2018 in Review | Most-Read Authors

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be looking back at my reading habits of 2018. I went into my goodreads challenge page and went through my list of 100-odd books and tracked down my most read authors. 

When getting this post ready, I really thought that I read several authors a lot. But it seems like I really just read three authors very frequently in 2018. Without further ado, here are my most read authors of 2018! 

Jane Austen

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Okay, so funny story I never actually finished a Jane Austen novel this yer. I read two of her novellas this year, Lady Susan and Love and Friendship. I also read half of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma, and a couple chapters of both Mansfield Park and Persuasion. I had good intentions when it came to Jane Austen, but when I only had five days to read each book and other schoolwork, Austen went to the wayside. Even though I didn't get to finish any novels by her, I did spend a lot of time reading her books. I definitely want to finish Pride and Prejudice and Emma next year though! 

William Shakespeare

 link

Oh Will...I read so many plays from his this year! I had a Shakespeare class and was quizzed every day, so I was held accountable (unlike my Jane Austen class). I never rated the plays, simply because I wasn't too sure how to rate them. Objectively, they were written masterfully. But subjectively, there were some plays I found dull. Either way, here are the 7 plays I read this year!

• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Measure for Measure
• The First Part of King Henry V
• Romeo and Juliet
• Hamlet
• Macbeth

After reading all these plays, I seriously deserve a break...maybe I'll actually watch an adaptation instead of reading the play! 
 

 Christina Lauren

 link

And here's the kicker...I read 11 books and 2 novellas written by Christina Lauren! I really just went crazy with CL this year, and I've enjoyed every single one of them. I haven't loved every single one of them, but they've all been entertaining. I'm actually in the midst of reading Love and Other Words, and I'm really loving it. While it may be the 26th as I'm writing this post, I'm mostly likely going to finish my 12th before the end of the year. Here is a list of everything I've read by the author duo.  

• Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful #1)
• Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful #2)
• Beautiful Player (Beautiful #3)
• Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful #1.5)
• Beautiful Bombshell (Beautiful #2.5)
• Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons #1)
• Dirty Rowdy Thing (Wild Seasons #2)
• Dark Wild Night (While Seasons #3) 
• Roomies
• Autoboyography
• Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
• Dating You / Hating You
• My Favorite Half Night Stand

Whew, what a list! Christina Lauren has taken over my life. I really need some more romance authors that speak to me like CL does. This next year I'm going to be on the lookout for some other romance authors. If you have any recommendations, please leave them down in the comments! 

Wonderfully, I would recommend every single book on this post! What are some of your most-read authors of 2018? 

Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll see you in the next year! 

Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

2018 in Review | Best Books

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be looking back on some of my best reads of the year.  As of December 25, I've read 109 books, and there have been 13 standouts! I've had a wonderful reading year and getting the list to just 10 was impossible.

As was the case with my previous post, "2018 in Review | Worst Books" I went over to my goodreads and looked over the books I read. There were so many that I enjoyed, so trying to whittle it down to my favorites was quite difficult. My current read (Queen of Air and Darkness) might become a favorite, so hopefully I can finish that up before the end of the year! Keep in mind that this list is purely my opinion, and this list might not be indicative of your tastes.

Without further ado, here are 13 books that were above and beyond.

Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I've always heard amazing things about Simon vs., and I am so glad I decided to read it! The book was spectacular, as was the movie adaptation. I haven't read this since February, but I'd love to revisit the book one day so I can bask in all the cuteness. 

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

I mean....it's Jenn Bennett! How could she not be on this list? Her YA contemporaries always deliver, and I should probably try out her adult novels. Starry Eyes was a wonderful read, and also another book I really want to own but don't. Starry Eyes is a combination of friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and exes to lovers all in one relationship and I loved it. Also, there is a great relationship between the main character and her step-mom, which was great to see! 

2018 In Review | Worst Books

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be reviewing some of the worst books I've read this year. In 2018, I was pretty strict on what I did and did not read.When I first thought about the worst books of this year, nothing immediately came to mind. I take this as a great sign! I'd be less happy if several books came to me right away.

Since I couldn't think of anything off the bat, I trotted my way to goodreads and looked at what I read. While the year isn't over yet, it doesn't seem like either of my current reads (Lovestruck by Kate Watson and Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare) will make the list. Keep in mind that this list is purely my opinion and that if a book makes this list, I probably didn't despise it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.

Without further ado, here are seven reads of the year that fell short. 

The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Bargain was just so bland. This book feels like it was published in the early 2000s, maybe late 90s, but it was actually published in 2012. The sexist language and borderline sexual assault made me super uncomfortable. There's a scene where the protagonist voices her reluctance during a sexual encounter and the love interest responds with, "I don't care." WHAT!! Needless to say, The Marriage Bargain does not stand the test of time. 

BOOK REVIEW | My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

Title: My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Author: Christina Lauren
Series? No, this is a standalone
Pages: 384
Publication Date: December 4, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: I won the goodreads giveaway for the book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.

So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.

But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship...but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever.

Goodreads

BOOK TAG | Naughty or Nice?

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be doing a book tag! I absolutely love book tags, and when I saw this on czai's blog, The Blacksheep Reader, I knew I had to participate. The tag was originally created by Jenniely on her blog, The Page of Jenniely, so make sure to check out her post as well! 


This tag takes a look at some bookish sins. In order to determine whether or not you've been a good bookish person this year, you go through the list and see which ones you are guilty of! Without further ado, here is the tag!

Received an ARC and not reviewed it 

This is a big YIKES for me! I have a couple books on Netgalley that I haven't finished yet, but have started! I am planning on finishing them, but priorities (school, mental health, and family) take precedence. This year, I haven't read The Raging Ones Krista and Becca Ritchie, Mirage by Somaiya Daud, and the anthology Toil and Trouble. Maybe I have an aversion to purple book covers?? eeek!

Have less than 60% feedback rating on Netgalley 

Not guilty! I actually worked really hard this year to get my NG rate to 80 percent, and I want to be at 90 eventually, but that will mean getting more books and reviewing them to even out the ones that I got but didn't end up finishing. Right now, I have a good 84 percent. After I finish my ARC, I think it'll be 85 or 86 percent!

November Wrap Up!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog, where I don't regularly post! First, I'd like to acknowledge my lack of posting recently. School has been very hectic with finals, but I just finished the semester! I'll have an extended break from the 15th until the first week of the new year. Hopefully I'll be writing enough posts to keep me afloat. :)

During November, I read 10 books! I am pretty proud of this number since I had so much going on. Here are the 10 I read:

1) The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson 

 Goodreads

 The Accidental Beauty Queen is a quick, light, rom-com about two twins doing the classic switcheroo ala The Parent Trap at a peagant competition. It wasn't my favorite book ever, but it was great to read during such a stressful time.

2) Hamlet by Shakespeare

Goodreads

I wrote a whole research paper about Hamlet, so I'm kind of done talking about it. Hamlet isn't my favorite Shakespeare play (honestly, I don't know what is), but I enjoyed it and understood it a lot more than I did three years ago on my first read. 

3) Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Goodreads

By reading Lord of Shadows this November I was able to finally catch up with the Shadowhunter chronicles. Since Queen of Air and Darkness just released, I am now behind the curve. LoS was a wonderful book, but it wasn't completely perfect. Still, it's one of Clare's best additions!

4) My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

Goodreads

I love Christina Lauren, so I was ecstatic when I won My Favorite Half-Night Stand through a goodreads raffle. I will say, Lauren's latest release is not my favorite, simply because I felt uncomfortable about the catfishing scenario. Nevertheless, this author duo's writing style is spot-on again. 

5) This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada

 Goodreads

This Cruel Design is the sequel to one of my favorite books of last year, This Mortal Coil. Though This Cruel Design didn't live up to my ultimate crush on This Mortal Coil, I really liked the sequel and the plot kept changing course so many times. I'm eagerly anticipating the third novel! Emily Suvada here I come! 

6) Bro Code by Kendall Ryan

 Goodreads

 Ah, another romance novel. I mean, would this be a wrap up anymore if I didn't have a romance novel with a cringe-y cover on the list? Bro Code wasn't a new favoirte, but it was a quick read. I'll be looking up Kendall Ryan on Scribd and seeing what else I can read from here!

7) Macbeth by Shakespeare

Goodreads 

Oh, Macbeth...what a play. I really enjoyed both Hamlet and Macbeth, and much like Hamlet, I understood and enjoyed it much more than my first time. If you are new to Shakespeare, I would recommend this or Romeo and Juliet as a first read! 

8) Trouble Brewing by Suzanne Balstar

Goodreads 

I recieved Trouble Brewing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Much like all the romance novels on the list, Trouble Brewing wasn't the best thing ever, but it was entertaining. I also liked the feminist undertones as well. 

9) The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

Goodreads 

The Marriage Bargain was definitely my least favorite of the month. I saw it on Scribd and thought, why not? I normally read romance novels that are recently published, but I wasnted to give Jennifer Probst a try since she's so popular. Unfortunately, this didn't age well. There's cliches after cliches, and the love interest isn't that great of a guy, even after his "redemption."  

10) The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

 Goodreads

I have heard such wonderful things about The Wedding Date! While my sister went crazy at the local mall on Black Friday, I got tired of shopping quickly and headed over to the Barnes and Noble and read half of the book in one sitting. I then listened to the rest of it via audiobook on Scribd, and really enjoyed myself. While I thought some of the actions from the love interest were troubling (reacts harshly and kicks/throws things when angry), it was pretty good. The dailogue could get pretty stilted, but I liked The Wedding Date enough that I'm planning on reading Guillory's other release soon, The Proposal. 

Life Updates!

Goodreads Challenge!

I completed my goodreads challenge this month! My goodreads challenge was set to 100 books, and I surpassed that easily this year. This surprises me because I've rarely reached my goal these last two years. Being in English classes at my university helps, because it makes me read books even when I'm busy, because it's homework! I'm not going to up my challenge, and instead just read what I want with no pressure at all. 

Her Campus Articles!

As I mentioned last month, I am a staff writer for Her Campus, which is an online collegiate magazine. There's chapters all around the world, and I work for the one for my university. 

#WomensHealthAwareness: The Truth About the Susan G Komen Foundation 

Why I Decided to Live Off-Campus

#Gratitude: 2018 Has Been Difficult. Here's How I'm Staying Thankful.

Romance Novels Aren't Guilty Pleasures

Well, that was my November wrap up? Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

INTERVIEW | Teri Wade of The Accidental Beauty Queen!

Goodreads

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! As you can see, I have a different sort of post for you all today -- an author interview! I recently read Teri Wilson's The Accidental Beauty Queen and was swept away into a world of pageantry, sisterhood, and love. When I got an email asking if I could be a part of the novel's blog tour, I bit at the chance! Without further ado, here is my interview! 

If you are interested in purchasing the book for you, your friend, your library, etc. links to booksellers follow the interview. 

Enjoy!   
  
Hi Teri! Thanks so much for stopping by at my blog! To start off, why don’t you give us the elevator pitch for The Accidental Beauty Queen? 

The Accidental Beauty Queen is a fun story in which a shy librarian takes her identical twin sister’s place in a national beauty pageant and ends up learning a lot about herself and what it truly means to be beautiful. 

BOOK TAG | Greek Gods Book Tag!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and I may be blogging regularly??? What is this life? Now that I'm on Thanksgiving break, I'm using my time to write the rest of my November posts, and hopefully some of my December posts, one of them being this one!

Today I'm participating in the Greek Gods book tag. I wasn't tagged, but did see this on Melanie's blog, Mel to the Any. As someone who was obsessed with Greek gods and goddesses back in the day, I was super excited to see this post. Also, I'm so worn out from university and I didn't have any good ideas, so there's that. 

Here are the rules for the tag:

• Pingback to Zuky here so she can read all your posts!

• You can use her graphics if you like, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. The graphics for this post are my own, so if you use the graphics from here, please credit me (Genni @ Ready, Set, Read)!

• Tag as many people as you want, but please share the love.

Now let's get started!

Um...I don't know if I have just one favorite book. But one of my favorite books of this year has been Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes are standouts as well. All of them have romance and a strong character development.  

 Cat from This Cruel Design is pretty badass. Living with another person in her mind and having to balance both? Pretty hard. Cat tries to subdue an epidemic, traveling around, trying to make allies, and hacking all around. Her actions in the last third of the book were so badass, and with that cliffhanger of and ending, I hope she is okay.

BOOK REVIEW | Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Title: Lord of Shadows
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series? Yes, Lord of Shadows is the second book in The Dark Artifices trilogy, which is part of the Shadowhunter world, which includes other series, like The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.
Pages: 701
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Source: I checked this out from my university library.

Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

Goodreads 

Book Recommendations Based off Ariana Grande's "thank u, next"

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! First, I want to apologize for being so absent on here. I have barely been responding to comments, let alone commenting back and posting regularly. To make it up to you, I'm doing this post where I match books to the lyrics in Ariana Grande's latest single, "thank u, next."

Up until this year, I wasn't a mega-fan of Ariana Grande. I listened to her casually, but I didn't follow her music. But then Sweetener came out and I started playing closer attention to her. The album isn't perfect, but there are a lot of solid songs on there, and I frequently listen to it. And then she released "thank u, next." I was done for. I mean...what a BOP. To honor my favorite song at the moment, I'm going to be recommending some books based off the lyrics. 

First, if you haven't listened to the song, here it is below!

TTT | Backlist Books I Want to Read

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'm going to be joining in on Top Ten Tuesday, or TTT. TTT is a weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is, "Backlist Books I Want to Read." In case you don't know, backlist books are older books avaiable from a publisher, rather than newer releases, that are sometimes referred to as the frontlist.

There are a ton of backlist books I want to read, but here are ten that I am eager to read, in no particular order!

10) Gone by Michael Grant

Goodreads

Michael Grant's seven (?) book long series is so well known in the YA community. As an avid YA reader, I feel like I should give this one a look! 

9) Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Goodreads

I read Butler's Kindred last year, and absolutely loved it. I watched an operatic musical of this book, and thought it was great. So now I just need to actually read the book! 

8) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Goodreads

I don't know how I did it, but I managed not to be spoiled about this, except for some minor things. I definitely want to read and watch the movie, but this isn't a priority right now. One day!

October Wrap Up!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my post! I'm Genni, and today I'll be wrapping up what I've read in October!

Schoolwork got pretty hectic, so I only read 8 books this month. I'm glad I managed to get to any though!

Without further ado, here are the books I read this past October!

1) Before We Were Free by Julia Alverez

Goodreads

I don't have much to say about Before We Were Free. I think I'm all talked-out, considering my class discussed this novel for over a week. It was good, and I recommend it. That is all! 

BOOK REVIEW | Analee, In Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Title: Analee, In Real Life
Author: Janelle Milanes
Series? No, Analee, In Real Life is a standalone novel.
Pages: 416
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: I received an e-galley of Analee, In Real Life via Netgalley. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who’s marrying a yogi she can’t stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game.

Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can’t do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri’s partner-in-crime, Xolkar—aka a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person.

So when high school heartthrob Seb Matias asks Analee to pose as his girlfriend in an attempt to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees. Sure, Seb seems kind of obnoxious, but Analee could use some practice connecting with people in real life. In fact, it’d maybe even help her with Harris.

But the more Seb tries to coax Analee out of her comfort zone, the more she starts to wonder if her anxious, invisible self is even ready for the real world. Can Analee figure it all out without losing herself in the process?

Goodreads

TTT | 10 Best Villains!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in the weekly meme, Top Ten Tuesday. TTT is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is a spin on villains. This week, I'm showcasing my top ten favorite villains. For me, I tend to favor villains that are more complex, and have some humanity that makes us readers sympathize with them just a little bit, despite all their horrible actions. Okay so I ended up only having eight...there just aren't that many complex villains out there! Or, you know, I haven't been reading the correct books for my reading taste!

Here are 8 villains that are deliciously evil.

8) The Villains in This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Goodreads

I'm keeping this one real vague because of spoilers. Though I guessed who the real bad guy was, it was still a wonderful twist and I loved seeing how the reveal affected all of our MCs!

Thoughts While Listening To... | Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Title: Ash Princess
Author: Laura Sebastian
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Series? Yes, a trilogy
Length: 13 hours, 17 minutes
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: I checked out Ash Princess via my online local library

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

"Made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir" ( Bustle ), Ash Princess is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

"Sure to be one of the summer's most talked about YAs. . . . A darkly enchanting page-turner you won't be able to put down."-Bustle

Goodreads