amarisafloria

I know the time for talking about 2015 favorites has long been over, but I still wanted to share these books with you. These are the ones that have touched my heart, made me cry, placed me in panic mode, and/or caused me to be giddy. Basically all the emotions. I hope you've loved some of these too (and if you haven't read one or two, I hope this gives you a reason to!)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Sean Kendrick, returning champion, and Puck Connelly, first girl racer, compete on dangerous water horses in the Scorpio Races for more than just the prize money.

It took a while for me to really be invested in this story (I almost gave up on it!) but man, this is one for the books. Right from the start, I knew Stiefvater's form of storytelling was going to be PHENOMENAL. The Scorpio Races is really a simple tale, but the way the world is written and the details of all the characters transforms it all.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Kestrel, the general's daughter, buys a slave on instinct and ends up falling in love with him.

This is another book with a slow start, but it is very well worth it. Our main character, Kestrel, is smart + tactical + headstrong = everything I love in a heroine. Her slave, Arin, is the same in some ways, so it makes for a very interesting story. But it's not something you'll want to read if you're looking for action. It has more to do with plans and schemes, I think. No one is who they say they are.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Kady and Ezra's planet has been attacked, so they're forced to climb aboard an evacuating fleet. And if they thought they were lucky enough to survive—they're an enemy warship's target.

The hype is real with this one, y'all. Illuminae was on everyone's radar last fall, and for good reason. This is the book I am recommending to everyone who says "I HATE READING" because the mix of formatting + intense plot will appeal to anyone. It's really a quick read, and the story gives your heart no time to rest.

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Two years after Paige's boyfriend dies in an accident, Paige writes a to-do list to start over.

An excellent book about friendship, family, dealing with loss, and falling in love. Although I love nerdy/quirky Max Watson, I appreciate the fact that The Start of Me and You wasn't about Paige's life being renewed by another romantic relationship. Everyone in her life played a part in her healing process. This ended up on my favorites list because it's something I know I'll want to re-read over and over again!

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
The last book in a dystopian/romance trilogy following a girl named Juliette, whose touch causes death.

I will admit I flew through this only because I was desperate to find out what happens to Juliette and Warner. BE STILL, MY HEART. The best things about this trilogy are the characters (each one is well-developed and has a distinct voice) and Mafi's poetic writing style. The plot helps in moving the story along, but is more of a backdrop to everything else that's happening.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Ravka has been split by the Shadow Fold, a sea of darkness and monsters, where Alina discovers she can yield something powerful.

Foreign concepts in fantasy have always intimidated me, but this one was the perfect read to ease into the genre. While the world Bardugo created is unique and very descriptive, it's not complicated to follow. What made it captivating for me was all the details, like the chilling description of the Shadow Fold. (Note: I still don't know why everyone loves the Darkling.)

Out of all the books you read in 2015, which ones were your favorites? Did you love any of the ones I mentioned? And since it's already February—have you read anything this year (2016) that you'd put on your favorites list?

Books that bring all the swoons can never do me wrong. For this week's Top Ten Tuesday, I decided to stalk all my friends on Goodreads and find their favorite cutesy, romantic, smushy, and/or lovey-dovey reads I haven't picked up yet. If there are other books you'd like to add to this list, please let me know! I want to joyfully flail and be giddy with you all :p


The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Everyone who has read this says it's exactly like Prince William and Kate Middleton's story, and I'm all for it. SIGN ME UP.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
I'm not sure what to say about this one because I know that it's sad and I might cry buckets. But it might be really sweet and romantic? The deathly combination ...

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
"Oliver is British" *stops reading summary and adds to list*

Play On by Michelle Smith
After reading First & Then by Emma Mills, I have been a sucker for stories that pair sports and romance together. I hope this book is a grand slam! (Yes, I did just say that. Okay I'm done.)

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
It sounds a bit crazy that someone would ditch her plans to travel with a guy she literally just met, but crazy is fun ... and I like fun.


Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Regan, from Peruse Project: "I AM GUSHING FROM THE CUTENESS" (Goodreads)

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
I feel like the time for talking about this book has long passed, but I'm still fairly interested in reading it! One of the things I can appreciate already is the emphasis on family.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
I HAVEN'T READ A SINGLE MORGAN MATSON BOOK YET BUT THAT WILL BE REMEDIED THIS YEAR, I PROMISE. PLEASE DON'T YELL AT ME.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
I read a chapter or two right before summer began (last year) and thought the main character was a bit too childish. To all my friends in their twenties: is this worth a read? I really want to like it.

Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan
Amy is one of the sweetest human beings ever, I can't believe I haven't read this one yet. I can totally picture this as a Disney Channel Original Movie!

What is the swooniest book you've read? (And if you want a challenge — what is the swooniest *non-contemporary* book you've read? I know all of my picks are set in the real world, so what's something different?)

To be completely honest, this book left me scratching my head. I literally finished the last sentence and said, "WHAT. THE. HECK." It took me a while to get into it, due to the slow beginning and unremarkable writing, and then the ending takes the story into a whole, different territory ...

Luna, the forgotten princess of Relhok, has been hiding in an isolated tower with her two guardians after her parents are killed and the world becomes covered in darkness. After an encounter with a mysterious boy named Fowler, trouble arrives. Now, Luna must leave the tower and fight to stay alive.

Despite her circumstances, Luna is brave and headstrong—but perhaps too much for her own good? She has been sheltered her whole life and while she knows how dangerous it is outside, she still makes a lot of foolish decisions. In contrast, Fowler is very guarded and contemplative. Past experiences hold him back, and he refuses to let his emotions guide him. I like the idea of two very different people connecting with each other, but I'm not convinced of their "chemistry." Fowler spends half the book ignoring her, and then he wants to kiss her? How does that make any sense?!

Another issue I had with Reign of Shadows was the quick dismissal of some secondary characters. Many of them crossed paths with both Luna and Fowler, but there was no significance (as we know of so far) in their interactions. All may be revealed in book two, but I don't think it helps to keep so much a mystery. This is why I felt so confused at the end—something crazy happens but I didn't know the characters enough to care.

I will admit that it got interesting in the last half (and strangely enough, it left me curious and wanting more!) but there are plenty of other books I'd recommend over this one.

* Thank you to my dear friend Alia at HarperCollins for sending me this book! I am so very thankful :)

January was a rough month for a number of reasons, but I can happily say that I'm okay now and can look forward to all the things that are happening in February. For the past couple of months, I've felt like I am just waiting for a new job so my life can continue on. Luckily, I made it to the second interview for a position at a company I'm really interested in! I was told that I'd hear back by early next week at the latest, so I'm crossing my fingers for this opportunity :)

There were a couple of days that weren't terrible though, so I am really thankful I can one day look back at this month and think of only the good things.

• Spending New Year's Eve at Disneyland — it's really not something I would recommend (there were SO many people) but it was fun to count down and celebrate right after riding Hyperspace Mountain.
• Attending NightLife — California's Academy of Sciences holds an event every Thursday night for those over 21, so I decided to join a couple of my friends going on the 7th. We got to watch a show at the Planetarium, observe jellyfish, and experience San Francisco's two biggest earthquakes in a simulator.
• Making minestrone — I know this one is kind of silly, but minestrone's my favorite soup and I couldn't not add it. My boyfriend came over to cook for my family again and we followed a Food Network recipe! It smelled so good and was delicious too.
• LA Dance Magic (LADM) — My boyfriend's sister is a dancer, so we decided to support her and watch her compete! I am probably the world's most terrible dancer, so I'm always excited to attend these things. And by that, I mean watching people do things I 100% cannot do :p

Seriously ... I'm Kidding is the first audiobook I have ever listened to, and I found it to be just okay. I'm generally a fan of Ellen DeGeneres and her show (though not a huge one) but it wasn't what I was expecting. First & Then and Reign of Shadows reviews are coming very soon (sorry for not posting any in January!) so you can look forward to that. But spoiler alert: I LOVED FIRST & THEN SO MUCH.

Poison Princess was another I listened to on audiobook, and it was pretty bad. I was cringing the whole way through. Thankfully, I smartened up after reading PP and chose a book I knew I would love — and that, I did. I flew through The Winner's Crime. It was beautifully written but a painful read. Do not read when you are emotional.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max
I wasn't sure how I felt about this series after reading the first volume, but Friendship to the Max was fairly enjoyable. Whereas the first one left me in a bit of confusion, this one tied up a lot of loose ends. I would highly recommend reading the first and second volumes back-to-back, since it feels like the same story arc. There wasn't anything I disliked, but there wasn't much I liked either. The best thing going for this series is the emphasis on friendship, which is displayed very well in all the characters.

Alex + Ada, Vol. 2
A guy's grandma buys him a girl robot to use and fall in love with — how strange is that? But what makes it interesting is that Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn explore the idea of robots being more than just robots. What would happen if they could think for themselves? The art is nice but not spectacular, and I felt there were parts when I was just waiting for things to happen. I will, however, finish the series (I think the third volume is the last, anyway.) It'll be interesting because there's still a lot more to the story.

• First book purchased this year = Truthwitch. I wanted to go and get it signed at the PassTruth tour event in my city, but I had previous obligations and wasn't able to attend. Still, I'm happy knowing that most readers love it so I'll get around to it one day!
• I won a Twitter giveaway (hosted by Sarah from What Sarah Read) and won these cute little CRAFTEDVAN BOOKMARKS!!!
• Sense & Sensibility ended up at my door because 1) it plays a part in First & Then by Emma Mills, and 2) it's a read-along book in March for Reads with Friends :)

I meant to start the year off strong, but I didn't post anything aside from my bookish + blogging goals for the year. Yikes. But coming soon: Love-a-Thon (!!!), at least two reviews, and videos!

• New Girl — If you need a great show to watch, please start New Girl. You will thank me later. I've loved it since it first aired, but I stopped after season three for no reason. Netflix has now released the entire fourth season, so you know ... I binge-watched that. Of course. I love all the quirky characters, and it is a show I can (and will) watch over and over again.
• All I Ask by Adele — I love a good song accompanied by the piano. Part of the reason I keep listening to this one is because it's fun to sing, but also THAT KEY CHANGE. And just how perfectly it builds.
• Star Wars — Yes, yes. I've finally taken the time to watch the Star Wars movies. I still have yet to watch Episode III, but they've all been great. Baby Anakin is so cute (no, Google autocorrect, I meant so with three o's. It's supposed to be "SOOO" instead of so, okay?) and Jar Jar Binks is WEIRD!!!
• And now that we're talking about Star Wars, I have a lot of feelings about this Star Wars in 99 Seconds video. Jon Cozart is already my obsession all year round, so him + this song = everything.

Books I'm looking forward to this month:

• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys — a story that takes place during World War II
• Starflight by Melissa Landers — a space opera? I'm not sure about the opera part but I'm all about space right now so it doesn't matter to me, I'll read it anyway
• The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine — a Snow White retelling
• The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury — an Aladdin retelling (that Sarah from What Sarah Read already read and LOVED!)
• Amulet, Book 7: Firelight by Kazu Kibuishi — another addition to an amazing fantasy graphic novel series

Okay guys, I'm done talking in type so it's your turn — what was your favorite book this past month? Did you buy any new releases? HOW MANY OF YOU WATCH NEW GIRL?! What are you planning to read in February?