Summing Up "The Elite" (Bk 2) & "The One" (Bk 3)

Why I Chose This Book:  I had already devoured the first book in less time than I care to admit, and I languished for a few days, because I couldn't find the last two books in the series to read for free, so I bought the paper copies (they were actually less expensive than the Kindle versions - can you believe it?!)

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  Once again, these two books did not disappoint!  5 stars!

Setting of the Book: America & Canada in the future - called Illea, and split into 35 provinces, instead of 50 states...and however many Canadian provinces there used to be (Also, it has royalty, not a president, and people are separated into "castes" which is basically like your career and income and life is pre-determined by how well you marry and how much your family has always made.)

About the Author: Her name is Kiera Cass, and, as we already established, she has a B.S. in History and hates salads.  Just in case you were wondering.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  America Singer remains in the competition along with 5 other girls to compete to become the next Queen (they will be chosen by the prince), but (plot twist) the boy she's been in love with for the last two years is assigned to be her personal bodyguard while she's in the palace.  Also, there are Northern & Southern rebels who regularly invade the castle, putting everyone's lives at risk.  No biggie.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Exclusively told from America's POV - first person.  I like it.  Although there are novellas written from the queen's perspective, the guard's perspective, and the prince's perspective (they are all a part of the extra book "Happily Ever After").

Favorite Character: Okay, there was a girl that was pretty horrible to everyone in the first two books, but by the end of the third book, she has a change of heart and becomes a pretty good friend to America (spoiler alert!)

Least Favorite Character: The king.  For sure.

Other (Main Characters): the prince, America's boo-thang from her past, the King, the Queen, the other girls (there's one other contestant who America has become friends with)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?
America would be played by Annelise van der Pol (Raven's sidekick from "That's So Raven")
Maxon (the prince) would be played by Chace Crawford (Nate from "Gossip Girl")
Aspen (the guard) would be played by Liam Hemsworth (because eye candy)
The King would be played by Josh Brolin (he could definitely pull it off)
The Queen would be played by Bridget Moynahan (from "Blue Bloods")
There are also 3 maids that tend to America during all three books, not to mention at least 6 or 7 girls repeatedly mentioned as contestants, but I'm not about to "cast" all of them.  Get it...cast...caste...?  Ehhh?  Ok, nevermind.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The last attack at the end of the third book - it was a nail-biter.  And honestly, I did not see it coming, and THREE of the main characters die, can you believe it?!

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When America's friend is caught in a compromising position with one of the guards (who she is in love with) and, as a result, is publicly caned.  It tore up my heart.

Did I like the Ending? Yes, although some of the characters that died during the last attack...not cool.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I've already let my sister borrow the entire series, and, just as I predicted, she's already read them ALL.  lol

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Chuck Norris

This book left me feeling: Content :)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: The second book only took me 3 1/2 hours on a Sunday afternoon.  The third book took about 4 hours.

Summing Up "The Selection"

Why I Chose This Book:  It kept popping up in my recommended lists everywhere - and by everywhere, I mean in my Kindle list and Amazon list.  Whenever I would buy or borrow a book, it would say, "Don't you want to read this?"  And I would say, "Yes, I do, but I don't want to spend the $$ on it unless I know it will be good."  Because I frequently talk to inanimate objects.  #yayforpersonification
Then, one day, this book was available for me to check out on Kindle through my local library, so I got to read it for $FREE-99!!!

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  5 stars, hands down.  I loved it; I can't wait to read the sequel.  In fact, I just purchased the whole series in paperback.  Yassssss.

Setting of the Book: America in the future (but it's not called America, and it has royalty again, not a president.  Also, people are separated into "castes" which is basically like your career and income and life is pre-determined by how well you marry and how much your family has always made.

About the Author: Her name is Kiera Cass, and can I just sidebar with my best friend Hannah for a minute (considering she's probably the only one reading this)?  Kthanks.
HANNAH - I was reading up on this girl on her website, and can I just tell you that she has a B.S. in History (so you both love history; that's nice) - BUT SHE ALSO HATES SALADS!!!!! I think you two might be kindred spirits.  Read her bio NOW (please. lol).

Plot of the book in one sentence:  America Singer (yes, that's her name) is chosen, along with 34 other girls, to compete to become the next Queen (they will be chosen by the prince), but (plot twist) the boy she's been in love with for the last two years is assigned to be her personal bodyguard while she's in the palace.

If I Could Rename the Book:  I can't think of a better name than the one it already has.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Exclusively told from America's POV - first person.  I like it.

Favorite Character: I really like the prince.  I think the author does a great job of humanizing him.

Least Favorite Character: Hmmm, I can't say that I really have a least favorite character.  Although, there is a girl that America is "competing" with for the Prince, but the claws haven't come out - yet.

Other (Main Characters): the prince, America's boo-thang from her past, the King, the Queen, the other girls (there's one other contestant who America has become friends with)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? I'm going to wait until I read another one of the books to assign people.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The castle is attacked two times during the first book - I actually really liked reading about how the attacks were handled.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When America's boo-thang first gets to the castle and she starts to have doubts.  It tears me up inside.

Favorite Quote in the Book: There's not a specific quote, but I appreciate how, in this society, there is MUCH emphasis placed on the importance of sexual purity before marriage - in fact, the offense of pre-marital sex is punishable by death.  While I wouldn't go that far, I would say that it should be a punishable offense, because it contradicts God's laws.

Did I like the Ending? Yes, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I really think Hannah would like it, and I'm totally going to let her borrow the first book (since I'll have the physical print copy) whenever she has time to read it ;)

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? I'm gonna go with Mr. T on this one.  I can't see him getting into it.  Although, I did see a softer side of him on DWTS this season...

This book left me feeling: Excited!

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Time matters not with a book this good :)

Summing Up "The Ugly Stepsister"

Why I Chose This Book:  Free reading on Amazon Prime!  Can I get a "Whoop whoop!"?

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  When I first started reading it, I don't think I was in the right frame of mind, so I quickly gave up on it after about 3 pages.  But then, one day, I got back into it, and I would say despite the ending, I would give it 4 stars :)

Setting of the Book: The setting of the book WAS a book.  Isn't that CRAY?!?!?!

About the Author: Her name is Aya Ling, and that's pretty much all I was able to get from her website.  She has no "About Me" section, but she does have a blog, so there might be some info on that, but I don't have the time or inclination to browse.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Kat gets transported from modern-day to INSIDE OF the story of Cinderella - with a twist.  The only way she can escape the book is if she helps the heroine fall in love with the prince & vice-versa.  The only problem is - Kat has replaced one of the ugly stepsisters, and the prince has shown her more interest than Cinderella.  What's a girl to do?

If I Could Rename the Book:  I wouldn't - I love the title.  It hooked me right from the start.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Told exclusively from Kat's POV - 1st person

Favorite Character: Probably Kat.  She can be a little melodramatic at times, but she's also really funny.

Least Favorite Character: Kat's "sister" in the book.  She's a real piece of work.

Other (Main Characters): The prince, Cinderella, and the prince's cousin (can't remember his name)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
Kat - would be played by Jennifer Stone (Harper from "Wizards of Waverly Place") because I like her.
The prince - would be played by Gregg Sulkin (Mason from "Wizards of Waverly Place") because he just seems like he would be a great prince
Cinderella - would be played by Elle Fanning because I think she's beautiful, but also pulls off the humble servant-girl look really well (in a good way)
The prince's cousin - would be played by Brant Daugherty because he's gorgeous - although I'm not sold on this pick, because in my mind, the prince's cousin is a little more bookish.
Kat's "sister" in the book - would be played by Janel Parrish (I'm gonna be honest, I've never seen her act, but she's beautiful while also seeming like she would play a really good mean girl.)
Kat's "mother" in the book - would be played by Nia Peeples (Because she looks like she'd be related to the girl playing Kat's sister.)

Favorite Scene of the Book: When Kat accompanies one of her friends to a neighboring town to be a witness in her elopement wedding ceremony.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book:  Honestly, the end.  Didn't love it.  UNTIL I REALIZED this is the first book in a series!!!! Holler!!!!

Favorite Quote in the Book: I got nothing.  I really should pay more attention to this.

Did I like the Ending? See the answer to two questions ago

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I think my sister, Sara, would like it

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? I know I'm not friends with this person, but I think Martin Luther probably wouldn't appreciate a book like this very much.

This book left me feeling: Dissatisfied (but now that I know there's a sequel - KA-CHING!)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: I honestly couldn't put it down.  Even though I had to a few times.  I INHALED THIS THING.

Summing Up "Fairy Tale Story Collection"

Why I Chose This Book:  It's actually 5 books in one.  My sister recommend them to me.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  For the most part, I enjoyed them.  There was only 1 book out of 5 that I chose not to finish.  It was the third book - "The Fairest Beauty," which was a retelling of Snow White.  And I'm not saying there's a correlation, but Snow White was always my least favorite Disney princess.

Setting of the Book: All 5 stories take place in Hagenheim, Germany during the 1400's or 1500's...can't remember which.  Basically, Medieval times.

About the Author: Melanie Dickerson has her Bachelor's degree in Special Education (that gives me hope, because I don't have a creative writing degree, and I want to eventually be a writer).  She has two daughters, and they all live in Huntsville, AL.  Fun fact about Melanie - she's taught in Germany and Ukraine!  How cool is that?!

Plot of the book in one sentence:  I'll have to use 5 sentences here, since there were technically 5 books:

Book #1 - "The Healer's Apprentice"  This book was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (I'm pretty sure).  Rose has grown up in a pretty harsh family environment & can't understand why her mother never really loved her - then she becomes the Healer's Apprentice.  Lord Hamlin has been betrothed since infancy to an unknown woman who was placed in hiding at birth because of a curse put on her by a wicked sorcerer, but he ends up falling for Rose.

Book #2 - "The Merchant's Daughter" Annabelle is sold in indentured service to a beastly Lord Ranulf to pay off the debts incurred by her family's laziness.

Book #3 - "The Fairest Beauty"  Sophie is basically like an indentured servant to her awful stepmother, but one day, a man named Gabe comes to rescue her, claiming she is betrothed to his brother.  Things get complicated when they start falling for each other.

Book #4 - "The Captive Maiden"  Retelling of Cinderella - Gisela also works her bones off for her stepmother & stepsisters, but all she wants is to go to the annual festival the Duke is throwing.  She ends up going in disguise, and she catches the attention of the Duke's son...and her stepmother...

Book #5 - "The Princess Spy" I'm not sure what fairytale this is a retelling of, but Margaretha finds out from a mysterious stranger that her intended fiance, Lord Claybrook, is not who he seems.  She has to decide who to trust, and quickly, in order to save her family.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Ehhh, I probably wouldn't waste my time.  lol

Genre: Let's call it Christian Historical Fiction, shall we?

Point of View: Each book goes back and forth between the viewpoint of the female main character and the male main character.  Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I feel like it's a bit redundant, and at times, whiplashy.  Yes, I just made up a word.  Deal with it ;)

Favorite Character: I REALLY like the last two books, so my favorite character would either be Gisela or Margaretha.

Least Favorite Character: Bailiff Tom, the villian from Book 2.  I seriously wanted to punch him in the face.  A lot.

Other (Main Characters): I feel like I covered them adequately in the plot summaries.

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? Too many characters to do this with - sorry!

Favorite Scene of the Book: In "The Captive Maiden," I love EVERY TOURNAMENT scene - there's jousting AND a swordfight - what's not to love?!  (Throwback to "A Knight's Tale" - such a good movie.  Now I wanna watch it....)

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: EVERY single scene with Bailiff Tom in it.  He's THE. WORST.

Favorite Quote in the Book: Couldn't tell ya.

Did I like the Ending? In 4 out of 5 books, YESSSS! :)

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I honestly think Hannah would like these books.  And, because we're best friends, I also think she would probably be over the third one as much as I was.

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? A boy - always a boy.  lol

This book left me feeling: fictionalized (Like "You just got fictionalized!!"  Good word, right?)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Honestly, I don't know.  It took a few months, because I took a LOOOOONG break after the third book made me want to give up.

Summing Up "Pretenders"

Why I Chose This Book:  On another of mom and my's infamous runs to the Books-A-Million clearance section, I picked up this gem for about $4.  Holler.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  I'd give it a 3 or 3 1/2.  It was good enough to hold my attention, but I probably won't read the sequel or recommend it to anyone else.

Setting of the Book: Some random town in USA.  The setting's not really that important.

About the Author: This book was written by Lisi Harrison.  I just went to her About page on her website and read it, and it's hands-down the BEST author bio I have ever read.  It made me reconsider my desire to read the sequel to Pretenders, because Lisi is awesome.  She was raised in Canada, has a bachelors degree in writing, and moved to Manhattan to write for MTV where she worked for 12 years.  She said her urge to write Pretenders came from working at MTV, not going to middle school (interestingly enough).  It's about the desire people have to wear certain things or act a certain way to fit in with the "in crowd."  She has since quit her MTV job & now writes full-time.  Bless her soul.  Here's her bio so you can read the cool-ness of it.

Plot of the book in one sentence: 5 ninth-graders who are going to an exceptional high school are assigned to keep journals for the whole year, and then, when they're in 10th grade, the journals are mysteriously released to the school to prove that no matter how "cool" someone seems, they're really just trying to fit in like everyone else.

If I Could Rename the Book:  I probably wouldn't, because the book title is pretty accurate already.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Alternates between each of the 5 students

Favorite Character: It's hard to choose, because I like them all, but maybe Sheridan.  She's a breath of fresh air.

Least Favorite Character: My least favorite character would probably be Duffy, simply because he takes a lot for granted, and he's clueless when it comes to how to act in friendships & relationships.

Other (Main Characters): 
Sheridan - dramatic and stylish, she wants to be an actress one day.  She has a best friend who, during the course of the book, begins to distance herself from Sheridan and establish her own identity, which Sheridan has a hard time with.
Lily - home-schooled until the 9th grade when she convinces her parents to let her enroll in public high school simply because (and this is a secret only she knows) she's in love with her neighbor, Duffy, and she wants him to notice her.
Vanessa - your classic know-it-all overachiever.  She was probably my second least-favorite character, because she puts too much stock into her smarts and kind of looks down on those less well-endowed with intelligence.  She gets a crush on Lily's best friend (can't remember his name) who is actually gay, but he hasn't come out of the closet yet.
Jagger - he's a loner, but it's not because he's one of those dumb emo kids who rides a skateboard everywhere.  There's some kind of dark secret as to why his parents aren't around, but I believe his dad's in jail (we don't know why), and Jagger was emancipated already so he doesn't get put in a foster home.  He's pretty lonely, and it breaks my heart for him.
Duffy - an all-star athlete whose parents essentially lose their jobs at the beginning of the year, meaning they can't afford to help him out with basketball costs (since he's on the varsity team), so he gets a "job" working for a trend-setter.  He has to wear whatever they give him and try and get his friends to buy whatever it is he's wearing.  Because Lily is head over heels for him, she ends up spending a ton of money buying this stuff to impress him, but he's clueless as to why she's doing it.

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
Sheridan would by played by Peyton List (the oldest girl in the Disney show "Jessie")
Lily would be played by Lily Collins (Phil Collin's daughter - whaaaat?!  Funny how her name is Lily, too.  lol)
Vanessa would be played by Amandla Stenberg (best-known for playing Rue in the Hunger Games movie & who's starring in the upcoming movie "Everything, Everything")
Jagger would be played by Nicholas Hoult (who was in "Warm Bodies" - but like, a scruffy version of him, because he cleans up niiiiice.)
Duffy would be played by Lucas Till (who played a young "Havok" in the X-Men movies)

Favorite Scene of the Book: No one scene jumped out at me so much that I would say it's my favorite.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When Sheridan helps a guy she knows steal a car from her dad's dealership and then Vanessa's brother (who works there) gets blamed for it.

Favorite Quote in the Book: ???

Did I like the Ending? NO!  Because it wasn't an ending.  It was a cliffhanger that DEMANDS you read the sequel.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? For some reason, Charity.

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? A boy...like my husband.  lol

This book left me feeling: Indy.  Like independent...you know, alternative.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: I think it was about 4 hours total.

April Update on New Year's Resolutions

Below are the New Year's Resolutions I made for 2017.  Can you believe 2017 is already A THIRD OF THE WAY DONE?!  I can't believe it.  I'm turning 30 in about 5 months, but I don't wanna talk about it.  Anyway, let's get a progress update on my resolution list, shall we?

1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this past Sunday, April 30, I have completed two months of my 3-month weight loss challenge in which I've lost about 13 pounds so far!  But I have to confess, my exercising has slacked off, so I need to get back on that.

2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Still working on it - it's definitely a work-in-progress.  Obviously, if we're still working on it... Anyway, enough of that.  (We're hoping to have everything paid off - except for my students loans - by this time next year!)

3) Rewrite Ravensboro - Still no more progress on this.  Sadly, I haven't been bitten by the writing bug lately.  But maybe soon, I will be.

4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done...  ='(

5) Journal/Blog more - I have a few more book summaries waiting to be written and posted on my blog, but I finished the Harry Potter series - yay!  Not really journalling right now, but I'll figure out some kind of plan soon.

6) Find out where I should be career-wise - This is honestly still a prayer in my heart, but when you're paying off debt, a career or job change is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do.  Am I right?  This past weekend, I went to a Beth Moore devotional weekend with my best friend, and God showed me some things to work on in my spiritual walk, so that's at the forefront of things I'm focusing on right now, and honestly, I don't feel the least bit bad about it.  At all.  So yeah.


What about you?  Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017?  How are those working out?

Currently I'm...

Reading: Nothing.  But planning on starting the sequel to "The Selection" by Kiera Cass. CAN'T. WAIT.


Watching: by myself, I'm watching DWTS (Dancing with the Stars), Oh My Ghostess (a K-drama - don't judge me), HIMYM (How I Met Your Mother - who's the mother??!?!?! It's driving me crazy!), and Vanderpump Rules (really...please don't judge me).  With Tyler, I'm watching Merlin and Parks & Rec (Andy & April FOREVS!!!!!)


Listening to: Current obsessions are Elevation Worship, Bethel Music, Little Mix, the Peasell Sisters, Shane & Shane, and Bethany Dillon/Barnard.  I love music.  Like music with tight harmonies.  Especially Jesus music.  Especially also acapella.  And even better - acapella Jesus music with tight harmonies.


Jonesing for: Carrabba's.  More books.  Time to write more blog posts and work on Ravensboro.  A vacation - preferably all-expenses paid not-by-me.


Recovering from: I drank coffee today.  With lots of creamer.  So my body's currently dealing with that.  And also recovering from an AWESOME weekend at a Beth Moore conference with my girl, Hannah!!!!!


Memorizing: Currently, nothing.  Unless you count words to songs I want to try to lead in church.


Trying to: Lose weight.  Get closer to God.  Pay off debt.  Work on my marriage.  Be a good daughter, sister, aunt, wife, friend, child of God.  Write books.  Figure out what to ''do'' with my life that will make me happy & still be able to ''make a living.''


Loving: Jesus.  Literally, that's all that matters.  Also, I will admit I'm loving being able to fit into a size 14 again!!! Heyyyy!

Summing Up "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows"

Why I Chose This Book:  Because it is the inevitable end.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  4 stars.  TOO MANY DEATHS and not enough happy moments.

Setting of the Book: For once, most of the book does not take place at Hogwarts.  Only some of it.

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry, Ron and Hermione travel around learning more about Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows in order to defeat You-Know-Who.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Harry Potter & the Hunt for Horcruxes

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: The twins.  Beloved Fred & George :)

Least Favorite Character: YOU-KNOW-WHO!!!! ARGH!!!! And Bellatrix Lestrange.

Other (Main Characters): 
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's in his third year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.  The villians are extremely well-cast.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The theft from Gringotts.  The duel between Harry and You-Know-Who.  There are a lot of great scenes.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: The death of the Auror.  The death of the joker.  The death of the house elf.  The death of the newly-married couple.  RIP, all of you.

Did I like the Ending? Actually, I felt like the Epilogue was a bit lacking...

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? No idea.

This book left me feeling: Glad to be done.  I'd forgotten how dark the series gets after You-Know-Who comes back to power.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Six hours? Give or take...