May Reading Wrap Up

I know, I know I am supposed to have actual reviews between my two wrap ups (admittedly I did post the last one like two weeks late).  What can I say?  Grad school has been crazy (I performed at the CSO's Symphony Center last week!! Which of course means even more insane rehearsal schedules.  Painful, but worth it...)

So with no further ado, let's look at the books I remember I've read:

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (I was really surprised in not good ways about it.  I usually love retellings of classic fairy tales but...this one seemed to be more about pretentious literary debates.  I'll probably review this as I should probably start not just having excited reviews haha)

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (A fun read, it stick much more to the simplistic format of fairy tales, which I enjoyed in contrast to Dean's book which I read directly before this one)

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff (I'm torn on this one...it's a very charming read and parts of it I absolutely loved, but there were many moments I didn't love)

Spirited by Nancy Holder (A fun read - one of the more substance less fluff novels from the Once Upon A Time Series)

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson (I am having some issues with teen fiction right now.  Since when has the term slut become acceptable use throughout a novel?  It was an interesting story, but one that I couldn't connect to, in part because of my previous statement.  There will definitely be a follow up on this one.)

The Iron Fey Trilogy by Julie Kagawa (Ugh.  I loved it and I hated it at the same time.  The same issues I always have when teen fiction involves the faerie universe, and at the same time Kagawa didn't always fall into those traps.  It drove me nuts and made me want to thank her at the same time!)
The Iron King
The Iron Daughter
The Iron Queen

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (Dessen delivers again.  Along with Deb Caletti by far one my favourite authors of the YA/Teen fiction genre)

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt (I found the premise really unbelievable.  I thought it was a fun read at times, but just so, so unbelivable)

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (read above notes about Dessen)

Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren (I read nonfiction!  Well a memoir anyway, that counts right?  You should be proud of me.  And for someone who doesn't often wander away from just straight fiction, this was refreshing)

Stay by Deb Caletti (read above notes about Caletti)

I'll point out that I don't necessarily agree with all of these reviews (I'm much too lazy to spend more than a minute looking for a review post I agree thoroughly with...let's be honest, if I hadn't been so slack with my writing I'd have reviews up for some of these I could link to.  But...I didn't write, so there's that haha), but I do agree with most of them, and all of them have valid points.

And for those of you who are interested in other things I do (note: no one, but I'm going to post anyway), I caught up on a lot of manga chapters that came out the past month or two.

The One (...guilty pleasure)
Kaichou Wa Maid-sama (cute fluffy manga)
SkipBeat (one of the best things I have EVER READ EVER and if you are even considering reading manga, you should really read it.  DO IT NOW!  Although I'm not sure where the mangaka is going with this weird story arc recently)
Five 57 (cute fluffy manga more friendship focused than relationship.  A little reminscent of Ouran with the school's weird antics)

...and of course all my fictionpress and fanfic guilty pleasures.  I am a beta on both sites so some that is actual work though!


...ok my procrastination from cleaning and making reeds is making itself clear.  This post is entirely too long for what it is meant to be.  I'm off to be productive...just before midnight...

Until next time - where there WILL be reviews!