Review: Kara Goucher's Running for Women

GET FIT, GET FAST, AND GO FARTHER WITH OLYMPIC RUNNER KARA GOUCHER’S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO RUNNING FOR WOMEN KARA GOUCHER is crazy, madly, head-over-heels in love with running, and she wants to help you feel that love, too. Whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned runner, this is the book that will take you to the next level. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women contains her expertise, tips, and tricks targeted specifically at female runners to help you become a better, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled runner. She’ll teach you how to:

• GET STARTED WITH THE RIGHT GEAR

• BUILD A SUCCESSFUL SUPPORT TEAM

• FIND THE RIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOU

• OVERCOME PSYCHOLOGICAL SETBACKS

• BALANCE RUNNING WITH FAMILY AND WORK

• AND MUCH MORE

Designed to fit your busy lifestyle, Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is packed with quick tips, pearls of running wisdom, and sample training schedules and nutrition plans, as well as sections dedicated to running during and after pregnancy, managing the special challenges of the female athlete’s body, and maintaining a balance between sporting and family life. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is the ultimate guide for women who want to train for the gold or simply discover their personal best

REVIEW:

Honestly, guys, did you really expect me to talk about book books again? Like...YA and romance and fantasy and all that stuff I always promise and never stick to?

Oh, don't worry. I did read a bit. YA, I mean. Real, honest, funny, funky YA. And it's coming your way, I promise!

But, today, we're a bit off topic again.

Today's review is on Kara  Goucher's book Running for Women which I never planned on reviewing but then did anyway, because the book is so helpful and she seems to be such a genuine, honest, fun and nice person.

I'm a fan now, sure thing!

If you're not a runner, my guess is you haven't heard of her much. And if you are a runner but anything like me, you've never heard of her before, because you're ignorant to everyone else hitting the pavements (or, you know, elite athlete stadiums) of the world.

I did, however, stumble upon her book and thought that reading plus running is an equation even I can't get wrong.

So I went for it. And loved it.

There were exactly two aspects that made this book amazing.

The knowledge. And the personality.

Whenever the chapters were about running advice and information, giving tips to every kind of runner you could imagine, Goucher was incredibly professional.

She didn't just go through every topic  (Training, Nutrition, Injury Prevention, etc.) in great detail. She structured her advice in a way that made it easy to both, read and understand what she meant.

Even though I'm sort of a geek and follow Runner's World like it is my job, there were so many (smaller and greater) details I didn't know before.

That alone made the book worth a lot more money than I paid for it!

A good example was the chapter on starting to run which I thought about skipping first. I can only suggest one thing: DON'T!

Don't skip any sentence! I went as far as devouring the chapter about running while pregnant (I'm eighteen, boyfriend-less and not planning on having kids in the next 15 years, so that is saying something!).

So, when you're looking for advice on running, no matter if you're just starting out, or have been doing it for years or aren't running at all, Kara Goucher's book really is the way to go! I promise there will be a million things you haven't heard of before!

I mentioned personality before. That's because Goucher has lots of it and it's all included in her book! She shares  personal details about every stage of her life as a highschool runner, a daughter, a wife and a mother and it is too interesting reading about all that and seeing not only how she mastered that great career she has, but also how she felt during those low moments everyone experiences.

She even got surprisingly raw and private at some points which made the book even more relatable!

All in all, I can only recommend Goucher's book to every runner out there. I mean, I would say non-runners should totally read it, too (it's done in a very autobiographical style), but I know part of that suggestion is only my desperate cry for even more runners out there :)

34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodriguez

A dark and moving novel about the mystery surrounding a teenage girl’s fatal overdose.

There was something about Ellie... Something dangerous. Charismatic. Broken. Jake looked out for her. Sarah followed her lead. And Jess kept her distance, and kept watch.

Now Ellie’s dead, and Jake, Sarah, and Jess are left to pick up the pieces. All they have are 34 clues she left behind. 34 strips of paper hidden in a box beneath her bed. 34 secrets of a brief and painful life.

Jake, Sarah, and Jess all feel responsible for what happened to Ellie, and all three have secrets of their own. As they begin to confront the darkest truths about themselves, they will also find out what Ellie herself had been hiding all along...

This book was just as much beautiful as it was heartbreaking. It was an issue book, but (or because of that) there was a LOT of drama involved, as well!

There are several things I loved about 34 Pieces.

First, it was easy to read. It was a breeze. Heavy topics, sure, but the writing itself made it easy to follow the book and just turn page after page. I actually found myself in quite a bad reading slump before I started this book and still managed to read it in one sitting- that's how addicting the story was.

I'd say,suspense played another important role in my liking the book so much, but that's not exactly true.

I think the book was as suspenseful, because I liked all of the characters so much. Not only did Rodriguez make each of them very individual and interesting, she also made them vulnerable and real - and I found myself close to tears several times whenever one of them was going through a really hard time.

You know that feeling when you read a standalone and you love the characters so much that you can't even think of never seeing them again. Or when you finish a book and have no idea what to read next, because nothing could take your thoughts away from those characters? Yup, that's how strong they were.

Thinking about it, one could say Rodrigues shoved quite a few issues into one book and it might be overwhelming for some people, but I didn't feel like that at all. 

After all, the author handled everything really well. It never seemed like she just created that certain problem for a character to make the book more interesting - everything the people in the book were going through felt real and genuine and honest.

All in all I have to say that 34 Pieces of You completely surprised me - I neve thought it'd be this good! I can only recommend it - even to people who don't exactly love contemporary. 

London - I learned my Lesson!

I guess I don't even have to mention that I'm not reading/blogging very much these days?
For a Read-a-Thon anyaway.
For a normal reading week what I've accomplished so far is not even that bad.
It's Tuesday night here and I have read 102 pages of Gayle Forman's Just One Day - and even listened to a couple of chapters of The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.
So far, so good.
Reading-wise.
London-wise, my life is turned upside down. I swear, I've never walked that much, been lost as much, been tempted to eat and shop and smell as much.
My mouth has been open in astonishment not once, but many times throughout the past 24 hours.
My journey to London was rough, but a lot of fun, too.

Just like mom said, I packed wayyy too much. My suitcase was so heavy, I couldn't lift it on my own and along with that I carried a backpack and four bags. NOT funny. At all.
However, the really astonishing thing for me was that I made it.
You know how self-doubt and frustration creep up your tummy when you see yourself getting hurled over by a train in the vain attempt to balance an estimated 100 lbs worth of luggage and - even though you feel like it's way too much for you to carry - you still arrive.

Not right away, of course.
I wouldn't be me if my planning had sucked at just one single detail!
My phone does this very nice thing were it tells you even horrible things in an utterly neat style.
For example, when I turned it on to use the maps app to get to my Uni accommodation, it said "good bye" in that friendly way of its and went dark.

There I was, without any navigational tools (I didn't even have a map) in the middle of the biggest city I have ever set foot in, trying to find a student house noone - it seemed - had heard of.
At that point I saw myself sleeping on a park bench (assuming, of course, that I would have found that park) and was very close to tears.
However, if you're alone in another country, in a huge city and you only have one place to go, the last thing I suggest is crying. Because let's be honest - it doesn't help a bit.

So I went (okay slouched) my way through London, asking every nice-and-oriented-seeming-citizen-without-a-suitcase if they had heard of my street and where to find it.
Eventually, someone did know my street. And she even went to the trouble of guiding me there. Another nice person then used her Iphone to find out where exactly my accomodation was and then - I had done it. I had arrived. And never given up. And just kept going.

I guess the lesson I learned on my journey to London is that there's no need to ever dispair. Because you will arrive where you're supposed to be eventually. There is naturally no way around it.

I'm saying goodnight to you guys with this post and send my aplogogies for not being a better book blogger.
That might continue throughout the next few weeks. I will definitely blog, but I might (for the first time in my life) decide to leave the house and live my life instead of staying in and living someone else's. I promise book reviews (that's because they're actually all formatted and ready to go), but there will be some London-ness in my posts,too.

Sleep well everyone (or wake up if you're on the other side of the world)

the Booksmartie

The BIG News (I've kept from you for way too long)

I have to say, now that I'm actually writing this post, I absolutely and totally regret not doing it sooner.
However, back in June, when I first realized a really huge dream of mine was about to come true, I just couldn't believe it. And to be honest, I still can't.
But I'm going to start at the beginning and just tell you guys what's been keeping me up all night/been in my head for months - I am going to London. To study.
Most of you know that I'm from Germany and I have lived in the one village where I live now - for basically all my life. Or the past 13 years.

Now, I am moving. And not even anywhere and not a big huge German city, but a British one and I am freaking out about that and finding it very weird and I am going to be there TOMORROW! And I will totally have gotten something wrong and be homeless for the next year or so, living under the bridge (or, if they let me) in the library.

Just in case everything goes according to plan, though, I will be proud to call myself a British Uni Student and a person-living-in-london which is so, so cool.

If you are interested in why I decided to study in London, this is the brief summary:

- I love the English language
-I always wanted to study abroad
- I got the chance
- I took it.

So, basically the next two years I will be spending mostly in London, studying my head away to become that intellectual and educated person I so badly want to become and - of course - blogging whenever I can.
Also, I just realized that living in London will mean having access to libraries and bookshops that actually have English books on their shelves! I am amazed.

Okay, I think that's everything I wanted to say. Again, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys earlier, but I just really, really couldn't believe I'll actually go. To London. All by myself.
Oh my god, I'm going to die. I just now it.

Does anyone of you live in London??? Any tips, advice, general things to tell me? If so, pleeeeease comment below!

And I'd really like to get an audiobook to listen to on the train - are there any you guys could recommend?

Greetings and lots of love,

the Booksmartie

A pretty sad Tackle Your TBR update post

Okay, so this readathon might not be going so well and I might have hoped to accomplish a bit more during this week - but not everything is lost, yet, right?

There's still all of next week and a little crumble of this week...

Okay, without further ado, this is my readathon progress for week one:

Books read: 1

Pages read: I have absolutely no idea... I lost track because my brain is not able to process numbers!

Books started: The Fault in our Stars by John Green (finished), Poison Princess by Kresley Cole, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnsson

You might wonder about the weird format and wacky design if this post, but it's really just supposed to be a quick update in how I am doing readathon-wise. By the way, I am typing this on my iPad mini and was wondering if any of you have tips on how to compose a (not so wacky) post on a tablet..? 

So, if you have ideas on that, please comment below, I'd love to know!!!

PS: to make this post a bit more colourful I'll include a picture of my room as it is as I'm typing...

Okay, it's pretty dark, but do you guys see that mess??? - explanation to that is a secret I've kept for month now - and that I'll let you in on tomorrow!!!!

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way

To get it out right away - I didn't love this book and it won't be a raving or ranting review. I was okay wíth the story and the plot, but didn't like the characters and expected a whole other kind of story to begin with.

I think that, my expectations, is always my main problem when I don't like a book. With this one, I expected the kind of storyworld that you fall in love with, that you start to live in, that stays with you for a while. I thought I'd tear through all three books in one sitting, not regret the fact that I bought them in the first place.

As I said, story and plot were okay. Good, even. It was entertaining to watch a couple of teenagers rob  a famous museum, but not the story I craved. It was too easy and too superficial. I wanted a story that got deeper.

I also wasn't a big fan of the characters. They were, in my opinion, pretty shallow and I couldn't relate to any of them. Clearly, the boys weren't swoonworthy enough, either.

I will cut this review short, because there isn't really a lot to say for me. I personally didn't like the book very much. I didn't find it funny or interesting or suspenseful or anything other, really, than a story I didn't care about.

However, and this is really important, it was more of  a "It's not about you" - situation. I know everyone (pretty much) around the blogosphere and in real life loved this book, the whole series, even. It just wasn't up my alley at all, so if you think this might be the perfect book for you, don't let my review hold you back!

Tackle Your TBR - Read-a-Thon Monday Update

 

 

Now, you guys, I'm happy to tell you I can make you the proudest blog readers ever.

Because I did actually reach my daily goal today!!!!

Isn't that an achievement? Yeah,  I can't believe it myself!

 

Let's recap what I planned to do today, shall we?

 

• Read from 6 to 8PM
• Never look on electronic devices during reading time!
• Visit at least 5 blogs

I will just add that I visited more than 5 blogs AND read on the bus AND read in the doctor's office AND listened to an audiobook almost the whole time on my shopping spree (yes, I'm lame enough to go shopping all by myself. But hey, I really needed that stuff!)

 

Oh, and - before I forget - I did of course not post my entire reading list on my Kick-Off post. I was stupid enough to forget that I read Poison Princess with Diamond over at Dee's Reads. We originally planned on making it an all-nighter but...my brain twists into one thick not whenever I try to find out which time it is where she lives and how far ahead of her time we are here in Germany and...you. get. the picture.

I hope, at least, because this is all I can tell you before I bang my head on the desk because I CANNOT convert time zones.

 

Anyway, this is how far I've come Monday  night:

 

MONDAY:

 

Book Finished: 0

Pages Read: 155 + a couple of chapters in the audiobook

Books: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Poison Princess by Kresley Cole, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnsson

Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show

I came up with eleven - and not even that's enough. I could go on and on. In a world where books don't get  butchered on the screen, I'd want to see all my favorites!

Tackle Your TBR - Read-a-Thon Kick Off and Sunday Update

Admittedly, this post is a bit late, seeing how my Monday (in Germany) is almost over now. However, this was mostly due to my ambitious and successful reading day :)

My Goals for the next two weeks:

- Read 7 books

-comment on at least 5 blogs a day

- be on Twitter more (let's make this every two hours, k?)

- write all due reviews (I don't even know how many those would be!)

Books to Read:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (finally)

Star Cursed by Jessica Shirvington (I've been WAITING for this one!)

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (I somehow can't get into it)

Pantomime

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michele Hodkin

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (already started this one)

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnsson (audiobook!)

SUNDAY:

Number of Books Read: 0

Number of Pages Read: 177

Books: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Okay, I did read a lot slower than I thought I would. I usually do one page a minute and read 4 hours in a row, I should have made it to 240 - but there were potty breaks (drinking 4 liters a day will do that to you) and snacking breaks and chocolate breaks...

Other than that, I'm really happy with the progress I've made so far and can only hope the rest of the Read-a-Thon will go on like this :D

How are you guys doing? 

I know, I asked this before, but do you have any tips to share about reading more and motivation to read? I'd (still) love to hear!

Tackle Your TBR - The Gameplan

It's an easy routine you learn in elementary school: make a mistake, figure out what went wrong, try again.

 

My last attempt at a Read-a-Thon (Bob8) obviously was a fail, but that doesn't have to mean this one will be, too. If you feel like you're in that kind of situation you might be interested in some of the things I'm going to do for the Tackle Your TBR event next week in order to actually get some reading done!

 

The mistakes I made last time:

 

- I had no set reading times

- I let other stuff (okay, the Internet) get in between and spend hours doing nothing

- I was out and running a LOT (which is great, but should be more planned)

- I read books that weren't on my list

- the books I read were too long!

- I didn't really participate online, no blog hopping, no updates on the blog...

 

 

 

Strategies for this time:

 

- read every day

 

Week 1

SUNDAY: from 2PM to 6PM

MONDAY: from 6PM to 8PM

TUESDAY-SATURDAY: 11-12AM, 5-7 PM

SUNDAY: 7-10AM

 

Even though I know it'd be better to have a gameplan for week 2, too - I really have no idea what I will even be doing that week :)

 

- I won't look at any electronic devices while reading - just won't!!!

- I 't run every morning so that it doesn't collide with all my other plans for the day

-I won't buy new books (this one should be obvious, but...)

- I will start the week off with short novels and start with the longer ones later on

-Will visit at least five blogs a day and update on Goodreads and the blog every day ;D

 

Okay, so what tips do you have for actually reaching your Read-a-Thon goals?

Review: The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

            

Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. The right people knew her name, her performances were booked months in advance, and her future seemed certain.
That was all before she turned fourteen.
Now, at sixteen, it's over. A death, and a betrayal, led her to walk away. That leaves her talented ten-year-old brother, Gus, to shoulder the full weight of the Beck-Moreau family expectations. Then Gus gets a new piano teacher who is young, kind, and interested in helping Lucy rekindle her love of piano -- on her own terms. But when you're used to performing for sold-out audiences and world-famous critics, can you ever learn to play just for yourself.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr takes readers inside the exclusive world of privileged San Francisco families, top junior music competitions, and intense mentorships. The Lucy Variations is a story of one girl's struggle to reclaim her love of music and herself. It's about finding joy again, even when things don't go according to plan. Because life isn't a performance, and everyone deserves to make a few mistakes along the way.

 

 

 

 RATING: 3/3 Smarties

 

Long Story Short:

The Lucy Variations is not only one of the most beautiful composed Yound Adult contemporary novels I've read in a while. It is also a book that I would recommend to anyone who just wishes for something a bit different, not only different from the books you normally read, but also the world you usually live in!

 

 

Review:

I've had an on and off relationship with contemporary fiction for a while now. I don't get all excited about books that have no other remarkable features than being set in a highschool and I feel like almost every topic in contemps that could interest me, I've already read about.

Ever since reading The Lucy Variations, though, I know that my attitude was completely superficial, ignorant and stuck up.

Contemporary fiction can be amazing, interesting and incredibly originally done - especially by Sara Zarr.

 

Of course, she did choose an interesting topic, no world, to begin with. I personally don't even know anyone who is as much into classical music as Lucy and her family are. This theme alone made for an outstanding, and really interesting, novel. I felt like I was getting to know a whole other...community in this world. It felt a bit like seeing my first few book blogs on the Internet. It might sound cheesy but I find that books like that, that show access to a whole other group of people and accent of this world, can expand ones horizone so much. Simply by pointing out that there are so many aspects of this world that we could never discover all of them.

 

I personally have only read How to Save a Life and don't know any of Zarr's other books, but if you do, you'll agree with me that Zarr is the master of characterisation and transferring emotions directly from the pages into your heart.

This story had basically nothing to do with my own life, yet, it was like I could just slip into her skin and be her when I was reading the book - and even after I finished it, her story didn't leave me right away.

 

Lucy, and the side characters, stuck with me in a way that only very few book characters do.

Partly, I blame this on how realistically the story was portrayed. The details were right. Not too few, not too many little anecdotes, twists, character traits. A few conflicts between the characters but very seldomly to never dramatic outbursts that noone really lives through in real life.

Of course, there was the incredible tension between Lucy and her family members and sometimes also her friends. However, as a reader, I could feel it build up, and then get a bit weaker again. Then there was a well-up of emotions on the one side, then the anger faded in the background again.

 

The relationships between Zarr's characters, as well as the plot developed exactly how they would do in real life. Slowly, without a clear direction. There were moments when Lucy realized something was just true and then again, she would despair and doubt her own decisions.

In my opinion, there are only very few books that live and breathe the Growing of Age title, and this one certainly did.

 

If you like to read about really growing up and finding out who you are as a person, I recommend The Lucy Variations. Not only to teens or Young Adults, though, but for everyone, because I think looking for one's true self and meaning never really stops in life.

Oh, and if you didn't plan on going so deep, you could also read The Lucy Variations, because it will give you a window to peek into the beautiful world that classical music seems to be!

I Am Tackling My TBR - Wanna Join Me???

 

 

 

We won't talk about the Bout of Books 8.0 disaster, yes? Let's just...forget that it ever happened. Period.

 

I actually did not plan on doing another Read-a-Thon this summer. However, Diamond Cronen over at Dee's Reads asked so nicely on Twitter and we're pulling an all-nighter, too, so I basically absolutely can't say no and now I'm hooked and ready to take on another challenge!

 

This Read-a-hon is called the Tackle-Your-TBR- Readathon and you better believe I will tackle that stubborn thing this time.

 

My strategy for this one is just to find the right times of the day when I'm actually up for some reading and than just dive into the book. As Uni starts to get more and more real, I am dedicated to return to a normal schedule again. Remember how I used to be that time management genius? Yeah, exactly. I will get there again.

 

'Nough with the rambling, though. Who's with me on this? Please comment below and tell me if you're participating in the Read-a-Thon, too or what other fun bookish (virtual) events you have coming up this fall. I'd love to get back into the groove again :D

 

Happy Wednesday!

Your 2013 Reading List - or Top Ten Books Every Highschooler Must Read

 

1) Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

A beautiful, heart-breaking book. I think it's not only great for highschoolers because of its meaning for the historical time period, but also because there is so much strength and faith and love in this book.

 

2) Dear Bully (Anthology)

I cannot recommend this book enough. I definitely didn't like every single story in it, but all of them together composed a very special message: that you are never alone. Not really.

 

3) Harry Potter Series

Hello? It's a classic. And if it's not, it will be in fifty years or something. So why not introduce it to highschoolers today, so that they all can realize how amazing books  are and be passionate readers until the rest of their lives. I'm serious. The world would be a peaceful place, sure thing!

 

4) 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodriguez

I would have saved this place for 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, but everyone has heard of that one and Carmen Rodriguez is lesser known, but so incredibly cool and has gorgeous writing and you guys need to read her book ASAP!!!!

 

5) Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Again, I could have picked Impulse, too. I personally, though, can relate to the issues addressed in Perfect a lot more (and I liked the book better). Impulse was really good, too, though.

 

6) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I don't know how it is in the US or other parts of the world, but German kids (obviously) deal a lot with WWII in school. I do think this part of history must be talked about - especially to highschoolers. However, a lot of the books we read about it were really dull and not much fun to read. The Book Thief is a must. SO good. Can only recommend the audiobook, too!

 

7) A Sara Shepard Series

Admittedly, it might not be class material, but for me those books (along with Gossip Girl) were my life savers when things got really stressful at school. The little time you have left for reading, you usually don't want to spend on something heavy. These books are just the perfect amount of fun and lightness, but also addicting, because of the mystery!

 

8) If I Stay by Gayle Forman and

 

9) Looking for Alaska by John Green

 

These books I could imagine for an English class. They are beautifully written and a bit deeper than most YA.

 

10) Why do I always run out of ideas for 10??? Does that happen to anyone else, too or is it just me?

August Wrap-Up and September TBR

Wow, looking at everything I've read in August, I just realized I wasn't even bad! 9 books is solid ;)

Of course, given the free time I had and those many moments when I preferred the headphones to my book, I could have been more dedicated to reading...but a hobby should never be a chore, right?

I think part of my meh-attitude towards books right now was my choice of reads.

August started with The Lucy Variations (superb!), then read Heist Society in one day but wasn't nearly as happy with it as I thought I'd be. 34 Pieces of Me was the next book I read in a day. This one, though, completely threw me off the hook!

The three Mediator books were fabulous, but I read them at the wrong time. Running for Women was, of course, due to my running addiction and fueled it even more! Lastly, I read that Judy Blume book and realized I might be a bit old for it (but it was cute) and The Catastrophic History which was a good book, but not for me.

I'm starting University soon (more on that in a couple of days - I'm SO excited), so I will be smart and not set amazing pressure on myself to read so and so many books.

The only thing I want to do is read as many of my physical copies as possible...simply because I can't take them all to Uni with me and I'd hate to leave some unread :)

The selection looks like that:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michele Hodkins 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

Star Cursed by Jessica Shirvington

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead