EATING THE REST OF MY TBR: Remaining 2018 TBR Goals

June 29, 2018January 2, 2019 fangirlfury3 Comments

At the halfway point of 2018, a certain panic slowly begins for some of us booknerds. This panic can be caused by the lovely Goodreads Reading Challenge (yes I know I’m 24,000 books behind, and no, I don’t need another email to remind me), but an even taller pressure comes from our to-be-read piles.

Inspired by *spoiler alert* an upcoming Top Five Wednesday topic, Books You Want to Read Before the End of the Year, today I’m going to be talking about the books I really want to read before the end of the year. First, I’m going to be checking up on the 2018 reading goals that I outlined in another T5W post back in January, 2018 Reading Resolutions.

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College YA Takes Texas: Emergency Contact Review

June 28, 2018June 23, 2018 fangirlfury6 Comments

Summary: Penny Lee is more than ready to leave for college in Austin, Texas. She’s ready to leave her mom, her boyfriend, and her non-eventful high school experience. She’s set to go to college to learn how to become a writer and escape to her fictional worlds.

Sam is more than ready for a change. He’s stuck working at a local café and lives there too, sleeping on a mattress on the floor in an empty storage room. Sam dreams of becoming a famous documentary director, but right now the seventeen bucks in his bank account and an ex prevent him from doing so.

When Penny and Sam cross paths, it’s all sorts of awkward, but that doesn’t prevent the two from exchanging phone numbers. As Sam and Penny deal with their own mini crises and anxiety, the two become inseparable… well, at least over their text bubbles.

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I’ve been bit on an epic quest to read more college YA in 2018 and up next on this TBR was Mary H.K. Choi’s Emergency Contact. The book had been on my radar for a while, but when I found out about Rainbow Rowell’s blurb, it quickly became a must-read.

Emergency Contact is told through the alternating perspectives of Penny and Sam. I actually enjoyed both perspectives. I liked Penny’s humor for the most part (I think some of it went over my head at times), and I would loveee to try one of Sam’s treats and iced coffees. How do you not love a guy who bakes pies and creates documentaries?? Like MIT’s relationship with Gloria’s Chao’s American Panda, those familiar with the University of Texas and its surroundings in Austin will have fun seeing the setting within Emergency Contact. Penny often describes classrooms and dorm halls at UT Austin, and I’m sure the various places Penny and Sam visit are reminiscent of the area.

However, neither Sam and Penny were perfect.

I really didn’t understand why Penny held so much animosity for her mom. I understand that Penny and her mom, Celeste, didn’t have the best relationship and Penny does experience trauma that she does not discuss with her mom. I guess teenage rebellion is still a thing, but in my opinion, Celeste really wasn’t that bad??

On Sam’s side of things, while this isn’t necessarily connected to his character, I feel like we missed out on a few of his experiences. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t specifically name them, but there is one scene that isn’t told through Sam’s perspective but the results are written in a message to Penny. While we do get tot his conclusion, I feel like it was important enough for us to experience it with Sam.

I did not expect some of Emergency Contact’s heaviness, as the novel deals with racism, pregnancy, drug use, and sexual assault (warning that there is a rape scene). I think Mary H.K. Choi did a nice job of delving into these topics while building Sam and Penny’s storylines.

Overall, Emergency Contact is a mature college YA novel that is perfect for quick reading and for those looking for not-so perfect protagonists.

Have you read Emergency Contact? Share in the comments!

The Accidental Bad Girl Review & Favorite Quotes

June 27, 2018January 2, 2019 fangirlfury2 Comments

Summary: After getting caught hooking up with her best friend’s ex, Kendall Evans is no longer known as a good girl. Kicking off senior year ostracized and friendless, she counts down the days until she can escape from her Brooklyn prep school for good. But even that opportunity is threatened when Kendall discovers that her online identity has been hacked and she’s being accused of stealing a drug dealer’s stash. If Kendall wants to save her reputation and future, she’ll have to play the bad girl that everyone thinks she is. Or the one that she’s slowly turning into.

The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Give Me ALL the Pops: My Funko Wishlist

June 25, 2018June 23, 2018 fangirlfury12 Comments

If I could only choose one type of bookshelf companion, it’d have to be Funko Pop!s. I’ve been collecting Funkos for the past few years, and even with a collection of 15 Pop!s and two other pieces of merch (both Harry Potter-inspired of course), I feel like I have a lot of room to grow. Even though I’m running out of room for my books. Inspired by Making Fun: The Story of Funko on Netflix, today I’ll be talking about the Funkos I’d love to add to my collection.

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Wishlist:

Luna Lovegood With Gryffindor Hat- I feel like I’ve mentioned my desire for this Funko so many times that I just need to buy it before she’s impossible to find!

Chuckie Finster- Rugrats was easily my favorite TV show as a kid, and my nostalgia is craving a Chuckie Finster Funko. Plus he’s so cute!

Riverdale Archie Andrews- While I do enjoy Riverdale to a certain extent, I wouldn’t mind adding Archie to my collection again out of nostalgia. I grew up reading the Archie comics. Whenever I would take the train home from the city, my parents would let me pick up a new issue from Hudson News.

Prisoner of Azkaban Hermione Granger – While Harry Potter makes up most of my collection, I still have yet to pick a Hermione. I’d love to pick up Prisoner of Azkaban Hermione for her time-turner.

Wonder Woman With Her Cloak- Don’t mind me as I collect all of the Wonder Woman Funkos while waiting for Wonder Woman 1984.

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Hard Finds:

Rachel Green and Chandler Bing from Friends– I’d love to collect all of the Friends Funkos, but I especially want Rachel and Chandler since they’re my two favorite characters. Based off of how insanely popular Friends continues to be, I think Funko would benefit from doing a second series. Friends Funkos are still available to buy from a few smaller retailers or second hand, but I’ve seen them priced anywhere from $30-$250. In some cases, that’s just for one figure!

Rory Gilmore- I feel like the Girlmore Girls Funkos recently came out (it was 2016), but they’re already so hard to find?? I’m not even the biggest Gilmore Girls fan, but I’d love to have a Rory, especially for bookstagram.

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Please Make These Now:

Parks & Recreation Series 2- I remember running through my house and telling everyone when the Parks & Rec Series 1 Pop!s were announced last year. After collecting 5 Funkos from the first series, I’m more than ready for a new set. Give me Ann Perkins, Ben Wyatt, Chris Trager, Donna Regale, and Jerry/Terry/Gerry please! I’d also love a Leslie in her wedding dress, Duke Silver, and a Cones of Dunshire-inspired Ben. But please no more Lil’ Sebastian (he’s the only one outside of the Hot Topic Exclusive Jean-Ralphio & Tom that I haven’t picked up).

Brooklyn Nine-Nine– Now that B99 Season 6 is officially a go, can we please get some Nine-Nine Pop!s?? I need a mini Jake and Rosa in my life on my shelves.

Full House- Between Fuller House and the fact that Full House is a much-loved sitcom, I could so see Full House Funkos. I would of course need all three Tanner girls. Honestly, I think I might email Funko about Full House and Brooklyn Nine-Nine! Your girl is serious about her Pops if you couldn’t tell.

You can explore my Funko collection here.

Do you collect Funkos? What’s one Funko you’d love to add to your collection?

HELLO HIDEO: Warcross Reread & Wildcard Thoughts

June 22, 2018January 21, 2019 fangirlfury7 Comments

Like many book nerds, Marie Lu’s Warcross was easily among my favorite 2017 reads. This new series from one of my favorite authors takes place in a futuristic society (although not far off from our own…) where people dwell in Warcross, a virtual reality game created by Hideo Tanaka. When teenage bounty hunter Emika Chen not-so accidentally glitches herself into the Warcross Championships, her life turns upside down, but maybe in the right way. Hideo offers Emika a job opportunity in Tokyo to help him solve a security issue in Warcross, and Emika finds herself in a much darker Warcross than she could have ever imagined.

I’ve been extremely fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read ARCs of Warcross and its sequel, Wildcard. I unexpectedly received Warcross from Marie Lu herself in her autographing line at Book Con 2017, and I picked up Wildcard at Book Expo 2018. If I could have only walked out at Book Expo with one book, it had to be Wildcard and I am still beyond ecstatic that I grabbed a copy at an unexpected ARC drop at Penguin (otherwise I would have gladly sat in Marie’s Wildcard line for 2+ hours that Friday). I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold off on reading Wildcard for long,so soon after Book Con, I began my Warcross reread.

My Favorite Book to Movie Adaptations: Inspired by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

June 20, 2018January 21, 2019 fangirlfury10 Comments

If you can’t read the book, just watch the movie.

According to the Fangirl Fury Rules of Life (it’s a thing, trust me), one must always read the book before seeing its film adaptation. Okay, so this isn’t complete mandatory for everyone (I still have to get the Rules of Life copyrighted after all), but I always try to read the book before seeing the movie. And I’ve been thinking a lot about movies after reading Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

A very and well-deserved hyped book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows the aging Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo, as she tells her life story to a little known magazine reporter, Monique Grant. No one is more surprised than Monique herself, who is now tasked by Evelyn to write her biography. Sitting in the actress’s apartment every day, Monique listens to Evelyn talk about her past, from how she made her way to Hollywood in the 1950s through her decline in the 80s, of course including her infamous seven husbands and the forbidden love among them.

Sweet Summer Reading: Stay Sweet Review

June 18, 2018January 21, 2019 fangirlfury2 Comments

Summary: Working at Meade Creamery is more than just a summer job for Amelia. The ice cream stand represents a sisterhood, dating back to the WWII era when the stand first opened with an all-girl staff. It’s the place where she met her best friend, Cate, and the two can’t wait to spend their last summer before college scooping ice cream and competing for tips. As the new Head Girl, Amelia is prepared to give the girls in her charge the best summer yet. But when tragedy strikes and Molly Meade’s grand nephew comes to take over the business, Molly goes into protection mode- for the stand, her friends, and her heart.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Cover Lust?: Absolutely! Simon & Schuster slays the cover design game (exhibit A and B being Morgan Matson and Jenny Han’s books), and Stay Sweet is no exception. The cover gives you the perfect image of Meade Creamery, and I love how it continues from front to back.

My Sunday at Book Con 2018

June 15, 2018June 13, 2018 fangirlfury5 Comments

The last day of my most bookish weekend of the year, Sunday marked the last day of Book Con 2018. It honestly felt so odd thinking that this would be last day of commuting to the Javits Center, since I had attended Book Con on Saturday and Book Expo on Thursday & Friday. My mom, the best Book Con buddy, and I arrived at the Javits Center around 8:45. This gave us plenty of time to read through the PW Daily and strategize for my goal to get Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts.

Like Saturday, the show floor opened a few minutes before 10 AM, and this gave me some extra time to get to Scholastic’s I Read YA event. I was among the first twenty people in line, which “guaranteed” me getting to meet Victoria Schwab, Scott Westerfeld, and Kody Keplinger and get signed copies of their upcoming books. While waiting, Rainbow Rowell posted a small announcement on Instagram and Twitter that CARRY ON IS GETTING A SEQUEL CALLED WAYWARD SONS IN 2020. I cannot tell you how nice it was to fangirl over Wayward Sons with the girl next to me in line, who was also a huge Rainbow Rowell fan.

At the I Read YA event, I was able to meet the above authors, and I was especially excited to meet Victoria Schwab and Kody Keplinger. I showed Victoria my friend’s “Anoshe” tattoo and how we basically became BFFs over our love for her books. It was also cool to meet Kody, since The Duff was one of the first YA books that I ever read. I also picked up a Harry Potter 20^th Anniversary tote bag and pin with some other bookish pins. Unfortunately due to the speed of the signing, I was unable to get photos while meeting the authors, but I was able to get the following picture taken in front of I Read YA’s awesome rainbow shelves. I later shared it on Twitter, where I Read YA retweeted it and Victoria Schwab liked my tweet!!

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As I was finishing up at I Read YA, my mom was again a super amazing soul by braving her first and only stampede of the convention for Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver. I’ve heard from a few people that this was one of the worst mobs of the convention when Penguin was handing out tickets, so I owe my mom a book or two. It was really cool meeting Naomi Novik, who’s a fantasy icon in my opinion, and she wrote Book Con 2018 under her signature- perfect for bookish memories.

After Naomi Novik, I went to the Autographing Area for A.C. Gaughen, who signed my copies of Reign the Earth and Imprison the Sky. She was so awesome to meet, asking what color pen I preferred her signature to be in (I went with blue!) and we talked about my blog and Broadway shows! She loved my blog name, which SHE LATER SAID WAS THE BEST BLOG NAME EVER IN HER INSTAGRAM STORY!?! CAN I JUST LIVE AT BOOK CON FOR ALL OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA LOVE PLEASE???

After A.C. Gaughen, I went in line for Marie Lu’s signing in the autographing area. I had tickets for both of these signings, but I knew and was correct that people were lining up for Marie an hour before. I had her sign my copies of Batman: Nightwalker and Champion and my ARC of Wildcard, which I kept hidden in my Book Beau until I got to the signing table. The two people behind me in line kept talking about how they would sell their souls for Wildcard, so my grip on my Book Beau may or may not have increased with each minute in line. The best part of the signing?? MARIE LU REMEMBERED WHO I WAS!! I brought up her giving me a Warcross ARC in her line last year, and she was so happy that I already had my hands on Wildcard.

My mom and I met up after the signing, and we decided to wander the showfloor one last time. I picked up a Scythe poster and a Riveted Teen tote bag, and we both went to Owlcrate for one last spinwheel giveaway, where we won a fountain pen and Anna and the French Kiss-inspired tea. I also took some photos in front of Bloomsbury’s Kingdom of Ash poster, and after getting my Throne of Glass fill, we decided to end our Book Con 2018 adventure. After grabbing a late lunch at one our favorite diners, Book Con was over. I am beyond appreciative of my experiences at Book Expo and Book Con, from getting my hands on my most anticipated books to meeting some amazing authors and bookish friends.

If you want to know more about the most bookish days of the year, check out my experience posts for my Thursday and Friday at Book Expo and my Saturday experience at Book Con. I also posted my combined Book Expo and Book Con haul here.

Did you attend Book Expo or Book Con? If you could choose one book to have signed, what book would it be? Share in the comments!

Geography of This Book & Me: The Geography of You and Me Review

June 13, 2018June 13, 2018 fangirlfury1 Comment

Summary: Lucy lives on the twenty-fourth floor of her New York City apartment building, while Owen lives in the basement. Which makes it fitting that the two meet for the first time in the middle. Lucy and Owen are stranded in the building’s elevator during a citywide blackout, and while the power might be out, sparks fly between the two. After they’re rescued, Lucy and Owen spend the rest of the darkened day together, sharing their thoughts and wanderlust with one another. But when the power returns, so does reality. Lucy is headed to Europe with her family, while Owen road trips across the country with his dad. Taking off in different directions, they stay in touch through postcards and occasional emails. Through their own travels and self-discoveries, Lucy and Owen must figure out how to close the geography between them.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Inspiration to read Jennifer E. Smith’s The Geography of You and Me came to me when I was craving a contemporary read. Blame it on the warm weather and summer quickly approaching, but I’ve been only in the mood to read contemporaries lately. I usually try to read one book at a time, but as I was struggling through a fantasy book that will go unnamed at the moment, I realized that I wanted a lighter read that I could fly through. I’m so happy that I picked up The Geography of You and Me when I did because it’s most definitely a new favorite contemporary read of mine.

The Geography of You and Me is told through third-person POV from Lucy and Owen. I tend to favor one POV over another in dual perspective reads, but I honestly adored both Owen and Lucy’s chapters. I think this largely had to do with Lucy and Owen being on two different personal journeys. Jennifer also didn’t reiterate what was happening from both characters, which I always appreciate in multi-POV books. Lucy learns how to adapt to life abroad and tries to form a closer relationship with her parents, while Owen and his dad are trying to find a new home of their own as they deal with the aftermath of his mother’s death.

Although the premise of The Geography of You and Me begins with Owen and Lucy being trapped in an elevator, I enjoyed how the scene only composed one chapter of the book. It was fun seeing Owen and Lucy explore a powerless New York City together before heading off on their trips. And while blackouts are not too fun in our digital age, it was really interesting (and difficult!) to imagine a darkened NYC. I also didn’t expect how much traveling there would be in this book, but Jennifer E. Smith transports readers through Europe and the western US alongside Lucy and Owen. The book truly speaks to the mantra that people can travel anywhere as long as they book in their hands (NOT TO MENTION THAT LUCY IS A MASSIVE READER HERSELF). But through Lucy, Jennifer E. Smith also demonstrates,

“That was the thing about books, she was realizing; they could take you somewhere else entirely, it was true. But it wasn’t the same thing as actually going there yourself.” (216)

In short, The Geography of You and Me features plenty of traveling, romance, and self-discovery. It a perfectly sweet & fluffy contemporary read that’s great for any season—we spend September through June with the pair. It is easily my favorite Jennifer E. Smith book. And yes I know that I’ve only read This Is What Happy Looks Like and Windfall, but I’m even more excited to carry on through Jennifer’s collection!

Have you read The Geography of You and Me? What are some of your favorite travel-inspired books? Share in the comments!

TBB Asks: Summer Lovin’

June 12, 2018June 12, 2018 fangirlfury6 Comments

As many of you know, summer is my favorite season (and not just for getting to sit by the pool with a good book). I’ve been wanting to do a more lifestyle-type posts lately, and what better way to do so by participating in The Blended Blog’s June link-up, Summer Lovin’!

Walk or Bike Ride?

Walk. I either like waking up early and getting a nice walk or run in before work or a beach day, or taking a walk later at night with my friends and family.

Favorite Picnic Food?

Watermelon

Pool or Lake?

I’ve actually never been swimming in a lake (I grew up surrounded by the ocean and pools), so pool it is!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

Strawberry. In a waffle cone, please!

Flip Flips or Slides?

Flip flops!

Jean Shorts or Jean Carpis?

I always have trouble finding jean shorts that I’m comfortable in (I’ma much bigger fan of Under Armor shorts in the summer), but I love wearing jean carpis to dinner with friends or on casual dress days.

Favorite Summer Fruit?

Pineapple! I’ve been on a bit of a pineapple-addiction lately, it’s one of my new favorite breakfast foods and dessert.

Corn on the Cob or Cutt of the Cob?

Despite the amount of floss I need after, corn on the cob always wins.

Favorite summertime song?

“Rollercoaster” by Luke Bryan

Bikini’s, tankini’s, or one pieces?

I definitely go for bikinis first, but I have a Nike one-piece that I also love wearing.

Dresses or skirts?

Dresses! I just picked up this dream summer dress from Old Navy:

One word to describe summer?

Sunshine! While summer can have its fair share of stormy days, I love being outside during the summer, from laying out by the beach to hanging out in the pool with a good book.

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What’s your favorite summer activity, other than reading, of course? Share in the comments!