Hey, y'all! So once again, I'll be participating in Top 10 Tuesday, hosted on The Broke and the Bookish! It's been quite a while since the last time that I did one of these, but I wanted to jump back in the saddle and this week was perfect for that because the topic is all about my most anticipated book releases for the rest of the year.
I'm not sure that I have a full 10 books on the list, but I do have a sizeable handful. Also, I've decided not to include books that are continuations of series that I haven't started, thus excluding continuations of the Throne of Glass and Magisterium series (despite how much I want to start both series). That being said, let's just go ahead and jump into it!
1. A World Without You
by Beth Revis
Beth Revis is one of my favorite authors, and when I discovered that she was releasing a new book, it immediately got added to my TBR. This one is especially interesting because Beth Revis has always written dystopia/sci fi in the past, and despite seemingly having some sci fi overtones, this appears to be a darker contemporary. I'm really intrigued to see what a contemporary novel from her is like and how she marries these genres together.
2. This Savage Song
by Victoria Schwab
Everything about this book sounds extremely interesting. It's a dark urban fantasy where music plays an integral role and the characters sound really complex. I've read 2 V.E. Schwab novels already and have enjoyed (but not quite loved) both, so I have pretty high hopes for this first installment in a new duology.
3. Heartless
by Marissa Meyer
This one isn't quite as high on my TBR as the others. I think the main reason that I'm even interested is because Marissa Meyer has proven that she's really great at turning classic fairytales on their head, so I'm interested to see what she does with Alice in Wonderland. That being said, I'll probably wait to see the reviews before actually picking it up.
4. The Fate of the Tearling
by Erika Johansen
This is one that I'm really excited about. I've only read the first book in this trilogy, but it was really great and I'm hoping to catch up with the second book before the conclusion to the trilogy comes out later this year.
5. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan,
Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman
As much as I love The Mortal Instruments, I'm admittedly a bit wary about this. I had mixed feelings about The Bane Chronicles, which were written by 3 of the people who are writing these novellas. I know that the novellas are available in ebook format, but they're all $2/3 and I'd rather not bother with it, since that'll be about the same price as the hardcover (if not more expensive). Either way, I'll probably still end up getting this when it comes out.
6. Gamescape: Overworld
by Emma Trevayne
Admittedly, I just discovered this book while going through lists of 2016 book releases, but it does sound really interesting. The premise gives me Ready Player One vibes, which makes me both interested and a little wary. Yet another one that I'm going to read some reviews for first.
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition
by J.K. Rowling
And finally, of course I'm going to be getting this! The illustrations in Sorcerer's Stone were gorgeous, so I have high hopes for Chamber of Secrets. I can't wait to have all of these illustrated editions.
So, that's it for my post on my most anticipated releases for the second half of the year. What releases are you really excited about? Do we have any in common? Let me know down in the comments!
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!
Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!
NOPE. This is a very special CDs On My Shelf, where I discuss the CD that I've been eagerly anticipating for quite a while. AKA: Y'ALL, MY FAVORITE BAND'S NEW CD CAME OUT TODAY!!!!!!!!!
Release Date: April 7th, 2015
Genre: Pop punk, Alternative
When I bought the CD: Pre-ordered it! (But heard all of the songs about a week before its official release)
Track Listing
Satellite
Kicking & Screaming
Something's Gotta Give
Kids in the Dark
Runaways
Missing You
Cinderblock Garden
Tidal Waves (Feat. Mark Hoppus)
Don't You Go
Bail Me Out (Feat. Joel Madden)
Dancing With a Wolf
The Edge of Tonight
Old Scars/ Future Hearts
All Time Low is:
Alex Gaskarth- vocals, guitar
Jack Barakat- guitar
Zack Merrick- bass
Rian Dawson- drums/percussion
L-R: Rian, Alex, Jack, Zack
About All Time Low:
[Stolen from my posts on their other CDs]
All Time Low was formed in 2003 when all four guys were still in high school. One day, they were all just jamming together and decided to form a band. Their "first" CD, The Party Scene, came out in 2005, but it's not really considered most of the time when discussing All Time Low's discography. They then released Put Up or Shut Up, an EP, in 2006. They have released 4 more CDs: So Wrong, It's Right in 2007, Nothing Personal in 2009, Dirty Work in 2011, and Don't Panic in 2012. All four members of the band have been in the band from the beginning, which I think is pretty significant for a band that's already 11 years old.
My Opinion about All Time Low:
[Once again, stolen from my posts about their CDs]
I talk a lot about how McFly is my favorite band... but I've failed to mention that I have two favorite bands... and clearly, All Time Low is the other one. If forced to choose between the two, I would choose McFly, but All Time Low definitely also holds the title of my favorite band. I've been listening to them since junior high, and they're the only band that has consistently been one of my top 3 bands since then. Even McFly can't say that. Alex Gaskarth is absolutely hilarious, and a total Harry Potter nerd, which I think is super awesome. He's definitely my favorite in the band just for that. And of course, everyone loves Jack. He's the crazy goofball, and no one can get enough of his hilarious antics. And the skunk hair. It will never die! Also, Rian Dawson and Cassadee Pope are actually the cutest couple ever. I approved immediately when I heard they were together. Adorable.
About the CD:
As you will notice, this CD came out today! I've been listening to it non-stop and decided that it would be fun to actually choose a CD to talk about for once rather than choosing randomly. This CD is a really interesting one. I feel like there are a lot of different things going on with it. I have a hard time categorizing this within All Time Low's discography of music. There are moments when I feel like songs are very familiar, but others when I feel like this is a totally different sound for them.
IMHO:
I was beginning to get really worried about this CD. They released Something's Gotta Give, Kids in the Dark, Runaways, and Tidal Waves and I was very underwhelmed. None of them were bad, but they were all very expected. They definitely had ATL's normal sound, but without the excitement that usually accompanies one of their songs. Of the four of them, they're generally each perfectly good songs on their own, but when they were all released one after the other, I started worrying that the entire CD would sound the same. Fortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not going to go into a comparison to other All Time Low CDs, because I do plan on doing a ranking of all of them soon, but I do really like this CD overall. As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating.
---------------------------------------------------
*Disclaimer: I've only been listening to most of these songs for about a week. I usually don't post on CDs this soon after their release because it typically takes me a while to solidify my opinions on songs. So I was a little generous on this, and my opinions will probably continue varying for a while until I settle into my long-term feelings. *
Satellite- 9/10.
This one is really interesting because it features distorted guitar and vocals, which is really unusual for All Time Low. It's a little bit more gritty of a sound, which I feel is one of the new sounds that ATL introduces on this CD. And it features brief screaming. Not hardcore by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely rougher than the usual All Time Low song.
Kicking & Screaming- 9.5/10.
This has a sound that is fairly "Don't Panic" but with a good mix of the grittier Future Hearts sound. That's probably why I enjoy this song so much, because the Don't Panic sound is my favorite, and I really love this new, grittier sound.
Something's Gotta Give- 8.5/10.
I tried to categorize this song within the All Time Low discography, but found myself grasping at straws. Maybe it just sounds so familiar now because I've played it a lot, but it feels very All Time Low. I feel that the sound on this one is also a new sound that they introduced on this CD, and it's the exact opposite of the other one. That's all grit while this one is really smooth.
Kids in the Dark- 9/10.
This song makes me think of Time Bomb and some other songs on Dirty Work. Fortunately, it's the good songs on Dirty Work. Even though it was released amidst some underwhelming songs, this one is really fun and I enjoy it.
Runaways- 8.5/10.
This one, I feel, has the same sound as Something's Gotta Give. It's very... glossy. I'm not sure that's the right word, but the vocals are very smooth and it's got a much softer sound than the grittier songs on the CD. There are a few electronic sounds thrown in and even the bass sounds softer. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this yet. I don't dislike it, but it's not my favorite All Time Low sound ever.
Missing You- 8.5/10.
Once again, I get the Something's Gotta Give vibe from this one. It's obviously very different from Something's Gotta Give, but it has the same, softer, poppier sound. Even though it's fairly out of place in ATL's discography, it doesn't really sound out of place. It's got a kinda folk-pop vibe that I actually kinda like.
Cinderblock Garden- 9.5/10.
This song sounds very All Time Low. That probably sounds odd to say, since these are all obviously songs by All Time Low, but I feel like there are so many elements in this song that are so essential to All Time Low as a band.
Tidal Waves (Feat. Mark Hoppus)- 7.5/10.
This is another one with the softer sound. It's also my least favorite. It has some Nothing Personal elements because of the electronic sound to the chorus, but it's nowhere near as exciting as Nothing Personal. I just feel like the song never really builds to something. It just kinda flat-lines.
Don't You Go- 10/10.
I love this one. It sounded very familiar but not because it was similar to All Time Low songs. It is a little, but Alex's vocal style reminds me a little of Billie Joe. This definitely has more of the grittier Future Hearts sound, and I love it. It has a splash of Dirty Work, but in a good way.
Bail Me Out (Feat. Joel Madden)- 9/10.
This song just makes me think of Good Charlotte. And not just because Joel is on it. I feel like the music is also very Good Charlotte as well. It definitely has some of the softer sound to it, but the fact that it's mixed with a Good Charlotte-esque sound elevates it above the other songs with that vibe.
Dancing With a Wolf- 10/10.
This. Song. Hands down, my absolute favorite song on the CD. It's got the grittier sound to it and it's just so great. It's got just the slightest tinge of an electronic sound to it, which is actually super cool. It's just so fun and such a jam song.
The Edge of Tonight- 8.5/10.
I had to give this one a little time. Initially, I was like "Nope, too much pop. Don't want to listen kbye." But the chorus is really great. Overall, the song definitely has that softer sound, but the chorus almost makes up for the overly poppy verses.
Old Scars/ Future Hearts- 10/10.
The sound on this one is extremely similar to the one on Satellite. They're the most gritty songs on the CD and I love it. Also, I keep feeling like Alex's vocals have a Billie Joe-esque sound on this CD. I'm not sure why. But yeah, this one is really great. I think ATL should explore this grittier sound a bit more. I'm a big fan.
Favorite Songs: Dancing With a Wolf, Don't You Go, Old Scars/ Future Hearts
Least Favorite Songs: Tidal Waves.
Video!
Kids in the Dark music video
Something's Gotta Give music video
Rating: 8.5/10. I know that this isn't exactly the average of all of the ratings, but it's certainly the most common rating. I like this CD, but I have some mixed feelings about it. I'm definitely going to be jamming to it and blasting it for quite a while, because I do genuinely like it, but I really wish that they had explored the grittier sounds more because those were really great.
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!
Hey, y'all! So I originally was not going to do a post about my most anticipated books of 2015 because I didn't think I had enough to post about, but upon further investigation and after watching a couple "most anticipated books of 2015" videos, I remembered some books that I'd previously forgotten were being released. I also found out about a few books that I'm now incredibly excited about.
I'm going to be talking about these in chronological order by when they're going to be released. A couple don't have official release dates yet, but I have a general idea of what time of the year they're going to be released, so I'll just put them wherever I think they belong.
The Mime Order
by Samantha Shannon
Release Date: January 27th, 2015
The first book on this list is also my most anticipated book of the year. I want this book in my hands like right now. The Mime Order is the sequel to The Bone Season, and is the continuation of The Bone Season series, which is supposed to be 7 books long. I read The Bone Season at the end of November, and I fell completely in love with the world and characters. I can't wait to see what happens next, because I was a bit worried about how it ended.
Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff
Release Date: January 27th, 2015
First of all, can we just look at this cover?! So gorgeous. Anyway, I'd actually forgotten about this one and saw a Booktuber talking about it and had to go ahead and add it on this list. The premise of this book reminds me a lot of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, which is one of my all-time favorite books. Basically, the book centers around the suicide of the main character's best friend and a playlist that the best friend left, with the note "listen and you'll understand." Part of me feels like this is going to be a not-as-good 13 Reasons Why, but I'm still intrigued and want to pick it up.
A Darker Shade of Magic
by V.E. Schwab
Release Date: February 24th, 2015
First of all, can we just talk about how absolutely gorgeous this cover is? I just sat frozen, staring at it, the first time that I saw it. So prettay! Anyway, this book just sounds amazing. Parallel Londons, magicians, and worlds that sound like they have a dystopian feel? Sign. Me. Up. This book sounds absolutely incredible.
Instinct
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release Date: March 31st, 2015
If I were to rank these books by my excitement, this one would probably be lower on the list, simply because I haven't read anything from the series yet. I've been collecting the books and obviously plan to read them at some point, but since I haven't read the other books, my excitement for this book is currently at "oh cool, new book!" and not "I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK NOW." That aside, this series does sound really interesting. It's pretty underrated, but anytime I see someone talking about it, they liked it. Plus, Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the biggest fantasy writers right now. She knows how to write fantasy.
Stiletto
by Daniel O'Malley
Release Date: June 30th, 2015
This is the second book in The Checquy Files, and the sequel to The Rook. I'm really excited for this book, even though I haven't read The Rook yet. It's one of the first books I plan to read in 2015, so hopefully I get to that soon and can get really excited about this book. The series sounds really interesting, and right up my alley. So I'm really looking forward to getting into these books.
Lair of Dreams
by Libba Bray
Release Date: April 14th, 2015 July 7th, 2015
This one's pretty high on my excitement meter. I absolutely loved the first book in this series (trilogy? IDK) and I cannot wait to read this one. Especially since it's even longer than the first one. Yay, big books! Anyway, I wasn't super excited about how the romance left off at the end of the first book, so I hope that it gets fixed in this book. Also, up until recently, the release date was in April, and now it's been pushed back until July. I am not happy.
Armada
by Ernest Cline
Release Date: July 28th, 2015
Once again, I love this cover! It makes me think of book covers from back in the 70s/80s. Anyway, I absolutely loved Ernest Cline's first novel, Ready Player One, and it sounds like this one is going to have the same vibe. Sci-Fi, video games, dystopian worlds, what more could I ask for? So excited!
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
by Patrick Ness (No Cover Yet)
Release Date: August 28th, 2015
Patrick Ness seems like such a unique writer. He has a really interesting writing style, and he seems to come up with so many incredibly interesting concepts. In The Rest of us Just Live Here, the main character is just a normal person who lives in a world with crazy paranormal creatures. But he/she (I haven't seen anything saying one way or the other) isn't one of the people fighting these creatures, but rather just a normal person who knows people who fight the creatures. That just sounds really unique and cool.
Lady Midnight
by Cassandra Clare
(No Cover Yet)
Release Date: September, 2015
I love Cassandra Clare. I love the Shadowhunter world. I really wish that she would release The Last Hours first because the characters seem more interesting to me, but I'll read absolutely anything that she releases that's in the Shadowhunter world.
Untitled (Ms. Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3)
by Ransom Riggs (No Cover Yet)
Release Date: September, 2015
Originally, this wasn't on my list because Goodreads said it wouldn't be released until 2016. But I checked back the other day and it said September 2015! Yay! I'm not sure if this will be the conclusion of a trilogy or the continuation of a series, because Ransom Riggs hasn't exactly made that clear, but whichever it is, I've enjoyed the series so far and can't wait to see what happens next!
Carry On
by Rainbow Rowell (No Cover Yet)
Release Date: October 6th, 2015
When I heard that Rainbow Rowell was releasing this as its own book, I got so excited. I'm assuming that since it's actually titled Carry On, it will be Cath's fan-fiction, but I've also heard people saying that they thought it was going to be a "canon" Simon Snow novel. I'm just going to stick with the "Legit Carry On" theory, and hope that's what it is, because I would absolutely love to read that. So excite!
Winter
by Marissa Meyer (No Cover Yet)
Release Date: November 24th, 2015
I haven't read The Lunar Chronicles yet, but it sounds like something I would absolutely love, and it's really high up on my TBR. I'm definitely going to be finished with the first three by the time this comes out, and maybe even with Fairest, the prequel. I'm just beyond ready to get into this series.
Passenger
by Alexandra Bracken (No Cover Yet)
Release Date: 2015 (probably late fall)
This is the first book in a new duology about a teenage girl who accidentally discovers that she can time travel and goes on a treasure hunt across continents and time. And that just sounds really epic.
So, those are my most anticipated books of 2015! What books are you looking forward to in 2015?! Let me know down in the comments!
I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date.
I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!
