Nick's Book Blog Backup

Hey everyone! Since I'm no longer doing Stacking the Shelves posts, I've decided to join Jasprit and Rachel over at The Readers Den and do a monthly recap instead. I like keeping track of books and trends and I think this would be a good way to organize everything. January was a hectic month. I resumed school after 6 weeks of break and it was rough on me. The cold weather didn't help either. I did read some great books and received some awesome books as well. Number of books read 25 You can see a list of all the books I read this past month here . Highest rating  5 Stars (I rated 3 books 5 stars this month! WOO!) Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga Lowest rating DNF 2 books were unfortunately DNFs for me. Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay Books reviewed   I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios (5 Stars) Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols (3.5 Sta...

Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : When Joss Met Matt Author : Ellie Cahill Publication Date : February 24th 2015 Publisher : Ballantine Books Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble Ellie Cahill is poised to coin the term “sorbet sex” with her charming twist on the age-old ‘friends-with-benefits’ story. Dating can be fun, but it can leave a nasty taste in your mouth. For Joss, ever since her longtime boyfriend cheated on her, she doesn’t want her last memory of a guy to be that jerk. Enter her college friend, Matt. They come up with a theory: after a bad break-up, a person needs to cleanse the palate with a little sorbet sex. Lovers for a night, but always back to being friends in the morning. The two can handle it because they have a contract: rules they wrote, rules they follow and rules they can sometimes bend. The arrangement works: everyone needs a little sorbet now and again … until it starts to be the only thing you want. And then Joss breaks the one rule they...

Le Owl Reviews will feature reviews of all genres from guest reviewer, Rashika. Summary (from Goodreads) Title : Messenger of Fear (Messenger of Fear #1) Author : Michael Grant Publisher : Harper Teen Publication Date : September 23rd 2014 Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself. And then the games began. The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear. But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out . . Personal Thoughts When I finished this book, I had no idea how to rate it. I have no idea whether it was amazing, or meh or just plain old likeable and I think the reason for that is because while ...

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at   Breaking the Spine to show the  upcoming titles that we're mostly eager for. Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : Deadly Design Author : Debra Dockter Publication Date :  June 2nd 2015 Publisher : Putnam Juvenile Goodreads   The emotional power of If I Stay meets the survival story of Maze Runner Genetically engineered identical twins Kyle and Connor McAdams were born two years apart. Their parents figured it was safer that way, to increase their odds of survival. Connor was born first, paving an impossibly perfect path for Kyle to follow. He was the best at everything—valedictorian, star quarterback etc. Kyle never thought he’d be able to live up, so he didn’t even try. But when Connor, 18, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, and Kyle learns of other genetically modified kids who’ve also died on their eighteenth birthdays, he’s suddenly motivated—to save his own life. Like Connor...

Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : The Last Time We Say Goodbye Author : Cynthia Hand Publication Date : February 10th 2014 Publisher : Harper Teen Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble There's death all around us. We just don't pay attention. Until we do. The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment. Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be. As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything. Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on. From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous ...

Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : The Boy Next Door Author : Katie Van Ark Publication Date : January 6th 2015 Publisher : Macmillan/Swoon Reads Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble Maddy Spier has been in love with the boy next door forever. As his figure skating partner she spends time in his arms every day. But she’s also seen his arms around other girls—lots of other girls. Gabe can't imagine skating with anyone but Maddy, and together they have a real chance at winning some serious gold medals. So, he’s determined to keep thinking of her like a sister. After all, he’s never had a romantic relationship that lasted for more than two weeks. But when their coach assigns a new romantic skating program, everything changes. Will this be the big break that Maddy’s been hoping for or the big breakup that Gabe has always feared? Personal Thoughts The Boy Next Door by Katie Van Ark was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It had the perfect concoction of skatin...

Nick's Random Gibberish is a weekly post here at Nick's Book Blog where I, Nick, will talk about random topics from personal posts to discussion posts. Hi guys! I decided to do a tag this week instead of discussion stuff! Anyways, I was tagged by a few people to do this one, and honestly I can't remember who they all were. This was a lot of fun to do though! And for some of these questions I had to think really hard! Four names people call me other than my real name I don't really have any nicknames, so I've almost always been called by name but the following two are what friends call me sometimes. 1. Nick 2. Nickiepoo Four Jobs I've Had I've only worked 3 jobs in my life, mostly because it was illegal to work back home if you were under 18 and at 18 I moved to US for college. 1. After-school teacher I taught 5th and 6th grade kids from under-resourced homes after school for about 2 years. It was kind of crazy. Even though the experience was eye-opening, ...

Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : One of the Guys Author : Lisa Adlin Publication Date : February 10th 2014 Publisher : Spencer Hill Press Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble Tomboy to the core, Toni Valentine understands guys. She'll take horror movies, monster hunts and burping contests over manicures. So Toni is horrified when she's sent to the Winston Academy for Girls, where she has to wear a skirt and learn to be a lady while the guys move on without her. Then Toni meets Emma Elizabeth, a girl at school with boy troubles, and she volunteers one of her friends as a pretend date. Word spreads of Toni’s connections with boys, and she discovers that her new wealthy female classmates will pay big money for fake dates. Looking for a way to connect her old best friends with her new life at school, Toni and Emma start up Toni Valentine’s Rent-A-Gent Service. But the business meets a scandal when Toni falls for one of her friends--the same guy who happens to be...

Summary (from Goodreads) Title : Red Queen (Red Queen #1) Author : Victoria Aveyard Publication Date : February 10th 2015 Publisher : Harper Teen Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her? Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the ...

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at   Breaking the Spine to show the  upcoming titles that we're mostly eager for. Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : Hotel Ruby Author : Suzanne Young Publication Date :  November 2015 Publisher : Simon Pulse Goodreads   Stay Tonight. Stay Forever. When Audrey Casella arrives for an unplanned stay at the grand Hotel Ruby, she’s grateful for the detour. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey and her brother, Daniel, are on their way to live with their grandmother, dumped on the doorstep of a DNA-matched stranger because their father is drowning in his grief. Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are in...

Holy smokes are we excited to bring you the cover for Cora Carmack's ALL PLAYED OUT! ALL PLAYED OUT is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is the 3rd book in the Rusk University Series, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins . It is due to be released on May 12, 2015!! If you haven't had a chance to read this sexy, fun series yet, be sure to grab ALL LINED UP and ALL BROKE DOWN !  Pre-Order Your Copy Today! Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iTunes Add ALL PLAYED OUT on Goodreads ! About ALL PLAYED OUT : First person in her family to go to college? CHECK. Straight A’s? CHECK. On track to graduate early? CHECK. Social life? …..yeah, about that…. With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay... Scratch that. She knows she hasn't had the full college experience). So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a "to do...

Summary (from Goodreads) Title : A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3) Author : Megan Shepherd Publication Date : January 27th 2015 Publisher : Balzer + Bray Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls. Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if s...

Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : The Originals : The Rise Author : Julie Plec Publication Date : January 27th 2015 Publisher : Harlequin Books Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble Family is power. The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you're immortal, promises are hard to keep. Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they've escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus's attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings f...

Nick's Random Gibberish is a weekly post here at Nick's Book Blog where I, Nick, will talk about random topics from personal posts to discussion posts. Hi guys!  Today's topic is a little bit controversial. I debated whether it was a good idea to even talk about this on my blog, but after having read Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner's post , which is absolutely brilliant by the way, and a push from my friend Nereyda at Mostly YA Book Obsessed , I finally got the courage to type this all out. Some of you will probably resent me for this, but I wanted to lift it off my chest because this is something I've been struggling with since the past few months and I've made many observations on Twitter and different blogs that indicate that I'm not the only one. Are some of us obsessed with ARCs? My answer? Yes. When I first started blogging back in December 2011, I didn't even have a freaking clue as to what an ARC was. I started blogging as a way to share my...

Summary (from Goodreads)   Title : The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) Author : Samantha Shannon Publication Date : August 20th 2013 Publisher : Bloomsbury Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing. But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army. Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, wh...