The Reader Who Lives a Thousand Lives

  Yes, I am a grownup! Yes, I am reviewing a coloring book! Why? Because, I don't always want to be a grownup! I want to be a little kid coloring and watching Disney movies! I actually find coloring very relaxing, so when I found The Time Garden by: Daria Song I got really excited. I started coloring in it the very night that I got it! I have colored in it off and on now for quite some time, I even had my boyfriend coloring in it a little bit! I really like it!

 My only complaint is that some parts of it are too intricate, I use a marker with a really small tip and I still had trouble coloring in some parts of it. But, other than that this is a really creative coloring book that I would suggest to coloring enthusiasts of all ages!

For more information click here

* I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you for reading!

Yours truly, signing off!

Kenzie

Let me start this off with a huge apology! I disappeared for about two months and I had no intention of doing so! Life has been a bit hectic as of late and I hope to be back to blogging regularly pretty soon.

I'm going to start this off by telling you why I stopped blogging. At the beginning of October I had big plans for reading. I was trying to complete my yearly goal. So, I was mainly focused on reading, not blogging. I had planned on doing a monthly Wrap-up but, that was about it for the month. About mid-October I would say, I hit a reading slump. It wasn't the small kind that I could get rid of by switching genres. It was a beast of a slump! When this kind of thing happens I usually just stop all things bookish to give myself a bit of break! After so many feels, and tears, and giggles my mind and heart just need a break from all those fictional characters that wear on the emotions!!

During the last week of October, when I would normally post a Wrap-up I was out of town visiting family. The next weekend, I headed to Universal Studios with one of my best friends. So, time sort of got away from me. All throughout November I have been dealing with this reading slump! I think I am on the brink of coming out of it. At least, I hope I am! I do plan on trying to pick up where I left off but, the holidays are right around the corner! Everyone knows there is never enough time to do what one wants to do during the holidays!

I know this is a book blog and I will get to the bookish things soon enough but, here is a brief update on my life during my hiatus!

-I found out I am going to be an aunt again! Another little niece for me to spoil rotten!

-School decided to start kicking my butt!

-College applications are in full swing!

-Spending quality time with family!

Alright, back to the bookish things!

Currently reading: Falling Kingdoms by: Morgan Rhodes

Last read: Life and Death: Twilight Re-imagined by: Stephanie Meyer

My thoughts on those will be posted soon!

I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this post up now! Expect a combined Wrap-up for the past two months, I will have it posted as soon as I can! Thank you for reading!

Yours truly, signing off!

Kenzie

Hey guys! I just wanted to tell you what I am currently reading and tell you all of the books that I would like to read in October. Word of warning, I have so many books that I want/need to read this month so there is a good chance that I won't get to all of them but, I am gonna try my absolute best!

Currently Reading:

Doon by: Carey Corp

Northanger Abbey by: Jane Austen

The Neverending Story by: Michael Ende

TBR for the month of October:

Library: 

The Forsaken by: Lisa M Stasse

Ink and Bone by: Rachel Caine

Seraphina by: Rachel Hartman

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by: Laini Taylor

3 books for review + 1 coloring book for review (So excited for the coloring book!)

Nonfiction pick of the month:

I Remember Laura by: Stephen W. Hines

TBR Jar pick of the month:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by: Mark Haddon

Random book pick:

The Memory Book by: Penelope J. Stokes

So, that gives us a grand total of 10 books, one coloring book, and all of the books that I am currently reading. What I don't finish will be carried over to next month. Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

Hello friends! :)

 Here is what I read for the month of September! Also, my apologies for forgetting to write an August Wrap-up. Lets do this:

12 books total

The Sisters' Grimm Series (Books 1 and 2): The Fairy-Tale Detectives, The Unusual Suspects by: Michael Buckley- This is a middle grade fantasy series. It is about two sisters who are descended from the Grimm brothers. Their parents go missing and they are sent to live with their grandmother in a city where all of the fairy-tale characters are forced to live. The girls must solve mysteries in this town in order to find the group that kidnapped their parents. I loved these books. They were quick to read and they were really funny! The plot is well developed but, the characters need work. One in particular is very inconsistent. Other than that, I really enjoyed them. I will be continuing on with this series at a later date!

Red Queen by: Victoria Aveyard- I already reviewed this book in a previous post which can be found here. I won't get into all of the details but, this book just didn't live up to my expectations. There wasn't enough originality for me in fact, up until now, I forgot I even read it.

Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by: Ransom Riggs- I also did a review for this book, it can be found here. Once again this book just fell short of my expectations. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like how slow the story moved. This was just the wrong book for me.

Sapphire Blue By: Kerstin Gier- There is a review up for this book, found here. I have loved this series so far! Love everything about it! The characters are great and the books are just hilarious!

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by: Joanne Fluke- This is book two of the Hannah Swenson mystery series. I love, love, love these books! Humorous, mysterious, addictive. They are always what I go for when I feel like reading a mystery. It's like Nancy Drew but its for grownups!

Diary of a Jackwagon by: Tim Hawkins- I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The review can be found here. This is a hilarious book written by a famous christian comedian. It is a collection of some of his skits and it gives a little background information on how he comes up with his skits!

My War: A Love story in letters and Drawings by: Tracy Sugarman- This is a nonfiction account of WWII through the letters that an American naval officer wrote to his wife. During his deployment he also painted and drew some of his surroundings. This was a great book! I had never read a first hand account of someone who was involved in the Normandy invasions, it was quite and eye opener!

The Wrath and The Dawn by: Renee Ahdieh- This is probably going to be one of my favorite books of the year! I enjoyed it so much! I gave it a five out of five stars! So much mystery and the characters are great, and the plot is absolutely fantastic!

Owls: Our Most Charming Bird by: Matt Sewell- I received this book in exchange for and honest review which can found here. This is the cutest book! It has the cutest owl illustrations and witty little descriptions of each owl. It is cheeky and creative!

A Heart's Home by: Colleen Coble- I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which can be found here. This turned out to be the continuation of a series, which I wasn't informed of until after it arrived. So, I went in knowing nothing about the character's and I was very confused through most of the book. That caused my rating to be lower than it might have been had I read the whole series previously.

The Importance of Being Earnest by: Oscar Wilde- This was a fantastic book! I had to read it for school, and I think it is probably the funniest book I have ever read for school. I would compare the humor in this to the humor in Jane Austen's books. Jane Austen's comedy mostly focuses on manners in a much more subtle way, whereas Wilde blatantly pokes fun at the manners represented in both his time period, as well as his own social class. Phenomenal read!

Thank you so much for reading this Wrap-up! I love writing these because, I like looking back at what I read each month and bringing back all of the feelings associated with each book.

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

*I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God*

Publishing Information: Thomas Nelson, August 2015

Safety rating: PG (Suggested age 13+) (This book is 100% clean, I am just not sure children under 13 would understand all of the character interactions.)

     When I received this book, my first thought was, "Wow, this is really small!" It is 99 pages long. After reading the back I thought there was no way they would be able to fit in everything that needed to happen. They did but, lets just say it wasn't what I was expecting.

     First thing, this is book 6 of a series, I didn't notice that until the book was in my hand. I hoped that everything would make sense anyway. To some extent it did but, there was lots of context I was missing for most of the characters.

     That being said, the premise was good, and I did enjoy what I read. I just felt like I didn't have enough background information. It is like walking into a conversation between your friends, you may know what they are talking about but, you don't know what they have said about it. I wasn't that impressed with the ending either. I would like to read more from Colleen Coble, just not in this short story type format. Thank you so much for reading!

*I received this book from BookLookBloggers in exchange for an honest review*

For more information click here.

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

*I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God*

Publishing Information: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, May 2015

Safety Rating: PG ( There were a couple of blush worthy scenes...but nothing graphic! Suggested for ages 15+)

     One of my favorite genres is the re-telling genre, which is ever growing! I have been wanting to read this book for a while and I am so glad I finally read it because, it is amazing! I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this book! I love the Thousand and one Nights element and the Middle Eastern setting! I love how the culture is incorporated into every aspect of the writing, I learned a lot of new words from the culture! The little bit of magic that we got in this book was very well executed and left me wanting more. The next book in this series is now at the top of my Highly Anticipated Releases of 2016! This may just be my favorite book of the year, we will just have to wait until I read Queen of Shadows to know for sure!! Thank you so much for reading!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

*I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God*

Publisher: Quirk, June 2011

Safety Rating: (PG-13-There was quite a bit of language! But it was also pretty scary in some parts...suggested for ages 13+)

This took me forever to get into, only by sheer willpower did I follow through with this book. I didn't like the characters very much, not relatable. I will be DNF-ing the series. I will not continue! It was an interesting concept but, I wasn't happy with the execution.

Thanks for reading this very short review!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

*I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God*

Publishing Information: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, December 2009

Safety Rating: PG (There may have been one or two bad words. Suggested for ages...12+)

    This is the second book in the Ruby Red Trilogy. I love this series! I love the characters and how they interact. I love the time-travel element it all goes together so well!

     So right of the bad I want to say...Ew! Charlotte gets on my last nerve, she is so rude! And can I please have a read life version of Gideon? He is definitely being added to the Book Boyfriend list! I would say this book is just as good as the first book, no better, no worse! Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

*I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God*

Publishing Information: Orion, February  2015

Safety Rating: PG-13 (If I remember correctly, a couple of bad words and heavy violence...suggested for ages 13 and up)

     The one thing that stands out about this book is its similarities to the Hunger Games series by: Suzanne Collins and the Selection series by: Kiera Cass. To me, there isn't anything that stands out as being unique. If you put the Hunger Games and The Selection into the same world this would be it! The only original element would be the use of magic or powers.

     In the beginning I wasn't in love with the love triangle. I thought it was strange and a little cheesy but, in the end it really worked for me! (No spoilers, I promise!)

     If it wasn't for the ending of this book it would not be getting such a high rating but, the ending is what really did it for me! It starts of excruciatingly slow and doesn't pick up till a little over halfway through, I was so close to putting this book down and DNF-ing it. Now I am proud of myself for pushing through! Thanks for reading this review!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

I Love doing these Hauls! They are so much fun! Lets dive right in! I got seven books this trip. The eleven books I grabbed last time were much to heavy to carry around. (By the time I got to the car I thought I pulled a muscle in my shoulder!)

*These are supposed to be in the order that I want to read them in but, somehow I never end up going in the correct order!*

The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects by: Michael Buckley (Book 2 in the Sisters Grimm Series.

The Neverending Story by: Michael Ende (I feel like this is a classic and I haven't read it yet, so here goes!)

The Forsaken by: Lisa M Stasse (This is a re-read for me! Fun Fact: This is the first Dystopian book I read. Other than the Giver...So I guess it is my second ever Dystopian read!)

Ink and Bone by: Rachel Caine (This looks really good!!)

Asylum by: Madeleine Roux (This book look slightly frightening...I don't know if I am gonna like this but, I am putting my trust in my librarians who suggested this!)

Seraphina by: Rachel Hartman (A dragon book...the last dragon book I read didn't go over well. Eon by: Alison Goodman, I didn't like it.)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by: Laini Taylor (My sister loved this series so I thought I would give it a try!)

Ladies and Gentleman that is the end of my library haul!

Currently Reading:

The Discovery of the Titanic by: Dr. Robert Ballard 

Doon by: Carey Corp

The Importance of Being Ernest by: Oscar Wilde

Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

Published by: Ebury Press, November 2014

Safety Rating: G (New rating system I am trying out...think of it like a movie rating. G means safe for all ages!)   

*I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God!*

As I scrolled through the Blogging for Books website, something cute catches my eye. What could it be? A book about owls? Would I read this? Of course I would!! As if there was any doubt!

     While I finished up the last of my library books I became increasingly aware of the void I would have once those books were finished...Oh! What would I read? Would my cute little owl book be here in time? Spoiler alert: It got here in perfect timing! Coincidentally it arrived at my door while I was at my library perusing for my next haul. (Coming up in the next post!)

     This book is an informative and humorous look at the many owl species in the world! The descriptions are snarky, with interesting little tidbits thrown in the middle! The Illustrations are adorable! In fact, this book would be the perfect little book for a coffee table! (Indeed, that is where this book will soon reside!) Definitely give this book a try if you are an owl lover like I am! My sister and I love owls, it is one of the many, many reasons why I love her! (Enough about my amazing sister!)

For more information on the book click here.

For more information on the author click here.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review*

For more information check their website linked here.

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

So I sat down to write up a blog post and suddenly realized that it has been way to long since I posted. (School has slowly consumed my life...sigh!) So be prepared, I am going to write as many as I can in the short amount of time I have tonight! :)

Yours truly, signing off!

Kenzie

     I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God.

  Tim Hawkins is a Christian Comedian that I was somewhat familiar with, so when I saw his book I knew I had to read it. When it finally arrived at my door I opened the box and began to read. My first impression was that it was a relatively small book, only 208 pages. From the first chapter to the last Tim kept me laughing. He really knows how to find material that everyone can relate too. He also seems to have this way of turning something completely boring into something hilarious!

     The material in this book was great! Some of the chapters about marriage had me laughing so hard because, what he was talking about was stuff that I have seen in my parents marriage. Tim also includes some of his original songs, these are awesome!

     To find more information on Tim Hawkins click here to find some of his skits and songs (including some that are included in the book) click here.

*I received this book from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for an honest review* For more information click here.

Thank you so much for reading!

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God.

I received this book about a month ago, I would say. I was so excited, I thought that this would be a great book and what better time to review it than right before the movie comes out!  So, when the box showed up at my door I just about ripped the cardboard to pieces. I immediately picked up the book and began to read. Several chapters in I decided that I should put the book down for good. Here is my reason: I don't enjoy reading a book where a cuss word is thrown into every paragraph. I can tolerate a few unpleasant words in a book, but when there are cuss words every few sentences I start getting frustrated.

     On the bright side, I loved the idea behind the plot! I enjoyed how the story progressed, at least during the part that I read. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the smarty-pants, scientifical (I am aware that this is not a real word, but I don't really care.) mumbo-jumbo, but I ended up being able to follow along with the smart talk and I enjoyed it! I wish I could have continued on, but I just couldn't handle all of the language. Thanks so much for reading!

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review from bloggingforbooks to learn more go to http://www.bloggingforbooks.com/

Yours Truly, signing off!

Kenzie

This is my second library haul! I am so sorry for not posting recently, school has started and so has a reading slump! I will be doing an August Book Haul soon! As well as, my usual monthly wrap up! Let us begin!

The Strawberry Shortcake Murder & The Blueberry Muffin Murder By: Joanne Fluke-These are books two and three in the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series. I read the first book, The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder a couple of months ago.

The Old Man and the Sea by: Ernest Hemingway- I don't really have a reason for picking this up, I just grabbed it because I saw that it was written by Hemingway. I have been wanting to read something of his for a while and this seemed like the perfect choice. It is super short and I am currently reading it so I should be done with it soon!

The Sisters' Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives (Book 1) By: Michael Buckley- This is a middle grade series about fairy tales. It is short and involves fairy tales, I had to get it!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by: Ransom Riggs- This book has been on my TBR for ages! I finally grabbed it and cannot wait to read it!

Sapphire Blue by: Kerstin Gier- A couple of weeks ago I read Ruby Red and I adored it, so I went ahead and grabbed the second book too!

Red Queen by: Victoria Aveyard- This book came out at the beginning of the year and I have wanted to read it ever since I first heard about it!

The Raven Boys by: Maggie Stiefvater- I have heard so much about this book that I finally decided to pick it up!

The Clockwork Angel by: Cassandra Clare- I don't know why I grabbed this book. But the name is awesome!

These are all of the books I got this go 'round. I picked up quite a few, I look forward to being able to read them! I am also looking forward to receiving some books for review that aren't galley copies, reviews will be posted as soon as I read them! Thanks so much for reading!!

Yours truly, signing off!

Kenzie

Posts will be few for a little while, because school  has started and I am adjusting to my final year of high school! Will update with something bookish very soon!

Yours Truly, Signing off!

Kenzie