Something New

Hello Everyone! I have something pretty great to share with you all today. Something I am very excited to share with you.

Starting this month- Just Another Story will no longer be a one man show! You have read correctly, I have taken on a partner and I think it's going to give you all something beautiful.

*****Everyone, meet the newest member of Just Another Story*****

Hi everyone my name is Stefanie and I'm going to be blogging here at Just Another Story! I have an English degree and my library technician diploma and I work in a junior high school library so books and reading are my life (not at all a bad thing). I read all kinds of genres, including YA, middle grade and cozy mysteries. I love a good sweet contemporary romance, adventure packed fantasy or a scare you horror book, however I can't watch horror movies. 
 

My favourite authors include Meg Cabot, Maria V. Snyder, Beth Kendrick, Ally Carter, Sarah Mlynowski and Heather Blake.


 

My top five favourite books are:

1) My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison 

2) Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

3) Poison by Bridget Zinn

4) Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton

5) Girls Who Travel by Nicole Trilivas

Honorary mention is Just Your Average Princess by Kristina Springer (because it's hard to pick five)

Besides reading I love watching movies, anything baseball related (go Blue Jays!), yoga and going to the ballet and musicals. I dream of going to Broadway one day. I'm obsessed with anything Disney, from movies to their books to their musicals. My favourite Disney princess is Belle and Beauty and the Beast is my favourite Disney film. I have watched it no joke about a hundred times. I also am obsessed with Halloween (Christmas too, but we can get to that after the Halloween madness has ended) and try to watch at least 31 Halloween themed films and read as many fantasy or magic related books in the month of October, so it's a great month for me to be joining so I can share my love with the month with all of you.

I'm very excited to be joining here and meeting you all. This will be my first time blogging so please be patient with me as I figure all of this out!! See you guys soon with my first review!

For now- you can find Stefanie's Goodreads here. Be sure to add her to keep tabs on what she's reading.
 

********************************************************************************

Welcome Stefanie. I am SO stoked to have you on board.

So, what does having Stefanie on board mean for the future of Just Another Story. It means more consistency in posting and a fresh voice. It's mean one more book lover to share the love of reading.  This is exciting stuff, friends!

I expect you all to give Stefanie lots of love and to check back soon for her first official post.

Thanks and,

~Happy Reading Everyone!

September Recap

Hi everyone!

Well it's been a minute since I've done a monthly recap- February to be exact- whoops. However, this past month I found I actually read a lot and was able to keep track of every thing. So, here I am sharing my month of SEPTEMBER with you.

Life in September was pretty low key, work continues to be chaotic and busy, however, the overwhelming stress of it has decreased significantly. I went fall camping, which was highly enjoyable, I was able to spend a lot time with friends I don't see very often. This month I met up with a number of local bloggers and with the idea of starting a book club of sorts. Our first meeting consisted of us taking over the YA section of the bookstore and yelling over the shelves- It was a lot of fun. A big highlight of the month for me had to be seeing the touring production of The Book of Mormon.

A photo posted by Sara (@jstanotherstory) on Sep 27, 2016 at 5:11pm PDT

I love musicals and I have been wanting to see this one for ages. The last time it was in town, it was only here for a couple of days and sold out fairly quickly. This time around I knew I wanted in. It was incredible, if you ever have the chance to see this production- you absolutely must. The dialogue is hysterical and the music is amazing. I am sure this won't be the last time I see it.


Onto the books

Number of books completed

9 

Physical books

5

Audiobooks

4

 
Physical Books: 

• The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski (4 stars)
• Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes (4.5stars)
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)
• Turbulence by Whitney G (4.5 Stars) 
• How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo (3 stars)   

Favourite Read of the Month

 

I don't normally read psychological thrillers. But for some reason I wanted to give them a try. After some "research" I grabbed Elizabeth Haynes' debut and devoured it. This one was SO good- it's a story about a domestic abuse survivor and her battle with OCD. It was a fascinating read, and I may have developed an obsession for psychological thrillers.

Audio Books: 

• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (5 Stars)
• This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (3.5 Stars) 
• Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (3.5 stars)
• Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey (3 Stars) 

Favourite Listen of the Month 

How have I not read this book before now?!?! What an incredible story. I loved it. I loved Ari and I loved Dante, I want them both as my best friends. I loved their families. This book holds such a special place in my heart. I loved it so much! 

That's it for my Month of September. But please, stay tuned for October, I have an exciting announcement coming up- that you will not want to miss- I promise Please leave a comment below telling me what your favourite read of the month was, and if you're an audiobook listener, what's your favourite audiobook- I am always looking for recs. 

~Happy Reading Everyone!  

My August 2016 TBR

Hello Lovelies,

I am trying something new for the month of August and I am making a TBR for the month of August, and I am going try my hardest to stick to it. I generally really don't like to make specific TBR lists for myself each month, however, I have been finding that I have been wasting a lot of time choosing what to read next, as opposed to simply reading. So, let's try this and see how goes.

Wish me luck. 


The Books 

•  The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey - My book club book
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Which is a bit of a cheat, as I just finished this one today.
• The Winner's Curse- I am dying to finish this series and I borrowed it from the library and it's due back on the 15th, so I need to get er' done. 
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- I have been listening to the series on Audio and have been getting them from the library. But, now I am eager to get the series finished, so I will either just read the physical book or buy the audio. 

August Release

• The Beauty of Darkness- hits stores tomorrow (Aug 2nd), and I am eager eager to get my hands on this one.  I am pretty big fan of this series and with the way The Heart of Betrayal ended....

Current Audiobook

• The Raven King- I started listening to this one yesterday, and am about two hours into it. It's very strange- but I really want to get this series finished. 

But First

Voyager- I need to finish this one. I have been reading this book for week,. it is a beast at 870 pages. I have about 190 pages left to go and, which I must finish by the 3rd, because the book is due back at the library. It's good, I am enjoying it, it's just to bloody long. 









So, there you have it. My August TBR and what I am currently reading at the moment. I hope you enjoyed that. I hope you all have an amazing month and I will speak to you soon.

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Best of 2016- So Far

Well friends, I disappeared again. But, just because I have been gone from the blog- doesn't mean I have forgotten it, nor does it mean I have not been reading. I just have been consumed with all things life and being a grown up (so over-rated if you ask me). But, here we are, officially six+ months into 2016 and I have read/listened to 51 books this year, and I have a few favourites I want to share with the my friends on the interwebs.

Counting down from:

5) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint- Exupery

Can you believe I haven't read this book until now? I can't. I read this pretty early on in the year and I was completely amazed at the story and the message it was trying to share. It was beautifully written, and such a delight to read. If you have not read this book, you absolutely must, it's incredible and it's not very long at all.

4) Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I read this one the beach- while on vacation in February, and I loved it. What a perfect summer/vacation read. What I really loved about this book, was the friendship- I love a good friendship and that is what this book is all about. I also loved the min-adventure the new friends embark on together. This was just a really fun book to read.

3) Big Little Lies by Liana Moriarty

I have read a number of Moriarty's novels, and she is quickly becoming one of my favourites. Her stories are funny but still have depth and a little suspense. She has a really great talent at making the mundane interesting (if that makes sense). Again, what made me love this novel, was the budding friendships between the three main women, and how fiercely loyal they were to one another. There were so many levels to this book. I am very excited for her newest release Truly, Madly, Guilty- out later this month.

2) All the Bright Places by Jennifer Nevin

This book tore me apart. I honestly have no words. While I am not the one who struggles with mental illness, I have someone close to me who does (a couple of someones actually) and I can honestly say, the behaviour one specific character displayed in the novel was a very authentic portrayal of someone who suffers from bi-polar disorder and mania. This book needed to written and it needs to be read. 

1) The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

This book TOTALLY surprised me. This book was so creative and neat. It was beautifully written. I loved the parallel universes and the small element of time travel. I also loved the discussion on culture and faith and family. The characters were great and so well developed. I really did love this one. It was just--- SO good.

***

So there you have it. My top five of the year so far. What have been some of your favourites? I want to know, I am always looking for my next great read and have been feeling the urge to expand my horizons so share that love.



~Happy Reading!

The Curse of the Unfinished Series

Hi, my name is Sara and I have over 50 unfinished trilogies/sagas/series under my belt.

As most of you know, and have realizing for years, trilogies/sagas (we're just going to call them series from here on out), have been a major trend in most YA fiction. Specifically in the fantasy, sci fi, dystopian/post-apocalyptic genres. Very rarely are we seeing stand alone novels outside of most contemporary stories. In saying this, I was curious about how many unfinished/half finished series I had hanging around. A couple of weeks ago I took the time to do an inventory of all the series I had started. As I was doing this, I got a little overwhelmed and I began to create categories: Series I've completed; Series I've read one book from; Series I've two or more books from; Series I just need finish (the final book has been published, I just need to read it); Series I am totally caught up on (just waiting for the other books to be published).

I was a  little blown away by what I discovered- I have only finished thirteen series (which is kind of pathetic to me), and a few of those are adult romance/paranormal sagas I started and finished before I started this blogging adventure. Thirteen!!! That's it?!?! Terrible.

 The thing is- I have over 40 'book ones' in my repertoire. That's 40 series I read the first book in, but for some reason I chose not to continue for one reason or another. So, I have made the decision- and I am committed to this decision- not to start any more trilogies/sagas/series until I complete two other first. If I complete two, I can start a new one. Which should be good incentive, because there are some pretty fun books coming out that I am eager to read. And I have some firsts on my various shelves that I am eager to get to.

I have 12 series where I only have the last book to read- those are no-brainers. I am going to finish those. Perhaps, in the future, if I am struggling with actually reading these books, I'll get your input on those. But first...What I need your help with is choosing which series I absolutely should keep reading.


Below is a poll of four series in which I have read the first book- and while I enjoyed the first book (for the most part), I wasn't totally taken with the story, and didn't feel like I needed to rush and keep up with the series. I want you guys to vote on which series I absolutely need to keep reading. It's an easy click- and if you feel so inclined to add a comment on what you voted for and why, I'd love that- I want to know what your favourite series is and why.

You gotta keep reading...

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater Jessica Darling by Megan McCafferty

Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta The Selection by Kiera Cass

Do Quizzes

My goal is to have one of these series completed my the beginning of June- it's ambitious, but I am going to try. Make sure to vote, friends. I'll be using the blog to continue this discussion on all my unread series- Stay Tuned.

~Happy Reading Everyone.

The Winning Kiss: The Winner's Kiss Blog Tour

Tour Stops

I am beyond ecstatic to be a part of The Winning Kiss blog tour, to celebrate the conclusion of Marie Rutoski's The Winner's Curse trilogy, The Winner's Kiss. I am a big fan of this series, and have been anticipating The Winner's Kiss all year.  You can read my thoughts on the first installment of this series here.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.
But no one gets what they want just by wishing.


As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

**Le sigh** I haven't read The Winner's Kiss yet, but you better believe I will before to much longer.

My Favourite Literary Kiss

I cannot be the only one who struggled with this. My favourite kiss? Seriously? Have you met me? I am a romance junkie and I love all the kissing! So I struggled, and I waffled. However, in the end I figured it out. 

Ana and Sam

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Ana and Sam has been floating around this kiss for the book's entirety. Sam's will power was a force to be reckoned with. But finally... 

Let me set up this scene for you. Sam and Ana are at a Masquerade. They're both wearing these pretty intricate masques and Ana's having a hard time figuring out who Sam is... and then, there he is (she thinks), dancing with her. 

"His fingers brushed my cheek, down my neck. The entire masquerade stretched out before me, but my focus tunneled to the man behind me. Hands eased around my hips and held tight as we spun; my feet lifted off the ground, but even when I thought the wings might carry me into the breeze, he held me tight."

Swoon, right? 

"A cold breeze made me shiver as I tightened my grip on his. Stepped close. Searched his eyes. 

His lips tilted up at one corner, like amusement. I'd known, but still, the familiar expression stunned me so much I almost didn't act. 

I kissed him." 

Finally!!!

"It wasn't an easy, sweet kiss like I'd imagined mt first kiss would be, but frustrated and hungry. That was good, better than easy and sweet, because after everything, I was frustrated and hungry for him, too."

Oh, this scene, just gives me all the feels: 

So, now that The Winner's Kiss is upon us...

What kiss do you hope will occur?

I am hoping for the bottle to burst with Arin and Kestrel. Those two have been denying their feelings for far to long now. It's gonna to be reminiscent of Ana and Sam's kiss. They're not going to be able to help themselves. I just can't wait.

The Winner's Kiss

by Marie Rutkoski

On Sale March 29th, 2016 

~Happy Reading Everyone! 

February Recap

It's March 1st and time for me to reflect on the past month.

February was full of good and bad. I have a pretty high stress job, which has been VERY high stress and a little overwhelming for me since about October. So, at the beginning of the month a friend and I went to Tulum in Mexico- The Mayan Riviera- and it was absolutely amazing!  This was my very first tropical vacation, and I absolutely loved it.

 

It was so relaxing. We had two full beach days- where we sat on the beach, read and jumped in the ocean when we got hot. I freaking love the ocean! It's so clear and blue and I swam (well snorkeled) with Dori fish and sea turtles and I saw eagle and manta rays. It was lovely. We were there for seven days and I was able to start and finish two books (it probably could have been more, but the first book I wasn't a huge fan of, so it took me some times to finish). 

After that, I came back to madness at work, got sick and am now trying to play catch up- again. 

Anywho, onto the bookish recap

Number of books completed

9 

Physical books

5

Audiobooks

  4

Favourite Read of the Month

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

This was my vacation and read and it was absolutely perfect for the beach! It was a light fun book, and I loved the characters so much. If you haven't read this- get on it! 

Favourite Listen of the Month

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

I am slowly rereading the Harry Potter series by listening to it. My local library has them all on audio and the narrator, Jim Dale, is absolutely genius. He's really making the series fun. Now I am eagerly waiting for Goblet of Fire to be available, but I have five people ahead of me- BOOOO!!

How am I doing on my bookish resolutions: 

Okay- I read The Little Prince as part of my List of Twelve goal. And I am currently reading a debut, which I thought I would have finished by yesterday, but work has been insane and I come home exhausted. So, I'm not reading at much. My goal for March is to get at least two debuts read. It's really important to me that I get that done. 

That's about it for me. Bring on March, and hopefully things on my end will slow down and I can get some serious reading in. I would like to have physically read six books (break this cycle of five), and go from there. 

~Happy Reading Everyone!