Ash Reads Stuff

Well, another year has come and gone and here I am (again) with nothing but a big pile of books that I've read. Trust me, though, I'm not complaining. Last year I read just over 150 books so I feel like I'm slacking a little bit this year because, as of today, I'm only at 133. Yeah, play your tiny violin, Pine. Anywho, here are some of my favorite books for 2015 and some things I'm looking forward to reading in 2016. All books have My Goodreads Rating and a Quick Review   of why I enjoyed it. These books are mostly my four and five star reads from this year. Also, just because I read these books in 2015 does not mean they were published in 2015.  Code Name Verity My GR Rating: 5 Stars Quick Review: If you know me, you know I love to read about WWII and strong women (or girls). This book has both of those things. To me, this was an amazing story about friendship. It was one of the first books I read in 2015 and one of the first books to ever make me ...

It's almost Christmas! I love, love, love this time of year. I love giving gifts and receiving them. So, thanks to The Broke and the Bookish and the Top Ten Tuesday  I get to talk about the books I want this year! (Books with an asterisk are actually on my Christmas list I gave to my family.)  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses* I want this in my hands so bad.  2. Carry On*   Same as above.  3. The Grownup* Gillian's words are so creepy. I love them.  4. & 5. Time Between Us/Time After Time* Sometimes you just want them in your hands, you know?  6. Yes Please 7. The Boy Most Likely To  8. Hawkeye, Vol 3: L.A. Woman *grabby hands* 9. The Demigod Files I've been good! 10. Tiger Lily A lot of these are books I've already read as library books, but sometimes you just want to hold them in your hands or put them on your shelves!  Merry Christmas and happy reading, fr...

Carry On  by Rainbow Rowell  Publication Date: October 6, 2015 Pages: 529 (kindle) Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars  Goodreads Synopsis:  Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen. That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up. Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters. My Review:...

Taste by Tracy Ewens Publication Date:  October 19, 2015 Pages: 320 (kindle) Genre:  Contemporary Romance My Goodreads Rating: 2   Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  If only life were as simple as following a recipe. In her twenties, Kara Malendar found herself at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris, thousands of miles away from the harsh media coverage of her political family. But Paris ended abruptly when she was summoned home to Los Angeles and expected to stand in again as the senator’s perfect daughter. Now, thirty, Kara has made a different kind of life for herself. As a food critic for the Los Angeles Times, she casts a critical eye on other people. That is, until her past finds his way back into town and opens a new restaurant. Logan Rye, the youngest son of the Ryeland Farms family, is a chef and knows exactly what he's doing with his life. After a few years spent getting his head and heart together, he's opened a new farm-to-table restaura...

Yay, another time I remembered to do Top Ten Tuesday , a weekly feature from The Broke and the Bookish . Here's a list of New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read in 2015. (Links to author's Goodreads profiles are on the books.) Jessi Kirby Wow. I loved this one a lot a lot a lot.  Nicole Yoon Diverse characters and a plot twist? Yes, please! Robin Benway So. Many. Swoons. Matt Fraction I seriously love this Hawkeye comic. And Pizza Dog. Pierce Brown I went on a dystopian binge a couple of summers ago and vowed to never read another. Then I did. Now I'm impatiently waiting for the third book.  Jenny Han Oh, my sweetness.  Sarah J. Maas This book. Wow. Yes. OKAY. Lauren Gibaldi This was so sweet and cute. I love that in a book.  Ann Aguirre I loved this book something fierce. Reading about Sage overcoming her past was so special.  Elizabeth Wein Congrats on being the firs...