DNFs: Disconnected with contemporary

I've always been a huge fan with contemporaries and can find success relatively easy in this genre. But the big downfall for any book I may read and DNF is disconnection with the book and/or the characters. For review or not, reading is supposed to be enjoyable so sometimes you just have to cut the cord on a current book and move on.

Title: Let's Get Lost
Author: Adi Alsaid
Publication date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: an e-galley provided by the publisher for an honest review

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. 

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. 

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love. 

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

For months now, I've gone back and forth with this one, deciding on if I should try to go back to this. I finally looked at Goodreads and realized that my problems with this aren't going to go away.

If only Hudson could be cut out of this and most of my issues would be resolved. I didn't like him, didn't connect, and was annoyed by his narrative. He was very woe is me, but my main no-no was the fact that insta-love is involved. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do insta-love. I don't like love triangles, but insta-love is way worse. I knew something felt weird about the Hudson/Leila thing (I refuse to call it romance) besides the insta-love, but wasn't sure what. Then I read other reviews and realized it was MDPG (Manic Pixie Dream Girl), which sounds awful. 

I actually liked what I read of Bree's narrative, but boredom and frustration already settled in and I knew I couldn't continue if I had to keep reading about the wonderful Leila and read Hudson's narrative. I really looked forward to this one so it's disappointing that it ended so quickly and badly.

Title: Cut Me Free
Author: J. R. Johansson
Publication date: January 27, 2015
Publisher: Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux
Source: an e-galley provided by the publisher for an honest review

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte barely escaped from her abusive parents. Her little brother, Sam, wasn't as lucky. Now she's trying to begin the new life she always dreamed of for them, but never thought she'd have to experience alone. She's hired a techie-genius with a knack for forgery to remove the last ties to her old life. But while she can erase her former identity, she can’t rid herself of the memories. And her troubled history won’t let her ignore the little girl she sees one day in the park. The girl with the bruises and burn marks.

That’s when Charlotte begins to receive the messages. Threatening notes left in her apartment--without a trace of entry. And they’re addressed to Piper, her old name. As the messages grow in frequency, she doesn’t just need to uncover who is leaving them; she needs to stop whoever it is before anyone else she loves ends up dead. 

Like Let's Get Lost, the "romance" in this fell flat. It felt forced and uncomfortable throughout the narrative. The story was interesting at first and I cared for Charlotte. But suddenly, and not too far in, the connection stopped. I couldn't understand why Cam was pursuing Charlotte, who hired him to make her disappear. Being distant, closed-off, and a stranger is attractive and a signal to pursue? The story and the romance fell flat for me, with any intrigue falling away. Charlotte wasn't dislikable, per se, but if I had liked or connected with her more, I feel like I could've stuck with this. 

Instead, another DNF appeared. Life is short. We have to seize the day with our reading. 

Why do you usually DNF? 

Where You Are

I was going to title this as Where Are You? but then realized that sounds pretty stalkerish. Not that I'm above stalking, I do it pretty frequently. This will be relatively short, but I wanted to get this out here because when I'm curious, I get impatient quickly.

On the day-to-day basis of my life, when I read, I'm on the treadmill. It's the only time of day that I really feel is mine and I won't feel guilty because I'm combining exercise and reading. Win-win, right? Now that it's summer, I need to work on my stupid farmer's tan (I'm not really a farmer) so maybe some reading in the sun will be great. To be honest, I don't have many stipulations on what my surroundings must be like when I read. The only must is that I must be comfortable. It's a given, right? Well, if I'm on the treadmill, I actually don't want to sweat. So I feel myself getting sweaty there or even unbearably hot outside, I'm out. While it's not a must, I do enjoy listening to music while I read. The music depends on the book most of the time, and since I'm a mood reader, I'm a mood listener too.

But I was wondering, don't books become more treasured or enjoyable when you're in a better setting? For me, the best thing about being at a hotel after the free breakfast is to sit beside the pool, soaking in the sun, and read. That book becomes so much better than before. And of course, since I'm a mood reader on a usual basis, I tend to go for more sunny, summery books when I'm beside the pool. Contemporary, please.

Music, no music, sunshine, air conditioning, nearby water, inside fireplace...they're all changes in our surroundings that people like or dislike. While I do love reading at the beach, I also mourn when I have to work when it's raining because that means no pleasure reading. In Florida summers, we have thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are perfect for movie-watching or reading pleasure. Trust me. 

Of course, this is where my impatience comes in. If you've stuck around this far, thank you. I'm trying to process my pondering. Here's a little informal survey: are you particular about your setting? Do you have to be in a certain spot to really enjoy reading? Do you hate a specific setting? Weather? Music? For whatever odd reason, I get sick in the car when I read sometimes, while other times I'm perfectly fine for hours. Can you read in the car? Do you look forward to multitask your reading (tanning and reading, exercising and reading, etc.)? WHAT DO YOU LIKE? 

This vs That: Book Preferences

Ice cream or cake? Beaches or mountains? Carpet or hardwood? Morning or night? Ellen or Oprah? Tied, mountains, hardwood, night, and Ellen. We all have preferences and are asked many this or that questions. In a small way, they define us. So what about the common book preferences?

Paperback vs Hardcover

Some people prefer paperback because it's smaller, they don't have to deal with the annoying jackets, and they're cheaper. Hardcover comes out sooner though and I think a series in hardcover looks nicer on a bookshelf. 

My pick: Paperback. I don't have to take the jacket off and can still have my pretty cover when reading. 

Ebook vs Physical

Probably the most debated preference in the blogging world from what I've seen. Convenient, can tote around more books, less clutter...the list goes on with the bonuses to reading an ebook. With a physical copy, you get to feel the book in your hands, admire the cover, and have your book senses tingling. 

My pick: Physical. I tend to enjoy a book more when it's a physical copy.

Series vs Standalone

"Ugh, commitment," people say when asked about series. There seems to be more series than standalone books nowadays and many people groan at the thought of having to read three or so books to finish a character's journey. Or it's the problem of having to wait until the next book comes out. But then you finish a standalone and you crave more of the great characters you experienced and dangflabbit, you want more. 

My pick: Tied. 

Faces on covers vs Not

This could be better phrased as: do you want floating heads, weird poses, and odd facial expressions or symbols, buildings, and possibly another body part on your cover? 

My pick: Depends. To be on the safe side, a cool symbol (but I always like a WELL-DONE character visual).

Nice guy vs Bad guy

This usually relates to a love triangle in which a character has to pick between the nice, "safe" guy or the mysterious, "bad" guy. Usually the bad guy is misunderstood and wins, but sometimes the nice guy wins like in Phantom of the Opera. (If you were spoiled by this, it's not my fault. It's like being mad that someone told you Mr. Darcy and Lizzie Bennett get together.) Or you could just have a preference in what your love interest is like. Do you want your protagonist to meet a super nice guy or a possibly dangerous one? 

My pick: “I wouldn't want to marry anybody who was wicked, but I think I'd like it if he could be wicked and wouldn't.” Or just a nice guy. Less baggage, ya know? 

Music vs No music

After a comment I got on one of my past posts, I realized we may have different reading habits as well. Some people may need to read alone while others have to be in a certain spot. But what about music? Music can enhance the mood and connection to the book if you have the right playlist going, but others could be hindered by extra noise and words going on around them. 

My pick: Music. I felt pumped with music going on as I reread The Hunger Games.

Male vs Female

I wouldn't be surprised if most people said the latter when it came to not only the protagonists, but also the authors. I know that for some, it really doesn't matter to them and they don't pay attention. But others when I say that, I mean me might not read a book when they see that a guy is the main character. They might also hesitate when they see the author is a guy and not John Green.

My pick: Girl power! I connect better. 

There are probably a whole lot more that I didn't mention. Just like people have genre preferences, there are many book and reading preferences for people to have. Is it weird that I'm always wondering what people prefer in the categories above? It's cool for me to see who's the same and who's different from me.

So...what are your book preferences?

Finish line: #ReadingCram

Today marks the last day of my first read-a-thon! What an experience. I never fully got the point of a read-a-thon before except that it made you rush, but now I understand that it also provides a goal (I'm a goal-oriented person) and a community (I love communities) making it even more fun to read. Also, it's pretty nice to say how many books you read at the end of it all. In case you forgot what I aimed to read during the two week period, here is the link. 

What I ended up reading: 

• Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• Everbound by Brodi Ashton
• Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
• All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
• Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell 
• See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne - DNF
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - started today

Total pages: 2,804

Favorite book: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Runner-ups: Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

What next: 

There's no more #ReadingCram, but I still want to read as many books as possible before school starts back up. I plan on finishing Throne of Glass and then working on Edelweiss galleys (i.e. Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anna Blankman, Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor, basically all the Harper titles). Problem? I need to finish my library books (i.e. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis and I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan), and reread Girl of Fire and Thorns (since I don't remember any of it and need to get to Hector). Maybe I should start a poll someday. Until then, comment below what you think I should read next! 

What have you been reading? What should I read next?

And happy belated birthday to one of the best blogger friends out there, Emily!

Q&A with Ally Carter + a Signed Giveaway!

If any of you know me, you know that I love Ally Carter. Not to sound creepy (although I tend to come off that way), but I have said before that I would read the woman's grocery lists à la Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars just to read something she has written. I cannot exactly remember when I discovered her and started gobbling up her series, but I do know that it was a while ago. I have always had a fascination with spies (Who hasn't played the game of "spies" where you use walkie-talkies? People without true childhoods, that's who.) and boarding schools were right up there on the list of Things "Sunny" Thinks It Would Be AWESOME to Do/Be. 

**"Sunny" is in quotes because just like Shelver, I am anonymous and that is not my real name.

Anyways, this year, I got to meet my absolute, all-time favorite author. I cannot say exactly when because my sister Shelver wants to keep our location anonymous as well and you can easily figure out where Ally Carter was on a specific day. With all the bookishly great things happening and even a SIGNING, Ally talked to us and did a lengthy Q&A session that I thoroughly enjoyed. She is not only hilarious, but super nice. 

Thanks to recording it on my phone, below is what happened: 

Q: Will we ever find out what the "W" stands for [in W.W. Hale the Fifth]? 

A: W.W. Hale refuses to tell Kat his first name. She can steal anything, but can't find out her boyfriend's first name. So it kind of drives her crazy. The answer is yes, you will find out, but I'm not saying when.  *evil laughs* Eventually though.

Q: Will you write anymore books like Double Crossed?

A: I hear from readers that say I'm a Gallagher Girls fan, why do we have to sit through Heist Society and vice versa. I'm like, "Can't we all just get along?" I think my evil plan is working though because I hear from people who say they got interested the other series because of Double Crossed. (So she really doesn't answer this question, but yes, I think she might.) 

Q: How do you come up with the names for the characters?

A: All different kinds of ways. Cammie was for alliteration and I knew I wanted her to be known as the Chameleon. For the first 4 or 5 drafts, I called him [Preston] Prez Son because he's the presidential candidate's son and I couldn't think of a name for him. Then my friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes read it and she said "Yeah, I just kept calling him Preston." So I was like, "Okay, his name is Preston." So sometimes I totally, completely don't care and sometimes I spend hours researching geneology sites for names of people. It really just varies. (she did care about Nayhaw who appeared in short story for Barnes and Noble for Cross My Heart and appears in Gallagher Girls 6 and is modeled after Jennifer's college roomate) 

Q: Are you going to write another series?

A: Probably! 

Q: How do you come up with the cons in Heist Society?

A: It's usually whatever the book needs to have happen. I've read a lot of con books and movies. But most of them are made up, especially the ones you never find what it's about, like "How can we do the Princess Bride? We can never find a sixth fingered man that quickly!" I have no idea what the Princess Bride is, I just want a funny joke. 

It's a great movie.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to be an author?

A: First thing is write. And that's it. No, okay, but that honestly could be it. Don't get the cart before the horse.

Q: How do you come up with a title?

A: I honestly don't know the answer to that question! I wish I knew. I'd Tell You I Love You was a gift from heaven. I spent a lot of time looking up idioms on the internet [for Gallagher Girls]. For Heist Society, it was a little bit harder. I fought against it since it's a little bit hard to say and a bit of a tongue twister. But I kept coming back to it. The second title came from a line from the first book: "Kat herself was a highly uncommon criminal." My editor that I was working with at the time came up with Perfect Scoundrels so I was like "Score! I don't have to come up with one!" For Gallagher Girls 6, all of them have been worse than the one before it.

Q: How did you decide to be an author?

A: The idea first came to me when I was about twelve or thirteen years old and I was reading The Outsiders for the first time. I'm from Oklahoma and Outsiders is set in Tulsa. Tulsa was the "big city" that we went to. It kind of blew my mind that the Outsiders was written by a woman who lived in the city that I kind of knew. Then when I found out she had written it when she was sixteen years old and I was a teenager myself, I was like, "Oh my gosh, that is what girls do from Oklahoma. They write books!" The lightbulb went off and I knew it was the career I wanted to do. I realized that books were written by other people besides dead Europeans. but also, people like me wrote books. 

Q: Will there be any character spin-offs? 

A: Possibly! I learned many things from Double Crossed, but I realized that I really liked the synergy from the characters meeting each other. So who knows, maybe Macey becomes a permanent part of Kat's crew or Gabrielle does her own spin-off with someone totally new. The amazing thing is that I don't know what will happen next and that kind of excites me. Again, like I said in the beginning, what excites me as a writer, hopefully will excite you as a reader. I will not rule anything out. At this point, I don't have any plans to do a true-blue Gallagher Girls spinoff. 

She then goes on to say something about Gallagher Girls 6: I will say there is a fairly excellent scene [in GG6] with Mr. Solomon with his shirt off. There is also a scene with Zach with his shirt off frying bacon so two of my favorite things: shirtless Zach and bacon! So basically when you're writing the last book in a series, you want to put everything you possibly want to happen in a book, you feel like you gotta put it in THIS book. 

Q: Is there any kind of movie in the works in this time and are there certain actresses you would like to be in those movies?

A: Right now, there are no movies in the works for either series. Both series have been under option at various places before. But the thing with Hollywood is that it's crazy. You never ever know what's going to happen. Trust me, the one thing I want on this earth most is to have a movie made on one of these series. I love movies. I would love that very very much. Her picks for actresses: Probably Emma Stone (the first picture) or Anna Kendrick (the second picture). These actors come and go and age out of this stuff, but characters stay the same, Ally Carter also adds.

I like gifs better than pictures so...yeah.

Q: If you were to pick another genre to write in, what would that be? 

A: I think I would always write this. I have kind of toyed with a western of all things because I love westerns. I could totally write a western, don't get me wrong. Would that be career suicide? PROBABLY. But I have this theory that dystopians are basically westerns. Think about it. Katniss out on the praire, searching and killing dinner with a bow and an arrow. Tell me that's not a western, people. The government is corrupt and people basically have to govern themselves. WESTERN. So there are a lot more overlap than people realize. It's what people realize that counts. But I'm a contemporary writer, I don't think I could ever write paranormal or fantasy because other people do that better than I would do that and so I think you should go where your strengths are. And my strength is unrealistic realistic fiction. I am a genre of one. 

Q: Do you think either series would be better suited for a TV show? 

A: I think either of them would be good for a TV show.

Q: Do you have a happy dance you do when you finish a book? 

A: I do have a happy dance I do! I call it the dance of the finished book. If you go on to YouTube and you search "Emma Stone Dance Dare," she did an appearance on the Ellen show where they actually did a dance dare where she had to do a dance behind people without them knowing it. It is the funniest three minute dance footage ever and so whenever I finish a book, I turn that on and dance. Yet another reason why Emma Stone is my spirit animal. 

My input: I have previously seen this dance dare before Ally Carter talked about it and shouted YES! when she mentioned it. It is quite entertaining. I love Ellen...and Emma Stone.

Q: Do you have any input on covers and if so, will we see a shirtless Zach on the next cover? 

A: I do have a little bit of influence on the covers, not like approval or anything, but I can say things like, "You know, I don't know if that's the right color." (She mentions a dark red, so maybe that's a hint?) I have seen the cover for Gallagher Girls 6, but it does not have a title on it yet. It is a girl in a graduation gown so it very much looks like the end of a series. It's very fitting. 

Q: Do we get a little history on Abby and Townsend? 

A: *hesitates and thinks* NOT what you're thinking. Like we do not get to hear their misadventures, but I think if I ever did another Double Crossed, it would be The Abby and Townsend Chronicles because they just kind of crack me up, they are the weirdest, little couple ever. But we do find some things about Townsend before we met him in the Gallagher Academy. He is the one who has been chasing the Circle the longest, so he has some valuable information. 

What I thought of as the "duh" question: (since it is ALWAYS on her website)

Q: Would you ever want an undiscovered actress have the lead or major role? 

A: That would be awesome! Unfortunately, I would have no role in the casting process whatsoever. But if they were to come to me and say "We found this awesome unknown girl who's going to be Cammie!" That would be great for me. 

Q: Do you read any other YA book series? 

A: Absolutely! I almost read exclusively YA. The last YA I just finished was David Levithan's Every Day. My friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes has a new YA series coming out next fall which I think is going to be a really great read-a-like for people who are finishing up Gallagher Girls, it's called the Naturals. It is kind of like the TV show Criminal Minds. It is a teen Criminal Minds. It's teens criminal profilers living in a house together. Because Jennifer is my best friend, I got to read the first book a few weeks ago and it was awesome. So I begged her for the second book so hopefully that will be coming my way very, very soon. I love YA. 

Q: If you were an animal, what would you be? 

A: My gosh, I don't know. Probably a sloth. All I want to do is lie on the grass and have people bring me brownies. 

Another Ellen video relating to the topic: 

It officially starts at 1:58, but the whole thing is hilarious.

Keep watching until after the clip! 

Q: Where is your favorite place that you have ever been to visit? 

A: I have not traveled as much I would like to. Now granted, as an author, you do travel but sadly, you don't get to see many places. I have been to San Francisco a half a dozen times, but I have never been to Fishermen's Warf. You are there and you go to the airport to the hotel to the bookstore...to the airport. I did reserve extra time for when I went to Italy because I knew I would want to sightsee. So probably Italy!

Q: Did you use that time to write the information from Heist Society? 

A: Yes. I didn't know exactly how I would use it, but I took enough notes to know that I would eventually use it. Whenever I am in a cool place like that, I always take notes just in case. For example, there is a big scene in Gallagher Girls 6 that takes place just outside of the United Nations in New York. So that last time I was in New York, I went to the UN and took a lot of the pictures and walked around the area. 

My input: She mentions how the thing she needed to have happened, happens outside anyways which are where protests happen, in the park area. So will there be a big scene with protests in GG6? Eeep!

Q: How long does it take to write a new book? 

A: I would work on a book as long as I humanly, possibly could if my editor didn't rip it out of my hands. That usually happens every nine months, for me. For some people, it takes three years while it takes others three weeks. But as of late, it takes about nine months for me. 

Q: How many Heist Society books are you planning to write? 

A: I don't know! 

Q: What is your writing process like? 

A: Really, really crappy first draft, heavy lifting in the second draft, and with the third and fourth drafts, just getting narrower and narrower and focusing on smaller things every time. 

Q: Will we ever figure out who Sicily Romani is? 

A: Yes! 

She also says one more thing about Gallagher Girls 6: " People say, "Promise me there will be a happy ending." I cannot promise there will be a happy ending. My job is to deliver a satisfying ending. Does that not make anyone else get really nervous? She then went on and joked about Zach's funeral, which nearly everyone started freaking out about before she started laughing. 

~*~

Now to celebrate this monumentous event in my life, I was able to not only get my own books signed, but I also had a friend's mother get Ally Carter to sign two other books for me to GIVE AWAY. Yay! Giveaway time! 

The rules: 
-Must not cheat. (go look back up at the DUH gif) 
-Must be in USA (sorry, guys, but the shipping costs!)
-Must be...awesome? Already completed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But really, this bookish event? Too great to even put into words! I went with Shelver and my best friend and I really didn't care if my feet hurt at the end of it all. We also got a free book from the table so I snatched up Asunder. The day was a BIG win.

I can finally scratch "Go to an author signing" off my bucket list and Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013. 

Also, my sister Shelver posted her recap and own giveaway of it yesterday if you want to check it out. Along with some slightly embarrassing quotes of me :)

Book Blogger Confessions #1

Hosted by For What It's Worth and Midnyte Reader

While stumbling across blogs, I came across this meme where book bloggers, like myself, can make confessions. Every other Monday, the hosts post a topic and that's when we come in and share more about it on a personal level

This week's question: How has blogging and reviewing changed your reading habits? Do you read a genre now that you wouldn't have tried prior? Or have you been turned off by a genre you used to love?

My answer:

In my pre-blogging days, I would reread the same authors and books, not knowing exactly how to expand and feeling quite comfortable in my little book space. I did feel a little disappointed when I finished a series and realized that I was left without a book to read.

Now being a blogger, I have such a big stack of books to read that it feels impossible to finish them all. NetGalley, library, recommendations from others...so many! On the bad side of this, I realized that I haven't found any time to reread my favorites. I feel as if they're my pets and I haven't shown any affection to them while I'm watching over someone else's animals for a while. It makes me a bit sad.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that my sister Shelver is actually having a reread month in May where we get to reread without any pressures. Stay tuned for more details later.

As for genres, I think it goes with my explanation for rereading. While I still have subgenre preferences, I've expanded my tastes more. Instead of having all contemporary on my shelf with The Hunger Games, I now have The Farm, ARCs of The Hunt and The Different Girl and will be having Cinder with my Sarah Dessen, Ally Carter, and Jen Calonita books on there as well. The second genre question made me think a little harder. While I read YA, I read Adult even more so in my pre-blogging days. Now with NetGalley and the blog (which is dedicated to only YA), I haven't been able to read Adult as much and once again, reread my favorites. But I'm not turned off by the Adult genre, time just seems to be an issue. Besides that, I don't think I'm particularly turned off by a genre as I am careful. My tastes have broadened, but when I read, I seem to put it under a microscope.

Which leads in to my next point about how I process books antithetically now. Before, I would read a novel. That's it. Read it and put it up. If someone asked me about it, I would give a noncommittal response unless it was a book that I fell in love with to the point of being lumped in fandom. If someone asked me what I liked or disliked about it, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint it. "I just like it, okay?" Or the other way around of disliking it. I didn't know how to figure out what made me exactly like or dislike it. Sure, sometimes I would be able to say something intelligent about the characters or the plot or dialogue. I would read something that the characters repeatedly did and think, "That's stupid, I don't like that." But the idea of writing a review for a book was more than daunting.

Now? It's not as if I sit down and ten minutes later, I'm up. I still have to think about what exactly I didn't or did like about a book. But this time, I actually think about it while I'm reading it. Sometimes I even take a picture of it. I still keep reminding myself to actually write things down as I read like so many great bloggers do, but I haven't reached to that point of organization yet. I process my novel so differently now though that I think of every book as a "review book" before I even turn the first page.

So the answer to the confession question: a big, fat YES.

It amazes me how one thing can change another thing. I become a blogger and my tastes have broadened, my reading habits change, and my love of books has intensified.

To all you bloggers and even blog-lurkers, has YOUR reading habits changed? Are they like mine?

Comment below!