To Reread or not to reread…

I’ve never reread a book. Ever. *LE GASP* Yes, I buy the physical book and keep it

shelved in my library with no intention of ever opening it up again but I just love looking at my collection.

But why won’t you reread a book? If it’s your favorite, wouldn’t you want to reread it?

I think the main reason I don’t choose to reread books is because there are so many other books out there that I have yet to read and want to read! I have an ever growing TBR list on my Goodreads page (add me on Goodreads!), books I want to get to but something always comes ahead of them. Literally, I have books on that list that have been there for three or more years, but one of my favorite authors is always putting out another one or I get a recommendation from a friend.

But guess what… I’m currently rereading one of my favorite books…

This is the very first time! But thinking about it, I’m nervous. Here’s the thing, my favorite book is 99 Days by Katie Cotugno and it got mixed reviews from what I remember. When it first came out, I think I might have been one of the only people who actually enjoyed it (apparently people don’t like teen love triangles anymore).

I’m terrified that rereading it is going to make me not like the book as much as I did two years ago when I first read it. I’ve grown up a little since then, and my style of reading has matured. I’ve gotten more into adult romance. I’m terrified that if I don’t like it as much as I liked it the first time, that I’m not going to want to read the sequel that comes out next month. Which would put me in a bad spot since I bought tickets to Cotugno’s Epic Reads book signing next month as well!

I’ll continue with the reread of 99 Days because I need a refresher before I read the sequel and there will no doubt be a book review up for the sequel.

What about you? Do you reread books? What’s your opinion on the subject? Leave a comment and let me know!

October Wrap Up & Preparing For NaNoWriMo

 

October Wrap Up/ Halloween Read-a-thon

 

If you’re interested in checking out my Halloween Read-A-Thon post, click here.

 

Dearly Departed by Rachael Rawlings- 4/5 Stars. This is an amazing story but it’s a bit slow moving until the final chapter. I felt like Eli/Thomas was only in love with Thea because he felt like he owed her something. I would have loved to see more romance between the two. Rawlings, however, does set this up for the sequel pretty well. This did complete one of my Read-A-Thon challenges for the month of October, this was my read 7 books. First one off the list!

Dirty (Dive Bar Novel) by Kylie Scott- 3/5 Stars. Wasn’t the best, but it was a cute story. If you’re looking for a romance novel with tatted up guys, minimal sexy scenes (for this type of novel anyway), and a fast paced plot, this one is for you. This also completed two of my readathon challenges, reading 7 books and trick or treat which was a free pick from any genre.

The Engagement Plot by Krista Phillips-   I received this via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. DNF. Great plot but the formatting on my kindle edition was horrible and I couldn’t stand to read past chapter 5 of this. I’m sure they have the kinks out of it by now, so if you’re into cutesy, romance novels, check this one out.

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno- 3/5 Stars I totally forgot this one was coming out in October! It fell very short for me though. Full review coming in two weeks.

Wytches Volume 1 by Scott Snyder- This was extremely creepy! Started it just in time for the week leading up to Halloween. Loved the art, but at times it was tough to follow who was walking and what was going on. Very dark art. I haven’t finished it, but thought it should be included since it was the only creepy thing I read during October.

 

 

 

Honorable Mention: I did start reading IT by Stephen King, this will be my first ever Stephen King book. Obviously, I didn’t finish it yet since it’s over 900 pages but IT’s okay so far. I wish it had the kids in it more like in the movies. Only 3% into IT so far. Loved the movie remake so much that I ended up naming the new kitten we rescued, Pennywise and I got this sick new tattoo…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween/Horror Movies I Watched in October

 

• Stephen King’s It (Original)- Was not a fan of the original!
• Hocus Pocus– A tradition for me, watch this movie as many times as possible in the month of October.
• Tucker and Dale VS Evil– Another favorite of mine. A comedy horror about teenagers who keep killing themselves on a hillbilly’s property.
• Sleepy Hollow- I’m a sucker for Johnny Depp Halloween movies. Plus, one of our cats is named Ichabod, so of course I had to watch this.
• The Babysitter- This is a Netflix horror comedy with just enough gore and humor to make it onto my favorite movie list.
• Friday the 13th (remake)- One of the very first horror movies I ever watched. I forgot half the plot line since I first saw it when it came out in 2009, so I jumped, many, many times.  
• Corpse Bride- A classic that’s always on my list to watch. Sometimes you have to take a break from the gore and horror.
• Don’t Breath– This had a great plot, but I found so many issues with it that I was kind of annoyed with the movie by the time the credits rolled. There were a few interests WTF moments though, and those almost made up for it.
• Mama- When this movie first came out, I said I would NEVER watch it. It looked scary as hell! I ended up watching this one morning by myself (during daylight, it’s easier for me to watch horror movies) and I loved it. Not nearly as scary as I thought it would be, but the mama figure was one of the creepiest creatures I’ve ever seen in a horror movie.

 

 

National Novel Writing Month Preparations & Goals

 

 

So since I published my first novel, I’m bound and determined to have my second one out by May next year. What does this mean? I have to finish the novel I’ve been working on during both Camp NaNo sessions this summer.

As of right now, I have 53,486 words written on this novel, so I’d like to write 22k more words in November to finish it up.

What I’m first going to do is go through and edit what I have the first week of NaNoWriMo. That way I know what I have to work with and I can get a refresher on my characters. Hopefully after some edits, I’ll have a bit more added into the story, sensory details and what not.

Then I’m going to finish the ending. I have most of it already written down in a notebook so as long as nothing major changes in the plot, I’ll be AOK.

I’m still working on the title. It’s currently called ‘On Lake Time’ which I think is super cheesy and I don’t like it at all. I feel like it’s too adult romance and I need something fun since it’s YA. The novel follows a girl who gets in trouble the last few weeks of her senior year at Catholic school, so her parents’ punishment is for her to go work all summer down at their lake house. She ends up meeting a family who shows her what love really is and she gets very close to their son, who is in a band. That’s about all I can say without spoiling anything. Any suggestions for a title? Leave them in a comment!

The Last July Pre-Order Is Up!

Guys! The time has come! My very first novel is up on Amazon for pre-order!

 

 

I can’t tell you just how excited I am for this! I have been working on The Last July since 2014 and now it’s out there for your reading pleasure! If you go pre-order it right now, it’s available on Amazon for 99 cents! What a deal! A full novel for less than a buck! Oh. My. God!

 

Don’t prefer eBooks? Well, you’re in luck! It will also be coming out in paperback too!

I’m so thrilled! Happy reading, guys! I hope you enjoy! Summer doesn’t have to end just yet, get some last minute summer reading in with The Last July, you’ll have a great time visiting Camp Arthur and getting to know Sampson and Penelope!

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Nestled in a small Tennessee town is Camp Arthur, a summer camp with mountains of possibility. At least that’s how the new owners see it. Penelope has dreamed of being a counselor at Camp Arthur ever since she was a young camper herself. And this July finally brings her chance: an opportunity to be a counselor in training with a cabin full of campers under her watchful eye.

Things get complicated when a fellow counselor jogs right into her life and takes her eyes off her job, and if that wasn’t challenging enough, news from her parents knock her even further off course.

What was supposed to be a fun summer transition between childhood and her adult years turns into something altogether unexpected. Can Penelope balance a budding summertime romance against the drama of a jealous ex and her own family troubles, or will she really have her last July at Camp Arthur?

August Wrap Up & September TBR

August Wrap Up

It wasn’t a great reading month for me, I kind of felt myself going into a reading slump. Finally toward the end of the month, I kicked it into gear and managed to finish some books. I did manage to knock out two of my paperbacks that I wanted to get out of the way.

Wanderlost by Jen Malone– 2/5 Stars. Kind of disappointed with this novel. I’d say my favorite character was Mr. Fenton and Sam, they kept me reading on. If it weren’t for them, I probably would have stopped reading. Full Review coming soon, FOLLOW my blog to get notified.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon- 5/5 Stars. This might be my favorite book that I’ve read this year. I finished it in three days! I wanted to finish it before I watched the movie so I could do a double review on it (coming soon) and it was glorious. If you haven’t read this one, you need to. The relationship between Olly and Maddy was beautiful.

Dirty by Kylie Scott- DNF I wasn’t feeling this book as much as I thought. I made it 40% through and I might come back to it later, we’ll see.

 

 

 

September TBR

 

 

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino- It’s been on my Amazon wishlist for almost a year, finally it went down to 2.99, so I couldn’t pass up the deal!

Dearly Departed, Dearly Remembered, & Dearly Beloved by Rachael Rawlings- I’m going to kick off my fall reads by marathoning this series by a local author. I have high hopes for this one, it was recommended to me by my husband.

Camp NaNoWriMo Recap: July 2017 Session AND July Wrap Up/August TBR

Camp NaNoWriMo Recap

Camp NaNoWriMo didn’t go as awesome as I anticipated. I slacked off…. a ton. Spent many weekends out on the lake or in the mountains (made for some good inspiration) but I didn’t write too much. Weekends are usually big for my writing, always my catch up time but I got lazy. I also got really into the books that I was reading and preferred to spend my time doing that.

I did get some words written though. The main goal I had was to not force the words to come out. I did that during the April session and it was mentally miserable. I didn’t want to write or edit for a month after that.

During July, I tried something new. If I got stuck on a chapter, I’d step away and work on another one that I had outlined. This was nice because I could knock out a couple thousand words immediately instead of being stuck.

My cabin did pretty well too, we kept up with the pace for a little over halfway through camp which is way better than normal. I created a private cabin with a few cabin mates from the first session and other NaNo-ers (that’s so not a word…) that they knew from previous years.

Here’s my stats for the month:

 

By the end of the month, I fell short and gave up. Pretty much going MIA in my cabin. I just got too caught up in reading, which isn’t a bad thing. I also got into taking Barre fitness classes and those took up a decent amount of writing time, I figured my health was more important.

Next Step? Edit what I’ve written so far, fill in some plot holes, and finish the novel.

For the official NaNoWriMo, I’m planning on working on a new piece that I got inspiration for halfway through camp. I’m very excited for it! Check back in November for my prep and recap on Novel Writing Month!

If you do NaNoWriMo, add me on the site! Username: anna.mounce

 

July Wrap Up

 

Bad Penny by Staci Hart– 3/5 Stars. Loved how this book started out, but gradually got tired of the back and forth of ‘I love him, but I don’t want to be in a relationship’. Needed different conflict.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen– 5/5 Stars. As always, Dessen’s novels are beautifully written. I’d feel bad giving her anything less than four stars. This novel was probably the strongest and saddest subject matter I’ve ever read from her. It’s not your typical fun YA summer read. It haunted me. Once and For All is also the book that has completed my GoodReads challenge goal! I don’t plan on stopping here though! Let’s see how many books I can go over this year!

Trust by Kylie Scott– 3/5 Stars. I received this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review. I loved it toward the beginning but it fell short and the climax seemed very delayed. The beginning and end were amazing! I do plan on trying out more of Kylie Scott’s novels. Full review coming soon!

August TBR

 

 

 

The Engagement Plot by Krista Phillips– This months NetGalley ARC! I don’t know much about this one, but I’m sure it will be a cute read.

Dirty (Book 1) by Kylie Scott- Decided to give her adult romance books a try. And what’s not to like about a tattooed guy on a book cover?

Dearly Departed (Grave Reminders Book 1) by Rachael Rawlings– Plan on starting this series with the arrival of fall just around the corner. It’s a three book series by a local (to me) author.

Wonderlost by Jen Malone- I feel like this one will be a great book to close the summer on!

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon- I probably won’t read more than the first two books mentioned because I should be receiving my own novel back to go over edits but if I do manage to get ahead. This will be the next one I pick up. I’m dying to see the movie, so I have to read this before then!

 

Book Buying Ban

I have a problem.

I officially have purchased too many books and I’m in over my head with my TBR list. Yikes!

 

I heard a ‘booktuber’ the other day mention in a video that they’re currently on a ‘book buying ban’. I thought, huh, it’s possible to stop buying books? I used to not be bad about buying books and not reading them. I would only buy a book, read it and then by another one. Since I’ve started blogging over a year ago, I’ve gone into the habit of buying a book every time I see one that interests me, even if I didn’t have the time to read it.

My name’s Breanna and I’m addicted to buying books.

 

 

But some of them are cheap e-books! I protest.

No, I must not buy any more books until I at least finish my hard copy TBR list.

Here are the books that I must read before I can lift my book buying ban (non-e-books). Preferably in this order:

 

 

Wow, that’s a lot of paperbacks/hardback books…

I’ve been piling those up for about a year now. I have read Nevermore, but I’d like to re-read it before I read the rest of the series. I’ll probably marathon those in October.

And here are the books I’ve been stockpiling on my kindle that I need to read. I usually breeze through those because I read quicker on my kindle as opposed to physical copies.

 

Folks, if you didn’t count, that’s 18 books to read before my book buying ban is lifted. That’s a ton in my opinion. I’m also less than five books away from completing my GoodReads challenge! Thanks to my subscribers for pushing me to read more this year! 

Have you considered going on a book buying ban? This is a first for me!

June Wrap Up, July TBR & July Camp NaNoWriMo Prep!

June Wrap Up

 

 

Mann Cakes by Mysti Parker– 4/5 stars. Great beachy summer romance from a local (to me) author. The only thing that I wish was different was that the only POV’s be between Tanner and Paige, instead of all four characters.

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry– 4/5 stars. I think I ended up liking the second book in this series better than the first book, but they’re still not hitting a perfect score with me. However, I felt more compassion throughout the book for Razor and Breanna, more than I had for Oz and Emily from the first Thunder Road book.

Long Way Home by Katie McGarry– Probably my favorite book out of this series. I feel like all the other books have set us up for Violet and Chevy’s story! Review to come!

I also just realized every book I read in June (and finished) was set in Kentucky! How cool is that? 

 

July TBR

July is not going to be a reading month for me since NaNo will be going on, but I am going to try and finish one book that I started in June and read a few chapters from a book I recently purchased.

I’ve been reading chapters here and there on Letters to my Daughters, it’s one of those feel good, faith books. I’ve been trying my best to read up more on my bible and books like LtmD:TAoBaW, it’s just a book that I’m making a habit of pulling out before bed to read and relax.

Once and For All, Sarah Dessen’s latest release, just came out a few weeks ago and I thought this would be a good book to focus on in July during camp NaNo. You’re supposed to read how you want to write, right? I’d love to be as successful of a writer as Dessen. Here’s to hoping.

And I’ll also be reading a romance novel, just to take a break from CAMP and all the other marriage/wedding stuff haha. Sometimes it’s nice to read something sexy! I’ll be at the lake for a weekend, so the romance will be a fun breather.

 

 

 

Camp NaNoWriMo Prep

July Session

Back in April, I started writing a new summer contemporary YA novel. Since then, I’ve been editing here and there trying to prepare for July’s session of camp. If you’ve been following my blog, you know I struggled the final week of camp in April, especially that final day and I only have a goal of 40k. I’m hoping this month goes a bit smoother, with a goal of 30k. I have a pretty good feeling about this one now, better than anything I’ve written before.

During edits this June, I haven’t had to scrap too much, just the last couple thousand words because they didn’t even fit with the plot. I was just writing to hit the word goal that last day in April. Probably the worst writing month I’ve ever had.

I’m excited for this coming camp NaNo though. I have a great cabin (some people from April’s session and my husband), so I should be pushed to finish. Wish me luck!

 

Nowhere But Here Book Review and May TBR

 

Title: Nowhere but Here (Thunder Road #1)

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member—is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

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At first, this book was a little tough to get into. But by the time I hit a certain part, I just couldn’t go to bed without finishing it. It’s a pretty fast pace read, with a little bit of action. I wanted to read this because I had finally finished watching Sons of Anarchy and I was craving more from a motorcycle club.

All of the characters in this novel are really thought out and I honestly didn’t meet anyone I hated… well, I lied, I hated the Riot when we finally met them. Though Oz is a bit of a jerk in the beginning, I was really rooting for him toward the end. I was rooting for him and Emily to find happiness, together.

This is definitely a great book to read, doesn’t hurt that it was written about the state I live in! I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

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May TBR

This is the final weekend for Camp NaNoWriMo, and my book reading was lacking because I was focusing on my writing, but May should be a good reading month for me.

Here’s all the books I plan on reading:

I’ve also been casually reading The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional by Stormie Omartain, about a chapter every other day because I’m working on developing a deeper faith. It’s been a great book so far and I recommend it to any Christian woman who is getting married or already married!

2017 Writing & Reading Goals +Books I Read in 2016

 

 

I can’t believe 2016 is almost over. It went by so quickly! Now it’s time to mark myself down for the 2017 GoodReads challenge and take a look back on the books I did read in 2016. How many books did you read in 2016? What was the best book that you read this year?

 

Books Read in 2016

Sadly, I didn’t meet my GoodReads book challenge. I only finished 15 out of the 30 books I said I would read in 2016. I’m not going to beat myself up over that though. It was a busy year of traveling and writing. I participated in two Camp Nano’s and the official NaNoWriMo. Here are the books I finished this year along with the rating I gave them.

    

3*                                        2*                                    2*                                   5*

   

4*                                    2*                                     5*                                         3*

 

5*                                        2*                                      4*                                        2*

  

5*                                  5*                                                 3*

 

 

2017 TBR

The entire Harry Potter series. Yes, I’ve never read them. This will be a first.

Between the Harry Potter books, I plan on reading some of the following:

 

 

Obviously, I’m going to run into some books I want to read on the spot, but these are just the ones that I must finish next year because they’ve been sitting on my shelf for awhile now!

 

Writing Goals

As for my writing. I plan on participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, both months and normal NaNo possibly. I’m going to outline my next novel earlier in the year and figure out what I want to do. I plan on writing 25000 words for each Nano, instead of forcing it all out at once. This will give me time so I don’t get burnt out and quit.

As I currently write this post, I’m working on editing one of my novels in the hopes to have it finished before New Years. Fingers crossed that The Last July will be published before July 2016.

End of 2016 TBR

I can’t believe October is already here! This year flew by! We only have three months left of the year, that’s about 12 weeks of reading left to accomplish my Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge! I’m ten books behind guys! My goal was to read 30 this year and I’ve only finished 12, I mean, that’s pretty impressive with the schedule I have.

I’ve decided I’m going to try and finish at least five books but I’m going to shoot for the following six. Nanowrimo is coming up next month and I really want to finish my own novel, so we’ll see what happens. There were a few months where I slacked off reading, I just couldn’t get into any of the books I had.

What books are you trying to finish before the year is up? How are you doing on your Goodreads Challenge? Add me on Goodreads so we can follow each other’s challenge progress and stay up to date on what we’re reading!

https://www.goodreads.com/breanna-reads-berks

 

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.

I’m currently reading this one and I can honestly say that it’s my favorite one in the series so far. I’m supposed to be going to Books on the Banks this month and plan on getting Maggie to sign my Shivers series, and I’d like to have this series finished just in case she asks if I read/enjoyed it!

 

The Raven King

Nothing living is safe. Nothing dead is to be trusted.

For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams; Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey… and is certain she is destined to kill him.

Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path.

Again, trying to finish these last two books in the series before I see Maggie again! Hoping this series ends better than a sad ending since we know one of the boys is going to die!

 

 

 

The Walking Dead Book 5

 I started this one a few months ago, but honestly, I’m finding it hard to finish the comics when I’ve already seen the show. I do that with all books, which is why I still have never read Harry Potter.

 

 

 

 

Outcast Volume 1

NEW HORROR SERIES FROM THE WALKING DEAD CREATOR ROBERT KIRKMAN! Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life and now he needs answers. Unfortunately, what he uncovers along the way could bring about the end of life on Earth as we know it. Collects OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #1-6.

My husband got me this for my birthday last month, so I figured it would make a good Halloween read! Can’t wait to see if I enjoy this comic series! Has anyone else read it?

 

 

Tuck Everlasting

Doomed to – or blessed with – eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.

This is one of those books where I watched the movie first and I loved the movie! Figured this would make a good cozy winter read. I’m trying to read a hand full of ‘classics’ every year now and this might be the perfect one. And holy crap, I didn’t realize how young the main character was supposed to be!

 

 

Bookishly Ever After

 In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary.

But when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?

I already started this one, but so far it’s not as good as I thought it would be. This will probably be a book I choose to read after The Raven Boys series, just to relax and enjoy a good Contemporary YA.