The Curse of the Mood Reader

In case you haven't seen it in every other review or Instagram photo I post or seen me mention it on Twitter: I am a mood reader. According to Google, the definition of mood is "a temporary state of mind or feeling." And according to Wikipedia (sorry, teachers!), a mood ring is "a ring that changes colors based upon the temperature of the finger of the wearer." So then a mood reader is, according to yours truly, "someone whose mind or feeling about what they want to read varies by the second." And it is, in fact, a curse.

Review: Frostblood by Elly Blake

Title: Frostblood

Author: Elly Blake

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: January 10, 2017

Pages/Format: 384, ARC
Add on Goodreads!

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.

All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king's tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.

Book in One Word: Insufficient

The Weekly Forecast (20)

Welcome to a weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

Okay, this past week the blog has been a bit of a hot mess. First and foremost, The Weekly Forecast is late. This is for two reasons: it's a day late (intentionally!) because Sunday was Christmas, and it's being posted super late in the day (unintentionally!) because I kind of forgot and was gone most of the day. But it's here now! As for last week's posts...well, you may have noticed that my five-day Christmas feature only lasted for three days, and it did. Unfortunately I was having internet issues and was then busy with holiday festivities and was therefore unable to get those posts up. My apologies! At least those may tie in to some end of the year posts (which was part of their intentions in the first place). Hopefully this week the blog will be back on track!

Jingle Bells

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the library, a creature surely was stirring--most particularly a reader. Hello, jingle janglers! I'm very excited because IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! Christmas and its red and green atmosphere is my most favorite time of year, and I decided to do a little something fun on the blog this time around. So welcome to Under the Bookish Tree, a five-day long palooza of books and bookish things with inspiration from your favorite Christmas tunes and jingles. And today:

All I Want for Christmas is You

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the library, a creature surely was stirring--most particularly a reader. Hello, my bookish elves! I'm very excited because IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! Christmas and its red and green atmosphere is my most favorite time of year, and I decided to do a little something fun on the blog this time around. So welcome to Under the Bookish Tree, a five-day long palooza of books and bookish things with inspiration from your favorite Christmas tunes and jingles. And today:

Baby, It's Cold Outside

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the library, a creature surely was stirring--most particularly a reader. Hello, my readeers! I'm very excited because IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! Christmas and its red and green atmosphere is my most favorite time of year, and I decided to do a little something fun on the blog this time around. So welcome to Under the Bookish Tree, a five-day long palooza of books and bookish things with inspiration from your favorite Christmas tunes and jingles. And today:

The Weekly Forecast (19)

Welcome to a weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

This week the blog will be all about CHRISTMAS!

Review: After You by Jojo Moyes

Title: After You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publishing Date: September 29, 2015

Pages/Format: 352, Paperback
Add on Goodreads!

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?
 
Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.
 
Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .
 
For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

Book in One Word: Different

Waiting on Wednesday (180)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 

showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

Everything about this book is bookish and I WANT IT (also THAT COVERRR).

Top Ten Tuesday (180)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Title: The Hating Game

Author: Sally Thorne

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publishing Date: August 9, 2016

Pages/Format: 384, Paperback
Add on Goodreads!

Nemesis (n.) 
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

Book in One Word: ADOREADOREADORE

The Weekly Forecast (18)

Welcome to a weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

I'M WORKING ON MY TIME MANAGEMENT. I SWEAR. (I just would rather spend more time reading, whoops.)

The Broccoli Book

You may be wondering why in the actual hell I'm talking about broccoli on my blog that is all about books. I mean, there are so many other things I could talk about, but yet here you are, reading a post with broccoli in the title. But I pinky promise you: my reasoning is good and valid. Now, you may know broccoli as a certain green, tree-like vegetable that's commonly dipped in ranch or left on plates by children around the world, but it's also the perfect descriptor of a specific kind of book that lacks a name. And so, I bring to you The Broccoli Book.

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Title: Easy

Author: Tammara Webber

Publisher: Penguin Berkley

Publishing Date: November 6, 2012

Pages/Format: 336, Paperback
Add on Goodreads!

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night - but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Book in One Word: Like

November Rewind

Not too shabby this month, woohoo!

The Weekly Forecast (17)

Welcome to a weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

Yeah, I need to work on my time management skills (or lack thereof) this week.