Book Hoarders Anonymous: 2016 Recap

December 10, 2016 by Alyssa

Wow. I can’t believe it’s that time of year already! What a year 2016 has been! Some of the best things happened to me this year and in a way, I have never felt better. On the other hand, some of the worst things have also happened (hello, election) and I find some days feeling worse than I ever have. It’s a give and take, right? Life has ups and downs and I turn 30 in one week and feel great about it! So let’s bask in that happy and let me share with you what I have been up to this past year! I’ll showcase my favorite books that I have read and then get into the non-bookish things that have been happening!

Due to some awesome things like being in love and obtaining my dream job I have had very little time to read this year. I had to lower my Goodreads goal multiple times and I was feeling pretty low about reading HALF of the books that I usually average. However, I was more picky with my reading and therefore loved nearly every book that I read! How lucky! Let’s see…

6811150

Favorite BAMF – Geralt from The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski for sure. I picked this series up because I am playing the game and loving it and thought I would see if the books were worth the hype. They so are. I am absolutely loving everything about this world, characters, and story. Geralt is considered a “monster” as a Witcher but hoo boy do I love him!

Favorite book with pictures – Monstress by Marie Lu was an absolutely stunning graphic novel. Absolutely worth the hype, the illustrations were great and the story was enthralling. I loved it.

Book that had me LOLing – Definitely My Lady Jane! I was honestly laughing out loud while reading. It just made me so HAPPY to read.

Swoon-worthy guy – Oh hmm…I would say Cathal from Heir of Sevenwaters but I feel as if that is cheating because this was like my 4th re-read. So maybe Silhara from the Master of Crows series. I picked those up on a whim and loved the brooding anti-hero and his eventual softness brought on by his love for Martise.

Worth the hype – Alanna! Can you believe it was my first time reading this?! I still have to continue on with the series but I absolutely loved the first novel. Alanna is so plucky and clever and I only regret I didn’t read these sooner.

Mood reading – I picked Letters From Skye from my shelf one day on a whim and I absolutely adored it. I read it in almost one sitting. This novel encompasses every feeling invoked while falling in love. Love is messy, but true love is worth it. Upon finishing, I found myself crying with bittersweet joy. Letters From Skye was a surprising and genuine novel. Filled with heartache and so much love

Favorite kissy bits – Oh my goodness EVERY PAGE from The Rose and the Dagger! This book took me a while to read because I just kept re-reading parts! It was an amazing conclusion to the duet. “It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”

Biggest disappointment – Oh…probably the BFG. Sorry, Dahl fans, I hated this book. I found it SO hard to get through and to be honest have been debating writing a huge discussion post on it because just WOW. I can see why it’s a fun read for a child but reading it as an adult was….rough. Like reading Narnia and seeing all of the symbolism you missed. If the symbols were phallic, Freudian and inappropriate instead of religious…

Favorite debut – Stalking Jack the Ripper, hands down. I loved it. I love Audrey Rose and her strength. I love the different relationships throughout. I love Thomas and his sass. I love the premise, the execution, the setting. All of it. Loved.

New to me – Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare was something that I wouldn’t usually pick up on my own but everyone keeps recommending it as an easy/cozy read so I picked it up and I loved it! It was a quick, sweet and fun. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

Favorite overall – Hmm I think My Lady Jane! It was filled with so many great references from beloved things and people such as The Princess Bride, William Shakespeare, Disney films and Monty Python. I honestly found myself smiling throughout and laughing out loud with glee while reading. It is a fantastical, hilarious, fun and sweet novel and I can’t recommend it enough. Continue reading →

Book Hoarder’s Anonymous: Best of 2014

December 29, 2014 by Alyssa

Let’s get a little personal for a minute…2014 wasn’t the best year for me. In truth, it was actually one of the hardest years of my life, and quite frankly there were moments I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through. It was a year I spent in a long distance relationship (that is, after living together for 5 years, we were forced to live 4 hours apart due to career choices). It was the year I obtained my DREAM JOB, and also the year I lost said DREAM JOB only a month later. It was the year I had to reevaluate everything I had been working toward for years, I was forced to make decisions that nearly had me throwing up from anxiety, but I did it, and am better for it. 2014 was filled with angst and “I don’t think I can do this anymore” moments, but it was also filled with so much love. It was one of those years where it was imperative to surround myself with loved ones who could help carry the burdens I was attempting to shoulder. Those of you who read my blog know that Amy (Tripping Over Books), Brittany (The Book Addict’s Guide) and myself are very close. To be quite honest, I cannot put down in words how much these two have helped me over the past year. They listen to the same stories over and over, always offering encouragement and support. They often offer to Avada Kadavra anyone who is annoying/hurting me and most importantly, they remind me of my strengths. They are quite literally, sunshine on my cloudy days. To come full circle, I will remind you all that the three of us wouldn’t be friends if we had not started blogging, we would not be here as a group to offer you our #samepage feature, and I would be missing an integral part of the person I am today. I feel blessed to have the kind of people in my life who have become soul friends. Despite the darkness of 2014, I look forward to what 2015 will bring.

Now, let’s get into the more bookish stuff, shall we?

Overall favorite book of 2014: This is a hard one, but I think The Lies of Locke Lamora. I will leave you with my initial review: So very good. Incredible, even. It was as if The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Kingkiller Chronicles had a baby. The relationships were some of the best that I have ever read, loyalty at its best. The plot was driven, and interesting, Lynch left clues throughout that made up a very detailed plot. Also it must be said, the language was fantastic! Some may find curses to be vulgar, but let me tell you, The Lies of Locke Lamora is enriched by stellar insults and perfectly timed sailor language. In short, read this book, read it now.

Favorite BAMF: Well I am just getting into the (long) series but I really love Nynaeve and Egwene from The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. They were especially coming into their own in book two, The Great Hunt and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Favorite debut author: Rosamund Hodge. I loved Cruel Beauty so much, the writing and the darkness of the story were all things that spoke to me.

Books with Pictures: Definitely Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. It was GORGEOUSLY illustrated and written and completely an “Alyssa” book.

BFF: I should say BFFs, as in bromances, because Locke and Jean take the cake for this one. I love their friendship immensely!

Most swoon-worthy lad: OH, Jared from The Lynburn Legacy. I loved him so much that upon finishing book one in the series, I immediately picked up the third and fourth. Continue reading →

Book Hoarders Anonymous: Best of 2013

December 30, 2013 by Alyssa

I haven’t done a Book Hoarders post in a while so I thought to close out the year I would do a little survey like I did last year and focus on some of my favorite personal literary moments of the year! Sorry in advance..it’s link and picture heavy 🙂

Book that reminded me that I love to read: The Sandman series did this for me. The graphic novels are so different from anything that I have ever read and I found myself enamored at the inclusions of different character from history popping up into stories. It really made me think and remember what knowledge I had of these historical figures, or superheroes, etc. and that made me love it even more.

Favorite BAMF: I think Daenerys takes the cake for this one. She is so incredibly young but so fierce. I love her so much. Especially when she says things like “Dracarys!”

Favorite companion: Ravens! Though not technically “fantastical” by nature but some of the ones I read of this year were pretty amazing. Matthew, from The Sandman series and Fiacha from my (ahem 4th? 5th? re-read) of Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier is one of my favorite companions, EVER.

Favorite debut author: For sure Cat Winters, the author of In the Shadow of Blackbirds. The book was absolutely fantastic and heartwrenching. Ms. Winters was so gracious and lovely after I reached out to her upon finishing the novel, and she moved quickly to the top of my auto-buy authors.

BFF: Hands down Sybella from Dark Triumph. She was so dark and brave throughout the novel, I couldn’t help but love her. Truly, some of my closest friends describe her as my “spirit animal,” and I can’t wait to see what she and the other ladies get in to in Mortal Heart.

Most swoon-worthy lad: Okay, I am doing it, I’m cheating. I tried to look elsewhere but the title of most swoon-worthy lad goes to Captain Carswell Thorne, hands down. I can not tell you how many pictures I took of his lines and how many flailing texts were sent to my friends while reading Cress. He has made my top 5 of best swoons EVER, and that is saying A LOT.

Favorite pick found while perusing: Dragon’s Bait by Vivian Vande Velde. I was handed this by a bookseller at The Book Barn because she noticed that I like Patricia C. Wrede and assured me that this title was a readalike. I was pleasantly surprised over the nostalgia, I obviously also loved the strength in the main lady and the swoons in the main dragon!

Fantastical creatures: Not sure if he counts but, Death personified! He was breathtaking in Keturah and Lord Death and I look forward to reading more novels with him in the center!

That bad boy you shouldn’t love, but…: UMM hello? THE DARKLING 4EVA. I love, love, LOVE him so very much…from his quartz like eyes to his brooding demeanor. I just picture him controlling darkness and I get all “humina humina” to MAH BONES. *swoons* Honorable mention goes to Morpheus from Splintered by A.G. Howard

Favorite male lead: KVOTHE. Ohhhh Kvothe…I spent so much time with him this year (umm..over 50 hours of audio – which reminds me, OH HAI, Nick Podehl <3) and my heart sang and broke for him at times. He is so interesting and witty and hello, he’s a ginger, how can I not love him so?!

Favorite female lead: Eleanor, from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. For the good and the bad, she reminded me of me when I was in high school.

Best summary in less than ten words: Scary vampires in an Amish setting. (Thanks, Ame!)

A return to an old favorite (title, genre, etc.): WOO! ROBIN HOOD, BABY!! I chose Robin Hood as my focus for our Classics Retold event and I am so glad that I was able to go back to the story that I love in Hood by Stephen Lawhead. I am excited to read book 2 and 3 in the series as soon as possible!

So glad I judged by it’s cover: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters. The piercing gaze of the girl on the front and the ethereal being behind her, I had to have this book. I am so glad that I jumped to request this from Netgalley upon seeing it because it was one of my favorite reads of the year.

Broke my Heart: The Fables installments from this year really got to me. I have become WAY too invested in the characters and have fallen in love with the story, I love these graphic novels so much but boy did they crack my heart a little. Let’s not even get started on A Song of Ice and Fire…

Heightened by the narrator: For sure A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket narrated by Tim Curry is first in my mind when thinking of narrators who make the series for me. I started reading this series years and years ago and never finished because as I grew older I had a hard time making it through these novels in print. However, the audiobooks are absolutely stellar. The parts that I tended to read over because of annoyance or lack of interest, sprouted from my speakers and made me smile and laugh out loud.

Gave me the creeps (which I love): The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki, I sincerely hope that this author starts writing adult horror because he is FANTASTIC.

It’s in the words..: The Woodcutter by Kate Danley was so lyrical and beautiful that I found myself bookmarking every few pages. It was a simple, yet gorgeous read.

Biggest disappointment: Hmm probably Towering by Alex Flinn. I have heard a lot of good things about this author and it might have just been a wrong book, wrong time sort of thing but I did not enjoy this novel AT ALL.

Worth the hype: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. First, I was lucky enough to meet Rainbow at BEA this year and she was so fantastic, she also has great hair. Second, I am not a contemporary reader, and the sickly sweet romances are not usually my thing…HOWEVER Eleanor and Park was recommended to me by so many people that I trust and I fell so deeply in love with it, I immediately added all of Rowell’s books to my TBR. Never has hand holding been so romantic.

Newest addiction: Audiobooks!! As some of you may know, I am incredibly picky when it comes to audiobook narrators. Jim Dale is an obvious love and I fell into loving Neil Gaiman as soon as I heard his free audiobook Click, Clack, the Rattlebag but I had a hard time finding someone else to enjoy. I seem to have a problem with the jarring tone of a female narrator and and I felt sort of lost for a while until Heidi and Amy convinced me to try Nick Podehl, the narrator of The Kingkiller Chronicles. Well WOO BOY am I happy that I gave him a listen! over 50 hours of audiobook later and I am IN LOVE! I was also lucky enough to find some audiobooks narrated by Tim Curry, The Series of Unfortunate Events and a lovely version of Dracula, while perusing!

Favorite villain: Krampus wins this one, I think, though I don’t know for sure that he is considered a villain despite his “evil” ways. This novel by Brom is absolutely enthralling, I read it almost a year ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it.

Favorite laugh out loud moment: Like last year, I have to go with a Duncan moment from the second installment of The League of Princes: The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle. “Oh, I disagree,” Duncan added. “It makes me think of cow-owls. And those are horrifying. MOO-WHO! MOO-WHO!” This series is honestly fantastic and I can’t wait for book three!! Honorable mention goes to the final installment of A Tale Dark and Grimm: The Grimm Conclusion by Adam Gidwitz, this one had me laughing out loud as well!

The kissy bits: WOO Shadow & Bone had some yummy moments, as did Dark Triumph by LaFevers, Splintered by Howard, and Eleanor and Park had some epic hand holding (also CRESS because seriously..*faints*) Seriously, you guys…*FANS SELF*

Biggest ugly cry moment: Ya know, I didn’t really have any ugly cry moments this year..I don’t usually read those kinds of books so I somehow missed out. I did, however, tear up a few times while reading Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. They were both lovely books, though I did not love them or get as attached as other readers.

Favorite new to me genre/book: Historical fiction! Between In the Shadow of Blackbirds, and The Caged Graves, I quickly jumped on the historical fiction bandwagon and asked Hannah and April for some suggestions. Needless to say, my TBR pile grew a lot and I am excited to move into some non Tudor England historical reads!

Mind. Blown.: Man, I feel sorry that I can’t explain myself better here but…that THING that happens in A Storm of Swords (and it’s not the thing you think)..yeah, I did NOT see that coming. I am so thrilled that I read this series, I can’t even begin to explain how worth it it is to take on the epicness that is A Song of Ice and Fire.

Thank you, Netgalley!: Splintered by A.G. Howard was a titled that I found on a whim while looking through Netgalley. The cover was gorgeous and the synopsis sounded awesome – a twisted fairytale, Alice in Wonderland meets Tim Burton in novel form? Sign me up! The world was vivid and the swoons were aplenty.

Non-bookish THINGS that I loved in 2013:

LOKI: Now, you all know that I love the villains SO MUCH and Loki isn’t really NEW on my radar since I have read and LOVED Norse mythology for as long as I can remember, but I started working hardcore on my WIP this year and…well..there are some Loki like bits in there. That got me delving more into his character, which only made me love him more. Also look how cute my new shirt is…

Game of Thrones: Again, not so new, but some of you may know that I participated in a Song of Ice and Fire Read Along this year and though it was very time consuming…it was AWESOME. Honestly, it is totally worth it, the series is so epic and you just fall so into the world, I definitely recommend giving it a go.

Neil Gaiman: Okay, I may have mentioned him a time or…five..but I was lucky enough to see Neil Gaiman THREE TIMES this year, and I MET HIM FACE TO FACE a few months ago and it was just a once in a lifetime experience. He is so amazing and gracious, and genius. Also his wife, she is pretty fantastic as well. No words.

Literary Lushes: I started a second website with my best friend Brittany (The Book Addict’s Guide) which focuses on ARC tours and Twitter chats. It has been such a great experience working with someone that I love and it has really opened me up to new bloggers and experiences which makes me incredibly happy!

Going forward I would like to introduce some new fun features on the blog – (including a new review feature!) and obviously share some wonderful reviews with you all! What about you guys, what can you tell me about your favorite literary moments of the year? I look forward to seeing you all in 2014!! As always, thanks for reading!

Book Hoarders Anonymous (7)

September 10, 2013 by Alyssa

This morning I drank a pumpkin spice latte, which means that despite it not being official…to me, AUTUMN IS HERE, BABY!! School is back in session, and the days are getting cooler. Did everyone have a nice summer? It was pretty quiet on the blog because I was enjoying my free time by reading ALL OF THE BOOKS and watching hours upon hours of Arrested Development (SPIIIICY CLUB SAUUUCE) and Doctor Who (it’s Tennant Time and OH BOY DO I LOVE HIM! ❤) So what has been happening? I got some awesome books this summer and it’s Classics Retold time! Let’s take a look!

From the Library:

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley – Getting ready for Classics Retold!!

Maid Marian by Elsa Watson

The Sandman: Endless Nights by Neil Gaiman – An awesome companion to the series!

From Netgalley/Edelweiss:

Havisham by Ronald Frame – I am *so* excited for this, Miss Havisham’s tale at last!!

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent – Buried treasure and the old west!

The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield – Methinks this includes Death personified…umm, yes please!

Promise Bound by Anne Greenwood Brown – Book 3 in the Lies Beneath trilogy!

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess – Magic & assassins!

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

The Grimm Conclusion by Adam Gidwitz

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

House of Ivy & Sorrow by Natalie Whipple – Family curses…

Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland – Harpies!

Bought/Received:

On my monthly Book barn trip I picked up some excellent goodies, pictured above:

An Illustrated Canterbury Tales, Lady Macbeth’s Daughter by Lisa Klein, The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint, Firebird by Mercedes Lackey, Entwined by Heather Dixon, Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay, and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.

Other goodies from the summer:

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth (Gifted from the most amazing, Amy, from Tripping Over Books)

The History of Hell by Alice Turner

Myths of the Norsemen by Helene Adeline Turner

The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (audiobook) – Preparing for the upcoming road trip!

What Did You Miss?

I recapped the amazing trip to Book Expo America and that one time that I met Neil Gaiman and didn’t touch his hair…

Brittany from The Book Addict’s Guide and I started a new blog that manages ARC tours and the #LitLush Twitter chat!

I reviewed a few books, my favorites being The Woodcutter by Kate Danley, and Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

What’s to Come?

As mentioned in my Classics Retold post, September is going to be dedicated to all things Robin Hood, though I will be sharing my thoughts on Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, and book three in A Song of Ice and Fire (It was a doozy, that one!), among others. Stay tuned, we have some great things planned for you for the upcoming months!!

Book Hoarders Anonymous (6)

June 6, 2013 by Alyssa

June is here! That means ~~freedom~~ that the school year is almost over, which means I will have quite a bit of time to read ALL THE BOOKS! This is a good thing since I just got back from BEA and I picked up some excellent titles. I won’t be featuring those in this post, but check back for my BEA recap in a few days!