June Book Haul

Let's all take a moment of silence for the shitload of books I've bought this month....

Thank you.

So just let me explain myself... just give me a moment to tell you my reasoning behind this stack of gloriousness.

First of all, as some of you know, school has ended for the summer. I worked pretty hard this year, harder than I have in the past, and I decided, upon the deposit of my paycheck that i would reward myself. Plus with school being out, a large portion of my money is no longer being spent on food. A girl's gotta eat, ya know? Especially when school lunches are sub-par 80% of the time. Additionally, I have more money, due to more work hours, which really makes me happy. Then last but not least... when most girls online-boredom-shop, I, Lyric Boyea, boredom-book-shop. So half these books were bought out of pure need of something to do with my excess hours of free time. 

I know. I have a problem. But hey! at least I'm not spending my money on drugs and crappy shit.

This damage, I'm convinced, could be a lot worse. 

So with that, my collection of books has called for me to do my very first book haul.

Cuz I mean, why not?

(btw: this picture doesn't include the 4 books I've bought on my nook. hehe. (Don't judge me)).

1. This Star Won't Go Out

    Author: Esther Earl w/ Lori & Wayne Earl
    Goodreads
       I bought this for the same reason anyone would by The Fault in Our Stars: We always want to know more. And the fact that John Green dedicated and was inspired by Esther to create the Hazel we all know and love, made me want to hear about this girl's life all the more. Inspiration, oftentimes, comes from the most beautiful and sincere places.







2. Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Goodreads
      Can't post le summary cuz spoilers and I'm not bout that life. But basically this is the third installment in the Lunar Chronicles. And once upon a time, when I posted my June TBR, I said I would read the first book so I could join the Luanr fandom, but unfortunately I just never got around to it. Just not the right time I guess. But I will get there. I promise.





3. Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Goodreads
   I finally got around to buying this after a 2 month book buying ban and the battle of whether or not I actually wanted to get sucked into this Yellow Brick bandwaggon (lol see what I did there?). I actually ended buying this at Target cuz, believe it or not, the price at target was less than what Barnes and Noble dot com was offering, so I snatched it up and off I went. But oh lord you guys, when I actually started reading and finished, I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. I  was thoroughly entertained, and quite honestly couldn't put the book down. This is a definite summer read when you need some action to fill your summer boredom.
      

4. Prisoner of Night and Fog
Author: Anne Blankman
Goodreads
      I've been wanting this book since the Epic Reads girls featured it in one of their ARC Party vids. I've always been fascinated with WW2. So the fact that this is from the POV of Hitler's niece just makes it that much more interesting... and slightly terrifying. Can't wait to get into it.






5. Into the Still Blue
Author: Veronica Rossi
Goodreads
      This is the final book in the Under the Never Sky Trilogy. Haven't read it yet, but I can't til I do so I know what happens with Aria and Perry and everyone around them. 

6. The Impossible Knife of Memory

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Goodreads

     So apparently Tumblr featured this book in their reblogbookclub and I completely missed out -__- and the book sounds really interesting, so i was like what the hell, i'll just read it on my own time. So i'm really happy I finally got the chance to buy it. Can't wait to dive into it.

7. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Author: Leslye Walton

Goodreads

       This book was really beautiful. I seriously enjoyed myself, and was completely captivated by Ava Lavender's family's story. Leslye Walton clearly knows what she's doing. And I will most certainly buy anything she comes up with next. Plus, this cover, you guys... this cover is absolutely gorgeous.♥

8. The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Goodreads
This cover is pretty great. I, tbh, wasn't gonna buy this book anytime soon. But I needed something to fill  the requirement for me to be eligible for my spend $50, get $5 off coupon from Barnes and Noble. This was the only book on my TB (To Buy) list that would fit so, here it is. Although, now that I have it, seeing how amazing the cover is in person, I'm getting kind of excited to read it. Just don't know when that's gonna be...



9. Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Goodreads
I read this a while back and loved it of course. I wanted so badly to buy it, but I was on my book buying ban until the school year ended, and it wasn't in the next set of books I told myself to buy, so I had to hold it off. Now I finally have it on my shelf, and I can't wait to add Paper Towns to my John Green collection.




10. The Fault in Our Stars (Movie Tie-In)
Author: John Green
Goodreads

You really don't need to worry about if I've read the book or not. Because let's be honest, who hasn't? As well  as fallen in love with Augustus and Hazel.... over and over and over again? Crazy people, that's who. Anyway, as you can see this isn't the regular cover. It's the movie cover book, so of course I had to have my copy of it cuz life. Don't judge me.








11. I Wrote this For You (ebook)
Author: Pleasefindthis
Goodreads
I found this while roaming through amazon. I downloaded a sample of it and found the opening "letter" I guess you could say, absolutely amazing and so true to life. I had to have it. But I kept forgetting about it or the common factor of me not having a enough money to purchase it, held me back. Until one night, whilst trying to fall asleep, I found it again and was like "eh, what the hell" and  pressed the purchase button on my Nook.

12/13. Halo/ Radicals (ebook)
Author: Frankie Rose
Goodreads
Halo was the book of the month for my job's book club. This book you guys... this book was amazing. It had everything I wanted and could ever think of packed into 350 pages. An absolute thrill ride, so so much fun to read. If you like Hunger Games, Divergent, and other badass characters you're definitely gonna love the Halo Trilogy. Radicals is the 2nd book, and the 3rd book is said to come out this winter. So keep your eyes open for that. Oh and before I forget one of the amazing factors about Halo: It's FREE. Yes, you read correctlt. F R E E. If the synopsis doesn't draw you in, then maybe the zero amount of money you have to spend on the first book will.

14. In the After (ebook)
Author: Demitria Lunetta
Goodreads
So um... zombies, anyone? I godhonest hate zombies.... At least I hate watching them on television. They seriously creep me the fuck out. But for some reason, I don't mind reading about them. I think it's cuz I'm seeing it live and breathe (zombies don't breathe, do they...? Oh well) before my very eyes, it somehow makes it less scary...? Idk. My brain is weird. Anyway, I'd been seeing this book around for awhile and I was intrigued, honestly. Though not enough to pay full price or get it right way. But when Epic Reads informed me on Twitter that the ebook was on sale, I had to have it. So i bought it and yeah.




14 BOOKS!!!

JEEZUS no wonder I'm broke. Smh.

Oh well. Like I said, at least I'm not spending my money on drugs and stupid ish.

I don't think July's haul will be as bad, but we'll see how goes.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading about my book buying obsession. I told my friend, as soon as the summer started the addiction would be a real problem for me. But whatever. #iregretnothing2k14.

haha, until next time, kiddies.

Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥

July TBR

HELLO JULY IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!

WOOOOO JULY!!!

Can't believe it's actually here. Next month I'll be back in school. -__-

Crap.

Well, guess I better enjoy these last 8 weeks as much as I can, yeah?

So let's start this month off the right way... with books!

YAAYYY!!!!

 1/2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/ Chamber of Secrets

I honestly don't think I need to explain to you what Harry Potter is about.... Unless of course you live in the ocean, under a rock, and have no kind of access to the outside world. But I should probably explain something, and this, I swear, is not my proudest confession: I've NEVER read Harry Potter.

I'll just give you a moment  to let that sink in.

Jeezus. I know what your probably thinking. And I know they're probably not kind words. But hey, not every book reaches every audience. I remember once upon a time I tried to crack these open. And honestly, I couldn't get into them. It's kind of sad too, because I've seen all the movies, and I've even gone to Hogwarts (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter @ Universal in Orlando). I had a fantastic time with my mom. So I feel kind of ashamed that I got to experience that but didn't really grasp what Harry Potter was about because I've never read the stories.


But ALAS, here I am! Trying to redeem myself. I'm determined to finally get started on these and love them just as much as everyone else does. Therefore, I will be posting Harry Potter updates every once in a while. It might take me a while to finish all 7 books, but i'm a dedicated Fangirl, and I will prevail. You just watch. ;D






3. Eleanor & Park
    Set in 1986, this story follows two teenagers - Eleanor and Park, who are well aware of the impending destruction of first loves, because they almost never last. However, Eleanor and Park are just willing to try in proving the universe wrong. This novel will make you remember you first love, and the sticky bittersweetness always comes with it.
      I've already read this. There's not much I can say other than how in love I am with it. Eleanor & Park is beautiful story, and it's so relatable - whether you're 30 or 15, this story will strike home. This is in my July TBR because just recently I managed to get my friend to read it and she loved it. And when she finished and gave it back to me I realized how much I actually loved the story and that I should read it again. Plus, I really wanna write a review for it. Because it's wonderful and I plan on saying nothing but great great things about it.♥

4. The Impossible Knife of Memory
    Hailey and her dad Andy, have been on the road for the past 5 years, while her father struggles to escape the torturing demons that have followed him ever since he left Iraq. Now they've come back to the town where he grew up and Hayley can attend school. This story follows the struggles of Hayley and her father, as he deals with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and so Hayley can move past her own haunting demons.
      This story was featured as one of Tumblr's Reblogbookclub pick of the month. I missed out of course, cuz life. So when I read the synopsis for the first time, I was really intrigued. I was finally finally able to purchase it and now I plan on reading it and crying and loving it all the same. Can't wait.

5. To all the Boys I've Loved Before
    16 year old Lara Jean Song likes to write love letters to all the boys she's ever loved. She keeps them in a hatbox her mother gave her. But when her secret stash of letters gets shipped to every boy she's written to, Lara Jean is forced to confront them, and things end getting just a tad bit out of control.
       So let me start off by saying, I honestly wasn't planning on reading this. HOWEVER, one day I looked at my bookshelf and said to myself "Lyric, you haven't really read many contemporary... Why...?" On top of me asking myself this, I was in a really annoyed mood and I seriously needed something to cheer me up. Plus, I've heard nothing but good things about this book. So I was like "Eh, okay. I guess I can see if they have it at the library." And lo and behold they did. So I checked it out and here I am adding it to my TBR. I've already started reading it, and quite honestly, I'm surprised at how much I'm already liking it. So this should be pretty interesting to say the least.


By the looks of it, July looks like it's going to be a pretty entertaining month. On top of all of these books I'll probably be reading my job's book club pick of the month. So I guess we'll see if I end up reading that book over one of listed. 5 books in a month is a stretch for me so I wanna see how it goes. I am more than likely gonna finish Harry Potter above all else. Like that's a must. I haven't given myself much choice in the matter.

And yeah. There's my TBR for ya. Hope you enjoyed. And have a great month of July.

Oh and if your American: HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, EVERYBODY !!! :D♥♥♥

*insert le sparkly fireworks*


Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥

June Wrap-Up

ERMEHGERD is this seriously real life?

Is June actually over?

It doesn't... none of this seems real.

I just - Whoa! This past month has seriously flown by. I honestly don't know where the time has escaped to.

Actually, I take that back. I do know where some of it has gone: it's been dumped into reading. Albeit, not necessarily the books I said I was going to get to in my June TBR... but hey! at least I read something, right?

....right?

1. Dorothy Must Die
    My rating: ♥♥♥♥
    My thoughts: I really really enjoyed this. I found I had a lot more fun reading than i originally anticipated. Normally with a shitload of hype surrounding things like this sometimes I find myself hesitating, cautious on whether should I fall into the hole of the bandwagon. But alas, my wagon was pulled on a roller coaster of fun. This retelling of The Wizard of Oz is a definite must read for summer. It keeps you entertained and dying for more. Can't wait for the sequel.

2. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

My Rating: ♥♥♥♥

My Thoughts: If there's one thing I have to positively say about this tale is that writing was absolutely gorgeous. Ugh, practically every paragraph took my breath away. And as a writer, it really re-opened to the gift we actually have. Okay, anyway, moving on. Despite, the writing being everything I dream of, the actually story didn't truly rob me of my oxygen as I thought it would. The whole time I was reading, I was just hoping, praying, practically itching for Ava Lavender's tale to push me into giving it 5 golden hearts. But she didn't quite make it. The writing, thankfully really made up for it. So Leslye Walton you have my heart.






3. The Statistical Probability of
            Love at First Sight
My rating: ♥♥
My thoughts: I hate, and am slightly saddened, when I go into a book that promises me all these wonderful, fantastical things, but completely falls flat. This book, with it's long title, and the notion that I would speed through it with no problem, was a complete disappointment to me. It promised me a airplane ride featuring two star-crossed loves who meet in a airport and instantly click. It promised me - and this it did deliver - an English boy named Oliver. It promised a cutesy emotional roller coaster after the 2 get separated. And oh, I definitely felt some type of emotion, and that was boredom. Once Oliver and Hadley were torn from each other I completely zoned out, I didn't care what Hadley was doing when she wasn't with Oliver. Causing me to skip around so I could figure out if they found each other again or not. Even though this book wasn't up to what I'd hoped it would be, it did get me out of my reading stump. I guess I can briefly explain why I even picked up this book and not  the other 2 that were in this month's TBR: Everyone around me was annoying me and I needed something happy to distract me. The book succeeded, in a way. But still. I just wish it would've given me more. It had SOOO much potential. Anyway, as you can see this wasn't my favorite, but whatever - not every book can please every person who picks it up.



4. Halo
My rating: ♥♥♥♥
My thoughts: OHMUHGAWD YOU GUYS!!! This book was pretty amazing. This was my book club's first book of the month and I'm satisfied to say that I'm in love... with Ryka (if you read the story, you'll understand why). This is a dystopian story that follows a badass narrator who just might rival Katniss. I can't wait to dive into book 2. You all should REALLY download this on your Kindle, Nook, iPhone, whatever. Especially cuz it's free. And who can say no to a free book, on top of it being an excellent read? I know I can't. ;D







And there's June for you guys. Wave goodbye.

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer.

And I hope even more that all your reading desires are coming true.

So until next time, kiddies


Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥

June TBR

You guys can you believe it's already June?

I seriously can't.

I feel like September and Christmas time and the drop of the New Year's ball was just a few hours ago.

I can't believe school is out for me.

And right around this time next year, I'll be graduating.

It's all so surreal. But I can honestly taste the greatness summer 2k14 is gonna bring.

Basically meaning lots of working, swimming, hanging out with my friends, and of course many hours tucked under my comforter with a glorious book between in my hands.



1. Dorothy Must Die
      Dorothy Must Die is the beginning of a trilogy which is narrated by Amy Gumm, the other girl Kansas. Like Dorothy, Amy is whisked away to Oz via cyclone. But when Amy gets there, nothing is like she remembers from the stories. No, everything in Oz is turned upside and twisted into an evil wasteland where nothing is as it should be. What happend? Dorothy. She came back to Oz and contorted the once beautiful Oz into a brainwashed prison . Now it's up to Amy and the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to turn Oz right side up again. But in order for that to happen: Dorothy must die.
         I mean if you haven't already heard of this little book, then I honestly wanna ask, "What the hell have you been doing with you life?" This has gotten so much hype for the past 4 or 5 months. And quite honestly, I didn't wanna get sucked into the bandwagon. But I read the prequel novella before the books release date, and was like what the hell? I'm kind of late at finally getting to it but who cares. I have it don't I?

2. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
       This story follows the tales and realistic-sorrows of the Roux family. Over the years, each generation has learned the hard way that foolish love seems to run in the family. And it's latest progeny: Ava Lavender. Ava - in most way is a normal girl - is born with the wings of a bird. So in a quest understand the way she is, Ava delves into her family's past, where she not only discovers her family's missteps with love, but the twisted motives of others.
          What really drew me to this story was gorgeous cover. I love pretty things. And what I love even more than that is the idea of how said pretty things will look on my shelf. Then there was the0. 0.summary, so i snuck a peak on Amazon and as soon as I finished the introduction I knew I had to read it.




3. Cinder
      Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella. It's the first in the Lunar Chronicles. Cinder follows Cinder, a cyborg who is considered a technological mistake and a burdern. But because of Cinder's biomechanic construction, she is considered the best mechanic in all of New Beijing. Which draws Prince Kai to her weekly market booth. And from there things just go down hill.
         Now if you're already raising your eyebrows at me for not reading Dorothy Must Die until now, I can only imagine the colorful things being said about the Lunar Chronicles. I don't really have a very valid excuse, except maybe, I wanted to wait until I got all the 3 books so I could binge the series so far. But that's all I got. Sorry..?

4. Into the Still Blue
This is the final book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy, I'm won't go into the synopsis cuz spoilers. But I will be re-reading the first 2 books then doing a review of what I thought of the trilogy as a whole. So keep your eyes open for that.












June looks like it's gonna be a pretty busy month.

Good.

Because boredom is not my thing.

That's all. Be sure to be on the look out for all the reviews coming your way.

Hugs and Candy,
Lyric♥