June Highlights

Oh my...it is hard for me to believe that June is already ending. Time just keeps moving by so quickly. I am happy with the amount of books I read this month. I knew that the amount of books would be dwindling some due to Cutie Pie being out of school. And summer vacation.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Length: 550 pages

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Classification: Young Adult, Retelling, Science Fiction

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: e-book 

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
 Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
 When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***  

Hondo & Fabian by Peter McCarty

Title: Hondo & Fabian

Author: Peter McCarty

Length: 40 pages

Publisher: Square Fish

Classification: Children's Book, Caldecott Honor, Animals

Release Date: June 2007

Source: Paperback 

Hondo the dog has a fun day at the beach while Fabian the cat stays home. " Wake up, Hondo. Time to go!"Hondo will have an adventure.Fabian will stay home. A dog named Hondo and his friend Fred are going to the beach for a day of excitement. Fabian the cat is left behind at home to play with the baby. Who will cause more trouble? And who will have more fun?Peter McCarty's exquisite illustrations and understated wit turn an ordinary day in the lives of two pets into a rare delight. 

GoodReads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Title: Second Chance Summer

Author: Morgan Matson

Length: 482 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Source: e-book 
Read: June 2014

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains. Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve. As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

Top Ten #18: Book Covers From a Trend That I Like

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.

June 24th: Ten Book Cover Trends (or just elements of covers) I Like/Dislike {can stick to one or the other or both!}

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Title: That Summer

Author: Sarah Dessen

Length: 198 pages

Publisher: Speak

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: June 2012 (First Released in October 1996)

Source: Paperback 

Read: June 2014

The more things change... As far as Haven is concerned, there's just too much going on. Everything is changing, and she's not sure where she fits in. Then her sister's old boyfriend shows up, sparking memories of the summer when they were all happy and everything was perfect... But along the way, Haven realizes that sometimes change is a good thing. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

Beach Day by Karen Roosa

Title: Beach Day

Author: Karen Roosa

Illustrator: Maggie Smith

Length: 32 pages

Publisher: Scholastic

Classification: Children's Book

Release Date: May 2002

Source: Paperback 

In this charming picture book, a cheerful family tumbles out of the car and onto the beach, ready for a perfect day. Buoyant verse just right for reading aloud and bright, playful illustrations capture the singular feeling of a hazy, lazy day by the ocean, complete with a ball game with new friends, water-skiers and sailboats, and a picnic lunch of fried chicken and deviled eggs. This book is a captivating introduction to the beach for young children and an irresistible gift for beach lovers of any age. 

GoodReads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

Mini Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Title: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)

Author: Victoria Scott

Length: 352 pages

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Source: e-book 

Read: May 2014

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of Hell’s best — a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag. Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment: Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days. Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of Hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions long ago buried. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

Thursday Thoughts #7: Rereads

Thursday Thoughts is a weekly discussion meme hosted by Ashley on her blog Ok, Let's Read.

Join in on the discussion and check out Ashley's blog for the discussion topics and dates.

This weeks topic:
June 19: Rereads - Do you/have you ever reread books/a book? What do you look for when rereading a book? What have you found in the way of changes in your opinions when you reread a book, if any? What books have you reread, if any? Would you ever reread a book that you didn't like the first time around?

REBOOT by Amy Tintera

Title: REBOOT (Reboot #1)

Author: Amy Tintera

Length: 365 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

Classification: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Source: e-book 

Read: May 2014

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation). Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum. The perfect soldier is done taking orders. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

Tune in Tuesday #15: Summer

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly feature in which bloggers get to showcase another one of their loves, music! This feature was originally created by Ginger over at GReads! but you can now find it at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands. If you would like to participate in this weekly feature, make a blog post showcasing a song (or a few!) Then link up with Katelyn's Tune In Tuesday blog post if you want!

This week I am going to share some Summer songs. I hope everyone is having a lovely summer so far.

Top Ten Tuesday #17: Ten Books on My Summer TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.

June 17th: Ten Books on My Summer TBR List

A couple weeks ago I shared The Ten Books I Want to Read This Summer (Since I don't take books to the beach in a beach bag).

So this week I am going to share some different books from that list. It would be really cool if I got all 20 of these books read this summer.

So here is a list of Ten Books on My Kindle That Are on My Summer TBR List

The Only Boy by Jordan Locke

Title: The Only Boy

Author: Jordan Locke

Length: 268 pages

Publisher: Self-published (CreateSpace)

Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian

Release Date: December 17, 2013

Source: Paperback (Won from a giveaway. Thanks again An Alleged Author!)

Read: March 2014

Mary is stuck in Section One, living with three hundred women in a crumbling hospital. She wonders what life was like two centuries ago, before the Cleansing wiped out all the men. But the rules—the Matriarch's senseless rules—prevent her from exploring the vacant city to find out. Taylor's got a dangerous secret: he's a boy. His compound's been destroyed, and he's been relocated to Section One. Living under the Matriarch means giving up possessions, eating canned food and avoiding all physical contact. Baggy clothes hide his flat chest and skinny legs, but if anyone discovers what lies beneath, he'll be exiled. Maybe even executed. Mary's never seen a boy—the Matriarch cut the pictures of men from the textbooks—and she doesn't suspect Taylor's secret. If she knew, she might understand the need to stop the girls from teasing him. If she knew, she might realize why she breaks the rules, just to be near him. Then again, she might be frightened to death of him. Taylor should go. The Matriarch is watching his every move. But running means leaving Mary—and braving the land beyond the compound's boundaries. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million 

Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer

Title: Just Me and My Dad

Author: Mercer Mayer

Length: 24 pages

Publisher: Western Publishing Company, Inc.

Classification: Children's Book

First Published: 1977

Source: Paperback 

This well-loved Little Critter picture book has become a modern classic. It's the tale of a father-and-son camping trip filled with Little Critter's mistakes and good intentions. In spite of difficulties, however, the happy father and son manage to put up their tent, catch fish for dinner, and sleep beneath the stars. In spite of minimal text, the story is full and rich, with endearing illustrations from start to finish. 

GoodReads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

I Love You, Daddy by Jillian Harker

Title: I Love You, Daddy

Author: Jillian Harker

Illustrator: Kristina Stephenson

Length: 25 pages

Publisher: Parragon

Classification: Children's Book

Release Date: 2010

Source: Hardback 

Little Bear is ready for some grown-up adventures—at least, Daddy Bear thinks so. But they soon discover that Little Bear needs a helping hand. And who can help out better than Daddy Bear? 

GoodReads |  Amazon 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Length: 336 pages

Publisher: PenguinGroup-Plume

Classification: Adult, Chick-Lit, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: April 2011

Source: e-galley from NetGalley (It was a Read Now Title. Thank you NetGalley and PenguinGroup-Plume!)

Read: May 2014

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . " Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives. Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories. By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself. What would he say . . . ? 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

**I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thursday Thoughts #6: Bookshelf Organization

Thursday Thoughts is a weekly discussion meme hosted by Ashley on her blog Ok, Let's Read.

Join in on the discussion and check out Ashley's blog for the discussion topics and dates.

This weeks topic:

June 12: Bookshelf Organization - Do you have a set way of organizing your bookshelves? Do you like your bookshelves to be organized or does it not matter too much to you? Do you store your TBR books and your read books separately or together? What do you think about the rainbow bookshelf organization trend?

Top Ten Tuesday #16: Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.

June 10th: Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

I have read a lot of books so far this year, so it is going to be hard for me to pick my favorites.
I am going to stick to books that I have read so far this year that have been (or will be) published this year.

Tune in Tuesday #14: Random Shuffle (1)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly feature in which bloggers get to showcase another one of their loves, music! This feature was originally created by Ginger over at GReads! but you can now find it at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands. If you would like to participate in this weekly feature, make a blog post showcasing a song (or a few!) Then link up with Katelyn's Tune In Tuesday blog post if you want!

I didn't come up with a topic for this week's Tune in Tuesday, so I put my iPod on shuffle and picked the three songs that played. Enjoy.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
(Throne of Glass #1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Source: ebook
Read: May 2014

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Title: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Author: Eric Litwin
Illustrator: James Dean
Length: 40 pages
Publisher: Scholastic
Classification: Children's Book, Humor, Counting
Release Date: September 2013
Source: Paperback 

Pete the Cat is wearing his favorite shirt-the one with the four totally groovy buttons. But when one falls off, does Pete cry? Goodness, no! He just keeps on singing his song-after all, what could be groovier than three groovy buttons? Count down with Pete in this rocking new story from the creators of the bestselling Pete the Cat books. 

GoodReads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Title: Panic

Author: Lauren Oliver

Length: 408 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Source: ARC (ARC Tour hosted by On The Same Page)

Read: April 2014

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.
Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought. Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

*I borrowed an ARC of this book as part of an On The Same Page ARC Tour in exchange for my honest review*

Tune in Tuesday #13: Flogging Molly

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly feature in which bloggers get to showcase another one of their loves, music! This feature was originally created by Ginger over at GReads! but you can now find it at Kate’s Tales of Books andBands. If you would like to participate in this weekly feature, make a blog post showcasing a song (or a few!) Then link up with Katelyn's Tune In Tuesday blog post if you want!

Top Ten Tuesday #15: Ten Books That I Want To Read This Summer

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.

June 3rd: Top Ten Books That Should Be in Your Beach Bag or Ten Books That Will Be in My Beach Bag This Summer

I have decided that I am going to share the ten books that I want to read this summer. I do go to the beach, but I don't read when I am there. Not because I don't want to, but because I am a mom with young children, so I watch them like a hawk when I am at the beach. They get all my attention and I can't afford to be distracted.
So I save my reading for home.
But I do think reading at the beach would be fun. The beach can definitely be a relaxing place.

Beautiful to look at as well.
Not all of these books are summerish or beachish, but they are books that I want to get read this summer.

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Title: The Art of Lainey

Author: Paula Stokes

Length: 384 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: May 20, 2014

Source: ARC- Won From GoodReads FirstReads Giveaway. (Thank you GoodReads and HarperTeen!)

Read: May 2014

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.
 And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.
 What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be? 

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

**I received this book from a giveaway that was part of GoodReads First-Reads.**

May Highlights

I just cannot believe that May is already over! It feels like it was just the beginning of May yesterday. Cutie Pie is now out of school for the summer, so my personal reading time is going to be taking a cut. (Which I don't mind since I get to spend time with my lovely daughters). But hopefully it will give us some more time to get some more Cutie Pie's Shelf (children's book reviews) done.

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

Title: The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales
Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Length: 54 pages
Publisher: Scholastic 
Classification: Children's Book, Caldecott Honor Book, Humor
Release Date: January 1992
Source: Paperback

If geese had graves, Mother Goose would be rolling in hers. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales retells--and wreaks havoc on--the allegories we all thought we knew by heart. In these irreverent variations on well-known themes, the ugly duckling grows up to be an ugly duck, and the princess who kisses the frog wins only a mouthful of amphibian slime. The Stinky Cheese Man deconstructs not only the tradition of the fairy tale but also the entire notion of a book. Our naughty narrator, Jack, makes a mockery of the title page, the table of contents, and even the endpaper by shuffling, scoffing, and generally paying no mind to structure. Characters slide in and out of tales; Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and the Giant at the top of the beanstalk snacks on the Little Red Hen. There are no lessons to be learned or morals to take to heart--just good, sarcastic fun that smart-alecks of all ages will love. 

GoodReads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million