Booktubeathon 2018 TBR List!

* * This post was originally created and formatted for www.enrychment.com & has been cross-posted.
See the original post, here.

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Over the years I've heard rumblings about Booktubeathon, and I guess maybe because I'm not a "booktuber" myself, I never considered participating. I loved following along with the challenge and seeing everyone's creative lists, and I decided that this year - I want in!!!


(source)
Building the list might be as fun as actually doing the reading, because I've had a seriously good time picking books to fit the challenges! Before I get into that, here's the basics.

Booktubeathon runs from July 30th - August 5th this year, and challenges participants to do the following:

1. Let a coin toss decide your first read.
2. Read a book about something you want to do.
3. Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.
4. Read a book with green on the cover.
5. Read a book while wearing the same hat the whole time.
6. Read a book with a beautiful spine.
7. Read seven books.

Sounds like fun, right??


SO, I've officially compiled my TBR (or To Be Read) list, and I'm not gonna lie - I tried really hard to set myself up for success and I picked some seriously SHORT books! I'd love to actually complete this, but if I pick a stack of 300-400 page novels, it'll never happen. I'm fast, but not THAT fast!

Here's what I'm reading!


Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
(Coin Flip Win)
I made this one heads, and "Very Good Lives" tails, did a flip, and heads won. I kind of like this strategy, actually....starting with the longest book to get it out of the way. This book is over 400 pages! Which is crazy to include in a challenge, but it's written in verse - it's like a big collection of little poems that tell one story. So I think it's doable, and I'm looking forward to it!


Writer to Writer by Gail Carson Levine
(Something I want to do)
I've always wanted to write a book, and while this book is geared towards younger writers (helps to get through it more quickly!), I still think I'll get lots of nuggets of wisdom from this one.


Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli + Love, Simon
(Book to Movie)
I was trying to find something current and good but not too-too long or heavy, and this popped up without having to look very hard, so it felt perfect! A friend had JUST mentioned it a couple days before I came across it for this, so I figured it was a sign!


In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It by Lauren Graham 
(Green on the cover)
This book is an expansion of Lauren Graham's commencement speech at her hometown high school. I love her and everything she has to say, especially if she's being inspiring and uplifting, so sign me up!


We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
(Read while wearing a hat)
This quick little book is a highly rated expansion of a TED talk that discusses modern feminism, and I think this fits the feel of 2018 perfectly! Can't wait to read it, and I'll be wearing a hat the whole time.


And Every Morning, The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrick Backman
(Beautiful Spine)
While there's not a ton going on with this spine, the colors of it - which are the colors of sun playing with clouds in the sky - are my favorite. I take a lot of sky pictures! This sounds like a lovely, sweet little book and I can't wait to read it.


Very Good Lives by JK Rowling
(Read 7 Books)
This is another super short read, adapted from a speech given by JK Rowling. I cannot wait to take in her words, and I think this will be a great ending to the challenge!


There are no rules here, but I think this lined up kind of perfectly so I plan to read them in this order. The three longest books are at the top of this list, and the last four are very short. So if I can get through the big ones, even if they take a while, I should be able to fly through the quick ones as the challenge comes to an end!

I'm SO excited to get started!!! I will be chronicling this on my book Instagram, @jennsbookshelf if you'd like to follow along! And it's not too late to join me if you feel like taking on a summer book challenge! ;)



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What I've Read So Far (2nd Qtr)

* * This post was originally created and formatted for www.enrychment.com & has been cross-posted.
See the original post, here.

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I apparently don't know how long a quarter is, because my last reading update was at the end of April...which was well past a quarter. Whoops. SO, a couple of these are repeats, but here's my second quarter reads for 2018!


April

Meet Cute by many authors - I already mentioned that YA romances are my very favorite, so I was soo excited to read a book full of short stories focused solely on the moment when couples first come together. It was as delicious and fun as expected, but I did find myself wishing for more of each story! The story about the late library book was probably my favorite!

The Siren by Kiera Cass - I LOVED the Selection series, so I've always been curious about this book! I happened to notice it on my last library trip and flew through it. It was super cute - maybe not as hooking and amazing as the selection series, but still great. It had a very interesting storyline with a totally different view of the ocean and juggling responsibilities, family, and falling in love.

Only Love Today by Rachel Macy Stafford - While I really loved the content of this book, it was very slow moving by design. It's intended to be read as a daily inspiration and reminder format, and I did try to limit myself to reading a few passages from it a day. It was on loan from the library, though, so I didn't have a year to read it!! Each passage is very thought provoking and inspires you to kind of sit with its ideas for a while. The messages inside are wonderful and positive, and while a few felt a bit redundant, reading this was a great way to start my mornings.

May

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
I really loved the previous books I'd read by Morgan Matson, so I was so excited to find another! I was a little hesitant about the theme of her sick father in the book (I usually turn to YA to escape the darker side of fiction), but I gotta say...well. done. The last 30 or so pages of the book had be sobbing like a baby but with a beautiful mix of happy, sad, and bittersweet. It was so well done - a great reminder of why I love her as an author!

Secrets of My Hollywood Life (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #1) by Jen Calonita
I have a weird little soft spot for reading celebrity YA. It's a world I relate to on NO levels whatsoever, so it sounds so frivolous and fun and a great escape from reality. I grabbed this one on a whim, and while it was fluffy and not particularly well-written, I actually really loved it!

June

On Location (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #2)by Jen Calonita
It was at this point that I was looking at my GoodReads challenge for the year that I realized I was a book behind pace. I needed a few quick reads to get me ahead of the pace, so I thought I'd keep going with this series. It was fluffy and cute!

Family Affairs (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #3) by Jen Calonita
If I'm being honest, this one and the one that came before it kind of blurred together, lol

The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD. The royal wedding had me curious about all things British royalty, and I'd noticed a thread in a book club group suggesting books with that theme in mind. I'd written them down just for fun and instantly fell in love with this one. I can't tell you exactly why I was so drawn in and hooked on it all, but it was just yummy! I loved how Bex & Nick's relationship mirrored a lot of little specifics from Kate & Will's, and while I don't know how realistic any of it was, it was a really fun read!

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
This is one of those books I'd seen talked about for years, and during a meeting at the library I walked passed it and decided to just take it home. I brought it on our camping trip recently and devoured it that weekend. It was a little darker than I normally like, but it was fascinating. The beginning was a little confusing - there are so many different story lines introduced all at once - but don't let that hold you back if you haven't ready one yet! Once you get your footing, this is a great book!

Paparazzi Princess (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #4) by Jen Calonita
This was probably my least favorite of the Hollywood Life series, but it was still kind of nice to get back to seeing what was new with Kaitlin. You know how it is when you read a series - you get to know the characters, and I was starting to feel a little like I knew her personally. One gripe though? She was given way too many nicknames.

Broadway Lights (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #5)by Jen Calonita
This one was a little different and I liked that - I actually felt like the author had found her footing with both this series and the characters themselves. It was interesting to see the characters out of their element and consider them in different roles and phases of growth.

There's No Place Like Home (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #6) by Jen Calonita
This was probably my favorite of the series, even though the alter-ego scenario was a little hard to read. I was a little attached to the characters at this point (especially Kaitlin + Austin's relationship) and I didn't love that there was new tension among them. But it was super cool to kind of get a glimpse of Kaitlin's subconscious and see her come to terms with many aspects of her life as she grew into adulthood. While things weren't tied up ultra-neatly, you got the sense that she could handle herself enough to make the best of everything she had going for her. It was a great resolution to the series! If you want something fun and fluffy that evolves into more substance later on that gives you an escape to a reality that's pretty different from your own - this is a great little series!

Lucky in Love by Kasie West
Kasie West is one of my faaaaavorite YA authors ever (add Morgan Matson, Kiera Cass & Sarah Dessen to that list, pleassse) so I was really excited to have one of her more recent books in my stack. As predicted, I looooved it! She writes young love so well, and this one had an extra bit of fun tied in with her winning the lottery! Who doesn't want to live in that fantasy world for a while?!

Listen To Your Heart by Kasie West
So cute! I just love her!! I flew through this one in a handful of hours. I didn't feel particularly attached to any of it, it was just super cute and I love her books so much!

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SO, I've read 24 books so far this year - about 58% to my goal of 40. I have a feeling I'll be increasing that...I read 55 last year but didn't think I'd have enough time to this year. I probably won't, but we will see! June definitely changed things!!

Anything you've read lately that I should add to the last half of the year??


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