Monthly Highlights - June

                                      

I'm not even sure what happened to June. It came by so quickly. I had originally put Monthly Highlights - May, into the draft of this post (and probably wouldn't have realized it if it hadn't been for Camp NaNoWriMo.). 

- I officially signed up for Realm Makers! Eeeee!

- This blog has 58 followers on Google Friend Connect, and combined with email and Bloglovin', I have a little over a hundred, so THANK YOU FOR READING. Seriously, it's astonishing how I can type posts up and people actually read them. *cue the warm and fuzzy feelings*

- School. Is. Finally. Done. This is probably the highlight of the year. So excited for a break so I can get working on all my writing projects. :)

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I read ten books this month. 

Ten books is somewhere between oh-my-goodness-that's-the-world-record-of-books-in-a-month and honestly-you-could-only-manage-one? I haven't decided quite where, though. Onwards to the list:

Moonblood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl: [5/5] This was my third reread of this book, and I enjoyed it as much as the first couple times. It's really fun reading books in this series after the later books and seeing the little moments the author (Anne) references to.

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergen: [3/5] Time travel in Italy. It sounds cool, but something about it just didn't work for me. I think it was partially the main character - I just couldn't connect with her, and at times the writing felt off. *shrugs* 

                                         

The Selection by Kiera Cass: [4/5] This was basically Cinderella meets Princess Academy meets the story of Esther from the Bible. The writing was done in such a gripping way, that it made it nearly impossible to put down despite the fact that it was more of a romance story than I'm used to.

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson: [5/5] This. Was. Amazing. It had a sort of Harry Potter feel to it, except with chalk. People fought by drawing chalk on the ground. It sounds weird, but... it was awesome.

           

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: [3/5] Besides some of the novels I've read for school, this is one of the first times I've read a historical novel voluntarily. (I know, I know, it's horrible of me.) I actually really liked it, besides the super depressing ending, all of the language (that docked one star), and the confusion of what was actually happening at the beginning. (Docked another star.)

Son by Lois Lowry: [5/5] I absolutely adored how Lois intertwined all of the previous stories into this one. So awesome. :D

     

A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr: [5/5] A little slow to get into. I really liked the fact that the main character used a staff instead of a sword. It isn't too often in fantasy (at least the books that I've read.) that you see a staff being the main weapon. (I'm not including Gandalf, here. :p)

Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black: [4/5] This book, as well, was a bit slow to get into. There seemed to be a lot more "telling" rather than "showing."

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld: [5/5] Ooh. So much steampunk. So much amazingness. I really, really, really liked this book. That's all I have to say. xD

Oh! And look! My library copy was signed. I thought that was pretty epic.

Precisely Terminated by Amanda L. Davis: [3/5] There was never a steady cast of secondary characters, and I feel like the challenges repeated themselves throughout the book. *shrugs*

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I got a copy of Out of Darkness Rising in exchange for a review! (This doesn't normally happen, so I'm very rather excited.) 

It's so pretty, too. I could stare at this cover for hours... (Illustrated covers are starting to become my favorite. Anyone else?)

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- I basically just babbled along about Camp NaNoWriMo here.

- Heyyyy! I got tagged for the Liebster award. Three times. 

- Do you judge books by their covers? If so, most of you did, so don't feel ashamed.

- AIMEE POSTED THE FIRST CHAPTER OF HER NOVEL, PARIAH. It makes me excited, and you should really go read it.

- One of my favorite authors, Jaye L. Knight, unveiled her new forum! Click on the gorgeous banner to visit it: 

- Cait's bookshelf. There are no words to describe it's awesomeness, so go see it for yourself here.

- My friend, Natasha, started a blog! She actually started it last month, but oh well. You should all go visit her and give her some comment love. :D

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- Katie Grace