Audiobook Recommendations - #1

   I used to think audiobooks suck, not because they are made in a bad way or their voice actors aren't good (I mean that's the case sometimes but that's not the point), until I finally signed up for a free audible trial (this isn't a sponsored post, although it'd be damn awesome if it were hah) and gave them a try. I haven't unsubscribed and my collection has steadily grown since. So I thought I could have a look at my library and maybe recommend you a few audiobooks that I've enjoyed and that I hope you might want to check out.

Jerkbait by Mia Siegert

Length: 7h 34min

Narrated by: Raviv Ullman

   Even though they're identical, Tristan isn't close to his twin Robbie at all—until Robbie tries to kill himself.

   Forced to share a room to prevent Robbie from hurting himself, the brothers begin to feel the weight of each other's lives on the ice, and off. Tristan starts seeing his twin not as a hockey star whose shadow Tristan can't escape, but a struggling gay teen terrified about coming out in the professional sports world. Robbie's future in the NHL is plagued by anxiety and the mounting pressure from their dad, coach, and scouts, while Tristan desperately fights to create his own future, not as a hockey player but a musical theatre performer.

   As their season progresses and friends turn out to be enemies, Robbie finds solace in an online stranger known only as “Jimmy2416.” Between keeping Robbie's secret and saving him from taking his life, Tristan is given the final call: sacrifice his dream for a brother he barely knows, or pursue his own path. How far is Robbie willing to go—and more importantly, how far is Tristan willing to go to help him? (goodreads.com)

   This was one of the first books I downloaded and absolutely loved. I've read the book before I got the audiobook (review), but I didn't care. Hearing it narrated by Raviv Ullman was amazing since he fit the voice perfectly and did a great job at doing Mia's book justice. I actually listened to the audiobook together with Mia while gushing and discussing the story as we went along, how different it was to experience the story through the audiobook format and such, which was a lot of fun. If you haven't read Jerkbait yet, and even if you did, I would still wholeheartedly recommend the audiobook. It is amazing, engaging, pulls you in and doesn't let you go until the end because the narration gives it that extra something that just makes it a great book to listen to.

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
Length: 11h 41min
Narrated by: Full Cast

   This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

   The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

   But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

   BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. (godreads.com)

   THIS. This audiobook is honestly everything I ever wished for, especially for a book like Illuminae. We got a full cast, we got sound effects, we got the full deal and it was amazing. All the voice actors did a brilliant job, the sound arrangement was superb, the production amazing and I just...I could scream about this all day, every day. I love Illuminae, as well as it's sequel, Gemina (find my reviews here and here), and the audiobooks are so worth listening to. If sci-fi is your kind of thing, most definitely give this one a go.

I Hate My Selfie by Shane Dawson
Length: 4h 6min
Narrated by: Shane Dawson

   The book that more than 12 million YouTube subscribers have been waiting for! Shane Dawson’s memoir features twenty original essays—uncensored yet surprisingly sweet.

   From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life.

   In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done. (goodreads.com)

   Usually I'm not big on celebrity or YouTuber books, but this book is both hilarious (review) and very emotional and honest, so I recommend it regardless if you watch Shane, or if you won't even know who he is really. I had a lot of fun listening to it, laughed way more than I thought I would, and just found myself very curiously listening to all the different stories he had to tell from his life that showed a more human side to the Shane we usually get to see acting in his videos. And yes, disclaimer, his humor can be considered a little much, sometimes even a bit offensive, so if things like that are a major no-go for you, maybe this isn't for you. If you can look past that, definitely give it a try and don't take it too seriously.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Length: 9h 40min
Narrated by: Christy Romano

   Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

   It can.

   She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

   There is.

   She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

   She’s wrong. (goodreads.com)

   What a surprise, of course I would use this opportunity to mention the Mara Dyer trilogy. The books themselves are amazing, and so are the audiobooks. I love the narrator and the way she voices Mara, all the other characters, and even gives Noah his British accent. I absolutely loved it, and of course had to get the entire trilogy as though having it in hardcover and paperback wasn't quite enough just yet. If you considered checking out the trilogy, now is a great time. You could listen to all three books and then laugh at all of us, who read the trilogy as it came out, because the companion trilogy that's Noah-centric, starting with The Becoming of Noah Shaw, is about to come out and you won't have to wait years for it. Amazing opportunity, right?

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Length: 10h 43min
Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest, MacLeod Andrews, Shannon McManus, Robbie Daymond

   The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

   Pay close attention and you might solve this.

   On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

   Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

   Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

   Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

   Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

   And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

   Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

   Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them." (goodreads.com)

   I head a lot about this one before I decided to pick it up. I didn't really know what it was about so I just bought it, downloaded it, and started to listen to it right away. It was a great read, the narrators were really good making it an even better listen/read, and the story itself was quite good too. It had that mysterious, high school intrigue vibe to it making you constantly wonder who did it and what is going on. The fact that each of the four POV characters had their own voice actor definitely also helped distinguish the voices of the characters a bit better since some of them do sound a bit similar if you purely read them. But, all in all, it's a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it!

   And that is it for my first round of audiobook recommendations. Please let me know in the comments down below, or on twitter (@Alice_Reeds), what you thought and if you've listened to any of these or plan on doing so. I definitely have a few more books on my list so I'll surely make a second edition at some point in the near future.

   Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

Review: Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Published: October 18th 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Number of Pages: 659 Pages (Hardcover)

Series: Yes, #2 in the Illuminae Files Trilogy

   Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

   The saga that began with Illuminae continues on board the space station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of BeiTech’s assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter, Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

   When an elite BeiTech team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum may be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival. The fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

   But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope. (goodreads.com)

"It may comfort you to know that your death, 

while astonishingly violent, 

will likely be mercifully swift."

   Ever since I finished reading Illuminae (find my review here) last year, I waited with anticipation and great expectations for Gemina. As with all sequels, the second book fear was real, but Gemina exceeded all my hopes and expectations in amazing ways with brilliant and unexpected twists and turns.

   Just like Illuminae, Gemina is told through files, instant messages, video transcripts and alike, which is still the coolest book format I've ever encountered. We also meet another crucial character from Illuminae again who turns out to be an even worse person than we've so far thought. The hate is real and only turns realer. That part is told through a court room transcript which in itself was really interesting.

   In Gemina we follow Hanna and Nik. Hanna is the daughter of the Heimdall's captain, rich, spoiled but still a total badass with a black belt and loads of tactical knowledge which most definitely comes in handy through the story. I really liked her, even though she seemed a bit naive and very spoiled throughout the first few pages, but my opinion of her quick changed. She was a really interesting character and I couldn't wait to see what her role in the story would end up being. I didn't quite expect her to be that much of a badass, but I loved every second of it.

   On the other hand we have Nik who belongs to the House of Knives, a Russian criminal cartel on board of the Heimdall station, as well as New Petersburg. Since characters like him belong to my favorites, I knew I'd like him the moment we first meet him. Throughout the story I only fell more in love with him and found myself rooting for him. When a very emotional moment came up, that I won't spoil, I was on the verge of tears, not going to lie. He was a great and really interesting character, especially thanks to all the details about the cartel and the tattoos he and the others had.

   Another thing that blew my mind in Gemina was the whole aspect of the wormhole within the Heimdall station which was later on explained in a more scientific way, along with other hardcore science, which honestly was one of my favorite parts of the story. I love sci-fi books that have a solid dose of science in them, even if most of it is way too complicated for me to understand. Gemina definitely did that part right and in a marvelously interesting way.

   In the second half of the story we also meet our beloved characters from Illuminae again. Their role in the story isn't necessarily the biggest one in terms of page count, but it's still very much crucial and done in an amazing way. I was curious how Jay and Amie would tie them into the story and I am more than happy with the way they've done it.

   Also we need to take a moment and truly appreciate Marie Lu's (author of the Legend trilogy as well as The Young Elites trilogy) illustrations for Gemina. She isn't only a incredible author, no, she's also amazing at drawing. I was really curious to see all of it after I first heard about it, and boy did I love it!

   Just like Illuminae, Gemina has a lot of aces up its sleeve in form of amazing plot twists that you most definitely won't see coming and aliens that creeped the hell out of me, especially the way they were "created". Now that was awful in more ways than one. But their role in the story was fascinating, even though, as I mentioned before, they were really creepy. But, at the end of the day, the Phobos virus people in Illuminae were still scarier than the aliens, but that was to be expected, I mean that virus was off the charts.

   Gemina is am amazing action packed sequel with unexpected twists and turns, smart moves and tactical planning, and even some crazy science. I didn't think it could one up Illuminae, but somehow it managed to do it anyways. I cannot wait until we'll finally get the finale next year, especially after that ending. I am excited!

I give Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman 5 out of 5 stars!

Pokemon Go Book TAG

Disclaimer: Pokemon Go belongs to Niantic and Nintendo, please don’t sue me. 

Also, all credits for the graphics go to the original creator.

   To be honst with you guys, I've never been into Pokemon, never watched the show nor played any of the games until Pokemon GO came around. I was extremely hyped as I waited for it to be out in my country and, if you've checked my twitter, you know I'm OBSESSeD with the game, as is almost anyone right now. if you've somehow not heard of it yet, it's basically an augmented reality Pokemon game where you actually leave the house and walk around to catch Pokemon. Amazing, right? in the first 3 days after downloading it onto my phone I walked like +30km so there's that.

   Anyway, when I saw that Aentee aka Reading at Midnight created a book tag for Pokemon Go, I immediately knew I had to check it out and do it, though I've not bee tagged by anyone. So, thank you to Aentee for creating the tag and let's dive right in, shall we?

   I chose Bulbasaur just so you know. No idea why it just kind of happened. It wasn't until two days later that I found out there is a way to get Pikachu as starter but it was too late already. I seen a Squirtle on my nearby list but not actually seen it, and Charmander, no sign of him.

   I'm probably the odd one out by saying The Legend of the Ice People by Margit Sandemo because no one ever knows what I'm on about when I mention it. I found it at my grandma's house and randomly read the first 12 tomes across two weeks because I just got so into it. Maybe I should read it again some time, see what it was that made me so addicted to it.

   I want a Pikachu but wow they are so hard to come by. Props to those who caught one, so jealous really.

   Of course I'll be totally original here and say Harry Potter, because Harry Potter.

   So far I've caught and seen so many Zubats in my area it's crazy. Anyone else? Then again, the most common ones around me are Pidgeys and Rattatas, but Zubats are closely behind those two. Though I've not come across the evolved version just yet.

   When it comes to a book I lost interest in because it's everywhere I actually have two answers, both probably equally unpopular. Number 1 is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This book is really hyped, as are the sequels, but I've just really lost any interest I had at first to read it. I've heard a lot of mixed things about it, my bestie told me I probably won't like it, so this one is very high on my 'probs not gonna read it' list.

   A close second is the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I've read Throne of Glass and I fairly enjoyed it, but then I started the sequel and lost my interest. Also, let's face it, this series is also everywhere and everyone talk about it and either really loves it or is indifferent toward it. From what I heard where the series is going (Yes, I've actually watched Polandbananasbooks' reviews for all the books...) I'm even less interested in it. I guess high fantasy is just really not my cup of tea.

   To be honest, I've pondered bout this question for three days now and the only book that came to my mind was Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Anna but let's face it, it had a lot of tropes and things we've already seen done numerous times in YA, but, still a cute read tho.

   I've not seen a Snorlax yet either, though that's not quite true since I saw someone have it at a Gym, but I've never seen it in my surroundings being actually catchable.

   I'm probably the last person in the book community to read this one even though I even got it as audiobook, but yes, I've still not read Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I've loved The Infernal Devices, I enjoyed The Mortal Instruments, so I have no idea why I've not made my way through Lady Midnight just yet. I mean, I've started it but only got about 10% in before I stopped to read a book I had for review so...But I hope I'll get around to reading this very soon. But like that size tho, holy.

   For some reason Gengars remind me of danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil solely because they have plushy version of it and it was in one of their videos, I think. I don't even know. But I'd really like to catch one.

   The last book that has kept me up at night because I simply had to know how the story continues and how it'll end was Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander. This was an amazing read and worth all the sleeping hours I've sacrificed to read it deep into the night. You should check it out.

   So far I've only encountered and captured their smaller versions (bravo me for not remembering what they are called and being too lazy to look it up...fake fan) in both the male and female version.

   I have so many OTPs BUT I have three main ones belonging to my favorite standalone, trilogy and series. I can't decide on one single favorite so each of these three has their own one.

   Starting with my fave standalone, The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, which has my OTP Nastya and Josh. That book is amazing and these two are perfect and I just love them so much.

   Next up my favorite trilogy is the one I can all of you can name because let's face it I've talked about it at least a thousand times on this blog already - The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw are perfection, fight me. I love Noah so much I even named my laptop after him. That's dedication right here.

   And my favorite series (I see people coming after me already for not saying Harry Potter) is Vampire Academy because it's awesome and it has Rose and Dimitri. Dimitri is literally goals right there, just saying.

   BONUS: Alec and Magnus from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. They are my favorite pairing from all her books, because like how could they not be?! Malec are a-maze-ing!

 First of all, I love Ponyta and Rapidash, they are legit my fave Pokemon of them all, just saying.

   I'm gonna go with Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. This is an outstanding read with a fast pace, thrills and scary moments, and a incredibly unique way of telling the story in terms of formatting. So impossibly cool! You should read it if you haven't yet.

   Eevee is so cute and her evolved versions are really cool and I'd totally love to get all of them, but until now I've only seen a total of three Eevees so I guess I'll have to wrap myself in patience.

   I'm no not going to surprise anyone with my answer because of course I could never get enough of the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin, so the fact that there will be a spin-off series makes my heart perform the biggest happy dance ever. Can't wait to read it all!

   When I first heard about Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead thanks to th movie trailer I was underwhelmed BUT then I actually watched the movie (and was one of the very few people who actually really like it) and simply had to read it. To my surprise the series quickly became my favorite series of all so theres that.

   For this one I'm going to go with the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. The book world is crazy about these books and the Six of Crows duology (?) so I cannot wait to finally get to reading it and finding out what all the hype is about.

   The only one that comes to my mind is that amazing edition of Harry Potter in the four house versions because I'd totally want the Slytherin one, because I'm obviously one. Too bad that they are so crazy expensive.

   Heres a tiny rant: All the eggs I've so far hatched were all complete crap. Like how even? Each one I hatched was a Pokemon I already had before, and like there was like a Rattata in a 5km one. WHY? Still waiting for my Ponyta, seriously.

   A book y a debut author I look forward to is The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati even though I've already read it, but I can't wait for others to read it and hopefully love it just as much as I did. It's an absolutely phenomenal book that means the world to me. So much love.

   I have a few authors that I love so much that I would just buy anything they write, even like their grocery lists or something, just to have more words from them. Two that I'm going to name will be familiar since I've mentioned them before, and two are new ones so here they are: 

   Michelle Hodkin (selling my soul to her because Mara Dyer is everything), Sebastian Fitzek (he's the only German author I enjoy reading and his psychological thrillers are just absolutely chilling and goals), Karen Fortunati (a-ma-zing and just such a nice person, I like Karen a lot) and Mia Siegert (brilliant author, amazing words, such an incredibly nice person that has so many helpful things to say and like her current WIP is the best thing ever and I'm so excited that I got to read part of it).

   Even though the servers were down in my area a few times, I've actually never seen this screen--lucky me--but as fellow players I know you've most likely encountered it and you know what horrible sight it is, especially when you just REALLY want to play. Though I've spent way to much time with the loading screen, like seriously, we're like frenemies now and I am slowly getting a bit sick of seeing it so much.

   I am DYING as I'm waiting for Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, the sequel to Illuminae. I LOVED Illuminae last year (here's my review), and I might be getting an ARC of Gemina so I'm beyond excited. I've heard really good things so far so that doesn't help. Must have it. Must read it. NOW.

* * *

   And that's it for the Pokemon GO Book Tag. If you want to do this tag, feel yourself tagged by me right now, and if not, I hope you enjoyed reading my answers. Below in the comments, tell me if you play the game and, if so, which team are you?

Hamilton Book TAG

   Welcome to the Hamilton book TAG!

   Just like basically everyone else in the book community, I'm obsessed with Hamilton. For

those who don't know, Hamilton is a musical that is basically the big thing right now. Getting tickets is basically impossible since it's just THAT good. It took me a while until I actually checked it out, despite having seen people talk about it on twitter like crazy. But once I checked it out, I can't stop anymore.

   This TAG was created by maureenkeavy over on YouTube and I discovered it through polandbananaBOOKS. Of course I immediately thought that I simply have to do it too. So strap yourselves in and let's get this party starting!

   THE QUESTIONS:

   1. The Room Where It Happens: Book world you would put yourself in.

   Okay, this is probably my favorite song of the entire musical because of just how upbeat and fun it is, a great song to dance to. But that's not the point. 

   Okay, the answer I think is definitely a no-brainer, since I'm sure everyone and their grandmother will say this very same one: Harry Potter. I mean, why would you want to live in any other fictional world when you can live in the wonderful world of Harry Potter. And don't tell me I can't pretend I'm 11 so I can go to Hogwarts.

   2. The Schuyler Sisters: Underrated Female Character.

   This one was a tricky one because I had the option between going with an obvious or different answer. In the end I think I want to go with the latter, a non-obvious answer. So, I will go with Maddie Freeman from the Awaken trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky. I love her character, love the trilogy, and am really sad that so few people have read it and appreciated her and the world she fights against.

   3. My Shot: A character that goes after what they want and doesn't let anything stop them.

  Another one of my favorites from Hamilton. This was actually the first song I ever heard from it during their live stream from the White House.

   For this one I'm going to do with Penryn from Angelfall. Throughout the entire book her only focus was finding her sister and she didn't let anyone get in her way of doing just that. There was no getting sidetracked, no forgetting about it for half the book and then being offered some lame quick solution, but it was THE thing on Penry's mind.

   SPOILER WARNING!

   4. Stay Alive: A character you wish was still alive.

   Because I don't want to bring up any dramatic spoilers, Allegiant looking at you again, please simply refer to answer #6 for this one, though ONLY if you you're all caught up on BBC Sherlock, or don't care about the show.

   SPOILER WARNING!

   5. Burn: The most heartbreaking end to a relationship you’ve ever read.

   This song is beautifully tragic and filled with emotions, I love it.

   My answer for this one will definitely be Champion by Marie Lu. I don't even know how to formulate my thoughts for the way this relationship ended.

   6. You'll Be Back: Sassiest villain.

   For this one I will just go ahead and take a TV show character, who also happens to be a book character actually, simply because I can and love this character lots. Of course I am talking about the one and only James Moriarty from BBC Sherlock. I love that series, I love Moriarty, I love the actor who plays him and the way he plays him. He is sassy and amazing.

   7. The Reynolds Pamphlet: A book with a twist that you didn’t see coming.

   I will not answer this one because, just like Christine (polandbananasBOOKS) I REALLY don't like to know about a twist before going into a book. I want the twist to take me complete by surprise and not be wondering all through the book WHEN it will come. That isn't the point of twists!

   8. Non-stop: A series you marathoned.

   The series that comes to my mind, besides my usual answer being the Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkins, is the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I bought this one maybe a week before my mock exams, which might have not been my wisest move, and one I picked up the first book, I felt myself unable to stop until I was done with all six of them. My grades ended up pretty good despite that, so there was no damage done.

   9. Satisfied: Favorite book with multiple POVs.

   Love, love, LOVE this song.

   I'm not quite sure if this book counts, but I will just pretend it does for the time being, and say Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. This book blew my mind while I read it and I am anticipating the sequel like nothing else because I HAVE to know how the story continues. If you've not read this one yet, definitely give it a chance even though it's a massive book. The audiobook is also truly amazing with a while number of different voice actors reading the different characters. So good!

   10. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: A book/series you feel like will be remembered throughout history.

   As much as I would LOVE to say the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin, Some Boys by Patty Blout or The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati, we all know the one and only true answer to this question is Harry Potter, because Harry Potter. No need for further explanation.

   And that was it, that was the Hamilton Book TAG. I had so much fun doing it, and of course listening to Hamilton while answering because that's just a must and a given. What are your thoughts on Hamilton? If you do this TAG, leave a link in the comments below or tweet it at me (@Alice_Reeds) so I can check out your answers!

Top 15 Books of 2015

   Welcome!

   Today, as the title suggests, I'll be showing you my favorite 15 books of 2015. These are not necessarily books that have been published in 2015, although many have been, but rather ones that I've simply read over the course of 2015. While putting together this list I've noticed that I've not read that many good books this year, even though I read more then last year. That is not to say that I've not read quite the number of extraordinary books, enough of them to fill this list and give me a hard time while trying to put them into a list.

   To be honest, I'm still unsure about the order of some parts of this list, but it's the best that I can do. Basically, all those 15 books are amazing, no matter at which place it is. All the clickable titles will take you to either the interview I had with the author or to their review. If I have both I will probably still link you to the review, so if you're interested in finding out more, follow the links!

   Without further ado, here are my favorite 15 books of 2015:

   #15 - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

   This is the only adult book that can be found on this list, which isn't a huge surprise seeing as I mainly read YA, with the occasional NA thrown in there. I've actually not read this one, but rather listened to the audio book in the car with my mom while we were on something like a road trip, one could say. The story was amazing, entertaining,  and immensely funny in so many ways. The narrator was kind of a dysfunctional one, seeing as he had a very science based mind and loved routines, he didn't even understand why someone would want to look at a the sunset every evening since, essentially, you just see the same thing you saw the previous day. I mean, what? But that's what made him incredibly lovable and seeing him change over the course of the book was brilliant. I had a great time listening to the audio book, thanks to the nice German narrator.

   #14 -The Secrets of Attraction by Constantine Robins

   This one was a really, really cute contemporary that I enjoyed so much whilst reading it. It was told through a dual POV where on one side we had a girl who wants to become and architect and on the side side a boy who was in a band. I loved the both of them, alone and together. Following Jesse, the male protagonist, to band meetings and just seeing him interact with his friends was a lot of fun and made me laugh out loud a good couple of times. I also enjoyed Madison's point of few, the way she interacted with her friends and her mom was really great. This book is just one of those contemporary ones that you can slip between "heavier" books to get a break, and by heavy I mean something like sci-fi or books dealing with mental health or something along those lines.

   #13 - Bone Deep by Kim O'Brien

   This one was a really interesting and different story. Essentially it's 'just' a YA murder mystery story, but what makes it special is the setting. In this story we step away from the places we are familiar with, being big cities like NYC or LA, or small towns somewhere in the middle of nowhere where 'nothing ever happens' but instead places us on archeological digging grounds, which in itself is already really cool. This book has quite the diverse cast and features quite a bit of Native American history, seeing as some of the characters, like the love interest, are Native Americans. I've never read a book before that featured them, though I'm sure Western type stories do have them, so it was really interesting to see them represented and properly introduced instead of just used at cheap punch line or background feature. I enjoyed this book a lot!

   #12 - Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

   And here we are, the first hard topic book of this list, and believe me, there are more to come, because how could it be any different since this is a list of mine. In this book we follow Madeline who has a rare condition which basically makes her allergic to everything. This of course means that she's spent her entire life inside of her house, a special one, together with her mother and nurse. But one day a new family moves in next door and they happen to have a son in her age. Things happen and many things are discussed. I really enjoyed this book a lot, I really did. Sure, many people say they've seen the ending coming from a mile away, I might have too, but that didn't change the fact that the story was very well written and I enjoyed reading nonetheless.

   #11 - Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

   This is another one of those heavy topic books on this list, just like the one above. In this one we are presented with a reality in which tuberculosis appears in a total-drug resistant version and we follow a boy called Lane who goes to a camp made for kids that have it, just like we used to do with people decades ago when tuberculosis was something our medicine wasn't quite so well versed in curing yet. Knowing that this is a deadly disease we can immediately prepare ourselves for the fact that this isn't just some happy, cute, fluffy contemporary, but one that, as previously mentioned, is dealing with hard topics. I really liked the way the author handled the topic, the way the plot went along and I loved the characters. They were all different, all very interesting and fleshed out. Seeing bad things happen to them really made me sad, but following Lane's journey to coming to terms with having this disease and changing as character, it was really great. 

   #10 - Angelfall by Susan Ee

   Now this one was a giant surprise, the fact that I picked it up and got addicted to it, no one, including me, thought that would ever happen. As you may or may not know I strongly dislike angel books because all the ones I've tried before Angelfall were absolutely horrible and I could never finish them. This one wasn't like them, this one was actually really, really good. It had many things I really like in books like action, an ongoing apocalypse, the lack of a forced love story, and amazing characters that can kick ass and be incredibly sassy. Once I was going toward the end of this book I found myself panicking that I wouldn't be able to continue since I didn't have book two. Of course I ordered it asap and continued on. In short, if you hate angel books, give Angelfall a try because it's an amazing book with evil angels which is all sorts of cool. This book is how one does angel books right.

   #9 - Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

   This was another one of those books where, the second I saw an e-mail about the ARC being available, I had to get it immediately. The book was really, really good with an intriguing plot, I mean a world where at 17 (right?) you receive a memory from your future self that shows you who you'll become, how crazy is that? Even crazier when you receive a memory that shows you killing your own sister. Now if that doesn't hook you, make you want to read it right now, I don't know what will. I had an amazing time reading this book and the author is a really lovely person, which is always a great plus. Also, food plays a role in this story seeing as the protagonist wants to become a manual chef when she grows up, which is another reason for me to love it because, I mean, who doesn't love food?

   #8 - Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

   This was one of my most anticipated books of 2015, and Francesca Zappia was the first author I've ever interviewed, meaning that this book definitely has a special meaning for me. Besides, it came out on my birthday which only made it that much more awesome. It's another one of those hard topic books since this story features the ultimate unreliable narrator, one who definitely matches Mara Dyer, because she has a mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia to be exact, meaning that she sometimes struggles to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. Alex is a wonderful narrator and a character I loved a lot. Her story was extraordinary and captivating and it didn't let me go for weeks after I finished reading it. It's definitely one of those books that will stick around with you even after you finish it. And of course it looks absolutely beautiful on your shelf because, I mean, just look at that gorgeous cover!

   #7 - None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

   Out of all the books to be found on this list, this one is probably the most important one, dealing with a topic I think we should talk about way more, seeing as I'm sure there is quite the number of people out there who have no idea it even exists. What I'm talking about is being intersex. This book does an amazing job at introducing the reader to it and showing us the protagonists struggles of dealing with it, of having to come to terms with it and how it changes her life. I think these types of books are incredibly important in today world and I so wish more people would read them, maybe even discuss them in class. Personally, I wish we would discuss books like this one during English instead of, taking an example from my school reading, The Awakening by Kate Chopin which might be a valuable piece of literature but didn't teach us anything that would be remotely useful in our world and time. 

   #6 - Never, Never Part 1 and 2 by Tarry Fisher and Colleen Hoover

   This one was absolutely addicting and brilliant, despite the fact that it's basically one complete novel cut up into three novellas, the third one not being out yet, leaving me sitting over here just craving for it way too badly. Each novella ends on a killer cliffhanger that will make you go and buy the next one asap because you'll definitely want to know how it continues. This book combines many different aspects, for example, amnesia, in that the two protagonists wake up and don't remember who they are, what they are doing or anything, with mystery and also paranormal elements which is absolutely brilliant. Then again, looking at who wrote this I wasn't surprised at all. These two know exactly what they are doing and how to hook a reader. I cannot wait to get the final novella into my hands and see how it will all end!

   #5 - Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara

   This one was a truly heavy one dealing with grief after the tragic death of someone who meant a lot to you. Of course I couldn't resists picking it up and reading it, because I'm drawn to sad stories like that. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed, but enjoyed it a whole lot, enough to contact the author and ask her for an interview. This story, as I mentioned, is really heavy, really slow paced, but portrays grief beautifully, just the way it is, the protagonists, Wren, never breaking character or acting as if her grief is just something that comes up in the story occasionally. No, her grief was always there, just the way it is in reality. Amy McNamara did an amazing job with this story, with shaping her characters and leading the story, her writing style gorgeous, allowing the reader to truly feel what Wren was feeling and picture the scenery easily. I feel very strongly about this book and I think you should definitely give it a read if you've not done so just yet.

   #4 - The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion by Chris McCoy

   This book was absolutely hilarious! To be honest, I don't remember how I found it but the second it arrived in my house I couldn't stop reading it while laughing out loud. I've not read many humorous books like this one before, but hell was it fun. In this story we follow our main character whose dream girl gets kidnapped by aliens and so he embarks on a rescue mission along with a alien band who just so happen to be on tour through the galaxy. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Well, it definitely is, but it's also the most entertaining thing ever. All the characters in this story were so funny, sassy, and just on point with unique personalities and quirks and seemed like the people you'd like to have as friends, one with whom you'd never get bored, like, ever. I loved this book and I'm pretty sure I'll be rereading it soon. If you're into space and humor and laughing until your stomach hurts then I definitely recommend picking this one up asap!

   #3 - For the Record by Charlotte Huang

   Upon first coming across this book over on lovely goodreads I immediately jumped onto my e-mail account and sent a ARC request to the publisher. Luckily, I got an eARC pretty early on and dove right into it. I was not disappointed in any way, rather the contrary. In For the Record we get a look into the world of being a rockstar, of being on the road in a tour bus and how hard being famous can sometimes be. This book was incredible. The writing style amazing, the characters well rounded and entertaining, all different with their own little flaws and quirks. This book is basically perfect for anyone who ever dreamed of becoming a rockstar when you grow up, I'm totally included in that group of people. You can really see that this author knows what she s writing about, seeing as she has contacts in the busieess and knows awesome people, like for example Fall Out Boy, one of my absolute favorite bands. I have so much love for this book! Go read it now, will you?

   #2 - Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling

   This book completes the list of books dealing with hard topics that can be found on this list. What can I say, I just love me my hard topic books, the really well written ones. This one deals with suicide and the pressure to excel in school to live up to your parents expectations, and also your own. I've not seen many books before that tackled this topic so I was very happen to have picked it up. Thankfully this book turned out to be amazing in so many ways. The way the author handled the hard topic was extremely well done and felt realistic. The characters were well rounded, three dimensional ones with actions that made sense and never broke character to fit into a certain plot line or to make a scene cuter or anything. I love the protagonist, Paige, and enjoyed reading from her POV immensely.

   #1 - Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

   I had no doubt about this book being my absolute favorite of 2015. ever since I first heard about it early on in the year over on YouTube, more specifically, from LittleBookOwl, I knew I simply had to read it. I love sci-fi, I love space, and I love action. Illuminae has all of that and so much more. Besides that, the formatting is brilliant and unlike anything I've seen in any book before. The story isn't told through first or third person, but through a series of documents, transcripts and amazing illustrations, and it features AIDEN, the most insane AI I've ever seen in a sci-fi novel, whom you both hate passionately but somehow, weirdly, still like at the end. I have so many feeling and thoughts about this book that I could go on for the next three hours but that isn't quite why we are here today. If you want to know more of my thoughts and love for this book, check out my review.

HONERABLE MENTIONS

   #1 - The Amazing Book is Not On Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

   Of course I felt the need to mention this book, but seeing as it wasn't a classical novel in that sense I didn't think it should be on my list, since it's reserved for the best of the best reads, not to say that this book isn't good. Whatever, you get my point, right? So, this book. As someone who really likes Dan and Phil, who has been watching their videos for quite some time and sees them as huge inspiration, because they are just really relatable memes, well, at least Dan is, I was looking forward to their book ever since I heard of it coming. Of course, as anyone else I would have wished for it to be a little more like Binge by Typer Oakely, in that it would have features more stories from their past, growing up and many of the times their fans don't get to see, but I fully understand their decision against it. Either way, their book was a hell of a lot of fun to read and I did learn quite a few things I hadn't known before. And let's face it, it was already worth it even if only to read The Urge. If you read the book or are part of the Phandom, you'll know what I mean.

   #2 - Petty Little Lives by Alice Reeds

   This is totally my book, but I thought I'll mention it anyways since having a book published by an actual publisher and everything, that's a big deal, right? I had so much fun while writing this book, exploring all sorts of different themes and see my characters evolve and change, fun times. So far it received many book reviews which of course makes me happy, like it would make any other author, let's be real. This is a summer book and deals with the importance of family, overcoming differences and, of course, finding love in the most unexpected places. You know me, even if I write a contemporary it's highly unlikely that it'll just be fluffy and cute, because it's me who writes it. Anyways, this book is my first traditionally published book and, of course, I hope others will follow. 

   And this is it. This was my list of my favorite books of the year 2015, which passed really quickly, didn't it? I can't believe it's almost 2016 already, somehow that thought makes me feel old even though I'm not. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this post and have a great day or evening, depending on when you read this!