WWW Wednesday (7/31/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab - I really enjoyed it! It's a fun, entertaining middle-grade read.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han - I really enjoyed this one too. It's a nice follow-up to To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

What do you think you'll read next?

I just checked these out from the library, so I'll be reading these next.

Top Ten Tuesday / Tear Jerkers

Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is a freebie, and I decided to share my favorite tear jerkers. I don't usually cry at books/movies or enjoy sentimental stories, but here are fantastic reads worth the tears.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - I really connected with the main character in the book and a certain something happened that left me tearing up. If you haven't read it yet, you really need to!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - Before I Fall is a heart breaking novel about a girl who dies in a car crash but then keeps reliving the day over and over. By having to keep reliving the last few hours of her life, the main character learns about kindness, friendship, and love.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - The Book Thief will take you on a wild, emotional ride and leave you sad for weeks. It's worth it though... a really great read.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling - Two words: Sirius Black. You all know what I'm talking about!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Mia is in a car crash that kills her family and leaves her in a coma; she must decide to continue living or go into the great beyond with the rest of her family. Definitely a tear jerker.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera is about a love that lasts decades, and it really fucked me up for about two weeks.

The Martian by Andy Weir - A biologist/astronaut is accidentally left behind on Mars during an expedition and fights for his life. It's thrilling and every second will leave you breathless. 

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Centered on a young girl with bone cancer, her sister fights for her right to make a decision about donating her bone marrow. Both the book and the movie - though they have entirely different endings, will leave you in tears.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - This actually took me by complete surprise. It's normally categorized as a science fiction but it's really not... It's a great story says a lot about love and what makes us human.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - This is a short, sweet, emotional read about a middle aged bookstore owner who receives a mysterious package that changes his life. An unexpected read that is one you will never forget.

The Reading Rush 2019 / My Overall Experience

It's the end of this year's Reading Rush! I ended up reading four books, which considering I've been hella busy at work, is really good.

Total pages read: 1,180

The Darkest Part of the Forest - This meets the challenges of a Book with Five or More Words in the Title and a Book with a Non-Human Character. Like Black's Folk of the Air series, I liked this book more than I thought I would. It was the longest book on my list, so I wanted to get it out of the way first. I'd definitely recommend it for those who liked The Cruel Prince/The Wicked King. The Darkest Part of the Forest on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Carrie - Next I read Carrie by Stephen King. It meets the challenges of a Book with Purple on the Cover, an Author's Debut Novel, and Read a Book then Watch the Movie Adaptation. Though I've watched both film adaptations, this was my first time reading the book. I really enjoyed it; I liked the book better than the movie as the book has more background and context of telekinesis. After reading, I then watched the 1979 film version on Netflix. It's been a while since I've seen the 2013 film, but I stay solid in my belief that the book is ALWAYS better! Carrie on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Leah on the Offbeat - This meet the challenge of read a Book You Meant to Read Last Year. Here's the thing: I did enjoy Leah on the Offbeat, but I also disliked it. I'm sorry, but something about Leah's character really bugs and irritates me. I know others enjoyed it, but it's not my cup of tea. Leah on the Offbeat on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★

Milk and Honey - With Milk and Honey, I was able to cross off the last challenge: Read a Book in the Same Spot. What better way to do that than with poetry? Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. There were a few poems that I really connected with but ultimately, the novel fell flat for me. Milk and Honey on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

How I felt about The Reading Rush

The Reading Rush went well, but I would have liked to have connected more with other participants. I didn't really get into the website that much and I'm still trying to get into Twitter. I feel like I have a harder time connecting with other bloggers, especially on Twitter. I'm still getting a hang of things!

Next year I'll... 

Hopefully this time next year I'll have more followers and be more socially connected. I'll want to participate in more challenges (in addition to the reading challenges) and chat more with other readers.

Did you participate in the Reading Rush? Let me know in the comments! :)

The Reading Rush / Day 6

We're almost to the end of The Reading Rush 2019 and I think I've been doing pretty darn well!

I didn't blog yesterday because I felt like I didn't really have an update... I just read and went to work. I finished Leah on the Offbeat this morning. I have mixed feelings about it, I liked it but also disliked it if that makes sense. Leah on the Offbeat meets the challenge of Read a Book You Meant to Read Last Year. I read and finished Milk and Honey, meeting the challenge of Read a Book in the Same Spot. I couldn't connect to Milk and Honey. I'm not a poetry reader, and I don't want to insult anyone's work, but I felt like it wasn't poetry like I'm used to seeing. There were a few poems that I did connect with but that's the only thing I liked about the novel.

I still need to read a book and watch the film adaptation. I finally read Carrie by Stephen King for The Reading Rush... I think I'm just going to watch the 1979 film to complete the challenge.

I'm not going to blog tomorrow, but I will have a large post Monday explaining my experiences and everything.

The Reading Rush Tracker

1/ Read a book with purple on the cover

2/ Read a book in the same spot the entire time

3/ Read a book you meant to read last year

4/ Read an author’s first book

5/ Read a book with a non-human main character

6/ Pick a book that has five or more words in the title

7/ Read and watch a book to movie adaptation

The Reading Rush / Day 4

Day Four of The Reading Rush was pretty basic.

I finished Carrie by Stephen King; it meets the challenges of a Book with Purple on the Cover and An Author's Debut Novel. I'm thinking of also watching both the original and the remake films and writing a whole big analysis on the story. It'll also meet the challenge of

Tonight I'm starting Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. I flew through Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda, so I don't think it'll take long to get through this novel. It'll meet the challenge of Read a Book You Meant to Read Last Year. I think I'm doing pretty well so far.

The Reading Rush Tracker

1/ Read a book with purple on the cover

2/ Read a book in the same spot the entire time

3/ Read a book you meant to read last year

4/ Read an author’s first book

5/ Read a book with a non-human main character

6/ Pick a book that has five or more words in the title

7/ Read and watch a book to movie adaptation

The Reading Rush / Day 3

It's Day Three and I've finally finished my first book for The Reading Rush 2019!

This morning I finished The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black before heading into work early for required training. I really enjoyed it! The novel meets the challenges of a Book with At Least Five Words in the Title and a Book with a Non-Human Main Character - though maybe it doesn't technically qualify for the last one but it has fairies so I'm counting it! I spent my lunch break catching up on YouTube videos and updating this post.

Tonight, I'm diving into Carrie by Stephen King. I've seen both movie adaptions and still haven't read the book so I'm definitely looking forward to this read. Carrie meets the challenges of a Book with Purple on the Cover and an Author's Debut Novel. It's pretty short so it shouldn't take more than a day to read. I had originally planned to read A Monster Calls as the Read a Book Then Watch the Film Adaptation, but I may just watch the original Carrie film since it's on Netflix. We'll see what happens!

How is your Reading Rush going? Let me know in the comments!

WWW Wednesday (7/24/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?

This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

This week is The Reading Rush 2019, so I'm definitely reading but I'll be writing separate posts so keep an eye out!

What did you recently finish?

Wilder Girls by Rory Power - I read this last week but somehow managed to forget to mention it in my last WWW Wednesday. It's a fantastic read and easily one of my favorite books of the year. Click here to read my full review. Wilder Girls on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim - Miracle Creek is a great courtroom thriller full of family drama and great writing. Miracle Creek on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He - It's a unique read but I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Others gave it a good review and even though I didn't like it, that doesn't mean you should give it a try. Descendant of the Crane on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

What do you think you'll read next?

Here are just ideas on what I'll read after The Rushing Rush.