|| My Top 14 Books of 2014

2014 is now over, and what a year it's been. Personally I've had a pretty good reading year - At least compared to last year. Last year I'm pretty sure I only read about 7 or 8 books, and compared to this years 64 books, I'm pretty proud of myself. So seeing as I've read this many books, I thought it would be appropriate to share my favorites of that bunch. And since it was 2014, a top 14 is in its right. These books aren't in any particular order, because I'm not sure I would be able to do that, and they aren't all 2014 releases either. I'm not going to go into too much detail on each book, but I'll tell you a little about why I love them so much.

What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson. This was one of the first books I read this year. It's a beautiful book about two brothers, about love and friendship. I fell in love with the characters, and their stories. The plot was simple and that was something I absolutely loved about this book.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu. This book was so amazing. It was really hard to get through, not because it was bad, but because the subject is kind of rough. At certain points in this book I got so angry I actually had to put it down. However, I'm glad I read it, because it was phenomenal.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I am so happy I finally started this series, because it is completely amazing. This book was so fun to read, and I practically flew through this one.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan. People have been raving about this series, and I completely understand why, This is so completely different from anything I've read before, and that was part of what made it so amazing.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales. This book was phenomenal. It took a completely different turn than I was expecting, but I ended up loving that turn. The main character was incredibly lovable, and I really wanted to stay in her world just a little longer.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King. My first A.S. King book, but definitely not my last. I fell in love with the main character right from the start, and I'm still a little bit in love with her right now. This book hit me on a little more personal level, than other books, because I have, to some levels, been through some of those struggles that Astrid goes through. The writing is beautiful, and I will forever love this book.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. What can I say about this book. This is one of the more relatable books I've read. I could really relate to the main character, and that made the book so much better. All in all, it was just a fun, and at times an emotional read.

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky. This book was just amazing. The book is about so much more than you think it's gonna be, and I love it for that. If I could only recommend one book on this list, I'm pretty sure it would be this one.

Crane by Stacey Rourke. This is one of my absolute favorite reads this year. This story takes you on a journey, and I want to go on that journey again. This book is funny, and just a little bit creepy. The main character is a strong female, and the hilarious sidekick was a perfect combo, and made this book even more amazing.

Something Like Summer by Jay Bell. I've been wanting to read a Jay Bell book for a long time, and this year I finally did. Something Like Summer was a beautiful story all about love. It showed all the ups and downs of being head over heals for someone, and what you might have to give for that love.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Hello new favorite book. This book was absolutely amazing! The characters very beautifully written, and I don't really know what more to say, other than maybe "let me read it again!"

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. As soon as I closed this book I wanted to jump right back into it. The characters were amazing, and the story was so beautiful. I was a little sceptic about having lyrics in the book. However, with the ability to actually listen to those lyrics, it just flowed together perfectly.

The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn. This book was absolutely amazing (have I said that enough in this post?). This book made me cry, and it made me laugh out loud. The characters were amazing, and incredibly lovable.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This is the only book that actually is in order on this list. This is my absolute favorite of the year. This book is amazing. It's so full of emotions and I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters. This book is so heartwarming, and I need to re-read it.

And that concludes my top 14 of 2014. I'm curious to hear, what some of your favorite books of 2014 were?

|| Happy New Year

(A little belated) Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve, and that you all got into the new year safe and sound. I spend my New Years Eve with two of my very best friends, and we had an amazing night. 

2014 was a really great year for me, busy, but very good, and I hope that 2015 will be just as good, if not better.

Top Ten Tuesday || Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week we are talking about our goals and resolutions for 2015. They can be bookish, blogging, or just some regular old resolutions/goals. I'm going to share both some bookish and some blogging goals and resolutions. 

1. My first goal is actually my GoodReads challenge goal-thing. That goal is to read 46 books. This year my goal was 25, and I passed that by a bit - I actually ended up reading 64 books. I'm still setting  my goal under 50 books, because I think that number is a little bit scary, and therefore I'm taking the number down a bit.

2. My second goal/resolution is a pretty common one among book people. That is to buy less books. Now I don't actually spend a lot of money on physical books, which is good. However, since getting my eReader in August, I've been throwing money around - money I don't really have. So I want to buy a little more, and try to limit my book buying to new releases I absolutely "need".

3. The third resolution is to get more organized blog wise. I started this blog in October, which was a very busy month for me, and I haven't really taken the time do do all that much about this blog. And I really want to. I don't necessarily want to plan posts down to a T, but I do want to just have an overview over what the heck I'm doing.

4. This goal is kind of a follow up to number 3, and that is to post more reviews. In the time I've had this blog I've posted 3 reviews. That's not really a lot. And it's not that I don't want to, I just don't get very far in the process. I write down notes and all my thoughts. But getting from that, to a full legible post is a lost art for me.

5. The fifth goal is to participate and complete challenges other than my goodreads challenge. I've made a post about the challenges I've signed up for, and you can check that out here.

6. The sixth is to be more social in the community. I'm shy, and that shyness extends to the internet. So 2015 is going to be the year where I comment more on blogs, and interact with more bookish people on twitter or goodreads. 

7. This resolution might sound a little odd, but it's an important one (in my eyes). I want to keep track of new releases. I rarely know when books come out, I miss the release, and don't realize it until months after. I just want to at least keep a track on when my anticipated books come out. I don't need to buy the releases, but just know that they are now available. 

8. Here is a goal that I need to complete. I want to read the Harry Potter series. Yeah, I have not read father than book 2, and that needs to change. I don't own them, so they have to be borrowed from friends or checked out at the library, but I will read them. 

9. The last (yeah, I don't actually have ten resolutions.) is a couple of random challenges. I've been jotting down random little challenges that I think would be fun to try from time to time. I've settled on ten challenges, and I'll pick one out at random when I fell like I need a guideline to which book I should read. The challenges are:

·      Read a book with over 500 pages

·      Read a book that became a movie – and watch the movie

·      Read a book that came out in my birth year

·      Read a book that someone else picks out

·      Read a book I was supposed to read in school, but didn’t (whoops)

·      Read a collection of short stories

·      Read a book that‘s won an award

·      Read a book by an author I haven’t read before.

·      Read a Classic

·      Re-Read one of my 2014 favorites

(after I'd been jotting these down for some time, I saw Katytastic's video about her TBR Jar challenge.

I saw that video after setting these, and I just wanted to disclaim that I'm in no way trying to snatch the idea, and claim it as my own.

The challenges are a mix of my own, and some found all over the internet.  Just an fyi)

So these are my resolutions and goals for 2015. What are some of yours?

|| 2015 Reading Challenges

This is the first year I'll be participating in any reading challenges, and therefore I've tried to limit myself, and not sign up for too many. I've decided to participate in 3 challenges, which I think is a decent number, and not all to overwhelming. Also, the challenges here can actually overlap a bit here and there, so that might be a bit of help to actually complete them all. As of right now, I haven't picked out any books for the challenges, and I'm not sure I'm going to. In fact, I'm quite horrible at following TBR's and already set lists. But who knows? I might end up making some sort of possible list at some point.

The first challenge I'm participating in, is the 2015 Mythology Reading Challenge. I'm a sucker for all kinds of mythology, and this challenge is just the one for me. It's hosted by Lili over at Lili Lost in a Book. For rules and detail check the sign up post. There are four levels you can commit to, and I'll be participating on the 'God Level' which is 6-10 mythology books.

The second challenge is going to be the LGBT Challenge. I read a decent amount of LGBTQ+ books, and therefore I thought this would be perfect. It's hosted by Cayce over at Niji Feels and you can read all the details and sign up over there. There are four levels as to which you can participate, and I've decided to participate at the OMNIVOROUS BOOKGLUTTEN level, which means that I am to read 10+ LGBT books from any genre.

The third challenge is going to be the 2015 Library Challenge. I love my library, and I spend a good amount of time there. This challenge is hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey. All the information about the challenge can be found over at her blog. I've decided to participate at the Rookie level, which is to check out 6-11 books. I might check out a great deal more than that, but I thought it would be a good starting place.

So these are the challenges I've decided to take on. Are you participating in any Reading Challenges in 2015?

|| All I Want For Christmas Is Books

'Tis the season to be jolly? Right? Anyway, it's December, which means that Christmas is here basically. What an intro there, really beautiful. As many other people's, a big part of my Christmas wish list contains books.

All but one of these books are in English, the Metallica one is in Danish, which, can be a bit hard to find where I'm from. The bookstores in my area doesn't really have a big selection when it comes to English books, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any of these in my local bookstores. Therefore, even though books are a big thing on my wish list, it's usually not the things I get the most of.

Anyway, these are all book I've wanted for a long time, and as far as I can remember, most of them are new releases of 2014. There's a mix of genres, but they are basically all YA books.

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt: This is a book I've had my eyes on since last year, but I've just never decided to pick it up. Therefore I thought it would be a good thing to put on my wish list - also, it's quite a beautiful book.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: I read Morgan Matson's 'Amy and Roger's Epic Detour' and I fell in love with it, and her writing. I've heard a lot of great things about this book, and I'm sure it will be a fabulous read.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson: This sounds so damn interesting, and I've heard a shit-ton of amazing things about it. If this is not underneath my Christmas tree, I'm very sure I'll be buying it in January.

Everything Leads To You - Nina LaCour: Another book that's been on my wish list ever since it came out. I've seen a lot of great reviews on this book, and that's just made me want to read it even more. And the cover really is beautiful.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins: Pretty book is pretty, and with what I've heard, Pretty book is pretty good too. The plot sounds intriguing, and I thought it would be a lovely gift to have under the tree.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega: This one - this one is a book that has been very high on my wish list. However, I've never actually picked it up. Not actually sure why, but I just haven't. It sounds pretty darn awesome, and pretty darn creepy. Just what I need.

Winger by Andrew Smith: This book comes with such high praise. I have heard nothing but good things about this book, and I really need to have this in my possession soon. So, therefore I thought it would be a perfect wish for Christmas.

Metallica: Den illustrerede historie: The only non-fiction book on my list, but a book I really want nonetheless. I'm a huge Metallica fan, and this would be a perfect thing for my collection (which isn't all that big - but still).

Conversion - Katherine Howe: Last but not least we have this one. I've heard some pretty mixed things about this book, but I still really want to see what everything is about. It sounds so very interesting, and I'm very excited to see how this is going to unfold.

So there you have it. My Christmas wish list - at least the bookish part. Are there any bookish things on your wish list?

|| November Wrap-up & December TBR

Better late than never, right? Anyway, I'm here today to share with you all the books I read in November. This month was a busy one - I was teaching third graders all of November, and on top of that, I had a huge exam paper to write. However, even with all that business, I still managed to read 10 books. I have absolutely no idea how I managed that, but somehow I did. I read some pretty decent books this month - there were some that disappointed a bit, but there were also some that I absolutely love.

One Man Guy - Michael Barakiva ★★★

This book was a really fast read. I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to people who want a different kind of contemporary read. This book is LGBTQ and it's got a great diverse cast. I had a some problems with it here and there, but not something that was a huge deal breaker to me.

Kamikaze Boys - Jay Bell ★★★

I have read quite a few things from this author before. I've really adored his writing in the past, and I did with this book as well. However, the story didn't really do that much for me. It was a good story, but that was just about it.

Almost Like Being in Love - Steve Kluger ★★★★

This book was so much fun. I have a review up on the blog of this book already, so I'm not really gonna talk that much about it.

The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson ★★★

This book I was really excited to read. However, I might have hyped myself up a little too much, because this book ended up being just fine for me. I liked the characters, and I loved the whole concept. I think I was expected there to be more Ripper than there actually were. In the end I was left with a feeling of wanting more, and therefore I will be continuing on with this series.

Y: The Last Man, The Deluxe edition book one - Brian K. Vaughan ★★
This graphic novel I had heard a lot of things about. I must admit this wasn't really my thing. The writing was great and the illustrations were pretty cool. However, the story was just too much. It felt like they try to do so many different things, and in the end, to me, they all fell a little flat. I might read the next installment, next year, but I'm not sure.

The Before Now and After Then - Peter Monn ★★★★★
This was kind of a random pick. Someone on my Goodreads feed had just reviewed this book, and I thought it sounded interesting. And boy was I glad I picked this one up. It was a phenomenal book, and just what I needed. This book made me cry, and it made me laugh out loud. The Characters were amazing, and all in all I just really loved this book.

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me - Julie Anne Peters ★★
This has been on my TBR from the moment it came out. The premise of this book is really interesting, but the execution of it didn't work for me. Out of all the characters only one of them was likable to me.

Cinder - Marissa Meyer ★★★
This is a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, but have just never gotten to before now. I enjoyed the book, I really did, but there was just so much going on, that it got a little confusing at times. At least to me. Also, it was very predictable, and the plot twists didn't do that much for me. However, I do want to continue the series, because I¨m very excited to see where this story will go.

Gracefully Grayson - Ami Polonsky ★★★★★
This was a new release of November, and I'm so glad I picked it up. It's a middle grade book, and boy is it an important book. It is easy to understand, which I think is really important when the book is targeted towards middle graders. The story is beautiful, and so well told. I would really recommend anyone to pick up this story.

Wait For You - J. Lynn ★★★
So, this book was another random pick. I needed something quick to read, so I thought a contemporary new adult book would be good. And it was. This was a good story and it was well executed, it just wasn't something that completely blew me away. I might continue this series, but I'm not completely sure yet.

So on to my December TBR. This month I want to try and see if I can cross some more physical books off of my TBR pile. The picture shows all the book I really want to read, however that small pile might change. I read based on my mood, and I might not be in the mood for any of these. Actually there's a 90% chance that I'll deviate from this. But I figured I needed to have some sort of direction for the month, hence this pile.

So, did you read anything good in November? What is on your TBR on December?

Top Ten Tuesday || Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week we are talking about all those book we look forward to in 2015. For this list I've tried to exclude debut novels, simply because there's going to be a Top Ten Tuesday topic about 2015 debut novels in January. It was hard choosing just ten, but I managed to do so.

Tonight the Streets Are Ours - Leila Sales
This book sounds really interesting. I read This Song Will Save Your Life earlier this year, and I really loved it. Therefore I'm really excited for this book to come out.
Expected publication date is September 15th 2015

Every Last Word - Tamara Ireland Stone

I only heard about this book a couple of days ago. The concept of this book seems really interesting, and like something I haven't read before.
Expected publication date is June 16th 2015

The Fill-In Boyfriend - Kasie West
I haven't read a Kasie West book before, but I've heard a lot of great things about her writing. It sounds like a really good and fun contemporary. Well, maybe not "fun-fun", but still.
Expected publication date is May 5th 2015

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

I have heard a lot of people getting excited by this book, and when I read the synopsis, I must admit that it got me too. This sounds amazing. Again, I haven't read any of Sarah J. Maas' books, but I do have Throne of Glass on my December TBR

Expected publication date is May 5th 2015

Liars, Inc - Paula Stokes

I've seen this book (arc) around the book-blogging world for some time, and I've heard some good things about it. Luckily, the publication date is not all that far away.

Expected publication date is March 24th 2015

A Darker Shade of Magic - V.E. Schwab

Magic and historical fiction. This is bound to be awesome. I know a lot of people love Victoria Schwab's writing, so I'm really excited to get my hands on this. Also, the cover is really beautiful.

Expected publication date is February 24th 2015

The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan

Norse mythology + Rick Rioardan - I need this book. I'm currently reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and I am loving it! So, I was really excited when I found out that Rick Riordan was writing a series based on Norse mythology. I'm Scandinavian, come on, I'm bound to be excited. (not that it has anything to do with that, anyway). Sadly, this book is really far away - all the way to October.

Expected publication date is October 6th 2015

All Fall Down - Ally Carter
Another book I haven't heard all that much about. However, I was browsing around Goodreads, and I came across this one. The cover look pretty cool, so I decided to look at the synopsis, and wow. This sounds really cool. Also, it's not that far away - the publication date that is.
Expected publication date is January 27th 2015

The Game of Love and Death - Martha Brockenbrough
I haven't actually heard people talking about this one. Again it was just one of those books I found while browsing Goodreads. It sounds like a love story right after my own heart. Maybe not one I would want for myself, but one I would love to read.
Expected publication date is April 28th 2015

The Witches of Echo Park - Amber Benson
Urban Fantasy, and witches. It's not something I would usually pick up. However, it's gonna be a new year, so it would be the perfect time to broaden my reading, and this book sounds like something that could help with just that.
Expected publication date is January 6th 2015