Monday, July 20, 2015

Farewell


Hey everyone!

So I am going to keep this brief...

I will no longer be keeping up with this blog. As you can already tell, posts are few and far between. I just don't have time anymore and would much rather be spending my time reading for fun and enjoying the books. Also, it's summer and I want to be out and about hanging with my friends and being out in the sun.

It's been real.

Peace!

-Michelle

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

99 Days - Katie Cotugno

Summary from Goodreads:

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.

I'm really not sure where to start. I really liked 99 Days. It's my first book by Katie Cotugno (I've had How to Love sitting on my Nook forever but haven't read it yet), but I wonder if I should've started with that one first because while I really liked this one, I feel like I'm not getting the whole fascination with Cotugno (even though I 100% stand by my 4 star rating). Like, I feel like I'm going to be pondering 99 Days for days to come because I feel like I'm missing something and I feel sad that I'm done with the book and I feel sad about how the characters treated each other. The writing was fun and easy and I loved the imagery that Katie provided with the words. I felt like I was able to visually see what was happening so well! I thought the characters were really well done - even though I really hate all of them because they all did mean things, but there's something sooo likable about each one (Molly was too selfish for me most of the time though!). I think this book is perfect to read during the summer and I wish I would've read each "Day" during each day of the summer because it would've been fun to be like "Let's see what's going on with Molly today." I was disappointed with the lack of focus on Molly and her mother, and I'm bummed about the ending but in a way, I know it's like real life! I'll keep the ending if Katie could just give us more with the mother/daughter situation. Overall, I'm glad I read this book (I'm obsessed with the cover!), and I do think it's a good book that showed what girls go through in cheating situations.

Rating: 4/5

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Burn? Rewrite? Reread?

I saw this tag on Erin's blog, The Hardcover Lover, as well as at Debby's blog, Snuggly Oranges. I can't find who the original creator of Burn, Rewrite, or Reread is and there seems to be confusion on the rules so I'm just going to look at my books on Goodreads, pick from the ones that I've read, then say what I would do to them.

BURN.


REWRITE.


REREAD.


Thursday, June 18, 2015

The Designed by Kate Tailor - BLOG TOUR!

Hosted by...


The Designed by Kate Tailor 
(The Designed Series #1)
Publication date: January 26th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction
Goodreads

Synopsis:
What if the next new drug was you? Raleigh’s body produces a drug that could define the future of medicine if the dangerous world surrounding it doesn’t kill her first.

Eighteen-year old Raleigh Groves can sense disease in others and is suffering from her own unexplained illness as well. After years and dozens of doctor visits, she has given up hope of ever finding a cure, let alone a diagnosis. Then she meets a man who explains that her talent and curse are linked. Her body produces a drug, Lucidin, which allows her to sense others. She’s rare, and the drug she makes is coveted.

Rho has spent the last few years on the run. The Lucidin that is racing through his system makes him a target. Surrounded by addicts and dealers on one side and scientists and doctors on the other, he has to rely on his wits and his team to stay one step ahead. So far he has stayed afloat, but some of his brothers haven’t been as lucky.

As Rho and Raleigh collide they must face the perilous world of Lucidin together. Nothing is black-and-white and Raleigh must decide where her alliances lie. Sometimes the hardest heart to sense is your own.

 Purchase links: Amazon /// Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

Rho took a long breath and sighed with relief. Unlike most prisons, his had no bars or locked gates. 

The drugs and fatigue were enough to trap him in his own body—but not for much longer. He would make his escape today. His captors were unlikely to lower the extraction and sedative dose any more than they just had, so he had to make his move. He would do it tonight, when the second team came to check on him.

Today was the first day in a long time that he was aware of each and every moment. He darted his eyes across the room. A small seagull was preening itself on the windowsill. One of the guards had once asked why there weren’t bars on the window. The answer was that the drop would likely kill Rho, and even if he survived the current would pull him under. Occasionally he’d heard people speaking in French, and he figured that he must be somewhere along the French coast.

Knowing that he could die while making his escape, he savored the hours. Part of him wanted to reflect on his life, but he pushed those thoughts out of his mind as soon as they arose. Those thoughts too closely resembled grieving, and he wasn’t about to grieve the life that he was fighting to save….

The sunset was particularly beautiful. Mauve and azure hues playfully painted his room, as though Mother Nature wasn’t aware of the suffering he endured. Maybe she was aware of his suffering—and glad to see it. After all, he was an affront to her.

Rho heard voices as the evening pair opened the door to his room. Of all the teams, Rho was most familiar with this one. These two talked the most, and the young man had once taken a phone call in the room, but he was swiftly reprimanded by the old man. The young, unsure little attendant asked a lot of questions, and although the old man seemed to be aggravated by his companion’s inquires, he always answered.

“The morning crew said he was doing poorly,” the old man said in a sure, deep voice.

“They turned down the machine again. He’s not giving us as much Lucid,” noted the young man as he retrieved the vials.

“From the look of his vitals, he’ll only last a few more days.”

“He’s going to die, isn’t he?” asked the young man. Despite his current job, he wasn’t the heartless kind.

“The world will be better off. He’s dangerous. They’re monsters…all of them. Don’t let his angelic looks fool you. He’s the devil.”

Rho wasn’t sure if the last part was true, but the part about him being dangerous certainly was.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Around The World With... (June 2015)

Hey everyone! I created a new feature for Unraveling Books! I love to travel and want to go all over the world one day and I also love books! So, I decided to find a new way to incorporate the two and came up with "Around the World with..." Each month I am going to feature one of you lovely book bloggers and ask you some questions about books and traveling.

So without further ado, here is...



If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be?
Start with the hard questions, huh? :-) Really, it changes every few months. I'd currently love to go somewhere in Northern Europe. Perhaps Denmark or Holland?

If you were a city what city would you be?
Quebec City. Not as loud as New York or London, but not too quiet, either. Something between European and North American. The perfect blend of modernity and ancient old-fashioned style.

Favorite place you’ve been to?
Venice. HANDS DOWN. Venice is The Place for Magic. You want a mystical city filled with shadows and alleyways and twinkling lights where anything could happen? Go to Venice.

Favorite setting in a book? Least favorite?
I mean, I think it's pretty awesome that the Divergent series is set in my home town of Chicago. I recognize the references! But I also really love the fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia from Maggie Stiefaver's The Raven Boys. It makes me want to visit Virginia sometime. It sounds utterly gorgeous!

Are you planning on traveling anywhere in 2015?
So far, no. But we still have time! Who knows what deals my my mother may find on the internet?

Favorite book set in Europe? North America (East, West, North, South, Midwest - pick a book for each location in North America or just a couple that you like)? Other place?

Do you realize how many of my favorite authors set their books in Europe? From a classics perspective, we have Les Miserables and The Chronicles of Narnia (but really, this list coiuld go on forever). From the more modern pile of books, we have Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. One European favorite is NOT HAPPENING.

For North America, I really like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. And for other places, there's the Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. That's set in Botswana, which I find fascinating. Put that on my list for visiting someday!

If you were taking a road trip, what would be some of your must see tourist stops?
Mount Rushmore. I have yet to see Mount Rushmore. And I would love to stop by at the Carlsbad Caverns. Gosh. I need to travel the US more! I'm always going international and there's so much awesomeness in my own country. :)

Favorite author? Where are they from?
I've got two. C. S. Lewis, from England, and Victor Hugo, from France.


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