Christmas Songs Book Tag

I found this last year over on That Artsy Reader Girl blog, and decided it would be a fun one to join in and especially to help me out with my Blog Ahead Challenge in October!  The goal is to pick a book you’ve read this year that fits the theme of the Christmas song titles.  Personally, I may have to stretch to some books from earlier than this year, but we'll see how it goes!


1. “All I Want for Christmas Is You”: Favorite bookish couple.

 From this year's books I'll have to pick Luc and Evie from The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L Armentrout.


2. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”: Name a book where a character is away from home (school, vacation, etc.).

Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott.  Olive Perry is hiking the Appalachian Trail when she gets stuck in a snowstorm and meets Jay.


3. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Name your favorite “little” book (children’s book, short story, novella, etc.).

I got to read an advanced copy of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood which contained poems and songs by Fred Rogers, otherwise known as Mister Rogers.  



4. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town“: What book(s) do you hope Santa brings you this year?

I am sooooooo hoping for an ARC of Chosen by Kiersten White.  Maybe I'll have it and have to change this answer by the time this post goes up, but I'm doubting it with the way things are going so far! 



5. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Which book turned your nose red (made you cry)?

The Perfect First by Maya Hughes was one that made me cry at so many things that just really resonated with me.  

 

6. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: Your favorite book/kind of book to read during the holidays.

I don't really have any favorite type of book or exact book to read.  I just like to read, and I'm happy with whatever it is as long as I'm getting time to read.  Maybe as a kid one book I loved to read over and over was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.






7. “We Three Kings”: Your favorite trilogy.

Hmm.  This year I'm going to pick the Kiss Me trilogy by Emma Hart:  Kiss Me Not, Kiss Me Tonight, and Kiss Me Again.



8. “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”: A character you would love to be snowed in with.  

I'm going to pick Rook from A Lie for a Lie by Helena Hunting, which is kind of perfect since he's a hockey player. 



9. “Last Christmas”: A book that seriously let you down.

This is so hard to pick because if I don't like a book, I don't finish it.  But I did read a book that was my planned goal of a classic I'd heard I would like.  I wasn't impressed.  It was Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.  



10. “White Christmas”: An upcoming release you’re dreaming about.

Since I already mentioned Chosen by Kiersten White, I'll pick another, Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout.    

L-L-L-Little Reviews: Four Adult Books

Definitely behind on reviews from February!  Ended up with 9 I hadn't written reviews for on March 1st.  Now, to be fair, three of those were for blog tours that are this week and I have them all done now.  So I'll get four done in this review that aren't part of an tours, and all are adult titles.  Then I'll do a couple kids titles later on.

Off Limits by Vivian Ward:

Genre:  Adult contemporary romance
Release Date: September 26th, 2017
Source:  Paperback I purchased
My rating:  3 stars

I purchased this from the author when I got to meet her last year at the Kinky in Kansas City Convention.  It was the one that sounded most like my type of story.  Honestly, it was mostly a quick, easy read.  Had several of the issues that I notice with self-published books a lot.  For the most part, it gave me some confidence to continue working on my own writing and try to get my own stories out as well.  It had some original parts to it, some things that definitely set it apart from similar stories.  Definitely a short and sweet review on this one.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
My only rule? Never get involved with the dancers.  
I’m in charge at The Pink Pouch, and my rules are simple: keep the girls safe and never sleep with them. Watching sexy, curvy women dance is every man’s dream, and mine’s no different. 

But when Melanie walks in, everything that has been forbidden is more desirable now than ever before. 

I’ve known her since she was just a girl wearing her seashell bikini top, but she’s traded in seashells for tassled pasties; yet, I’m the one hanging from a string. The more I watch her hips sway around the pole, the more I realize that I’m completely screwed.  


Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut:

Genre:  Classic fiction
Release Date: 1969
Source:  Paperback I purchased
My rating:  3 stars

So, occasionally I try to pick up classics and give them a try, since I don't feel I read that many in school.  This one was recommended to me because it has aliens in it, maybe.  This is also my first Vonnegut book.  Personally, I'm going to say I wasn't that impressed.  The first chapter made me think there was no way I'd get through it. But the second chapter at least was better.  The story got interesting, and probably the fact that I'd watched the World War I documentary that Peter Jackson did while I was reading this helped me to be in the mood to read a war story.  While I wasn't impressed, it did at least keep my attention.  There was one thing the author kept repeating, "So it goes", and that got a bit annoying.  The weirdest thing of all, is that the parts with the aliens reminded me of dreams I've had.  Maybe that means I've been taken by aliens?  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Prisoner of war, optometrist, time-traveller - these are the life roles of Billy Pilgrim, hero of this miraculously moving, bitter and funny story of innocence faced with apocalypse. Slaughterhouse 5 is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centring on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden in the Second World War, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.    


Moonlight Sins (de Vincent #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout:

Genre:  Adult contemporary romance
Release Date: January 30th, 2018
Source:  Stripped cover from bookstore
My rating:  4 stars
  
I decided to go ahead and read this one for two reasons.  For one thing, the third book in the series was coming out and so it made me remember I had this copy.  For the second, I decided to put it as one of my books to read for a challenge I did in February.  As with every JLA book, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.  First there was the Taylor guy that she had the awesome one night stand with at the beginning, and then when we found out who he was. Then, Lucian, kinda love him.  But I couldn't decide if Gabe was being serious or just trying to make Lucian jealous.  There were a lot of twists and turns at the end, and some people that weren't what you'd thought.  It was a great read, and I can't wait to read on in the series, very interested in Gabe's story!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers the unforgettable story of a woman whose new life has just begun—but may end in murder . . . 

Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou—and a scorching encounter with a stranger, only to discover he’s Lucian de Vincent . . . her new employer. The de Vincent brothers share a massive fortune and a dark reputation. Julia cares for their troubled sister, but a menacing presence in the mansion—and the ever-present temptation of Lucian—prove dangerously distracting.

Lucian’s grandmother claimed de Vincent men fall in love once—and hard. Apparently, it’s Lucian’s turn. Julia’s compassionate care of his twin makes Lucian want to lay himself bare. But some secrets are better for Julia not to know.

The recent “suicide” of Lucian’s father is the latest in a string of deaths on the estate. Someone is eliminating the de Vincents. And the best way to get to Lucian may be through Julia. . . . 


One in a Million (Lucky Harbor #12) by Jill Shalvis:

Genre:  Adult contemporary romance
Release Date: October 14th, 2014
Source:  Purchased Audible audiobook
My rating:  4 stars
  
This was my first book by this author, and while I had some issues with it, I definitely enjoyed it enough that I am going to want to read more.  Sometimes I have trouble listening to books that are in third person, especially romance, I kind of like the first person better.   I think I'd have liked this even better with two narrators, one for the male and one for the female parts.  Not that the narrator was bad, I just think the book might have been better.  But I guess when it is in third person, you don't always need the two people to read.  Some of the sexy parts were a little cringe-worthy for me, I guess just compared to the really steamy stuff I usually read.  I did totally get what the main character mentioned about always feeling like a third wheel, with parents, etc.  Because that's totally my life!

Towards the end, the really final issue, I was a little mad that she didn't give him a chance to explain, because she knew he had a son, and should have at least thought that was a possibility.  And then, I feel like his proposal was a little soon, but okay.  Again, my steamy romances may give me a little more time with that?  I did get the friends bit, really is similar to the short story I'm working on.  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
As the brains behind wedding site TyingTheKnot.com, Callie sees it all: from the ring to the dress, the smiles... to the tears. It's that last part that keeps her single and not looking. Getting left at the altar will do that to a girl. But when Callie returns to her old hometown, she finds that her sweet high school crush is sexier than ever. And he makes it hard to remember why she's sworn off love...

Tanner is a deep-sea diver with a wild, adrenaline-junkie past-and now his teenage son is back in his life. How can Tanner be a role model when he's still paying for his own mistakes? It's hard enough that gorgeous Callie has appeared in town like a beautiful dream, challenging his best-laid plans to keep his heart on lockdown. Though there's something about being around her again that makes him feel like he can be the man she—and his son—deserve. Little Lucky Harbor holds their past; can it hold a beautiful new future? 

Review and Book Tour: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

I have to say thanks to Edelweiss and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read an e-galley of this book.  I was definitely intrigued by the synopsis, and then when I read the story, I definitely enjoyed it and was glad to have the chance.  Also thanks to Fantastic Flying Book Club Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour.  You can check out the rest of the schedule for the tour HERE.

The book is told from four different viewpoints, all high school students in Seattle.  And all of them are dealing with normal teen issues like graduating from high school, as well as now an asteroid that is hurtling towards Earth and possibly ending their futures.  I know that a lot of times changes in characters can be confusing when you're reading a book. But I feel like the author did a great job, each chapter had the name of who it was, just in case, and each person has a different enough voice that you could tell who it was very quickly just by reading. 

First is Peter.  Peter is the "man on campus" in that he is a star athlete, on the student council, dating the hottest girl in school, and just very popular.  But one day he is in the dark room at school, and he sees a girl, and he kisses her.  There's just something about her, so different from what he's used to, and he can't seem to help himself.  That girl is Eliza.

When Peter kisses Eliza, it doesn't go unnoticed as another girl, who is friends with Peter's girlfriend just happens to burst into the dark room in the middle of their kiss.  Thanks to that, Eliza gets a horrible reputation from the rumors that those girls then spread about her.  So she kind of gives in and becomes what the rumors say.  But her life isn't great outside of school either.  Her mother left her and her father, and her father has cancer and has to go to the hospital.

The third character we hear from is Andy.  Andy is your total slacker/trouble maker.  He is a skateboarder, and also has a not so great home life.  His dad is gone, and his mother married a rich man that they now live with.  The house they live in has one of those "mother-in-law" apartments, which he calls a ma-in-law, (which I love that nickname!), and he gets to live in that.  It also becomes a party hangout for his friends.  Where no one checks in on them.  He doesn't get much attention from his mom or stepdad.  He also has an issue with his best friend Bobo for not coming through on a pact they'd make. And he's not really a ladies man, so he will end up with a goal of finally hooking up with a girl before the asteroid, Ardor, hits.  And he settles on Eliza.

The last character is Anita.  She comes from a family that wants her to go to Princeton, and expects her to be academically superior in all ways.  Yet Anita has always felt drawn to singing.  Unfortunately her father is very rigid and won't allow it.  When her grades aren't as good as they need to be, and she only gets provisional acceptance into Princeton, she begins to wonder if she is going to be able to live with the life her father wants for her.  And with the asteroid coming, they all are really looking at their choices and futures, or lack of futures, to decide what is right for them.

As it becomes more clear that the asteroid is headed for Earth, things begin to spiral out of control in the world outside of their own lives, martial law comes, school changes, public places start closing, causing looting, and arson, as well as places catching on fire just because of all the other things going on.  These four will be thrown together more and more, into a word I learned from this book, a karass, which is a group of people linked together in a cosmically significant manner.  Andy came up with this term from when they read Vonnegut in school.  Together they must figure out how to come to terms with this future and what their feelings for themselves, each other, their families, and the world around them are.

I like that what is happening in the world seems realistic to me.  It's not mega-crazy rioting, but it is rioting.  I like that there were words used in the book that may not be easily known by all teens, but were words that they might be learning in high school.  Like karass, or gulag.  I liked how realistic the characters were. They weren't perfect, they had the real types of reactions to how others treated them, and that was perfect.  I like that the asteroid was there, but not the whole story, although the science teacher in me would have loved more about that.  I will definitely put this book on the list for books to order for the high school library where I work.