Let's Talk: Books I Read Because Of Another Blogger's Totally Awesome Review

LET'S TALK is a weekly discussion meme created and hosted by the lovely Melissa from I Swim For Oceans! Every Friday, there is a new discussion topic for bloggers to discuss. If you want to know more about this feature, then go check out I Swim For Oceans for more information! 

What books, if any, have you read only because a blogger's review convinced you to? Did it live up?

Fabulous topic! Below are four books that blogger reviews convinced me to read (after I originally - and stupidly - convinced myself not to check them out):

Book: THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER

Blogger: Melissa at I Swim For Oceans

Melissa's review was only one I had in the back of my mind when I stumbled across a copy of MARA DYER, and the fact that she loved it Hodkin's novel so much is what gave me the push I needed to purchase it. I was incredibly excited for MARA DYER prior to the release date, but then the hype scared me off early on (and books with a lot of positive reviews can go either way with me). Thank goodness that I read Melissa's review and remembered it all of those months later, because MARA DYER was incredible!

Book: OUT OF THE EASY

Blogger: Christina from Confessions of a Book Addict

I was very, very skeptical when it came to this book. I loved Sepetys's debut, but I doubted her latest novel could live up to that story. But, after reading Christina's fantastic review, I knew I needed to start reading my ARC right away. And, Christina was right -- the characters were fantastic and the setting was wonderfully written. Such a great book!

Book: SHADES OF EARTH

Blogger: Aylee from Recovering Potter Addict

I've actually purchased a lot of books after reading Aylee's reviews (like CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS, THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, ETIQUETTE AND ESPIONAGE - I just need to hurry up and read them). While she and I think differently regarding some novels, I've noticed that we do seem to enjoy similar stories for the most part, so I tend to take her positive reviews very seriously. And, no surprise, she was right about SHADES OF EARTH! 

Book: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Blogger: Can't remember - Multiple bloggers! 

All of the insanely positive blogger reviews for TFIOS convinced me to check it out of the library. It was, unsurprisingly, an amazing book that I had to purchase right away. I feel like an idiot for waiting so long to read this book, but I'm grateful to all the bloggers who reviewed TFIOS - I might have ignored TFIOS without those glowing reviews!

I could name a few more, but then we'd be here all day! ;)

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Let's Talk: Two Challenges For My Book Blogger Self

What's one thing you'd like to challenge yourself as a book blogger to do this year?

Since I'm apparently a huge cheater when it comes to narrowing things down, I actually have two things I'd like to challenge myself to do as a book blogger this year. 

Challenge One: Blog however / whenever I want to blog.

Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in memes and trying to stay on top of everything. I honestly do not know how some bloggers manage to post 5+ times a week, or even daily! Despite having been a book blogger for almost four years, I consider YA Book Queen to be a small blog. I do not receive bundles of review books each week (thankfully, because I'd probably lose my mind from stress), so I tend to run my blog a bit more slowly. I take a lot of breaks whenever life gets too crazy, and sometimes I feel guilty for doing so. So, it's a goal of mine to keep my blog as relaxed as possible. If I want to post 5 posts a week, awesome. But if I only manage a couple, then it's still fantastic so long as I'm happy with my content. In essence, my goal is to simply be happy with what I'm blogging about and not rush my content just so I can keep up with the "big" bloggers! 

Challenge Two: Interact more with my readers and other bloggers. 

Readers who comment regularly might have noticed that I started answering comments in the comment section during the last month or so, instead of emailing my responses. I've been trying to be a bit more active on Twitter, too. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage adding in more time to interact with readers and bloggers, but I know that I really want to make the time to do so, even if it's only 10-15 minutes a day. I tend to be more of an anonymous blogger, so I want to engage my readers more, since I do read and appreciate every comment I receive. I especially want to interact more with my fellow bloggers, because I rarely get to talk about bookish things in real life - the closest I get to bookish discussions are always about  Shakespeare or BEOWULF whenever I talk to classmates, but it's more fun to talk about YA lit. ;)

Visit I Swim For Oceans to participate and see more responses! 

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Let's Talk: Favorite Book Quotes

Let's Talk is a discussion feature at I Swim For Oceans, where bloggers can share their thoughts and discuss various topics. 

Visit I Swim For Oceans for more info!

What are some of your all-time favorite book quotes?

I love quotes (I'm one of those weird people who constantly quotes movies and TV shows in daily conversation). But, when it comes to quotes, bookish quotes have always been the ones that linger in the back of my mind. These ones are some of my favorites: 

"Don't think or judge, just listen." 

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

"Some things aren't meant to be known. Only believed." 

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

"So many things become beautiful when you really look." 

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

"Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic." 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

"Everyone is alseep. They've been asleep for years.
You seemeed...awake."

 Delirium by Lauren Oliver

"Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting
something does not make it real."

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

"It's weird when someone gets you, understands what you
would never say, not even to yourself." 

Split by Swati Avasthi

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Let's Talk: Book to Film Adaptations

Let's Talk is a discussion feature at I Swim for Oceans

What are your favorite and least favorite 
book to film adaptations, and why?

 

Favorites 

Harry Potter - The movies aren't exactly like the books, but they are filled with the same charm that the books have. Plus, there are some truly talented actors in the supporting roles.

 
Lord of the Rings - It's been a long time since I've read the books, so I can't say for sure if the movies are completely faithful. Regardless, the movies are epic and deserved the awards they won.

Stuck-in-the-Middle 

Water for Elephants - Great book, pretty good movie, but with some weak moments. The scenery was great, but there were certain actors that didn't quite pull of their characters.

Hated It 

Ella Enchanted - This book is so, so good. The movie, however, made it look like a joke. It took a charming story, changed and altered it, and essentially ruined it. Such a disappointment.

Pictures from IMDB"Let's Talk" image from I Swim for Oceans

Let's Talk: Underrated Books

Let's Talk is a discussion feature at I Swim For Oceans

What ONE underrated book do you want to share with the blogosphere - new or old? 

There are quite a few, but I think I'll pick:

Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey.

Growing up an orphan in the Milky Way hasn't been easy, especially as a teenage girl in the Naval Academy. Unfortunately for Molly Fyde, things are about to get worse. Just as she's finding her place amongst the boys, her unfair expulsion from the Academy takes away the only two things that truly matter: flying in space and her training partner, Cole. Sent off to a normal school, she feels destined for a dull, unspectacular future.

Then, a marvelous discovery changes everything: Her father's old starship, missing for a decade, turns up halfway across the galaxy. Its retrieval launches Molly and Cole on the adventure of a lifetime, one that will have lasting consequences for themselves and billions of others. What starts off as a simple quest to reconnect with her past, ends up forging a new future. And the forgotten family she hoped to uncover is replaced by a new one she never foresaw: a band of alien misfits and runaways... The crew of the starship Parsona.

I'll admit it - I initially judged this book by its cover. But, fortunately, the story inside truly surprised me in a good way. It's the first book in a quartet, and a truly great sci-fi adventure that has a wonderful protagonist and cast of equally memorable characters. Once you get a few chapters in, Howey's writing becomes addictive and difficult to set aside. The different worlds presented are easily visualized because of detailed descriptions. Action, adventure, twists (this series has great shocking twists), and even a little romance - this book deserves some more readers. I would definitely recommend this book for any sci-fi / adventure / mystery fan. 

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"Let's Talk" image from I Swim For OceansCover + Summary from Goodreads