Book Review: The Form of Things Unknown by Robin Bridges

Publish Date: August 30, 2016
240 pages [Kindle edition]
Kensington

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. More information here.

The last time I posted a Top Ten was in August 2014, but I have always followed along and read the weekly Top Ten on The Broke and The Bookish. I decided I really wanted to join back in and, of course, as soon as I do, there will be a short summer break for Top Ten. I will try and go through some of the old topics and still post until they come back in August. Today's topic is the top ten books we've read in 2017 so far. I've only read 25 books. These ten include all my five stars and a few of my four star ratings.

1. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket: I started rereading the Series of Unfortunate Events this year. I need to pick it back up with book 10, but I started with book 3 and I forget how much I enjoy it in particular.
2. The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket: Another of my favorites in the Series of Unfortunate Events is book 6.
3. Heartless by Marissa Meyer: I picked up an older Owlcrate with this book inside and went back and forth between the physical copy and the audiobook. Loved both.
4. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows: This is probably my favorite read so far this year. I laughed out loud so many times. I picked this up in an older Owlcrate as well.
5. The Walking Dead: Compendium Three: It was killing me that I was behind on the comic storyline vs. the tv storyline. I was starting to get really bored with the last season, but after catching up and going a little past the tv storyline, I am SO excited for the next season!
6. Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying by Amanda Hosch: This was an ARC I got to read for NetGalley that isn't published until October 1st. It's a middle grade novel and probably my second favorite read of the year so far.
7. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling: Super short, but really fabulous.
8. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio: This was my first book with a character with AIS. It was a fascinating read and I want to educate myself more on people who are intersex.
9. Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-ins by Kathy Griffin: I think Kathy Griffin is hilarious and I love her stand-up. This was a good read with lots of funny moments and anecdotes with celebrities. Not gonna lie, I wanted to see what happened when she ran into the Kardashians.
10. Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges: I recently finished this book and I'm reading the companion right now. It was a wonderful story. Not perfect by any means, but wonderful.

What are your favorite books you've read so far in 2017?

Let me know below in the comments! 

20 Books of Summer [TBR List]

I finally got around to looking at some new-to-me book blogs via the Top Ten Tuesday meme and now I have found some new reading challenges and readathons to join. I feel pretty motivated to read lately and would love to finish some books I have laying around.

I'm joining in on 746 Books' "20 Books of Summer" challenge that runs from 1 June to 3 September. Since it's past the time this particular challenge started, I will backdate with books I have already read and then will continue my list with current reads and reads I want for the rest of the challenge.

1. The Soul Thief by Majanka Verstraete - 6/9
2. Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: A-Z Index by Kathy Griffin - 6/11
3. Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke - 6/15
4. Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges - 6/19
5. The Form of Things Unknown by Robin Bridges - 6/28
6. Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin - 7/1
7. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris - 7/10
8. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst - 7/15
9. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - 7/19
10. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli [for the Summer Bibib] - 7/26
11. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks [for the Summer Bibib] - 7/26
12. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia [for the Summer Bibib] - 7/28
13. Flame in the Mist by Renee Adieh [for the Summer Bibib] - 7/30
14. Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den by Aimee Carter - 8/3
15. Simon Thorn and the Viper's Pit by Aimee Carter - 8/9 
16. A Fabrication of the Truth by Katie Kaleski - 8/12 
17. Drama by Raina Telgemeier - 8/13 
18. Found by Stacey Wallace Benefiel - 8/19
19. Lumberjanes, Vol.1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson - 8/25
20. Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power by Mariko Tamaki - 8/25
21. The Secret of the Sphinx by Samuel Bavli - 8/27

As of 8/31, I have finished 21 books.

Book Review: Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges

Publish Date: March 29, 2016
304 pages [Kindle edition]
Kensington

Synopsis:
Every star has its own path…

“I can’t ever be the blazing star that Iris was. I’m still just a cold, dark satellite orbiting a star that went super nova.”

Andria’s twin sister, Iris, had adoring friends, a cool boyfriend, a wicked car, and a shelf full of soccer trophies. She had everything, in fact—including a drug problem. Six months after Iris’s death, Andria is trying to keep her grades, her friends, and her family from falling apart. But stargazing and books aren’t enough to ward off her guilt that she—the freak with the scary illness and all-black wardrobe—is still here when Iris isn’t. And then there’s Alex Hammond. The boy Andria blames for Iris’s death. The boy she’s unwittingly started swapping lines of poetry and secrets with, even as she tries to keep hating him.

Book Review: The Soul Thief by Majanka Verstraete

Publish Date: November 10, 2014
218 pages [Kindle edition]
Booktrope
 
Synopsis:
When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death.

Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

Books I Read in May

The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook - 3.5 stars (finished 5/12)
Review to come.
I was gifted this book via Netgalley.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling - 5 stars (finished 5/12)
I was ecstatic about this book and meant to read it forever ago, but then I never got around to it. I need to get the other mini books that are set in the Harry Potter world as well. I loved the humor of this book and the illustrations were gorgeous. My favorite beasts are the Crup (likened to a Jack Russell Terrier - squee), the Demiguise (interested in its textile uses), the Jobberknoll (for its interesting death), the Knarl (that is a suspicious hedgehog), and the Wampus Cat. I found the Lethifold terrifying and the Runespoor very very fascinating. Overall, loved the creatures and writing and illustrations. Cannot recommend it enough to HP fans!

I Survived: Five Epic Disasters by Lauren Tarshis - 3.5 stars (finished 5/13)
This book follows five disasters: The Children’s Blizzard (1888), The Titanic Disaster (1912), The Great Boston Molasses Flood (1919), The Japanese Tsunami (2011), and The Henryville Tornado (2012). Each event has a short story and is then followed by some various facts about the event and similar events as well. I thought it was very well written and loved the pictures in it. I think as a kid, I would have gobbled these books up.  

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio - 5 stars (finished 5/18)
Review: here.
I was gifted this book via Netgalley. 

Buzz Books 2017: Young Adult Fall/Winter by Publishers Lunch - 4 stars (finished 5/26)
Review: here.
I was gifted this book via Netgalley. 

June TBR List + Upcoming Releases

In May, I read 5 books and that means I am on track with my Goodreads challenge for the year. I'm really happy that I was able to read 5 books. Part of that was that I had read some shorter books during the Bout of Books readathon, but they were on my TBR and they were physical books that had been sitting on my desk that I wanted to put away. In the month of June, I would really like to read 2 Owlcrates, 1 book off my desk, and 2 Netgalley books.

1. I am working on reading my Owlcrate books. I keep starting and then putting down Of Fire and Stars for a few weeks before picking it up and reading a chapter and then putting it down for a few weeks. So I need to finish it. I have Roseblood, Caraval, Daughter of a Pirate King, The Upside of Unrequited, and Eliza and Her Monsters on that list too.
2. The books on my desk are two less this month but still I have: Dead in the Family, The Slippery Slope, This Savage Song, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den, and Aftercare Instructions.
3. Netgalley books are on my need-to-read-like-last-year list. Last month, I reported having 69 books on my Netgalley list. This month, I'm starting with 70. I would like to get this number down to 68 or lower in June.

CHALLENGES
Goodreads Challenge: 21/52 books
ABC Challenge: 10/26 books
Travel Gnome Challenge: 15/23 books
Series Challenge: 0/10 series
Movie Adaptation Challenge: 0/3 books
Netgalley Challenge: 8/25 books
Throwback Book Club: 13/12 books
Diversity Bingo 2017: 3/36 books
Overused YA Tropes Bingo 2017: 3/25 books