2015 Most Anticipated Books Part 2

2015 is halfway over! Well, almost but we're getting there. Before 2014 ended I made my list of most anticipated books and movies that are coming out this year. They're all out now and I've seen both The DUFF and Pitch Perfect 2 (loved them so much!) and read half of the books in that list: All Fall Down, The Storyspinner, and The Orphan Queen. So I decided to make a new one that includes all of the books I am VERY MUCH looking forward to that are going to be released on the the second half of 2015.

There are SO MANY titles I am excited about I couldn't keep myself from not clicking that damn to-read button on Goodreads and bookmarking everything. Then there was BEA and everyone who came to the event are posting pictures and talking about all of these upcoming must-haves and my mind just keeps going WANT, WANT, WANT #somuchwant. Here are my top 10:

Me and My Bookshelf (32): June Book Haul

This is where I feature the books I received, bought, gifted or won that are recently added to my physical shelf, which means no e-books and the like, and recount epic book hauling stories. It is usually posted on Saturdays.

It's a slightly big book haul this time. So eventhough I didn't spend that much because all of these are bargain books, I will still cut back on next month's purchases because, let's be honest, a book buying ban won't work anytime soon especially since I just saw one or more titles I still want to buy that are ON SALE. For July, my range is going to be $15 - $20. No more.

Here are the books I bought this June!

June 2015 New Releases: Part 2

New Book Releases this June 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes Published: June 9, 2015 The Book Depository __________ With a harrowing poetic voice, this contemporary page-turner is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, Julie Berry's All The Truth That's in Me, and the works of Ellen Hopkins. The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too. Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself.

Review: Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood

Inherit the Stars 
(Inherit the Stars #1)
by Tessa Elwood
Expected publication: December 8, 2015




Three royal houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the house of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She thinks she can save her family’s livelihood by posing as her oldest sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the throne of the house of Westlet. The appearance of her mother, a traitor who defected to the house of Galton, adds fuel to the fire, while Asa also tries to save her sister Wren's life . . . possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?

Author Tessa Elwood's debut series is an epic romance at heart, set against a mine field of political machinations, space adventure, and deep-seeded family loyalties.

Review: A Faerie's Secret by Rachel Morgan

A Faerie's Secret
(Creepy Hollow #4)
by Rachel Morgan
Published: June 16, 2015




Calla Larkenwood wants nothing more than to be a guardian, but her overprotective mother has never allowed it. When circumstances change and Calla finally gets to join a Guild, she discovers guardian trainee life isn’t all she hoped it would be. Her classmates are distant, her mentor hates her, and keeping her Griffin Ability a secret is harder than she thought. Then an initiation game goes wrong, landing Calla with a magical ability she can’t control. She needs help—and the only way she can get it is by bargaining with the guy who just discovered her biggest secret.

Join beloved characters and new heroes as the bestselling Creepy Hollow series continues.

June 2015 New Releases: Part 1

New Book Releases this June 2015

*cover image links to Goodreads*

Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall Published: June 1, 2015 The Book Depository _________ I’m the fat Puerto Rican–Polish girl who doesn’t feel like she belongs in her skin, or anywhere else for that matter. I’ve always been too much and yet not enough. Sugar Legowski-Gracia wasn’t always fat, but fat is what she is now at age seventeen. Not as fat as her mama, who is so big she hasn’t gotten out of bed in months. Not as heavy as her brother, Skunk, who has more meanness in him than fat, which is saying something. But she’s large enough to be the object of ridicule wherever she is: at the grocery store, walking down the street, at school. Sugar’s life is dictated by taking care of Mama in their run-down home—cooking, shopping, and, well, eating. A lot of eating, which Sugar hates as much as she loves. When Sugar meets Even (not Evan—his nearly illiterate father misspelled his name on the birth certificate), she has the new experience of someone seeing her and not her body. As their unlikely friendship builds, Sugar allows herself to think about the future for the first time, a future not weighed down by her body or her mother. Soon Sugar will have to decide whether to become the girl that Even helps her see within herself or to sink into the darkness of the skin-deep role her family and her life have created for her.

Underrated Genre: Steampunk

Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and science fiction set in an era where steam-powered machinery is still widely used — usually the 19th century.

"What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner."

Source: www.cmemag,com

I haven't heard a lot of people talk about this genre, or talk about books in this genre. Of course, there are the well-known ones like The Infernal Devices, Parasol Protectorate and Leviathan series. But, overall, Steampunk is probably not the most popular out there especially today. And to be honest, it's not really the kind of genre that everyone would immediately gravitate to and enjoy. I haven't read plenty of Steampunk books either but the few I've read, I loved.

Review: Spellcaster by Claudia Gray

Spellcaster
(Spellcaster #1)
by Claudia Gray
Published: March 5, 2013




When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

Review: Until the Beginning by Amy Plum

Until the Beginning
(After the End #2)
by Amy Plum
Published: May 5, 2015




When Juneau's clan disappeared, she lost so much more than her friends and family. She soon discovered everything she thought she knew about her life was a lie. Her people's gifts were actually secret abilities that others wanted, desperately enough to kidnap an entire village.

Juneau and her new companion Miles's cross-country journey to find her clan has led them to a game preserve in New Mexico. Now Juneau's people are finally within reach, and she will stop at nothing to save them. But she has a target on her back too, because unbeknownst to her she is the key to unlocking everything. To rescue her people - and herself - Juneau must discover what she, and her abilities, are truly capable of.

May 2015 Reads + Monthly Recap

With how good my April was, I expected the vibe to continue for the rest of the summer. But alas, it didn't happen. I was having positive thoughts at the start of the month and was so excited to read the books in my May TBR but as luck would have it, it put me in a reading AND blogging slump. During summer where I have plenty of time to read and blog! I should have seen it coming given the growing pile of unfinished books I had since March.

I was still able to read plenty of books eventhough I didn't reach my desired goal which is a little disappointing.

The books I read this May: