Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR

My reading situation is a bit weird right now since I'm studying abroad and I didn't bring any books with me, so I'll be relying on the books on my kindle. I also don't plan to buy many books because I don't want to take them back to the US with me, even though there are so many releases I'm anticipating this year. So, here are the most interesting-looking titles on my Kindle (literally all of these are eARCs I haven't read yet. Whoops!).

1) Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate - I read Redgate's Noteworthy last year and I really loved it, so I've been meaning to get to this one for some time now!

2) Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer - This is the only physical book I brought to Europe with me, knowing I'd been approved for the sequel on Netgalley. I've been wanting to read this one since I first heard about it, so I can't wait to get to it!

3) Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen - I adored Gaughen's other novel Scarlet and I've been wanting to pick up something else by her for ages. This sounds like a really interesting fantasy and I hope like heck that it hooks me right on it.

4) Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova - This is yet another book I've been meaning to get to for quite some time. I've heard wonderful things about it, and it seems unlike any other book I've read.

5) The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - I've heard sooo many good things about this book, and it sounds like a lot of fun.

6) The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell - Oh my gosh, I've been telling myself to read this one for SO LONG. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017 and I have no earthly idea why I haven't read it yet??? 

7) Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge - Tbh, I just love the cover. I haven't heard much about this one, but it sounds fun!

8) The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert - I actually started this one some time ago and wasn't really hooked, but I am going to try again. I've seen a lot of hype about this book and I want to be in the know, ya know? 

9) More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer - This is the sequel to Letters to the Lost! I'm really counting on loving that one and then loving this one, too. 

10) Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett - This will probably be my next read. I really loved Bennett's previous novel Alex, Approximately, so I squealed a lil bit when I got approved for this one. I could always use a solid contemporary novel. 

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 #14

• Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing wonderfully! This week has been a pretty dang good one (though a slow reading week).
• On Monday I went swimming with my best friends and got a little sunburn, which doesn't sound like a good thing, but that's my first step to becoming not-a-pasty-white-ghost-look-alike, so I'm actually fairly happy about it. 
• Thursday, I went with another friend to see Me Before You and HOLY COW. Not only did I think it was just a wonderful movie, but I sobbed like a lil baby. I know there is a bit of controversy floating around about this book/movie, but I really liked it, and I plan to buy and read the book this summer. 
• The final highlight of my week is that I've gotten super into BookTube. I've been watching bookish videos into the wee hours of the night. I really want to start my own BookTube channel, but I'm still working out all the details. 

Reviews: 
The Sound of Us by Julie Hammerle

Memes:
Top Ten (5) Reasons I Love Book Blogging

Features: 
Flashback Friday #5: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
(NOW WITH A GIVEAWAY)

Misc:
Clearing My Shelves Giveaway #2
Twenty One Pilots Book Tag

Reviews: 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Memes: 
Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year
Sunday Post #15

Features: 
Would You Rather #3

Misc: 
What I've Learned From Bookstagram

 So, I ordered a bunch of books this week from ThriftBooks.com, which is a new website I discovered for buying cheap books. Seriously, I bought 6 books for $22. Seriously, I recommend giving it a perusal. Anyway, they haven't come in yet, so all I got this week was:

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

I'm really excited to continue this story. This is definitely going to be my next read!

I also received for review:

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler - Thanks to Simon Pulse for this eARC! This book will be released on July 19, 2016.

I have been really bad about reading other blogs this week, so I don't have any posts to go here :( I need to catch up on what other people are saying! If there are any posts you think I need to see this week, link 'em up in the comments!

Here are some highlights from my bookstagram account. You can follow me here if you want to keep up with everything I'm posting. 

Day 4 of the #swoonyfictionjune #JuneBookChallenge is favorite villain. I picked Vaughn from The Chemical Gardens trikogy. He's a scientist doing dangerous experiments, so he's kinda reminiscent of older Gothic villains like Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. He's creepy and remorseless, and when you factor in that he also has money and power, he's nearly unstoppable. Who are your favorite villains and why?

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jun 4, 2016 at 7:36pm PDT

I've always been so fascinated by the Grimm fairy tales and the Grimm brothers in general. I did a mini report on them for my German class last year, and they have just done so much for literature. I'm still working my way through this massive book, but all the stories are so fun and interesting. What's your favorite fairy tale? My favorite Disney fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, probably because Belle is a bookworm.

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jun 9, 2016 at 1:03pm PDT

Morgan Matson quickly became one of my favorite authors the second I picked up one of her books. She writes phenomenal friendships, summer adventures, and smooches! I haven't read Second Chance Summer yet, though I want to within the next couple months. My favorite book by her is the first one I read, which is Since You've Been Gone. I hope y'all are having a good week! Comment and tell me some of your favorite authors, because I'd love to know!

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:13am PDT

What has your week in books and blogging looked like?

Flashback Friday #5: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Left-Handed Book Lover's Flashback Friday. I'm not sure if this feature has been done on other blogs. I haven't seen it, but if it has been, let me know so I can give some credit!

FF is a feature here where I talk about books I read a while ago but still want to give major love to. This feature is designed to give some exposure to books that may have been forgotten about or that some people haven't heard of, even though they're really great!

This week's FF goes to...

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Published: February 14, 2012 by Walker Childrens
Genre: YA historical fiction/re-telling

Summary from Goodreads: 
Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in a put innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

WHEN DID I READ THIS

 I got an eARC of this novel, but I don't think I read this until a little bit after it was published. I was actually really reluctant to request this book, and even more reluctant to start reading it. I wasn't sure if this was my cup of coffee or not. Then, once I picked it up, I put it down after reading a few pages. After I pushed through those first few pages, I FELL IN LOVE and became addicted. I stayed up all night reading it. 

WHY DID I PICK THIS BOOK

People seemed to really love this book when it was released, but I haven't seen anyone talk about it in a while. I know that Gaughen decided to add books to the series, and I haven't read any of them yet, but I realllly want to. Anyway, this is a Robin Hood re-telling with a twist, and Robin Hood's tale does not receive a lot of attention in YA lit (as far as I know) in comparison to Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. The best part is, you don't really have to know much about Robin Hood to get this book--trust me, when I read this, I didn't know ANYTHING about Robin Hood. The narration is a little off-putting at first, but once you adjust, it's actually a ton of fun! 

THREE REASONS YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

1. Kickassery - Trust me. Scarlet, the protagonist who most people believe is a boy, can not only take men down in hand-to-hand combat, but, if I remember correctly, she is also really good at throwing knives (which, fun fact, is one of my life goals). 
2. Robin Hood swoons - He's PERFECT! He's really hard on himself, but he's such a good guy, and he is willing to do anything for the people he cares about. 
3. Slow-burn romance - I literally just wanted to push Rob and Scarlet's heads together like dolls to make them kiss. Their relationship is so authentic and their feelings for each other jump off the freaking page throughout every interaction, even though they refuse to admit it for the longest time. It's torture, I tell ya. The best kind of torture. 

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

AUTHOR INFO

A. C. GAUGHEN is the author of Scarlet, Lady Thief and Lion Heart. She serves on the board for the non-profit Boston GLOW, creating opportunities to encourage and engage teen girls in the Greater Boston area. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from St. Andrews University in Scotland and a Masters in Education from Harvard University.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY

Yes, yes, yes. I've decided to add a giveaway to the Flashback Friday series because what better way to get people reading a book than actually giving a copy out?

This giveaway is open internationally, as long as the book depository ships to you! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Book Heroines

Picking out my favorite book heroines proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated. It's tricky because I have a lot of love-hate relationships with female characters. It's mostly like, "Okay, you can be funny every now and then, but you still whine a lot and that's annoying," But, after much deliberation, I picked out the ones that annoyed me least!

1) Rose Hathaway - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
2) Lena Halloway - Delirium by Lauren Oliver
3) Tessay Gray - The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
4) Remy Star - This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
5) Tally Youngblood - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
6) Echo Emerson - Pushing the Limit by Katie McGarry
7) Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
8) Jo March - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
9) Scarley - Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
10) Elizabeth Bennett - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Who are your favorite heroines?