Monday, December 31, 2012

Wrap Up of 2012 Reading Challenges

Just a quick post to save my 2012 Reading Challenge info to make room for my 2013 Reading Challenge info on the tab.

I didn't complete everything, which is a little annoying, but I'm over it. I was able to complete the EBook challenge at least. I wish I could have finished my Classics Challenge, but of course, I bit off more than I could chew. And the TBR one would have gone better had I not bought so many books this year. Jessica Fail. Lol. At least I can be amused by it and not mad at myself. :P

So, here it is, all I've done in 2012. Another year of reading down. Bring it on 2013!

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Level: CD - Read 10 EBooks ~ COMPLETE

Finished...

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Confessions Of A Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim
3. Pinelight by Jillian Peery
4. Survival by A.M. Hargrove
5. Hana by Lauren Oliver
6. Resurrection by A.M. Hargrove
7. Under The Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
8. Safe Landing by Tess Oliver
9. Brightest Kind Of Darkness by P.T. Michelle
10.
Untraceable by S.R. Johannes
12. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
13. Among The Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund
14.
 15.

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Level: Read 21-30 Books - A Sweet Kiss

Finished...

1. The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
2. Reasons To Be Happy by Katrina Kittle
3. Beautiful by Amy Reed
4. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
6. It's Always Something by Gilda Radner
7. Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
8. The Probability Of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
9. Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
10. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
11. Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games Volume One by Ellen Schreiber
12. Jane on Her Own by Ursula K. Le Guin
13. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
14. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
15. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
16. City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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Level 3: 8 books

Finished...

1. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
2. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
3. Under The Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
5. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
6. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

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Goal: 52 Books

1. Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology by Larissa Hinton
2. The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
3. Get Fuzzy 2: Fuzzy Logic by Darby Conley
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5. Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer
6. Reasons To Be Happy by Katrina Kittle
7. Beautiful by Amy Reed
8. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
9. Divergent by Veronica Roth
10. Confessions Of A Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim
11. PineLight by Jillian Peery
12. It's Always Something by Gilda Radner
13. Survival by A.M. Hargrove
14. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
15. Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
16. Hana by Lauren Oliver
17. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
18. The Probability Of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
19. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
20. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
21. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
22. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
23. Resurrection by A.M. Hargrove
24. Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
25. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
26. Life's Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown Jr.
27. What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor
28. Glitch (Glitch #1) by Heather Anastasiu
29. Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games Volume One by Ellen Schreiber
30. Heat Wave (Nikki Heat #1) by Richard Castle
31. Under The Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
32. Determinant by A.M. Hargrove
33. Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupula
34. The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee
35. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
36. For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund
37. Safe Landing by Tess Oliver
38. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
39. Jane on Her Own by Ursula K. Le Guin
40. Brightest Kind Of Darkness by P.T. Michelle
41. The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer
42. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
43. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
44. Defy The Stars by Stephanie Parent
45. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
46.
47. Overnight Sensation by Hal Eisenberg
48.
49. Spells (Wings #2) by Aprilynne Pike
50.
51.
52.
53. The Game Changer by Marie Landry
54. Uses For Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
55. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
56. dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman
57. The Evolution Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
58. The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin
59.
60. Dark Waltz by A.M. Hargrove
61. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
62. City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare
63. All The Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen
64. Among The Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund
65. This Beautiful Thing by Amanda Heath
66. Impossible by Komal Lewis
67. Complete Poems, 1904-1962 by E.E. Cummings

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How did your year go when it comes to reading? Did you finish all your reading challenges? Did you enjoy most of the books you read? I'd love to know!

Jessica

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Sunday Replay #19 + Um... so...


Sunday Replay is a weekly recap of the postings on this blog. I will also be sharing other articles and newsworthy items I've found interesting. I may even showcase some pictures I've uploaded.

Stuff from the blog this week:

    ~Um... so...~

    2012 is coming to a close soon, and 2013 is almost here. (Okay, captain obvious, what's that have to do with anything?) Alright, alright... there are some changes in store my lovelies. You heard about the bloggish ones, and those who follow my writing blog have heard some of the writing-ish ones. But there is more in store for The Jessica who blogs here at Thoughts. (And apparently speaks in the third person.) You will be learning of these things on January 1st. I'm currently working on this little project and am quite excited to get it going.

    Oh yeah, and I'm still organizing stuff in my room to donate and sell. I have a few bookish things that I have picked out for..... dun dun dun!..... a few giveaways in January for you! I've got at least 2 in mind at the moment. Something else to look forward to. ^_^

    Much love to all!

    Jessica

    Saturday, December 29, 2012

    Review: Dark Waltz by A.M. Hargrove

    Title: Dark Waltz
    Author: A.M. Hargrove
    Published: November 9th 2012
    Source: Copy given by author for honest review
    Genre: Adult Dystopian
    Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
    Add to your Goodreads shelf
    Caution: May contain spoilers
    Dark Waltz--A sizzling legend of loss, lust and love.

    It’s the year 2030 and the human population has been annihilated by a virulent form of small pox. Liasare Davidson is desperately searching for her brother, who has been missing for three months. It’s been eighteen years since she was evacuated from Earth and she is horrified to see it’s become a cesspool of unimaginable things.

    In her quest to find her brother, she meets Jurek, a powerful and enigmatic being that frightens her, yet she is unable to resist. When things begin to unfold between them, they both discover a paralyzing truth that puts Liasare at grave risk. She must make a choice to join Jurek and find her brother or fulfill a role she believes she is ill equipped to undertake.

    My Thoughts:

    When A.M. Hargrove approached me with the opportunity to read a book that was about Jurek from Determinant, how could I say no? I loved Jurek. He was freaking awesome and so sexy. Not only that, but this book takes place years in the future from that point in Determinant in a now dystopian society. Jurek + dystopia = heck yes.

    I thought Liasare was the best. Liasare is actually January’s sister, Sarah, from Determinant. She’s heading off to find her brother Tommy, who has been missing on what is now a dystopian Earth, invaded by the Xanthians. She runs into Jurek, who helps her find him. It turns out to be more complicated to get Tommy back than they thought.

    The relationship between Liasare and Jurek was the best one yet. It was full of passion and true love, it was hard to not skip ahead to see what was going to happen next between the two of them. Of course, if I did that, I would have missed the nuances of their connection. Then again, those sexy scenes were worth the wait.

    Dark Waltz was a great read. I enjoyed seeing all the wonderfulness of A.M. Hargrove’s world surrounding the Guardians of Vesturon again, and being taken into Jurek’s world of Praestanus. The love story was engaging--I cannot get over how much I loved Liasare with Jurek. It was great to see Jurek fall for somebody. This is definitely a great series to get into and I would highly recommend it.

    My Rating:

    Thursday, December 27, 2012

    Update Thursday #91


    Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading and writing. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

    Reading...

    Books I Finished:


    This Beautiful Thing by Amanda Heath (-Goodreads-)
    Impossible by Komal Lewis (-Goodreads-)


     964 of 964 E.E. Cummings poems finished (6 this week).

    Books I'm reading:


    The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (-Goodreads-)
    Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (-Goodreads-)
    Desire by Kailin Gow (-Goodreads-)
    Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (-Goodreads-)

    Writing...

    ~ If Only We ~ 47,301 ~
    ~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~
    ~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~
    ~ Under Enchanted Skies ~ 1,550/plotting ~
    ~ Beyond The Horizon ~ plotting ~
    ~ So I Thought ~ plotting ~
    ~ Hold Your Breath ~ plotting ~

    The latest =  That's right. 3404 words this last week. It seems impressive, doesn't it? Well, it isn't really. Lol. Most of it was copy/pasting from the original scenes I wrote with slight tweaking to match up with what I have been writing. BUT IT SURE FEELS GOOD. I will possibly hit 50,000 by the end of 2012 (*crosses fingers*). I was hoping to have the revisions/rewrites done by then, but I am going to be content with what I have and keep pressing on! It's so nice to get to this part of my story though. This part is the most important part and what I've been working toward all year. I can't wait to finish and share it with you!

    Until next time!

    Jessica

    Wednesday, December 26, 2012

    Best Of 2012 Giveaway Hop! Enter to win bookish things...


    Welcome to the Best Of 2012 Giveaway Hop! Brought to you by the wonderful I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. The dates for this hop run from December 27th through December 31st. (It is technically a day early, but the giveaway host prefers this for linking purposes.)


    I am pleased to present to you the opportunity to win ONE of my favorite books of 2012 (of course, this is just a short list and doesn't include books only available as e-books). You get to pick from TWELVE different awesome books. *


    1. Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill
    2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
    3. For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund
    4. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
    5. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
    6. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
    7. Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala
    9. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
    10. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
    11. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
    12. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

    * Cover you receive may vary based on what is available from The Book Depository


    Sound good? Good! Here's the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

    1. You must be a follower.
    2. You must be over 15 years old.
    3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository will ship to you; please check this link to see if you are eligible.)
    4. This contest runs from December 27th through December 31th.
    5. You can gain extra entries by "liking" my Facebook page, following me on Twitter @Jess_Sankiewicz, &/or following my writing blog.
    6. Winner will be selected at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st via Rafflecopter random selection.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Thank you for following and entering!!! <3

     Jessica

    Monday, December 24, 2012

    2012 End of Year Book Survey


    The End of Year Book Survey is brought to us by The Perpetual Page Turner. I figured I'd better do something like this because I can't think of how to break one of these down on my own. Too much on my mind lately... but anyways, here's my year! <3

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    1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)


    Adult fiction:   Heat Wave by Richard Castle


    YA Contemporary:   Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill


    Dystopian/Sci-fi:   For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund


    Paranormal/Fantasy:   Brightest Kind Of Darkness by P.T. Michelle


    Nonfiction:   Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

    2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?


    Uses For Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt. My review isn't on the blog until the release, but you can read it on Goodreads to see why. I did love the cover though...

    3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012? 


    Brightest Kind Of Darkness by P.T. Michelle and Untraceable by S.R. Johannes. Not that I didn't expect a good story, I just had no idea how amazingly well written and pieced together the story would be.

    4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?


    I think it's a toss-up between the following: For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund, The Game Changer by Marie Landry, and The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. I'm pretty sure I went off on them all on numerous occasions.

    5. Best series you discovered in 2012?


    Divergent by Veronica Roth.

    6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

    A.C. Gaughen, Lauren Morrill, Veronica Roth, Jenny Lawson, Diana Peterfreund, and Miranda Kenneally.

    7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?


    The only one I can see that was remotely out of my comfort zone was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I also got into the New Adult genre starting with Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire.

    8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?


    The MOST?! You're making me choose?! It's a HUGE toss-up between the following: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, The Game Changer by Marie Landry, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill, and For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund. I had a hard time putting all of them down when I was reading. It's hard to determine which one had me sucked in the most.

    9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:


    Well... I probably won't be doing any rereads next year... but as far as the one I'll most likely reread in the next few years, that would probably be For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund.

    10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

    For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund. HANDS. DOWN.

    EPIC gorgeousness.

    11. Most memorable character in 2012?


    Quite possibly Scarlet from A.C. Gaughen's Scarlet. There was just something special about her that topped most characters in books.

    12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?


    For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund.

    13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012? 


    What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Both got me to thinking about life and the fragility of it.

    14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read? 


    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Seriously. What made me wait until the year the movie comes out?

    15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
    “I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
    Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
    "I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
    "I am your loyal servant and I just did."
    "Refusal means death."
    "Kill me then.”

    ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride (-add this quote on Goodreads-)
    “I picked up the phone to call the police, but then I considered how it would sound when I told them that I was calling from inside my bathroom, where I’d OD’ed on laxatives, and that a possible rapist was quietly passing me notes under the bathroom door.”

    ― Jenny Lawson, Let's Pretend This Never Happened (-add this quote on Goodreads-)
    “Be careful, though."
    "Aren't I always?"
    "No, I think the word for how you usually are is 'reckless.”

    ― Veronica Roth, Insurgent (-add this quote on Goodreads-)
    “The more I protested about this ambiguity, the more Joanna pointed out to me that it was both a terrible and wonderful part of life: terrible because you can't count on anything for sure--like certain good health and no possibility of cancer; wonderful because no human being knows when another is going to die--no doctor can absolutely predict the outcome of a disease. The only thing that is certain is change. Joanna calls all of this 'delicious ambiguity.' 'Couldn't there be comfort and freedom in no one knowing the outcome of anything and all things being possible?' she asked. Was I convinced? Not completely. I still wanted to believe in magic thinking. But I was intrigued.”

    ― Gilda Radner, It's Always Something (-add this quote on Goodreads-)

    16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?


    Shortest:   The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer


    Longest:   Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

    17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!


    The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Seriously. All the above had a million moments strewn in throughout that had me going WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS SO INSANE. I won't spoil anything. You just need to read the above if you haven't already.

    18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).


    Noah and Mara from The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin in the category of romantic.


    Melody and Olivia from The Game Changer by Marie Landry in the category of friendship.

    19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously


    Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.

    20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:


    Divergent by Veronica Roth.

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    Looking Ahead…

    1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?


    Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Triangles by Ellen Hopkins. There are more, plenty more, but these are the top ones.

    2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

    I'm cheating and putting down more than one because I cannot narrow it down to just ONE...


    Requiem by Lauren Oliver, Hysteria by Megan Miranda, Just One Day by Gayle Forman, The Retribution Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Smoke by Ellen Hopkins, and the last book in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth.

    3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

    I would like to have my blog on a regular schedule and stick to it. Reading-wise I don't really have much in mind to accomplish. All the above is going to be changing for the sake of my writing.

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    That's all for me! What were some of your favorites of the year? You don't have to tell me everything, just pick one of the above questions and let me know. I would love to hear about it!





    Jessica