Music Monday #5

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I'll be participating in my second Music Monday post! Music Monday is hosted by  Lauren @ Always Me.  

Here are the rules:

Every Monday share one or two of songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s).

This past weekend I saw Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again in theathers, and really liked it! Of course, after the movie I had so many ABBA songs in my head. These were the two that were on repeat, and are two of ABBA's biggest hits. I saw the first movie, Mamma Mia, when I was 9 years old, and fell in love with it! I was obsessed with the movie soundtrack, and have seen the film countless of times. I'm ecstatic that it got a sequel, and with such highly produced musical numbers!

Both of these were sung in the first movie as well! For Mamma Mia, Lily James sings instead of Meryl Streep, who sang in the first movie. Lily plays the same character as Meryl, but right after she graduates college in 1979.

 The whole cast chimes in for Super Trouper, and it was so fun seeing them all dance and sing! 

Besides Mamma Mia songs, I have another song that I want to share! God is a Woman by Ariana Grande has been on repeat in my head!

This song is just so catchy, and it's amazing to dance to! Plus, I'm all about the feminist message! I'm not an uber-fan of Ariana Grande, but I do generally enjoy her singles. Her newest music has been more of my taste in comparison to some of her earlier work!

And those are the songs stuck in my head this weekend! There are a couple others, but I'll be talking about them next Monday. :) 

Have you listened to these songs? Do you like them, or are they not your taste? 

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

Happy Reading (and listening)!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

 

Top Ten Tuesday | Books I Loved But Can't Remember Much About

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Until this 2018, The Broke and Bookish hosted the meme, so give them so love as well! :)

This week's topic is "Books I Loved But Can't Remember Much About". For this, I decided to look at my 2014 and 2015 favorites shelf on goodreads. Not only was I not a critical reader in 2014 (or 2015, for that matter) , it's also been three to four years since I've read these books, so I barely remember anything. 

Here are some of my "favorite" books that I know next to nothing about anymore!

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Required Reading

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today our topic is anything school related, so I decided to highlight my favorite required reading. I've had a mixed bag with required reads. I hate being forced to read something that I'm not in the mood for, and sometimes I just want to read instead of analyze and those lines are definitely blurred when it comes to school.

My schedule at college is pretty reading-heavy (I'm taking three English classes, a gender studies class, a Spanish class, and a philosophy class), so I'm sure that this list will be different by the end of the year! I am planning on being an English major, so I'm not doing any science or math heavy classes anytime soon.

Nevertheless, here are my top nine books I've had to read for school!


9) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I thought this book was..fine. There wasn't anything that I really liked about it, but not anything I minded either. It was a solid three star read, and I completely understand why it's a required reading in a lot of schools. The symbolism of the green light, the morally gray characters, the American dream, all of it!

8) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Now this is a required reading that I really liked, but probably shouldn't have read at such a young age. I read this in seventh grade (when I was 12) and though I liked it, I think I was too young to really grasp the importance of everything that was happening. Plus, I was spoiled. So when characters died, I wasn't all that fazed by it.

The Friday 56 with Book Beginnings! No. 8

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Friday 56 and Book Beginnings. They are hosted by Freda's Voice and Rose City Reader, respectively.

The rules are simple for both. For the Friday 56, we turn to page 56 or 56% in our e-reader and highlight a passage of any book! Book Beginnings is where you feature the first sentence (or so) of a book and give your thoughts and impressions.

Friday 56

So this is a pretty silly quote, but it's on page 56 of Brave New Girl by Rachel Vincent. The two main characters are not allowed to talk to each other, and yet Trigger continues to talk to Dahlia. He brings her a carrot from when of his missions outside the city, which Dahlia will never leave. As I'm writing this (on Thursday), I'm almost done with the book. It's not the best thing ever, but I am having a lot of fun with it!

Waiting on Wednesday #37

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW was hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase an upcoming release we are excited about. Jill hasn't been posting for quite some time, so Tressa @ Wishful Endings has adopted and renamed WoW to Can't Wait Wednesday.

My pick for this week  is Reunited by Colleen Houck! 

After surviving her otherworldly adventure, Lily wakes up on her nana’s farm having forgotten everything. Her sun prince, her travels to Egypt, and her journey to the Afterlife are all distant memories.

But Lily is not the girl she once was. Her body is now part human, part lion, and part fairy. And if that isn’t bad enough, she must now harness this power of three and become Wasret: a goddess destined to defeat the evil god Seth once and for all.

With the help of her old friend Dr. Hassan, Lily departs on her final voyage through the cosmos and across the plains of Egypt. On the journey, she will transform into the being she is destined to become.

Reunited is the heart-pounding conclusion to the Reawakened series.

It is time for Lily to find her sunset.

Author's Website | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday #26

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! This week I will be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase upcoming releases that we are excited about. Tressa @ Wishful Endings has recently taken lead in this meme, considering Jill hasn't been posting on for a while. Learn more here!

This week I chose Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet.

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of “how they first met” from some of today’s most popular YA authors.

Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

Top 5 Wednesday : Authors I Want to Read More From

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I am going to be participating in Top 5 Wedensday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. This week's topic is the top five authors that I want to read more from. Getting this down to five was a bit difficult, but I managed!

Without further ado, here are the five authors I picked this week (in no particular order)

1) Jenn Bennett
I absolutely loved Alex, Approximately. Alex, Aprrozimately was a You've Got Mail-esque tale where Bailey "Mink" Rydell moves to Corondo Cove in Calfiornia. Living there is an online friend she's made, Alex. However, she doesn't tell Alex she moves there. Instead, she wants to find him. Along the way she meets Porter Roth, and they don't get along very well. Little does she know that Porter and Alex are one and the same. Reading this book was such a blast and the characters were so real. I loved how Bennett put in movie quotes and references to board games, and more. She made the characters and the town really come to life. In short, her writing was spectacular. I cannot wait to read more of her, and I hope she becomes one of my favorite authors, because she has the potential to be. Be on the look out for my review!


2) Cassandra Clare
So this might be a bit of a cop out, because I have read the majority of Clare's books. I just have to read the last of TMI and TID, Lady Midnight, and all the other things like The Bane Chronicles. However, I still want to read more of her because I want to be caught all up! I am so close and yet so far away, but I'm really looking forward to catching up by the end of this year. 

3) Kasie West
So, if you didn't know, I put up a pretty harsh review of The Fill in Boyfriend in October 2015. This month though, I finally decided to give Kasie West a second chance with By Your Side, which I'll be reviewing soon! I liked the book so much more than The Fill in Boyfriend. By no means was it perfect, but I had a fun time with it. I want to read more of Kasie soon so that I can actually form an opinion of her!

4) Lesley Livingston
Livingston got a lot of attention this year for The Valiant, which was a great read. I actually reviewed the book here. The Valiant had great feminist themes and I loved everything it stood for. I had the pleasure of meeting Livingston and telling that to her, and she was such a joy to be around and she was so down to earth and hilarious. Livingston has actually published a lot of other books, so I'm interested to see what I think of them!

5) Jay Kristoff

Last but not least if Jay Asher! The only books I have read by him are Illuminae and Gemina, which are co-authored with Amie Kaufman. I want to see what his books are like just written by him, and I definitely think I'll start with Nevernight. I have a good feeling about this one, and I seriously hope that I love the book and Kristoff!

So, those are the five authors I want to read more from. Have you read any books by the authors I mentioned? What are some authors you want to read more from?

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

TTT: Books on My Spring TBR

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I will be participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Recently this meme was on hiatus, but this week it has restarted!

Today's topic is top ten books on my spring TBR. A lot of these I might have featured on a Waiting on Wednesday post, and if so, the links will be to those posts for more info.

Here are my top ten books, in no particular order.


10) Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves
I just mentioned this on my blog last week, but I don't want to stop talking about this book! I love the idea of this book's magic system. Our main character is born without magic, which is uncalled for as she is higher class. If done well, this book can be an awesome fantasy as well as make some comments on prejudices due to class. 
 

9) Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
If you don't know what this book is, I urge you to check out the goodreads page. This sounds like the perfect spring/summer contemporary. Though I think it is pretty obvious what the "twist" is, I am highly anticipating how everything all goes down. I basically cannot wait for this.  

8) Cold Summer by Gwen Cole
cold Summer has been getting some pretty hefty buzz, and I hope that it is worth all of it. I haven't read the synopsis in quite some time, but from what I remember the main character time travels when he's asleep. I think he gets stuck? Sorry everyone, it's been a while. :D But, the fact that there is time travel and romance somewhere in the mix sells me. 
 

7) Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
GUYS. GUYSS. Jenny Han is pretty much a goddess to me. I just love everything she writes, and I am hotly anticipating this book. It might be my most anticipated release of the year. Even though I'm getting more and more into fantasy, this contemporary trilogy is practically perfection for me. The characters aren't perfect, but I am able to relate to it so much. All I know is that Jenny better not screw up Lara Jean and Peter's relationship. But then again, John Ambrose McClaren is pretty outstanding. 

6) The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

The Love Interest is taking a new take on the love triangle, and I'm so ready for it. Basically, two opposing spy organizations are sent to fall in love with this girl (who I'm assuming is this beautiful, special snowflake). However, the two spies that are sent end up falling in love with each other instead. Did I mention this was a YA novel with spies and a m/m romance? Because that sounds absolutely fabulous. 
 
5) Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh 
I've had the pleasure of meeting Renee several times, and each time I meet her I feel even worse for not reading her books yet. Renee is such a beautiful person (inside and out) and I cannot wait to actually READ something by her instead of just wishing I was. I recently bought her first book (The Wrath and the Dawn), so hopefully I'll get to that soon, love it, and then read Flame in the Mist. 

4) Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland

So, I don't want to seem mean, but..if I made a list in order of least anticipated to most, this would be at the bottom. It's not that I'm looking forward to it (I am!) but it is all about college rejection. Right now, I have 15 days left until I hear back from 5 colleges. I've already been accepted into one of my top choices (YAY!!!), but I don't necessarily want to read a book about rejection because it makes me feel anxious. When the book comes out though, I should be fine! :D
 
3) Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
I am currently reading Mask of Shadows right now as an e-arc, so this might be a bit of cheating. However, I am so excited for this to hit shelves and see what everyone will think of it! The main character is gender fluid and totally kick ass. People will compare it to Throne of Glass, as there is a competition to be the leader's right hand person, but I find this much more refreshing than ToG (which, hint: I didn't like that much).
 
2) Roar by Cora Carmack

If I'm being brutally honest (again), this book would be second to last if I ordered this. Though the synopsis is absolutely fantastic, the thing holding me back is the author. I've read Losing It by Cora Carmack, and didn't love it. In fact, my main issue was the writing style. I'm trying to waive that aside though, considering that Losing It was her first book and I'm sure she's improved. Nonetheless, I am anticipating Roar, but I might not be picking it up the day it hits shelves. 

1) The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
Last but not least is The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell! I haven't seen much on this book, but the synopsis completely sold me (as did the cover!) As I mentioned earlier, I've been really getting into fantasy, and I think this book would be prefect for me. Plus, this book also features time travel, at theme I have been trying to read more of. 

What books are you looking forward to this spring? Do we have any in common?

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Waiting on Wednesday #20

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! This week I will be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase upcoming releases that we are excited about. Tressa @ Wishful Endings has recently taken lead in this meme, considering Jill hasn't been posting on for a while. Learn more here!

This week I chose Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves! 

The thrilling first book in a YA fantasy trilogy for fans of Red Queen. In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever.

Music Monday #3

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I'll be participating in my second Music Monday post! Music Monday is hosted by  Lauren @ Always Me. I've been trying to participate in the one more frequently, so you'll be seeing more of these posts! 

Here are the rules:

Every Monday share one or two of songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s).

Music Monday #2 | Bridgit Mendler

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I'll be participating in my second Music Monday post! Music Monday is hosted by my good friend Lauren @ Always Me. I've always wanted to participate for a while and I finally am! 

Here are the rules:

Every Monday share one or two of songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s).

This month I decided to showcase some Bridgit Mendler! In 2016 she released an EP called  Nemesis. You might have heard her music around 2012 when she released her album Hello My Name Is... I didn't really like this album that much; it's very much cookie cutter pop music. However, her newest EP isn't cookie cutter at all. It's still pop, but definitely is more..funky? I guess that is the right word. The EP is pretty bittersweet; it's all inspired by her breakup with her boyfriend of four or so years and you can feel her genuine emotion through her songs.

The EP is only four songs long, and I love all of them. However, my two favorites have to be Do You Miss Me At All? and Atlantis. However, Library and Snap My Fingers are jams as well.

Here's Do You Miss Me At All?

And here's Atlantis! Warning, the music video is pretty weird. :)

Have you heard Mendler's new EP or her earlier music? 

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

TTT: Best Contemporary Books of 2016!

Hey everyone and welcome back to blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top Ten Tuesday. This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. This week our topic is " Top Ten Best Books Of 2016." 

Since I am going to be doing a later post about my all around favorites of 2016, I am going to be showing all of you my favorite contemporary books I read this year! Throughout 2016, I got a lot more into fantasy, but I still love some good old contemporary!

None of these are in particular order, and not all of these are young adult! The books with links to them are links to my reviews.

10) The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Morgan Matson has not once disappointed me with her contemporary novels. I know that this book was most people's least favorite of hers, but this is actually my favorite! The relationships were so well done and I loved how raw everything felt. This book cemented Matson as one of my favorite YA contemporary authors. 

  9) The Sound of Us by Julie Hammerle
If I had two words to describe Hammerle's debut novel they would be quirky and fun. Kiki, the main character, was so hilarious. I really loved reading from her POV, which made up for the romance, which was just a tad lackluster. The ending was so well done, and I'm Hammerle is on my radar!

Waiting on Wednesday #9

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in the weekly meme Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we highlight upcoming releases we're excited about!

This month I picked Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh!

TTT: I'm Looking Forward To For The First Half Of 2017

Hey everyone and welcome back to blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top Ten Tuesday. This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. This week our topic is "Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To For The First Half Of 2017." 

I'm interpreting this as 10 books that I plan to read in the first half of 2017 that are going to be 2017 releases. If you want to check out a list of books that I want to read this upcoming year that are already published, go over here!

There are a ton of books that I am looking forward to this year, and this is only a handful of them! This is in order of publication date. 

10.) Frostblood by Elly Blake
Publication Date: January 10
Frostblood is a the first book in a new YA fantasy series that follows Ruby, a fireblood, in a world in which cold reigns supreme. The synopsis also mentions that Ruby is taken to fight against frostbloods in the king's tournaments. While the plot seems run of the mill, the book has been getting good reviews! I have high expectations. 

T5W: Books I Want to Finally Read in 2017

 Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top 5 Wedensday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Lainey from Gingerreadslainey is the founder of Top 5 Wednesday. 

This week we are featuring the top five books we want to finally read this upcoming year. This isn't upcoming releases, but those that I have meant to read for a year or more. 

Waiting on Wednesday #7

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in weekly meme Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we highlight upcoming releases we are excited about!

This week I chose Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott! 

I found this one while going on Netgalley. I'm pretty sure it is still open to to request!

 

Kaia has been on the run her whole life. The daughter of professional assassins, she knows true danger—and she’ll do anything to survive. After her parents vanished during a job gone bad, Kaia’s spent the last year in hiding, trying to blend in as an ordinary teenager, and there’s no one who makes her feel more normal or more special than her boyfriend, Oliver. But when she’s jumped by a hit man, and Oliver catches her fighting back, Kaia’s secret is exposed. In a split-second decision, she flees the small town, taking Oliver with her. With professional killers stalking their every move, can Oliver and Kaia protect each other long enough to uncover the mysteries of her past?

Why I'm Waiting

Once I read "the daughter of professional assassins" I was in! I'm looking forward to seeing what her thought processes are like. Obviously she grew up in a different environment! The romance seems really cute as well. I haven't read a mystery/thriller book since Conspiracy of Us, so I'm looking forward to it!

What did you pick this week? Are you looking forward to Pretty Fierce?

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Waiting on Wednesday #6

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in weekly meme Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we highlight upcoming releases we are excited about!

This month I am participating in SciFi month, which is hosted by Rinn @ Rinn Reads and Lisa @ Over the Effing Rainbow! In order to tie that in, I am going to be showing everyone an upcoming science fiction read I'm looking forward to.

This week, I chose Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner! 

There is little to know about Unearthed except that it's expected publication is sometime in 2017!

Here is the little blurb they have shared:

Jules Addison and Amelia Radcliffe join forces in a tomb-raiding race on a newly discovered planet to unravel the secrets of an ancient, long-extinct civilization — only to uncover a revelation that could spell the end of the human race.

Why I'm Waiting

I absolutely loved Kaufman and Spooner's Starbound series. I finished the trilogy January of this year and couldn't wait for the duo's next release. Their trilogy is one of my favorite YA trilogies out there, so I have extremely high hopes and anticipation for this one!  The whole tomb-raiding and ancient civilization spark my interest even more. And just in case you don't like the cover, don't worry. It's not the official one. ;D

What did you pick this week? Are you looking forward to Unearthed?

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

T5W: Books I Will Never Read

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today I am participating in weekly meme Top 5 Wednesday, which is hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. T5W was created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey. If you want to participate, check out the group's goodreads page here! The prompt for this week is books I will never read. Keep in mind that I don't mean to offend anyone. A book can't please everyone. 

Here are my five picks, in no particular order!