Month in Review: May + June

May and June were pretty good. My reading total was nine for May and twelve for June. I'm two ahead of my pace for the year so that makes me happy. I also found two of my favorites of the year so far in Dark Kiss and This Is Not A Test.

And here's the breakdown for May: three Urban Fantasy, two Paranormal Romance, and seven Paranormal Young Adult. I get more YA books from the library than any other genre I read, and I made a nice dent in the library pile. I was also surprised to have no DNFs this month.

May: 12

Evil Dark by Justin Gustainis (4.5 Stars)
Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer (4 Stars)
Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (4 Stars)
Viper Moon by Lee Roland (3.5 Stars)
Blooded by Amanda Carlson (4.5 Stars)
Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen (5 Stars)
Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson (3 Stars)
Dead is Just a Rumor by Marlene Perez (3 Stars)
Dead is Not an Option by Marlene Perez (3.5 Stars)
Dead is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez (3.5 Stars)
Kithra by Dani Worth (3 Stars)
Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep (4.5 Stars)

And here's the breakdown for June: two Urban Fantasy, one Steampunk, one Paranormal Romance, and five Paranormal Young Adult. I was disappointed by the two DNFs this month. I really wanted to love Nightshifted and everyone else seemed to enjoy The Restorer. But I am getting better at making the decision to file a book away as DNF.

June: 9

Torn by Amanda Hocking (4.5 Stars)
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (4.5 Stars) review coming soon
Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander (DNF)
Regret by Elana Johnson (3.5 Stars)
Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout (4 Stars)
God Save the Queen by Kate Locke (4 Stars)
The Restorer by Amanda Stevens (DNF)
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (5 Stars) review coming soon
Spider’s Lullaby by James R. Tuck (4 Stars)

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So what did everyone else read in May and/or June?

Month in Review: March + April

I think I'm going to make a habit this year of doing these month in review posts every two months. It makes it look like I read more. Lol. March was a pretty good month for me, but April really dragged in regards to getting some reading done. My dad was in the hospital for a little bit (he's out and better now), and there were a lot of changes at work. Sometimes I read more when I'm stressed, but this wasn't one of those times.

Although it says I only read five books in April, it was a bit more than that. I started two other review books that I couldn't get into (due to the circumstances) and have set them aside for now. I was trying to force myself through them, but sometimes I've just gotta read something for me (hence the extra dystopian novels... I blame the HG movie). And I started another novel on the 29th hoping to finish it in time. I'm still reading so it'll be the first one for May! I'm still mostly on track for my goal of 104 books for the year.

And here's the breakdown for March: four Urban Fantasy, three Paranormal Romance (one was also Steampunk), three Paranormal Young Adult.

March: 10

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper (4 Stars)
Curses! A F**ked Up Fairy Tale by J.A. Kazimer (DNF)
Black Howl by Christina Henry (5 Stars)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (4.5 Stars)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (5 Stars)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (4 Stars)
Kamikaze by Moira Rogers (3 Stars)
Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall (3.5 Stars)
Dark Descendant by Jenna Black (4 Stars)
Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson (4.5 Stars)

And here's the breakdown for April: one Paranormal Young Adult, two Dystopian Young Adult, two Paranormal Romance.

April: 5

The Dragon Stirs by Lynda Aicher (3.5 Stars)
ReVamped by Ada Adams (3 Stars)
Alantis Rising by Alyssa Day (DNF)
Fever by Lauren DeStefano (4 Stars) review coming soon
Legend by Marie Lu (4.5 Stars) review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in April?

Month in Review: January + February

I didn't do a month in review post for January because I still hadn't caught up on reviews, and work was still a little bit nuts. Now, I'm almost completely caught up on my reviews, and work has slowed down. So I've decided to post both months together.

Here's the breakdown for January: two Urban Fantasy, two Paranormal Romance, two Paranormal Young Adult, and one Dystopian Young Adult. I think this may be the first month ever that Urban Fantasy didn't blow the the other genres out of the water.

January: 7

Switched by Amanda Hocking (5 Stars)
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (DNF)
Devil Without a Cause by Terri Garey (3 Stars)
Blood of Eden by Tami Dane (4.5 Stars)
After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel (DNF)
Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck (4.5 Stars)
The Twisted Kiss by Anya Bast (4.5 Stars)

And here's the breakdown for February: three Urban Fantasy, three Paranormal Romance, four Paranormal Young Adult.

February: 10

Hexed by Kevin Hearne (4.5 Stars) review coming soon
The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen (3 Stars)
Demon Bait by Moira Rogers (3.5 Stars)
Thread of Death by Jennifer Estep (4.5 Stars)
Shifting by Bethany Wiggins (DNF)
Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber (3.5 Stars)
Tranquility by Anya Bast (3 Stars)
By a Thread by Jennifer Estep (5 Stars)
Prince of Air & Darkness by Jenna Black (DNF)
Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff (4.5 Stars) review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in February?

Month in Review: December

I was very naughty in December. I really neglected the blog and didn't write a single review. I still have a few from November that need to be written. Working in retail during the holidays is just such a stressful bummer, and I took it out on my blog. I apologize. Tomorrow, I will be putting together a Blogging Resolutions for 2012 post in hopes that it motivates me to catch up and stay caught up.

Outside of my lack of posting, I read a pretty decent amount of books this month. Here's the breakdown of the eleven titles: three Paranormal Young Adult, four Urban Fantasy, and four Paranormal Romance. There were four DNFs this month, but the two with stars are just books that I couldn't finish by the end of the year but plan to pick up again in the new year. I know I don't normally review DNFs, but I may have to make a post about Tyra Banks' Modelland because I just have to talk about it. It was just so ridiculously random. I also read my first M/M this month with Coyote's Creed, and found my #3 best book of the year.

December: 11

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep ARC (4.5 Stars) review coming soon
The Hunter by Theresa Meyers (4 Stars) review coming soon
Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love (DNF*)
The Rift Walker by Clay & Susan Griffith (DNF*)
Tempest by Julie Cross ARC (3 Stars) review coming soon
That Thing at the Zoo by James R. Tuck (3.5 Stars)
Modelland by Tyra Banks (DNF)
Coyote’s Creed by Vaughn R. Demont (5 Stars) review coming soon
Beauty Dates the Beast by Jessica Sims (5 Stars) review coming soon
Ocean’s Touch by Denise Townsend (3 Stars)
Radiant Desire by Inara Scott (DNF)

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So what did everyone else read in December?

Month in Review: November

So NaNoWriMo was a bit of a bust for me. After about a week and almost 9,000 words, work became a bit overwhelming. I've decided that NaNo being in November is a bit ridiculous for me since I work in retail. I really like what I started, so I think I'm gonna do my own NaNo in January or February when work slows down (and Christen will be keeping me on track). Anyway, November was a pretty good reading month, all things considered. This past month consisted of two Urban Fantasies, one Paranormal Romance, one Steampunk Romance, and five Paranormal Young Adults.

November: 9

Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep 5 Stars
iDrakula by Bekka Black 2.5 Stars
Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst DNF
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 4 Stars
Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn 4.5 Stars
Miss Bramble and the Leviathan by Kristen Painter 4 Stars
Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore 5 Stars review coming soon
Crux by Moira Rogers 3.5 Stars review coming soon
Unleashed by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie 4.5 Stars (+ giveaway)

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So what did everyone else read in November?

Month in Review: October

October was a weird month. I didn't finish a single novel until about the 15th. I was bouncing between two books for the first two weeks, but they were taking forever to read and put me behind in review requests. So I put them aside to read some review requests. They aren't on this list because I put bookmarks in them and am going to get back to them ASAP. I had also planned to write a couple reviews for the past couple days, but NaNoWriMo took over a bit. I started out pretty strong with almost 5500 words in the first two days, and am hoping to keep that pace going. Work is gonna be nutty for the first half of the week, but I hope to have a couple more reviews up soon, especially since I enjoyed the books so much.

October: 8

Dead Mann Walking by Stefan Petrucha 3.5 Stars
The Summons: A Goblin King Prequel by Shona Husk 3.5 Stars
The Strange Case of Finley Jane by Kady Cross 4.5 Stars
Slayers by C.J. Hill 3 Stars
Trance by Kelly Meding 5 Stars review coming soon
Fury by Anya Bast 3 Stars
The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams 4.5 Stars review coming soon
Dark Hunt by Naomi Clark 4 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in October?

Month in Review: September

September was a very slow month for me. It seemed like every book I read took forever to read, and not because the books themselves were slow. It was more because my brain wasn't working as quickly as usual. I only had one DNF this month, and it wasn't even a true DNF. It's not that I didn't want to continue and finish the novel, it was just due back to the library and I didn't want to anger the library gods. Other than that, all of the books I read this month were 4+ stars. Pretty good books this month. I just wish there could've been more. Hopefully my slump won't continue on into October. I also promise to catch up on reviews. They suffered even more than my reading this past month.

September: 6

Damned by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie 4.5 Stars
Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent 4.5 Stars
Fateful by Claudia Gray 4 Stars review coming soon
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce DNF
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 4 Stars review coming soon
Bloodstone by Nancy Holzner 4.5 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in September?

Month in Review: August

August was a record for the year. Not only is my total of 12 books for the month the most I've had all year, but the four DNFs is also a record for me. I tend to hold on and try to finish a book (especially if it was highly anticipated for me), but this month I tried the "50 page rule" in which I put a book down if it didn't grab me by page 50. Of the DNFs, two were YA and two were UF. The other eight novels included four YAs, one MG, and three UF (one being a graphic novel). There was a lot of YA this past month because a lot of recent releases were available at the library, and I only brought library and used books on vacation so that nothing happened to my books. I'm weird about my books. I didn't realize that there were no PNRs for August and will try my best to read more of those. Christen tends to read more PNRs, so at least we'll still have some reviews.

August: 12

First Frost by Jennifer Estep (4 Stars)
Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson (DNF)
Demonkeeper by Royce Buckingham (2.5 Stars)
Possession by Elana Johnson (4 Stars)
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris (3 Stars)
Key to Conflict by Talia Gryphon (DNF)
Entwined by Heather Dixon (DNF)
Heist Society by Ally Carter (4 Stars)
Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux (DNF)
Blood Rights by Kristen Painter (4.5 Stars) review coming soon
Blood Work by Kim Harrison (3.5 Star)
Surrender the Dark by L.A. Banks (2 Stars) review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in August?

Month in Review: July

July started out slow, but picked up after I gave up on the DNF. I kept trying to force myself to give it one more chapter, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. Once I stopped forcing myself, I started gobbling up books. It was a really great month. Six out of eight books were 4 Stars or higher, two being 5 Stars. My choices were also very skewed towards Urban Fantasy this month due to review requests. Of the right books, six were Urban Fantasy, one was Paranormal Young Adult, and one was Steampunk. I know I say it every month, but I'm gonna try to read more Paranormal Romance this month.

July: 8

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong (4 Stars)
Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz (3 Stars)
My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland (5 Stars)
Dead Iron by Devon Monk (DNF)
Blood Law by Jeannie Holmes (4.5 Stars)
Black Night by Christina Henry (4.5 Stars) review coming soon
Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis (4.5 Star) review coming soon
Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep (5 Stars) review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in July?

Month in Review: June

The month of June was a bit of a slump for me. It just seemed like everything I read took forever. I only read six books, which is much lower than usual and only half of my total for May. Of the six book, three were Paranormal YAs, two were Paranormal Romances, and only one was Urban Fantasy. I don't know if it was because my brain was tired, or if I just wasn't into the books as much as usual. I also have been bouncing between a couple books for the last week (neither are really drawing me in), so I didn't really contribute anything to the month of June past the 25th. Hopefully July will be better! :)

I also fell into a bit of a blogging slump in June, and ended up taking over a week off. It wasn't planned, it just kind of happened. So I haven't actually reviewed any of my June titled yet, but I promise to get to them ASAP.

June: 6

Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway (3 Stars)
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (4 Stars)
Torment by Lauren Kate (4 Stars)
Renegade Angel by Kendra Leigh Castle (3 Stars)
Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay (5 Stars)
Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (DNF)
This was an audiobook, and I've learned that outside of a car trip, I don't really have a desire to listen to books. I'll mostly likely pick this one up again in the future.

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So what did everyone else read in June?

Month in Review: May

The month of May is a record for me. My total for the month is 12, which I'm pretty sure is the most I've read in a month since graduation. I had a wide variety of rating this month, including two 5 Stars (which is another first) and two DNFs. I read only two Urban Fantasies, two Paranormal Romances, one graphic novel, two Dystopian Young Adults, and five Paranormal Young Adults. I know this month was very heavy in YAs, but I was sent a couple for review and I got a bunch from the library. I've been trying to read a little more evenly between the genres, but I never really notice until I do these posts.

May: 12

Hounded by Kevin Hearne 5 Stars
Kind by Holly Black 3.5 Stars
Delirium by Lauren Oliver 1.5 Stars
Mercy by Rebecca Lim 4.5 Stars
Demons are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom 3 Stars
Divergent by Veronica Roth 4.5 Stars
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning 3.5 Stars review coming soon
Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler 3 Stars review coming soon
Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman DNF
Betrayal by Lee Nichols 3.5 Stars review coming soon
Spells by Aprilynne Pike 5 Stars review coming soon
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell DNF

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So what did everyone else read in May?

Month In Review: April

My reading total this month topped out at eleven books. This is the most I've read in a month (since I started keeping track). My reading choices were a bit skewed this month, but it's the first time in a while I've had library books to read. The totals for this month were two graphic novels, six Paranormal Young Adult novels, and three Urban Fantasy novels. I didn't even realize until tonight that I didn't read a single Paranormal Romance, and grabbed one off the shelf I've been looking forward to.

April: 11

Wither by Lauren DeStefano 4 Stars
River Marked by Patricia Briggs 3 Stars
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves 4.5 Stars
Kin by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh 3.5 Stars
Kith by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh 4 Stars
Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore 4 Stars
Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck DNF
Clarity by Kim Harrington 4.5 Stars
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter 3 Stars review coming soon
Deadworld by J.N. Duncan DNF
After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn 2.5 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in April?

Month in Review: March

My reading stayed strong this month with seven, which would normal not be very good, but I got the flu this month and spent about a week unable to read. I read one PNR, three UFs, and three YAs (two Paranormal, one Steampunk). It was definitely an interesting month. :)

March: 7

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge 3.5 Stars
Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep 5 Stars
License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr DNF
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones 4.5 Stars
Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz 4 Stars
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison 3 Stars review coming soon
Chime by Frannie Billingsley ARC 3.5 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in March?

Month in Review: February

My reading stayed strong this month with eight, which is pretty good considering February is such a short month. I read one PNR, three UFs, and four YAs. I didn't have any DNFs this month, which is a great change. And I got to read three ARCs which was pretty cool. I'm not used to having so many, and I still get really excited. :)

February: 8

Darkness Dawns by Dianne Duvall ARC 3.5 Stars
The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney 4 Stars
Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn 5 Stars
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes ARC 3 Stars (Guest review)
Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams 4 Stars
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton ARC 4.5 Stars
Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen 3 Stars review coming soon
The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan 3.5 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in February?

Month In Review: January

I started off the year pretty well. I read nine books this month, which is better than practically every month last year. Although I did have two DNFs, the first time I've had more than one in a month.

January: 9

Hunted by the Others by Jess Haines 4.5 Stars
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand 3.5 Stars
His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone DNF
Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti 3 Stars
Manifest by Artist Arthur DNF
Grave Witch by Kalayna Price 5 Stars
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright 2.5 Stars
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning 4 Stars
Taken by the Others by Jess Haines 4 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in January?

Month in Review: December

By reading eight books in December, I've bought my total of the year up to 85, which equals out to around seven a month. Not the greatest, but I can't complain.

December: 8

State of Decay by James Knapp 3.5 Stars
Crusade by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie 4.5 Stars
Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha DNF
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin 3 Stars
Hellforged by Nancy Holzner 4.5 Stars
Sleepless by Cyn Balog 4 Stars review coming soon
Sea Crossing by Virginia Kantra 3 Stars
Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell 4 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in December?

Month in Review: November

Everything seemed to take me forever to read last month. I blame Black Friday. (I had to be at work at 3:45am that day...) But at least everything ended up being a good read. Anyway, here are the books I read in November (along with links to their respective reviews):

November: 5

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur 3.5 Stars
Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra 4.5 Stars
Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus 3.5 Stars
Black Wings by Christina Henry 4 Stars
Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder 4.5 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in November?

Month in Review: October

Not much to say about this month, except that this is the first month in a long time with no DNFs. Anyway, here are the books I read in September (along with links to their respective reviews):

October: 7

Venom by Jennifer Estep 5 Stars
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer ARC 4 Stars
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning 4 Stars
Warrior by Zoe Archer 3.5 Stars
In Dreams Begin by Skyler White 3.5 Stars
The Greyfriar by Clay & Susan Griffith 4.5 Stars
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler 4.5 Stars review coming soon

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So what did everyone else read in October?

Month In Review: September

For once, I'm happy with the number of books I read. I'm ok with eight books for September. The amount of reviews I've written for these books, on the other hand, is what I'm not happy with. I was all ready to bang out two or three last night or this morning, but life came in the way. This morning, we put our fifteen year old cat, Hobbes, down and I just don't think the last couple reviews will be written for a couple days. But don't worry, I will get to them. Especially No Mercy since I received a copy for my review.

Anyway, here are the books I read in September (along with links to their respective reviews):

September: 8

Radiance by Alyson Noel 3 Stars

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 4 Stars

Sparks by Laura Bickle 4.5 Stars

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White 4.5 Stars

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow 3 Stars review coming soon

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon 4 Stars review coming soon

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon 4.5 Stars review coming soon

Twelve by Jasper Kent DNF

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So what did everyone else read in September?

Month in Review: August

I give up trying to read at the pace I used to. The more I try, the more it doesn't happen. I read more than I did in July, but not much. And I know I posted last month about doing a 200 follower giveaway. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I just haven't figured out what I want to do yet. :)

Anyway, here are the books I read in August (along with links to their respective reviews):

August: 7

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink 3.5 Stars

Death Most Definite by Trent Jamieson 4.5 Stars

Here There be Monsters by Meljean Brook 4 Stars

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway 3.5 Stars

When Blood Calls by J.K. Beck (ARC) 5 Stars

The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay 5 Stars

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens DNF

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So what did everyone else read in August? :)