Thursday, December 31, 2015

EOY 2015 Wrap Up

At the end of every year and the beginning of the next, I go into contemplative mode. I think about the past year. What happened? What changed in my life? What were the big things that I accomplished? What did I spend my time doing or thinking about? And then I think about the upcoming one as well. What do I want to see happen? What do I want to change in my life? What big things do I want to accomplish? What do I want to spend my time doing and thinking about? What things about last year do I really want to see change in the upcoming one?

The first thing that I think of when reflecting on this past year is all of the family changes that happened throughout the year. Husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for approximately 18 months (including one miscarriage) when the year started. I found out that I was pregnant the middle of the second week of February. So very early on, we know this year would involve some majorly drastic changes to our lives. Also very early on we became very baby focused. Because of the difficulties we had getting pregnant and the prior miscarriage, my mind was focused solely on getting past week 12 when chances of miscarriage decrease. In March, I lost a cousin who had been fighting breast cancer for quite a long while that had eventually spread to her bones and other areas of her body. She had the most positive attitude through her entire fight. Husband’s parent’s celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary also in March and we partied for them in April where we also announced their upcoming grandchild. Late May, my aunt and uncle were involved in a car accident that killed my uncle and left my aunt with broken bones throughout her entire left side of her body. On July 4th, my husband’s father died somewhat suddenly. He’d been in the hospital for a week but we were getting positive news about his progress. In July, my grandfather was also hospitalized for a hernia in his intestines that required surgery. By October, we welcomed our new baby girl, Ever Lael (meaning “Always Belonging to God”) into the world and into our family. Needless to say, our family has truly been through a lot this year. But everyone goes through hard times, and we celebrate our blessings as well as we mourn our losses.

Pregnancy was a good bit different than I expected it to be. One thing I noticed off the bat was how extremely tired I was. In the first trimester it wasn’t unusual for me to sleep 10-13 hours a day. I noticed early on that I was just not making much progress in my books because I couldn’t stay awake. Prolonging the length of time it takes to read a book also tends to affect my overall enjoyment of the book. So on top of noticing that I wasn’t reading as much as normal, I also noticed that I wasn’t enjoying the books I was reading nearly as much as I hoped or as usual. Throughout the year and my pregnancy, I noted to my friend Paula that “either it’s me, or the books I’ve been reading this year just aren’t as good as other years.” She quickly informed me that it was in fact me. Truthfully, I shouldn’t have been surprised. While pregnancy did leave me more emotional than normal and in a much easier place to cry, I also found myself more annoyed and easily irritable than normal. Hormones. Got to love them. So things that might have been minor annoyances or things that I didn’t even really mentally note in prior years became things that I zeroed in on and would find myself beyond annoyed with. During my EOM Wrap Up posts, I found that I where last year I regularly read between 11 and 14 books, I was doing extremely well to read 8 this year.

My frustration with the books I was reading combined with my lack of progress in reading led me to a bit of a blogging slump as well. My slower reading progress meant that I wasn’t as far ahead on blog scheduling. And I also didn’t have as much of a backlog of reviews already prepared to pull from. I had to cut my reviews from 3 per week back to 2 per week. I told myself that this was fine because I was still reaching my overall goal of 104 books for the year (2 books per week), and I could always supplement a review post with a discussion post.

Now that I've had 2 1/2 months of being a mom I've realized that it's likely that I just won't be able to read as much as I thought or hoped I would. Even though I'm now a stay-at-home mom, I still just don't have as much time as previous years to read. Being home full time doesn't mean I don't have a job. Instead I have the best job in the world. A job that doesn't pay in cash but in smiles and snuggles and a heart full to bursting with love. I realize that Ever's first year will be full of changes and my time to read will likely vary as much from month to month as it does from day to day. However, since this is my first time doing this mom thing, I have no idea what is a good goal for reading or blogging for 2016. That being said, I rather hate having vague goals. I like my goals to be specific and measurable. But truthfully, I think my goal for 2016 will simply be to read some and blog some. I'm not going anywhere. I just have to do some readjusting. And so far the biggest lesson that I've realized I need to learn since becoming a mom is being a bit more flexible and letting go of my imagined control--I don't truly have any control anyway. This year has taught me that for sure.

EOM Wrap Up Posts for 2015

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Blogging Highlights from 2015

  • Holly and I successfully hosted the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge. This was our second year. We are returning for 2016 also.
  • I participated in the March Take Control of Your TBR Pile and read 5 books from my TBR pile.
  • Celebrated my 4th Blogoversary.
  • Participated in Armchair BEA for the 4th year in a row.
  • October was my 3rd annual All Things Halloween event of Halloween-ish book reviews and such.
  • I continued features created in previous years: Upon Further Review, From the Ashes, and Discussions Only We Know. Although, I didn't get any Series DNF or Cover Doubles posts done.
  • I reviewed one movie: Insurgent.
  • I listened to 15 audiobooks. A significantly less number than last year.
  • I re-read 4 books that I've read in previous years.
  • Books Read in 2015

    *These qualify for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
    Burning Glass - Kathryn Purdie (review coming soon)
    Assassin's Heart - Sarah Ahiers (review coming soon)
    Sword and Verse - Kathy MacMillan (review coming soon)
    *Paradise Road (Paradise, # 2) - CJ Duggan
    Kate and Alf - Carrie Stone (DNF @ 6%)
    Kiss Kill Vanish - Jessica Martinez
    November 9 - Colleen Hoover (review coming soon)
    The Praying Woman's Devotional - Stormie Omartian
    Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, # 1) - Laini Taylor (re-read)
    The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, # 2) - Mary E Pearson (review coming soon)
    Faking Normal - Courtney C Stevens (review coming soon)
    Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets, # 1) - Jennifer Anne Davis
    Whisper - Heather Hildenbrand
    The Fill-In Boyfriend - Kasie West (review coming soon)
    The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3) - Julie Kagawa (DNF @ 64%)
    *War (True Reign, # 3) - Jennifer Anne Davis
    Red (True Reign, # 2) - Jennifer Anne Davis
    The Key (True Reign, # 1) - Jennifer Anne Davis
    The Lies About Truth - Courtney C Stevens
    Until Friday Night (The Field Party, # 1) - Abbi Glines (review coming soon)
    The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E Smith
    The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter, # 1) - Melinda Salisbury
    *Surviving Ice (Burying Water, # 4) - KA Tucker
    Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, # 2) - Pierce Brown
    *The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) - Michelle Hodkin
    Velvet Undercover - Teri Brown
    Stealing Third - Marta Brown
    Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, # 1) - Rae Carson
    Truest - Jackie Lea Sommers
    *Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3) - Tammara Webber
    A Thousand Nights - EK Johnston
    The One (The Selection, # 3) - Kiera Cass
    Awakening You (Unraveling You, # 3) - Jessica Sorensen
    Raveling You (Unraveling You, # 2) - Jessica Sorensen
    Unraveling You (Unraveling You, # 1) - Jessica Sorensen
    Deliverance (Defiance, # 3) - CJ Redwine
    My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door, # 1) - Huntley Fitzpatrick
    Unbreakable (Unbreakable, # 1) - Rebecca Shea
    *PS I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, # 2) - Jenny Han
    All Played Out (Rusk University, # 3) - Cora Carmack
    The Elite (The Selection, # 2) - Kiera Cass
    *Deep (Stage Dive, # 4) - Kylie Scott
    Chasing Impossible (Pushing the Limits, # 5) - Katie McGarry
    The Selection (The Selection, # 1) - Kiera Cass
    Lead (Stage Dive, # 3) - Kylie Scott
    Forbidden (Forbidden, # 1) - Kimberley Griffiths Little
    Beautiful Sacrifice (The Maddox Brothers, # 3) - Jamie McGuire
    Deception (Defiance, # 2) - CJ Redwine
    Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between - Jennifer E Smith
    For the Love:Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards - Jen Hatmaker
    *Champion (Legend, # 3) - Marie Lu
    Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks, # 3) - Miranda Kenneally
    Prodigy (Legend, # 2) - Marie Lu
    Chasing River (Burying Water, # 3) - KA Tucker
    Never Never Part 2 - Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
    Stealing Parker (Hundred Oaks, # 2) - Miranda Kenneally
    Faking Perfect - Rebecca Phillips
    Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks, # 6) - Miranda Kenneally
    All the Rage - Courtney Summers
    Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, # 1) - Katie McGarry
    Paper Towns - John Green
    Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks, # 1) - Miranda Kenneally
    Crimson Bound - Rosamund Hodge
    *Asa (Marked Men, # 6) - Jay Crownover
    *Ignite Me (Shatter Me, # 3) - Tahereh Mafi
    The Night We Said Yes - Lauren Gibaldi
    World After (Penryn & the End of Days, # 2) - Susan Ee
    What If - Rebecca Donovan
    7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess - Jen Hatmaker
    Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, # 1) - Susan Ee
    Vanishing Girls - Lauren Oliver (DNF 25%)
    Unrequited (Woodlands, # 4) - Jen Frederick (not reviewed)
    *Ruin Me (Nova, # 5) - Jessica Sorensen
    Wreck Me (Nova, # 4) - Jessica Sorensen
    Confess - Colleen Hoover
    All Broke Down (Rusk University, # 2) - Cora Carmack
    All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1) - Cora Carmack
    *The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) - Richelle Mead
    Paradise City (Paradise, # 1) - CJ Duggan
    A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice & Fire, # 5) - George R R Martin
    The Summer of Chasing Mermaids - Sarah Ockler
    Breathe Annie Breathe (Hundred Oaks, # 5) - Miranda Kenneally
    Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall Trilogy, # 1) - Trent Reedy
    Riot (Mayhem, # 2) - Jamie Shaw
    The Body Electric - Beth Revis
    Legend (Legend, # 1) - Marie Lu
    That One Summer (Summer, # 3) - CJ Duggan
    Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, # 2) - Jamie McGuire
    City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, # 3) - Cassandra Clare (re-read)
    *Until the End (Sea Breeze, # 9) - Abbi Glines (not reviewed)
    Becoming Rain (Burying Water, # 2) - KA Tucker
    Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) - Pierce Brown
    Carter Finally Gets It (Carter Finally Gets It, # 1) - Brent Crawford (re-read)
    99 Days - Katie Cotugno
    Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, # 1) - Robin LaFevers (re-read)
    Top Secret Twenty-One (Stephanie Plum, # 21) - Janet Evanovich
    Invincible (Invincible, # 1) - Amy Reed (DNF 40%)
    Never Never (Never Never, # 1) - Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
    The Secrets of Attraction - Robin Constantine
    Things We Know By Heart - Jessi Kirby
    Mayhem (Mayhem, # 1) - Jamie Shaw
    Twice in a Blue Moon - Cate Masters

    Wednesday, December 30, 2015

    December EOM Wrap Up

    I have only read 4 books this month including one children's book. *These qualify for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
    Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan
    Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers
    Perfect Piggies! by Sandra Boyton
    Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

    I have reviewed 7 books this month. *These qualify for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
    Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez
    *Paradise Road (Paradise, # 2) by CJ Duggan
    The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
    The Key (True Reign, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis
    Red (True Reign, # 2) by Jennifer Anne Davis
    *War (True Reign, # 3) by Jennifer Anne Davis
    Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis

    Other Posts:
    Sunday Post - 173
    Sunday Post - 174 & Stacking the Shelves - 125
    Sunday Post - 175 & Stacking the Shelves - 126
    Top Ten New to Me Authors I Read in 2015
    Top Ten Books I Read in 2015
    Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring Me
    Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads of January to June 2016
    Waiting on The Last Star (The 5th Wave, # 3) by Rick Yancey
    Waiting on The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, # 4) by Maggie Stiefvater
    Waiting on The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 2) by Rachel Harris
    2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge – December Wrap Up
    2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Sign Up
    2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Goals

    Goals:
    I'm on schedule for my daily Bible reading.
    I've read 104 out of 104 books.
    I've read 14 out of 10-12 series enders.

    Tuesday, December 29, 2015

    Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads of January - June 2016

    Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads of January - June 2016.

    1. Built (Saints of Denver, # 1) by Jay Crownover
    2. Morning Star (Red Rising Trilogy, # 3) by Pierce Brown
    3. Never Never Pt 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
    4. Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers, # 4) by Jamie McGuire (not pictured
    5. He Will Be My Ruin by KA Tucker
    6. The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1) by Richelle Mead
    7. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, # 4) by Maggie Stiefvater
    8. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, # 1) by Cassandra Clare
    9. Riders (Riders, # 1) by Veronica Rossi
    10. The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 2) by Rachel Harris
    11. The Last Star (The 5th Wave, # 3) by Rick Yancey

    Which 2016 releases are you excited about? Let me know!

    Monday, December 28, 2015

    Cage of Deceit - Review

    Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets, # 1)

    By: Jennifer Anne Davis

    Published: August 25th 2015 by Clean Teen Publishing

    303 pages

    Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

    Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion--she's beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona--that of a vigilante--to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.

    Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.

    Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.

    I really enjoyed the True Reign series. I was sucked into the first two books and read both within a little over a 24 hour period. If I had any complaints of the series as a whole, it was simply that I was able to figure out several of the major plot points well in advance and that the cliffhangers between The Key and Red and between Red and War were too similar. Unfortunately, those would be the same complaints I have with Cage of Deceit. I figured out one major plot "twist" at least around the 25% mark, and I'm 99.5% sure that I've nailed down another secret yet to be revealed. And then like the previous series, the cliffhanger ending for Cage of Deceit was just too similar to the True Reign series.

    I loved Darmik and Rema, Allyssa's parents, in the True Reign series, but I had a little trouble relating them in Cage of Deceit to the characters that I previously fell in love with. It was easy to see their love and affection for each other, but I often found that I struggled with their decisions in relation to their daughter.

    Allyssa does feel trapped in her role as princess. Her closest friends, like her mother before her, are her ladies in waiting and her personal guard. All other courtiers seem to want something from her--mostly her hand in marriage. She doesn't really trust anyone around her. Even her closest friends she assumes are more loyal to the crown and her parents than they are to her. I can understand how knowing that she doesn't get much say in her marriage would be stifling for her. But I didn't see where her lifestyle in general should afford her the discomfort that it does. She uses her time sneaking away from the castle at night to hunt down criminals with her friend Grevik. This makes her feel both free and that she's making a difference. Even when she's feeling stifled, Allyssa loves her country and is committed to her duty.

    I've recently gotten a bit tired of the arranged marriage that the couple fights or the main character that falls in love with someone else. So I wasn't initially looking forward to this potentially playing out in Cage of Deceit. This was an assumption I was making based off the description. However, Jennifer Anne Davis played this card in a way that I was actually pretty satisfied with. I don't want to go into too much more detail surrounding this because anything I say might lead to spoilers.

    Even though I wasn't thrilled with the specific cliffhanger Jennifer Anne Davis chose for Cage of Deceit because of it's similarities to the True Reign series, I ended Cage of Deceit really excited to read more. I want more. I'd pick up Cage of Darkness immediately if I had it available to me right now. That being said Cage of Deceit gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Cage of Deceit? What did you think? Let me know!

    Sunday, December 27, 2015

    Sunday Post - 176 & Stacking the Shelves - 127

    The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

    Lots happened this past week. Monday I took Baby Girl to see Santa. It was past naptime, but she was doing great until 2 people ahead of us in line and then she lost it. The picture with Santa turned out pretty hilarious. Then we hung out with my sister at her house. Tuesday my sister dropped by our house so that I could get some house cleaning done while she watched that baby. Wednesday night we had a small party with church. Thursday we celebrated Christmas with Husband's family. And Friday was Christmas with my family. Saturday we were in recovery mode. But it was a lovely week. I'm looking forward to things calming back down a bit this coming week though.

    THIS PAST WEEK:

    Monday: Review of War (True Reign, # 3) by Jennifer Anne Davis (4 Stars)
    Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring
    Wednesday: 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up & 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Sign Up
    Saturday: 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Goals

    UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

    Monday: Review of Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis
    Tuesday: Top Ten Anticipated Releases for January-June 2016
    Wednesday: December 2015 EOM Wrap Up
    Thursday: No Blog Posts
    Friday: 2015 EOY Wrap Up & 2015 EOY Book Survey (maybe...if I can get these post prepped in time)

    Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

    Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

    Their Fractured Light (Starbound, # 3)

    By: Aimee Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

    Publication: December 1st 2015 by Disney-Hyperion

    400 pages

    Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

    Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from Holly)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.

    Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.

    Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.

    When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.

    Winter (Lunar Chronicles, # 4)

    By: Marissa Meyer

    Publication: November 10th 2015 by Feiwel and Friends

    800 pages

    Genre: YA, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian

    Source: Personal Library (Christmas present from my mom)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--Here is the stunning conclusion to the national bestselling Lunar Chronicles, inspired by Snow White.

    When Princess Winter was thirteen, the rumor around the Lunar court was that her glamour would soon be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. In a fit of jealousy, Levana disfigured Winter. Four years later, Winter has sworn off the use of her glamour altogether. Despite her scars, Winter’s natural beauty, her grace, and her gentleness are winning admiration from the Lunar people that no amount of mind-control could achieve.

    Winter despises her stepmother, but has never dreamed of standing up to her. That is, until she realizes that she may be the only one with the power to confront the queen.

    Can Cinder, Prince Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, Thorne, Princess Winter, and the palace guard Jacin find their happily ever afters? Fans will LOVE this amazing conclusion to the series.

    Split Second (Pivot Point, # 2)

    By: Kasie West

    Published: February 11th 2014 by HarperTeen

    360 pages

    Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

    Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from my sister-in-law)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--Life can change in a split second.

    Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too... but not without a price.

    When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

    Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

    As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything.

    The Certainty of Violet & Luke (The Coincidence, # 5)

    By: Jessica Sorensen

    Publication: September 16th 2014

    300 pages

    Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

    Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from Husband)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Amazon description--Violet Hayes’s life is a mess. Between her stalker, Preston, refusing to leave her alone, her parents’ case still being unsolved, and falling behind in school, she always feels on the verge of losing it. When some unexpected news comes her way, it’s the final straw and she ends up doing something that almost costs her life. Thankfully, she survives and makes a promise to herself to put her life back together and to try and figure out exactly how she feels about Luke Price, the one person that’s always there for her.

    But as a recovering alcoholic and gambler, Luke has his own struggles to overcome. He’s also fallen in love with Violet, but fears telling her the truth, that it will scare her away or worse, she won’t reciprocate the feeling. Plus, there never seems to be a right time to say it, either the case, Preston, or life getting in the way.

    Can the two of them ever get enough peace in their lives to conquer their fears and finally tell each other the truth about how they feel?

    The Resolution of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence, # 6)

    By: Jessica Sorensen

    Publication: September 30th 2014

    300 pages

    Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

    Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from Husband)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--Things are going good for Callie and Kayden. They’re still dealing with their past and the pain connected to it, but for the most part they’ve moved on. The biggest decision they have at the moment is what they want to do with their lives in the future.

    Eventually, though, the past catches up with them and it leaves them with a choice no one wants to make. But Callie and Kayden learn that as long as they have each other, they can make it through just about anything. And in the end, they discover what they really want out of life.

    End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days, # 3)

    By: Susan Ee

    Publication: May 12th 2015 by Skyscape

    344 pages

    Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Angels, Science Fiction, Dystopian

    Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from Husband)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

    After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

    When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

    Esther: A Royal Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, # 1)

    By: Angela Elwell Hunt

    Published: January 6th 2015 by Bethany House Publishers

    348 pages

    Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction

    Source: Personal Kindle Library (Christmas present from my sister-in-law)

    ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

    *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

    Goodreads description--An ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews in ancient Persia, so an inexperienced beautiful young queen must take a stand for her people.

    When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews--young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people...and bind her husband's heart.

    Esther marks bestselling author Angela Hunt's return to biblical fiction. In each novel she explores an example of a Hebrew Old Testament tob woman: a woman whose physical beauty influences those around her--and can change the course of history.

    That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

    Saturday, December 26, 2015

    2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Goals

    This challenge is for all of you series readers who are scared to death of that last book in the series. You anxiously await it. You stalk it. You get your hands on it as soon as possible. But then…you put off reading it for fear that it might not be everything you thought it would be. Or, maybe you just have a backlog of series started and you need to finish that last book.

    Join us in knocking out those pesky last books in a series. This is your chance. Here’s your motivation. Better than that, we have prizes!

    Levels: (how many series enders you are planning to read)

    Level 1: 1 – 5
    Level 2: 5 – 10
    Level 3: 10 – 15
    Level 4: 15+

    Check out the the sign up post to join!

    This challenge is hosted by Somewhere Only We Know and Words Fueled by Love.


    My Goals:

    1. Forever Summer (Summer, # 4) by CJ Duggan
    2. Winter (Lunar Chronicles, # 4) by Marissa Meyer
    3. Split Second (Pivot Point, # 2) by Kasie West
    4. Opposition (Lux, # 5) by Jennifer L Armtentrout
    5. Their Fractured Light (Starbound, # 3) by Aime Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
    6. Morning Star (Red Rising Trilogy, # 3) by Pierce Brown
    7. Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers, # 4) by Jamie McGuire
    8. The Crown (The Selection, # 5) by Kiera Cass
    9. The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 2) by Rachel Harris
    10. The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, # 3) by Marie Rutkoski
    11. Return to Paradise (Leaving Paradise, # 2) by Simone Elkeles
    12. Finding It (Losing It, # 3) by Cora Carmack
    13. November Snow (Bad Bloods, # 2) by Shannon A Thompson
    14. Finale (Hush, Hush, # 4) by Becca Fitzpatrick
    15. Unforgiven (Fallen, # 4) by Lauren Kate
    16. Ruins (Partials, # 3) by Dan Wells
    17. Ruin & Rising (The Grisha, # 3) by Leigh Bardugo
    18. Until We Fly (Beautifully Broken, # 4) by Courtney Cole
    19. The Eye of Andromeda (Age of X, # 3) by Richelle Mead
    20. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, # 4) by Maggie Stiefvater
    21. The Last Star (The 5th Wave, # 3) by Rick Yancey
    22. End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days, # 3) by Susan Ee
    23. Never Never Part 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
    24. The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles, # 3) by Mary E Pearson
    25. Inspiring You (Unraveling You, # 4) by Jessica Sorensen
    26. Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy, # 3) by Kerstin Gier

    Of course, there's always the possibility that I'll not get to some of these )a few of them have been on my goals list for the last two years), or I'll come across a new/new-to-me series that I read the entire series during 2016. So we'll see what happens. These are just the enders on my radar right now.

    Wednesday, December 23, 2015

    2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge

    The 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge was another success, and so Holly and I decided we're going to keep it up. We have updated a few of the rules this year, so please be sure to check them out for any changes if you participated last year.

    This challenge is for all of you series readers who are scared to death of that last book in the series. You anxiously await it. You stalk it. You get your hands on it as soon as possible. But then…you put off reading it for fear that it might not be everything you thought it would be. Or, maybe you just have a backlog of series started and you need to finish that last book.

    Join us in knocking out those pesky last books in a series. This is your chance. Here’s your motivation. Better than that, we have prizes!

    Challenge Guidelines:

    1. This challenge will run from January 1, 2016 until December 31, 2016.
    2. Anyone can enter. You don’t have to have a blog just as long as you review your books somewhere: on your blog if you have one, Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, etc.
    3. Any genre, length, or format is acceptable as long as it is the last book in a series where all books in the series have been published and no more books are currently intended to be published in the series. If an author makes a decision somewhere during the year to add on to the series, we will count both the original last book in the series and the “new last” book in the series assuming the author isn’t going to write more than one additional book. Last book published in a series doesn’t count if more books are expected to be published.
    4. You can list your series enders ahead of time or do a singular wrap up post. If you decide to list them up front, feel free to change them throughout the year as necessary.
    5. When you sign up in the linky, please use the direct link to your post about joining the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge. If you don’t have a blog, please post about it on Facebook or Twitter and include that direct link as your sign up.
    6. You can sign up until December 15, 2016. This allows you to join the challenge at any time during the year.
    7. On the 25th of every month, we will post a wrap up on both Somewhere Only We Know and Words Fueled by Love with a giveaway and a place for you to link up your reviews for the month. The monthly giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up (ex. From January 25th 2016, to February 25th 2016). For each link to a review, you will get an (1) entry into a drawing for that giveaway. This will be open internationally.
    8. Monthly giveaway prizes will be an e-gift card of your choice up to $5 (USD) from Amazon, The Book Depository, or Barnes and Noble.
    9. If you miss a wrap-up post and giveaway, you can link your review the next month. Please do not try to link to one review twice. We will be verifying these.
    10. December will be the wrap up for the entire year. All reviews linked from January through December will be entered into a Grand Prize giveaway. Also due to Christmas, the December wrap up will post on December 23rd and will be open until January 23rd.
    11. You don’t have to follow Somewhere Only We Know or Words Fueled by Love to participate in the challenge, but you do have to follow both of us in order to be entered in the giveaways.

    Levels: (how many series enders you are planning to read)

    Level 1: 1 – 5
    Level 2: 5 – 10
    Level 3: 10 – 15
    Level 4: 15+

    If you have any questions, please contact us at: Sandy's Email or Holly's Email

    To join the challenge:

    1. Write a blog post about joining the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge on your blog. For those of you who would like to participate but don’t have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Twitter.
    2. In your post, please include: the button, a link back to the sign up page, a link to both Somewhere Only We Know and Words Fueled by Love, the level you hope to achieve, and (optional) a list of the series you hope to complete.
    3. Place the button for the challenge in your sidebar (use the “grab this code” at the bottom of the post here).
    4. Link up in the linky using the direct link to your post/tweet/etc.

    And that’s it! Welcome to the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge. Good luck!

    This reading challenge is hosted by Somewhere Only We Know & Words Fueled by Love.


    Like last year, we had to use Simply-Linked for the yearly sign up linky because InLinkz has made some changes to the basic package. The monthly link ups will be the typical InLinkz linky that we used for the 2014 Series Enders Reading Challenge.

    2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up

    Time for our last Monthly Wrap Up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

    Since posting the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - November Wrap Up, I finished one series ender: Paradise Road (Paradise, # 2) by CJ Duggan. Holly hasn't finished any series enders this month.

    Which series enders did you finish? Link the up below. Don't forget to include the title, your name, & your blog name (Ex: Requiem - Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know) Also, the December giveaway is the grand prize giveaway for the year and runs from December 23rd - January 23rd. On January 23rd we will use random.org and the linky entries from all months to pull a winner.

    Tuesday, December 22, 2015

    Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring Me

    Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring Me.

    1. Winter (Lunar Chronicles, # 4) by Marissa Meyer
    2. Their Fractured Light (Starbound, # 3) by Meagan Spooner & Aime Kaufman
    3. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
    4. On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nightime Sleep by Gary Ezzo
    5. Esther: A Royal Beauty (A Dangerous Beauty, # 1) by Angela Hunt
    6. The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, # 2) by Mary E Pearson (already read but do not own)
    7. End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days, # 3) by Susan Ee
    8. Split Second (Pivot Point, # 2) by Kasie West
    9. Inspiring You (Unraveling You, # 4) by Jessica Sorensen
    10. Extreme Wordsearch Puzzle Books by Parragon Books - Is it totally weird that I've been kind of craving a good search-a-word?

    Which books are you hoping that Santa brings you? Let me know!