Goodbye, 2013 and hello 2014!!!

Another year has swiftly gone by and I can hardly believe it. But what I've always liked about the start of the new year is the shininess of it--how any mistakes or bad memories can be shaken off your shoulders like dust and you can start over again. My only resolutions for 2014 are to read more voraciously, live more passionately and love more wholeheartedly. Those are all pretty do-able, I think ;)

I hope everyone is enjoying their last day of 2013 before ushering in the new year with their family and friends. I wish you all a happy, productive and healthy 2014! (Along with some fabulous books to read!) I'll see you all then!!!

Best Books of 2013

I have always wanted to do one of these lists but year after year I let the chance slip by. Well, not this time! I haven't been so active on the blog this year and my count of read books is woefully low...but from the few that I did manage to read and review, they were all amazing in their own right. And I have to talk about them. (Forgive me if my list seems limited...my reading selection this year was minimal.)

Most Surprising Read of 2013

 

 

I honestly was not feeling this one but after a friend's stellar recommendation and not being able to find anything to read at one point, I gave Sweet Evil a try and found myself pleasantly surprised. I loved the main character and the author put a new twist to the whole devil vs. angels story. Once again, I let the cover get to me but I will not let that happen again!

 

Most Heart Wrenching Read of 2013

 

 

Fade broke my heart in this second installment of Ann Aguirre's Razorland series. He and Deuce have gone through so much already but now Deuce has to contend with more than Freaks. I haven't read the final book in the trilogy but it'll be high up on my list in 2014.

 

Honorable Mention:

 

 

My heart hurts for every character in this book!!! Especially Adam. Poor guy :'(

 

Best New Discovery of 2013

 

 

I am appalled at myself for how long it took me to read this because it is fantastic! Like if I could jump into a time machine, I'd force Sandy from the past to read this book immediately. But at last, I have read Deanna Raybourn and I will continue to read anything she writes because my goodness her stories are wonderful. (And Brisbane ♥)

 

Prettiest Words of 2013

 

 

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful story that is revealed through a gorgeous writing style. Seriously, this is what I said from my review this past April:

 

"Speaking of her writing, can I just roll around in all her pretty words and let the ink soak into my skin? Hartman absolutely dazzled me with her writing talent. "

 

 

Best Book of 2013 that wasn't written in 2013

 

 

SIGH. ♥

 

Best Cover of 2013 

 

 

That cape!!! It's just so pretty! It's even more gorgeous in person. ;)

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

 

What an awesome cover.

 

 

I love how there's two faces but you only see one at first. :)

 

 

Most Swoony Read of 2013

I'm going to cheat and do categories!

Adult:

 

Two strangers who have intense hook-ups which then evolve into a sweet and tender relationship. Realistic? Maybe not. But do I care? Absolutely not, I love my HEA's. >:D

 

Young Adult:

 

This was a hit or miss for many people but in my case it was a HUGE freaking hit. I'm glad I decided to give this one a chance because it ended up being one of my favorites of the year. Noah and Echo had a lot of wounds to heal but they helped each other and were very cute as a couple.

Best e-novella of 2013

 

 

YOU GUYS. I really need to read more e-novellas, especially those by Mary Ann Rivers. OMG. So much love for this one because I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I wish I could read more about Carrie and Brian but The Story Guy was fantastic as it was. 

 

Honorable Mention:  

 

 

Any novella that can make me question my loyalty to the main character's love interest deserves an award. Warner, you're either so wrong or so utterly RIGHT. O_O 

 

Best Series of 2013

 

 

The Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot.

 

This wasn't really much of a competition because this is the ONLY series I've read this year but it holds a special place in my heart because it's been a comfort read for me as I struggled through my last semester of undergrad. Heather was so sweet and wacky :) 

 

Most Kickass Heroine of 2013

Rachel Hartman's Seraphina because she is selfless and unafraid to face the world.

Runner-ups: Scarlet (and Cinder) from Marissa Meye's Scarlet, Eva from Kat Zhang's What's Left of Me, and Anna from Wendy Higgin's Sweet Evil

 

Most Awesome & Hot Hero of 2013

BRISBANE DUH. As if this was ever going to be questioned??

Runner-ups: Wolf from Scarlet because he's a big mush underneath all that Lunar gruffness, Graves from St. Lili St. Crow's Strange Angels because he's such a compassionate cutie and Warner from Destroy Me (he's an anti-hero but he still totally counts). 

 

Woo! So that's my list for this year. I'm sorry if I seem a little sloppy and overenthusiastic but I had a lot of fun creating this list ^_^

Happy holidays :)

I can't believe Christmas is literally TOMORROW and then we have to run around to prepare for New Year's. 2013 has come and gone way too fast but I have to say that I am excited for 2014. A lot of good things are coming around the corner and I hope that everyone has a restful holiday with their family and friends. Enjoy all the presents and baked goods, my friends. ;)

Size 12 and Ready to Rock (Heather Wells #4) by Meg Cabot

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Release Date: July 10th, 2012

Source: Public library

Summer break...and the livin' ain't easy!

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead...and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancé. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

Review: I wrote a short list about why I really enjoy the Heather Well series a while ago but I didn't go in-depth about it. I'm going to do it this time around with the fourth book in the series.

To recap briefly, Heather Wells used to be a huge pop star and lost it all when she gained weight, found her boyfriend cheating on her and lost her recording deal and her life savings in one fell swoop. But Heather bounced back from so many downfalls and is in a happier place with a great guy, a good job and a healthy self-image of herself. The only issue? Her workplace--known as Death Dorm--continues to live up to its macabre nickname and Heather always manages to get sucked into the crime investigations. This time she's stuck with trying to figure out who is going after Tania (who happens to be the "other woman" that her ex cheated on her with!)

With all that said, I can get on with the review! I have to admit that I found the mystery in this story to be extremely predictable in comparison to the rest of the series but I thought Cabot did an excellent job in fleshing out Tania's character. Until this point, all the reader knew was that she was the girl that Jordan cheated with and basically Cartwright Records' latest musical sweetheart once Heather got kicked to the curb. Interestingly enough, once you get to know about Tania Trace you end up really liking her! There is this short but genuine moment between her and Heather where they get to know each other and it's very sweet. Heather never held a grudge against Tania but any possibility of her bearing an inkling of ill will went out the window once they had this moment. I have to give props to Meg Cabot for writing such great scenes that show a different side to these characters. Heck, she even made Jordan more human this time around---normally he's a useless oaf but he's a better version of himself when he's with Tania. As for Heather's relationship with Cooper, they're a thing now. :) It's nice to see them finally together after so much back-and-forth between those two. ALSO. We finally get to meet the rest of the Cartwright family--that family is a bag of crazy nuts!

The novel portrays fame and fortune in a way that's worth mentioning. Fame and fortune do bring wealth and comfort but they also bring more trouble and headaches. Heather obviously knows how that is but she managed to escape the spotlight and she's happier because of it. While she's trying to help Tania figure out who's trying to kill her, the story shows how sometimes the desire for fame and fortune can take you to places that you don't want to go and put you in situations that are damaging for yourself and others. This book does focus a lot on Tania's story but I think it only shows the reader how kind Heather is and how she's willing to do the right thing even if it's a little awkward for her. And that's a great message for a book to have. :)

Final Verdict: Though the "villain" in this mystery was a dead giveaway, I still enjoyed the fourth installment in the Heather Wells series. I can't say anything negative about this series, you guys. It's just so fun and it's Meg Cabot for crying out loud. When has anything she's ever written NOT been funny and cheerful? She even makes murder mysteries a bubbly and delightful experience! I've even finished the fifth book which I will be reviewing at some point and lemme tell you, that book was AWESOME. ;) So definitely give this series a try if you haven't already.

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School's out, AND SO AM I.

I mean, I still have one more paper to write and a final next week but it doesn't matter, I AM DONE. I survived this past week (which was hell---I will spare you the details but basically I cried and questioned my intelligence as I wrote all my mega long research papers). I had my last class on Thursday and once it was over, this was me:

 

Like, it's been cool professor BUT I AM OUT.

Now I can actually read for fun, watch movies and catch up on all my t.v. shows. I even started watching Modern Family and Bones (I know, I'm probably the last person in the world who hadn't seen these shows yet) and wow, it is SO nice to be finished.

 

You said it, Amy Adams. :)