50 Places

One of my 101 in 1001 goals was to create a list of 50 places I want to visit in my lifetime.  I finished the list yesterday, but I wasn't sure if I was going to share it or not.  I obviously decided to go ahead and share it, but I'm just sharing the list and not really elaborating on any of the places because that could take forever.  So, here is my list of places I would love to visit: 

The Grand Canyon, USA

Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Prince Edward Island, Canada

Havana, Cuba

Macchu Picchu/Inca Trail, Peru

Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Jenerio, Brazil

Moorea, French Polynesia

Milford Track, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Wharariki Beach, Golden Bay, New Zealand

Uluru, Australia

Sydney, Australia

Great Ocean Road, Australia

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Hai Van Pass, Vietnam

Yushan National Park, Taiwan

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Bhutan

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Cape Town, South Africa

Snowdonia, Wales

Isle of Arran, Scotland

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland

Ireland (all of it)

London, England

El Chalten, Argentina

Torres del Paine, Chile

Petra, Jordan

Cappadocia, Turkey

Mount Nyiragongo, DRC

Giraffe Manor, Kenya

DSWT, Kenya

Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya

Tofo, Mozambique

Etosha National Park, Namibia

Sossusvlei, Namibia

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Prague, Czech Republic

Brasov, Romania

Seville, Spain

Iceland (all of it)

Book Reviews: December

December was when I got a bug up my butt and wanted to read all the things.  I finally finished the Lunar Chronicles (it took me forever to read Winter) and after that I just became a reading machine.  I enjoyed all of the books I read this month, which probably helped.

 So it took me almost 4 months to get through this book, but not because it was bad. I think it was a bit of series burnout mixed with book burnout. I read the first like 250 pages super fast, it took me months to get through the next 200, then I flew through the rest of the book in 2 days. I'm always scared to read the last book in a series because a bunch of recent series endings have let me down. I'm so happy to say that the ending was just as great as the rest of the series. I will say that I definitely recommend reading Fairest before reading Winter because it gives you some insight into Levana and why she reacts to certain things the way she does. It helped some parts of Winter make more sense. Overall fantastic series and a great ending. 

(4/5)

  This is definitely one of those books that will have you saying "what the actual fuck" multiple times throughout. It was definitely creepy and disturbing but I couldn't put it down. I really liked the main character who is also the main narrator, I liked that she told her story factually rather than emotionally. The "twist" at the end was something I could have done without and there were a few other things that didn't make sense to me, but otherwise this book was fantastic. 

(4/5)  

  I was a little hesitant to read this book because the author has a tendency to be very repetitive and it irks me. I'm glad I gave it a chance because I think this may be my favorite of hers so far. She wasn't nearly as repetitive as she usually is. There are some things about her writing that drive me nuts, but the story was really great. I think I was more invested in Diana's relationship with her nephews than the one with Dallas. The nephews really mad this one great for me. Romance usually isn't my thing but I really like that she actually takes the time to develop the relationship, it doesn't just happen in 20 pages. Really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it to fans of this author.

(4/5) 

Sometimes you just need to read something that is totally cheesey and ridiculous, and this was one of those times for me.   This book definitely fit the bill.  I almost skipped it because I hate the TV show "The Bachelor" and this book was based around a competition that was just like the bachelor, but I ended up enjoying it.  My main issue with it was the editing.  So many errors!  If you're looking for something light and super cheesey, this book may be for you.  Otherwise, I would probably skip it.
(3/5)

This was a light and fun book set in Paris - sounds like a win to me!  For the most part I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the descriptions of the different locations throughout Paris, and I liked that the characters and the story line were realistic.   I really didn't like many of the characters though, even a few of the ones I was "supposed" to like.  I didn't really connect with any of them which knocked this book down a star for me.  As far as enjoyment goes, I'd recommend this book but if you love more character driven books, I might say to skip this one. 

(3/5)

Unpopular opinion - this was my favorite of this authors books that I've read so far.  Everyone seems to like Winnipeg way better, but I liked this one more.  I really like her books that revolve around sports, and this was no different.  I LOVED the characters in this book, especially Sal and her Dad.  Sal was hilarious and her Dad was the cutest Dad ever.  I feel like this one had a lot of soccer in it, but left out all the technical mumbo jumbo that someone like me wouldn't understand, so I actually enjoyed the soccer scenes.  My only complaints are the errors in the book - I always notice them and there were a few.  Also, I was disappointed by the epilogue.  In all of her other books, the epilogues are great, but this one was super short.  Luckily I discovered that there is a better one on her website, so all is forgiven ;)  Would definitely recommend this one. 

(4/5)

I enjoyed this book a lot.  I really liked the idea behind this book and although the execution could have been better, I found myself really enjoying it.  I really liked reading from Cloudy's perspective because I could relate to her.  I lost a friend when I was 20 and had a hard time dealing with it the first few months - so I just didn't deal with it.  I really enjoyed the road trip and how each place they went helped them in different ways.  I think with a book like this and the subject matter, that the character development could have been better, but its also a YA book so I get it.  This book gets a good rating from me simply for the enjoyment factor.

(4/5)

Book Reviews: September-November

I was in a hardcore reading rut from September to the end of December. I don't know what happened but I just could not focus on anything to save my life!  These are the few books I read from September to November.

I'm glad I read this as an adult rather than as a requirement for school. The plot is simple, the humor is morbid, and half the time I didn't know whether to laugh or cry because I can see certain things happening now in our world. Terrifying, funny, and worth reading. 

(4/5) 

There were definitely some things that annoyed me in this book, but overall it was a quick read with a good message and I really enjoyed it.   *I was fortunate enough to meet the author at book con and received a signed copy of Stay Sweet.  

(4/5)

  I really enjoyed the first half of this book. I love reading books written in letter format. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters that way. Then the second half of the book was written like a regular book. That's when it started to go downhill for me. The main characters lack of self esteem was obnoxious and the author probably could have cut out over 100 pages if she stopped repeating the same basic sentence over and over and over again, just in different words. I probably would have loved this book if it stayed in letter format. Fans of Mariana Zapata would still probably love this book, so I'd give it a try. But for me it just fell flat.

(3/5)

Book Reviews: August

Just getting to my August book reviews.  This is sad.  But After reading the last book in August I kind of fell into a reading rut and didn't even feel like writing reviews.  So today I'm sharing what I read in August and Monday I'll share what I read in September - November.

LOVE!  These books just keep getting better and better!  I think this was my favorite of the series so far! I loved that it was more action packed and I really liked the ending!  I can't wait to pick up the next book and meet the newest characters.

4/5

I received a signed ARC of this book from the I Read YA event at BookCon
This book was meant for a younger audience (middle grade) so I was really surprised by how much I liked it and how easy it was to stay interested.  To be honest, Victoria Schwab could probably make an elementary novel an enjoyable read - she's such a great writer.  City of Ghosts was a well written, well developed story and I loved the characters. I also really like the idea of someone who can go "between the worlds".  Even though its way young for me, I'll probably still read the next book when it comes out - it is definitely a story that can be enjoyed by all ages.
4/5

 Worth reading for a better understanding of Levana.  It really helps things tie together when you read Winter.  Definitely not the best in the series but I'd still recommend it.
(3/5)

Meh. This is the book that put me in a reading rut for the second half of 2018. The main character was annoying AF, the supporting characters fell flat, and the plot was only mildly entertaining. The only reason I pushed through was my curiosity. Looking back a few months after reading this I'm not even sure why I gave it three stars. Just not my type of book.
(3/5)