Weekly Reading Update: 07/29 - 08/04/16!

Another week, another update… As always, click the title for more information!

I started my week off by reading The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken. You might have seen my review of book two, The Matchmaker’s Replacement, earlier this week. I couldn’t just read the second book without the first! And I’m glad I did - I actually think I liked the first book more. It was told entirely from Ian’s perspective, which felt new and different. And all the characters had a fantastic sense of snark and humor.

Then I moved on to Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton. This is my first book by this author, and if this is any indication - I can see why she’s so popular! The book was funny, the characters were awesome (I’d love to be Natalie’s friend!), and I totally dug Natalie’s mental soundtrack. I can’t wait to go back and read the first book, and/or start her Cocktail series! I reviewed this one for Romance Reviews Today, so make sure to check it out - appearing in August 2016.

Then I moved on to a graphic novel binge. I got several in the past few days, and just hoarded them until I had a free evening to go through them all. I started out with Hawkeye volume 6: Hawkeyes by Jeff Lemire. While I do love Jeff Lemire’s work, usually, this one just didn’t feel as good as the first few volumes. The Hawkeye series went from four star read to three stars. But I’ll keep going. Then I moved on to Grayson volume 2: We All Die At Dawn by Tom King. If it wasn’t for the fact that I love Dick Grayson, I would drop this and never look back. I don’t enjoy reading this. And while Dick still has some good moments, they’re not enough to make reading it worthwhile. I’d read the next volume, maybe, if I was bored enough.

After that, I went on to Teen Titans volume 2: Rogue Targets by Will Pfeifer. Another series I wouldn’t mind dropping. Some of these characters are interesting, but we don’t get enough about them to really connect to the Titans. I generally really like DC titles, and I love following all the little Batlings (what I call all the Bat-sidekicks) - but not even Red Robin can make this title worth continuing.

Last, but definitely not least, I read The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis. This one is weird, guys. Very weird. The kind of weird that throws you for a huge loop at the beginning, but as you continue reading, you find yourself just sliding into the world as-is, and going with the flow. This was a recommendation from a friend of mine (he loves the odd ones!), and I’m glad I read it. But that ending… I’m still not over that ending! Grrr.

That’s it for me this week, reading-wise. Friday night, I get to meet Colleen Hoover as part of her It Ends With Us tour. I can’t wait!!!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Weekly Reading Update 5/13 - 5/19/16

 ( As always, click the link to get more information about each book! )

This was a big graphic novel week for me - mostly because I got back from vacation and had so many holds ready for me to pick up from the library! So I read all the graphic novels first thing, so that I could read them and return them quickly. I went through Guardians Team-Up Volume 1: Guardians Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard Volume 1: Emperor Quill. Both were fun reads, but I'm partial to the "Emperor Quill" book - it has Kitty Pryde in it! I'm a huge Shadowcat fan.

I then moved on to two non-superhero graphic novels. Giant Days: Volume 2 by John Allison, which I absolutely loved. This series is awesome - three girls becoming friends in their first year of college. It's well written, and the illustrations are great! I highly recommend it! Next was Patience by Daniel Clowes - this one was a little trippy. It was definitely an interesting read, but I can't see myself wanting to read it again in the future.

Working in a library, I see a lot of interesting titles go by. And sometimes, they're just so ridiculous that I can't pass up the chance to read them - like the next book, The Detective's 8 lb 10 oz Surprise by Meg Maxwell. It's a Harlequin title, and while I admit to totally binging on them every so often, I usually stick to the Presents line. This book was part of the Special Edition line, which has never been one of my favorites - but this was a pleasant surprise. It was pretty cute! And I even want to read the next book when it releases.

I actually had Wednesday off this week, so I decided to re-read an all-time favorite - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell! Sometimes you just need a comfort read. I originally read this when I borrowed it from the library. And the second I finished it, I went to Amazon and bought a copy. Last year, Rainbow Rowell was at a local book convention - and alas, I had to work that day. But my friend was able to go, and took my copy of Fangirl! So I have it signed, with a note from Rainbow saying "I'm sorry I missed you!" It makes me smile every time I see it.

I finished the week off with some more comics. Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man 1: Revival by Brian Michael Bendis. Followed that up with Descender, volume 2: Machine Moon by Jeff Lemire - this series is absolutely amazing. But then, it's Jeff Lemire, and he knows what he's doing! Next up was Groot by Jeff Loveness - and yes, that is Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy! Second to last was Jessica Jones: Alias Volume 1 by Brian Michael Bendis. And last, but not least, was Rat Queens, Volume 3: Demons by Kurtis J. Wiebe. Rat Queens is an all-time favorite series. It's a bit like Dungeons and Dragons... but with a lot of four letter words.

It was a very graphic novel week for me, clearly! I read a few actual books as well, I promise - you'll see proof of that next week when my reviews post!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Weekly Reading Update 2/5-2/12/16!

Another week, another bunch of books read! Still working hard on reading as much as possible for the Teen Reading Challenge - got to make sure my team wins! Let's dive right in, shall we? Click on any cover to be taken to the Amazon page!

First up, I read Monster: The Graphic Novel by Walter Dean Myers. This is a book I've always wanted to read, but alas, it just never felt the right time whenever it was checked in at the library. So when I saw the graphic novel available, I jumped at the chance. It's not quite the same, and I still hope to read the book - but the graphic novel was great, and the story was excellent!

Next up, is Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major-Steinberger. I found this to be super interesting. Half travel guide, have travel memoir - and all graphic novel! I thought the illustrations were adorable, and it definitely made me want to travel to all the cool places she visited. And I definitely learned about some local customs I hadn't before. For example, apparently I might not be so welcome at some hot springs because I have a tattoo, even though it's tiny. Apparently tattoos are mostly popular with gangsters in Japan, so they just won't let any tattooed people in.

Also this week, I read Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block. And.. well, I'm not going to talk about this one too much, because it was just too weird for me. I'm not sure I can even talk about it, because I don't know what to say. It's just... weird.

Bitch Planet, Volume 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick. I'm almost mad I read this, because now I have to wait to read the next volume. It's a great read for those that like alternative, dystopian, or girl-power comics. Definitely on my list of favorites for the year!

Next is Hawkeye volume 5: All New Hawkeye by Jeff Lemire. Lemire is an author I keep an eye on, because I love his stuff. Sweet Tooth was so good. And I was definitely interested to see what he would come up with for his first time working with Marvel - and with Hawkeye, no less. I liked this volume, it delved into Hawkeye's past, which I found incredibly interesting. But I need more!

And last, but by no means least - Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. Loved Loved LOVED this!! I figured I would love it anyways, because this author wrote Lumberjanes, and I can't get enough of it. But Nimona was special and perfect and I want to own it so I can read it again and again. I'm not even sure I could properly describe it - cutesy, but can be a dark dystopian fantasy kind of thing. But also amazing.

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Weekly Reading Update! 1/16-1/22/16!

It's time again for my Weekly Reading Update, a new feature on this blog for 2016. I missed last week, but it worked out okay since I read NOTHING last week - I was too sick to function. But now I'm (mostly) all better and back at the reading game.

This week I read and reviewed "Fighting Dirty" by Lori Foster so be sure to check out that review if you haven't already (find it HERE). Another great one by Lori, and I can't wait to see how her next series goes!

But this weekly update is for books that I have read and did not review on the blog - such as books I just read for fun or books that I received to review for Romance Reviews Today, and I am unable to cross-post.

And as always, feel free to follow me on Goodreads (link on the sidebar) to see all my status updates!

First up: MISCONDUCT by Penelope Douglas. I think what I loved most about this was the dialogue between the two. They had a playfulness that seemed so genuine and even had me smiling a few times. So thank goodness I didn't read it in public. Same goes for the sexy scenes - definitely hot. This isn't one of those "read it in the break room at work" type of books! Make sure you check it out if you like your books steamy! Click the cover to to Amazon.com and buy it today!

Last but definitely not least, I read DESCENDER, VOLUME 1: TIN STARS by Jeff Lemire. This one blew me away. Everything I have read by Jeff Lemire so far has been fantastic, but this one definitely so. If you remember the movie AI from forever ago - this has a similar feel. But it's so good. I can't wait for volume 2! Click the cover to find it at Amazon.

Well, that's it for me this week, so far! Hopefully next week I will be back in the full swing of things, with plenty of reviews and updates to keep your reading lists overflowing!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~