Books Via Ashley

The Reader by Traci Chee Synopsis (from Goodreads) "Sefia lives her life on the run. After her father is viciously murdered, she flees to the forest with her aunt Nin, the only person left she can trust. . . . But when Nin is kidnapped, Sefia is suddenly on her own, with no way to know who’s taken Nin or where she is. Her only clue is a strange rectangular object that once belonged to her father left behind, something she comes to realize is a book." Review The main reason I picked up this book was that it got a LOT of hype. I thought it was a good book, but I'd say more for younger YA. I think if I were 12-14, I would have REALLY loved this book. The premise is interesting: In a world where reading doesn't exist, Sefia has a rare book. However, I found at times the story was a bit too  meta... stories within stories within stories, and how reading is literally magic. The pacing was quite slow. I also found the feel or tone of the story jumped around. Fi

The February Book Club Selection is... Daring Greatly by Brené Brown This book has been on my TBR for awhile, and I look forward to discussing the ideas with all of you! Already read it? You can read it again, or just join in our discussion at the end of February! Reminder that you can nominate books on the forum! Link to the Books Via Ashley book club here .

I have always wanted to be in a book club, but the rate at which I moved around the last 10 years made that impossible, plus the fact that I usually lived far from friends and family. This is my solution: An online book club! It's hosted on Goodreads, and you can find it here . Hosting a book club across countries and continents is a bit daunting! I have so many friends that love to read and that I like to discuss books with. I wish we could all meet together in person and eat cookies and freak out over books, but unfortunately teleportation has not yet been invented (can we get on that??). How does it work? -I will choose one book each month. As much as I would like to all vote on a book, for ease and efficiency I will just choose. Rest assured that I will look at suggestions and nominations! -The book chosen for the next month will be announced by the 25th of the month before. (So the book for February will be announced by January 25). Then you can buy the book/get it from

Uprooted  - Naomi Novik Synopsis The people of Agnieszka's village live a simple life on the edge of the mysterious corrupted Wood. A sorcerer, called the Dragon, keeps the evil at bay, but at a steep price. Every ten years, he takes a girl from the nearby villages to live with him. Everyone knows at the next choosing that he will take Kasia, the best, brightest, and most beautiful, and Agnieszka's best friend. But when the Dragon comes, it is Agnieszka that is chosen instead. Review I really enjoyed this book. The story catches you quickly and then takes you in an unexpected direction. Loosely based on Polish culture and mythology, it has the feeling of an old Brother's Grimm fairytale. The writing is beautiful, the characters complex, and the world magical and tense. Even though her name sounds like a sneeze, I liked Agnieszka. We see her growth as she goes from a backwoods girl who never expected anything much out of life, to her realizing she has an enormous

This Is Where It Ends - Marieke Nijkamp Synopsis A school shooting takes place over the course of 54 minutes and the events are told from four different perspectives. Review I liked that it showed a school shooting essentially in real time, and that it was told from the perspective of people who were close to the shooter. So really, it should  have been an interesting, heart-breaking, deep-felt book. But it wasn't. In all honesty, it's an affront to everyone who has had to experience the horror of a shooting. I felt like it completely lacked emotional resonance.  It was like I was reading a description of events, and being told what characters were feeling, but I couldn't feel the fear and terror and guilt. And when characters died (not a spoiler because it's a shooting; people die), it was sad in that I know it's sad when people die, but it didn't pack a punch because I wasn't invested in the characters. The book was  very  short, and I kn

Truthwitch - Susan Dennard Synopsis Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to tell truth from lie. That also means she must keep it a secret, as various nations would use her power for themselves. Iseult is a Threadwitch, but her powers go deeper than even she understands. These two are best friends, bonded as Threadsisters. Then a robbery attempt goes horribly wrong and the girls have a dangerous Bloodwitch on their tail. Safi and Iseult must team up with Merik, a prince who is fighting to save his people, to escape capture and stop the war that looms on the horizon. Review What can I say? This book made it into my Top 16 and it was the penultimate book I read last year. That's gotta tell you something about how much I loved it. This book just kept checking everything on my list. A complex world in political turmoil, check . A very interesting and fun magic system, check And we're shown the society and technology has been built around it, check . Plus, there is a

2016 was SUCH a good year for books. A lot of new series were launched, and there were some pretty good sequels too. And 2017 looks like it's going to be just as amazing. Here are the top books I can't wait to get my hands on in 2017! JANUARY Wayfarer - Alexandra Bracken Release : 3 January Sequel to Passenger , which was full of time-traveling, exotic places, and romance. Windwitch - Susan Dennard Release : 10 January Sequel to Truthwitch , which I thought was great and left on an excellent and agonizing cliffhanger. Carve the Mark - Veronica Roth Release : 17 January I've heard a lot of hype about this one. I thought Divergent was good, so I'm excited to see what Roth does with a new story. Caraval - Stephanie Garber Release : 31 January Another book that has been receiving a LOT of hype. Magic and mystery at a night carnival. FEBRUARY Norse Mythology - Neil Gaimen Release : 7 February I mean, it's Neil Gaimen. Retelling Norse

This year, I set a goal to read 100 books, and I beat it by one! It was a fabulous year for books: Lots of amazing new releases, new series, and much anticipated sequels. In grand total, I read 101 books this year: Wolf by Wolf - Ryan Graudin A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas Trigger Warnings - Neil Gaiman Girl Waits With Gun - Amy Stewart Bands of Mourning - Brandon Sanderson Mistborn: Secret History - Brandon Sanderson Orphan Train - Christina Baker Kline The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton Modern Romance  - Aziz Ansari A Darker Shade of Magic  - V. E. Schwab ( reread ) Calamity - Brandon Sanderson A Gathering of Shadows - V. E. Schwab Fates and Furies - Lauren Groff Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo The Lady Astronaut of Mars - Mary Robinette Kowall The Force Awakens  - Alan Dean Foster ( novalization )  Siege and Storm - Leigh Bardugo Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo The Selection - Kiera Cass ( reread ) The Elite  - Kiera Cass ( reread