Feature Follow Friday: Book Character Inspirations

Feature Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a way for bloggers and readers alike to make some new friends and gain some new followers as well. The point of this hop is to follow other bloggers. I follow you, you follow me.

Also, this week's featured blogger is Captain Swan Bookishhh & TeenBookHoots, so make sure you check them out too!

While I do prefer GFC and/or Bloglovin follows, if you would like to follow me via email/twitter etc, that's great too! Also, please leave a comment so I can follow you back!

Off-Topic Sunday: Work-Study-Life Balance

Welcome to Off-Topic Sunday, a tag that I'm using to post whatever is floating in my head that I want to chat about. For the most part, they'll be book-related but you may occasionally see some non-book-related posts/rants as well.

Work-study-life balance, does it really exist?

It's been awhile since I last blogged - for a variety of reasons. First, my car broke down, so I had to spend ages getting a replacement car. Then my laptop broke all of a sudden without warning, so I had to rush to the store and buy a new laptop. Ugh, I'm feeling very broke at the moment. On top of that, I have grueling 14.5hr shifts at work for the next 7 days plus late night classes twice a week. Suffice to say in the work-study-life balance, work dominates (it's full-time after all), study closely follows and life is practically non-existent. And sleep? Who needs it really?

Hehe, I'm having a great self-pity party at the moment.

Book Review: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner's Trilogy (Book #2)
Will need to read the first book prior to this one
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Release Date: 12th March 2015
Read Date: 4th February 2015
Tagged Under: 2015 read, fantasy, review copy, YA fiction, book review, 3
Check It Out: @Amazon, @TheBookDepository, @GoodReads

Book Summary

Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust... 

While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. 

Lies will come undone, and Kestrel and Arin learns just how much their crimes will cost them in this second book in the breathtaking Winner's trilogy.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

Top Ten books from the last 3 years that I would consider as All Time Favourites

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I feel like my reading journey has its peaks and troughs. I was a prolific reader during my high school years. Then, when I hit university, my pleasure reading became non-existent and it wasn't until last year when I really picked up reading again as a serious hobby.

However, despite having only a couple of years of books to choose from for this week's meme, I did read a lot of books, most of which are amazing, so I still have plenty to choose from. So without further ado, here are my top ten all time favourites from recent years.

February 2015 Wrap-Up

Is it just me or is 2015 going at a cracking pace? Before I know it, Easter eggs are on sale in the local supermarket and we're in March already. How crazy is that?

This year, I've set myself a goal of reading 150 books. At first, I didn't think too much of it since it'll only be 50 more books than the 100 book challenge I set myself last year. But then I did a calculation and realized I have a little under 2.5 days to read a book. So every month, I set myself a target of reading 13 books and in February, I'm pleased to say I've reached that goal. :)

Book Review: The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

Series: The Archived (Book #2)
Will need to read the first book prior to this one
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: 28th January 2014
Read Date: 9th January 2015
Tagged Under: 2015 read, 2015 favourites, fantasy, YA fiction, book review, 4
Check It Out: @Amazon, @TheBookDepository, @GoodReads

Book Summary

Imaging a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. 

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she started her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy - not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe. 

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels? 

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feels like two sides of the same coin.

Book Review [Spoiler Hidden As White Text]

Feature Follow Friday: Saving Books

Feature Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a way for bloggers and readers alike to make some new friends and gain some new followers as well. The point of this hop is to follow other bloggers. I follow you, you follow me.

Also, this week's featured blogger is Coffee and Characters & Bookworm Book Reviews, so make sure you check them out too!

While I do prefer GFC and/or Bloglovin follows, if you would like to follow me via email/twitter etc, that's great too! Also, please leave a comment so I can follow you back!