b></li>
After seeing recommendations for this series of romance books everywhere, I had to give it a go when I saw the audiobook was available on Scribd. What followed was a week of me lying sick in bed and enjoying these books. I really enjoyed this first instalment, although it wasn't my favorite in the series.
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<li><b>Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert, 4/5 ★</b></li>
Second book in the series and I was still absolutely in love. The characters, the romance, everything just worked perfectly for me.
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<li><b>Act your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters #3) by Talia Hibbert, 4.5/5 ★</b></li>
I liked this one even slightly better than the first two, but really, they were all very close to five star reads for me. Definitely a series I'd recommend if you're a romance reader!
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<li><b>The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn, 2/5 ★</b></li>
Another historical romance that didn't do it for me at all. I haven't watched Bridgerton on Netflix but got swept up in the hype anyway and decided to pick up the book. Unfortunately, I didn't end up enjoying it, and not only because of <i>that</i> scene.
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">April</h3>
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<li><b>When You Read This by Mary Adkins, 4/5 ★</b></li>
This is a book I bought and then decided to read on a whim, without ever having heard of it before. But it's an epistolary novel, written entirely in emails, instant messages, blog posts and the like, which is a format I love and like to seek out.
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<li><b>It's Not About The Burqa ed. by Mariam Khan, 4/5 ★</b></li>
I read this collection of essays over a couple of months and finished it in April. I find it incredibly hard to rate nonfiction books, but I found this overall very informative, relevant and well written. Especially since Switzerland recently voted for a Burqa ban, reading some of these stories made me even more frustrated and angry with the majority of Swiss people.
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<li><b>The Host by Stephenie Meyer, reread, 4/5 ★</b></li>
This had been one of my favorite books as a teenager and one I've reread countless of times. After I reread Twilight last year, I decided now was the time to reread this one as well. And while I still enjoyed it more than expected, it definitely didn't blow me away quite as much as when I was younger. I will continue to recommend this book though!
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<li><b>The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, 4.5/5 ★</b></li>
Another romance novel I fell in love with this year. I listened to it on audio, which I think was a great decision. But also the story itself was absolutely wonderful. I definitely teared up at some points and at others was giddy with excitement and feelings.
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<p>So that's it for the books I've read so far this year. I'd love to hear about what stories you've read and loved this year, or discuss some of the books I mentioned with you!</p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfabJ6iTdnP30bFbTH1rR5iQJlnhRhcpZ4F0EWpaymDn_FXctvYYUOFQS4-aUTkWRtLj93mzWcT5uMUEgQuxDOxmc0WZN_CPM_tIt8Zwnvo8tTJwUqpVZswykYzVGXPNLOj79GDJULpg/s0/What+I%2527ve+Read+So+Far+in+2021.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfabJ6iTdnP30bFbTH1rR5iQJlnhRhcpZ4F0EWpaymDn_FXctvYYUOFQS4-aUTkWRtLj93mzWcT5uMUEgQuxDOxmc0WZN_CPM_tIt8Zwnvo8tTJwUqpVZswykYzVGXPNLOj79GDJULpg/s0/What+I%2527ve+Read+So+Far+in+2021.png"/></a></div>Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-34011664279581135402021-05-17T21:35:00.000+02:002021-05-17T21:35:04.241+02:00Where to even begin...<p>It's been over 1.5 years since I last uploaded to this blog and so many things have changed. Looking at my last posts, I just got back home from my exchange semester in Seoul? That seems like a lifetime ago. Since then, I graduated university, finished one and started another internship in the legal field, moved into a new apartment with my boyfriend, acquired about a hundred plants and, of course, found myself in a global pandemic - fun times! But through all of it, I never stopped reading and also never stopped missing being a part of the online book community.</p><p>This week, I made my 'comeback' on bookstagram, and it just wouldn't feel complete if I didn't also try and revive my blog. I honestly haven't looked at this page in over a year, and scrolling through it now, I feel so proud of what I accomplished with the blog design and everything. I really put so much work into this blog, and despite it never reaching much of an audience, it was my little corner of the internet, where I could be creative in my own way and do what I wanted, for so long. It would be such a shame to give it up completely. So here I am.</p><p>I really don't know where to even begin with starting up this blog again. But I wanted to upload this random little post to announce my return, and of course I'll go right back to planning some bookish posts.</p>Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-28700788503400342852019-09-03T19:00:00.000+02:002019-09-03T23:01:56.492+02:00Books Outside My Comfort Zone | Top Ten Tuesday #10<div style="text-align: justify;">
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For the first time in over 2.5 years, I've felt like doing Top Ten Tuesday again, so here we are! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Jana @ <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>, where you can find topics and such! This week's topic is top ten books I enjoyed that are outside my comfort zone. For me this is pretty much anything outside YA and Fantasy, as almost all the books I read are in these genres. But of course, I've found some gems by branching out a little now and then, and that's what this post is all about. This list is in no particular order, but here are ten books I enjoyed that are outside my reading comfort zone.<br />
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<b>1. OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon:</b> Historical fiction is a genre I rarely reach for, and for this book the biggest reason I picked it up was because I watched the first season of the TV show and quite liked most of it. Although this giant of a book was quite intimidating to start, it sucked me in immediately, and I loved reading about Claire's adventures in 18th century Scotland. Although I don't plan on continuing with the series, this book was definitely a hit for me.</div>
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<b>2. BECOMING by Michelle Obama: </b>If I'm not a big historical fiction reader, I'm even less of a non-fiction reader. In fact, the non-ficiton books I've read can probably be counted on one hand, but two of them ended up making it onto this list. <i>Becoming</i> was a fantastic read, and it really gave me hope that managing a successful career and a family life is possible. Michelle Obama is a woman I truly admire and this book only fortified that opinion. </div>
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<b>3. THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller:</b> Unlike a lot of people, mythological themes are not usually a great selling point for me. Although I admit I'm fascinated by the different gods and heroes, mythology is not something I specifically seek out in books. With <i>The Song of Achilles</i>, all the raving reviews basically made me read it, though. Add to that the fact that at least three people told me what a great book it was when I was looking at it at the bookstore, and I was sold. Luckily, the story truly lived up to the hype, and I am very happy that people pushed me to give this book outside my comfort zone a try.</div>
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<b>4. MILK AND HONEY by Rupi Kaur:</b> This is honestly the only poetry I've ever voluntarily read, but I really enjoyed it. It's made me want to try more modern poetry, but I'll have to admit it hasn't happened yet.</div>
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<b>5. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by Arthur Golden:</b> Another historical fiction novel, and again the TV made me read it. I fell in love with the movie <i>Memoirs of a Geisha</i> long before I ever picked up the book, but ended up enjoying the book just as much. </div>
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<b>6. THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER by Leslye Walton: </b>This book heavily features magical realism, something I didn't even know existed when I read <i>Ava Lavender</i>. I fell in love with this strange and beautiful story, but have yet to enjoy another magical realism book, not that I've read many. As such, <i>Ava Lavender</i> remains a unique favorite of mine, and thus deserves a spot on this list.</div>
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<b>7. EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng:</b> I absolutely loved both <i>Everything I Never Told You </i>as well as <i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> by Celeste Ng. Both made me feel quite frustrated, without hope and a little empty inside, but for some reason I loved it. The power of Celeste Ng's writing is truly a wonder to me, and I will continue to read her books even though they are definitely a little outside my comfort zone.</div>
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<b>8. WONDER by R.J. Palacio:</b> Although I read a ton of YA, Middle Grade is a genre I usually avoid. But with Wonder, the hype made me pick it up, and I wholeheartedly agree with the raving reviews I see everywhere. This book brought me tears of joy and pain, and it's definitely up there with my all time favorite books. So although outside my comfort zone genre-wise, I love it dearly.</div>
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<b>9. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger:</b> The days when I read classics are sparse, trust me, and ones where I actually enjoy it are almost unheard of. With this book, however, something just clicked with me and although I can understand if it's not for everyone, it worked for me and it thus deserves a spot on this list.</div>
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<b>10. IN ORDER TO LIVE: A NORTH KOREAN GIRL'S JOURNEY TO FREEDOM</b> <b>by Yeonmi Park:</b> Last but not least, as promised, the second non-fiction book on this list. As expected, <i>In Order to Live</i> hit really hard and it was at times almost impossible to read. But it also really opened my eyes to how propaganda can influence people and the unthinkable things that are going on in our world.</div>
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So that's it for ten books outside my comfort zone that were a positive surprise for me. I would love to know what you think of these books and am excited to see everyone else's lists for today's topic!<br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-35439585452802760032019-08-19T11:12:00.001+02:002019-08-19T11:12:30.432+02:00July 2019 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Look at this year just flying by! It's already August and I really don't know where July even went. I am back home in Switzerland and I've settled into things more or less, so hopefully I can get back into blogging soon enough. For now, I only have another monthly wrap-up to share, but hopefully different content will come your way in the next weeks.<br />
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I finished four books in July, which isn't quite as many as I would've hoped. But I guess reading, along with everything else, had to take a backseat while I settled back into my life here, which is okay. </div>
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<li><b>Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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After loving <i>Everything I Never Told You</i> by Celeste Ng, I knew I had to read this book too, and finally I did. I loved it just as much as her first book, if not a little more simply because it wasn't quite as depressing as the previous. Celeste Ng has such a talent when it comes to writing about difficult family dynamics, and I loved this aspect in <i>Little Fires Everywhere</i>. I will say that I would've liked just a little more closure at the end of the story, but overall this was a fantastic read. </div>
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<li><b>Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, reread, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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After reading it for the first time only last month, I couldn't help myself and read this new favorite again in July. Needless to say, my feelings have not changed and I still love it with all of my heart. </div>
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<li><b>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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Reading this book was a spur-of-the-moment decision when my friend and I spent a few hours at a bookstore on a rainy day in Taiwan. It felt like watching the movie all over again and I loved it! </div>
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<li><b>Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire, reread, 3/5 ★</b></li>
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I don't know why, but I somehow ended up rereading this book in July as well. This had been one of my first NA reads back in the day, and I was pretty sure going into it that I wouldn't like it nearly as much anymore nowadays, and I was definitely right. Whereas it wasn't as bad as rereading some of my other early NA reads, the characters were definitely insufferable at times and allll the typical NA stereotypes that I've definitely had enough of also made an appearance.</div>
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That's it for the books I finished in July. I also started listening to the audiobook of <i>Outlander</i> by Diana Gabaldon and started reading <i>The Song of Achilles</i> by Madeline Miller (both during my 12 hour flight back home). But considering I have barely picked up a book since landing in Switzerland, I haven't gotten all that far with either of these.<br />
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What did you read in July? Anything you'd recommend picking up?<br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-76336581180048724692019-07-03T14:46:00.001+02:002019-07-03T14:46:36.737+02:00June 2019 Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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June is over and so is my exchange semester in Seoul, I'm traveling in Japan right now and I really don't know what this life even is. So please bear with me while I am finishing up my traveling and then settling back into life in Switzerland in a few weeks. I haven't even thought about blogging in the past few days or weeks but since I have a few moments to spare right now, I want to talk about the books I read in June.</div>
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Looking back on the list of books I finished last month, it feels like years ago that read some of these books. Was June really only 30 days?? I had a pretty good reading month and finished five books, and I think it's safe to say I discovered a new all time favorite book (but more on that later!).<br />
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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This is one of the books I can barely remember reading, it just feels like so long ago? I listened to this on audio, which I overall liked but I think it had some disadvantages to reading the physical copy. First, I really hated the way the narrator did the voices of the shadow daemons (I got used to it with time but overall... no). Also, the footnotes were sometimes confusing because I often thought, wow this story is getting off track, before realizing it was probably just a footnote. Still, I really loved this second instalment in the Nevernight Chronicle, and I can't WAIT to read Darkdawn this fall. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (An Absolutely Remarkable Thing #1) by Hank Green, 3.5/5★</b></li>
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This was a good but not great read for me. As unbelievably as it may seem, I actually wrote a full-length review for it, which you can find <a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.com/2019/06/review-absolutely-remarkable-thing.html">here</a> for more of my thoughts. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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The new all-time favorite book I mentioned earlier? It's this one. Like seemingly everyone else on the planet, I read and fell in love with this book in June. Even now, I keep thinking about this story and am <i>this</i> close to buying the ebook and reading it again. I actually listened to it on audio the first time but there is no way I won't give in and get the ebook or physical copy (or probably both) too. It's just so funny, and heartwarming and perfect, and everyone should read it, and I definitely want to read it again. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Becoming by Michelle Obama, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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Rating non-fiction is basically impossible for me, I just don't know what to go with. But that being said, this book was just so well written and I really loved hearing about how Michelle Obama handled all the different aspects of her life. Especially seeing how she balanced having a career and a family at the same time felt so good to me and really helpful at this time when I am going through a little bit of a quarter-life crisis. I think I read this at exactly the right moment. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren, 3.5/5 ★</b></li>
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This one gave me some conflicting feelings. It was all going so great and headed towards a solid 4 or 4.5 star rating until the "plot twist" towards the end, which I just found really unnecessary and kind of didn't enjoy? Like with the previous Christina Lauren book I read, I overall liked it but just didn't quite love it.</div>
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So that's it for the books I finished in June! I did also read most of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng this month, but since I finished it in July, I will talk about it in my next wrap up post. Let me know some of your reading highs and lows of last month as I would love to know! </div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-62450594831207516082019-06-10T11:00:00.000+02:002019-06-10T11:00:05.220+02:00Review: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41973294-an-absolutely-remarkable-thing">An Absolutely Remarkable Thing</a></b></div>
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<b>by Hank Green</b></div>
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Series: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing #1</div>
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Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Contemporary</div>
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Publication date: September 25, 2018</div>
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Published by: Dutton</div>
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Paperback, 343 pages</div>
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Rating: 3.5/5 ★</div>
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<blockquote>
The Carls just appeared.<br />
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Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.<br />
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Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.<br />
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Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring for the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.</blockquote>
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Going into this book, there were some things that I wasn't aware of that I wish I would've known. And that's all on me, because I wanted to go into this blind, it just turned out to not be the best option for once. First of all, I really wasn't aware that this was a sci-fi book. I bought the book after reading the first page or so at the book store. The writing style was fun and easy to read and immediately pulled me in, so I bought it. I thought it was simply the story of someone who went viral online and became famous over night. Turns out, there was a little more to the plot, and at first I couldn't really get into the whole sci-fi aspects of the story. With time, though, the Carls grew on me, and I became more invested in the mystery of their existence.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>The second thing I hadn't been aware of until I actually finished the book is that it's the start of a <i>series</i>. This became painfully clear with the huge cliffhanger at the end, however, and I haven't really decided yet how I feel about that. From goodreads, it looks like it's just going to be a duology, and we'll have to see if I feel like picking up the sequel once it's published. </div>
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Overall, <i>An Absolutely Remarkable Thing</i> turned out to be a really enjoyable read, though. I listened to the biggest chunk of it on audiobook, which in this instance helped keeping me going, and I'm glad I did. I really liked the voice of our main character April and the way the story was written as if the narrator was really just telling you what happened to her. The plot for the most part centres around the mystery of the Carls, these giant statues that appeared all over the world, but it also treated the sudden fame that April found in a very interesting and real way. I especially enjoyed reading about this going-viral part of the story, as it fascinates me and I can't really imagine how people deal with it in real life. I was expecting April to become a little more of a controversial, hard-to-love kind of protagonist, but she actually turned out to be more likeable and clever (for the most part) than I thought. She definitely had her flaws, which made her feel very human and real to me, and made reading from her perspective all the more enjoyable. </div>
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I decided to go with a 3.5 star rating because although, especially towards the end, I did get sucked into the story, I was never 100% invested in the characters or the mystery elements of the plot. I just didn't really cared enough about what happened. Still, the easy-to-read writing and entertaining and sometimes absurd plot overall made for an enjoyable read.<br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-62773018957253481112019-06-06T09:13:00.002+02:002019-06-06T09:14:23.801+02:00May 2019 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Already another month has passed without any blogging on my part, but I am not here to cry about that, because I had quite a good reason. My boyfriend was visiting me here in Seoul for three weeks so we were out exploring and enjoying our time together for most of May. Blogging, therefore, had to take a back seat this month. Luckily (and I don't really know how), reading didn't. In fact, May was the best reading month I've had in a long time, so I'm very excited to share all the books I finished this month with you.<br />
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff, reread</b></li>
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When I saw the audiobooks for this series available on Scribd, I couldn't resist and started to reread Illuminae right away. Despite all the good things I'd heard about these audiobooks, I was still a little sceptical that the unique format of the physical book could really translate well to audio, but I was 100% proven wrong. The audiobook production was phenomenal and made me fall in love with this book all over again. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff, reread</b></li>
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Just like the first book in the series, this was a reread for me. Again, I really loved revisiting this story and the audiobook somehow enhanced the experience. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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After rereading the first two books, of course I had to continue with the third and last one in the series that I (for some reason) hadn't read before. I'm so happy to say that this series continued just as good as it started. I enjoyed all of the instalments equally, and overall this is definitely an all time favorite series. Two things that I didn't like quite as much with this third book is that it on the one hand felt a little repetitive with some of the plot twists, and also we didn't get to spend as much time with the new characters as I would've liked because of the book being more split between different perspectives. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Fence, Volume 1 (Fence #1-4) by C.S. Pacat, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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I happened across this graphic novel series on Scribd and decided to give it a try since it's been on my radar for a while. This first volume was very enjoyable and definitely my favorite so far. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Fence, Volume 2 (Fence #5-8) by C.S. Pacat, 3/5 ★</b></li>
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I really have no idea how to review graphic novels, even less than reviewing 'regular' novels (which as we all know I already am very bad at). So all I can say about this is that it was... less good than the first volume? But still not bad? </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Fence, Volume 3 (Fence #9-12) by C.S. Pacat, 3/5 ★</b></li>
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I read these instalments individually as the volume is not actually released yet, but I prefer to combine them to one book for statistics purposes, etc. This one, again, wasn't my favorite but I still reasonably enjoyed it. There you go, perfect review right here. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Roomies by Christina Lauren, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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This was a quick and enjoyable read for me. I really liked the writing style and the fact that there were no overly dramatic misunderstandings in the plot, and of course always sign me up for the "living together" trope. Somehow, though, I still wasn't fully invested in the romance, which is why I took off a star. But this book has definitely made me interested in reading more by Christina Lauren. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Risk (Briar U #2) by Elle Kennedy, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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This book turned out to be such a lovely surprise. My expectations were honestly pretty low considering how disappointed I was by the first book in this series (as you can see from my review of <i>The Chase</i> <a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-chase-briar-u-1.html">here</a>), so I am very happy that I ended up really loving this second instalment. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee (Montague Siblings #1), 4/5 ★</b></li>
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This book had quite the reputation to live up to, and I think it did so for the most part. The reason I hadn't picked it up earlier was that I wasn't sure whether the historical setting was something I'd enjoy, and to be honest I still don't know. On the one hand, it gave a different perspective and importance to some topics addressed in the story, such as Monty's sexuality, which I thought was very well done, but then I didn't care too much about the touring and the adventures the group found themselves in.</div>
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That's it for the books I finished in May. I'd love to know about your reading month and what books you read and loved!</div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-66781242143517680682019-05-02T13:12:00.000+02:002019-05-02T13:12:27.880+02:00April 2019 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I'm trying to get over the fact that it's already May - can you believe it? I'm already over halfway through my exchange semester here in Seoul which I can't really come to terms with. Time just passes too quickly! Anyway, I did end up reading a decent amount in April and finished four books. I would be totally happy with this number if the Tome Topple Readathon hadn't also taken place this month. I was so excited to participate in my first readathon in a long time, but ended up failing spectacularly. Because of that, I decided it doesn't really make sense to make a separate wrap-up for Tome Topple, so that will be included in here as well.<br />
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So here are the four books I finished in April:<br />
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30809786-a-reaper-at-the-gates">A Reaper at the Gates</a> by Sabaa Tahir, 3/5★</b></li>
As I already mentioned in my <a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.com/2019/04/march-2019-wrap-up.html">May Wrap-Up</a>, this book was unfortunately quite a big disappointment. After loving the previous two books in the series, I ended up losing interest in the plot a lot with this instalment. Most of the characters I didn't much care about anymore and it was just a little frustrating for me to have lost my love for the story. This is the first book in the series I listened to on audiobook and I'm wondering if that might also have played some part in me losing interest, but either way this unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. Still, I ended up giving it three stars, mostly for the Blood Shrike's chapters and pov which was by far my favorite part of the book.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24920901-the-deal">The Deal</a> by Elle Kennedy, reread</b></li>
With A Reaper at the Gates putting me into a little bit of a reading slump, I felt the need to read some New Adult. This genre has a tendency to grab my attention very easily, and this trusted old favorite certainly did. The Off-Campus series is definitely my favorite in the New Adult world, and this book was a great and quick distraction from the not-so-great book I was reading at the time.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38720939-a-very-large-expanse-of-sea?ac=1&from_search=true">A Very Large Expanse of Sea</a> by Tahereh Mafi, 4/5★</b></li>
I had fairly high expectations going into this book, and I think it lived up to them for the most part. This was overall a very insightful, interesting and enjoyable read, and it didn't take me long to listen to it at all because it managed to grab my attention very easily. Definitely an important read for the perspective it gives and I could definitely learn and take away a lot from the story.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18143977-all-the-light-we-cannot-see">All the Light We Cannot See</a> by Anthony Doerr, 4/5★</b></li>
This is where Tome Topple starts... and ends, unfortunately! I'm very happy that I finally read this book as it had been on my tbr for a long time with so many people recommending it. While I enjoyed the story very much, it wasn't as hard-hitting or impactful as I think I expected it to be. It was definitely very hard to read at times but I wouldn't say it's my favorite book set in World War II that I have read.
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That's it for the books I finished in April. For my second book during Tome Topple, I did also start Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor. I'm currently still in the middle of it, but somehow got distracted by starting to reread The Illuminae Files along the way. Having my e-reader die on me might have something to do with it, as I'm going to have to find a way to get it to work again before continuing with Muse of Nightmares, whereas I'm listening to the Illuminae Files on audiobook...</div>
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Let me know your thoughts on any of these books, I would love to talk about them! What's your favorite book you read in April?<br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-1136480971594345632019-04-26T14:24:00.001+02:002019-04-26T14:28:03.205+02:0010 Popular YA Series I Haven't Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa7pfIf5M3tmSsybwxY9ot1qZv-zAqeGcz20OsCg3-ZeQU5t0CUijQuX83D68c4ad5MK_kiaHVT7Y6hfUzT7NBbG7xr4EF_BIT0jgcjw35QU7H2h3ah1FKFszFGBp0N-Z8Pf86e_-tUo/s1600/10+Unread+Series.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa7pfIf5M3tmSsybwxY9ot1qZv-zAqeGcz20OsCg3-ZeQU5t0CUijQuX83D68c4ad5MK_kiaHVT7Y6hfUzT7NBbG7xr4EF_BIT0jgcjw35QU7H2h3ah1FKFszFGBp0N-Z8Pf86e_-tUo/s1600/10+Unread+Series.png" /></a></div>
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With Trash My TBR and the likes going around, I've also been inspired to take a look at my goodreads to-read shelf lately, out of curiosity for what I would find there. Like many people, my goodreads tbr has gotten out of hand a long time ago and I tend to add books randomly and then forget about them days later. So today I want to talk about some popular YA series that I found that I never ended up starting, even though they seem to be beloved by many people. These are all older releases that people were talking about a lot when I first started my blog around 5 years ago, which I think is why most of them also happen to be dystopian.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner</span></b></div>
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I remember adding this to my TBR in the midst of reading The Hunger Games, Divergent and the like. I never ended up actually picking up the series, though, and my excitement about dystopian books has definitely dwindled in the years since, so I don't think I will actually ever get around to reading this series. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Legend by Marie Lu</span></b></div>
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I remember absolutely everyone on booktube loving this series, which is why I ended up adding this to my TBR. To this day, I have yet to read anything by Marie Lu but she's definitely still an author I want to get to at some point. So even though this is also dystopia, I'm still interested in picking this up.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld</span></b></div>
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Another one of the dystopian bunch, what a surprise. This actually has an interesting premise, but I'm still not really sure I will ever end up picking it up. It's just one of those books that keeps disappearing from my mind 5 seconds after I come across it.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken</span></b></div>
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Last dystopian on this list, I promise! I don't actually know anything about this book at all, except that it was super popular when I first got back into reading. Somehow, though, I'm still not ready to give up on the idea of one day reading it, though.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Graceling by Kristin Cashore</span></b></div>
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This seems to be one of the most beloved 'older' YA fantasy books out there. I see it pop up on people's underrated favorites lists from time to time and it definitely makes me curious. Since I'm still a big fantasy reader, I should really give this one a try at some point.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl</span></b></div>
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I feel like this is one of the more polarizing books on this list. Still, since so many people have read this series, I feel like I'm missing out if I don't at least give it a try. It probably won't happen very soon, but maybe someday.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. Across the Universe by Beth Revis</span></b></div>
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I specifically remember the cover change in this series causing a lot of controversy back in the day (and I can understand why!). I'm not a big sci-fi reader but it's a genre I want to try more of, so I'm definitely keeping this one on my TBR.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier</span></b></div>
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I don't think this series is actually that popular, but it appealed to me because it's a German author. I like the idea of reading German YA fantasy, but the mixed reviews have kept me from actually picking up this series so far.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rodes</span></b></div>
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Even though the later books in the series seem to be a little less popular, this is still a series I really want to give a try. The fact that there are so many books, however, is kind of scaring me off, but I'm still determined to overcome this and read the series eventually.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. Delirium by Lauren Oliver</span></b></div>
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Okay, let's end this list the way we started it: with a dystopian YA. Even though this series is so beloved, it definitely belongs to those dystopian books I've simply lost interest in. </div>
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That's it for my list! Let me know if there are any books that I should push up on my TBR, or any that I shouldn't bother with at all? Which ones are worth the hype?</div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-26915048108331476592019-04-19T15:56:00.001+02:002019-04-19T15:56:54.168+02:00Some Thoughts on Audiobooks<div style="text-align: justify;">
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For a long time, I strictly stuck to physical books and ebooks for my reading. Audiobooks had always been kind of a mystery to me, and I never thought they were really <i>for me</i>. I tried with an audible subscription a few years ago but ultimately cancelled it because I didn't use it enough and it was too expensive for what I was getting out of it. These past few months, however, I have really discovered audiobooks for myself. And much like I did with my <a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.com/2017/12/why-ebooks-are-great.html">post about ebooks</a> a while ago, I want to share my thoughts on audiobooks today.</div>
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I am currently studying abroad and only a select few of my physical books made the journey here with me. This ultimately meant that I had to find new ways to read during the months I'd be staying away from home. At first, I was sure that ebooks would take centre stage because I've always loved ebooks as an addition to my physical books and I even got an e-reader for Christmas last year for this purpose. Turns out, though, that ebooks aren't playing as big of a role in my reading nowadays as I had anticipated.<br />
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When it comes to audiobooks, I'm still in the process of figuring out what works for me and what doesn't. The biggest difference to a written work is, of course, that the <b>narration style makes for an important factor in the reading experience</b>. This might be really obvious, but I definitely underestimated this aspect in the beginning. I don't think that an incredible narrator could make me enjoy a book that I would dislike if I read it myself, but the opposite seems more likely. For example, I listened to the audiobook for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21414439-truthwitch">Truthwitch by Susan Dennard</a> earlier this year, and the way the narrator did the voices and accents of the characters really irritated me. I did kind of get used to it and I still ended up really enjoying the story itself, but for the rest of the series, I decided to rather read the ebooks instead. This decision ultimately paid off and it allowed me to sink into the story much more easily because I didn't get distracted by the voices every time a dialogue came around. </div>
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Whether or not I enjoy an audiobook also depends on the <b>writing style and format of the book</b>. Some books just seem to be more suitable for audiobook adaptation than others. I recently listened to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38720939-a-very-large-expanse-of-sea">A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi</a>, which features some instant messages as part of the story. I usually love when books feature text messages, emails or the like, but with the audiobook I found it <i>really</i> distracting and annoying. The narrator always read out the screen names before the messages and it bothered me so much that I just wanted those scenes to end. Something that would usually be a beloved aspect of a book suddenly became very annoying, and I just wished I could've read those parts in written form instead.</div>
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I also find that audiobooks work best for me for <b>rereading books</b>, for two reasons: First, listening to the audiobook brings something new to a story I already know. While I generally love rereading, it can get a little "boring" if I already know exactly what's going to happen. Somehow, it doesn't seem quite the same when someone else is reading the story to me, though. The second and more important factor is that <b>I do tend to get distracted</b> from time to time when listening to audiobooks, usually without really noticing. When I'm rereading a book, this doesn't matter too much as it will be easy for me to find my place in the story again when I snap back to attention, and it doesn't keep me from understanding the plot or anything. I won't feel like I missed something. This is different when it's a book that's new to me. I end up feeling like I have to go back and re-listen to the parts I didn't pay attention to, so as not to miss an important aspect of the plot. For example, I am currently listening to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18143977-all-the-light-we-cannot-see?ac=1&from_search=true">All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr</a>, and I think I missed a lot of what happens in the first chapter because I kept getting distracted. I didn't actually end up going back and listen to that part again, but it still bugs me a little now. </div>
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But of course, I also want to be able to enjoy new stories through audiobooks, and it's not like it never works for me. I've read some great new-to-me books through audiobooks for the first time, such as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo">The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid</a> or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23433237-everything-i-never-told-you">Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng</a>. As a general rule, though, I don't think I can go wrong with choosing the audiobook when rereading a book, whereas with new reads, it can end up being a mistake to go for listening instead of reading.</div>
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As I said, I still need to figure out how exactly to incorporate audiobooks into my reading and when to stick to ebooks or physical books instead in order to make for the best reading experience. Some random features of audiobooks I love include that I can listen to them while playing video games, doing household chores, walking to school or when I'm sick in bed and can't open my eyes enough to actually read a book. Because of these things, I want to make audiobooks a permanent feature in my reading even once I am back home surrounded by my bookshelves. But I also feel like I usually end up more engrossed with a story when reading it myself rather than listening to it.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What do you think about audiobooks? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Love them, hate them or just don't use them?</span><br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-9264386548779266332019-04-12T13:48:00.002+02:002019-04-12T13:49:11.250+02:00Tome Topple Readathon TBR<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I don't usually participate in readathons because they kind of stress me out and most of the time I don't realize they're happening anyway. But! As part of my attempt to be more active on my blog again and as an incentive to keep reading even though I'm abroad and so not constantly surrounded by my bookshelves as a reminder, I decided that taking part in the Tome Topple would be a great idea. Well, the timing might not be perfect since I have midterms coming up, but I'm still going to try my best.<br />
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The point of this readathon is to read, you know, tomes. The readathon runs from April 13 until April 26, so two weeks to make my way through as many giant books as I can! For more information, definitely go and watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCJ1w8xWHjM" target="_blank">announcement video</a> by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes. I love the idea of tackling intimidating books that, let's be honest, I've been putting off for way too long, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so.<br />
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There are five challenges to complete in the two weeks: 1. read more than one tome; 2. read the tome that's been on your shelf the longest; 3. read a tome that's part of a series; 4. read a tome from a genre you don't usually read; 5. read an adult tome.</div>
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So without further ado, let's get into my TBR. As always, I'm the worst at setting up a TBR, so I've decided to just list a few books that fit the requirement of being over 500 pages and also match one or more of the challenges. I'll have to see what I end up actually reading, but it definitely won't be all of the following. I have tried arranging them in some order of priority, though. Also, I will most likely only be listening to audiobooks for the entire readathon because, as mentioned, I don't have a lot of physical books with me at the moment, so I'm referring to goodreads for page counts.</div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25446343-muse-of-nightmares" target="_blank">Muse of Nightmares</a> by Laini Taylor</b>: This is the sequel to Strange the Dreamer, one of my favorite reads of 2017. I can't believe I still haven't picked it up, and it's one of the biggest reasons why I decided to participate in the readathon. I need to finally read Muse of Nightmares! It also goes for the challenge of reading a <u>book that is part of a series</u>.</li>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18143977-all-the-light-we-cannot-see" target="_blank">All the Light We Cannot See</a> by Anthony Doerr</b>: I'm pretty sure that this is the <u>tome that's been on my TBR the longest</u>, so I don't really have a choice but to read this one. It also goes for the challenges of reading a <u>genre that I don't usually read</u> and <u>reading an adult book</u>. I've been intimidated by this book for so long and I think it's finally time to just go for it!</li>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue" target="_blank">The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue</a> by Mackenzie Lee</b>: This one is also <u>part of a series</u>, and it's also one of those books that I'm pretty sure I will love, so why haven't I read it yet? I can't quite believe this is over 500 pages because I don't remember it being that big, but goodreads says it is and I'm going to trust goodreads.</li>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/727810.The_Return_of_the_King" target="_blank">The Return of the King</a> by J.R.R. Tolkien</b>: With this one, the page count is kind of tricky, but goodreads says that the edition I own is actually 590 pages? Considering that all other editions seem to be below 500 pages, though, I'm a little sceptical. To play it safe, this probably won't be my first pick for the readathon, but I still really want to get to it soon. It would count for an <u>adult book</u> and <u>part of a series</u> for the challenges.</li>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a> by Tomi Adeyemi</b>: Another one for <u>part of a series</u>, and another hyped book that I own but still haven't read yet. Why am I like this?</li>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909347-obsidio" target="_blank">Obsidio</a> by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff</b>: This would honestly be my number one pick to read right now, if only I had the physical book with me. I don't quite trust the audiobook to do the unique formatting justice, even though I've also heard really great things about the audiobook production. As <u>part of a series</u>, it would at least go for one of the challenges, too.</li>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29774026-the-priory-of-the-orange-tree?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Priory of the Orange Tree</a> by Samantha Shannon</b>: I'm seeing this one on so many TBRs and it kind of makes me want to join in on the fun. But at the same time I don't really feel like reading it right now, even though it was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I'm including it in case I'm suddenly changing my mind, but it will most likely happen another day. It would go for the <u>book in a series</u> challenge. </li>
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So that's it. These are the books I'm going to be choosing from for the readathon. I'm aiming to read three books if possible, but two at the least! I'm most likely going to start with either Muse of Nightmares or All the Light We Cannot See, and then just see how it goes from there. I have no way of knowing what my reading mood will be like the next two weeks, but I really hope I won't fail the readathon too hard.. It should be possible to read two of these in two weeks, right?</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Are you participating in round 8 of Tome Topple? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If so, do we have any TBR books in common? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd3gc-tCL6xbxMqIupSSY3uDcHrCxx1LHAHEcF0OKg-lfce9CFsZzQEhlkZFSsTBLLGOL_wUwoulrLBKxJth8sMclB1t2rm6epJv6gVGKZRIToUSl9dtA4PCU1Tm8XDLCyoEu2d-cf8I/s1600/Copy+of+Pin+Mar+Wrap-Up.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My TBR for Round 8 of the Tome Topple Readathon" border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd3gc-tCL6xbxMqIupSSY3uDcHrCxx1LHAHEcF0OKg-lfce9CFsZzQEhlkZFSsTBLLGOL_wUwoulrLBKxJth8sMclB1t2rm6epJv6gVGKZRIToUSl9dtA4PCU1Tm8XDLCyoEu2d-cf8I/s1600/Copy+of+Pin+Mar+Wrap-Up.png" title="My TBR for Round 8 of the Tome Topple Readathon" /></a></div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-3725941542658545182019-04-09T07:19:00.000+02:002019-04-09T10:12:52.566+02:00March 2019 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I was debating for the longest time whether it's even worth writing this post considering how little I read in March, but now here I am with a belated wrap-up. The month started out really strong and I finished two books within the first week of March. Of course, I wanted to keep the momentum going and so I picked up the third book in a beloved series, because nothing can go wrong with that, right? Unfortunately, I was very wrong, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's first look at the two books I finished in March.<br />
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo</a> by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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This book is really the reason I am writing this wrap-up, because I just need to mention how much I <u>adored</u> the story of Evelyn Hugo somewhere on my blog. I had huge expectations going into this because of how much hype this book has received, but at the same time I had no idea what to expect from the plot itself. Luckily, Evelyn Hugo lived up to my expectations 100%. I think going into this completely blind was the right choice to make, and I loved discovering the plot one step at a time. When I finished listening to the audiobook, all I wanted was to start reading the book all over again in written form, but I ended up leaving that for another day. I am sure that I will one day revisit this story, though, and I am already looking forward to it. </div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20820994-i-ll-give-you-the-sun?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">I'll Give You the Sun</a> by Jandy Nelson, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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This was a reread for me. After over three years, I decided to revisit this old favorite on a whim when I saw the audiobook on Scribd. Unfortunately, I have to say that I didn't love the story quite as much as I did the first time around. It was still overall very enjoyable, but some aspects especially of Jude's romance felt too coincidental, and I also felt like I couldn't appreciate the unique writing style as much because it felt a little over the top at times.</div>
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So these are the books I finished reading in March. I really discovered audiobooks for myself this past month, and I love how it allows me to read while also doing other things. I will say that a big part of these books was read while playing video games on my computer, so I was doing two of my favorite things at the same time which was simply great.</div>
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Now on to the less enjoyable part of this wrap-up and the reason why I don't have more books to talk about. As my third book of the month, I decided to pick up <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30809786-a-reaper-at-the-gates" target="_blank">A Reaper at the Gates</a> by Sabaa Tahir</b>. After how much I loved the first two books in the An Ember in the Ashes series, I really thought nothing could go wrong with this third instalment. Unfortunately, I had to realize pretty quickly that I was not enjoying the new aspects of the plot as much and I also lost some of my love for these characters. I am so sad that this happened, and I'm still continuing with the book in the hopes that my love will be rekindled. It has just been very slow going because I'm definitely not as engrossed in the story as I used to be. I don't know if this might also have to do with the fact that I switched to audiobook for the third book whereas I read the first two in written form, but either way, A Reaper at the Gates has unfortunately put me in a little bit of a reading slump. Even now, one week into April, I've still only made it about 60% through the book. </div>
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That's it for my March wrap-up! I hope you had a good start into April, and I would love to hear about the books you read in March.</div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-28273512766715471852019-03-30T16:45:00.000+01:002019-03-30T16:45:32.679+01:00Watching the Movie Before Reading the Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am here today to confess to a terrible bookish sin that I have committed. I know it's bad, but I hope that you can understand and show support even in these difficult times. So here it goes: sometimes, I watch the movie before reading the book. Please take as much time as you need to process this admission of guilt on my part, and know that I will deeply reflect on my behavior.</div>
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All failed attempts at humor aside, I know this is something that is pretty frowned upon in the bookish community or at least goes against what a lot of other readers like to do. So today I want to talk about the good and the bad when it comes to watching movie adaptations before reading the book.<br />
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First of all, I think the biggest argument against watching the movie first is that the book is always better, and so "spoiling" yourself with the movie will take away from the reading experience later on. While I agree that 99% of the times, the movie is better than the book, I can't say that I think watching the movie first has ever made me enjoy the book less afterward. I guess there's no way to really know, but one of my favorite books of all time actually falls into this category. I saw The Hunger Games movie before reading the book, and I still ended up absolutely loving the book afterwards. If anything, that movie is what made me pick up the book in the first place (and get me back into reading altogether, so it has a special place in my heart anyway).</div>
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There are other books that I only ever read <i>because</i> I watched the movie or TV show first. For example, I don't think I would have ever picked up the A Song of Ice and Fire series if I hadn't fallen in love with Game of Thrones on TV. And for Lord of the Rings, my preexisting love for the story is honestly all that got me through the second half of The Two Towers. I'm pretty sure that both of those series would've been way too intimidating for me to pick up if I hadn't seen them on screen first. So there have definitely been times where watching the movie before reading the book has worked out great for me.</div>
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Really, I'm trying to think of cases where the opposite is true and I ended up <i>not</i> reading the book because I saw the movie first, but I don't think there are any. Even the Percy Jackson movies didn't succeed in deterring me from reading the books. I will admit, though, that I have seen the first two (I think) Maze Runner movies and I have no intention of reading the series. I'm pretty sure this doesn't have anything to do with the movies themselves, but again I can't really know. I also recently watched the Dumpling movie and have yet to read the book, but I'll give myself more time before judging that case.</div>
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What often happens when I watch movies that I know are book adaptations is that I keep imagining how much better the story is probably fleshed out in the book. Sometimes you can really see where parts of the plot had to be cut, so reading the book afterwards feels like getting bonus content to a story you enjoy. This can be a huge motivation for me to pick up a book. </div>
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I also always struggle to picture the characters I read about in books, so having an actor or actress to associate the person with can really help me. I know this can be very bad when the cast doesn't fit the descriptions, but to me it's still better than imagining a flesh-colored blob as a character in my head. </div>
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Overall, I think watching the movie before reading the book isn't all that bad. Sometimes, I will just feel like watching a movie because it looks fun, and I don't think the fact that it is also a book that I might pick up one day should keep me from enjoying a good film. And really, when will I ever get to all these books on my TBR anyway, so why not enjoy a story in a different format from time to time?</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What are your thoughts on watching the movie before reading the book? Are you someone who religiously avoids doing this, or do you also feel rebellious from time to time?</b></span></div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-79521156283099022752019-03-01T14:33:00.002+01:002019-03-01T14:40:46.504+01:00February 2019 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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It might not be my proudest moment that my first post since my January wrap-up is my February wrap-up, but I still want to talk about the books I read this month, so here we go. February included a lot of leaving my comfort zone for me, as I moved to Seoul for my exchange semester and explored this city and tried to meet people to spend the next few months with (not very successfully, I might add). So to take a break from all these draining experiences, I have turned to reading quite a lot, especially in the past two weeks. So I ended up finishing five books this month:<br />
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21414439-truthwitch" target="_blank">Truthwitch</a> (The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard, 5/5 ★</b></li>
I listened to the audiobook for this one, and even though the narrator's style was not my favorite, I ended up really falling in love with the story. The world with its different types of magic and witchery completely pulled me in, and I think it is incredibly well built and developed. I also really fell in love with our two main characters Safi and Iseult, whose friendship was wonderful to read about. Overall, this book definitely lived up to my expectations and I am really glad that I finally picked up this series.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068905-fangirl" target="_blank">Fangirl</a> by Rainbow Rowell, reread (all of the stars)</b></li>
I reread this on my flight to Seoul for comfort, because Fangirl is my favorite book of all time and it just makes me feel good whenever I read it. I love this story with all of my heart.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939390-windwitch" target="_blank">Windwitch</a> (The Witchlands #2) by Susan Dennard, 5/5 ★</b></li>
In some ways, this book felt very different from the first one, but I loved it nonetheless. I really enjoyed getting to know new characters that all brought a unique point of view to the story. I also think the plot thickened significantly in this second instalment and it became clear to me that a lot was yet to come in this series, which of course made me all the more excited to continue on right away.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35481848-sightwitch" target="_blank">Sightwitch</a> (The Witchlands #2.5) by Susan Dennard, 3/5 ★</b></li>
I decided to go ahead and read this novella before continuing on with the third book in the series, and so to follow the books according to their publication date. Although Sightwitch didn't capture my attention quite as well as the previous instalments in the series, I'm still glad I read it as I think it brings a lot of valuable background information to the overall plot. As I am now in the middle of Bloodwitch, I can imagine being very confused at certain parts if I had skipped this novella.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863277-bloodwitch?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Bloodwitch</a> (The Witchlands #3) by Susan Dennard, 5/5 </b><b>★</b></li>
Bloodwitch was just as great as the previous books in this series, and the world just keeps getting bigger and more interesting. One thing I want to say about this series, though, is that I am not 100% sure which ships I support. Romance is always an important aspect of a story for me personally, and it can definitely make or break a book for me. With the Witchlands series, I'm so confused as to which couples I like and who I want to get together, which is kind of frustrating for me, and it just keeps getting worse with each book. Nevertheless, this was a five star read all the way, and I definitely recommend this series to anyone!
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So that's it for the books I finished in February. Now that I have finished all the books in the Witchlands series that are currently out, I am faced with the impossible question of what to pick up next. I have a few books that I really want to get to but I haven't decided what I'm in the mood for at the moment. I guess we'll see in my next wrap up.</div>
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I hope you've all had a good month and that 2019 is treating you well!</div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-40392725637070250972019-02-03T11:23:00.001+01:002019-02-03T11:30:31.171+01:00January 2019 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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January was a very eventful month for me, but somehow I still managed to get some reading done. I finished nine books last month, which is a LOT for me. However, six of those nine were graphic novels, so the number again becomes average. Still, I had exams this month and also had to write a paper for uni <i>and</i> I moved out of my apartment and packed all my belongings into boxes because I will be leaving for my exchange semester soon, so I'm very proud I still managed to read as much as I did. So here are the books I finished in January:<br />
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/146415-saga" target="_blank">Saga Volumes 4-9</a> by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Illustrator), 4-5/5★</b></li>
Some of these volumes were rereads and some I read for the first time, but I definitely loved all of them. I'm really not a big graphic novel reader but I love Saga with a passion. Although I have to say that the ending of Volume 9 completely destroyed me and I'm still not okay.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34701167-white-chrysanthemum?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">White Chrysanthemum</a> by Mary Lynn Bracht, 5/5★</b></li>
This is a story on 'comfort women' during World War II and it follows Hana, a Korean girl forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army. This book was absolutely heartbreaking and impossibly hard to read at times, but also so important and educational.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27774758-an-ember-in-the-ashes?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">An Ember in the Ashes</a> (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir, 5/5★</b></li>
I loved everything about this book and I'm so happy that I finally picked up this series in 2019. I don't know what took me this long, but better late than never? I loved the writing, the pacing and especially the characters of this story and I can't wait to see where this series will go.
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25558608-a-torch-against-the-night?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">A Torch Against the Night</a> <b>(An Ember in the Ashes #2) </b>by Sabaa Tahir, 5/5★</b></li>
I wasn't too happy with the ending of this one, but overall it totally lived up to my expectations after book one. Without a doubt a new favorite series!
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So those are the books I read in January! I'm also currently in the middle of the audiobook of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21414439-truthwitch?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Truthwitch by Susan Dennard</a>, which I'm loving so far. For next month, I definitely want to continue with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30809786-a-reaper-at-the-gates?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir</a> and maybe also continue with the Witchlands series. Other than that, I don't have any plans, and we will have to see what I feel like reading.</div>
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What was your favorite read of January?</div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-63170914448122877322019-01-08T17:46:00.000+01:002019-05-07T04:32:42.544+02:00ARC Review: The Gilded Wolves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion or my review of the book in any way. Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with this eARC!</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863498-the-gilded-wolves?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Gilded Wolves</a></b><br />
<b>by Roshani Chokshi</b><br />
Series: The Gilded Wolves #1<br />
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy<br />
Publication date: January 15, 2019<br />
Published by: Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press<br />
Kindle edition, 464 pages<br />
My rating: 3.5/5 ★<br />
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Set in a darkly glamorous world, The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous but thrilling adventure.<br />
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Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.<br />
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To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.<br />
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Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.</blockquote>
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<i>The Gilded Wolves</i> takes place in late 19th century Paris - but with a twist. It follows a group of six on their quest to acquire a historical object. The setting is very atmospheric and overall made for a unique reading experience, which made it easy to get lost in the story.<br />
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What stood out to me the most with this book was the diverse cast of characters from very different backgrounds. It was wonderful to learn about how they had all found together and get to know the relationships between them. I got some serious <i>Six of Crows</i> vibes from this group and I loved it! My only minor complaint is that some aspects especially with regard to the romance felt a little rushed and could have been more fleshed out. </div>
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The same goes for the world building. I feel like there would have been room to further elaborate on the magic system especially, which was centered around objects that could be forged to have special abilities. Up until the end I never <i>really</i> understood how this forging actually worked and what it could do, which made it hard to follow the story at times. I'm really hoping we'll get some more information on this as the series continues.</div>
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The plot was very fast paced but unfortunately also sometimes seemed rushed to me. I would've liked to spend more time with the characters before being thrust from one action-packed scene to the next. The ending especially was a little all over the place. Within the last few pages, there were suddenly time jumps of a few months with <u>a lot</u> happening in each scene. I would've really preferred for the ending to be told a little more slowly and more patiently, or even to leave some of what happened at the very end for the next book. This way, I had a hard time understanding the characters' actions and just felt frustrated.</div>
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Even still, <i>The Gilded Wolves</i> really managed to grab my attention in a time when reading was definitely not at the top of my priority list. It's the first book by Roshani Chokshi I've read and I have to say, there were some very beautiful quotes in here! I really enjoyed her writing style and reading this book has definitely made me interested in checking out her other work. I am also excited to see where this series will go from now. Overall, I would definitely recommend <i>The Gilded Wolves</i>. It might not necessarily be a new favorite of mine but I definitely enjoyed my time spent with these characters.<br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-19932006803201442562018-10-10T17:48:00.000+02:002019-01-08T17:48:47.171+01:00The Last 10 Book Tag<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I seem to be in a blogging mood recently but I'm a little at a loss when it comes to potential topics to talk about. But you know what's always fun? That's right: tags! It's been forever since I last did one and I definitely wasn't tagged by anyone to do this, but when I saw The Last 10 Book Tag around on booktube, it sounded fun and I wanted to try it. So here we go!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. The last book you didn't finish?</span></b></div>
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I quite often start books and then stop when I can't get into them, but I don't count those as not finishing because I know I'll read them eventually. I do have some books that I mark as dnf and I know I won't ever finish them, but those are very rare. In fact, I think I only ever dnf-ed four books, the most recent one being <i>The Hook Up</i> by Kristen Callihan. Another book I can think of that I started but didn't finish and, to be honest, probably won't ever finish is <i>Glass Sword</i> by Victoria Aveyard. I actually quite enjoyed <i>Red Queen</i> when I read it but when I started <i>Glass Sword</i>, I just wasn't really interested in the story or the world anymore, so I don't think I will ever finish that series or that book.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. The last book you re-read?</span></b></div>
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This year, I've been rereading a lot of books, and it's been such a great time. I really love rereading my favorites. The last series I reread was the <i>Penryn and the End of Days</i> series by Susan Ee and I loved it so much. I really think that this series is so underrated, so I highly recommend reading <i>Angelfall</i> if you haven't already!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. The last book you bought?</span></b></div>
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My sister put me on a book buying ban until after my birthday, so I'm currently resisting the temptation of getting new books. But the last ones I was allowed to get were <i>China Rich Girlfriend </i>by Kevin Kwan and <i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> by Celeste Ng. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. The last book you said you read but didn't?</span></b></div>
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I really don't think I ever said I read a book when I didn't. Why would I do that? I don't really understand this question, I think.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. The last book you wrote in the margins of?</span></b></div>
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I really don't do this for the books I read for fun. My law textbooks, however, are a completely different story. But I'm not sure those count.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. The last book you had signed?</span></b></div>
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I've never met an author or had a book personalized and signed for me as that is quite difficult living in Switzerland. But! My mom got me signed <i>Throne of Glass</i> hardcovers for my birthday two years ago and it was honestly the best gift ever. I'd wanted to get hardcovers of that series for a long time because it's one of my favorites, so receiving them signed was unbelievable!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7. The last book you lost?</span></b></div>
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I can't think of any book I really lost but I've definitely lent out books that I haven't gotten back (until now at least). I don't really have any hopes of having my copy of <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i> by J.D. Salinger returned to me as it's been a long time since I lent that one out. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. The last book you had to replace?</span></b></div>
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Again, I don't think I personally had to replace any books before. But my sister recently borrowed my <i>Penryn and the End of Days</i> trilogy which she then managed to get soaked, so she promised to replace it for me. Same thing happened when I lent out <i>The Two Towers</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien and my friend lost it. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9. The last book you had an argument over?</span></b></div>
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I recently had a debate with my sister over the <i>Throne of Glass</i> series when we were trying to figure out what might happen in the last book. Unfortunately, I didn't remember that she hadn't read <i>Tower of Dawn</i> at that time and ended up spoiling her big time. Ooops..</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. The last book you couldn't get hold of?</span></b></div>
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Well, this happens to me all the time because English books are somewhat rare in Swiss bookstores and I often go to look for a particular book that they just don't have and end up having to order it online. But really, that's not too bad. However, I have also always wanted the gorgeous white and gold special edition of The Hunger Games trilogy that you just can't get anywhere anymore and I'm still a little heartbroken about it. It's just so damn beautiful!<br />
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What were your <b>last ten</b>? Let me know your answers. If you're still reading this, consider yourself tagged!<br />
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-55141742804289356742018-10-01T13:27:00.002+02:002018-10-01T13:27:41.294+02:00August and September 2018 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I definitely forgot how to do monthly wrap-up posts, but I felt like giving it a try again for August. And then, like the professional blogger I am, I forgot to post it until September was already over as well, so here we are with a combined wrap-up for August and September!</div>
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I read seven books in August and a grand total of one book in September, which leaves me with 37 books total read this year and on track for my reading challenge. Yay me! While I didn't discover any new all-time favorite books in the past two months, I'm still very happy with what I read. Except for one, all books met my expectations and even the rereads were still as good as the first time around.<br />
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34851664-the-chase" target="_blank">The Chase</a> (Briar U #1) by Elle Kennedy (ebook), 2/5 ★</b></li>
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This one was unfortunately a big disappointment for me and my NA loving heart. I ended up writing a full review which you can read <a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-chase-briar-u-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11500217-angelfall" target="_blank">Angelfall</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17849112-world-after" target="_blank">World After</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18500665-end-of-days" target="_blank">End of Days</a> (Penryn and the End of Days #1-3) by Susan Ee, reread</b></li>
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I reread the entire <i>Penryn and the End of Days</i> trilogy this month and loved it. These wonderfully addictive books take place during an angel apocalypse and feature some of my all time favorite characters. The plot can get quite weird but to me the books are very character-driven so this doesn't bother me at all. I definitely highly recommend this trilogy if you haven't read it yet! </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25883848-the-hating-game" target="_blank">The Hating Game</a> by Sally Thorne (ebook), 3.5/5 ★</b></li>
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I had really high expectations going into this as I've heard nothing but great things about it. Also, the hate-turned-love trope is one of my favorites, so it's safe to say I was super excited for this one. Unfortunately, The Hating Game ended up not quite living up to my expectations. This was mostly due to the writing style, I think. It took a lot of getting used to for me as it felt so disconnected from the story. But in the end I still read the book in one day because it was super addicting and fun to read about, albeit not exactly what I had expected. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28458598-when-dimple-met-rishi" target="_blank">When Dimple Met Rishi</a> by Sandhya Menon, 3.5/5 ★</b></li>
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This one was one thing above all others: incredibly cute. I really enjoyed Dimple and Rishi's story, and until about the 2/3 mark, this would have totally been a 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, I was really annoyed at some of the character's actions afterwards and a little unsatisfied with things were resolved. Somehow, I also never ended up <i>really</i> invested in the story. But nevertheless, I love Rishi a lot and would absolutely recommend this book for a cute contemporary romance! </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17661416-made-you-up" target="_blank">Made You Up</a> by Francesca Zappia, 4/5 ★</b></li>
This is the second book by Francesca Zappia that I read, and while I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31931941-eliza-and-her-monsters" target="_blank">Eliza and Her Monsters</a></i>, I still ended up loving the story a lot. To be honest, I can't quite pinpoint what it was about this book that made me like it so much. When I think about it, the main plot was actually a little too much for me. I loved Alex as a narrator, but the mystery aspect of the story still wasn't really for me. The whole book felt so <i>gray</i> somehow. I'm doing a terrible job at explaining this, so just know that I really enjoyed this one even though I can't say why.
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18373213-crazy-rich-asians">Crazy Rich Asians</a> by Kevin Kwan, 4/5 ★</b></li>
I really enjoyed this one - it was fun, entertaining and definitely a little crazy. It did take me all of September to get through though, so it's definitely not a fast-paced story and I never got invested to the point that I couldn't put it down.</ul>
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So that's it for all the books I read this month. I honestly completely lost track of the books I bought, but I know it wasn't many. Anyway, I will have to leave out the book haul for this wrap-up post but what I read is more important than what I bought anyway!</div>
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What books have you read and loved/hated recently? </div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-88424993230787164222018-08-09T13:03:00.000+02:002018-08-09T13:03:01.578+02:00Review: The Chase (Briar U #1)<div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34851664-the-chase?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Chase</a></b><br />
<b>by Elle Kennedy</b>
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Series: Briar U #1</div>
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Genre: New Adult, Romance</div>
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Publication date: August 6, 2018</div>
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Published by: Elle Kennedy Inc.</div>
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Ebook, 377 pages</div>
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My rating: 2/5 ★</div>
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Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.<br />
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And that his best friend has a crush on me.
And that I just moved in with them.
Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?<br />
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I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?<br />
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He knows where to find me.</blockquote>
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Before I get into my review of <i>The Chase</i>, I want to start by saying that the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/144827-off-campus" target="_blank"><i>Off-Campus</i> books</a> (the companion series to this one) are some of my favorite New Adult reads. I love them because they don't overdo the NA stereotypes and generally manage to tell entertaining, if somewhat unlikely tales of college love. They are centered around a group of hockey players, and although I love sports novels, those types of books often tend to be the most filled with annoying tropes of them all. But while the <i>Off-Campus</i> books definitely had the *super popular hot athlete blah blah* stereotypes, I felt like it never went too far. </div>
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So with all of this love for the companion series of <i>The Chase</i>, I was super excited for this book and 100% ready to love it just as much. Even more so because Summer and Fitz are both characters that were previously introduced and I was ready to root for them. <b>Unfortunately, <i>The Chase</i> turned out to be a disappointment for me</b>.</div>
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While I was super happy to be back in my beloved Briar surroundings, Fitz and Summer's story just didn't work for me. Mainly, I found both of them to be <b>so hurtful to each other and the people around them</b>. Especially some of the things Fitz said to Summer went too far in my opinion and I couldn't get over it with the simple explanation of "oh this girl drives me crazy". </div>
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Their developing relationship and especially the sort-of love triangle Summer and Fitz find themselves in really reminded me of the first book in the <i>Off-Campus</i> series. I don't remember exactly how it was resolved then, but this time I felt like Summer and Fitz both were real jerks to their friend. The situation could have definitely been handled better and less frustratingly. Somehow, I just didn't end up liking either of them, even though I had really enjoyed what we saw of Summer in previous books.</div>
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Also, there is a lot of effort to promote <b>girl power</b> in this book, which technically I definitely appreciate. However, it felt so forced at times. While I usually believe that it's better to include such topics a little forced rather than not at all, this time I couldn't really get on board, mainly because Summer often acted very contradictory to her supposed mentality of women supporting each other. The way the book tried to follow this "feminist" approach while also sticking to the classic NA stereotypes just didn't work for me. </div>
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Finally, one development about Fitz also really irked me. At the beginning, he was this introverted, nerdy guy who liked to draw and play/design video games. By the end of the book, however, he was saying things like "I'm glad I don't have to live my life in the shadows anymore" etc. And what bothered me wasn't even that this was all because of this <b>gREAt love</b> he and Summer had found. Rather, it somehow felt really degrading towards introverts? I don't know, but as an introvert myself, I just felt like shouting at him that being an introvert doesn't mean you haven't somehow reached your full potential yet or something. As if all introverts should aspire to becoming extroverts, to "evolve" in that way. <b>I think it's perfectly fine to be an introvert and stay an introvert</b>, thank you very much. I'm sure it wasn't meant this way and I believe Fitz is still meant to be more of an introvert by the end, but these statements kind of bothered me anyway.</div>
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What I did enjoy was especially the friendship between Summer and her female best friend. They were really great together, and I basically enjoyed reading about everything they did as long as it didn't involve Fitz. I also liked meeting some old favorite characters, but I will say it was very obvious that all of the past main characters had to be involved in the book in some way or another, which unfortunately also felt a little forced. But I definitely still really enjoy this setting and am looking forward to the next book in this spin-off series! Unfortunately, <i>Briar U</i> just didn't get off to a great start with me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOCPG-DGmfNoNuHgByIzlsBqu_m1iK6D_jGQpfEOm4F-36FaOnF8NiN88JuBhZLUj9dmtVssTOCE51FpvhCWbDXHjCqe2K7NAkaqEhyF-eldIOfGAGWYusYIfNhz21L5xZfPJnCUCbtQ/s1600/pinterest_+the+chase.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book review: The Chase by Elle Kennedy" border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOCPG-DGmfNoNuHgByIzlsBqu_m1iK6D_jGQpfEOm4F-36FaOnF8NiN88JuBhZLUj9dmtVssTOCE51FpvhCWbDXHjCqe2K7NAkaqEhyF-eldIOfGAGWYusYIfNhz21L5xZfPJnCUCbtQ/s1600/pinterest_+the+chase.png" title="book review: The Chase by Elle Kennedy" /></a></div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-38131341730736830822018-07-25T13:13:00.003+02:002018-08-12T20:18:53.964+02:00Mid-Year Reading Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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2018 so far has been a bit of a weird year for me with regards to book stuff. Mostly, it feels different because I've taken a big step back from the online book community. My blog has been neglected for a long time, so it's not really news on here. But I also haven't been active on my bookstagram ever since I moved into my own apartment at the beginning of the year, and that has been a big change although I'm not sure whether for the better or the worse. </div>
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The good news is, I'm still reading! Even if I don't share my experiences online so much anymore, I haven't stopped being an avid reader. And as kind of a catch-up post, I thought it would be nice to have a look at what I've read so far this year.</div>
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First things first, I've read 28 books so far, which is right on track for my goal of reading 50 books this year. I guess you could call this the year of rereading, because out of those 28 books, 12 were rereads for me. For some reason, I felt like picking up old favorites more often this year, and to be honest, I'm loving it. Maybe this has to do with my hiatus from bookstagram, maybe that lifted some of the pressure of always keeping up with new releases off my chest, who knows?</div>
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I reread the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/93524-captive-prince" target="_blank"><i>Captive Prince</i> trilogy</a> at the very beginning of the year, and in the course of a few days because those books are just as addicting the second time around. Then, I also reread the whole <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/65730-shatter-me" target="_blank"><i>Shatter Me</i> series</a> as preparation for the new book. Unfortunately, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34992929-restore-me" target="_blank">Restore Me</a></i> was quite the disappointment, but at least <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13104080-unravel-me" target="_blank">Unravel Me</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13188676-ignite-me" target="_blank">Ignite Me</a></i> were as good as ever! Along the same lines, I reread the first two <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/121588-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before" target="_blank">To All The Boys I've Loved Before</a></i> books and then finally finished that series as well. Although the third one wasn't my favorite in the series, Lara Jean and Peter never fail to warm my heart. </div>
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And as part of what seems to become a yearly ritual, I reread <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17927395-a-court-of-mist-and-fury" target="_blank">A Court of Mist and Fury</a></i>, then continued on with <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23766634-a-court-of-wings-and-ruin?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">A Court of Wings and Ruin</a></i> and of course topped it off with the new novella, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31076583-a-court-of-frost-and-starlight" target="_blank">A Court of Frost and Starlight</a></i>. Then of course I also had to reread <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda</a></i> to prepare for both the movie as well as the new companion novel <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31180248-leah-on-the-offbeat" target="_blank">Leah on the Offbeat</a></i>. And last but not least, I felt like revisiting the magical world of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22544764-uprooted?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Uprooted</a></i>!</div>
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But besides all these rereads, of course I also discovered some new favorites. First and foremost, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/114498-the-bone-season" target="_blank"><i>The Bone Season</i> series</a>. I'm currently in the middle of the third book, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28260402-the-song-rising" target="_blank">The Song Rising</a></i>. Even though I wanted to avoid what will undoubtedly be a brutal wait for the next book, I just couldn't resist reading all of what is available of this story so far. It's just too good! </div>
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Another notable book I finally read (and loved!) this year has to be <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29236299-gemina?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Gemina</a></i>. I don't know why I always take such long breaks between the books of the Illuminae Files series, since it's one of my absolute favorites. But here I am, with the third book still unread on my shelf! Also, my second taste of graphic novels has been a huge success. I read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19351043-nimona?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Nimona</a></i> at the beginning of the year and absolutely loved it.</div>
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Finally, I also want to mention two books outside of my usual reading comfort zone that I really enjoyed: <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693763-everything-i-never-told-you?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Everything I Never Told You</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31434883-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine</a></i>. Both of these were really dark but very impactful and I really enjoyed them. </div>
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So these are almost all the books I've read so far this year. So reading wise, 2018 is actually going really well for me, although I can't say the same blogging or bookstagram wise. And I'm definitely not promising anything here, but I'm on semester break from uni and felt like typing up this post, so we'll see where this leads me. Maybe I will be back in full force some day!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnyyJw6R4OiGpWzFwcSMD5IGUbT5r_rIansXHbuqI_gBLXFsd1tk5nB4Z8LTXdclR4ubItiMkFgMXYD02GAR9P78aaHVfrjaFCI3nEHw6ylPKy0Xs5hjGaXieizABljXqNszIHdpYYYY/s1600/mid-year+ru+pinterest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="schakarin's Mid-Year Reading Update: what i read so far in 2018" border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnyyJw6R4OiGpWzFwcSMD5IGUbT5r_rIansXHbuqI_gBLXFsd1tk5nB4Z8LTXdclR4ubItiMkFgMXYD02GAR9P78aaHVfrjaFCI3nEHw6ylPKy0Xs5hjGaXieizABljXqNszIHdpYYYY/s1600/mid-year+ru+pinterest.png" title="Mid-Year Reading Update - schakarin" /></a></div>
Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-88352694656249075242018-01-31T12:51:00.000+01:002018-01-31T12:53:34.500+01:00Review: Everless<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35883046-everless" target="_blank">Everless</a></b><br />
<b>by Sara Holland</b><br />
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Series: Untitled #1<br />
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult<br />
Publication date: January 4, 2018<br />
Published by: Orchard Books<br />
Hardcover, 361 pages<br />
My rating: 3/5 ★<br />
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In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything - even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries; the poor bleed themselves dry.<br />
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Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family.<br />
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There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths Jules must uncover will change her life for ever ... and possibly the future of time itself.</blockquote>
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<i>Everless</i> was a typical 3-star read for me. Not bad in any way, but lacking something to make me really fall in love and get engrossed with the story. It takes place in a world where time is your currency and it is drawn from the blood. Our protagonist Jules grew up at an aristocratic estate called Everless before she and her father had to flee. Now she is going back to work there in order to earn time to save her father's life.</div>
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The premise of blood being the currency to pay with is really unique (I have seen <i>In Time</i>, but still), and I was looking forward to seeing how it would be executed. Overall, I found the world building to be quite good and the concept of the blood money was explained well enough that I felt like I knew what was going on. I especially liked the pace at which we got to discover the world. There was no info-dumping but instead the workings and history of Sempera were unraveled bit by bit in clever ways. However, some of the later twists in the story didn't work as well in my opinion and left me a little confused about the magic system. Also, some aspects of the magic system didn't make very much sense to me in general. Still, I think the reader gets to feel like part of the world as the concepts are explained well enough. </div>
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My biggest problem with the book was that I didn't care enough about the characters. Jules was - luckily - not an insufferable idiot of a main character (though she had her moments). But somehow, she still wasn't someone I wanted to root for. As to the other characters, I felt like I didn't get to know them well enough to actually care about them. Also, all the relationships in the book felt a little fake to me, both the friendships as well as the romance. I did like the emphasis on female friendships, though, and the fact that romantic relationships weren't too present. Jules is focused on her goals rather than constantly swooning over people, which I found refreshing. </div>
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Still, I can't deny that romance is something that I enjoy immensely in a story when done well, and I found the romance aspect to be a little lacking. Not because it wasn't the emphasis of the story or because there wasn't enough of it, but because what romance we did get wasn't a pleasure to read for me. However, I see potential in this department, and the romance could blossom into something really great in future books! </div>
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The plot, to me, was nothing special. Jules was simply working and at the same time uncovering secrets about the people around her and her past - so nothing new, really. As to the plot twists, I kind of saw most of them coming. Not all of them to the last little aspect, but enough that they definitely didn‘t leave me gasping, which is what I‘m gathering happened to a lot of other reviewers.</div>
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In the end, as I said, <i>Everless</i> was a decent book. Well written and with an interesting premise, but unfortunately just not something I fell in love with. </div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-63750615780892750362017-12-14T17:00:00.000+01:002017-12-14T17:00:28.926+01:00Why Ebooks Are Great<div style="text-align: justify;">
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You know what I think is severely underappreciated in the online book community? <b>Ebooks</b>. When I watch booktube videos, everyone alway stands/sits in front of their huge gorgeous bookcases filled with beautiful hardback books, and when I scroll through my bookstagram feed, I hardly ever come across pictures showing a phone or e-reader displaying book covers. And from personal experience (bookstagram-wise), I think I know why: every photo of an ebook - i.e. my phone displaying the book cover - I have ever posted has gained a lot less likes and comments than my other pictures. To me, this is understandable to some extent, since physical books are usually a lot nicer to look at than my cracked phone screen, and they're honestly also a much bigger pleasure to photograph. But I feel like this practice probably excludes a lot of people from bookstagram in particular, who may not be able to afford buying physical copies of books or just prefer reading ebooks, and therefore don't have stacks of physical books to photograph. So today, I want to talk about why I think ebooks are great and we should all appreciate them more.<br />
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First and foremost: no one can see the cover of the book your reading. As someone who reads a lot in public and also occasionally reads New Adult books, this is a huge relief. Some publishers, and in the NA genre in particular, just insist on giving books absolutely hideous covers, i.e. half-naked men or whatnot, that are far too embarrassing to show to a room full of people I do not know. I think I've made my hate for book covers featuring men's naked torsos clear in many previous posts, and yet no one listens to me. Well, that's what ebooks are for. I can relax and read my book in peace without everyone around me judging me because of the book cover. I know we all say don't judge a book by it's cover, but if we're honest, everyone does it, especially to books other people are reading on the train.</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb9_2EXhfFq/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ein Beitrag geteilt von karin (@booklove_k)</a> am <time datetime="2017-11-26T18:35:27+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">26. Nov 2017 um 10:35 Uhr</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJC7dLEgUlx/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ein Beitrag geteilt von karin (@booklove_k)</a> am <time datetime="2016-08-13T10:36:48+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">13. Aug 2016 um 3:36 Uhr</time></div>
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Secondly, they do not take up as much space. Needing additional rooms in your home just because your book collection has gotten out of hand is - if we're being honest, and I love big book cases as much as the next person, trust me - <i>technically </i>a little unnecessary if you could also just store all those words and stories on your phone or e-reader. I know this is a sensitive topic, and I'm not going to deny that I also dream of one day owning my own personal library, but it's so much money that could, if we bookworms were willing to compromise, be spent on different things. Speaking of money, of course the ebooks themselves are usually quite a bit cheaper than the physical copies, so add that to the rent you could save by only reading ebooks.</div>
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Also, ebooks are a lot more practical than physical copies. I'm not saying I <i>mind</i> carrying around the additional weight every day, but I'm also not saying that I mind <i>not</i> carrying it around whenever I'm reading an ebook on my phone. And reading on my phone is really my favorite thing ever. I am constantly holding my phone in my hand anyway, so I can literally read all the time when I'm reading an ebook, which means I get through those books a lot faster as well. It's just not the same when I'm carrying around a physical book, because even though I try to use every moment I get to read, it's not worth taking out the book for a two minute wait at the bus stop, whereas on my phone it totally works. And for me, reading in bed works so much better with ebooks on my phone. I can comfortably lay on my side without getting cramps in my arms, which is such a relief.</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJyCGWHgUH6/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ein Beitrag geteilt von karin (@booklove_k)</a> am <time datetime="2016-08-31T17:39:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">31. Aug 2016 um 10:39 Uhr</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUCZ3EKB0sP/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ein Beitrag geteilt von karin (@booklove_k)</a> am <time datetime="2017-05-13T15:28:35+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">13. Mai 2017 um 8:28 Uhr</time></div>
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Lastly, ebooks are always available. If I want to get a new book but don't have the patience to wait two weeks for it to be delivered? And my local bookstore doesn't have it, which it usually doesn't? I can just get the ebook and download it to my phone in a matter of seconds. This also works great when I'm on the train and just finished the book I was reading and can't make it through the rest of my commute without reading, or when I forgot my book at home in the first place.</div>
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Altogether, I have to say ebooks come with so many advantages, and yet I'm still one of those people who buy a lot more physical books than ebooks. I really only use ebooks for New Adult books or other embarrassing covers, or when I am somewhere without any reading material and an urgent need to read. I guess the pleasure of holding a book in my hand and flipping through the pages is worth more than I thought after all.</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbuZ8UWhgoZ/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ein Beitrag geteilt von karin (@booklove_k)</a> am <time datetime="2017-11-20T17:15:38+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">20. Nov 2017 um 9:15 Uhr</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOXuh6xgQHb/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ein Beitrag geteilt von karin (@booklove_k)</a> am <time datetime="2016-12-23T19:04:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">23. Dez 2016 um 11:04 Uhr</time></div>
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What are your thoughts on ebooks? Do you like them or are do you own one of those gorgeous book cases full of lovingly arranged physical books?</div>
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Last but not least, I want to leave you with a helpful link to Joséphine (@wordrevel)'s post with <a href="http://wordrevel.com/b101-embrace-ebooks/" target="_blank">5 tips on how to photograph your e-reader</a>, since I feel like ebooks deserve more love especially on bookstagram!</div>
Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-14762389895293440772017-12-07T13:46:00.000+01:002017-12-07T13:46:48.476+01:00November 2017 Wrap-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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If you - like me - are thinking <b>WHO IS THIS PERSON</b>? Uploading almost regularly? And a wrap-up? We haven't seen one of those since MARCH! -- Well, meet the new me! Let's enjoy it while it lasts. At the moment, I'm at that stage in my semester where I should really start studying for my exams but it doesn't feel urgent enough yet that I wouldn't try and procrastinate by doing literally anything else. So here I am, blogging! Which isn't the worst way to procrastinate, if you ask me. Unfortunately, the weather here isn't on my side recently and it's been way too dark to take decent pictures, which is why this post is a little late after all. But anyway, let's get to the good part: books!<br />
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What I Read</h3>
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I finished a grand total of six books in November, which in itself is already a small success. But the most exciting part is that it means I completed my Goodreads reading challenge of 50 books for this year, yay!! *patting myself on the back* So here are the books I read:</div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27797842-us?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Us</a> (Him #2) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy (ebook), 2/5 ★</b></li>
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I started the month off with a little disappointment. After loving the first book in this series, this second one was quite the let-down. <i>Him</i> had been so wonderfully different from the usual New Adult books and I loved it. Unfortunately, all the unnecessary drama and sappy proclamations of love returned with a vengeance in this second installment, and I was not pleased. It got bad enough that I had to skim-read the last pages of the book because I was really over the whole story. This is especially annoying for me because I kind of saw this coming and didn't pick up this book for a long time because of it. </div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29845906-nevernight" target="_blank">Nevernight</a> (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff, 5/5 ★</b></li>
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Luckily the next book I read in November made up for the bad start. <i>Nevernight</i> had a pretty big reputation to live up to, and it managed it flawlessly. I loved everything, from the unusual writing style to the dark and brutal plot. I want to wait a little before moving on to the second book in the series, but I have high hopes that it will continue to be purely awesome! </div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35048632-hooking-up?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Hooking Up</a> by Helena Hunting (ebook), 3/5 ★</b></li>
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This was your fairly typical and enjoyable New Adult story. A quick and entertaining read as long as you can overlook the fairly high level of drama and very stereotypical, all-around-horrible ex-boyfriend. I also realized a little too late that this is a companion novel to a previous book which I probably should have read first, not because anything important was spoiled in this one but to get a little more background information on the characters. </div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30969741-an-enchantment-of-ravens?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">An Enchantment of Ravens</a> by Margaret Rogerson (ebook), 3/5 ★</b></li>
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Unfortunately, <i>An Enchantment of Ravens</i> did not live up to my expectations and left me quite a bit disappointed. I wrote a full review for this one <a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.ch/2017/11/review-enchantment-of-ravens.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28187.The_Lightning_Thief?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Lightning Thief</a> (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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Luckily, the first Percy Jackson book did not let me down. Unlike many people that have had a deep love for Percy Jackson for years, I have never read these books before and, naturally, was quite intimidated to start the series. But it turned out to be worth taking the plunge. <i>The Lightning Thief</i> was fast-paced, entertaining and made me laugh out loud at times, so all around I'm very happy about this book and can't wait to continue with the series and dive deeper into this world. </div>
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<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17307608-i-ve-got-your-number" target="_blank">I've Got Your Number</a> by Sophie Kinsella, 4/5 ★</b></li>
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I recently got back into Sophie Kinsella when I picked up her newest book on a whim. Since I loved that one, I felt like reading more by her again, and this was her only standalone novel that I hadn't read yet. It was just as fun and entertaining as her other books, and I'm so glad I picked it up! It's also safe to say that it was fairly addicting, considering I finished it in one day. Unfortunately, the ending was a little too dramatic and over the top for me, which made me take off one star.</div>
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New Books</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNerC_kydpNoOh9z1vlXXcEoqnjWrHTTOZrmQ7YKct1RFqzCg9wTefuA1nHhSnOu7wCu72i_h5e2yZjoYKcS13MNVgEP0G1NhXCrQ43wRG_dCvVM55zi135o1k7_fqOooNI42jnN16rU/s1600/8401FFB1-F1B4-4AB2-92B8-55FDCDED5828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNerC_kydpNoOh9z1vlXXcEoqnjWrHTTOZrmQ7YKct1RFqzCg9wTefuA1nHhSnOu7wCu72i_h5e2yZjoYKcS13MNVgEP0G1NhXCrQ43wRG_dCvVM55zi135o1k7_fqOooNI42jnN16rU/s640/8401FFB1-F1B4-4AB2-92B8-55FDCDED5828.JPG" width="640" /></a>I'm not sure whether this is even possible or whether I have a huge pile of new books stacked away somewhere and forgotten, but as far as I know, I only acquired one single book this month, and that is <i>I've Got Your Number</i>, which I've already read. Go me!<br />
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Did you have a good reading month in November? What was your favorite book? Also, can someone please tell me how we have already advanced to the last month of the year? I mean, everyone is probably preparing posts about their favorite reads of the year and such, but I just don't feel ready yet. This is scary.</div>
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Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-80008779780321719402017-11-20T11:22:00.001+01:002017-11-20T11:51:40.408+01:00Review: An Enchantment of Ravens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30969741-an-enchantment-of-ravens?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">An Enchantment of Ravens</a><br />by Margaret Rogerson</b><br />
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult<br />
Publication date: September 26, 2017<br />
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books<br />
Ebook, 304 pages<br />
My rating: 3/5 ★
<blockquote><span style="text-align: start;">Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There's only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.</span></blockquote>
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An Enchantment of Ravens has been all over bookstagram lately, and when I heard how much everyone seemed to love it, I knew I had to give it a try. This is one of those books that I probably wouldn't have picked up if it weren't for the online book community, and for once I don't think I would've really missed out on anything. Because somehow, this book and I didn't really click.<br />
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First of all, the plot. The goodreads synopsis tells you all you need to know: We follow Isobel, a human painter who sells her Craft to fairies in return for fairy enchantments. When the prince of the autumn court comes to take her away, our real adventure begins. Isobel and Rook travel together until they somehow arrive at the spring court, where they end up having to face the consequences for their actions. To me, the plot was all over the place. It starts out with Rook taking Isobel with him to the <i>autumn</i> court, but they never even arrive there. Instead, new problems and threats pop up out of nowhere until the previous ones are long forgotten. In the end, everything falls magically into place by - if I may say so: not very spectacularly - resolving the most recent issue. All in all, it just didn't work for me, most of all because I found the world building to be lacking.</div>
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Secondly, the romance. I felt like this was one of the biggest selling points of this novel, yet somehow I just didn't get it. First of all, can someone please explain to me how this <i>instalove</i> has so many people swooning? I thought instalove was one of those tropes where the book community comes together in dislike. This book seems to be an exception, but not for me. It was like <i><a href="http://schakarin.blogspot.ch/2017/07/review-wintersong-wintersong-1.html" target="_blank">Wintersong</a></i> all over again - I just didn't see the appeal of Rook, and I felt like the author wasn't even trying to make him appealing. Isobel just magically fell in love at the beginning of the story and we were to accept that for what it was. I was hoping for a slow burn, well developed romance, but unfortunately what I got was far from that.</div>
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So, what did I like about this book? First and foremost, Isobel's family and especially her sisters. They were unique, quirky and strange but still very likable. Unfortunately, there was far too little of them in the story but what we did get of them, I really enjoyed. I also liked Rogerson's writing style. It was easy to read but not bland, and it kept me going even though I wasn't enjoying myself that much for big parts of the book. All in all, I would say this book was <i>decent</i>, but since I was expecting <i>extraordinary</i>, I can't help but be disappointed.</div>
Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3112889467964299575.post-81204478817438491692017-11-14T22:48:00.000+01:002017-11-14T22:48:09.005+01:00On the Topic of My Incapability to Write Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Remember back when I used to review every single book I read on my blog? Don't worry, I can barely recall that glorious time either. Today, I want to have a look at why that is. Of course, there are the 'obvious' answers, namely increased workload at uni, general stress, laziness, etc. These factors certainly had and still have a big influence on my decreasing frequency in blogging in general, but I feel like there are more distinct reasons for why I don't review the books I read as often anymore.<br />
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When I first rediscovered my love for reading and started this book blog, I was so impressionable. Every book I read was new and exciting and I couldn't stop talking about all of them. Just looking at the ratings I gave to the books I read back then, it becomes clear that my 'standards' were much lower and that I fell in love with a book much easier than I do now. The books invoked a lot stronger emotions in me than most of the books I read nowadays, so that I felt like I had to type up my thoughts right away. Because that's why I started this blog in the first place, mostly to have somewhere to talk about these books when I couldn't keep my thoughts inside anymore. And I guess it's safe to say that over the years, it became harder for the books to get such a reaction out of me. Most of the stories I read, even if they're good and I enjoy them, just don't blow me away as much anymore, and I feel like I don't have as much to say about the books I read anymore. </div>
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I was never very eloquent in my reviews, and they mostly consisted of 'I loved this book', 'I didn't like that' and other standard sentences and expressions, but it really didn't use to bother me because I just needed to get my thoughts out there. Nowadays, I get really frustrated when I try to write a review and the right words just won't come. Or when I simply don't know my reasons for why I loved a certain book or why another didn't really work for me. So even when time allows it and I sit down to write a review for a book I just finished, I will end up sitting in front of my computer not knowing where to start, so I put it off and decide to come back to it later. And of course, I never do.</div>
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In the few instances that I do try to sit down and write a review for a book a few days after finishing it, the following problem arises: I hardly remember anything of the plot or my thoughts on the story anymore. And I just don't understand how this is possible? I will only be left with a vague feeling of either love and admiration or disappointment. This is the same when I try to recommend books to other people. I can only say 'I really loved this book' and maybe recall very basic plot elements. How am I supposed to write a full-length review based on this information? And where do all my other thoughts and emotions disappear to?</div>
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I know that I used to write down my thoughts in a notebook or on my phone when I was reading the book, but I have long ago stopped doing that because I would constantly forget to actually do it while reading the book anyway. But maybe I should try and start that again? Or do you have any other tips to stay on top and actually remember the books you read? For now, I guess I'll just keep admiring everyone who manages to write proper, eloquent reviews all the time!</div>
Karin @schakarinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01280699016487902957noreply@blogger.com0