End of the Year Survey 2015!

January 8, 2016April 10, 2020Leave a comment

Number of Books You Read:

130 books

Number of Re-Reads:

Genre You Read the Most From:

New Adult Romance. I definitely discovered my love for that this year

Best Book You Read in 2015:

I could never pick one. I’ll try to narrow it down as best I can:

Unchanged by Jessica Brody
The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen
Him by Elle Kennedy
All Played Out by Cora Carmack
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead
Stand Off by Andrew Smith
What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Winter by Marissa Meyer
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Scorched by Jennifer L Armentrout

Book You Were Excited About And Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn’t:

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy was a huge one. It wasn’t a new release this year but it was new to me this year and I barely made it through it. Same with Scoring Wilder by RS Grey, though I did love her other book that I read.

Most Surprising Book (in a good way or bad way) You Read:

I would say the entire Marked Men series by Jay Crownover. Yes, I was getting into NA this year but I honestly thought I needed it to be sports NA or I couldn’t read it. I didn’t love the first book, Rule, but I LOVED the second book, Jet, and I loved the rest of the series. I never expected to LOVE it as much as I did.

Also, The Deal by Elle Kennedy. I wanted to read it but it has such a cheesy cover and I wasn’t sure of it but omg I love that book and series so so so so much.

Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read:

This year? I pushed the Rusk University series by Cora Carmack. Definitely the Ivy Years by Sarina Bowen and I’ve been begging people to read The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Best series you started in 2014?

The Ivy Years by Sarina Bowen, The Off Campus by Elle Kennedy, the Wait for You series by J Lynn, the Marked Men by Jay Crownover. I read a LOT of really amazing first novels though like Red Queen, Six of Crows, Flamecaster, etc, and I’m looking forward to those series.

Best Sequel of 2014?

Hmmmmm. Stand Off by Andrew Smith was absolutely incredible. Oh god. That book was so damn good. Also, This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. OH, The White Rose by Amy Ewing was quite good too!

Best Series Ender of 2014?

Winter by Marissa Meyer and Unchanged by Jessica Brody. Hands down. No question. Amazing. Both of them.

Favorite New Author You Discovered:

These authors are all new to ME. Sarina Bowen. Elle Kennedy. Alexandra Bracken. Victoria Aveyard. Jay Crownover. Marie Rutkowski.

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki. I’m not a graphic novel reader at all but my friend Sean recommended it and I love love love it.

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Red Queen was absolutely INCREDIBLE. I can’t believe I waited so long to read it. Sweet Jesus. Unchanged was brilliant, same with Winter. SIX OF CROWS. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, which comes out early 2016 but I received an ARC and so much love for this book.

Book You Read in 2015 That You are Most Likely to ReRead in Next Year?

Stand Off by Andrew Smith for sure. Six of Crows. Red Queen. Scorched. Probably alll those new adult books haha

Favorite Cover of a Book Read You Read in 2015?

Six of Crows. Carry On. My own book cover lol. Hey, my book cover is gorgeous. Winter. Passenger.

Most Memorable Character of 2015:

Simon and Baz from Carry On. Sera from Unchanged. Sam Abernathy from Stand Off. Inej from Six of Crows. Mare from Red Queen. Torres from All Played Out. Jase from Be with Me. OH GOD. Andrea from Scorched. Kate from What We Saw.

Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2015:

Either Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard or Scorched by Jennifer L Armentrout. Flamecaster was also quite beautiful. Six of Crows. Damn.

Most Thought-Provoking or Life Changing Book of 2015:

Scorched by Jennifer L Armentrout is probably #1. It hit hard and personal for me. I cried a lot while reading that book. Also Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone, also very personal to me. Lastly, What We Saw was absolutely INCREDIBLE and completely thought provoking.

Book You Can’t Believe You Waited Until 2015 to Read:

the Wait for You series is a huge one. I obviously have known JLA for a few years now and kept ignoring that series and I can’t believe I did that.

Favorite Passage/Quote from a Book You Read this Year:

This one is too hard. I struggle with it every single year. But I will say this: there is a part in Scorched by Jennifer L Armentrout where the main character has a pretty severe panic attack. And it was written so beautifully and it hit me so personally that it has stuck with me since. As someone who struggles through anxiety disorder and panic attacks…it was just so personal. That was probably my favorite, because of how much it resonated with me.

Shortest and Longest Book You Read in 2015:

Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy? I don’t know if the Simon stories count. Probably Leveled by Jay Crownover…JK, it was One Week Girlfriend. 155 pages. Longest…Winter at 824 pages.

Book That Shocked You the Most

Sweet Jesus. Red Queen. I mean, I knew something was going to happen but I literally was like HOW DID THIS HAPPEN! I can’t handle how that just threw me for a loop. Agh. Still not over it.

OTP of the Year

Jace and Tessa from Be with Me. Jet and Avery from Jet. Ivy and Bishop from The Book of Ivy. Oh man, Simon and Baz from Carry On. Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows. Bella and Rafe from Shameless Hour.

Favorite Non Romantic Relationship

Hmmmm. I think all the friendships in the Wait for You series and the friendships in the Marked Men series. They create these families and its just so beautiful. I want that.

Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From an Author You’ve Read Previously

Cora Carmack’s All Played Out is up there. Winter, by Marissa Meyer. Unchanged by Jessica Brody. Stand-Off by Andrew Smith. I could go on…

Newest Fictional Crush?

Jase from Be With Me. Rafe from The Shameless Hour. Jet from…Jet. Kaz from Six of Crows. Oz from Nowhere But Here. Bishop from The Book of Ivy

Best 2015 Debut You Read:

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi. LOVED this book. Just finished the ARC of the second book and loved it. Lauren Gibaldi is fantastic.

Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read this Year?

Its a tie between Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, who is one of the best world builders I know, and Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen, who created this unbelievable world.

Book That Put a Smile on your Face/Was the Most Fun to Read?

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. It made me laugh and it was just so fun. It was so fun to be so invested in it and it wasn’t an actual series. But it was fun and it reminded me of reading a Harry Potter book for the first time, and it was fabulous.

Book That Made You Cry in 2015?

The better question is…what book DIDN’T make me cry. I’m an emotional person. I cry when I’m happy, sad, angry, frustrated, hungry, tired, etc. Books make me cry all the time.

Hidden Gem of the Year?

Scorched by JLA. I just didn’t expect it to be like that and I don’t think enough people are talking about this amazing book. I want to just scream at people to read this book.

Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Scorched by JLA lol. I cried so hard. It crushed my soul because I knew exactly how it felt to be the main character…it was an emotional roller coaster to me and I felt myself crumble at several parts. The difference is…after I was done, I came out much stronger. Its very strange.

Most Unique Book You Read in 2015:

The Alex Crow. I’m pretty sure Andrew Smith will end up as the most unique book every single year. There just isn’t anyone who writes like he does. His books always stand out.

Book That Made You The Most Mad

Probably Red Queen. Because I couldn’t believe that damn ending and how long I’ve had to wait for the sequel. Almost there!

One Book You Didn’t Get to in 2015, But Will be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016

Leaving Amarillo by Caisey Quinn. It was supposed to be read back in summer, whoops.

Book You Are Most Anticipating in 2016

Hmmm. Lots of books haha. Marissa Meyer’s new book, Heartless. Cora’s new book. Victoria Aveyard’s new book. Melissa Lander’s new book. There’s a TON of great books coming out this year, because I’m surrounded by a ton of amazing authors all the damn time haha. The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury. UGH. SO excited for that one. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. Flamecaster by Cinda Chima. Morgan Matson and Jessica Brody both have new books this year.

2016 Debut You’re Looking Forward to:

I’m SO insanely excited for Freedom Matthew’s debut, Inherited. She is the second debut author through OfTomes, the publishing company that published my book, and it sounds AMAZING, and the cover is INCREDIBLE. I can’t wait to dive into it.

Series Ending/Sequel You’re Most Anticipating in 2016:

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is a HUGE one for sure. That’s probably the number one I’m anticipating.

One Thing You’re Hoping to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2016?

Find a way to balance reading books and writing books. And blog more! I was lazy in 2015!

A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read and Recommend to Everyone:

Ruined by Amy Tintera, Flamecaster by Cinda Chima…those are the big ones!

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Happy New Year everyone!

December Book Wrap Up

January 7, 2016Leave a comment

Books Pledged to Read in 2015:

150

Total Books Read in 2015:

130

Total Books For December:

Sentinel (Re-Read)

Whatever Life Throws at You

Passenger (ARC)

Howl’s Moving Castle

City of Bones (Re-Read)

Ruined (ARC)

The Book of Ivy

The Revolution of Ivy

Auto-Focus (ARC)

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2015: What A Nerd Girl Says Recap of the Year!

December 31, 2015April 3, 2020Leave a comment

Can you believe that its already 2016?!

Well it isn’t yet. It will be in approximately six hours. Its probably New Years for you now! Happy New Year!

As usual, treatment I’m doing my yearly recap. I love doing this. I love sharing the things that happened throughout my year but I also love to reflect back on it too. Because sometimes you can feel down, you can think…god, life sucks or whatever. Especially around the holidays, when you’re single lol and you’re working a lot and all of that. Its not easy. But doing this…it always makes me smile. Because look at this! I had an AMAZING year again. I visited new places, went on a road trip with my best friends, met a ton of authors, met new friends and published my very first novel.

Seriously, its just awesome.

So sit back, relax and enjoy all the things that were awesome for What A Nerd Girl Says this year!

Continue reading →

Tuesday Top Ten – Favorite Books Read in 2015

December 29, 2015December 29, 2015Leave a comment

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had an absolutely FABULOUSLY nerdy 2015, see full of books and all kinds of awesome. I know I did. 2015 was a GREAT year to be me and I’m stoked to see what 2016 brings me.

For now, information pills let’s count down the top ten (technically 12) books that I read this year. Keep in mind…I read 126 books this year so this was HARD

Both of the Honorable Mention books are actually being published in 2016. I read both of them in 2015 as ARCs and absolutely loved them both, page so they make my list of best books I read this year :)

Click the book title for its GoodReads page, the author name for their website and the book cover for my review!

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima

I was so excited when I got this ARC both digitally and in the mail. I absolutely adore Cinda Chima and I honestly think she’s one of the best fantasy authors I’ve ever read. She’s just so damn good. She’s going to be visiting in April, about two hours away, but I’m going. Hands down. This is the first in a new series, a spin off of my favorite series by her, the Seven Realms. It was great to be back in that realm, though I miss Raisa and Han, and it was just…ugh, so damn good. I can’t wait to read more!

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Confession Time: I’ve never read an Alex Bracken book before. I’ve heard The Darkest Minds series is good but I just haven’t had a chance to read it yet. I got this book in the mail as an ARC and I loved the cover and concept and immediately dove in. I can’t even begin to explain how much I ADORE this book. I’m a huge fan of Alex’s now and I can’t wait to make The Darkest Minds a priority in 2016.

Unchanged by Jessica Brody

Its hard to believe that I read this book nearly a year ago! How insane is that! So weird. But god, what an amazing end to the trilogy. I had all these theories and expectations and this literally blew my mind. It is just…its not at all what I expected at all. She surprised me and shocked me and its really hard to genuinely surprise me and I was like like OMG. Jessica Brody got progressively better and better with this series and I just absolutely loved this series ender.

The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen

In all truthfulness, I read the entirety of this series this year, and I loved every single minute of it. I was hooked from book one and devoured the entire series and anxiously awaited the new releases. But by far, easily, my favorite is The Shameless Hour. I love both of the main characters and I love the story. I love Bella so much, I love that she’s not your typical virgin, which we see most of the time in NA series. I love that she owns who she is until things happen and she questions herself, but still ultimately comes out as confident in the person she is. I don’t know if that sentence made sense AT all but that’s how I felt. SUCH a good book.

All Played Out by Cora Carmack

Even though Carson is my favorite and will always have the special spot in my heart, I just loved loved loved All Played Out. Like I said about with Jessica, Cora just got better and better with these books as the series continued and I devoured APO in a matter of hours. Just blew me away. I adore Nell, her personality, her directness, everything and Torres is just…the kind of guy that would drive me absolutely insane in real life but causes me to swoon when I read. I am INSANELY excited about the release of the fourth book :)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I had been hearing about this book for ages and I had actually bought it when I met Victoria at YALLWest back in April. Everyone said it was SO good, but I just wasn’t feeling it for awhile. But when I finally sat down to read it…it just blew my mind. The world building is incredible, absolutely incredible…it flows so well and is so believable. And the twists and turns in this book…I was incredibly shocked at the ending of this book, jaw dropping, for sure. That cliffhanger…is it time for book two yet?!

Stand Off by Andrew Smith

I love Winger. Its one of my favorite books of all time and when I heard there was going to be a sequel, I nearly peed my pants with excitement. Because I was going to get my Ryan Dean back and the antics that follow him, always. And yes, that is what happened in Stand Off. I laughed so hard, because Ryan Dean is hilarious and Andrew is hilarious and the brand new character of Sam Abernathy is so freakin’ hilarious. But the book surprised me and became so much more, just like Winger. It had a lot to say about post traumatic stress disorder, and panic attacks and was written so beautifully. Always a win with an Andrew Smith book.

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

I had high anticipation for this book because I absolutely adore Aaron Hartzler. He’s a great writer and just an all around great person and I was so excited when I was able to get an ARC of this book. And my expectations were blown away. I loved his first book. I absolutely am obsessed with this one. Aaron Hartzler writes a compelling and incredibly emotional read and its beautiful and poignant and relevant and permanent. I read this months ago, and the story still is stuck with me, still sends chills through me. Its a must read for sure.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

The first book I ever read by Rainbow Rowell was her novel, Fangirl, which I’ve now read several times. One of my favorite books that I’ve ever read and one of the few characters that I’ve been able to identify with as much as I have with Cath…Cath is me. So when I heard Rainbow was putting out Carry On, a story of the fictional characters created in Fangirl…I had to. And its amazing how invested in these doubly fictional characters I was! I loved the story from beginning to end and I laughed so hard, so many times, and I will ship Simon and Baz until the end of time. One of the best Harry Potter fan fictions I’ve ever read in my life, and I’m so glad this became a real book.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

I honestly felt like this book was NEVER going to be released. It had been nearly TWO years since Cress and I was DYING to find out what happened next. I’ve been in a perpetual slump with reading the past few months but I knew I had to sit down and read this one and I’m so glad I made myself do it because I blew through it. Marissa Meyer has an EPIC end to the series, with so many throwbacks to the original fairytales but also keeping me hooked to the action and the surprise and the romance and all of it. I LOVED this book and this series, and I can’t get it out of my head.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I don’t think I’ve ever met an author as talented at writing this beautifully and creating these kind of worlds so intricately than Leigh Bardugo. Seriously. The kind of fantasy she creates, the characters, the worlds, the way they all weave together to create the story…it just completely hooks me. Its emotional and real and its gripping because you can feel everything in the story as if you stepped through the pages. Leigh takes the world she created in the Grisha trilogy and opens it up wider, further, and pulls us into a new story, and its not hard to fall into it. I loved each and every character, I loved the story and I feel like I’m never going to fail to be impressed by this lady.

Scorched by Jennifer L Armentrout

I didn’t expect for this book to be on this list. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. I love Jennifer Armentrout and I’ve learned this year to love love love her new adult books. I loved Frigid but I took it as what it was and was excited for Scorched. I was so unprepared for what that book would do to me. Scorched’s main character, Andrea, suffers through mental illness, mental illness that is very very similar to my own and it felt…so real, so raw, so emotional to read the point of view of someone who felt so much like I do. I cried a lot because I felt like JLA had given me a voice, when it felt too hard to describe how I felt…especially when she described a panic attack. I kept thinking, YES, that’s how it feels. So yes, I loved the story and the romance and all of that but I also loved Andrea, and her struggle and JLA’s ability to put my feelings into words.

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What were some of YOUR favorite reads of 2015? Don’t forget to sound off in the comments!

Music Monday: “Dangerous” by Before You Exit

December 28, 2015Leave a comment

“Dangerous” by Before You Exit

This is for my sister, find Dink. Because I can’t get this damn song out of my head lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjjSMHtY0jQ

Ooo woah

I fell in love with a criminal
She stole my heart and I didn’t know
She got me hooked after just a touch
Like ooo she’s so dangerous

She got me locked up
Tossin’ the key
Even if I tried to run she wouldn’t let me leave
This could be love
How could that be
I’m fallin for a perfect little heaven of a thief
Bringing me down, unhealthy but bringing me up
Not the type of girl that you would ever wanna trust
Like ooo she’s so dangerous

She’s got a first time kiss that’ll lock you in
She’s gonna break your heart but you can’t resist
I know that I just met her, I know I should know better
Oooo she’s so dangerous

I thought she was just so innocent
And from the start I was giving in
She’s such a wreck and I can’t forget
That ooo she’s so dangerous

She got me locked up
Tossin’ the key
Even if I tried to run she wouldn’t let me leave
This could be love
How could that be
I’m fallin for a perfect little heaven of a thief
Bringing me down, but bringing me up
Not the type of girl that you would ever wanna trust
Like ooo she’s so dangerous

She’s got a first time kiss that’ll lock you in
She’s gonna break your heart but you can’t resist
I know that I just met her, I know I should know better
Oooo she’s so dangerous

She’s gonna let you down but you’ll take her back
She’s just a one way trip to a heart attack
I know that I just met her, I know I should know better
Oooo she’s so dangerous

Was just a shot in the dark
Now, I don’t know where it will land
I let her tear me apart, yeah
I wish it never began

She’s got a first time kiss that’ll lock you in
She’s gonna break your heart but you can’t resist
I know that I just met her, I know I should know better
Oooo she’s so dangerous

She’s gonna let you down but you’ll take her back
She’s just a one way trip to a heart attack
I know that I just met her, I know I should know better
Oooo she’s so dangerous

Oooo she’s so dangerous
Oooo she’s so dangerous

Find Before You Exit

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Tumblr / iTunes

Book Review: Passenger (ARC) by Alexandra Bracken

December 22, 2015December 19, 20151 Comment

Genre:

Young Adult, page Fantasy

Pages:

464 pages

Part of a Series?:

First in a planned trilogy

Release Date:

January 5th, adiposity 2016

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

passage, diagnosis n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

My Review:

I am actually kind of sad that this is the first novel that I have ever read by Alexandra Bracken. I have owned The Darkest Minds for quite awhile and haven’t read it because honestly I just haven’t gotten to it. I was lucky enough to get this ARC of Passengers (which came in the coolest ARC box – see picture below) and I dove right in. I mean, look at that book cover. That book cover is absolutely gorgeous and that book grabs you as soon as you open the cover.

This book is absolutely incredible. I think its such a great blend of fantasy and history and mythology. I love that there is a time travel aspect and I love that it just flows seamlessly, that it just works. It gives that sort of fantasy to it but Alexandra writes it so well that it just is so easy to accept. I love time travel and I love this approach to it. Its beautiful. Its a beautiful example of world building and I give Alex massive props for creating it. I love it all.

I also love the history aspect of it. Seriously. A lot of research had to go into it. This book jumps from 2015 to the 1800s and the 1600s and World War 2 and all over the place and I love every single moment of it. I am a former history major and I love history. I love historical novels so the various time and places that Etta and Nicholas visit are just beautiful. I seriously hope there is more of that in the sequel, I imagine so, because that was easily my favorite part of the book. I love the time travel and the history and the myths and the way it sort of flowed together. It was part fantasy and part science fiction and 100% amazing.

I also really loved the dynamic of Etta and Nicholas. There is obviously a romance there but the difficulties between them are so real. Two different time eras, and the way they think and the way they were raised, the things they want in life. And then there’s this complication of them running through time, on an endless scavenger hunt for a hidden object. And Nicholas is, I believe, half-black, which makes him traveling through time, difficult, to say the least. There are so many aspects to this novel, obstacles and such and they’re blended so wonderfully. I loved it.

I loved every bit of this novel. I am seriously so impressed with this novel and I can’t wait to get the finished copy in my hands. I’m so lucky that I got to read it early because seriously it was so good.

The only problem with it though is now I have to wait MUCH longer for the sequel.

I’m so bad at waiting.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars