Little Post: Blog Titles

What do you like better; Counting in Bookcases or Emily @ Counting in Bookcases as my blog title? Do you like my blog layout or should I change the header, colors, organization etc.?

Right now I am in a debate with myself and would love your thoughts tremendously! Is this blog eye catching or not? Thanks, your awesomeness is appreciated!

Reviews: Books by Jennifer L Armentrout

Okay, in the past two weeks I have read 4 of Jennifer L Armentrouts books, all continuations of series. Each earned at least a 4 bookcases rating, which is very high for me. But, I do love her writing. (Although the same can't be said for her covers.)

Her Covenant Series, features our world... only with greek gods who mortals don't know exist. The series consists, so far, of Half Blood, Pure, Deity, Apolyon, Sentinel, and several novellas. The main character in this series is totally one of my favorites.

The Lux Series is about... Aliens! This sounds lame, but, really it isn't. The series consists of Obsisian, Opal, Onyx, Origin, and more novellas. The main character in these books is also totally awesome and is a BOOK BLOGGER!!!

Both series are funny, action-y, and flat out pure awesomeness! Both kick-ass heroines are totally girls to root for, and the romances are to die for. The side characters are quirky and lots of fun. Plus, you are never bored. I felt as if I was glued to the pages of each book while reading. I was either laughing, smiling, crying, or just looking at the words with a big O of surprise on my face.

I also love how there is character growth as you continue the series. I get very mad at series that don't have enough character growth but these ones aced the tests. Katy becomes stronger, Alexandra makes things less about her, Adrian becomes more confident and rule breaking, and more!

Jennifer L Armenrout is an amazing author, I know she also writes adult fiction as J Lynn so fans of adult can enjoy her works too.  She is working on more novels in each of the two featured series, so I am super excited for those.

Review: Crewel

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.
 
Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.
 
Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls.  Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.  Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

Wow, what an extraordinary read! This is totally one of those books you will never will be able to put down! Okay, I thought this would be an easy review to write since I loved it so much. Right now thats working against me because all I want to do is gush over Crewel. Crewel= Masterpiece

The characters are memorable and real. Jost, Adelice, Eric, and other characters, I swear, broke into my room last night. They talked to me and I saw them clear as day. (Maybe I am exaggerating a bit.) But, my point is, the characters were so vivid! Characters always make or break a book for me, and these wonderful characters got a big O on the "Make the reader care" O.W.Ls. My heart ached for each of them and everything they had to go through.

The world in Crewel was...well... utterly breathtaking. One of those settings that transport you to wherever the main character is. Albin is a author to envy for her amazing skills. Also, as you learn about the Spinsters and how they are controlled, you get mad. Scarily (and embarrassingly) mad for the world being total fiction.

The reader can tell the author put a lot of thought into this book. The ideas are complete and unique. Crewel was so not hastily thrown together. Everything needed is included, and in wonderful ways that suck you into the story.

This is now one of my favorite Dystopians. I am not always a big fan of the genre, but this one was 100% amazing. It is not a carbon copy of Hunger Games, or even Matched. Thank you Albin! Crewel stands out. Definitely.

Overall, I loveloveloved Crewel. I recommend this to readers looking for beautiful writing, vivid characters, and original ideas.

5/5 bookcases

Side note- Weaving time? Pulled off wonderfully!

Review: Vesper

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Emily Webb is a geek. And she's happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she's never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she's definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls' boyfriends.Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that... the same night one of her classmates - also named Emily - is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn't know why she's doing any of this. By day, she's the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it's no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she's not just coming out of her shell... there's something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely - something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she's not the only one this is happening to - some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters - and how many people will they kill to get what they want?

Okay, I am sorry to say, this just wasn't my book. Terrible characters, cliche plot, forced dialogue, and a setting that was totally one dimensional made Vesper a fail. Some paranormal fans may find this an enjoyable read, but I certainly did not.

Throughout the book I felt like we never got to know Emily. She is totally flat and... ugh. Also, her friend is a terrible friend. And so is her sister. I seriously cannot think of one character I actually liked. They all seemed dumb and not relatable. The plot was boring and cliche. Nothing at all exciting happened. At all. In truth, my eyes glazed over a couple of times.

The ending, by the way, is no ending at all. I think it is supposed to be a cliffhanger but it just left me feeling confused. Everything is very sudden. I also felt like time was really wierd. Sometimes it felt fast or really slow, or I wasn't sure how many days it had been since one scene. This was sorta annoying.

The paranormal aspect...feels pretty non existent for most of the book. The first half of the book was spent seeing Emily do weird things at night and then she wonders why in the morning. The paranormal aspect isn't added in until later. A little too late for my taste.

The cover by the way, is cool. But, it doesn't really match the story. There are some scenes with a window, just I imagined the windows a lot more modern than what is shown on the cover.

Overall, this book could appeal to paranormal fans, but I would never recommend Vesper to any of my friends. I know some people will disagree with me, but this is how I felt.

1.5/5 Bookcases

Stacking the Shelves

Come visit Tyngas Reviews

Well, I got one awesome sounding book this week! But, that is all. :( And now I am all out of books to read. Seriously. *Cries* (In the last 3 weeks I have read over 20 books. Wow.) So, to cheer me up, I would love to see your STS's this week!

The Awesome Book I Got:
Blue Hearts of Mars
Thank you Nicole!

So, link me up to your stacks!

And don't forget to check out my 99 follower giveaway...

Oh, and does anybody know a good ibook freebie cause, as afore mentioned, as soon as I finish Blue Hearts, I'm bookless :)

Review: Going Vintage

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). 

The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Ooh, Going Vintage was much better than I expected! Before I read the book I would have bet I'd give it 3 bookcases. No, this is worth at least 4! (And you know I'm a tough rater) Lindsey Leavitt tells us a witty and sweet story with characters worth cheering for.

Okay, to start out, this book is filled with fab lists! And they are not annoying at all. Just stuff that made me laugh like, really hard! Also, Mallory and the lists go in hand in hand. Mallory is just a lot of fun. She also says some really cool weird and random things.

Oliver, Mallory's ex's cousin, is now one of my favorite male characters in the contemporary genre! Totally. He is funny, and witty, and unique! And, most awesome of all, he laughs at the random things Mallory says. Another epic character is Mallory's sister, Ginny. I love the bond they have.

The family plots are cute. Mallory's mom is hiding something, and so is her grandma. These are added bonuses to the story.

I was surprised the "no technology thing" was as small as it was. I mean, sure, that was part of the book, and generated some fun scenes, but there was much more to Going Vintage than just "no more phones for me." I liked that.

Overall, Going Vintage has awesome characters and epic lists. Whatcha all waiting for? Read it!

4/5 bookcases

Newbie Blogger Diaries #4

Today the Newbie Blogger topic is... Rating Systems!

So, some book bloggers use a rating system, others don't. I feel that reviews should never depend on a rating to get the point or the bloggers feelings across. I do believe, in some cases, ratings help. Also, they can add an amount of creativity to the review.

What I Use, and How I Rate

I do use a rating system... wait for it... I use bookcases! (Bet you never could've guessed) Now, here come the tricky part. What does each number of bookcases mean? Here is a little key that can also be found in my policies section:


1/5- This book went straight into the trashcan after reading. Others may enjoy it, but I definetely did not. 


2/5- This book was okay, I won't be reading it again. Weak, but a little bit enjoyable.

3/5 I liked this book. I may reread it. Enjoyed it quite a bit, but not extremely memorable in any outstanding way.

4/5 I really, really liked this book! Really!

5/5 This is an absolutely 100% amazing book!!! Buy it right now!

Honest Ratings

This will just be a little note. I love all rating systems in reviews... except for when the reviewer isn't stating what they feel and lies a little. Readers expect 100% honest ratings and reviews. Bad reviews may be hard, but at least they are honest. I want to feel like I can trust all ratings. I am sure you do too.

My First Attempt...

Okay, here was my kinda pathetic first attempt at creating a rating system... My artistic skills are stunning. 

The Challenges

Every rating system is different. Is it out of 5? 10? Does 4/5 mean "really liked" or "just okay"? I tried to create a rating system that made sense. (At times I used the goodreads system to help guide me.)

Also, there is a challenge to find a good figure for your system. I came up with bookcases pretty easily. (Ahem. See my blog title above) But I do know finding something to use could be tricky for some bloggers. I do know that stars are popular though.

Do you use ratings? What system do you use? What challenges have you come across?