Summer Blog Promo Tour #5: Kat from Perks Of Being A Book Nerd

So, today is the fifth week of the Summer Blog Promo Tour, hosted by the wonderful blog, The Book Bratz (seriously, they're awesome). This tour is exactly what it sounds like--bloggers promoting other bloggers! Every Sunday of July and August, a different blogger will be stopping by with a fun post to let you get to know more about them! And, of course, every week I will doing fun stuff on other people's blogs, so make sure to give them a gander.

Today, Kat from Perks Of Being A Book Nerd is dropping by with a bookish scavenger hunt! She's the only other person (that I know of) in my SBPT group who is also a BookTuber, so I thought it'd be fun if she could make a video for y'all! 

Basically, I gave Kat a list of "hints" and she had five minutes to acquire as many points as she could. 

Here are the hints I gave her: 

Second book in a popular series – 2 points

A non-YA book – 4 points

A book with the word “night” on the cover – 3 points

The third book from my favorite book series (Vampire Academy) – 6 points

A contemporary novel with pink on the cover – 5 points

A book with a love triangle – 1 point

A book you've never read – 2 points

A book you've read multiple times – 1 point

A dystopian book that doesn't have a girl on the cover – 3 points

A book from an author I love – 8 points

A complete series with more than 3 books– 5 points

A book you've read with over 500 pages – 3 points

The most recent paperback book you've read – 2 points

A fantasy book with great worldbuilding – 3 points

A book with a weapon on the cover – 1 point

A classic – 4 points

A re-telling – 2 points

A book from a writer you admire – 3 points

A book I've never read – 8 points

A book that involves music – 4 points

A book with an LGBT+ character – 3 points

A book with a POC protagonist – 5 points

And here is her video:

Kat ended up getting 39 out of a total 78 points available, which means she got exactly half of the available points. Not too bad. Not bad at all! 

DON'T FORGET TO GO CHECK OUT KAT ON ALL PLATFORMS!  BLOG YOUTUBE TWITTER GOODREADS

P.S. -- I stopped by Flo's blog Book Nerds Across America today to talk about a book series that changed my life! You should definitely go check it out!! 

Sunday Post #20

• Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope y'all are having a wonderful week. I say this every Sunday Post, but it has been a good week for me. 
• On Wednesday, I went to Kansas City with my best friend/roommate to see Kian Lawley and Jc Caylen (YouTubers) on tour. It was incredible! I love love love them, and it was so surreal to see them live. I rode in a car for 8 hours (4 hours there and back) and stood on my feet for 5 hours. I got really angry at someone else there so I told her off, but I also made some new friends. My feet were aching by the end and I thought I was about to die of dehydration, but it was still such a fantastic experience. 
• That same day, I got a ticket to see Twenty One Pilots (my favorite band on the planet) August 3rd and I almost cried tears of joy. I was supposed to have an internship this summer in Florida, so I wasn't sure if I would be back in Arkansas in time for the concert, so I didn't buy tickets. By the time I found out my internship had fallen through, tickets were sold out, so I was incredibly lucky that one of my friends was selling an extra ticket. 
• Then, on Thursday, another friend invited me to go see Bill Maher (a comedian) in Kansas City on the 7th. All of a sudden my summer got adventurous. 
• However, I would really appreciate it if you could send some prayers/positive vibes my way. I've faced some dilemmas with my financial aid paperwork, and if I don't get it turned in on time (August 1) I lose my academic scholarship...which means I have no idea how I would pay for college. Fingers crossed that it all works out. 

(Sorry that was so long. I didn't mean to give you my entire life story)

Reviews: 
- Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
- Paper Towns by John Green

Misc: 
- Top Ten Books That Have Inspired Me
- Summer Blog Promo Tour #5

Reviews:
- You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross & Mike Perini
- Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Memes:
- Top Ten Books I'd Buy Right This Second If I Had Unlimited Funds
- Sunday Post #21

Features/misc:
- July Recap
- The Eclectic Corner: Scary Movies
- Summer Blog Promo Tour #6: Valerie @ He Said Books Or Me

I stopped by The Cozy Little Book Nook to talk about blogging slumps. I usually wouldn't link to my own guest post, but I think we don't talk about blogging slumps all that often, and I think this could be really useful for some of you out there. It's just some tips & inspiration to help you get through it!

Emz from Paging Serenity posted an extremely interesting discussion about adaptations of books. I think every book lover out there can relate to at least some aspect of this post.

Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner shared a really amazing post with us called If We Were Having Coffee. This is unlike anything I've seen in the book community before, and I love that it gives us the opportunity to get to know Jamie a little bit better.

Here are some highlights from my instagram account this week. Give me a follow if you want to see everything I have posted/will post! 

I feel like I've never seen anyone talk about Andrea Cremer's steampunk book. I don't even know if I like steampunk, but I know I like Andrea Cremer, so when I saw it in Book Outlet I was all over it. ● ● ● What are your favorite steampunk books??

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 25, 2016 at 4:38pm PDT

I discovered Morgan Matson's incredible books this year and my life hasn't been the same since. I also found out that she writes more books under the name Katie Finn and I'm so excited to have more books by such an incredible writer. ● ● ● What awesome new authors have you discovered this year??

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 28, 2016 at 2:01pm PDT

I'll be (ideally) posting twice a week. Make sure to subscribe to me if you want to stay updated on when and what I post! If you have a youtube channel, send me your link because I wanna see whatchya got! Here are my videos from this week!

What has your week in books and blogging looked like? 

Lefty's Lowdown: Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green
(standalone)
Published: October 16, 2008 by Speak
Source: Purchased

Summary from Goodreads: 
Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

I've got to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure where I stand with this book, so please bear with me as I attempt to figure it out. That being said, this review is going to be more list-y than my usual reviews.

LIKED: 

• The voice - John Green is an expert when it comes to writing humorous, clever, and engaging characters. I thoroughly enjoyed being inside Q's head! 
• Quentin - Q is very real and relatable. He is used to routine, he's used to planning his future, and playing things safe so he doesn't ruin his future. I loved following along as he breaks out of his shell and starts to get adventurous. 
• The minor characters - I just adore how all the characters in this novel have such unique, distinct personalities. Ben and Radar, especially, were both extremely hilarious and believable and real. 
• The adventures - In the very beginning of the novel, Margo taps on Q's window and whisks him away for a night of risky tasks, which I found incredibly interesting! I could tell it was well-thought out and unpredictable. I was eager to see where Green was going to take us next. And then, toward the end, there's a big ol' road trip. WHO DOESN'T LOVE A GOOD ROAD TRIP? It was spontaneous and full of so much weird and friendship and they were on a DEADLINE. The road trip was, by far, my favorite part.  

DISLIKED: 

• Some of the pacing - There is one point in the novel in which Q is consumed with the thought of piecing together the clues Margo left behind and finding her. Not only does he become a bit insensitive to his friends at that point, but I just thought it was boring. It was like going to a concert with an epic opening act and then watching the band you came to see sit in a freaking run-down room moping. No thanks. 
• The "r" word - Okay, so, this book was written in 2008 when political correctness was not as prominent as it is now, when calling something "retarded" was not as widely frowned upon. But. No. It still bothered me a lot. One thing I hate more than anything is using the word "retard" in a derogatory sense, and sadly that happened on multiple occasions within this novel. 

SO BASICALLY: 

There were so many good things in this novel, and it was a ton of fun. In typical John Green style, there was humor, above-average-intelligence teenagers, and lots of life philosophy. Unfortunately, it was lacking in a couple areas, but all in all it was a very enjoyable read. I initially thought I would rate this 4.5 stars, but after a few days of distance, I'm leaning more toward 4 stars. So, I've compromised. 

4.25/5 stars 

Lefty's Lowdown: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
(standalone)
Published: April 14, 2011 by Dutton
Source: Received in a trade

Summary from Goodreads: 
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

After being wowed by Fangirl, I vowed to read everything by Rainbow Rowell. Let me tell you, Attachments did not disappoint me. This book is clever, addicting, and different. 

I'll admit, I had a few problems with this novel when I was reading. In the beginning, I thought Lincoln was a bit too mopey for my tastes, but I did respect how realistic and (even though some might not like to admit it) relatable his character was. Socially awkward, stuck in a job he hates, and living with his mother again, Lincoln was definitely stuck in a life slump. In a way, his transformation almost reads like a coming of age novel (even though he's almost 30). All in all, though, he was a good guy and I really enjoyed reading about him once he starts getting his life together. 

The other problem I had was that the ending felt very rushed. This whole novel builds up to Lincoln and Beth meeting in person, so the way things went down when they finally did meet was not what I was anticipating. I just thought what took place was a bit strange, and I could feel myself reading with furrowed brows. 

Aside from those two things, though, I thought this book was brilliant! I just adored getting to know Beth and Jennifer exclusively through their emails back and forth with each other. They were so much fun and so so so clever! Their emails were definitely my favorite part of the novel. In the beginning, when I wasn't so much vibing with Lincoln's narration, I found myself eagerly awaiting their email exchanges. You know Rowell is doing something right when she gets me super invested in these two characters through just emails! 

I also think it is really neat that this book deals with the turn of the century AKA the Y2K debacle. I'm a bit too young to remember the panic that centered around this event, so it was so cool to see it in a book, and to read about the transition into a more technology-driven era. 

Despite minor issues, this book had me really hooked, and feeling very happy by the end of it. I love that Rainbow Rowell's books leave me with this deep-seated feeling of contentment when I finish the last page (NOT ELEANOR AND PARK THO). Anyway, this book was quick, addicting, and super enjoyable! 

4/5

Top Ten Books That Have Inspired Me

The original prompt is "Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About After Reading Them" but that's kind of a mouthful, so I've changed it a bit to books that have inspired me, which is essentially the same thing. I love this topic because books help open our minds to SO MANY THINGS and it's nice to recognize the way books have changed us.

Note: I haven't actually done any of these things, but I still really want to.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson - Out of all the things I could say about this book, you might be surprised to know the aspect that inspired me was the awesome scavenger hunt. When I was reading it, all I could think of was how fun it would be to have a big scavenger hunt with all my friends.

Paper Towns by John Green - This book made me want to cause minor trouble. I know that sounds stupid, but the adventure that Q and Margo go on in the beginning just made me want to throw all my caution away and do something stupid and adventurous (that doesn't hurt anyone else) like break into Sea World.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - I absolutely adore the list of out-of-character tasks that Emily sets out to complete. It made me think about how incredible and exhilarating it would be to make a list with my best friend of silly tasks, go to the nearest bus stop, pick a random destination, and work to complete those tasks together. Tell me you don't want to try something like that.

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies - Get an internship in New York City. Okay, so this book didn't make me want to do that because that has been my dream for years, but it definitely reinforced the desire. All the NYC adventures just made my heart hurt because I wish I was the one having those adventures.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - What can I say? Matson writes some really great summer adventures. Unsurprisingly, this book definitely made me crave a cross-country road trip.

And I Darken by Kiersten White - This is a reimagining of Vlad the Impaler, so the entire time I was reading I was thinking about how I need to go study up on good ol' Vlad because I actually know very little about him.

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman - This is a fictional imagining of what Blackbeard's youth was like and how he became the notorious swashbuckler. I'll be honest, before cracking this baby open, I didn't even realize Blackbeard was a real person. The minute I finished, I was eager to learn more about him because THAT ENDING.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - I just adore writing about small towns, and I'm pretty sure this series is the main reason why. The southern gothic small town that these ladies have created is incredibly intricate and detailed and just extremely fascinating.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Lauren Oliver is #writinggoals! All her writing has influenced my own style tremendously, but I'd say the captivating lyrical prose of Delirium has been my #1 inspiration. I re-read it recently and that re-read was tremendously helpful. I was having a lot of trouble capturing my own voice in my writing, and after reading this, I found it again.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - Mead's characterization and worldbuilding are phenomenal in this series, and the protagonist Rose Hathaway is my all-time favorite heroine of all time, and while I never try to duplicate her in my own writing, I often keep her sassiness, boldness, and badassness in mind when writing my own characters.

What books have inspired you?

Sunday Post #19 (On A Monday)

• This week was BookTube-A-Thon, so I didn't do a whole lot except for read and do the different challenges. It made for a good week! I definitely got a lot of reading done. 
• On Tuesday I did actually go out to lunch with one of my best friends that I never see anymore because she's married, so that was really nice!
• I don't want to speak too soon, but I feel as if I may be out of the blogging slump I fell into. I'm feeling much more motivated to schedule posts, so let's hope that lasts. 

Reviews: 
Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler

Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel

Memes/misc: 
Top Ten Books That Take Place Outside The U.S.

Summer Blog Promo Tour #4: Brooke from The Little Cozy Book Nook

Reviews: 
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Paper Towns by John Green

Features/memes:
Top Ten Ways Books Have Inspired Me

Flashback Friday #6

Misc:
Summer Blog Promo Tour #5: Kat from Perks of Being a Book Nerd

Here are some highlights from my instagram account this week. Give me a follow if you want to see everything I have posted/will post! 

I'm 83% through this book for #booktubeathon, and I am really loving it. The no. 1 thing that drew me to this on netgalley is the New York City setting. It's so fun to follow the protagonist Harper as she gallivants through the city that never sleeps. I'm trying to live vicariously through her city-slicking adventures as I lie on my bed in Arkansas. *sigh* Booktube-a-thon day 1- #btatlandscape

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 18, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

"She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something." This is a quote from Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park, and I've always just loved it. #booktubeathon day 3: take a picture of your favorite quote. #btatquote @booktubeathon

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 20, 2016 at 4:52pm PDT

I'll be (ideally) posting twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. Make sure to subscribe to me if you want to stay updated on when and what I post! If you have a youtube channel, send me your link because I wanna see whatchya got! Here are my videos from this week!

Summer Blog Promo Tour #4: Brooke from The Cozy Little Book Nook

So, today is the second week of the Summer Blog Promo Tour, hosted by the wonderful blog, The Book Bratz (seriously, they're awesome). This tour is exactly what it sounds like--bloggers promoting other bloggers! Every Sunday of July and August, a different blogger will be stopping by with a fun post to let you get to know more about them! And, of course, every week I will doing fun stuff on other people's blogs, so make sure to give them a gander.

Today, Brooke from The Cozy Little Book Nook is here to give us the what's what on contemporary novels, which is her favorite genre (just like me)!

Hey everyone! I’m Brooke and I blog over at The Cozy Little Book Nook. For today’s post, I’ll be talking about contemporary books, sort of like a guide for these books. One of my absolutely favorite genres to read are Contemporary books.

Contemporary books is the section of books that are usually novels that takes place in modern times and usually focuses on a romance. In other words, contemporary books are just realistic fiction books (in lesser terms).

Many of the authors on the New York Bestselling lists are contemporary authors. Some of these contemporary authors in this great list include John Green, Sarah Dessen, Morgan Matson, Jenny Han, Kasie West, and SO MUCH MORE.

There aren’t that many different types of contemporary; contemporary itself is a section of the YA genre so it’s hard to separate it even further. Usually, contemporary books focus on a romance with a hint of a more serious thing underneath.

There are also a couple of smaller differences between contemporary books. Some are lighter and fluffier, and others are more heart aching. Examples of the more intense books are the ones that have a deeper storyline, or deals with harsher topics, like diseases.

I’ve found that if you ask most kids in middle and high school today about what their favorite or current book is, most of the time, they are contemporary books, but they don’t even realize it. I feel like it’s important to know the differences in these books. Honestly, I didn’t even know the differences until I actually sat down to write this post and start to research it a little bit.

Along with this, I have some suggestions for other books within the genre that you may like:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins---One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank

I really enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss and afterwards, I was desperately looking for a book that was similar to it. One Paris Summer was just released a couple months ago so when I saw the description, I knew I just had to read it.

The Fault in our Stars by John Green---Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell---If I Stay by Gayle Forman---The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider---Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

This was a long list. The only book that I have read on this list is The Fault in our Stars but the rest of them are all on my I-need-to-read-these-but-haven’t-had-time-yet list.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han---What I thought was true by Huntley Fitzpatrick---

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill---Podium Finish by Beth Pond

I absolutely love Olympic books, especially about the training, and processes behind them so these books fit together perfectly. I’ve read both of these books too. They are both books that aren’t as well known.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen---Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

I’ve only read Lock and Key and enjoyed it a lot so I’m looking forward to reading Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys as well.

If you’ve read any of the books listed above, or any books by those authors and want to find another great book to read, I highly recommend checking out some of these other authors listed here as well. Here’s a list from Goodreads that list almost every notable contemporary book there is: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/young-adult-contemporary

If you enjoyed this post, you should go over to my blog where you can probably find more posts like this one. Also this week, I’m featuring another blogger as well.

~Brooke

*Takes notes* Thanks for the great recs, Brooke. I'm definitely adding some of these to my TBR. 

I'd love to know what your favorite contemporary books are, or if you agree with any of the recommendations Brooke gave us! 

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY BROOKE'S BLOG SO YOU CAN SEE MY POST IN WHICH I GIVE SOME TIPS FOR ESCAPING THE DREADED BLOGGING SLUMP.

Lefty's Lowdown: Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel

Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel
(Psi Fighter Academy #1)
Published: December 3, 2013 by Entangled Teen
Source: Purchased

Summary from Goodreads:
THERE’S A NEW SUPERHERO IN TOWN.

By day, I'm just another high school girl who likes lip gloss. But by night I'm a Psi Fighter—a secret guardian with a decade of training in the Mental Arts. And I'm about to test those skills in my first battle against evil.

BAD GUYS BEWARE.

When I was six, the Walpurgis Knights, our deadliest enemy, murdered my parents. The Psi Fighters put me into hiding, and all traces of my existence evaporated. Then I went through the most accelerated Psi Fighter training possible. And now I go to your school.

’CAUSE I WILL TAKE YOU OUT.

Unfortunately, so do the bad guys. My parents’ killer has sent his apprentice to infiltrate the school to find me. And everyone is a potential suspect, even irresistible new kid, Egon, and my old nemesis-turned-nice-guy, Mason. Fingers crossed I find the Knight before he finds me…

I would most likely usually never give this book the time of day based on the cover & title, if I'm being honest. However, I interned for Entangled Teen very briefly a few years ago, so I read the manuscript of this novel, and I really enjoyed it back then, so I decided to buy the finished product. Unfortunately, this time around I did not enjoy it as much as I had back then, but I still thought parts of this were a delight!

Parts of this book really confused me. Basically, the protagonist Rinnie is a Psi Fighter, which are top secret super heros who uses their brains and their fists as weapons (which, I gotta say, is an A+ premise). Recently in Rinnie's town, there has been a creep kidnapping little kids, and the Psi Fighters conclude that there is a major link to the kidnapper in Rinnie's high school, so Rinnie is assigned to investigate her school and try to discover who the kidnapper is. It sounds simple, but it's a bit convoluted because there is a drug ring, and a secret villain society, and I had a really hard time keeping track of how it all connected. I didn't always understand the line of reasoning that led the characters to the conclusions they drew. That is really my main complaint, but I more-or-less understood it all by the end of the novel. I did wish there was a bit more worldbuilding, because I got slightly confused about how their mental weapons work.

Other than that, I found this to be a really fun story. Okay, so the writing could be a bit cheesy, but there were so many funny and clever lines throughout the novel that I just adored! I'd say this has a bit of a younger YA vibe, but it was still a cute, interesting read, and the ending definitely left me wondering what is going to happen in the next book!

3/5 stars

Lefty's Lowdown: Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler
(standalone)
Published: July 19, 2016 by Simon Pulse
Source: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are completely my own.

Summary from Goodreads: 
Harper Anderson always believed she belonged somewhere more glamorous than her sleepy Northern California suburb. After all, how many water polo matches and lame parties in Bobby McKittrick's backyard can one girl take? That's why Harper is beyond ecstatic when she lands her dream internship as a dating blogger at the elite teen magazine Shift. Getting to spend the summer in New York City to live her dream of becoming a writer? Harper's totally in.

There's just one teeny, tiny, infinitesimal problem: Apart from some dance floor make-outs, Harper doesn't have a lot of - or, really, any - dating expertise. In fact, she might have sort of stolen her best friend's experiences as her own on her Shift application. But she can learn on the job...right?

From awkward run-ins with the cute neighborhood dog-walker to terrifying encounters with her crazed editor, from Brooklyn gallery openings to weekends in the Hamptons, Harper finds out what it takes to make it in the Big City--and as the writer of her own destiny.

 The second I read the description for this book, I was so pumped. And then I got approved, and it took all my self control to wait until it was closer to the release date to read this one. It sounded like it was going to be a delightfully fun, chick-flicky book that takes place in NEW YORK CITY *heart eyes* And I was right! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stampler's debut!

Okay, so it appears that I am a major hypocrite because in one of my recent reviews I talked about how much I hate when conflict is created because a character lies ("So, one of my least favorite plot lines in YA is the whole "Oh, I regret lying about something but it's too late to tell anyone the truth because that will just make things worse." NO NO NO. Maybe it's because I'm an honest-to-a-fault type of person, but I just think this trope is stupid and unnecessary." - Me). However, that is kinda the premise of this novel. Harper applied to the #1 teen magazine using a very personal story from her best friend's life. Not only is she hired under false pretenses, but she doesn't tell her best friend that she's exploiting one of her darkest secrets. But for some reason, it just works in this novel. 

Clumsy, inexperienced, socially awkward Harper is obviously in over her head with this magazine and desperate to prove herself. It's not what I would do, but I get it. And I don't think she's a bad  person for it. In fact, I actually liked her quite a bit. She's pretty relatable, and she's just a little bit misguided. She experiences a lot of growth by the end of the novel, and  I was really satisfied where her character ended up. 

Now let's chat boys, shall we? I don't want to say too much about them, because there is sort of a love triangle in this book. I'm typically not too irritated by love triangles, and I don't think this one was annoying or anything. And it wasn't really the main focus of the story, so that's a plus. Anyway, the boys. So, the whole time, it's clear who the "right" guy is and who is just being a fuckboy. And the "right" guy is adorable. There's a meet-cute that involves dogs, so, like, you KNOW romance is going to occur. Mr. Right is really kind and supportive and I really liked him.

Other things I adored were the NYC adventures (seriously, SO FUN!! And now I just wish I were in New York even more), female friendships, and the super engaging and clever writing. I was really hooked! I know Stampler was/is in the industry she was writing about, but that doesn't detract from the fact that it felt super authentic! It didn't read like someone barely managing to keep up with the times. My only complaints would be that it's pretty predictable (though, I'm still happy with the way things wrapped up. It felt like a shiny ribbon conclusion, but not TOO shiny), and I just wish there was a little bit more depth in the secondary characters. 

Either way, this book was a fantastic quick, light, & feel-good read. It definitely lived up to my expectations and I definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for a fun, rom-comish contemporary! 

4/5 stars!

Top Ten Books That Take Place Outside The U.S.

Compiling this list made me realize 2 things: 1) I need to read more books that are set outside the U.S. and 2) I've actually read more than I thought.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen - This is a Robin Hood retelling and it takes place in Nottingham, England. It's a really fantastic book that I highly recommend--if you want some reasons you should read it, check out my Flashback Friday post!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman - A big portion of this book takes place in Paris. While I found the sequel to be a lil bit draggy, this one definitely inspired my wanderlust, with all its adventure and foreign romance.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead - This is the 4th book in the Vampire Academy series (AKA MY FAVORITE SERIES EVER), and it is the only book that takes place primarily in Russia. So, yeah, read this series, basically.

Anna and the French Kiss - I don't even need to say anything about this one.

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell - This book starts out in London and takes us to a dark version of Neverland, which, yes, I know that's a fictional land, but it's not in the U.S. so it counts. This book deserves way more attention than it gets, imo. If you want more of my opinions, you can check out my review!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Jane Austen is everything to me. Her books are fantastic, even if you're not big on reading classics. Her social satire is brilliant.

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman - If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you've probably seen me talk about this book a ton already. It's a Blackbeard pre-pirate origin story set in Bristol, England, that will just crush your heart. More of my thoughts can be found in this here review of mine!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - It's no secret I've been obsessed with this book from the second I watched the movie (yes, I watched the movie before reading the book). This is in the top 3 of my favorite books I've read this year. I'm not sure where exactly it takes place, but it takes place in the UK. You can read about how much I love it in my review!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - I personally like this series better than her TMI series. The Infernal Devices take place in Victorian London, and if you don't already know about these books who even are you??

And I Darken by Kiersten White - Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows how much I love this book because I couldn't stop tweeting about it after I read it. This novel takes place primarily at the Ottoman courts (and if you're like me and know nothing about history/geography--that's in Turkey (don't judge me, I had to google it)). It's a re-imagining of what things would be like if Vlad the Impaler were female, and you don't have to be into history to enjoy this book, I assure you. If you're interested in this novel, I encourage you to check out my review!

What are some bomb.com books you've read that take place somewhere that isn't the U.S.?

Sunday Post #18 (On a Monday)

• This week was not a very good week, in regards to reading/blogging. I've been feeling kind of slumpy, and I hate it!!
• If you follow me on Twitter, though, you most likely know that I've started binge-watching Glee. I've made it through 3.5 seasons in a week. I have a problem! 
• Aside from sitting on my behind watching Glee, I've also spent time with my best friends, and I went to see the new Purge movie in theaters (it was really good and twisted and intense!). 

Top Ten Fun Facts About Me

Live and Let Psi Book Blitz: Interview & Giveaway

61 Non-Spoilery Thoughts I Had While Re-Reading Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Summer Blog Promo Tour #3: Flo from Book Nerds Across America

Reviews:

Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel
Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stanpler

Features/Memes: 

Flashback Friday #6
Top Ten Books Set Outside the U.S.

Misc:

Summer Blog Promo Tour #4: Brooke from The Cozy Little Book Nook

(all of this is assuming I escape this forsaken slump that's been weighing on me)

Here are some highlights from my instagram account this week. Give me a follow if you want to see everything I have posted/will post! 

Yesterday I bought this gorgeous collector's edition of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and I'm obsessed. Levi is definitely one of my new book boyfriends 💕 he's so sweet and adorable. What are some of the prettiest books you've bought recently?

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 10, 2016 at 3:59pm PDT

I've really been itching to re-read this series recently. I love revisiting old favorites, so I'm going to have to pick these books up again before the summer is through. I miss Warner 😍And, of course, the beautiful writing. What books have you been wanting to re-read lately?

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:40pm PDT

I'll be (ideally) posting twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. Make sure to subscribe to me if you want to stay updated on when and what I post! If you have a youtube channel, send me your link because I wanna see whatchya got! Here are my videos from this week!

Summer Blog Promo Tour #3: Flo from Book Nerds Across America

So, today is the second week of the Summer Blog Promo Tour, hosted by the wonderful blog, The Book Bratz (seriously, they're awesome). This tour is exactly what it sounds like--bloggers promoting other bloggers! Every Sunday of July and August, a different blogger will be stopping by with a fun post to let you get to know more about them! And, of course, every week I will doing fun stuff on other people's blogs, so make sure to give them a gander.

Today, I'm excited to be interviewing Flo from Book Nerds Across America!

Hey Flo! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. I'm super stoked you're stopping by!

I'm not gonna ease into it. I'm gonna start with the most important question of all—are you right- or left-handed?


Whoa! You were not kidding! That was from zero to sixty in less than .5 seconds. Slow down there, partner!

Anyway, I am right-handed, which means I can sit anywhere I want at the dinner table and still worry about hitting people with my elbows because I'm just clumsy.

Do you have a pet dragon? If so, what is its name? If not, what would you name a pet dragon if you got one?


I don't have any pets, because I travel too much so anything living in my care would likely starve....except a dragon! You are giving me all kinds of ideas, Lefty. Dragons are pretty self sufficient, aren't they?! Do dragons eat alligators? I live in Florida and we have a lot of alligators around here. If I could convince my dragon to survive on a diet of lizards and gators, I think he'd be just fine.

What is a song lyric (or a few) you feel really speaks to you?


Wow, so many! I'll go with the first two that popped into my mind. From one of my most favorite songs, The Dance by Garth Brooks: “Our lives are better left to chance: I could have missed the pain, but I'd of have to miss the Dance.” When I moved away to college, a good friend of mine made me a picture with the lyrics from “When You Come Back Down” by Nickel Creek: “Take every chance you dare, I'll still be there, when you come back down.”


If you could be a character on any TV show, which TV show would you pick?


Hmm...I don't actually watch a lot of TV, so this one is a bit harder for me to think of....I'm legit blanking right now. Let me come back to this later.

According to your blog, you're a fan of quirky fictional YA guys (aren't we all??). Care to tell me a few of your favorites?


So, so many! Some of my quirky favorites are Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door (Stephanie Perkins); Levi from Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell); Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars (John Green). Those are the three quirkiest guys I can think of off the top of my head.

How did you start blogging?


I wasn't involved in any fandoms until The Hunger Games. When I got into those books, I discovered forums and expanded my Twitter account to include new book-loving friends. I became super close with a girl named Mary. One day Mary created a book review blog for us on a whim, and I immediately set to work on decorating it. The first iteration of Book Nerds Across America was born.


What is the last book you purchased?


I believe it was Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine.

If you could meet any one author (dead or alive) what would you say to them or ask them?


Ooo...J.K. Rowling. I would ask her how she held on to hope when she was living in her car and writing Harry Potter on napkins. It takes a strong person to persevere, to believe in something so much to see it through when the chips are down, and I admire that so much. I'd love to talk with her more about it and hear stories about what she was thinking when she came up with certain people, spells, scenes, etc.

If you could pick the next novel/series that got adapted into a movie, what would you choose?


I think the Gallagher Academy series by Ally Carter would be a cute Freeform-type show. The Lunar Chronicles would be great if it was done right, but I would be so scared to see it. Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer's Between the Lines would also be a good cheesy TV fantasy movie. Unbreakable by Kami Garcia might be cool on the big screen.


Okay, now it's time for our lightning round!


Contemporary or fantasy? Both! (Depends on my mood!)

Boots or sandals? Sandals! (I live in Florida!)

Llamas or alpacas? Llamas! (Llama, llama, duck!)

Crayons or colored pencils? Crayons! (As long as they don't revolt!: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101018-the-day-the-crayons-quit?ac=1&from_search=true)

Favorite emoji? ;-p


Song stuck in your head at the moment? Llama llama duck! (See above. I blame you, Lefty!)



Currently reading? Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare! (And loving it!)

Thanks so much for stopping by, Flo! I hope you enjoyed this interview! I did! Thanks so much for having me!