Bookish Feels: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

The Book: Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.  (from Goodreads)

My Feels: Remember how in my last post I said Mic let me borrow her ARC of HEARTLESS? Well, here is the proof! I think I devoured this in about 2-3 days. What can I say, I'm obsessed with Meyer's work. This beauty comes out November 8th, and it's been one of the Fall reads I've been anticipating. This standalone completely differs from The Lunar Chronicles in terms of world building and societal norms. TLC gives you the future, but HEARTLESS brings us back into the past, at times reading like a YA Victorian novel--I absolutely adored it. Also Cath's character ARC was so perfectly aligned with the plot. And Cath and Jest! Be still, my heart!

What really shined for me was the characterization. Meyer put her own spin on these memorable characters that made reading this retelling so refreshing. Not to mention, Cath bakes! I don't know why, but I loved this side of her and all the similes/metaphors using food.

If you love Meyer as much as I do, you won't be disappointed picking this up. Make sure to get some yummy desserts as a reading companion while you gobble these words up!

A New York Kind of Celebration.

My last vacation for the summer has come and gone, and I'm already mourning it. But at least I can write this blog post and look back fondly on my time in New York.

So why New York City? Though Michael and I have already visited the big apple (both on our own), we decided to go back together to celebrate Michael's 29th birthday. For me, it was also a chance to connect with writers I'd met through PitchWars, visit old friends, and splurge on all the deliciousness NYC had to offer.

So my trip in a nutshell:

Thursday
Michael and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. Pacific Time to catch our flight. We arrived in the early evening and connected with Michael's friend, Josh, for drinks and dinner at Olmstead (in Brooklyn, which was amazing btw). Afterwards we went to a few bars in Greenwich and stayed up until midnight to celebrate Michael's birthday. Before crashing back at the hotel, I tried my first slice. For someone who doesn't care for Pizza, it was delicious. Now I understand the hype. Also, the NY slice totally beats the deep dish pizza of Chicago (IMO).

Friday
For Michael's birthday we visited The Natural History Museum with Josh and my PitchWars friend, Michella. After a year of knowing each through out PW class, we were finally able to meet IRL and it was awesome! Afterwards, we went the The Strand for a drink and the view before we all separated.

For dinner, I snagged a rez at Le Bernardin a month ago. Michael's been wanting to go here for the longest time. It has 3 Michelin Stars, and it's currently ranked 24 in the world. For Michael, chef's are his rockstars, and Eric Ripert didn't disappoint. It was one of the best meals I have ever had in my entire life, coming second to Alinea (Chicago wins on that ;)).

After the life-changing meal, we ended the night with a night cap and a view from The Press Lounge.

Saturday
This day was spent as a date day! Michael and I stopped at Ippudo for some ramen for lunch (check out the smile in my bowl) before we headed to The Met. Though it was my second time there, I still felt like I didn't see everything. Ancient Egypt and American Art were my favorites though this time around. 

After, we took a stroll through Central Park even though it was so humid and hot. We didn't last long though and headed to Laduree for some macaroons before the hotel to clean up for dinner.

It was just before dinner that I got my first celebrity sighting! I saw Heather Lind (actress who plays Anna Strong on TURN)! She ended up eating at the same restaurant we were going to (Maison Premiere).

Sunday
I started the morning with brunch at Jane with Michael and Josh before meeting up with Michella in Brookyln. She took me to Smorgasburg in Prospect Park and the food was amazing (except the raindrop cake which really didn't taste like anything--total let down, but it looks pretty!).

Afterwards we met up with Kat (another PitchWars friend I got to meet IRL) at Books of Wonder for Beth Revis's author event. When it was over, we headed to Michella's favorite bakery, Breads, where we talked books, publishing, and life. We had so much to discuss we continued it over dinner. We would be the best panel to listen to ;) Just saying.

Monday
I got to reconnect with my fellow Aggie, JH Yun, who I haven't seen since our days in 100F (Creative Writing Fiction course at UC Davis) three years ago. She just received her MFA in poetry from NYU, so it was a pleasure to catch up and talk about all the time that had passed since we'd last seen each other. She's an amazing poet! If you haven't checked out her stuff, you really should.

The humidity that day was unbearable. I remember getting ice cream at Popbar after and it literally melted before I could eat it. And then, what do you know, a thunderstorm rolled in.

Trapped at a wine bar with Michael and Josh, we passed the time drinking wine before dinner in Korea Town.

Tuesday
Before I knew it, the trip was over. Michella was sweet enough to drop by my hotel before I left with a farewell gift (I MISS YOU MICHELLA!). She really is the sweetest. And she let me borrow her ARC of HEARTLESS. *heart eyes everywhere*

For Michael and I's last day, we decided to go to the One World Observatory before heading to the airport. I still can't wrap my head over what happened 15 years ago, but I found the memorial to be hopeful. 

Now that vacation is over and I'm back at home, I know I have to get my butt into the chair and start on revisions (so wish me luck!).

On a last note, the PitchWars submission window is opening next week! I'm crossing my fingers for all you hopefuls!

Bookish Feels: Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

The Book: When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault. (From Goodreads)

My Feels: So I've been in a total book slump, and decided to pick up this book by Courtney Summers because 1.) I love her raw, writing style, and 2.) she always leaves me with a book hangover. Why it took me so long to pick this up since I loved ALL THE RAGE and SOME GIRLS ARE is beyond me, but I'm glad it was there to break my reading slump.

Okay. So my feels. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like Parker. She's bitchy and completely unlikeable, and if I couldn't understand why she was like that or empathize with her, I knew I wouldn't make it through the whole book. But Summers has this talent for bringing to life the characters on the page, that they all seem familiar and completely real and imperfect. And within a couple of chapters, I found myself starting to relate to Parker (not completely, but enough to get hooked).  

Perfection is something I dealt with constantly in high school. As a new student at a school where everyone knew each other since their diaper days, it was difficult for me to climb up the social ladder. It was only when things started to fall apart for me that I realized how stupid it all was and how miserable striving for perfection made me. That's what made this book so unflinchingly real, that I consumed it in one sitting (like all of Summers books).

If you aren't on the Summers bandwagon, I highly suggest you get on it pronto. You won't regret it. This one deals with the tough stuff: regret, identity, secrets, anxiety, suicide. There's no sugarcoating, and that's what I love about it.

July Chaos and Portland

It's been a while since I've blogged, and I've missed it. The end of June and the beginning of July has been so chaotic, I basically stayed home all weekend to recoup. It's been a mix of work changes for both Michael and I, and a calendar filled of events, appointments, and obligations. 

On the plus side, my sister and brother-in-law came to visit last weekend so I could spend some time with my little niece.

But right as they were leaving, so was I to Portland for training. Portland was fun and I managed to eat my way through downtown, but my hotel stay at the Hilton was so awful. Also, training turned my brain to straight mush, so it's been really difficult for me to make progress with my WIP. I've done a read-through, made some notes, and reorganized the chapters into scrivener, but that's as far as I got. 

Normally, I'm really good at balancing things in my life, but the whole readjustment phase has taken a while. In a couple of days, I'll be going to NYC for vacation to celebrate Michael's birthday. More traveling, but this one I'm looking forward to. After that trip, I'm basically headed nowhere until the holidays so I'm shooting to make August my big revision month. In the meantime, I'm going to brainstorm more notes and catch up on my reading until my flight.

Also, PitchWars is upon the horizon which has made me seriously nostalgic. If you're debating whether or not to submit, let me make it easier for you: SUBMIT. It's one of the best things that happened to me last year, and I'd do it all over in a heartbeat. Good luck PW hopefuls!

Bookish Feels: Blood For Blood by Ryan Graudin

The Book: The action-packed, thrilling sequel to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf.

There would be blood.
Blood for blood.
Blood to pay.
An entire world of it.

For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.

Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?

This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.  (from Goodreads)

My Feels: So I've been putting off writing this bookish feels because it means there's some finality to this series, and no amount of rereading it will undo the damage to my heart. Ugh. My heart.

Okay, so HUGE THANKS to Michella, who was kind enough to share her ARC with me. I'll try my best not to post any spoilers, so let me just start with some advice: grab a box of Kleenex and keep a pint of your favorite ice cream in the freezer so you have it ready to console you afterwards.

Stylistically, the sequel was different due to the three POVs instead of just Yael's. I think it amped the pace and intensity of the plot, but I missed the rhymic and poetic feel of the first book. Nonetheless, I thought the three POVs were executed perfectly and Luka's character arc was just so perfect. Ugh. SO PERFECT. His character really shined.

And then, a return of a character. *clamps mouth shut from uttering the name* YES! YES! YES! 

And then the passage about the stars slowly disappearing, but Luka looks up to a star-filled sky. That metaphor. Wow.

And then the fact that the plot kept twisting and turning.

The ending that made me want to punch a character seriously in the face.

Yael & Luka <3

Tattoos!

*weeps*

Okay, this bookish feels probably will not benefit you because you have no idea what I'm talking about, so I guess you'll just have to snag a copy of this heartbreaking beauty when it comes out November 1st. Okay? Promise? Okay good.

Napa, A Wedding, & The Rest of My Trip

Day 3. We left Sonoma and crossed over to Napa. Michael and I had a wedding to attend in Santa Rosa where we would finally get to meet up with my family. We still had time to kill though, so we headed over to Napa to do more tasting!

Our first stop was Caymus. It was always on Michael's list to try, and we missed it the last time we were in Napa, so it was nice to finally go. The outdoor seating was lovely in the nice weather. Next, we went to the futuristic Palmaz, where they showed us their new tech and how they used gravity instead of pumping to give their wine some smoothness. It felt like a James Bond movie, and the wine was amazing. I totally recommend. To end, we did a tasting at Wine Country Connection where we got to chat with a Master Somm which was a neat first for us!

Afterwards, we met up with my family in Santa Rosa for a wedding! It was the first time I met my niece, who is absolutely adorable. No wonder my mom says I've been replaced!

Of course, my family proceeded to take a zillion selfies since it's a rarity for all of us to be together (unless it's Thanksgiving). Who do you think I look the most alike?

I also just realized that I wear the same dress to almost every wedding. I need a wardrobe update asap!

When the wedding was over, Michael and I hitched a ride back to Sacramento to spend our remaining days of vacation with my family. There, I got to hang out with my cousins, eat amazing home-cooked meals of all my favorites, spent time with friends, and I even fit in some reading time (I'll save my thoughts of BLOOD FOR BLOOD for a 'Bookish Feels' post).

Getting back from vacation is always rough for me. Heck, it took me almost two weeks to even blog about it and for Blaire to warm back up to us. For me, I took a few days to adjust, and then even a couple of more days to get the motivation to work off my vacation weight (the food and wine, was all worth it though ;)).

Currently, I've been obsessed with 'Poldark' (thanks to Michella), which has helped with my book hangover and vacation withdrawals. I loved it so much, I spent the last week reading the first two books of the series it's based off of. But with June almost over, and my next vacation around the corner, I know I need to get back to my WIP and revise, research, and read!

Sonoma Wine Trip: Russian River Valley & Bravas

Day two exploring the Sonoma wine country was amazing. Even better because Michael and I had a tour guide. In total, we tasted at 6 different wineries! I couldn't tell you all the names because I don't remember half of them, but it was really neat to compare the pinots and chardonnay from this valley. I found that the chardonnays I preferred came from the Sonoma Coast (so I think a trip to the coast is in order--sometime in the future at least).

After our full day of tasting, we went out for ice cream at the Noble Fir before heading to dinner at Bravas (dessert before dinner ;) yum).

All in all, the trip exceeded my expectations. The wine region here is huge though, so I have a feeling Michael and I will be back since there's so much more to explore.