amarisafloria

I am a total nerd when it comes to keeping track of new books and their release dates, so I thought I'd share my full list with you all in hopes that you will find a new book or two to read or look forward to!

My plan is to release each month's list by the 15th of the previous month—for example, the February 2017 edition will be posted by January 15th. (I'm a little late with this month's, but I didn't actually decide to do this until a couple of days ago. If you've been around here for a little while now, you might remember I tried to do something called "Up & Coming." It didn't work out, so I hope this DOES!)

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• To order a book on Amazon, click on the cover (note: they're affiliate links!)
• To add a book to your Goodreads page / read the synopsis, click on the title link.
• All titles in italics are sequels.
• Most of the titles shared below are categorized under Young Adult, but there are a couple of crime fiction reads. This list isn't meant to be exclusive, so if you know of any other titles — please let me know! (See next bullet point for more details.) I just don't know where to look for books outside the genre I read.
• If you would like to add your book(s) below or in any of my future "releases" posts, please email me at amarisafloria@gmail.com or leave a comment.
• All research/images/dates/etc. are gathered via Amazon, Edelweiss, and Goodreads.

After reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, I finally realized my love for psychological thrillers and crime fiction. (I like to think I've adopted it from my mom—you see, all she watches are crime dramas. Criminal Minds, Bones, even Murder, She Wrote and COLUMBO. You name the episode, she's seen it!) There's just something about separating lies from the truth, piecing together the facts, and finally getting to the big reveal/plot twist that is incredibly satisfying.

Ruth Ware was one of the first mystery authors on my radar and surprisingly, I started (and finished) both of her books within one month. That says a lot about her, because I never read two books in a row by the same author. As you'll notice in a little bit, Ware writes about women who are invited to special events and get trapped in sticky situations.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Ware's published novels: In a Dark, Dark Wood (her debut) and The Woman in Cabin 10.



If you're looking for something to zoom through in one sitting, look no further. In a Dark, Dark Wood will pull you in from the very beginning, so don't start this before you go to bed. Unless you want to go to work/school with fatigue.

Fall (or rather, AUTUMN, because it sounds fancier) is my favorite season. I just love the idea of reading under a comfy blanket and drinking a nice cup of tea. But it's quite hard to imagine that now, especially since it was in the nineties yesterday! And lemme tell you, it never gets that hot until summer starts saying goodbye. *Insert that one emoji where the eyes are looking up*

Knowing myself, I'd be lucky if I read five of these. I really think it could happen this time around though, especially since I'm a lot more picky about what I read now. If you're planning on reading any of these, please tell me! And maybe we can do a buddy read or something :)





1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
I've been getting into psychological thrillers recently! While this one has been buzzing for quite some time now, I haven't wanted to read it until I accidentally watched the trailer. This storyline is INTENSE, and there's just something about a mysterious disappearance that entices me.

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
This one is slightly embarrassing, considering the fact that I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. Even if it's just a long list of magical creatures, I still want to learn about them!

3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
I'll be honest, I have little interest in reading this aside from the fact that I want to see the movie. I don't think it's the kind of genre I enjoy, but I hope I'll be surprised anyway! Seems like a perfect fit to match this season.



4. Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin // November 1st
I've already spoken about this book in my most anticipated releases post, so you probably already know I BEEN ready to read this one. If you're following this duology: do you think I'll need to read Iron to Iron (the novella) before diving into Blood for Blood?

5. Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra // September 20th
Another "girl goes missing" story, but what makes this one interesting is that it's told in the perspective of the person who takes over the missing girl's life. I've heard it's fast-paced, but I don't want to know anything else because it's a psychological thriller. (Surprise! Another PT I want to read!)

6. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff // October 18th
Yes, another book I mentioned earlier this year. For good reason, I promise. It was intense (as I keep saying ... I'm like a broken record, really) and I am dying to know what happens!!!



7. When I Don't Desire God by John Piper
In picking this book, I want to challenge myself to think about what I believe in, what joy really is, and what I can do, as the title says, when I don't desire God. Maybe it's a book I'll be able to share about on this blog when I finish!


8. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
This book has been on my radar for almost a year now, and I'm not quite sure why I haven't picked it up yet. I'm planning to read this for the #OwnVoices October read-a-thon (watch this video if you're interested!) but I'm actually not sure why it's considered "own voices" ... perhaps Heilig is from Hawaii?

9. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
I've realized just recently that while I am Asian American, I rarely read anything with PoC characters. Not that being Asian American means I should, but reading about characters like me is something I support. I've heard only good things about Ng's debut novel, and it'll be an "out-of-comfort" read for me, as I don't read literary fiction often (if at all ...)

10. In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
I can't imagine being in the right sort of mood to read this one, so I don't know if I'll actually pick it up this autumn. But it's on this list because I *hope* to get to it soon. I want to learn about her experience in North Korea/China and how it shaped her to become the person she is today.

This was an unusual summer. Last summer was my first summer out of school, and I interned in New York City so it FELT like a vacation. But this summer was the same as spring—I worked during the week and went out on some weekends, nothing special. I don't love summer as much as I used to when I was in school, which makes sense because it doesn't mean "a break from school" anymore. But not loving summer doesn't equal hating summer. In fact, I'm happy that I was able to do new things (go strawberry picking, try a new Thai restaurant, celebrate an engagement, etc.) But I am even happier now that autumn is arriving :)



Bay Area Book Festival // Joseph was very sweet to suggest spending our first Saturday in June at this event. We went to the panel titled "A Sense of Place: Writing Where We Live (and Lived)" and met Stacey Lee after!

My family and I rarely travel together, so it was really nice to take a weekend trip to Monterey this summer. We didn't get to visit the aquarium there, but we DID visit Point Lobos and see sea lions! Just being together is enough for me.

I took Joseph to watch/listen to Ratatouille at the San Francisco Symphony in July—the perfect combination since he loves the orchestra and Disney. (Ratatouille is actually his favorite Disney movie!) There's nothing like hearing movie music played live, it was a good experience!

I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST, finally! It was my first time trying, but driving is so scary. I still have anxiety doing it but I'm happy that's over and done with. Now my family and friends can stop bugging me about it :p

I celebrated my 24th birthday in August with three of my good girlfriends, and it was good just being with them. Joseph took me to Bouchon Bakery the weekend before (to celebrate) and we played a lot of Pokemon Go. I'll be honest, I'm not too invested in that game ... but I was very excited after taking over a gym!



I still have three or four more short stories to read in Summer Days and Summer Nights, an anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins, which I can't seem to get myself to read. I've also returned A Tyranny of Petticoats (edited by Jessica Spotswood) to the library ... I think I need to stay away from anthologies for the time being.


I totally forgot to photograph Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin Manuel Miranda, but you've probably seen it already. And if you haven't, I *should* be sharing the spine in an upcoming post :)

I still haven't read Cress (by Marissa Meyer) but I still felt the need to buy Stars Above, the ending novellas. I guess having a 20% off B&N coupon helps my case. Maybe.

Like I mentioned earlier, Stacey Lee was at the Bay Area Book Festival so I had to get Outrun the Moon, her newest young adult novel. I've since read + reviewed it in my mini reviews post last month and really liked it. It's perfect for younger readers (middle grade age) and those looking for an accurate representation of Chinese culture.

Scored Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson for less than $5 at Half Price Books, but I'm not ready to cry my eyes out :(


This was supposed to be a stack of books I bought from Book Outlet, but I left out Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle and added Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Good job, self. Other books pictured: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee, and The Bitter Kingdom, the final book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson.

I had no idea Jen Wilkin wrote another book earlier this year, so I got None Like Him with a gift card that one of my very sweet friends, Stephanie, gave me for my birthday. (Thank you, girl!!!) I also purchased When I Don't Desire God by John Piper because I think the man is an excellent theologian. I haven't heard anyone talk about this one though, but I trust that it's good.



What's Inside: Songs from Waitress by Sara Bareilles—I had this album saved on my Spotify from ages ago, but for some reason I didn't listen to it until this summer. (C'mon, past Amaris ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING.) Sara did an amazing job with these songs, and I really think this set deserved to win the "Best Score" award. Too bad it was competing against Hamilton. My favorites: "What's Inside," "When He Sees Me," "She Used to be Mine," and "Lulu's Pie Song" :)

I flew through the first season of Jane the Virgin at the end of July and you guys, it is SO dramatic and funny. CW is killin' it with all these excellent shows. My only problem with JtV = there's a love triangle. My poor heart can't take it ...

Psychological fiction! This started out after I watched Ex Machina, a sci-fi/psychological thriller about a programmer who is given the chance to develop an AI with his CEO. (Great movie, by the way.) Now I just want to read all the books that'll mess with my mind. This also explains why I read Gone Girl :p

Grant Gustin's "CW EYES." YOU'RE WELCOME!

Earlier this year, I shared some reading/blogging goals for 2016. I was honest about wanting to stick with them, but I've been doing a pretty crappy job at it. This is the first time I've looked at the six-item list since writing it. Oops. I know 2016 is more than halfway over, but I still have some time to revise and start/continue working toward my goals. Since I'm looking over January to June, I will consider July a "lost" month for now. It will be removed from my brain for the time being, until I talk about my year as a whole!



I'm pretty sure I was dreaming when I made this goal, because I can barely read 70 books in total. AND I visit my library at least once a week. Yikes. By the end of June, I only read 37 things—and by "things," I mean comics, graphic novels, full-length books, short stories, etc. Twenty-five were from the library and 5 were ARCs, which means I have only read 7 books from my bookshelf.



Compared to last year, I am doing WAY better. But I could still use a bit of improvement, especially since I'm easily suckered by enticing blurbs. As I'm looking at my reading pattern for the first half of 2016, I can see all the lulls ... and it happens right after a "tough-to-get-through" book. Which, more than likely, I chose on a whim.



I don't jot down my initial feelings after reading, which is what I originally hoped to capture BUT I'm doing pretty good with recording! I usually chicken-scratch all my thoughts on recycled paper while I'm reading, and then transfer what I really want to remember in my book journal. It's nice to revisit a book after a couple of days (or weeks!) and re-read all my favorite parts. I'm caught up with documenting all the books I've read since the end of June, but this is probably the easiest goal to keep up with.


Like I mentioned in my first goal, I read 37 things in June and 27 of them are now reviewed/rated on Goodreads! 73%! I'm actually surprised to be more than halfway there. Like I mentioned briefly in my mini reviews post on Monday, I never review until it's too late. And by "too late," I mean WHEN MY BRAIN DOESN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ANYMORE. But it helps that I am writing things down, I just need to do a better job of typing something up immediately after I read.


The more I think about this one, the less I like it. I originally added this to my list to keep from restricting myself to certain genres and stay away from burnout, but I've since realized that challenges can be a good thing for me. (Why do I have a rule about having no rules?!)



I STILL haven't done this. In fact, I haven't really updated anything on my blog this year. Except for my 2016 reads page. Not knowing how to organize it all is what's holding me back, so let me ask you—how do you enjoy browsing through favorites? By genre? Subject matter? Title/author? Do you like seeing covers?

TL;DR VERSION: Read two books from my shelf each month. Make good choices. Keep taking notes and reviewing. Stop making rules about having no rules. Add all favorites to one page!