Series: Descendants

2015 in Review (& End of Year and Statistics Surveys)

Posted December 31, 2015 in Life, Reading / 10 Comments

Big Things That Happened in 2015

  • I mentioned the school talent show in which the teachers sang Yellow Submarine.
  • I worked at a Catholic summer camp for the summer and had a blast. I wrote about it and shared some pictures.
  • I survived over a week of blinding smoke due to forest fires. It was insane. I talked about that here.
  • I had my very first ever Blogversary which was exciting.

Analysis of Books I Read in 2015

This was the very first year that I ever kept track of the books that I read. My stats have amazed me.

  • I read 141 books.
  • Almost all of the books I read this year were 4 or 5 stars. I must be pretty good at choosing books I know I’ll enjoy.
  • Over two-thirds of the books I read this year were from the library or books I own.
  • Over half of the books I read this year were hard copied (Paperback or Hardcover) while over a quarter were ebooks. Audiobooks made up the rest.
  • About a quarter of the books I read this year were debuts.

I made some pretty nifty looking pie charts in Excel (you can just pretend they are totally awesome).

2015 formats2015 covers2015 star ratings2015 debuts2015 source

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June and July 2015 in Review

Posted August 10, 2015 in Faith, Reading / 4 Comments

June and July 2015 in Review

It has been a crazy month and a half! I will share some of my summer camp experience here but most will wait until it’s own post with pictures!

Things that Happened in June & July

  • As you may recall from a previous post, I spent the summer working at a great Catholic summer camp. I really want to talk a lot about that but I promise I will post more with pictures later.
  • I survived 6 weeks without much cell phone service or internet. It was really great for me.
  • I also read things that I wanted to read rather than what I needed to read based on review copies and such.

Books I Read in June

City of AshesBlue Lily, Lily BlueA Whole New World
The Winner's CrimeThe Ring and the CrownThe Phantom of the OperaThe Isle of the Lost
Dream A Little DreamAll Fall DownA Wicked Thing
A Thousand Pieces of YouDaughter of Deep SilenceThe Wrath and the DawnThe Darkest Part of the Forest
The Night DanceThe Rose BrideThrone of Glass
In the Forests of the NightDemon in My View
 

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Review: The Isle of the Lost – An Island of Villains and Their Children

Posted July 22, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Review: The Isle of the Lost – An Island of Villains and Their ChildrenThe Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Descendants #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion (2015)
Hardcover (320 pages)
Rating:
Also by this author: The Ring and the Crown
Reading Challenges: 2015 Fairytale Retelling, Read 2015

Synopsis

Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon and made to live in virtual imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost. The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that’s been left to rot and forgotten by the world.
But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon’s eye: the key to true darkness and the villains’ only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it…who will it be?
Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.
Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent’s daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon’s eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.
Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen’s daughter, Evie, doesn’t know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she’s a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal’s little tricks.
Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he’s not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon’s eye.
Carlos: Cruella de Vil’s son may not be bravest, but he’s certainly clever. Carlos’s inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon’s eye and ending the banishment for good.
Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon’s eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She’ll just need a little help from her “friends.” In their quest for the dragon’s eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain’t so bad.

Find the book: Goodreads

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