Small practices for relaxation, anxiety-relief

Dealing with anxiety has become a recent-ish thing since I finally acknowledged what I'm feeling is more than just here/there stress, so I've been discovering ways to cope. In the past I've kind of naturally gravitated towards things like isolating myself and cleaning my room at midnight when I can't sleep, but now that I'm more aware I've sought out different ways. So here's some quick tips I've discovered at home.

1. Listen to a calm playlist. 

If you're like me and instrumental music doesn't give you the same stimulation as lyrical, but lyrical makes you analyze, then find songs in a different language. My current playlist features Japanese music, which I have on 8tracks. I use it most often to fall asleep, and it works every time.

2. Watch some yoga relaxation videos.

Yoga has been an amazing way for me to relax, and luckily there's tons of youtube videos for home practice. My personal favorite for relaxing is the corpse pose, and I'll link the video I use. It's the perfect length in my opinion—not long enough to fall asleep to, and not short enough that it doesn't work.

3. Own your space.

Lay on the floor in a place you feel comfortable where you can stretch out, put some headphones in, play some of your favorite music, and sing along. This is more of a cheer-up than relax tip, but sometimes that's what you need. A bit more happy than calm.

4. Have some reading fun.

Find some old picture books and start reading. It's got a nostalgic, calming effect to just lose yourself in the childhood things you love; plus, usually the art and stories are pretty inspiring.

5. Sketch it out.

If you're artistically inclined, or you're comfortable enough with art that it doesn't frustrate you, then do some sketching. Find a comfortable spot and look for something to focus on. It could be a doorknob, a sock on the floor, whatever. But be sure to also tell yourself that this is for fun. It's not a challenge to prove yourself. The quality of the sketch doesn't matter, it's just for the concentration.

Let me know what else you do to relax and de-stress. And, of course, my top recommendation would be to see your doctor and discuss the best way to deal with your anxiety.

Looking forward to 2017 for the books

So yeah...2016 was rough. Blog-wise I had no motivation to update or read cause if you hadn't heard adult life is hard, and then life-wise just...yikes. Went a little news-numb towards the end there cause the bad was constant and overwhelming. So I'm ready to dive back into reading, and I'm hoping this list will give me some incentive.

Anticipated Reads of 2017:

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen (June 6th)

Dessen is an automatic read for me sometimes more for the nostalgia than the plot. Her formula has gotten a bit dull over the years, but I'm hoping maybe this one will break away a bit.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo (May 30th)

Honestly this just looks like a fun read, and it's got something I've personally never seen in a YA before—K dramas. I've watched a couple and really enjoyed them, so I'm excited to see how it influences a contemporary YA novel.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth (January 17th)

Her Divergent series didn't really catch my interest, but I absolutely loved her short story, Inertia, so I'm willing to give this one a shot. Also that cover art. It's beauty 100% makes me want to buy it anyway.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (May 30th)

Another novel with an amazing cover—I absolutely love how it's just so natural looking like a fun Insta photo that you wish you could have been apart of. The plot summary also hints at an opposites-clash-yet-they're meant-to-be cliche, which I'm always on board to read.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (February 28th)

So first of all, I've heard great things about this from Twitter, and actually just learned from the Goodreads summary that it's already had movie rights sold. Wow. But mostly I want to read this because it has important discourse for current events, and novels have always been one of the best ways for me to understand/comprehend oppression in a way I've never personally experienced.

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken (Janurary 3rd)

Yes, this has already come out. And yes, I already have it. But I haven't gotten around to reading it, so I'm still counting it. I put together a review for Passenger, the first in the series, so you can read that to decide if the series sounds appealing to you. (It's so goodddd.)

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (January 31st)

Alright so this is one of those weird ones where I haven't heard a lot of specific things, I've just seen praise for it all over my Twitter feed. I know at least that it's got magic and carnivals happening, and since I liked The Night Circus I'll give it a try.

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (May 16th)

Being honest here—I saw the main character was an alchemist and automatically wanted to read it cause of FMA. Sorry not sorry. Continuing past that, it seems like the start of a really badass series, and I've got a strong hunch I'm gonna love the protagonist.

And that's my list! Which I just noticed only has books for the first half of the year...whoops. Anyway, if everything goes as expected (when does it ever), then I'll have a review up for Wayfarer soon. But since I don't trust my lazy self, I've decided I'm also going to start bringing in the "thingamabobs" in my blog name and just share about random stuff. I'm very good at getting suddenly obsessed with new things, so expect the unexpected. I'd plan a post ahead of time and probably scrap it because I'm into something new. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Happy New Year!

An Ode to All the Books I Can't Read Because of College

(Okay, so this technically isn't an ode, but it's still me lamenting over some specific things.)

When school demands your full attention, there's not much you can do to resist; especially when a degree is on the line. With all the reading and studying I've had to do this semester, I've barely had any time to read for fun. I figured I would torture myself a little more and make a list of some books that will be published in the time before I graduate. Basically it's a "look but don't touch" list, and I might regret this in the future. If any of these seems like something you'd like, I would definitely recommend checking them out. I put links to all of their goodreads pages in the title.

Wink Poppy Midnight

Publication Date: March 22nd

First of all, look at that cover. Isn't it gorgeous? If I hadn't read the first couple chapters through the publisher I probably would have picked it up based on the cover alone. But putting that aside, the language and characters of this novel just seem so fascinating, and there's this huge mystery that I really want to see all the way through.

The Winner's Kiss

Publication Date: March 29th

The last book left us on such an awful cliffhanger, and I'm so desperate to get this book in my hands. I've seen wonderful reviews on Twitter (which btw I am 110% jealous of those lucky people), which makes the wait so much harder. Need this book in my life pronto.

When We Collided

Publication Date: April 5th

I haven't read anything by this author yet, but I've been trying to branch out and read more contemporary. I will say that I follow her on Twitter and she is hilarious—I was kinda sold on that point. Overall, this novel sounds like a pretty cool YA romance.

The Star-Touched Queen

Publication Date: April 26

Another author I haven't read, but honestly this whole novel seems right up my alley. Plus it's inspired by Indian mythology, which I would love to learn more about. Bonus 2: it's a standalone. Waiting years for a series to finish is so hard sometimes.

The Rose and the Dagger

Publication Date: May 3rd

Another last book in a series, and I am burning with questions that need to be answered. This one had a cliffhanger as well, but all the little teases of what's the come got me the most worked up. Another book I can't wait to finally have in my hands!

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories

Publication Date: May 17th

I absolutely LOVED the holiday version of this, so I'm just ecstatic that Perkins put together another list of great authors. This will be published right around the time finals are finished, so I'm thinking of rewarding myself with this book. I can't wait for the adorableness.

So there you have it! Six books that I will be pining over as I simultaneously cry over my textbooks for about two and a half more months. Happy March!

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury | Spoiler free review

I am the perfect weapon.  

I kill with a single touch. 

Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favor of the Gods has it's price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla's fatal touch. 

Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla's chilling role to the girl she truly is. 

Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen's, some truths should not be told...

Rating: 3/5
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Romance

High fantasy novels have a consistent history of presenting unique, compelling worlds and solid, inspiring characters. In my opinion, it's what makes the genre so awesome and one of my favorites. So, I would love to say The Sin Eater's Daughter fulfilled all of those expectations since I had heard such good things, but I was personally disappointed. The Sin Eater's Daughter was an interesting read with its world building and language but unfortunately a lot of other aspects lacked the same quality.

Getting through this book, in all honestly, was a bit difficult. The beginning was intriguing because of all that had to be introduced about the world, but after that it was a whole lot of build-up and not enough results. The pacing was slow enough that I lost interest, and I wanted more development in multiple ways. And after reading through it, I have a couple scenes in mind where I honestly have no idea what they were trying to support plot, character, or theme-wise.

The characters are what gave me the most trouble. I don't want to give a lot away, but I'll just say I was disappointed in character development. Twylla is a product of her peers, and I struggled to find her true personality. Nothing seemed to set her apart. And if you look at the genres you'll see there's romance, but I'll keep it brief by saying I didn't believe it. It was all kinds of awkward and I wanted to skip some scenes because they were very drawn out. Usually I'm all for the fluff, but there was something off about the relationship presented in the novel.

I will say that The Sin Eater's Daughter is well-done in its setting and history. It all comes together nicely, and past events connect well to present ones. The last third of the book was also exciting and enlightening—the best section of the whole novel. I also thought Salisbury did a good job with her themes, especially when presenting them through a certain character that I choose not to name, but they were honestly the most fascinating to read.

While I lost interest in this story, it has still gathered a steady following, so I would recommend this to anyone interested in a high fantasy novel with solid world building and fairy tale-esque twists. It is also the first in a series.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken | Spoiler free review

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now. 

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not. 

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever.

Rating: 4.5/5
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

Before I get started, a quick note to those who have read The Darkest Minds series: expect differences. And maybe that's incredibly obvious, but when I love the first series from an author, I struggle a bit when a new series is published. That one series is all you have to go off of, and you haven't yet seen all the author's tricks, so it's something I just have to keep in mind. Basically, when you get super into one series, it's characters, themes, settings, then it can be harder to transition. The Darkest Minds had very dark themes, and there was a lot of inner conflict because of Ruby's powers. Passenger touches on some similar themes, as most YA do because of the universal coming-of-age thing, but its tone is so much different. But it's still "morally complex," of course (suck it Bergstrom). So to be clear I'm not bashing it—I find it incredibly exciting because who knows what else Bracken will come up with! Just wanted to make sure people don't expect a repeat of her first series—Passenger is captivating in its own unique, wonderful way.

Onto the actual review! I was super excited to be able to read this ARC because I love Alexandra Bracken, but then it got even more intense when I opened it up to William Ernest Henley's poem "Invictus." This may be a stretch, but I feel like if you love that poem, then you will not be disappointed in Passenger. The two fit so well, and with all the time traveling, I have a little headcannon that the poem was inspired by the characters. But that's definitely a far stretch, so I'll just be happy in my little fantasy.

And one of my favorite things about Bracken's work is her theme choice and how she presents it. Time traveling stories take a lot of planning and thought since everything gets much more complicated, but I didn't see any fault in her twists and turns. And it's no surprise that "choice" was a heavy motif—since it's common among time traveling plots—but you'll love how she weaves it through her character's actions and thoughts. It's incredibly inspiring, and I have so many highlighted quotes in my copy. The language flows so well in classic Bracken style of fun dialogue and then deep inner thoughts, so if you know her work you'll see that her writing capability has not faltered at all.

Character wise, Etta and Nicholas are a force to be reckoned with—both individually and together. They shine in their own ways, and they blend seamlessly as partners. Their dynamic is so fun to read and observe, and it honestly was probably my favorite part out of the whole novel. Characters are what keep the readers interested, so that's an incredibly good sign. I found it very easy to connect to Etta, even though I definitely do not have time traveling powers, so there was no disconnect in that sense. Be ready to love these new characters Bracken introduces and soak it all up.

Overall, the only thing I had an issue with was the pacing at the beginning. It was a lot of telling and switching settings, so it was honestly a bit jarring. But it all smoothed out in due time, and then it was easy to forget once it all got rolling. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a historically captivating time traveling story with strong characters and complex twists and turns.

Passenger is out in just four days, so be sure to look out for it!

(P.S. Please excuse the tears in my copy—I took it on a family trip and it unfortunately got a bit beat up!)

2015 Book Round-Up

Happy New Year, everyone! I didn't read as much as I would have liked in 2015, but I still found some wonderful books throughout the year. So, I decided to join in on the recap fun and post my own favorites of 2015, plus throw in my 2016 current to-read pile and anticipated reads. I'll link to my own reviews on the favorite list and goodreads links on the unread ones. Onward!

Nikki's 2015 Favorites

• I read Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi before I started this blog, so I never got a chance to review it here. I can tell you though that the Shatter Me series is one of my absolute favorites. Mafi's writing is poetic and beautiful and Juliette, the main heroine, is an incredibly inspiring young woman. It's a YA dystopian read that I would highly recommend!

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer is also one I read before the blog. I'm a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings, and I loved the imaginative, new world in this series. It's futuristic and compelling and there's lots of adventure. I haven't gotten a chance to read through the whole series, but I've heard only good things about the last book, Winter. I would also highly recommend it!

• My review for The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski is here. Kestrel is an amazing character that is the epitome of badass princess trope.

• My review for Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen is here. I'm more of a fantasy than contemporary reader, but I'm always first in line for Sarah Dessen novels.

• My review for The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is here. I loved this novel, an Arabian Nights re-telling, and I absolutely can't wait for the sequel in 2016 because there are so many questions I need answered.

• My review for Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is here. This novel was hilarious, intricate, complex which made for a very entertaining ride.

• My review for A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is here. This novel was massive and packed with great writing, romance, and adventure.

Nikki's 2016 To-Read Stack

And this is just currently—it'll triple by the end of the year!

• Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier 

• Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

• All I Know: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully by Carrie Hope Fletcher

• The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

• The Rose Society by Marie Lu

• Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

• Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Nikki's 2016 Anticipated Reads

• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

• A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

• Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

• The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

• The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

• Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

And that's a wrap! Look out tomorrow for a new review. I got an ARC of one of the above 2016 anticipated reads! Here's to 2016.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo | Spoiler free review

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... 

A convict with a thirst for revenge. 

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. 

A runaway with a privileged past. 

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. 

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. 

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

Rating: 4.5/5
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

I have a love-hate thing going on with novels and why-didn't-I-see-that-coming twists. Like Harry Potter being a horcrux? And having to "die" in order to destroy it? I don't think I'll ever get over those two especially. And I'm adding more to that list because Six of Crows was so clever it made me feel inadequate. But then again Kaz, the mastermind main character, just has a way of inspiring that in people.

But seriously, this book is a delicious, layered cake of twists and turns and complicated yet organic relationships that make it so fun to read. It's easy to lose yourself in the smooth pacing and suspenseful moments that lure you in for more. The world-building is pretty solid as well, but I've heard that Bardugo had a whole other series to practice on beforehand. The Grisha Trilogy, from what I've gathered off of other bloggers, is set in the same or similar world. Either way, it's done well in Six of Crows.

And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really enjoyed the multiple points of view. Each character has such a distinct voice and unique story that I was somewhat grateful we got a glimpse into all of their heads. It really allowed a personal connection to grow between book and reader. The best way I can explain this is that it almost felt like there were no minor characters. Which, in many cases could go horribly wrong, but in this case it just worked. It's like when your favorite supporting character upgrades to a series regular and you go with it because you're just so excited you'll be able to see their face more. You get me? It was just nice to read, okay.

My only complaint is that I really think this book could be a standalone—at least it had the feel of one. The epic quest plot came pretty much full-circle, with just a few loose ends that alluded to sequels, and I think it could have been great even if those lingering questions were taken out. To put it simply, the ending felt kind of forced, but I can still see all the connecting dots that led to it.

So, I'll leave you guys with this: if someone demanded a one word definition for Six of Crows, I would pick "thrilling." If anything, Bardugo knows how to capture her readers with memorable characters. And maybe, in retrospect, using that word is a bit worrying since most of the characters are young, gang members who have killed lots of people, but I'll take what I can get. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a captivating adventure tale with terrific characters and who is comfortable with a good amount of violence.