Memorial Day Weekend

Hey, everyone! Sorry I've been slacking on the blogging this week, but quite frankly I've been working/been in recovery from the crazy weekend I had. It wasn't very crazy--I still got some rest and relaxation in--but there was so much going on.

I spent Friday with my family. My father's parents are buried in the area and they both served during World War II. Every Memorial Day, my parents, my aunt who lives nearby, and myself visit the graves and put flowers on them. After we usually go out to eat. This time we went to Steak and Shake.

My grandmother's grave with the flowers

Saturday, my boyfriend got the free tickets to the Royals Game, so we went with a big group of people. We were pretty fr up, but had really good seats right behind home plate. Also, his sister was proposed to while we were there, so that was fun.

Go Royals! (They lost, no surprise)

Sunday was my rest day. I spent most of the day lying around playing Pokemon White 2. Later, I went out to dinner with the Boyfriend and a mutual friend then hung out for a little bit.

Last Monday was a friend's birthday, so we went over to his brother's house and hung out. Then we played Settlers of Catan. I had never played before and even though it seems really complicated, I had a lot of fun. I would definitely play it again.

As far as books go, I bought a whole bunch from Half Priced Books when I went there Sunday with my parents. Everything was twenty percent off and I couldn't resist. Right now I'm reading We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han. I'm kinda iffy on it so far, as I have been with the whole series, but I'm interested to see how it will end.

What did you do this Memorial Weekend? 

Thursday: Reading Slump

Hey, everyone! I mentioned in my last post I was in the middle of a sort of reading slump where I didn't really feel like reading for fun. I periodically go through phases where I am burned out on reading and just don't know what I'm in the mood for or I want to change it up from what I usually read and don't know where to start.
I think this one started just from being tired. I was tired of YA in March and by the end of the semester I was just tired of reading in general. So when I was done for the semester, the last thing I felt like doing was picking up a book, which is sad because I love to read.
But then today I went to the library.
I hadn't been to our local library in awhile and it was so exciting. I got a bunch of books I'm reallu excited to read and I'm hoping this will pull me out of my reading slump. I'm also going to try to find a reading spot so I can have a routine. I'm hoping to get pulled out of the slump soon!

Blog everyday this summer?

So despite saying on Twitter numerous times that I would be reading and blogging more this summer I unsurprisingly feel through. Between work, summer class, Phi Sigma Pi, and trying to see friends, I barely have time to sleep much less read and review all the books I want. However, I was recently inspired by my lovely friend Kayla who has started a blog about her internship in St. Louis. Every day she writes a little bit about her day and how her internship it's going and what she did that day. And since I don't think I am going to try something similar. It won't be all books all the time anymore, but as I'm an English major and I still love reading I am sure books will make a frequent appearance.

The thing is, I'm a little burned out from reading. This past semester was a step up in course difficulty, and even though I'm currently taking a summer class, the break has been nice. I started Eleanor & Park and while it is undoubtedly really good, I feel like I needed to take a bit of a reading break. I do plan to start reading more summery reads soon though. Plus so many new books by some of my favorite authors have come out over the course of spring semester.

See you all tomorrow, hopefully!

Bout of Books: Day One

Hey, everyone!

Here's my first update on how the Bout of Books Readathon is going! 

I didn't get as much reading done as I would've liked today. I worked then had a project come up that is going to be requiring my attention from now until Thursday. 

I've just started Eleanor & Park and I am loving it so far. What really makes it for me is the writing style--it's just written so beautifully. I'm actually sad I don't have more time to read this so far. 

Are you participating in Bout of Books? What are you reading? 

Bout of Books Readathon

Hey, everyone! Final exams are over and it's finally summer! (I think, I'm not quite sure). If you don't know what Bout of Books is, read below:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Since one of my goals for 2013 was to participate in a readathon, I thought this one would be perfect since it is the week before my summer class starts! Unfortunately, I will be working Monday through Wednesday and unpacking Thursday and Friday with another graduation to attend on Saturday, I may not have a lot of time for reading. But I will definitely have more time than I have since February. 

One way I plan to counteract my busy life is to read books on my phone! I have the app for the Nook on my phone so I read on the go better! So the first books I will be reading will be from there, which will definitely get me through the three days I work, if not all week. So here's the list of books I definitely plan to read:

1. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (I have this started on Goodreads, technically, but I haven't)

2. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Then I have three other physical books I hope to read over the course of the week:

1. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Cater

2. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Rereading in preparation for...)

3. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

So that's what I plan to read this upcoming week for the readathon! Truthfully, I will be happy if I get through the two books I have on my phone, but I will be ecstatic if I make it through all five books on my list!

I am also going to try to do daily update posts, but I will be updating my Twitter, so be sure to check that for updates. Goodreads, too!  

Are you participating in this readathon? (Sign up here!) If so, what are you reading?  

Authors on my Auto-Read List

Hey, everyone! This week's Top Ten Tuesday is "Top Ten Authors on my Auto-Buy List". But since I so rarely buy books (Lies: I bought three books last Friday) and it is no longer Tuesday, I thought I would talk about my favorite authors whose books I actively look forward to coming out.

1. John Green
John Green is probably my favorite modern American author. I have all his novels he's written singularly. He is the best. You should read his books. You will love him.
Recommended books: Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars

2. Maureen Johnson
Maureen Johnson is a hilarious author who has written a variety of novels. There's a lot of humor and a little romance and they are delightful.
Recommended books: The Name of the Star, 13 Little Blue Envelopes 

3. Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan is one of the few Middle Grade Authors I really like.  His books are full of action and yet there is still character development, which isn't always usual for plot driven books.
Recommended books: The Percy Jackson series. Start with The Lightning Thief and read for the next couple weeks. Then cry. 

4. Ally Carter
I adore Ally Carter's books! What I really like about them is that they have a lot of strong female characters who kick butt and take names, but they still act like typical teenage girls. It's an awesome balance.
Recommended Books: Start either the Gallagher Girls series or the Heist Society trilogy. Then read the other one. 

5. Stephanie Perkins
It's no secret I love romantic contemporaries, but Stephanie Perkins is the best of the best. Her novels are realistic and though the characters are very much in love, they have lives outside of each other, which is good and healthy.
Recommended books: Anna and the French Kiss or Lola and the Boy Next Door 

And those are the authors whose books I actively look forward to! Who are some of your favorite authors? Let me know in the comments!

Delirium Book Review

photo from Goodreads

Title: Delirum
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: February 1st, 2011 by HarperTeen

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safeforever. And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Fiona's Grade: A- 
Delirium kinda falls into a trap that happens to young adult dystopians  You need to build the world that this book is set in, so there may be some sections where that world building is happening and then some action. Sort of a slow-fast, slow-fast pattern. For example, this books starts slow and you're just sitting here reading about this ordinary girl in Portland waiting to be cured of love or the deliria  as it is referred to. However, once you get through the entire book, you realize that it starts slow to emphasize that Lena, our protagonist is not born inherently special, as can be the case in ya fiction. Rather, it is the choices she makes that make her extraordinary.

Truthfully, Lena annoyed me towards the beginning of the novel. She was just so bland.  But then I realized she was trying to keep herself that way because of her rather colorful past. And she feels plain and ordinary throughout the book and she doesn't like it. That's why the love story blossoms so well. Because Alex makes her feel extraordinary. Which is important, because we as people like to feel special and loved, exactly what the government in this novel is trying to get rid of.

Truthfully, I did not see the end coming. This novel really ends on a cliffhanger, leading you wondering how the series is going to continue. I'm really wanting to pick up the next one because I want to know like how it continues, though I think I have an idea. I guarantee that this ending will not be what you expect going into the book.

Overall, if you like young adult dystopian fiction with just the right amount of romance, this is the one for you.

Have you read Delirium? What did you think of the ending? Have you read the next one? Do you think you could live in a world without love? Let me know in the comments.