The second day of the #12daysofbookgifting

Posted on December 13, 2014 by brittmitchell

On the second day of Christmas my book lover gave to me…
TWO TECH-Y PRESENTS!

1. E-Readers

Know a bibliophile who has a soft spot for all things tech? Why not kill two birds with one stone by gifting them an e-reader this season?!

There are so many e-readers on the market right now, honestly, it’s hard to keep up. I mean sure, you can get an iPad, but you don’t need to drop 500 buck-a-roos in order to get a quality e-reader.

The Amazon Fire HD 6, for example, has a 6” display that not only offers an unlimited library through Amazon Prime, but also functions as a tablet giving you more entertainment options through games, movies, and apps. The best part about this tablet? It is only $99! This is definitely one of the most affordable tablets on the market.

If you are looking for something that functions less like a tablet and more like an e-reader, Amazon also offers the Kindle Voyage. CNET has declared the Kindle Voyage the best e-reader to date, which obviously means it doesn’t come with a low price tag. Currently, the Voyage is $199.

Barnes and Noble’s, Nook Glowlight, is another great e-reader that is also super affordable at $99. However, if you are currently a B&N member you can save even more by snatching it up for only $89! This e-reader can hold up to 2,000 books and is linked with B&N’s massive book database as well as their experts.

2. Book Subscriptions

I have ALWAYS told myself that I would never be an e-book reader. I’ll admit it I am a book snob. I thought I could never go without that feeling of flipping a page and of nearing the end of a novel. However, as a frequent book buyer who was trying to tighten her spending, I decided to branch out and give Oyster a try.

Oyster is a book subscription service that offers thousands of books via their website or through their app for about $10 a month. Honestly, this is one of the better decisions I’ve ever made (besides getting a library card). I have saved so much money and it has been so convenient.

Anytime I am waiting (in line, at the doctors, on my sisters (:)) I can easily whip out my phone and catch up on whatever it is that I am currently reading.

I am officially and e-book reader and I am not ashamed.

There are many other e-book subscribers out there. One you may already know is Amazon Prime. There is also Scribd, which is very similar to Oyster, however is slightly cheaper at $9/month.

All opinions are my own and are not endorsed or affiliated with any company or organization.

Review | Lux Series #3, Opal, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Posted on August 23, 2014 by brittmitchell

source: Amazon

SYNOPSIS via Amazon:

The Lux series continues with the third installment of this riveting paranormal YA series.

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger… and they know it.

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RATING: 6/10
GOOD READ

I am late on the train with the Lux Series, but after finishing book three, Opal, there is no stopping until the end. Each book is better than the last and the plot is finally thickening!

The first of the two in the series, Obsedian and Onyx, moved at a rather slow pace for my taste. The humor and the romance between Katy and Daemon are what really kept me invested in the series. Opal opened a larger door to a world of unknowns and flooded my mind with a league of questions. Setting it up to be a stepping stone to, I believe, a much larger story that will unfold in the fourth installment, Origin.

Romantically speaking, this book is a hit. Daemon’s and Katy’s relationship picks up heat and the two finally are able to accept their feelings for one another. This of course leads to a few steam-y scenes that sucks you in and leaves you wishing you had one (or two) Daemon Blacks in your life.

All of you Twilight and The Hunger Games fans, this next series is for you!

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All opinions are my own and are not endorsed or affiliated with any company or organization.

Review | Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Posted on August 23, 2014 by brittmitchell

source: Amazon

Tate Collins and Miles Archer meet in an “ugly” way. Miles is incoherently intoxicated and comatose in front of Tate’s brother’s San Francisco apartment, the same apartment she is currently moving into. Nothing quite says, “Welcome to your new home”, like dragging your incredibly wasted (but handsome) neighbor into your living room and comforting him as he sobs and continues to call you “Rachel.” Awkward.

This is only the beginning. As fate would have it, Miles is a close friend to her brother, Corbin, and once he enters Tate’s life he does not quickly leave. Attractiveness turns to lust and lust turns into…well you know. The catch? Miles doesn’t do love. He can’t or he won’t. Tate doesn’t know which and Miles is a vault of secrets. A deal is made. Casual Sex with two rules attached:

1. Never ask about the past.

2. Don’t expect a future.

As anyone can possibly expect, this does not fare well. Rules get broken, hearts become ruined, and you spend the entire book rooting for something that may not in the end be possible for one of them.

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Rating: 8/10
GREAT READ

Colleen Hoover’s, Ugly Love, is a riveting testament that sometimes the hardest person you will ever have to forgive is yourself. From the very first sentence I was captured and I wasn’t free until I reached the very last word. Hoover has a way of drawing her readers in and making it damn near impossible to put the book down. I purchased this yesterday at Barnes and Noble around 8 PM and kept reading until 4:30 AM this morning. Needless to say, if you like sleep start this book way early in the day, because once you start you will not stop.

It’s a love story, an ugly one, with a dash of mystery between the lines. You may not fall in love with this book, but you WILL finish it. And when you finish it, you will appreciate it for what it is. A story of a boy with a ruined heart who meets the very ugly side of love and struggles to find hope along the way.

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QUOTES I LOVED:

“Love isn’t always pretty, Tate. Sometimes you spend all your time hoping it’ll eventually be something different. Something better. Then, before you know it, you’re back to square one, and you lost your heart somewhere along the way.” (P. 165)

“When life gives you lemons, make sure you know whose eyes you need to squeeze them in.” (P. 234)

10 Beautifully Crafted Bookmarks

Posted on August 23, 2014 by brittmitchell

In honor of books-cupcakes‘ August 4th photo challenge, I wanted to share 10 of my favorite inventive and beautifully crafted bookmarks. I am usually not one for bookmarks (I usually just use the book jacket to mark my place) but these are hard to pass up.

1. Book & Tea Wooden Bookmark