Update

Hey guys!
Sorry I haven't been posting this much in July. I haven't been able to get much reading done because I was away at a college and there was just a lot going on so I didn't actually get to finish any books so there won't be a wrap up this month but I'll be sure to read/post more next month! Thanks for sticking with us and be sure to check out our youtube channel. :)
Talk to y'all later,
Molly

Liebster Award

Hey everyone! Awesome news! A few weeks ago we were nominated by Sonja at bookstoremember for the Liebster Award. EXCITEMENT! Thank you so much for the nomination. So you must be wondering what this is all about. Well, great question. The Liebster Award is for newish bloggers and whatnot. Here's what it's all about:

• This award exists only on the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. 

• It has German origins – the word “liebster” has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, sweetheart and boyfriend (really?)

• It follows similar principles as a chain letter, in the sense that it should be passed forward to a certain number of people. It can be misconstrued, depending upon your personal views, as either something wonderful or as an annoyance. 

• The choice lies within each of us to ACCEPT it, and continue PAYING IT FORWARD or to refuse to accept it, thereby STOPPING or INTERRUPTING the chain. However, if you stop the chain, you are only hurting yourself (keep reading for benefits you will have)! 

• Personal views play an important part in our choice to participate. Some people have refused to accept it and have made attempts to “break the chain”. There have been many people who have been nominated, yet refused to accept it, and now their blogs have been abandoned. 

• Variations have been made over time to the “rules”. Marketing plays a role in accepting this award, as other bloggers are promoted. (This is not a bad thing, however, since people should help others!) Other awards are a part of the whole “meme“. These include “One Lovely Blog Award”, the “Sunshine Blog Award” and the “Versatile Writer Award”. It is said that the Liebster award was created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. In the digital world of the internet, this seems like a nice gesture, in my opinion!

The rules:

• List 11 facts about yourself. 

• Answer the 11 questions asked by whoever nominated you. 

• Nominate 9 bloggers with less than 300 followers and leave them a comment saying they've been nominated.  

• Ask 11 new questions for your chosen nominees. 

• You cannot re-nominate the blog that nominated you.

Let's get started!!!
11 Facts About Sarah:

1. I play flute and piccolo
2. I'm in marching band
3. I have a quote wall in my room 
4. I went to sleepaway camp for 6 summers
5. I LOVE Big Time Rush...don't judge
6. Yes, I am 17 
7. I work at Burger King
8. I love soccer! 
9. I'm currently obsessed with Once Upon a Time
10. I've been to London and Paris 
11. I'm sooo not ready for senior year next year. AAAHHH!

11 Facts About Molly:

1. I'm in colorguard
2. I'm going to be a co-captain as well as my two other friends Emily and Jessi.
3. I'm going to be going to Scotland with Sarah and the rest of the band in August.
4. I'm 17 years old.
5. My favorite color is navy.
6. I'm obsessed with the TV show The Newsroom.
7. I've been an Irish dancer since I was 5/6.
8. My car's name is Claudia.
9. I like sour cream and cheddar potato chips.
10. I've seen Now You See Me more times than I can count.
11. I use snapchat too much.

The questions Sonja asked:

1. What's your favorite book?

S: ooh toughey...I have sooo many! My faves include The Lunar Chronicles, The Darkest Minds, and Vampire Academy; just to name a few.
M: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta definitely.

1. Why did you start blogging?

S: Molly made me do it! lol, no. It was something we had talked about for a while but basically because of booktube. It inspired me to get online and discuss books with others.
M: I used to read Lisi Harrison's blog and everyone in the comments would blog too so I started because of them I guess.

1. What kind of blogs do you usually read?

S: Basically book blogs or author's blogs.

M: I read either lifestyle blogs (I guess that's what you'd call them) or book blogs.

1. What do you think about sappy love stories?

S: Where would the world be without them? I personally love them. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic...
M: I like them a lot. I could do without the movies but I love books that are like that!

1. Do you still read the book when you've already seen the movie?

S: Oh definitely. I actually saw the Percy Jackson movie before I read the book. If I find out there was a book, I will usually pick it up. Most times, I do read the book first but will continue to come back to it after seeing the movie.
M: Yes, of course! I saw the first couple of Harry Potter movies when I was really little and read the books after that. I haven't read LOTR but I'm still planning on reading them even though I've already seen the movies.

1. What's your favorite TV-Show?

S: OOOHHH I also have a bunch for this too. Once Upon a Time, Teen Wolf, Reign, Vampire Diaries (currently binge watching on netflix), and probably more that I'm forgetting. ;)

M: Oh jeez. Let's see...I like Doctor Who, Teen Wolf, Once Upon a Time, Vampire Diaries, Reign, Supernatural, Castle, Avatar, Orphan Black, American Horror Story, Gossip Girl, and a lot more that I can't think of right now.

1. How many books do you own?

S: Well I have about 54 on my nook and 57 on my bookshelf. That brings us to a grand total of...111 books. Wow! Plus I have more downstairs...do I have a problem? No! Maybe...

M: Oh dear, let's count. Okay, well just on my bookshelves/in my room I have 140 and that isn't counting my books in the living, in my box, or on my Kindle/iPad. That's a lot.

1. How many book-boyfriends do you have?

S: Too many to count but not nearly enough. ;)

M: Does Jesse the reader count? S: Lol

1. If you could only take three books with you, which would you choose?

S: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, and The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg.

M: Hmmmm, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, and Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales by the Grimm Brothers.

1. The last book you didn't finished? And why?

S: Partials by Dan Wells and Panic by Lauren Oliver. I'm in the beginning of both books but I just can't seem to get into either of them so I'm waiting until I feel like picking them up again.
M: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I think the reason why I didn't finish this one was because it's on my iPad and I would rather have the actual book because the book is absolutely fantastic but I just can't get through it. Maybe I'll pick it up again later at some point.

1. Who is your favorite author?

S: I have so many! First, Lauren Oliver because I think her books are written so poetically and have so many great quotes. Also, Alexandra Bracken because she is such a cool person and I'm obsessed with The Darkest Minds!
M: Oh I don't even know. If I had to pick I'd say Jane Austen because she's awesome.

11 Questions We Are Asking:

1. If you could be part of any book universe which would you choose and why?
2. What is your life motto and why?
3. If you could be best friends with any book character who would it be?
4. What is your favorite day of the year?
5. Why do you like blogging?
6. What's your favorite book?
7. Which author would you want to be best friends with?
8. What is your spirit animal?
9. What is your favorite movie and why?
10. What is your dream job?
11. What is your favorite quote from a book?

The blogs we are nominating are:
1. Ashtyn @ Wonderland's Reader
2. NovellaZoo
3. Rita @ Weaving Pages
4. Samantha @ The Secret Life of a Bookworm


Thanks again for the nomination! We really appreciate it! 
xoxo Molly and Sarah

Barnes & Noble Haul!!!!

Hey y'all!!!
Sarah and I went to Barnes & Noble on Sunday and we had a great time! We spent a lot of time trying to figure out which books to get and which books to wait a bit on. I got four books and Sarah got two and we're both really excited about some of the books we got!!! Yayyyyyyy.

Molly:
Okay so I got four books: two classics and two YA. The classics were on the recommended reading list for summer so I figured I'd buy them because they were cheap and why not.

 Okay, the first book I picked up was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I read the junior version of this book when I was little so I kinda know what happens but at the same time I really don't. It was on the suggested reading for our school list to go along with Beowulf and my mom told me to pick a couple up so I figured I'd get this one since it was cheap.
The second book I got was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I've actually been meaning to read this book for a while now and because it was on the summer reading list maybe I'll get around to it next month. I read the first page and I loved it so I can't wait to read more!!
The next book I decided to get was Lux: Beginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This one is a bindup of the first two books in the Lux series. Sarah saw it on the shelves and somewhat forcefully told me to read it :D. I don't think I've ever read a book about aliens before and Sarah said that this one was fantastic. I'm excited to read it yayyyy.
The fourth and final book that I purchased on Sunday was Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I've heard that this book is absolutely fantastic! I'm SO excited to read it you have no idea. I've been really getting into fantasy lately and I can't wait to read this one :)))))))).

                              Sarah:
Molly put me to shame guys. I came only expecting to get one book but instead left with too. Neither one I was planning on buying. First, I got Splintered by A.G. Howard. I know very little about this book. I think it has to do with Alice in Wonderland...but I had seen this book on goodreads and it had good ratings so I got it. Woot! Secondly, I bought Poison Princess by Kresley Cole. I also knew little about this book but saw it mentioned once on booktube. It is about the major arcana from tarot cards and the apocalypse. I just finished it this morning and it was really really good. I'll probably head back to Barnes and Noble soon to get the sequel!

So that was our haul! We'll have more coming soon...definitely.

xoxo Sarah and Molly

Booktube-a-thon Day 1

Hey everyone! Sarah here! Today has been an awesome start to booktubeathon. The book I started today was Beautiful Disaster, which my friend had lent me. And boy oh boy am I loving it! I about half way through and will definitely finish it tonight. YAY! And also check out my video challenge for today! WOOT!

Peace. Love. Read On.
xoxo Sarah

BookTube-A-Thon 2014 TBR

Hey everyone! It's that time of year again...BOOKTUBE A THON!!! EXCITEMENT! This will be the 2nd annual booktube-a-thon run by Ariel Bissett and various youtubers. It will take place from July 14 to July 20. There are various reading and video challenges to be completed during the week. It's super fun and Molly and I are going to try and do as many video challenges as we can and finally start youtubing so we are psyched! For more information, check out the official youtube which will probably answer your questions better than I can! Here are the books I'm planning on reading for the challenges:

1. A book with pictures ~ TBD
I don't have books with pictures I guess. Maybe I'll read a children's book?

2. Start and finish a series ~ The Warrior Heir Series 
I read this series ages ago in middle school. I really don't remember much about the series and considering The Warrior Heir is the booksplosion book of the month I thought it was about time to pick up this series again with my new older, and mature perspective...lol I'm not mature.. ;D (Apparently though there are 2 more books in this series but when I read it, it was a trilogy so this counts as a series for me)

3. A Book with red on the cover ~ Dangerous Creatures and We Should Hang Out Sometime
These books have both been sitting on my shelf FOREVER so this is a perfect chance to read them. We Should Hang Out Sometime is an ARC I received at bookcon and I don't know anything about it, but it sounds quirky and cool so YAY!

4. A Book Someones Else Picks Out for me ~ Beautiful Disaster
My friend and I did a book swap so I've had this book lying around to finish ASAP. She thought I would enjoy it so I'm excited to get into it!

5. A Book From a Genre you've read the least this year ~ Between Shades of Gray
So I don't read much historical fiction and my friend recommended this book to me so I bought it...again don't much about it. BUT it sounds cool and the cover is pretty. I'm sold!

6. A Book to Movie Adaptation (plus watching the movie) ~ TBD
At the moment, I don't know what I will choose for this. I want to read a new book because I'm behind in my reading challenge. However, I may re read one of my favorites-VAMPIRE ACADEMY or BEASTLY because I love them both and the movies are easily accessible to. We'll see what I have time for...

7. Read 7 books 
As you can see, I already have a mass of books on my TBR and I'm thinking "how will I do this" as I write this. I have no idea...This list is definitely subject to change and we will see what I can manage. 

I will create a TBR list on my goodreads which is goodreads.com/sarah_patch182 and post my booktube-a-thon updates there. I'm so excited guys!!! Yay!! Look out for our video challenges next week on our youtube channel. Have an awesome booktube-a-thon and if you are participating let us know what you are reading. May the odds be ever in your favor ;D

Peace. Love. Read On.
xoxo Sarah

Molly Reviews: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 372
Publishing Company: Speak
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
ISBN: 0142419400
My Rating:
Synopsis: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Review: I went back and forth a lot with this book. There were times where I absolutely loved it, and other times where I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever read. In the end, I wound up liking the book. I wouldn't say that I liked it a lot or that it's my favorite or anything, but it was definitely a good read.
This book is written in the present tense which was kinda weird but I could roll with it. I really enjoyed the characters. I thought that they had full personalities and they had their own quirks and issues which was cute. I loved that the novel took place in France because most of the books in YA that I read are usually set within the US so it was a nice change of pace for everything.
In the end though, this books is only getting three stars from me because I did have a love/hate relationship with it and I'm probably not going to be rereading it anytime soon. I think my main problem with this one was that I had my expectations set too high so I was a little let down in the end. I do however recommend this book to anyone who likes to read contemporary YA because you will adore this book!

Talk to you soon!
Molly

Sarah Reviews: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Heavenly Fire

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 725

Publishing Company: McElderry Books
Publication Date: May 27, 2014

ISBN: 9781442416895

My Rating:
 
Synopsis:*spoilers if you have not read The Mortal Instrument books preceding this one*

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

Review:
Who could've asked for a better way to end this series? It was beautiful, perfect, and a whopping 725 pages long!!! I stayed up until 4 in the morning two nights in a row because I could not put this book down. It was worth the lack of sleep. So let's get right into it!

This book had so many twists and turns. Although it did a nice job of wrapping up our character's stories, it felt a lot like a prequel to Cassandra Clare's series The Dark Artifices, which takes place 5 years later and follows Emma Carstairs who we are introduced to in CoHF. I loved Emma and can't wait to see her story. The aftermath of this book sets up nicely for the next series.

I also thought however, that to me the ending was predictable. I guessed how it would end easily and wasn't surprised with the outcome...only with how it was delayed. But there were also moments that shocked me, or where I laughed, smiled, and definitely had lots of tears.

Cassandra Clare's books are different because I find them to be more character driven. I loved the character development in this book. It was heartwarming to see how far these characters have come after 6 books and how they finally have a reached a happy place because after all the s*** they've been through they deserve it. I laughed when Jordan tried to help Jace meditate to control the heavenly fire except that Jace finds peace from weapons. Typical...

SPOILERS BELOW

Molly Reviews: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Title: It's Kind of a Funny Story

Author: Ned Vizzini

Pages: 444

Publishing Company: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 078685197X

My Rating:    

Synopsis: Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.
At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself. 
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. For a novel about depression, it's definitely a funny story.

Review: This book was really funny. I'm sure that when you read the synopsis, you wouldn't find it that amusing but Ned Vizzini was a pretty comical guy.
The book is written in several parts. The different parts organize how Craig is feeling, how he became depressed, and his stay in the hospital. As you read the book you learn everything you need to know right off the bat and it was certainly refreshing. I don't have too much to say about this book except that it was a quick read and it was highly entertaining. If you're looking for something quick and funny to read I highly suggest this book.

Sorry, for the crappy review. I just don't have much to say about this one.
Talk to y'all soon.
Molly

Sarah Reviews: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Pages: 225
Publishing Company: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
ISBN: 9780385741262
My Rating:    
Synopsis:
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE

Review:
Wow. This book was definitely not what I expected. It is not a light, fluffy contemporary. There is tons of mystery, suspense, and a dark feel to this story. This book is about Cadence's attempt to find out what happened during summer 15. Her family spends each summer on their island and she spends time with her cousins and their friend Gat. However, summer 15 she has an accident and the majority of the book is about her trying to figure out what happened. 

What I loved about this story was the complexity of the characters and how they lived by putting on a facade for others. How the family needed to always seem and act a certain way to others is something I feel like a lot of people can relate to. Cadence struggles with this in her family and the dynamic there is interesting to see unfold and the tension between everyone. 

I think the liars were a really interesting group and would have loved to learn more about them before summer 15 and how they got the name the "liars". I never seemed to trust Gat though. Something about him didn't sit right with me and I'm just itching to know more about his life outside of the summers spent on the island. I loved how they all had different lessons/mottos they shared with each other. Cadence's saying, "do the think you were always afraid to do" is actually something I love by, but not the extremes as her...more like about being confident and whatnot.

E. Lockhart's writing style somehow manages to make the story seem longer than it actually is. I would feel like I had been reading so much yet only 5 pages had been read. Mostly, the ending has an insane twist that made me rethink the whole book but also make the story make completely sense...I know it's complicated but this book really makes you think and keeps you on your toes.

Also, this is the Booksplosion book of the month for June. There will be a live show on July 2nd on PolandbananasBOOKS so check it out!

Peace. Love. Read On.
xoxo Sarah

Molly's July TBR

Hey ya'll!
I'm back with this month's TBR! I'm going to be flying to Indiana in a couple of weeks for a camp program thingy. So hopefully I'll be able to read a lot on the flight. Otherwise, I don't have too much going on so hopefully I'll be able to get some reading in. 

1. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - Since I didn't get to read this one last month and it was on my list, I decided to just transfer it onto this one. Now, instead of it being at the bottom of my list, it'll be on the top! :)

2. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan - Sarah and I will be going to Scotland with the band next month so I was just planning on marathoning PJO on the plane ride to/from but eh why not just read this one now?



3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I love Rainbow Rowell and I'm excited to give this book a go because I've heard such great things about it.

4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - The movie is coming out soon and I've been meaning to read this for a long time. I hope it's as good as everyone says it is.

5. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan - Another book I've been meaning to read for a LONG time. I couldn't find it for a while but I have since relocated it so yayyy.

I think that's a pretty solid month. I'm super pumped :).
I'll talk to you guys later! Hope you have a good July!
Molly