Kristy's Cozy Reads Week 3 (1/19-1/25)

This week I was feeling in the mood to read some romance novels…my guilty-pleasure. And what a pleasure they are (If you know what I mean).

Okay, okay, let me save the naughtiness for the bedroom….

So I decided to give in this week and read 2 romance novels about some very gorgeous yet brutish and arrogant Scottish Highlanders. The type that every girl wants to meet having the chance to go up into the Highlands and looking for some romance and adventure…I know I have been fantasizing about this more than I probably should. Not the point though.

Anyway, the books I read were actually rereads, because I still find them fascinating the second and third time around.

A Gentle Feuding by Johanna Lindsey

The Wedding by Julie Garwood

These two wonderful ladies are actually my two favourite Romance authors. They know how to create a story, add handsome and charming characters, adventure, and they definitely know how to captivate their readers. So if you like romance novels (like I do) you should read their novels. If you have already read a few or all of them, then leave me a comment so we can talk about it or recommend me some of the ones you all like.

P.S. Johanna Lindsey’s Malory series is the BOMB!!

Genre Spotlight: Fantasy

It's that time of the week again to showcase one of our favourite genres with out Genre Spotlight of the week. Unfortunately last week due to the holidays, not much was posted and this was pushed back, but here it is!

This week's genre is FANTASY! There is nothing like diving into a whole new world!

Judith's Fantasy Recommendation: 

My pick for this week is The Alchemyst by Michael Scott! I read this book on my boyfriend's recommendation, since the series is one of his all time favorites. Well okay, it was more like "YOU BETTER READ IT! NOW!" What can I say, he's very passionate! :)  Regardless, I was glad I listened to him, because I really enjoyed it! It is quite the adventure and very action packed. If I am not mistaken, the whole story takes place within the span of one day. There is so much detail and world building on every single page. If you are even remotely a fan of history you will absolutely love this book. Michael Scott has an incredible talent when it comes to taking bits of history and giving them a whole new life. You begin to question certain events and even sometimes prefer his retelling to the original versions you know. This is one of those books you do have to pay attention to or you might miss an important part, but the ride is definitely enjoyable! If you are a fan of history and magic you will love this book!!! 



Kristy's Fantasy Recommendation:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
Many of you are probably going to kill me for this, but actually, the reason why I read this book or even learned about it was because of the film. When it came out I was captured by the fantasy with the promise of magic where you would least expect to find it; "middle of nowhere South Carolina," as Ethan Wate, the protagonist of the story, puts it. Along with the fantasy aspect of it, comes romance and new friendships that you wouldn't expect and even a little bit of history. Your least favourite characters become your favourite.
Another thing I love is that these characters are avid readers with a love for "banned" books. It infuriates the overly religious women and you can't help but laugh at their outrage.
The more you read, the more the plot begins to twist and you don't know what is real and what isn't. You are trapped with the need to find out more...until you pick up the second book (which I need to continue reading). But you won't be disappointed. There is so much magic filling the pages that you will be entranced the entire way through.


If any of you lovelies have any fantasy faves that you would like to recommend or just really love, leave us a comment. We'd love to hear from you all!

Next Week's Genre Spotlight will be Contemporary. If anyone has any future genres they'd like to see in the spotlight or any ideas of their own, leave a comment to let us know.

Until next time lovelies!

Kristy's Holiday Book Haul!

I got a few books over the holidays which I can't wait to read! These were actually all from Judith (and her bf....so you know he's a keeper)! I've also added tons more to my wishlist, which I will soon purchase. In the meantime, I have these three and a few more in my collection that I have yet to read; because, you know, I am constantly buying more and more books despite the fact that I have plenty that I have yet to read. But you can NEVER have enough books!

• Harry Potter Film Wizardology
• Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
• Legend by Marie Lu

 I'm actually excited about these, especially HP because I am the #1 fan (at least in my mind) and love everything Harry Potter. I'm a little obsessed. Okay....a lot obsessed. I flipped through the 100+ page book and was fascinated by it, as if I was in that magical world once again. There were also the most awesome props like the invitation/program for the Yule Ball, the Marauder's Map, my very own Acceptance Letter, and much more!

Etiquette & Espionage actually appealed to me because I love books about spies, especially when it's teenage girls doing the spying and kicking some major butt! I may just start with this one and get my fix.

Legend, well, it speaks for itself. I actually heard about it because I was intrigued by the second book, but I have to start at the beginning. War, action, secrets, and romance all in one. It sounds like my cup of tea!

Can't wait to read these!

If you lovelies got tons of books for the holidays, let us know what they are. it can be one or a trillion (which is about the amount that Judith got...jealous!) We'd love to hear from you!

Kristy: New Years Bookish Resolution

HAPPY NEW YEARS LOVELIES! 

The new year is upon us and I have already made tons of resolutions that I intend to keep. It's going to be hard but I am determined to go forth and push myself, especially this year when I have so many. These, however, are my lovely fun and crazy bookish resolutions. I don't know if I'll do ten like Judith or more or less, but the year is young so who knows?!

1. Read 50 books (minimum-which is 1/week, 4/month)
2. Reread and finish Blue Bloods series
3. Finish all the books I own but haven't started (it's a lot!)
4. Read more non-fiction books
5. Post at least 3 times a week
6. Read more short stories and poetry
7. Read a book whose title starts with each of the letters in my name (stole this from Judith...grins evilly)

That's what I have so far, but like I said, the year is young so that can change at any moment. The one I really want to get through is the 50 books because last year I was barely able to read. Between school and work, I pretty much had no time for anything else, much less reading. How depressing. So this year I am determined to read more despite having work and school. I must make time for it, even if it's while I'm on break or an hour at the library. Any little bit counts. The rest are fun and entertaining but I won't go crazy if I don't finish those, though I will most definitely try! I can't wait to start and get these resolutions underway!

If you awesome readers have any bookish resolutions let me know in the comments! Would love to know what kinds of challenges and resolutions you all have set up for yourselves. But don't forget to just have fun with these.

Hope you all have an amazing year!!!

Judith: My Top Ten Bookish Resolutions!

HAPPY NEW YEARS LOVELIES! 

It is that time of year again where we all make resolutions for the upcoming year! ...and then give up on them one month in... ;) BUT I have faith this year will be different! I have set for myself 10 bookish resolutions that I really want to stick to in 2014. Some are quite big while others are small and just for added fun! So here is the list:

1. Read 100 books (Still torn on whether to count novellas or not!)

2. Read a total of 40,000 pages

3. Complete 15 series

4. Read 10 Non-fiction books

5. Read 5 books dealing with a genre or topic I don't normally read much about

6. Post a review for at-least 50 books

7. Post at least 3 posts a week

8. Re-read all the Harry Potter books

9. Read all of John Green's novels

10. Read a book whose title starts with each of the letters in my name

Those all all my resolutions at the moment, thought I could always add more throughout the year! I will post an update  at the end of the month on how I am doing so far! The scariest ones are definitely the 100 books, 40,000 pages, and the 50 reviews! But all the other ones shouldn't be too much trouble. Of course, this is not a set list and I won't be too upset if I don't achieve all of them, but it is always fun to have a goal to work towards.  

What are your bookish resolutions?!! 

Let me know in the comments! 

Hope you all have an amazing year!!!

Kristy: Christmas Booktube-a-thon Wrap-Up!

So you've heard....it's over and the results are in!

As the clock struck twelve, I'm sorry to say that the carriages turned back into pumpkins, the horses back to mice, and Cinderella, well, she lost a shoe. I guess, if you were Cinderella, of course, that's what would have happened, but here it was a different story entirely. For us here at The Cozy Corner, and I'm sure for many of you book lovers out there, twelve signified the end of the Christmas Booktube-a-thon for the year. Here is how it went...

It was a stormy day, dark clouds filled the sky....and there was NO rainbow! Ok, that's not entirely true. There were no clouds or rainbows and the sun was glowing hot in the sky...and many things were going on around me. I had just gotten home right before 12 midnight (Thursday-Friday) from Santa's Enchanted Forest (which my novel of choice was way more enchanted) ready to dive in to a new book. Honestly, I didn't think I would even get to read much because I was so tired from walking and laughing, and riding sketchy carni rides the night before, but alas, as soon as i opened the book I was transported into a world that I just couldn't deny. So I read and I read and I read, until I knocked out at 4 or so in the morning.

It took me all weekend, but I finished all 418 pages of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It was magical. I hated that throughout the weekend I had to put it down so many times.

I'm sure you read Judith's account of my mini spazz-attacks I had throughout the challenge. (I think that in itself was a challenge). Let me tell you, they were more like "unparalleled spazz-attacks of the internal membrane," at least that's how I put it at the time. I think I may even be having withdrawals, however, more about that in my book review, so keep your eyes peeled!

Unfortunately, I only got to the one book, though I'm happy I got to read at all, with all the work and preparations for the holiday festivities going on.

And my lovely partner in crime, Judith, is way too fast at everything. I wanted to freeze her just a bit so that I could catch up to her, but oh well, it was still fun and I got a good fill. Now I just wish that I had the next segment because after such an intense read, I don't think I can sleep or read anything else. (Here lays Kristy is fetal position, rocking back and forth, while caressing my baby--I mean book!)

In other news, Judith and I are going to escape reality, hide out in a library, create a fortress of books and create our own secret tongue. You are all welcome to join in on the fun and if any of you awesome readers decide to actually build a book fortress, take a pic (with you [and friends] inside) and send it to us!

Anyway, keep an eye out for next week's posts:

1. Judith's review for Demon Glass, Catching Fire, and Legend .
2. My review for Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
3. Genre Spotlight: Fantasy

That's all for tonight (or morning, depending where in the world you all are). I hope you all had fun with this challenge and read as much as you could. Keep on reading and let us know with a few comments what you all will be reading in the week to come, books you hope to get for the holidays, or just anything at all that you would like to tell us. 

Judith: Christmas Booktube-A-Thon Wrap-Up!

THE END IS HERE!!!

The end of the Booktube-a-thon that is! Well, really as I am typing this there is still 30 more minutes left before it officially ends but by the time I stood in front of my bookshelf and picked what book to read next and picked a bookmark to match it, and got comfortable, time would be up anyways! So instead I am taking those last thirty minutes to tell you lovelies how it all went. AND I mean, I am technically reading this as I type it...that counts for something right??? No? Fine...

The weekend didn't go necessarily as planned. I had initially picked out three books to read during the Booktube-a-thon, one for each day but I didn't account for all the distractions I would have! My days turned out as follows:

FRIDAY: Read about 100 pages total from Catching Fire.
SATURDAY: Finished reading Catching Fire and read about 90 pages of Legend.
SUNDAY: Finished reading Legend.

NOTE: I did also manage to listen to about 2 hours worth of the Audiobook for Three Little Words by Susan Mallery.

I really wish I would have gotten to a third book but I am not too disappointed considering I did finish Demon Glass on Thursday right before the Booktube-a-thon! I am so happy though because all three books this week were incredible and I am itching to pick up all the sequels to them!!

I'm not sure if I will be reading anything else tonight, I might just catch up on some videos and TV shows for the rest of the night. Either way I had quite a blast participating in this Booktube-a-thon and I can't wait until the next read-a-thon comes a long!

Some posts to look forward to in the coming week:

1. My review for Demon Glass.
2. My review for Catching Fire.
3. My review for Legend.
4. Kristy's review for Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
5. Kristy's Booktube-a-thon wrap-up.
6. Genre Spotlight: Fantasy

Well lovelies, I am off! Let us know in the comments what you read this weekend! :D

Judith: Christmas Booktube-A-Thon Update!

Howdy everybody!!!

I wanted to write up a quick update on how the Booktube-a-thon has been going on my end. As I had mentioned in my Cozy Reads post, I was reading Demon Glass and finished it Thursday night. It was soooo good!!! I think I have decided I will post the review of it and Hex Hall soon because it was just too good not to! I ended up totally wishing I had the third one with me to pick up right away! I finished reading it about an hour before the Booktube-a-thon was set to begin and had a snack and surfed the internet for a bit while I waited. I thought I was going to be able to read right away but kept getting distractions! One thing after the other led to me not being able to even pick up Catching Fire until about 1:30 or 2:00 AM. I read about 44 pages but by that time my eyes were hurting from all the reading I did earlier and doing work on the computer. I had to put it down for the night, which I was quite disappointed about! By the time I woke up and did some chores around the house it was already 10 PM! I was quite upset that I was so far behind on my reading but decided to power through it and just focus on my book. I had a couple distractions (one of them being Kristy completely having mini freakouts while reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I think she might have found her one true love! Hahaha) but I managed to finish Catching Fire at a bit past 6:00 AM today! Once I really got into it I couldn't stop reading!! Gah! Now I want Mockingjay! But I don't have it either! :( I really can't wait to have some more book money...my resolution for this upcoming year will be to win the lottery and buy ALL the books! Sounds like a plan! I am sure that Kristy is totally down with me on this plan because she knows I would buy her ALL the books too! :) Anyways, I am off to see the wizard! By wizard I totally mean off to read something else!

Happy Reading!!!!

If any of you are participating in the Booktube-a-thon leave us a comment telling us which books you have read already. :)

Welcome to the Cozy Corner!

Hey everyone! I'm Kristy (or Kitten, I accept both lol) and I am crazy about books [and reading and writing]. I'm pretty random when it comes to what I read; from the classics to YA books, romance to sci-fi, and everything in between. I like to gush over leading male characters and tend to fall for them way too quickly. Yup, I'm going to be one of those crazy book-ladies who has way too many books (you can never have too many) and never gets married because she'll never find a guy quite like the fictional ones. So that's pretty much me....

Howdy fellow book lovers! My name is Judith and I am the better half of this duo! haha I kid, I kid! :D I have always been extremely passionate about reading and it has only grown as the years have gone by. I love to read everything, and won't ever turn down a book due to genre. I don't even know the genre of most of the books I read because I don't think it plays a key role in my choices. I am a very emotional person and a book that can make me feel something is a winner in my eyes. I too love gushing over my many many book boyfriends! (Let's not tell my real boyfriend this! haha) I love talking about books and thought this would be the perfect way for both of us to share our love with everyone! Hopefully you guys will enjoy the crazy ride that is Judith and Kristy!