Living In The Present (And I Don't Like It!)

My library hasn't been ordering too many new books lately, and consequently, I've been going to the library less and less. Friends of mine ask me when I last went to the last library and I think about it and say...I don't remember. Why? Because it was so long ago that I don't even remember the date. I think it's sad that I call myself a bookish peep and can't even remember the last time I went to the local library. WHAT BRAND OF BIBLIOPHILE DOESN'T KNOW THE LAST TIME SHE WENT TO THE LIBRARY?

I am a sad excuse for a bibliophile. I am sorry.

Before I became a book blogger, I used to randomly pick books off library shelves - based off the cover, of course - and read them. Usually, I enjoyed them. Nowadays however, I don't go into the library without looking up books from my TBR on the online catalog and checking whether they're available. If they're not, well, that's another library trip canceled (although it's not too big of a deal since I literally live right next to the library). My point is, my trips to the library have rapidly decreased, and I blame my new reading habits.

Whenever I go onto my Goodreads account when I'm in need of a book to read, I always look at my 2015-release shelf. Not my 2014-release shelf or my TBR in general, but only the books that have released in 2015. On those rare occasions that I pick up some popular YA novel that was hyped up in the last few years, it feels like I don't enjoy it as much as I would have if I'd read it when it first came out. I don't know if it's all in my head or authors have been writing better each year, but I prefer reading current books to older ones.

Sometimes I get to wondering if it's all about the hype. If I've learned anything after becoming a book blogger, it's that hype can really help make or break a book (I think I might write another discussion post on this later). In fact, the more the hype, the better the reading experience, in my opinion. That got me thinking: maybe it's the lack of hype around the older books that decreases their chance of getting five stars from me? When all the hype is being centered around books that are being released currently, every day, why would I be interested in older books people don't talk about anymore?

On the other hand, it's also possible that I don't enjoy these books as much because I already have the idea in my mind that I won't enjoy them. The mind is easily persuaded, after all. When I begin to think that I won't enjoy older books due to the lack of hype or whatever other reasons I tell myself, I don't enjoy them. It's a never ending cycle, and it's really frustrating.

I recently read A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray and Altered by Jennifer Rush. I was excited about both these books way back when they first came out, and when I read them both a month ago, they were good, but not great. I can't help but think I would have loved these novels more if I had read them earlier, but who knows?

I have, however, noticed that this only affects YA novels I read. I can read Historical Fiction, Contemporary Romance, and Horror from any date, and I will love it or hate it as it deserves. They are timeless, apparently. If only YA novels were the same way. It seems that maybe it's because the Young Adult genre goes through phases of sub-genres each year that when I read a book a year or two late, it rarely sucks me in. 

On the bright side, my inability to enjoy older YA novels means you guys get more reviews of recent books! *cheeky grin*

Am I the only one who finds it hard to read older YA novels? Do you have another reason I find myself reading nothing but recent releases? Let's discuss!

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June 2015 TBR (My First One Ever!)

I realize this post is a bit late since it's already June 2nd, but I thought it'd be fun to do a TBR post. I've seen other readers making monthly TBR lists and it looks like so much fun! I'm usually not one for making a list of the books I want to read in a specified time period; I'm more of a spontaneous, mood reader, reading whatever suits my fancy. However, I recently got a blogging journal and so I decided to christen it by writing up a June 2015 TBR. Without further-ado, here it is!

My June 2015 TBR, plus the first book from it that I'm reading.

I'll be the first to admit that my TBR is a bit short, and that's because I didn't want to pressure myself too much on my first time. I figured seven required readings is a good start, and I can pick and choose a few other books along the way when I'm in the mood for them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well! If the print in the picture is too small for you to see, my June TBR is as follows (click on the title for the Goodreads):

1. Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly
2. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
3. Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
4. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
5. The Cage (The Cage #1) by Megan Shepherd
6. Suddenly One Summer by Julie James
7. Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

SO MUCH EXCITEMENT! The only thing that bothers me about this list is that I've only included two ARC's even though I have received six of them that are released this much. The problem is that five out of the six of them are contemporary romances, and I'm rarely in the mood for that genre. They all sound amazing, don't get me wrong, but there are only so many contemporaries I can read in a month. I guess we'll just have to see how everything works out.

What books are you planning to read this month? Tell me down below in the comments!

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Someone Save My Soul, Please



My status as an on-again, off-again book blogger is probably well known by now around these parts. Fortunately for me, I am very on-again right now. Unfortunately for me, there are things called final exams, and it's just my luck that my first one starts this Wednesday. And I'm not prepared in the least. So it's pretty much this bad combination of time management and educational requirements that make it necessary for me to take a week-long hiatus. I know, I know, I'm going to miss you guys too. On the bright side, my superb procrastination skills means I'll probably be on Twitter a lot, so at least we won't be completely disconnected!

I don't plan on being an off-again blogger anytime soon - after all, if senior year has any perks, it should be the time to blog - so if all goes as planned, I shall be back spiffy and blogging by next Monday, March 16th. Be on the lookout for a review of Rites of Passage on Monday! In the meantime, here are some books I plan on reading, and hopefully reviewing as well, relatively soon. You and I both can look forward to that ;)

To be fair, it's quite possible I may end up reading completely different books, because I'm big on mood reading, but hey, I guess we'll just have to see how close I was at guessing what I'll be reading. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy your week off from me! Have fun, eat junk food, and read a ton of books!!

Love you guys,

Preethi xoxo

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A Love Triangle Gone Wrong - Featuring Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

(NOTE: Don't worry, guys! I made sure to keep this post spoiler-free!)

I know that there are a lot of you out there that are absolutely against love triangles, but I am one of those people who lets out a little squeal of joy every time I hear that a book I read has a great love triangle in it. Yes, I can live without love triangles, but most of the time, I feel that they make everything just a bit more exciting. Everyone around me is always complaining about these triangles, and how they always feel bad for the guy who gets left behind. I don't know if I'm inhuman or what, but I've never really felt too bad about what happens to the other guy. In middle school, I read the Twilight series, and I was absolutely against Jacob, so I had no problem with the fact that he didn't end up with Bella. Similarly, in pretty much every other YA novel - with a few exceptions that I can't remember - I always root for one guy, and he's always the one who gets chosen. So I guess you could say that I have pretty good luck when it comes to loves triangles.

However, I really do realize that there is something inherently wrong with love triangles; I've just never paid much attention to it before because with the books I read, the girl doesn't usually lead both dudes on. Well, most of the time. Sometimes I'm just so set on the one guy that, let's be honest, I don't even notice the other. Pretty recently though, I read Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It's book two of The Naturals, and the main character, Cassie Hobbes, ends up having to make a choice between her two favorite guys: Dean and Michael. Now, I've had a thing for Dean since the first book. While reading this however, both guys were great. I still preferred Dean, yeah, but this time, Cassie was leading both guys on (not that she didn't in the last book as well). Dean was completely ignoring her (like most of my favorite guys do), and Michael was paying an excessive amount of interest to her, but she still kept her relationship open, to the point where it got uncomfortable. I mean, you have two awesome guys begging to be your boyfriend (more or less). Great. You seem to like both of them as well, one more than the other. Double great. Now PICK ONE. Don't wait to see whether the guys YOU WANT wants you back, JUST PICK THE ONE YOU LIKE. Honestly, you'd think it'd be an easier concept to grasp. Not having a boyfriend isn't the end of the world. Still, it didn't bother me too much until the very end of the novel, when *cue old horror movie background music*, Cassie finally picks a dude.

And of course, I was playing it cool - as was Cassie - until the guy she doesn't pick gets this pissed look and kiiiind of goes into a fit of rage. Cassie deserved it, but still. IT HURT MY FEELS, GUYS. Like I said earlier, both Michael and Dean were great people, and I was NOT okay with seeing either of them hurt. The book ended with the guy who wasn't chosen storming away and cutting off all ties with Cassie, so to say I was stressed out would be an understatement. There wasn't a third book up on Goodreads either, so I was freaking out, because the series could not end that way. Imagine my surprise and immense pleasure when I found out later that there will indeed by a third book! Boy, would I like to see how Cassie is going to fix that love of a mess she made...

That was a pretty stand-out love triangle experience for me. As for now, I still get that slightly giddy look on my face whenever I hear the phrase "love triangle". I don't go purposefully picking them out or anything - not consciously, at any rate - but I'll admit I continue believing that sometimes they enhance the romance. Sometimes. *points at Cassie and Michael and Dean* Still, this one love triangle gone wrong is one I won't forget any time soon. Unfortunately, that means I'll probably have more sympathy for the third wheel (corner?) of the triangle. Ignorance is bliss. I'm going to miss it.

Oh, and if you haven't read The Naturals series yet, WHY???? Fans of crime-related television shows and mysteries, YOU ARE MISSING OUT.

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So how do you feel about love triangles? Have you ever liked them, and if so, what made you stop? Or are you like me and you still have (possibly misplaced) faith in them? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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The Most Nerve-Racking Part of Book Blogging

Truth to be told, the hardest part of book blogging isn't getting books read on time, writing book reviews, or even making sure you get at least one post in each week. Nope, the most nerve-racking part of book blogging is definitely giving a book its rating. Reading books on time isn't too hard. I mean, when your hobby is reading, it makes sense that you have to convince yourself to STOP reading, not read a book ON TIME. And book reviews are basically written rants, so it's not that hard. And one post a week? Come on, try and keep me AWAY from writing posts! Now giving a book a rating...not so easy.

You know how in class, teachers sometimes make you read over your partner's assignment, and give them a grade? And of course, being the nice person you are, you tend to give that person a higher score than they deserve. For book bloggers, this is something we have to try REALLY HARD not to do. If we end up giving books a higher rating than they deserve, then our blog readers won't trust our reviews anymore, and that kind of takes away from the entire purpose of blogging. Instead, many times we spend more time thinking about how many stars - or in my case, clock dials - to give a book than actually writing the review.

I don't know if this is a me problem or a problem everyone has, but my rating of a book tends to be different right after I finish a book, and then later, as I'm writing the review. Usually, the rating is higher as soon as I finish, which is before I actually have time to think about and absorb everything I read. Thanks to this, nowadays I tend to sleep on a book rating rather than review it right after I finish. Ratings I'm unsure about can NEVER be posted, and so I give myself adequate time to consider all the aspects of the book, as well as my enjoyment of it, and only then do I settle down on a number out of five. Unfortunately for me, I've recently discovered another problem with book rating.

After reading a book last week, I ended up giving it a rating of two-and-a-half dials. I gave myself a few nights to sleep on the rating, but by then, I actually forgot about it (oops). Then of course came the day to write the review, so I did. However, by the time I had to actually give the book a rating, my thoughts on the book had changed. Believe it or not, by writing my review, I actually convinced MYSELF that I enjoyed the book more than I thought I had, and so I actually ended up increasing the rating to three clocks. I don't know about you, but I find that beyond weird. I guess sometimes you don't realize how much you like or dislike a book until you start talking about it.

And that, pretty much, sums up the nightmare it is to give a book a rating. It's not an art by any means, but more of me fumbling around, trying out different ratings until I find one that fits, one I'm happy with. It is by no means a simple process, and sometimes I have to stop myself from giving books ratings like 4.125 clocks, but really, it's actually a fun challenge to try to sum up a book in a number, and I hope as I continue to review books, it will become easier to correctly judge the number of dials a book deserves (though it's entirely possible that it might actually get HARDER to summarize a book in a number).

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It's obvious not everyone has the same methods of reviewing a book, so how do you determine what rating a book deserves? Do you think it's the hardest part of book blogging, or is there something else you find more difficult?

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