Get Ferocious with Paula Stokes

Hello, my ferocious readers who live vicariously through fiction! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Ferocious, the sequel to Paula Stokes's fierce and thrilling Vicarious. If you're looking for a book steeped in technology, mystery, pace, science fiction, and Korean culture, then look no further. Paula's on the blog today to talk about one of the locations of Ferocious, and she brought pictures! Be sure to stick around, too--there just might be a ferocious giveaway in store.

The Weekly Forecast (40)

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.

These past few months I've been the worst blogger/bookish person/reader in general, but to go on talking about that calls for a discussion post. Between work and life and all that jazz, books have seriously taken the back burner--and I need to fix that. Here's hoping this weekly forecast is actually forecast something bookish.

The Weekly Forecast (39)

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've been behind on all things bookish, but as a school poster once (and probably still) said: Don't make excuses, improvements.

Review: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

Title: What to Say Next

Author: Julie Buxbaum

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date: July 11, 2017

Pages/Format: 272, ARC
Add on Goodreads!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes a charming and poignant story about two struggling teenagers who find an unexpected connection just when they need it most. For fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Niven, and Rainbow Rowell.

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her. 

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

BOOK IN A WORD: DAVID

Waiting on Wednesday (185)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 

showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

I'm very, very new to this author's fanbase. I recently read one of her books and was immediately turned into something obsessive when it came to her work. And when I say obsessed I mean OBSESSED. I don't know what it is about this author's books--and I still have many more to read!--but I am a hardcore addict. So to say I'm looking forward to her latest is a bit of an understatement.

Top Ten Tuesday (185)

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

This Tuesday's theme is...

Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Title: The Sea of Tranquility

Author: Katja Millay

Publisher: Atria Books

Publishing Date: June 4, 2013

Pages/Format: 434, Paperback
Add on Goodreads!

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.

All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

BOOK IN A WORD: Baaaa

The Weekly Forecast (38)

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 going to blame last week's lack of posts on feeling a bit under the weather and taking some naps. That works for me. (And this week my cold can suck it.)

April + May Rewind

I was behind enough on blogging in May that I never recapped April. WHOOPS. So today's a twofer!

The Weekly Forecast (37)

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.

Let's not talk about last week and just plan on getting more blogging done this week. OH! And I have TWO giveaways ending Monday at midnight--enter while you still can!

Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Title: One of Us Is Lying

Author: Karen M. McManus

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date: May 30, 2017

Pages/Format: 368, Hardcover
Add on Goodreads!

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.
 
Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
 
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
 
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.
 
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
 
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

BOOK IN A WORD: Unexpected?

The Weekly Forecast (36)

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.

The Weekly Forecast is coming to you a day late this week because I've been busy with work, buuut I posted all five days last week (!!!) so I call that a win.

Ninety Second Novel: What to Say Next

Hello, my fellow bookworms! Welcome to Ninety Second Novel! With this sporadic feature, I'll be using booktube as a way to review a book before I can actually review it. In other words, if I happen to read a book earlier than I can post my review for it, then I'll be using this feature to tell you about it. Look at it as a preview review, perhaps? For the feature, I'll be talking about whatever book(s) I read, but in ninety seconds or less!

Review: Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

Title: Once and for All

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: June 6, 2017

Pages/Format: 400, ARC
Add on Goodreads!

As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen's thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine. 

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants. 

Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself. 

BOOK IN A WORD: Hmm

Waiting on Wednesday (184)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 

showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

Let it be known that I am here for goblins (and that I may be hoping this works better for me than a certain other goblin-esque novel).

Top Ten Tuesday (184)

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

This Tuesday's theme is...

A Multipurpose Giveaway

HELLO HELLO HELLO! In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been around the blogosphere as much lately. My reasons are many, and while I now have more to balance on my plate than before, I am BACK! I never really intended to go on hiatus, but I did. And it was...nice. But now? Well, I only have one thing to say:

I also decided that I--we--should celebrate my return from my unofficial, unplanned hiatus. BUT WHY STOP THERE? We should also belatedly celebrate my birthday, since as of early April I'm one year closer to very officially being the crypt keeper. And since Beauty and the Bookshelf is turning five (!!!) (hey, that's how old I am) in June, let's get a head start on that too! And so this is, OFFICIALLY and UNANIMOUSLY:

The Weekly Forecast (35)

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. AM. BACK. Between work and reading and computer issues and my inherent laziness, I went on an unofficial, unplanned blogging hiatus. BUT THE HIATUS IS OVER. I don't know that I'll be posting as much--as in, the forecast has five posts on it, but I may have to cut down to three or four posts a week (the Weekly Forecast excluded). Either way, it's my honor to introduce to you a new issue of the Weekly Forecast. I hope you're here to stay. Because I am.

Blog Tour: The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

Hello, thieves of words! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Elizabeth Wein's The Pearl Thief. If you're familiar with Elizabeth, then you might recognize her as the Hardy-riffic author of Code Name Verity (which I highly, highly recommend reading). In her latest historical novel she returns to the life of Maddie--pre-Verity. You heard me right: The Pearl Thief is a Code Name Verity PREQUEL. So sit back, relax, prepare for the feels, and get ready to enter a giveaway (no stealing of pearls necessary to enter).

The Weekly Forecast (34)

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.

Hey, folks! Long time, no see or post! I'm not quite sure what exactly has kept me from posting, except for a combination of picking reading over blogging, being busy working, and having a laptop that only turns on when it wants to. (I just need to take it to a damn computer genius already.) I'm not officially back this week--I'm only here because a blog tour's stopping by. I could be back this week, but it's the week of A Court of Wings and Ruin, and the only way I'll be putting that down is if I have to sleep or I'm going to work. But NEXT WEEK. By then I should hopefully, hopefully be back to my regularly scheduled programming.

Waiting on Wednesday (183)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 

showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

Honestly, this book had me wholeheartedly at pig.

Top Ten Tuesday (183)

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

This Tuesday's theme is...

Review: The Animal Under The Fur by E.J. Mellow

Title: The Animal Under The Fur

Author: E.J. Mellow

Publisher: Four Eyed Owl

Publishing Date: March 30, 2017

Pages/Format: 453, eBook
Add on Goodreads!

From award-winning author E. J. Mellow comes an action romance dripping with vengeful delight. 

Orphaned on the streets as a baby, Nashville Brown, a.k.a Kill Operative 3, knows better than to rely on anyone. With heightened senses and superhuman strength to survive, she’s been raised as the perfect assassin. 

The trick to her success? Keeping everyone, even her best friend, at arm’s length. 

Losing his entire family in the span of a year, Carter Smith left his ability to love buried deep in their graves. His only concerns now are completing his missions and effortlessly charming the next temptress to warm his bed. 

The key to his accomplishments? Working alone mixed with a Casanova smile. 

But when a deadly weapon needs to be stopped from falling into the wrong hands, the lone wolves find themselves thrown into an explosive partnership. Can Carter and 3 lower their guns aimed at one another long enough to succeed, or will their unwillingness to compromise end up destroying more than their perfect records? Whatever their differences, both agree on one thing—in the game of lies and deceit, the line between friend and foe is often blurred by blood splatter. 

The Animal Under The Fur is a hate-to-loath-to-love standalone novel filled with savagery, secrets, and enough angst to wrinkle the pages you’ll find gripped in your hands.

BOOK IN A WORD: Likey!

The Weekly Forecast (33)

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.

Between my birthday, starting a job, and getting hardcore obsessed with a few books, I definitely fell a bit behind on blogging last week. I need to work on balancing everything a bit! And also tell my body hell no when all it wants to do is nap nap nap.

24 Notable Things

It may seem like an odd (yet even) number--24. Or maybe it's not so random. There are, after all, 24 hours in each day. The 24th day of December is Christmas Eve. There's some show I've never seen called 24. Pure gold is 24 carats, and Bruno Mars sings about it. Kobe Bryant's jersey number is, apparently, 24. Then there's this very post, which will briefly list 24 of my favorite things. And it just so happens that today, April 6, I am 24 years old. (And if you turn April 6 into 4/6, then 4 times 6 is 24.) So this, basically.

Review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

Title: Prisoner of Night and Fog

Author: Anne Blankman

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publishing Date: April 22, 2014

Pages/Format: 401, eARC
Add on Goodreads!

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler. And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she's ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead.

BOOK IN A WORD: GOOD

March Rewind

It's APRIL? WHAAAAAA?! But that's okay! That means it's my birthday month. And that it's ALMOST TIME FOR A COURT OF MIST AND FURY.

The Weekly Forecast (32)

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.

YA KNOW, I would've had all my posts up this week (for once in forever), but my stupid computer wouldn't turn on Thursday or Friday so I couldn't put said post up.

Review: Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Title: Tell Me Three Things

Author: Julie Buxbaum

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date: April 5, 2016

Pages/Format: 328, eBook
Add on Goodreads!

Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Julie Buxbaum mixes comedy and tragedy, love and loss, pain and elation, in her debut YA novel filled with characters who will come to feel like friends.

Book in One Word: Cute!

Waiting on Wednesday (182)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 

showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

Do you ever read a book's synopsis and just think, yes? Like, the book totally and completely calls to you? That's me and this book. I'm here for the title, cover, and premise, and something about it sounds right up my alley. My want for this is on a fully-definitive list of best dreams of books I'd like to read.

Top Ten Tuesday (182)

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

This Tuesday's theme is...

Blog Tour: Hearts & Other Body Parts by Ira Bloom

Hello, readers and other bookish fiends! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Ira Bloom's Hearts & Other Body Parts! Be prepared for a fun, monstrous novel filled with witches, a boy akin to Frankenstein's monster, hexes, and a talking cat. If you'll take a moment and stop ogling at the cover (don't worry, I myself have drooled over it), I'll tell you all about the book and its creator. And stick around for the end, too--you'll have a chance to win your very own copy!

The Weekly Forecast (31)

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.

Let's not talk about how blogging was this past week at all.

Review: Cashmere by Temple West

Title: Cashmere

Author: Temple West

Publisher: In Media Res Publications

Publishing Date: February 14, 2017

Pages/Format: 460, eARC
Add on Goodreads!

This high-stakes sequel to Velvet proves that when you’re the only human caught in a paranormal war, high school can get a little tricky. With Adrian’s brother trapped in hell, the Praetorian Guard has made Stony Creek their base-of-operations, but Caitlin has a bad feeling they’re more interested in her than in finding Lucian. Caught in a sea of conspiracies and lies, Caitlin and Adrian perform a risky magical procedure in an attempt to protect Caitlin from compulsion.

Relieved that her nightmares have ended, Caitlin is disturbed to find that something even stranger has taken their place. 

Determined to get on with her life, even amid a crazy paranormal manhunt, she applies for a competitive summer fashion internship in New York. Searching desperately for answers about what Caitlin might be, how Adrian’s father is involved, and where Lucian has been kidnapped to, Caitlin and Adrian must rely on each other to survive. But when the truth finally comes to light, the consequences are unimaginable.

And the question still haunts them both: even if they survive, how will they deal with the fact that Adrian is immortal and Caitlin is not? 

Book in One Word: ENJOYABLE

The Weekly Forecast (30)

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.

Whoops, the Weekly Forecast is up on Monday this week!

Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Title: Hunted

Author: Meagan Spooner

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: March 14, 2017

Pages/Format: 384, eARC
Add on Goodreads!

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

Book in One Word: Worked

Your Beautiful and Beastly YA Reading List

Loving something tends to mean loving a lot of stuff like or having to do with that thing. For example, I love cheese. So I love cheese in various forms, like liquid, as a powdered flavor on chips, and squirted from a can. The same goes for Beauty and the Beast. I love love love Beauty and the Beast, so when I see something related to it there's a good chance I might very much like to get my hands on it. Hence a ridiculously comprehensive list of Beauty and the Beast retellings to read.

Like I said, this list is very comprehensive. In fact, because I'm such a fantastic person who waited too long to start putting this list together and who didn't realize how freaking time consuming putting it together would be, the list has been vastly shortened--to just YAish retellings. (For now!) I Google Beauty and the Beast retellings, looked up lists on Goodreads, and found what I put here. Some books are very obviously Beauty and the Beast retellings, some...maybe not. But for the most part, if I found the book on a list of Beauty and the Beast-esque books, then it's also on this one. And of course this isn't all of them, because oh my gosh, there are so many I don't even know how to find them all. Happy reading, folks!

A Very Enchanted Giveaway

Hello, enchanted readers! In case you've been living under a rock or in a cursed castle and were very unaware, this week is a very big week in the world of movies and books and fairy tales and Disney: the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast hits theaters this Friday, March 17! And if you know me--and happen to have noticed this blog's name--then you'll know that I'm a very big fan of Beauty and the Beast and that I am VERY EXCITED.

In preparation for this beautiful and beastly occasion, Disney Press sent me some treats--and they have some for you, too. (Thanks, Disney!) Disney Press recently published Lost in a Book and Belle's Library, two very tale as old time-esque books. (Full disclaimer: Disney sent me copies of these and let me tell you, they are utterly worthy of heart eyes and drool.) And they have two copies for you, two--AND EIGHTEEN OTHER BOOKS. (Screaming may commence now.) Won't you be our guest and put these books to your test?

Blog Tour: A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

Hello, my fellow bookish creatures! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Elana K. Arnold's A Boy Called Bat! Having nothing to do with vampires and barely anything to do with bats (both animal and baseball), A Boy Called Bat is a sweet yet moving read about a young boy on the autism spectrum and the baby skunk staying at his house. For my stop I'll be reviewing the book and part of the book will get MadLibbed by the author. Stick around for the end, too--you'll have a chance at winning your very own copy of A Boy Called Bat, and trust me: you'd be batty not to want it.

The Weekly Forecast (29)

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 going to stop making excuses for not being on top of blogging because, as some poster in some school I went to eons ago said, "Don't make excuses, make improvements." And I plan to make improvements this week and not miss a damn day of posting because IT'S A THEMED WEEK. And I AM HERE FOR IT.

Review: The Shadows We Know by Heart by Jennifer Park

Title: The Shadows We Know by Heart

Author: Jennifer Park

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: March 14, 2017

Pages/Format: 304, ARC
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In this haunting and luminescent debut novel, a girl’s complicated family life starts to unravel after she finds herself falling for a mysterious boy who lives in the forest behind her house.

Leah Roberts’s life hasn’t been the same since her brother died ten years ago. Her mother won’t stop drinking, her father can’t let go of his bitter anger, and Leah herself has a secret she’s told no one: Sasquatches are real, and she’s been watching a trio of them in the woods behind her house for years.

Everything changes when Leah discovers that among the sasquatches lives a teenager. This alluring, enigmatic boy has no memory of his past and can barely speak, but Leah can’t shake his magnetic pull. Gradually, Leah’s life entwines with his, providing her the escape from reality she never knew she needed.

But when Leah’s two worlds suddenly collide in a deadly showdown, she uncovers a shocking truth as big and extraordinary as the legends themselves, one that could change her life forever. 

Book in One Word: HEART

January + February Rewind

TWO MONTHS IN ONE. It's like an extra special, super duper cool deal! And it's also because computer issues and laziness have caused me to fall behind (hence why I posted practically nothing in February) and I never got my January recap up. But HEY. Better late than never, right?

The Weekly Forecast (28)

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've been a VERY VERY BAD blogger lately but that's mostly because my laptop (or laptop charger; culprit to be determined) has been VERY VERY BAD lately. I'm having issues getting it to turn on and I'm not sure what the issue is, and, well, I can't really blog when my laptop won't turn on, and I haven't been able to get it to a computer shop/person yet. So blogging has been very difficult, but I have shit to get done, folks. Therefore, this week's posts are very tentative. Just because I managed to get my computer on now doesn't mean I'll get it to turn on tomorrow. This week's for catching up (hopefully all the catching up will actually get done), then I think the next few weeks will be themed. And I am EXCITED. Let's just hope my damn (I mean, darling) laptop cooperates.

Review: Velvet by Temple West

Title: Velvet

Author: Temple West

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Publishing Date: May 12, 2015

Pages/Format: 416, Paperback
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First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

Book in One Word: LIIIKE