November Snapshots

I've been neglecting my blog this month but I have been so busy between school and having family over for both my sister's wedding and Thanksgiving. I didn't have a lot of chances to take photos this month but I did capture the most important events...

1. My sister's wedding was at the beginning of the month and that was one of the longest weekends of my life but her wedding turned out great and I had a lot of fun. For her wedding, one of my other sisters made like two hundred paper flowers and the above photos is of my bouquet.

2. "I'm not throwing away my shot..." I voted in my first presidential election and even though the outcome was not what I anticipated, I have no doubt that love will conquer over the next four years.

3. And obviously the most important event of the month, the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I absolutely loved the movie, and I've already seen it three times! I love everything that J.K. Rowling writes and I love that we are getting more from the Wizarding World. I will always love Harry Potter, but the release of this movie has rekindled my love in full force and I got really emotional on Instagram when I posted this photos.

So those are some of things that happened to me in November. I have two weeks left of classes for the semester, then Christmas will be here, and blogging during the holiday season is one of my all time favorite times. So I'll be able to share a lot of the photos I've taken then and catch up on my reading (I've only had time to read eight books so far this month *sigh*) - Jessica

Books I Read in October

Life has been getting a little crazy lately and I was finally able to type up and share which books I read in October. I managed to read 9 books and a graphic novel last month, so here is what I read and some of my thoughts and opinions on them.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - This is the sequel to Six of Crows, which followed Kaz and his crew of criminals and misfits as they pull of an impossible heist. I enjoyed Six of Crows but I didn't love it, with this books I was able to appreciate the characters and their story more. I really love the character development in this book, and I loved the story that I followed. I think this was a great conclusion to these two books, but I would not mind in the slightest if Leigh Bardugo decided to write more from this world and of these characters.

True Letters From a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan - This book follows, James, a high school soccer player, who starts to realize he has feelings for guys. This book sold me over when I saw that it was compared to as the male version of To All the Boys I've Loved Before (which is one of my favorites). I really liked this book and I really admire how the author handled the topic of coming out. I did have some problems with plot issues but I like how everything came together in the end.

The Rose Society and The Midnight Star by Marie Lu - These are the last two books in The Young Elites Trilogy, which revolves around the anti-hero, Violetta, who has the power of crafting illusions. I had no idea where Marie Lu was going to take these two books because the first book ended on a major plot twist, but I ended up really enjoying these two books. I like how Violetta was characterized and how she grew as a character, even though I couldn't relate to her. I also really liked how this series wrapped up and I can't wait to see what Marie Lu writes next.

Replica by Lauren Oliver - This book is a "flip book" that follows two girls, Lyra and Gemma, who each carry stories that intersect. When I heard about this book, I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I ended up alternating chapters (Lyra then Gemma) while reading it. I love how the plot was crafted and how the stories lined up. I liked Oliver story but I do think the plot fell a little flat in the end. I am still really looking forward to the next book because I like how the stories were told.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle - This book revolves around Quinn, an aspiring screenwriter but after his sister passed in a car accident, he trying to figure out how the type of person he wants to be. I liked this book, I enjoyed the characters and I liked the writing style, especially how some parts were written as a screenplay.

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - This is the second volume in a graphic novel series that centers around Hazel, who was born to two different species that have been at war with each other. I enjoyed this volume, especially the world building. I still think this is a really cool concept and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This is the second book in The Illuminae Files Trilogy, which is a SI-FI series told entirely through files (emails, audio transcriptions, documents...). I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy, it was one of my favorite books that I read last year, and this book had a lot to live up to. I loved this book, but I didn't love it as much as the first book. I love how the authors challenge my imagination as I'm reading their stories, and their writing is fantastic. I love how this book answered a lot of questions from the first book, but also asked so many questions and I can't wait to read how everything wraps up in the last book (which is expected to be published in fall 2017).

The Archived and The Unbound by Victoria Schwab - This series revolves around Mackenzie, who is a Keeper, aka someone who captures the dead waking souls, Histories, and returns them to the Archive. The world that Schwab has created in this story is so complex and deep but I had a lot of trouble connecting to the main character and I didn't really care for her story in the first book. I liked the second book a lot more and I like the direction that the author took the series. Schwab has confirmed that there will be a third book in the series, but not much else has been announced. I will definitely be reading the third book when it comes out, because I think that there is still more left to this story.

And those are the books that I read in October. November has already been a really slow reading month for me, but I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break next week to catch up on my reading goal. - Jessica

October Snapshots

1. This was taken when I was reading Replica by Lauren Oliver. I didn't get as much reading done as I wanted to this month but I did meet a ton of authors! In addition to going to the TTBF, I went to signings for Lauren Oliver, Maire Lu, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. 

2. My sisters and I randomly decided to visit UT on a Saturday, partly to get food and partly to see what Hazel would do at Turtle Pond. At first she really wanted to jump in the water but then some of the turtles freaked her out and she was over it. // 3. I've lived in Austin my whole life and somehow have never been to the greenbelt. At the beginning of the month my family went and we took our dogs.

4. I went to the Taylor Swift F1 concert! It was my second time seeing her live (I went to the Red Tour in May of 2013). I love seeing Taylor live, she's been one of my favorite artists since I was 11. I also loved how she played a mix of old and new songs at the show.

5. UT vs. Baylor. I went to my first UT football game this past week! I'm not a big football fan (I prefer soccer) but I ended up having a lot of fun and it was cool to show off some school spirit. We ended up wining by a point, my friend who goes to Baylor was so upset over the score! - Jessica

October OwlCrate

In my last blog post I mentioned that I finally subscribed to OwlCrate, a monthly YA subscription box. I wanted to share what I got in the October box, and if you're interested in subscribing to OwlCrate please use my referral link and you can use the code WELCOME10 to receive 10% off.

The theme for October was Once Upon a Dream and the book included was Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter. I hadn't heard of this book previously and I'm looking forward to reading it. I always love to read and hear about fairy tale retellings and this book seems perfect.

The box included

1. Along with the book, there was a signed book plate, a temporary tattoo, and a letter from the author
2. A Sleeping Beauty bracelet from The Geeky Cauldron
3. A Peter Pan beanie from Whosits and Whatsits
4. Oz Passport - a mini journal
5. A bookmark from My Heart My Tribe
6. A Sleeping Beauty button

November's box is Wonderland and I'm 99.9% certain that I know what book it is. OwlCrate is also going to have an exclusive cover for the book and I can't wait to get my copy! - Jessica

Texas Teen Book Fest 2016

At the beginning of the month I attended the Texas Teen Book Festival, which is an annual event that usually has around 25 authors participating in panels and signings. This was my 3rd consecutive time attending this event, but I remember going to the very first TTBF in 2009. This year I had so many authors that I wanted to meet and get my books signed. I unfortunately didn't get to meet two of the authors I was looking forward to seeing because I had to leave the fest early to go to work, but overall I did get a lot of books signed.

I ended up bringing about 15 books to the festival and I bought five books while I was there. Above is all the books I got signed (plus the second and third book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bones Trilogy). Here are some of the highlights of meeting some authors:

• David Arnold drew a bus in my copy of Mosquitoland! 
• Mary E. Pearson and I talked a little bit about how much I love her The Remnant Chronicles series and how I had previously met her last year. 
• I wore my Marauders shirt from The Colorful Geek and Sabaa Tahir and I bonded because she owns the shirt as well. 
• I was really looking forward to meet Shaun David Hutchinson and I told him that his book We Are the Ants is one of my all time favorite books, and he shared with me some details about his upcoming publications. 
• I also met Laini Taylor and Book People had signed copies of Strange the Dreamer available for sale and I can't wait until March to get my copy. Since Strange the Dreamer's release date got pushed back, Taylor was handing out samplers of the first 100 pages of the book. 

I unfortunately wasn't able to meet Leigh Bardugo or Morgan Rhodes because I had to leave early and go to work. I luckily already have a signed book by both authors and I was able to get within close proximity to both of them, but I really hope that both authors will come back to the central Texas area soon. Leigh Bardugo was definitely the most popular author at the event and even though I didn't get to meet her, I was in awe when I saw that she stayed for hours making sure everyone got their books signed. And someone had an extra copy of the cards that Bardugo was handing out during her signing and they kindly gave me their Inej card!

There were also various booths set up during the festival for various publishing companies and other book related merchandise. One of them was OwlCrate, a monthly YA book subscription box, and at there booth I got a lot of fun trinkets. I also finally subscribed to OwlCrate after lusting over their Instagram account and watching various unboxing videos, so I'll be sharing photos of my first box soon.

So that was my experience at the 2016 TTBF, it has been really cool to see how big the festival has gotten over the years and how big the YA community in Austin has grown. - Jessica