What Are You Reading Wednesday #01

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly feature 

hosted by It’s A Reading Thing. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:

1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book (or 34% in your eBook) and share a couple of sentences.

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

1. Bad Romance by Jen McLaughlin - ARC version (book releases on September 15)
2. She'd never know, but she'd kept me alive over there. Her silly letters about her favorite TV shows and her social outings... they kept me sane. Other guys, their minds became their worst enemies, filled to the brim with endless danger and death, but I had that piece of normal to hold on to, like a life preserver. It was her letters that kept me out of that dark hole.
3. This is a contemporary based in the here and now so I already do live in this world. :) But would I want to be immersed in these characters lives? Probably not. They're quite angsty at the moment. LOL

So what are you reading today? Want to share a snippet from page 34 (or 34%)? 

I'd love to hear about it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I Haven't Finished Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

I think many of us can say we have plenty of series that have been "in work" for a looong time. Sure, sometimes we haven't completed them because the series is still ongoing and all the books aren't out yet. (And yet even then we're not caught up.) But there are plenty of series that are complete and we *still* haven't finished them. Why do we do this? Why not make progress on our TBR's and finish these series? I have no answers... but I do have 10 series to share that I haven't finished yet. :) In no particular order...

#10

Throne of Glass series - Sarah J. Maas

I've read the first book, Throne of Glass, but have yet to continue on. I hear the books only get better, but I'm not a big fantasy reader so it hasn't been high on my list.

#9

Never Never - Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

I have a reason for this. I have Part Two but I'm waiting to read it until Part Three comes out so it'll be fresh in my mind. So there.

#8

The Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater

I read The Raven Boys last year and, despite all the rave reviews, I just wasn't bowled over by it. I haven't decided yet if I'll continue on with the series. Feeling kinda meh about it.

#7

Pushing the Limits series - Katie McGarry

I adore Katie McGarry and her Pushing the Limits series. And I'm not that far behind - just one book, I think. I've not yet read Breaking the Rules, the continuation of Noah and Echo's story. But it'll happen soon. For real. 

#6

Addicted series - Krista & Becca Ritchie

If you've followed me for any length of time at all you know I *love* the Addicted series. I think Krista & Becca Ritchie are phenomenal storytellers. I've read up through Thrive - the 6th book - and will be reading Addicted After All soon. I'll be so sad when they wrap this series up!

#5

Ten Tiny Breaths series - K.A. Tucker

I discovered K.A. Tucker last year and was an instant fan. I'm only one book from completing this series and I'm actually putting it off on purpose... because I don't want it to end. :) But I'm sure I'll be reading Five Ways to Fall pretty soon.

#4

Rusk University series - Cora Carmack

When it comes to the lighter side of New Adult, Cora Carmack does it just right. I love her Rusk University series and have read the first two books. All Played Out was just released this past May so I'm really not so far behind. 

#3

Outlander series - Diana Gabaldon

Oh, there was a time when I was thoroughly addicted to Jamie and Claire and all things Outlander. Over the years I read the first 5 books (some 4,900 pages) but stepped away from that world for a bit and haven't returned to it yet. I know that one of these days I *will* continue with the series.

#2

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

I read The 5th Wave last year and was truly taken with it. I picked up the second in the trilogy, The Infinite Sea, when it came out but immediately started seeing very mixed reviews. I'm sure I'll continue with the series at some point, but it's not at the top of my list. 

#1

The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

I wish I had a good explanation for this one. Or at least one that I could articulate well. I read The Bronze Horseman almost 2 years ago. It instantly became (and has remained) my favorite book of all time. And yet I have not completed the trilogy. I think it's because when I read the other two books... it's over. Until I do, I do still all that promise in front of me. All the love and romance and heartbreak and just... epicness (is that even a word?)... is yet to be enjoyed. So for now, I savor the anticipation. 

So which series do you have in work? Any that you've been part-way through for a long time? Any that you've decided to just call it quits on? 
Comment below and share. :)

Sunday Post #01

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the rules here:

Sunday Post Meme

~LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG~

The past week has been a quiet one at Girl Plus Books. Because of jury duty I found myself lacking the time to devote to the blog and rarely even found any time to read. So as far as posts... none to be found. {frowny face}

~NEW ADDITIONS~

Despite that, I still managed to add a couple more books to the shelves. I mean, a girl's gotta have more books no matter what's going on. AmIRight? ;-)

 First I received a beautiful hardcover edition of A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery from the girls at The Book Bratz. I won their giveaway of any July release and this is the one I chose. Thanks to Amber and Jessica for this one!

It was a super good mail day when I received this copy of Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. My friend +Leah Lorenzo from Southern Bred Southern Read and I did a little trade. I sent her The Diviners (Libba Bray) and she sent me this beauty. I have the hardcover but have you seen that clunker? It'll be much easier to read this paperback version. So, thanks, Leah!

Lastly, I downloaded the Wrecked & Ruined series by Aly Martinez. Amazon has the Kindle box set for only $0.99 and since it's been on my TBR for quite a while it seemed like the perfect time to snatch it up. (Btw, if you're interested, I believe the box set is still priced at just 99 cents.)

~TOTALLY RANDOM~

So what was your week like? Any new books?

Anything interesting happen? Tell me about it

below... I'd love to hear!

Review: Has to Be Love by Jolene Perry

Has to Be Love by Jolene Perry
Series: No
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: September 1, 2015 by AW Teen
Format: e-ARC
Source: NetGalley
Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Synopsis

Years ago, Clara survived a vicious bear attack. She's used to getting sympathetic looks around town, but meeting strangers is a different story. Yet her dreams go far beyond Knik, Alaska, and now she's got a secret that's both thrilling and terrifying--an acceptance letter from Columbia University. But it turns out her scars aren't as fixable as she hoped, and when her boyfriend begins to press for a forever commitment, she has second thoughts about New York. Then Rhodes, a student teacher in her English class, forces her to acknowledge her writing talent, and everything becomes even more confusing--especially with the feelings she's starting to have about him. Now all Clara wants to do is hide from the tough choices she has to make. When her world comes crashing down around her, Clara has to confront her problems and find her way to a decision. Will she choose the life of her dreams or the life that someone she loves has chosen? Which choice is scarier?

My Thoughts

I will start by saying that Jolene Perry's The Summer I Found You was one of my favorites of 2014. I clicked with those characters so completely and was so emotionally invested in their story. That book truly made an impact on me.

Fast forward one year to when I saw Has to Be Love on NetGalley. And my delight when I was approved for an advanced copy. I was beyond ready to immerse myself in another offering by Perry.

And now fast forward once again to where I'm left completely disappointed. Can this be the same author that created characters like Kate and Aidan (from The Summer I Found You)? Who created a story line that was so realistic and emotional that it truly resonated with me? Color me confused.

Clara is not a particularly likable character. Problematic when she is the main character and the reader is supposed to get behind her and be invested in her choices. Didn't happen. Clara was a survivor of a bear attack that killed her mother and left her with facial scars. While I empathized with her situation, it was frustrating that Clara used the facial scarring to define herself. It ruled every aspect of her life. After 5 years, she was still living with the notion that she was nothing more than her physical appearance, unsure why her boyfriend was still with her, and putting her future on hold until her scars could be "fixed." I tried to put myself in Clara's shoes, I tried to chalk her feelings up to her age, I tried everything to get past her total fixation on her scars but I just couldn't. Clara was so convinced that she was nothing more than her scars that it started to convince me, the reader, of the same thing.

I mentioned above that the reader should be invested in Clara's choices. That proved almost impossible because Clara never made any! This was 250+ pages of Clara waffling back and forth over EVERYTHING. Again, I tried to chalk this up to her age. Seventeen is a time of big life changes. But even so, it was maddening. When faced with where to go to college, her future with her boyfriend, her feelings for a newcomer... she agonized over what to do but never actually made any decisions. She simply allowed events to unfold and then reacted. I was ready to shake her.

Another issue I had was how the theme of religion was used. Religion was supposedly a large part of Clara's life. However, she used her religion only when it suited her. When she wanted to engage in behaviors that were questionable (according to her religious beliefs), poof! Religion seemed to go out the window and was nowhere to be found. It smacked of hypocrisy and became a big sticking point for me.

Boyfriend Elias was a plus. Yes, he bordered on the too-good-to-be-true, but he was genuine and sweet and earnest. BFF Cecily's only purpose seemed to be as a sounding board for Clara. I nominate Clara for the Worst Friend Ever award since this friendship appeared to be completely one-sided. All about Clara, all the time.

The ending provided a fairly satisfying conclusion but that did not make up for my issues with Clara. She came across as a self-absorbed girl who would neither make a decision on her own nor open up to those around her for help or advice.

While I do enjoy Perry's writing style and will likely read more from her, Has to Be Love is not one I recommend.

Note: ARC provided by NetGalley and AW Teen in exchange for an honest review.

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and AW Teen 

in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read a book where you didn't connect with the main character?
Tell me about it about below!

Aaaand, I'm Back!

Long time no see, book friends! I've been tied up all this past week with jury duty and I've really missed everyone!  There hasn't been any time for book reviews (or posting of any sort, really) and barely any time for reading. I've truly missed posting and checking out all the book blogs I follow. My email is overflowing with all the updates and I'll slowly make my way through them all this week, I'm sure. I feel like I've been gone for ages and have missed so much, so I can't wait to dive back in. Funny how quickly you get used to seeing posts from friends, sharing your own posts, and connecting through comments. :)

I'm excited about getting back into the swing of things this week and I'm looking forward to getting caught up with my fellow bloggers. Hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday weekend... and I'll be back very soon (hopefully later today!) with a new post.

Happy reading!