Most Anticipated Book Releases in 2016

HOLY CRAP GUYS I AM SO EXCITED.

I don't think I've ever had so many upcoming book releases that I've been so excited for ever in my life. 2016 is going to be an absolutely incredible reading year for me.

And so, in chronological order, we have:

The Siren by Kiera Cass

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 26TH 2016

This may be first on the list due to its nearby release date, but this was a very last minute addition--as in, I only just discovered its existence when I was looking up the official release date for The Crown (mentioned further down the list). 

But sub-par title aside--because, believe it or not, titles are capable of being something other than "The _____"--just reading the synopsis caught my attention. It sounds super interesting, and given how much I enjoyed The Selection, I'm more than willing to give it a go!

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 5TH 2016

The last book left me in tears. Tears! And no one even died!! I am super duper excited to read the conclusion to this series--Hawkins hasn't disappointed me yet! (*knocks on wood*)

The Crown by Kiera Cass

RELEASE DATE: MAY 3RD 2016

Confession: I've only read The Selection. The last book in this series is coming out in May, and I am so excited, even though I have yet to catch up on what is already released. (Which is good, right? Makes the wait a little easier. Hopefully.)

I was super duper hesitant about The Selection when I first picked it up. I had heard equal good things and bad things about it, and the synopsis made it seem a lot like The Bachelor on steroids, which I am no particularly a fan of.

And I mean, yes, there were definitely some Bachelor-esque aspects about it--but overall, I was pleasantly surprised me and ended up thoroughly enjoying it! I already have the other books purchased, ready for reading from start to finish! 

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins (Ed.)

RELEASE DATE: JUNE 14TH 2016

Waaaaay back in 2014, twelve authors wrote twelve short holiday-themed stories, which the great Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss and its companions, all of which I have read and hold dearly close to my heart) edited together in My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories.  I never wrote a review for it on this blog, as that was before my reviewing days, but rest assured that the majority of the stories included in the collection were lovely and well written and ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

Now, Perkins has rounded up twelve new authors (okay, more like eleven, since she's the only returning author from the first collection) and is releasing a similar collection of stories, this time taking place in the summer!

Like the last collection, this one contains a mix of people I've heard of (like Cassandra Clare and Libba Bray) and are unfamiliar with (Brandy Colbert, Tim Gederle, Lev Grossman). Also like the last collection, there are only about two or three authors included that I've actually read before, which of course gives me the wonderful opportunity of reading some new (to me) writers and seeing what they've got.

My only wish for this book is that they do another absolutely beautiful hardback edition like they did in the UK. (Not that there's anything wrong with the US edition, of course, but come on.)

//INTERNAL SCREAMING

A photo posted by Justyne (@shteen101) on Oct 15, 2014 at 9:47am PDT

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 25TH 2016

Do you remember Hyperbole and a Half? The book that had me struggling to compose myself on public transit, lest the city of Winnipeg think I'd gone mad? Well, Lord help me, there is going to be another book.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to read this book early! It was originally slated for release last October, then was pushed back to April, and now to October 2016. I knew there was another coming almost immediately after I finished Hyperbole and a Half, and the extended wait has just been KILLING ME. For a while I was concerned that it wasn't even going to happen, as the (original) release date was approaching and nothing had been revealed yet--synopsis, covert art, not even a title! But now that all three are satisfyingly available on Goodreads, I think it's safe to say that it's actually, really, finally going to happen!

A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2016

Words cannot describe how excited I am for this book, and we know next to nothing about it--no final release date, no cover art, no synopsis....just a title. But good lord, that is a good title!

A Million Worlds with You will be the final instlament in Gray's Firebird trilogy, following A Thousand Pieces of You and Ten Thousand Skies Above You. I own both, even though I haven't had the chance to read the second one, and the minute I heard this title I just got absolutely OVERWHELMED with emotion. Just reading the first book gives me more than enough context to understand the meaning behind the title of the finale, not to mention give me a butt load of feels in the process.

I almost don't want to read that second book now, lest it absolutely destroy me, and make the eleven months standing between me and this last book that much harder to stand.

What books are you most excited for in 2016?

Until later,

- Justyne

Favourite Books: 2014 Edition

Have you ever tried making a Top 5 list of your favourite books? It's hard. Like, really hard. Especially when you're only trying to include books from the previous year. (I'm lucky if I remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, let alone what I read back in January.)

The list below went through several drafts; I have lots of books that I love, and quite frankly it's not fair that I'm only allowed to pick five of them. (But if I were to list all of them, well, we'd be here all day.) I think I'm finally satisfied with what I ended up with. Until next week, anyway.

Now, before I change my mind again, here are my TOP FIVE FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2014 (more or less):

5. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

One of the three--count 'em, three--adult fiction novels I read this year, and let me tell you, I adored it. I was a little shaky on the premise at first, I'll admit--I mean, it centers around an IT guy reading the e-mail correspondences of two female coworkers in another department, which can definitely come off as a little creepy--but it was executed VERY well! I myself loved reading the characters' e-mails, as well as the changes the main character made in response to them. Everything linked together so well and to top it all off, it takes place in the late 90's. Who doesn't love the 90's?

4. Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

This book, to me, is magic. There's this large sense of adventure, and the character development is perfectly on point throughout. Not to mention the mystery that unfolds throughout the second half of the book--it all unfolds so wonderfully. I loved it!

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Congrats, Rainbow, you made it on the list twice! Fangirl is probably one of the most relatable books I've ever read. It's about writing, it's about fanfiction and internet fandoms and the emotions that you connect with a story that's been around since you were a kid. And it's about growing up, and bringing the story into your life in different ways. I never thought I'd be able to relate to a story so well, and yet, here we are.

2. The Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Minor cop-out here. I had to choose the series as a whole, because choosing just one book just isn't fair; they all contribute to the plot and to the character development and I JUST LOVED THEM ALL OKAY. (Yes, even the last one. More or less.) The world was so wonderfully crafted and the characters and emotions just so real. And again, character development. On point.

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is the only addition to this list that I didn't have to second guess myself on. This book has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time now, but I didn't get around to reading it until this past July.

THE ONLY THING I REGRET IS THAT I DIDN'T READ IT SOONER.

This book was so happy, and wonderful, and fluffy, and romantic, and cute, and basically everything I look for in any book ever. How I made it this far without this book in my life is a mystery that will forever go unsolved. I absolutely ADORED this book, with all of its characters and relationships and locations. (Paris. PARIS!! I've been to Paris and this just played it in an entirely different light.) This is one of those books that I just hugged to my chest for hours after I finished because I loved it so much. (I proceeded to do the same with its companions, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After. All three books are beautiful and if you are at all a fan of romance or contemporary or rom-coms then PICK UP THOSE BOOKS RIGHT THE FRIKKITY FRACK NOW.)



If you'd like to take a look at the other 30 books I read throughout 2014 and the countless books I read before, you can check out my Goodreads page here.

How many books did you read this past year? Do you have any reading goals for 2015?

Until later,

- Justyne

10 Quotes That I Absolutely Love

Every now and then, I come across a quote--be it from the internet or a book or whatever--that I love oh-so-very-much that I just HAVE to write it down.

I now present to you ten of these quotes, in no particular order.

~~

"...and I decided that I would do my best in future not to write books just for the money. If you didn't get the money, then you didn't have anything. If I did work I was proud of, and I didn't get the money, at least I'd have the work." - Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art 

"I know you're not perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else." - Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door 

"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy." - Stephen King 

"The truth is this: successful writers don't have more time than you. They MAKE time to write." - S.J. Scott

"For any one of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. ... If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it?" - Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever 

"Life is full of screw-ups. You're supposed to fail sometimes. It's a required part of human existence." - Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride

"Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." - Gloria Steinem

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman, Coraline 

"I am here to tell you that if you don't feel ready for university at the age of eighteen, there is always time to go back should you ever want to. I am here to tell you that having a well-paid job that is so often glamorised by the media and 'career advisers' at school is not the answer to happiness if it is not what you want to do." - Emma Blackery, YOU ARE NOT YOUR PARENTS

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

What's your favourite quote?

Until later,

- Justyne