Ed Sheeran Book TAG (Blogmas Day #20)

   Welcome to blogmas day 20!
   Today I'm bringing you a book TAG related to one of my absolute favorite artists...the brilliant Ed Sheeran, which you know if you've read the title of this post. I've seen this tag float around on the Spanish side of the BookTube community and decided that I want to do it to. Of course, seeing as I don't really speak Spanish, and my blog is in English, I had to ask a friend to translate the questions for me and I've tweaked them a little.
  If you want to check out the original TAG click here.

   #1 - This - The book that started your reading adventure.
   I would say there are several books that did the trick for me, but the one that sticks out the most is definitely Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I'm not ashamed to admit that I used to love this series like the twiheart that I used to be at 14. When a friend of mine first mentioned the story to me I wasn't sure if I would like it and I didn't know about the growing hype for it yet. Once I started to read Twilight I couldn't stop until I was done with Breaking Dawn. Like many of us in the book community Twilight introduced me to the YA section and since then I never wanted to leave again. Sure, they might not be the best books out there but they will forever have a special place in my mind.

   #2 - Give Me Love - A book with which you lived and suffered through relations between the characters.
   I love this song, it's probably my favorite Ed Sheeran song to be honest, so of course I had to pair my favorite Ed song with my favorite trilogy that fits perfectly with the task. Of course I'm talking about the Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin, how else could it be. You know me, I always find a way to mention these books in TAGs and lists. The emotional journey onto which we go with Mara and Noah in these books is just one hell of a rollercoaster that will, at times, make you swoon and, moments later, rip out your heart. It's magical. I love the relationship that Mara and Noah have, I lived through it, I suffered thanks to it, but I enjoyed every second of it.

   #3 - Sing - A book in which they mention songs/music.
   As someone who loves music I'm always on the hunt for books that incorporate music, are centered around musicians, rock bands, or just characters that love music. My recent absolute favorite when it comes to these types of books, and fitting perfectly into this question, is For the Record by Charlotte Huang. In this story we follow Chelsea who is the new singer of a famous rock band. Through her eyes we experience what it means to stand in the spotlight, to be a rockstar, and it's absolutely amazing. Charlotte Huang did an amazing job at making the story feel incredibly realistic and just a hell of a lot of fun. 

   #4 - Thinking Out Loud - A romantic book.
   I guess the choice of book for this one is kind of very obvious, and extremely uninspired and unoriginal, but of course I have to go with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Let's face it, The Fault in Our Stars is perfection. John did an amazing job at creating brilliant characters that make us fall in love with them within pages. The story is both heartbreaking but also so cute, romantic and swoon worthy in so many ways. I mean, Augustus Waters, need I say more? Loved this one and it's definitely my favorite contemporary romance book, despite the heart shattering ending and all.

   #5 - Tenerife Sea - A book which is set in an ancient era.
   This one was quite a hard one for me because, as you all know, I don't really read historical fiction/fantasy novels so I wasn't quite sure if I should just skip this question or choose a book I've heard nothing but good things about. Obviously I went with the latter and my choice fell onto An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Around the time this book came out and flashed everybody with its amazingness, and the fact that originally it was planned as standalone, I heard floods of positive opinions about it. I've not read it myself and I highly doubt that I ever will but it seems like a good choice for this song/question.

   #6 - Photograph - A book that made you feel melancholic.
   Melancholic/sad books are something I love wholeheartedly. I think they are beautiful and require an amazing amount of skill so they will make you feel all the feels and for the story and sadness to feel realistic. There are many, many authors who do an amazing job at writing sad stories that really make you think and feel what the characters are going through. Of course I had to pick my absolute favorite book from this category, one I've mentioned many times before on this blog: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. This book is absolutely beautiful, haunting and perfect in every way. The characters are endlessly broken but seeing them work through their problems and get better, it's wonderful. I cannot recommend this book enough.

   #7 - Small Bump - A book that you anxiously await.
   For this one I have two choices, one is totally obvious if you've followed by blog for a while, or read my answer for #2. I am extremely looking forward to The Shaw Confessions by Michelle Hodkin, unfortunately for me and everybody else who loved the Mara Dyer Trilogy, this new trilogy/series isn't coming out until 2017, which is just so far away. Besides that I'm also really looking forward to The Last Star by Rick Yancey, the third and final book in the The 5th Wave Trilogy. Like many readers I've not beed the biggest fan of book two, The Infinite Sea, yet I really hope book three will turn it all around and offer us a worth ending to the trilogy that started out so well with The 5th Wave. There's also the movie coming out 2016 so let's see how that will go.

   #8 - Wake Me Up - A book that kept you awake reading.
   There are many books that would fit this one, but my choice fell onto Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky. This is the first book in the Awaken Trilogy, where I have to admit that I've still not read book three which is all sorts of tragic and awful. When I first got this book a couple of years ago, not too long after it came out in Germany, I couldn't get enough of it. I loved every single page of it, still love it to this day, and spend many sleepless nights reading this book, and it's sequel, Middle Ground. This book was my introduction to the dystopian section and soon lead me to discovering The Hunger Games and my undying love for the trilogy, but not the last two movies.

   #9 - You Need Me, I Don't Need You - A book you were anticipating to read but ultimately disappointed you.
   I loved Divergent by Veronica Roth. I liked Insurgent but I absolutely HATED Allegiant from the first until the last page. I think it was one of the worst final books in a trilogy I've ever read since it offered us the most convoluted and no sense making answers to all the questions we had regarding the story and history of the Divergent world I could have imagined. Many people give Ms. Roth credit for the move she did in the book, no spoilers, yet I saw it coming already the second I knew that this one would be written from two POV's. I didn't think it was a brave move, but rather one we could have all lived without since it didn't add anything amazing to the story. Basically what I'm saying is that Allegiant disappointed me in every way possible.

   #10 - I See Fire - A book with flames or fire on the cover.
   This one was another really hard one to find. I don't think I have any books on my shelves that have flames or fire on them, and if I do I can't remember. But, then I remembered a certain book that does have flames on it, but I unfortunately still don't own it, shame on me. The book I'm talking about is The Ables by Jeremy Scott, the guy behind the YouTube Channel Cinema Sins, a channel I love a lot. When I heard that he's coming out with a book about kids with disabilities that have superpowers I knew i had to have it, but I didn't get it for whatever reason, though one thing is clear, I definitely want to listen to the audiobook as he reads the book himself and we all know that he has an amazing voice.

   #11 - Sofa - A book that you take with you everywhere.
   For this question I don't have a single book as answer, and I don't want to repeat myself once more by saying all the Mara Dyer books by Michelle Hodkin, so I will simply say any and all books I have on my phone and iPad thanks to my kindle app. I have all sorts of books on there, ones I bought and others that I got as eARC's. I of course always have either my phone or both with me so whenever I feel like passing the time by reading I can just pull up the app and read any of the books I have on there.

   And that's it, that was the Ed Sheeran Book TAG. I hope you enjoyed this post and leave all your answers below or answer them on your own blog/YouTube Channel leaving a link to it in the comments, or tweet them at me, @Alice_Reeds.
   Thank you so much for reading and I will see you guys tomorrow, hopefully less late then today.

Ask the Author: Ava Jae (Beyond the Red) (Blogmas Day #19)

   Welcome to blogmas day 19!
   For this weeks Ask The Author I'm bringing you Ava Jae, author of Beyond the Red, a YA sci-fi novel that I'm incredibly looking forward to. I actually have an eARC of it, which is really exciting, so when I got the chance to ask Ava a couple of Q's I could not resist. Her A's are amazing so read on to find out all about her book and our interview:

Beyond the Red by Ava Jae
Expted Publication: March 1st 2016 by Sky Pony Press
Number of Pages: 352 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.
   Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.
   When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide. (goodreads.com)

Interview with Ava Jae

   1 – Describe Beyond the Red with a haiku.
   (This is such a cool question!)

   Beyond the Red haiku

   violent uprising
   an extrasolar planet
   rebel and teen queen

   2 – What sparked the idea for Beyond the Red? The sole idea of writing a story about an alien queen on a distant planet or something entirely different?
   Well I’d sort of come up with the whole planet and culture well before I even considered writing a book about it, as well as a version of Eros who is very different from book-version. Then later on I was inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar with the premise of a story taking place on another planet inhabited already—but I asked myself what would happen if the native species was able to fight back and totally overwhelm the invading (human) forces. And from there I remembered I already had a planet and culture and now I had the background story set up, so it developed from there. :)

   3 – What was the most challenging about writing Beyond the Red and which scene was the most fun to write?
   Most challenging part was getting Kora to open up—especially in my early drafts she was really closed off, which was an issue because people weren’t connecting to her, and it was a lot of work to dig in and really get to know her. But in the end I think it paid off, because so far readers seem to really like her. So yay!
   The most fun scene to write was a very particular scene with kissing. And sand. And that’s all I’ll say for now. ;)

   4 – What do you like most and least about your main characters, Kora and Eros?
   Kora and Eros are both quite snarky, which was a blast to write and play around with. They’re also very strong-willed characters, which I like about them, but was also occasionally challenging to write and work with given that they can be very stubborn.

   5 – In retrospective, is there anything that you’d change about the story or are you happy with the way it turned out in the end?
   Overall, I’m very happy with how it turned out. It went through many changes as I revised, and I do love the end result quite a bit. :)

  6 – How do you feel about the fact that in a couple of months, thousands upon thousands of people will be able to read your book?
   * Insert gif of overly excited Japanese kids of a Spongebob toy here*

   7 – What do you think about the cover for Beyond the Red? Does it do the story justice?
   I love the cover! It’s actually very similar to what I’d sort of envisioned before I had a cover, so I’m really very pleased. The colors! And two suns! And sand! It’s perfect.

   8 – If Kora and Eros were to live in our time, which social media do you think they would each use most?
   Hmmm, this is a really interesting question. Eros isn’t really strongly literate, so I think he’d probably stick with something more visual, like maybe Instagram, Vine or Snapchat. And I could totally see Kora coming up with some very snarky and snappy tweets.

   9 – Do you have a writing routine or do you write whenever creativity strikes?
   When I’m in the middle of a draft, I write every day until I’m finished. I like to start early in the morning when I can, because the later it is in the day, the less energy I have to get my work done. So yeah, I’m definitely more of a routine person—but between drafts I’m much more flexible.

   10 – What advice could you give aspiring authors?
   Don’t set a deadline on your dreams! I started writing as a teen, and I was initially totally determined to get published as a teen—which not only didn’t happen, but resulted in my putting way more stress and pressure on myself than was necessary. Honing your craft takes time, writing a book takes time, and every one of the steps before getting published takes loads of time. Don’t rush—everyone’s journey is different and you’ll get there at exactly the right time for you.

   11 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
   I always flip-flop between teleportation and telekenesis. I really want both—to be able to travel anywhere I wanted instantly would be amazing, as would being able to move things with my mind, I mean, how cool! Can I choose both? I choose both.

About the Author

   I'm Ava Jae.
   I write. I read. I Photoshop. Then I tweet/blog/tumbl/post/vlog/instagram about it and some pretty awesome people like and read and watch it. I'm also an Assistant Editor at Entangled, and I'm represented by the wonderful Louise Fury of The Bent Agency.
   I write YA and NA paranormal, Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels because I love writing about self-discovery and the complicated worlds of young people. Then I like to take their emotionally-ridden lives, rip them apart and set them on fire. My debut novel BEYOND THE RED will be published in hardcover and e-book by Sky Pony Press in March 2016. It has aliens and kissing and explosions and you can add it to your Goodreads shelf here.
   I also have an addiction to movies, but that's another matter entirely.

Cover Lust Friday: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Winter Romances by 12 authors, edited by Stephanie Perkins (Blogmas Day #18)

   Cover Lust Friday is a new weekly meme that's all about covers. Pick a cover that stands out to you, add your reason why you've chosen that particular one or what you like about it. Let's have fun with it and share the love for our favorite covers.

   The Cover:

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Winter Romances by 12 authors, edited by Stephanie Perkins
Published: October 9th 2014 by Macmillan Children's Books
Number of Pages: 355 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love. (goodreads.com)

   The Reason:

   For the last Christmas reads edition of Cover Lust Friday I'm going to talk about the gorgeous UK hardcover edition of My True Love Gave To Me.
   I really like this cover, a lot more then the original US one to be honest, despite the fact, or maybe exactly because, it's much simpler. The cover doesn't come across as beautifully on the picture as it does in real life, especially since the actual book as pink edges on the pages and a golden bookmark. I love how well blue, gold and pink go together. Personally, I think we need more such covers that are subtle, simple, but amazing to look at. I usually don't read short story collections but I couldn't not get this one.
   Well done, cover designers!

* * *

Want to join in? No problem! Just follow the 'rules' below:

1. Write a blog post about a cover you love.
2. Add your link in the comment section of the original post (click here) so we can have something like a list going on.
3. And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
4. Check out other posts, and have fun!

Cover Reveal: Going Geek by Charlotte Huang (Blogmas Day #17)

   Welcome to blogmas day 17!
   Today I'm bringing you the gorgeous cover for Going Geek by Charlotte Huang. As you all know I loved For the Record a lot, even got it super early because I was just that unable to wait, so when I saw that there was a way to sign up to be part of the cover reveal for Going Geek, well, I had to do it. I cannot wait to read this book, hopefully I can get an ARC somehow.
   So, without further ado, here is the cover and even a US giveaway!

Going Geek by Charlotte Huang
Expected Publication: Fall 2016 by Delacorte/Random House
Series: No

   In GOING GEEK, a girl is forced to stand up for who she really is - if she even knows - when her friends dump her and she is forced to hang out with the fringe crowd at school. (goodreads.com)

About the Author

   Charlotte Huang is a graduate of Smith College and received an MBA from Columbia Business School, which is clearly something every aspiring writer should do. When not glued to her computer, she cheers her two sons on at sporting events and sometimes manages to stay up late enough to check out bands with her music agent husband. Charlotte lives in Los Angeles and is the author of For the Record (Delacorte, 2015)

charlottehuangbooks.com // Twitter: @charlottexhuang // Insta: @charlottexhuang

Snapchat: @charlottexhuang // FB: Charlotte Huang // Tumblr: charlottexhuang

Giveaway!

   1 Winner will get the very first ARC of GOING GEEK (US Only. Prize will ship when item becomes available)

  Open | Must be 13+ To Enter Sweeps/Giveaway accounts are not eligible to participate.. See Terms & Conditions for more info

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Starflight by Melissa Landers (Blogmas Day #16)

   Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine in which we discuss our most anticipated upcoming releases.

   The book:

Starflight by Melissa Landers
Expected Publication: February 2nd 2016 by Disney-Hyperion
Number of Pages: 320 Pages(Hardcover)
Series: Yes, #1 in the Starflight companion duology/trilogy(?)

   Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.
   When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world--and each other--the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...(goodreads.com)

   My thoughts:

   This book has space, far away planets and is sci-fi, what more could I wish for?
   The first time I ever saw this book I knew I have to have it because the cover is awesome and the blurb sounds really intriguing. I'm a sucker for good YA sci-fi novels with just a dash of romance and truly high stakes so I have a lot of hope for this one, even more since a reviewer I trust gave it 5 stars. So, Disney-Hyperion, if you want to hook me up with am ARC I'm all for it!
   But in all seriousness, I cannot wait for this book to come out!

   Let me know in the comments below or via twitter (@Alice_Reeds) which books you're waiting for this Wednesday!

My Year In Music (Blogmas Day #15)

   Welcome to Blogmas day 15!
   Today I'll be talking about music, again. But, this time I've consulted Spotify to find out what music I've listened to the most this hear, how much I've been listening to it time wise and so on. I've seen so many people talking about this so I thought I might share my results with you guys, especially since I've not actually taken a look yet so we'll, kind of, find out together.
   Counting just the music I'm listening to on Spotify I've spent 39.000 hours (27 days) listening to music. I've listened to 811 different artists and 2.146 different songs, which is crazy! I wasn't even aware of the fact that I know that many artists to be completely honest.
   Now, let's see, who were my top five most listened artists, along with how many times I've streamed their music:

1. Years & Years - 581 streams
2. Panic! at the Disco - 473 streams
3. Hozier - 374 streams
4. MS MR -372 streams
5. Hurts - 359 streams

   That does look pretty legit if I think back to everything I've listened to in 2015. It's interesting how big the gaps are between places 1 to 3 yet how tiny between 3, 4 and 5. To be honest, I would have though I listened to Panic! the most this year, but I guess I was loving Years & Years quite a lot. Then again, their album is brilliant so no wonder.

   Next, let's have a look at my top five most streamed songs. I'm actually really curious about this one because I cannot even begin to guess which one might be on top.

1. Pray to God by Calvin Harris feat HAIM - 69 streams
2. King by Years & Years - 62 streams
3. Collar Full by Panic! at the Disco - 57 streams
4. Real (Original Mix) by Years & Years - 52 streams
5. Desire by Years & Years - 51 streams

   I guess it comes as no surprise that Years & Years clearly dominates this list, though I'm actually really surprised by Pray to God being my most listened to song of the year. Who would have thought. But, I'm not surprised at all that Collar Full found its way into the top five since I've been really loving that one over the past two months or so.

   And lastly we have my top five most listened to albums. I'm going to take a very wild guess and say Years & Years will be high on this one. Let's see if I'm right:

1. Hozier (Delux) by Hozier - 374 streams
2. Secondhand Rapture by MS MR - 371 streams
3. If You Leave by Daughter - 277 streams
4. Chaos and Calm by James Bay - 274 streams
5. Smoke + Mirror (Delux) by Imagine Dragons - 239 streams

   I'm actually surprised because Years & Years have not even made it onto this list, despite being my most listened to artist of 2015. Then again, I'm not surprised that Hozier won this one, closely followed by MS MR, because I really love his album a lot. And again, it's interesting how close place 1 and 2 are and also place 3 and 4.

   And that's it, that's my 2015 in music. I hope you enjoyed this little list, gotten to know my taste in music a little bit better. Share your most listened to artists, songs and albums down in the comments (no account required) or tweet them at me, @Alice_Reeds

My Bookish Christmas Wish List 2015 (Bookmas Day #14)

   Welcome to bookmas day 14!
   It's that time of the year again when we look at our growing list of books that we desire to own and read, and decide which ones are the chosen ones, the ones that end up on our christmas wish lists. Today I will tell you guys about the 10 books I've picked out that I would love to get for christmas this year. Last year I've actually gotten most of the books I wanted, which is always a nice thing, even though my bookshelves think otherwise because I barely have any space left.
   Without further ado, here are my chosen ones:

   #1 - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
   On my most recent 4 hours bus journey I had the incredible joy of watching the movie based upon this book starring Keira Knightley, an actress I like a lot. I loved the movie and it's melancholic atmosphere so of course, the next logical step to do here, is go and read the book. I'm incredibly curious as to how the two, the book and movie, compare and how much has been changed.

   #2 - Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
   Fair enough, I've actually already read and reviewed this book a couple of months ago, but how could I possibly not want to own one of those amazing hardcover copies of this book? I want to experience the story again, have a closer look at all the design details that went into this book that were way too small on my eARC, and just have it stand proudly on my shelf. Besides, spoiler alert, this is one of my favorite books this year so.

   #3 - Night Film by Marisha Pessl
   I've heard lots of stuff about this book, lots and lots of praise because of the story and its originality. I've wanted to get it for surely a year or so now, so I guess Christmas is a good moment to possibly finally get my hands on it and see what all the talk is about. Hopefully it'll be a good one, if I do get it.

   #4 - This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers
   This book sounds really interesting, since it combines two things I like a lot: a heavy topic and zombies. I really like zombie stories, the really good ones, so I'm curious to see if this will be a good one. A reviewer whose opinion I trust gave this one a high rating, despite not being the biggest fan of zombies, so I have truly high hopes for this one.

   #5 - The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
   This is one of the 'heavy' books that can be found on my list. As you guys know I love books dealing with hard/heavy topics so of course there would be books like this one on my list. Also, let's face it, the title of this book definitely caught my attention due to obvious reasons.

   #6 - The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
   This book is about a boy who wants to be a girl, who feels like he actually is a girl despite being born in a boys body. I've never read a transgender book before so of course when I saw this one I could not resist and had to put it onto this list asap. To be honest, I've already ordered it.

   #7 - This Shattered World and Their Fractured Light by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman
   I've already wished for This Shattered World last year, but didn't get it, obviously. Logically I am wishing for it once more this year, along with the final book of the trilogy. This books are already totally worth getting even if only for those gorgeous covers, though the story in book one, These Broken Stars, was already pretty awesome so I cannot wait how the story continues.

   #8 - You by Caroline Kepnes
   This book sounds infinitely fascinating, especially because it's written in second person, as suggested even by the title. I've never read a book in second person and I'm sure it will take a little while to get used to it, but I've heard nothing but good things about this book so I have high hopes. It's supposed to be really creepy and that already tells me that I want to read it. As with heavy topics, creepy/scary books are another type of book that I happen to love.

   #9 - Some Boys by Patty Blount
   And here we are again, another heavy topic book that deals with rape. I think these types of books are incredibly important so of course I want to read them, spread the word about them, especially if they are good ones. I've been eyeing this book for months but never got it so I hope to get it as present.

   #10 - Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling
   Again, I've already read, loved and reviewed this one in form of an eARC but, seeing as I absolutely loved it, I definitely want to get the physical copy of it so I can re-read it sometime. Seriously, if you've still not considered getting this book I strongly encourage you to do it. The story is amazing!

   Those are the 10 books I hope to get. I know, not the happiest list ever made but that's just me, I have a soft spot for the heavy/sad stuff. What are some of the books you hope to get for Christmas? Tell me in the comments below or on twitter, @Alice_Reeds.

5 Songs I'm Currently Addicted To! (Blogmas Day #13)

   Welcome to Blogmas day 13!
   Today I'll be telling you about the five songs I currently can't get enough of. I've posted a list like this once already a while back and I thought, hey, why not do it again. Maybe you'll discover something new and, since Christmas is right around the corner, you'll be able to buy the CD as present. Perfect, right?

   #1 - Afraid by The Neighbourhood
   I found this song while listening to a fan made Mara Dyer playlist that goes along with the books absolutely perfectly. I have mad respect for the person who made that playlist. Anyways, 'Afraid' is a beautiful and haunting song that I could just listen to on repeat while writing the story I'm currently working on. It's a sadder song but I love it. The lyrics are simply on point, the music perfection and the singer's voice just tops if off, making the entire thing definitely one of my favorite songs of 2015, even though I don't even know if it's a song that even came out in 2015.

   #2 - World Princess Part II by Grimes
   Grimes album 'Art Angels' is odd to say the least but something about this certain shade of odd makes it incredibly good. When I first heard some other song by Grimes during the BBC Radio One Internet Takeover hosted by Dan and Phil I didn't really enjoy it that much but after hearing her once more, a different song this time from the new album, I decided that I wanted to hear the whole thing. During my first couple run throughs of this album I didn't really notice 'World Princess Part II', but then it came on when I was in the underground on my way to the city and suddenly something clicked. I found myself listening to this song on repeat until I arrived.

   #3 - Blue by Troye Sivan feat. Alex Hope
   Troye Sivan is amazing, what else can I tell you? He is the only YouTube artist whom I'm actively listening to, whom I really know of (yes, I know Charles from CTFxC is part of We The Kings but that doesn't count). I fell in love with 'WILD' when I first heard it so of course I was waiting for Blue Neighbourhood to drop, wanted to hear the entire thing. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The album is great, but 'BLUE' is definitely my favorite song off of the album, 'TOO GOOD' coming in at a close second. It's filled with so many emotions, hauntingly beautiful, I cannot get enough of it. I've written an entire chapter while listening to it on repeat since it went along with my chapter so well, with the emotions I wanted to bring across. I hope Troye will make it big, he certainly deserves it since his voice and music are brilliant.

   #4 - Dark Times by The Weeknd feat Ed Sheeran
   We all know that The Weeknd is an amazing artist making amazing music so naturally, just like so many others, I absolutely love his album 'Beauty Behind The Madness'. His voice is unlike any other, inviting you to get lost in it. Listening to the album I immediately noticed 'Dark Times', probably because I wasn't expecting Ed Sheeran's voice to suddenly appear but, wow, it fits perfectly into the song and contrasts greatly with The Weeknd's voice. I love this song and I wish I had a friend with whom I could record a cover version of it since it just screams for that. If you've not heard it yet, what are you doing? Go listen to it asap! 'Angel' was a close second behind 'Dark Times'.

   #5 - Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
   I'll give you a moment to take that in. 
   I don't even know what happened, but something did happy to Justin Bieber's music which turned it into not being unlikable anymore. To my surprise, and many other people's too, his new album 'Purpose' actually sounds pretty good and I enjoy listening to it. When I first gave it a run through I was expecting to hate it, I just wanted to do it for research purposes, wanted to know what all the fuss was about, yet I found myself actually enjoying it. 'Love Yourself' is my favorite none-single song of the album.

   And that's it, those are the five songs I'm currently loving the most! I hope you enjoyed this post and will come back tomorrow for the next Blogmas post!

Review: Not Okay, Cupid by Heidi R. Kling (Blogmas Day #12)

Not Okay, Cupid by Heidi R. Kling
Expected Publication: January 11th 2016 by Entangled: Crush
Number of Pages: /
Series: Yes, #1

   Her wicked revenge, or his wicked heart...
   Hazel McCallister loves her life. Perfect grades. Perfect best friend. Perfect boyfriend. Until her perfect boyfriend cheats on her with her perfect best friend. Now Hazel’s in free fall—until her best friend’s brother, Felix, gives her the perfect idea. Reclaim her power by taking revenge on her cheating ex.
   Felix James loves his life. Casual relationships. Loads of surfing. He’s as drama-free as they come. But he can’t stand by when his sister steals her best friend’s boyfriend, and the dude insists it was Hazel’s fault. So Felix vows to help turn Hazel into a girl her ex can’t resist—so then she can break his heart.
   With an alliance in place, Hazel’s revenge is all but assured. But with each piece of payback, she feels a stronger attraction to Felix, even though revenge will turn her into a girl Felix could never be with. And soon Hazel has to make an impossible choice: revenge...or Felix, the boy who’s stolen her heart.
   WARNING! This book contains betrayal, revenge, and that most tempting vice of all, the bad boy you know you can't have. (goodreads.com)

* Thank you to Entangled: Crush for providing me with a eARC in 

exchange for an honest review *

   After reading Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling a couple of weeks ago I knew I simply had to get my hands on her next book, being Not Okay, Cupid. I was beyond happy when I got an eARC of it and the chance to read it a month early.
   Not Okay, Cupid is more or less the exact opposite of Paint My Body Red, it's funny, fluffy, a feel good book set in the week leading up to Valentine's Day. I've never been a big fan of holiday themed books but this one was beyond cute and got me way too emotionally invested. Looking at the books I usually read one would think I wouldn't be interested in a read like this, would think I wouldn't end up liking it even if I were to try. Wrong. I loved this book, there, I said it.

   This story follows Hazel and Felix, two amazing protagonists that have a very interesting 'friendship' going that includes tons of funny banter. Hazel is your typical organized straight A girl with a boyfriend and a plan for life, that is, until her seemingly 'perfect' boyfriend cheats on her and her so well put together plan shatters. 
   On the other hand we have Felix, aka Felix the Cat and The Player of La Playa. He's the type of guy that likes to mess around with girls, but only for one night, and happens to be Hazel's best friend's brother. I love Felix, he was an amazing character! Seeing the two of them come together and conjure up a plan to get back at Jay, Hazel's cheating boyfriend, and Kimmy, Felix' sister with whom Jay cheated on Hazel, was amazing. I loved their chemistry and rooted for them from beginning to finish.

   Just as I mentioned in my review for Paint My Body Red, I love Heidi's writing style and the way she breathes life into her characters, making them feel like well rounded humans and not just one dimensional one trait tropes on two legs. Also, the way Hazel's and Felix' feelings started to slowly change and develop was really well done, slowly and realistically, and not simply in a matter of five pages.

   All in all Not Okay, Cupid is a really cute, funny and fluffy contemporary read, a total pick you up type of book. I think I might make this one a habit, reading it around Valentine's day the way we read other books around Christmas. This might not be the most original or life changing story, but it is all sorts of wonderful and cute with amazing characters and a real life feeling to it.

I give Not Okay, Cupid by Heidi R. Kling 5 out of 5 stars.

Cover Lust Friday: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Blogmas Day #11)

   Cover Lust Friday is a new weekly meme that's all about covers. Pick a cover that stands out to you, add your reason why you've chosen that particular one or what you like about it. Let's have fun with it and share the love for our favorite covers.

   The Cover:

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Published: October 26th 2010 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Number of Pages: 260 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: Yes, #1 in the Dash & Lily Duology (?)

   “I’ve left some clues for you.
   If you want them, turn the page.
   If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
   So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? (goodreads.com)

   The Reason:

   This is my favorite Christmas read. 
   The story is beautiful and the cover matches it perfectly. It's subtle, colorful, and gorgeous. I personally love that it doesn't scream Christmas in your face but pulls you in through the beautiful cover picture. 

* * *

Want to join in? No problem! Just follow the 'rules' below:

1. Write a blog post about a cover you love.
2. Add your link in the comment section of the original post (click here) so we can have something like a list going on.
3. And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
4. Check out other posts, and have fun!