My Current TBR Shelf

I thought it would be fun to show you my current TBR books - well, at least the one's I have on campus. Most of my books are at my parent's home as I'm temporary living on school's campus, and pretty much all books I have here is my TBR books (since when I visit home I take read books there). There are some TBR books at home, too, since I don't have place for all at campus and it's nice to have something to read when I'm on holidays and random weekends at home.

 

So without any more explaining, here are (most of) my TBR (consisting physical books):

 

 

Left stack from top to bottom:

This Books Is Gay by James Dawson

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Earth Flight by Janet Edwards

Earth Star by Janet Edwards

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

Why We Took The Car by Wolfgang Herrndorf

Run by Gregg Olsen

White Cat by Holly Black

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Close Range by Annie Proulx

The Other Me by Suzanne van Rooyen

Kamikaze Boys by Jay Bell

Dirty London by Kelley York

 

Right stack from top to bottom:

The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice

Älä Koskaan Pyyhi Kyyneleitä Paljain Käsin by Jonas Gardell

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Sweet Escape by Bailey Ardisone

Hollowed by Kelley York

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Shadow & Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

The Kill Order by James Dashner

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window by Kirsty Moseley

Powerless by Tony Cooper

The Stolen Dragon of Quanx by Becca Mann

 

(Excuse me for being lazy and not linking the books to Goodreads but there's too many of them.)



Stacking the Shelves (26)

 

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

 

Purchased

 

 

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Kamikaze Boys by Jay Bell
Dirty London by Kelley York

 

ARCs

 

 

 

Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

 

Thank you, Samhain Publishing, for the review copy!

I know, I know, I hauled Dirty London during my b-day haul. But that was e-copy, and then I found out there was paperback available and I ordered it. I had to. It's Kelley York after all. Also, I'm super excited about More Than This and Kamikaze Boys - and Carry the Ocean, too! So hard time picking up what to read next since I want to read them all!

Feature & Follow Friday #21

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by two different hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! This meme is here for bloggers to gain new blogger friends and followers.

 

This weeks topic:

Do you own any doubles of your books? What led to getting that second...or third or fourth...copy?

I do own multiple copies of some of my books. For instance, I have three copies of The Maze Runner by James Dashner: the original US paperback, the US movie tie-in and the signed limited edition hardback. Then I have two copies of Half Bad by Sally Green (original UK paperback and exclusive, signed hardback), and Insurgent by Veronica Roth (original UK paperback and the hardback Collector's edition). I also have two copies of Escape From Hell! by Hal Duncan and third coming in the mail (I have two paperbacks in Finnish, other one is signed, and the third will be in English). I do have two sets of Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan since I have the whole series both in Finnish and English. Oh, I almost forgot! I have three copies of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: in Finnish, the classic line edition (it's gorgeous!) and one printed in 1947. I'm pretty sure I will buy other copies of it because it's my favourite classic (and as history freak, I yearn to find and own old copies of Wuthering Heights).

So, I'm not against getting multiple copies within reason. Mostly I either get some signed or limited edition along the original, or in case of Escape From Hell!, I got my original one signed and I just had to get other copy that I can take with me if I travel - and I have been hunting the English version of it for years and now I finally found it, and I'm so excited to get it!

I'd like to get other copies of Harry Potter in English (I only own the Finnish versions) but I can't to decide what covers I want. I don't like the new ones and I want the original UK covers but they're hard to get so I haven't (yet).

Oh, and I'd love to had other copy of Hushed by Kelley York but it's out of print and they're not printing it more. Sadly, the sellers of used ones asks ridicilous price. Maybe one day I will find another copy of it (it's my favourite book!)

 

Waiting on Wednesday #25

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's cannot-wait book is:

Duplicity by N.K. Traver!

Duplicity

by N.K. Traver

Published by Thomas Dunne Books

Expected publication: March 17th 2015

YA, sci-fi

 

A computer-hacking teen. The girl who wants to save him. And a rogue mirror reflection that might be the death of them both.

In private, seventeen-year-old Brandon hacks bank accounts just for the thrill of it. In public, he looks like any other tattooed bad boy with a fast car and devil-may-care attitude. He should know: he’s worked hard to maintain that façade. With inattentive parents who move constantly from city to city, he’s learned not to get tangled up in things like friends and relationships. So he’ll just keep living like a machine, all gears and wires.

Then two things shatter his carefully-built image: Emma, the kind, stubborn girl who insists on looking beneath the surface – and the small matter of a mirror reflection that starts moving by itself. Not only does Brandon’s reflection have a mind of its own, but it seems to be grooming him for something—washing the dye from his hair, yanking out his piercings, swapping his black shirts for … pastels. Then it tells him: it thinks it can live his life better, and it’s preparing to trade places.

And when it pulls Brandon through the looking-glass, not only will he need all his ill-gotten hacking skills to escape, but he’s going to have to face some hard truths about who he’s become. Otherwise he’ll be stuck in a digital hell until he’s old and gray, and no one will even know he's gone.

 

 

I need Duplicity now. It sounds stunning and I have been overly excited since I read the synopsis first time. And the cover is so gorgeous!

 

Duplicity on Goodreads.

Stacking the Shelves (25) Birthday Edition

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

 

I had birthday this week and got a couple of books and huge giftcard to local bookstore. I'm saving the giftcard so there's not so many on this haul but I'm still happy about every lovely book I got :)

Birthday presents

 

 

Angelfall by Susan Ee
This Book Is Gay by James Dawson
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen
The Other Me by Suzanne van Rooyen

Purchased

Dirty London by Kelley York

ARCs / Review Copies

 

Uncross the Stars by Janell Rhiannon
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Thank you, Penguin and Janell Rhiannon, for the review copies!

Feature & Follow Friday #20

 

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by two different hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! This meme is here for bloggers to gain new blogger friends and followers.

 

This weeks topic:

Do you have any fun collections (other than books)?

Well, I've always collected something but recently besides my studies, books takes my free time (and money) so that's my main collection. I do have lots of DVDs and CDs, though. And of course, I have saved every movie ticket since 2006 so that counts as a collection, right? I haven't counted how many but probably close to hundred movie tickets.

And postcards. I've postcards from every country I've visited and several others as I always ask for a postcard if my friends or relatives travels. I wish someday I'd have at least one postcard from every country in Europe!

 

Waiting on Wednesday #24

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's cannot-wait book is:

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black!

 

The Darkest Part of the Forest

by Holly Black

Expected publication: January 13th 2015

YA, fantasy, paranormal

 

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

 

The Darkest Part of the Forest on Goodreads.

 

I'm so excited about this one because it sounds so good! I haven't read anything from Holly Black before even though I own White Cat. Luckily this one come out soon!

 

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: Hell on Wheels by Z.A. Maxfield

Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay, #3)
by Z.A. Maxfield
Published by Riptide Publishing
Ebook (received from publisher via NetGalley)
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Nash is the reliable one in the Holly family, the guy everyone counts on to keep things going. His genius twin brother is off at university, so Nash runs the family’s auto repair business and cares for his partially-paralyzed little sister while his crackpot father invents. His life seems mapped out for the foreseeable future, however much that might chafe.

So when Wolf’s Landing actor Spencer Kepler-Constantine lands in his life, Nash is ready for a diversion. Spencer is in the middle of a very painful, very public divorce and isn’t ready for a relationship—not that Nash wants one. But they both need a friend, especially one with benefits.

As they grow closer, Nash starts to see his family in a whole new light. Do they really need him so badly? Or does he simply need to be needed? Then Spencer’s ex reappears with a grand romantic gesture, and Nash has to figure out what he wants—and how to get it—before Spencer’s gone for good.

Hell on Wheels was everything I expected to read: delightful, fun and full of romance. It was well written and there was different kinds of characters, and the setting was so good - I could imagine myself in Bluewater Bay alongside the various characters in the story.

I fell in love with the characters. Nash was the imagine of bad boy on the outside: bike, tattoos, worked with cars and mischavious smile. However, he was everything but. He took care of his family, the business and he was kind, gentle and unselfish. Spencer was an actor, kind of big star, but he was down to Earth and kind as well. The supporting characters had intriguing personalities as well - Nash's father and little sister especially, and Spencer's personal assistent Bash and bodyguard Tick, were quite characteries and made the story colourful. Hell on Wheels had an antagonist, so to speak, in form of Spencer's ex-husband Peter. However, Peter wasn't bad per say even though he left Spencer. I loved how Maxfield didn't make Peter ultimate bad ex-husband but more real - Peter and Spencer just had different expectations from their marriage.

Hell on Wheels was fast paced without being rushed and jumping from place to place. It was good entirety with plot, intriguing characters and romance. Nash and Spencer had spark but their relationship wasn't only aspect in the story which was good as both of them grew as characters, and Nash defined his place in his family and Spencer dealt with his divorse. I don't want to spoil anyone so I won't discuss profoundly about Nash's growth as a character but I was delighted to read how he dealt with the changes within his family. Only thing I was a little disappointed was the ending which came a little too soon and was a little too short. It was good ending for Nash and Spencer's journey but I felt unsatisfied as the last chapter was little too short for my taste. I would have loved to read more, so maybe that's the main reason why I felt like that about the ending.

I devoured Hell on Wheels within one day and lived every moment with Nash and Spencer. Maxfield told such wonderful story and her writing style was easy to immerse oneself in, so flowing. I highly recommend this one to everyone who enjoys LGBT contemporary romance!

4 of 5 stars.

 

Hell on Wheels on Goodreads.

Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Hell on Wheels!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Feature & Follow Friday #19

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by two different hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! This meme is here for bloggers to gain new blogger friends and followers.

 

This weeks topic:

Happy New Year!!!! What was your favorite book of 2014 - or books if you can't name just one?

I think it's impossible to me mention just one, so here we come, my favourite books of 2014:
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Absolutely amazing. I cried for joy and sorrow and everything between.
- Half Bad by Sally Green. It was just so good and different.
- Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi. Perfect ending for a perfect trilogy.
- Rush by Nyrae Dawn. So realistic and so good and I was so taken by the story.

 

Review: The Body Electric by Beth Revis

The Body Electric
by Beth Revis
Published by Scripturient Books
Ebook (received from publisher via NetGalley)
YA, sci-fi

The future world is at peace.

Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.

But not all is at it seems.

Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…

Someone’s altered her memory.

Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.

So who can she trust?  

The Body Electric was one of the books I just had to have and I was so excited about it. However, it turned out to be quite different from what I had imagined it to be from various snippets Revis has given. It's not neccessarily a bad thing, especially since I did enjoy the story greatly. It took me some time to warm up to the story and I struggled little while doing it. Although when the plot and action really kicked in, I was thrilled and devoured the story. There was some slow points but mostly after the beginning the story was fast paced and I was into it.

 

When it comes to characters, I didn't really connect with the main character, Ella, even though I really wanted to. She was smart and intriguing and I liked how much she cared for her parents, and how independent she was. However, for all that she was smart, her actions were quite foolish at times. When it seemed like she would do something - mostly the thing that would be smart thing to do - she went and did the opposit, especially when it didn't even make any sense! Her character developement was slow and almost nonexisted until the very end, and that's when I really started liking her. Other characters were intriguing and I connected better with them - well, with Jack and even Ms. White. The character dynamic between them was also one thing I liked and made the story even better. The mystery in the story was captivating and kept me guessing during the whole story. It was surprising what truly had happened, and I was glad that the suspension lasted through the book.

The world building was one of the things I absolutely loved. And the setting! Blurb didn't give the setting away and I expected it to be somewhere in America where most YA sci-fi/dystopia books takes place. The Body Electric takes place in Malta. I was so glad when it came up and Revis did good descriping the colourful island - I've been there before and it felt just as magical as when I was there. Also I can't give large enough shoutout for the book taking place somewhere outside of America. It was so perfect. The world building was the best thing in the book, I think. There was history, the current situation, some politics and hints of future. It was so good! Definitely worth to read just based on the world building (and setting).

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and even though Ella and I didn't get along a lot, I liked other characters. I confess that some of the science part in this book went so over my head that I just accepted what was given. The last part of the story felt a little hurried and some things weren't explained as well as I would have liked them, but overall it was very good, enjoyable story. I do recommend to everyone who likes young adult science fiction (and amazing world building and setting that's not America).

4 of 5 stars.

The Body Electric on Goodreads.

Thank you, Scripturient Books, for giving me a chance to read and review The Body Electric!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)