The Best Books I’ve Read Sitting On The Beach :)

When I was younger I went to the beach every Saturday from the start of the summer until the very end. My grandparents had a beach house first in Seaside Heights, NJ and then when I was a teenager in Wildwood Crest, NJ. My family is huge about the beach, but me being the black sheep in the in my beach obsessed family I only tolerated it. I’m a mountains and lake kind of girl. There is one bright spot about spending my day on the beach, and that is how much reading I can get done in one day. Luckily my family is awesome about letting me be so I can absorb myself in a good book.

I don’t go to the beach as often any more but I do give in once a year and spend a day at the beach with my family once a year.

Here I am going to share my the top five books I have started and finished at the beach. This list is going to be the oldest book to the most recent read.

1. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen– Now Along for the Ride isn’t my favorite Dessen book but this one holds a special place in my heart. Like always I packed up a few books for the beach day so I could get my read on while sweltering in the heat but I made a grave mistake… I forgot my bag. I panicked what was I to do about a long day ahead of me with nothing to occupy me. Luckily for me there was a small shop that sold chairs and umbrellas and coolers but it also had a very small selection of books. I was so happy when I saw an author I knew and immediately snatched it up. I then spent the rest of my day happily reading my book.
2. Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins– The summer before my final year of high school was an action packed summer. It was my first summer driving and having a full time job. I was looking at colleges and having fun with friends. It was a pretty light summer for reading and I was preparing for a weekend away with my boyfriend and his family to the beach. I knew this would be the perfect time to get sucked into a book. I packed up a few different options and headed down. I decided to go with a brand new author I had never read before and that’s when I picked up Jackie Collins for the first but definitely not the last. She has fast become one of my favorite authors.
3. Five Summers by Una LaMARCHE– South Carolina, camping on a beach at Lake Kiwi. Everyone but me was tired and went to be and I sat up for hours on my blanket with the water lapping at my feet finishing this book. I’ve read so many books that involve friendship. This book is the first time I wanted a second book that involved this group of girls. It also takes place on a lake and to me that just seemed to perfect.
4. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson– Miserable Vacation… Amazing Book, that would be the title of the memory I have while reading this book. I was in Ocean City, MD for a long weekend and I wound up getting sick as a dog. I spent the whole vacation with the flu reading and generally being miserable. The book did wind up being one of my favorites so that is something good that came out of it.
5. A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor– This one is really the most simple. I got it for my birthday and brought it with me on a beach day with my family and I thought it was so so so good. It quickly jumped to my top 20 list.

There we go. top 5 books I’ve read at the beach. Let me know your favorite summer/ beach reads.

Keep Reading xoxo

The Reading Rush Readathon 2019!

This year I have decided to do something I have never done before. After years of watching people on Youtube and reading other peoples blogs I am going to give a readathon a try.

The Reading Rush is a week long readathon formerly known as Booktubeathon. Starting on July 22 and ending on July 28 2019 I am going to try to read as many books as possible in a week. The readathon has prompts that you are supposed to follow and I have chosen a TBR for the week. I am going to keep a journal of my thoughts and feeling of all of the books i read and post them here on my blog everyday so that everyone can follow along.

So here is my TBR for the week with the prompts.

1. Read a book with a purple cover
   • Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (heads up I am color blind so im not 100% sure that it is definetly purple)
2. Read a book in the same spot the entire time
   • I read all of my books int he exact same spot in the summer which is my recliner in my air onditioned house because i cannot stand the heat
3. Read a book you meant to read last year
   • No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill (ordered off of BookOutlet.com and never got around to it)
4. Read an authors debut novel
   • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
5. Read a book with a non-human main charecter
   • A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron
6. Pick a book with 5 or more words in the title
   • I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schrouder
7. Read a book and watch its adaptation
   • The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman (I never saw this movie and I think I have only read this book maybe once wehn I was little)
8. Read 7 books
   • Well we shall see if I can pull this off.

So here I go! If you want to follow me on this journey stay tuned.

Follow me on Snapchat and Instagram @bookfilledbrain

If you want to join in the readathon visit http://www.thereadingrush.com

Keep Reading xoxo

• 

Mid Year Book Freak Out! 2019

Hello Lovely Readers!

I know I’m past midyear but I love this tag so here we are! Ive read 103 books as on now and I’m currently working my way through Game of Thrones. 

— All books I’m going to use in this tag are books I’ve read for the first time this year. No rereads.

1. Best book you’ve read so far this year?

Night Film by Marisha Pessl. Oh man this book took me for a riiiide. 

2. Best sequel you’ve read this year so far? 

Where She Went (If I Stay #2)- by Gayle Forman. I only read two sequels this year but this book was very good. It for sure satisfied my urge to know what happens next in this story. 

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To?

I don’t buy that many new books because my library have such an amazing book sales. Butttt, I want to read Sarah Dessen’s new book The Rest of the Story. She is one of my favorite authors and I’ve kept up with every book she’s ever wrote. 

4. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2015?

  I have no idea lol. I would have to do some research.  

5. Biggest Disappointment?

  Uglies by Scott Westerfield. Ughhhh for years ive been told to read this book and I finally read it and i found it so so boring. I have to decide whether I want to continue with the series. HELPPPP!! 

6. Biggest Surprise?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I haven’t read a classic since college 6 years ago and I wanted to try and read at least three this year… turns out that I love it and it was so worth picking up. 

7. Favorite New Author?

I fell in love with W. Bruce Cameron. The way he writes a story from the perspective of a dog is so amazing. I never thought that I would enjoy a story from the perspective of an animal. 

9. Newest Favorite Character?

Apollo from Trials of Apollo. He was hilarious and so not what you expect from Rick Riordans characters.  

 8. Newest Fictional Crush?

Dean “Drill Sargent” Stamm from Rites of Passage. He’s so strong and silent and I swoon for him.  

10. Book That Made You Cry?

A Dogs Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. Ugh so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. 

11. Book That Made You Happy?
Greetings from Witness Protection by Jake Burt. This was so just wholesome and happy. Super quick read and worth it 100%.

 12. Favourite Book To Movie Adaptation You Saw This Year?

I don’t think I’ve seen one this year so far. 

13. Favourite Review You’ve Written This Year?… 

14. Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far This Year?

The Pefect Mother by Aimee Malloy. Just so pretty. 

15. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year?
My goal for this year is to finish all five Song of Ice and Fire series. If I could do that I would be so happy. Well that’s all.

Hope you all enjoy.  Keep Reading!! 

P.S. I have no idea how to use this new editor

Book Reader Problem Tag!!

It’s Monday again and I think it is a great day to do a book tag.

1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR, how in the world do you decide what to read next?

Recently I wrote all my TBR books on pieces of paper and put them in a bowl and now I just have my boyfriend pick me a book when I’m ready.

2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you put it down or are you committed?

I DNF it. I have to many books to force my way through a book I am not enjoying.

3. The nod of the year is coming up and you are behind on your reading challenge, do you try and catch up? And if so how?

As much as i love completing my reading challenge but I never try and force my self to read more than I want to jut to finish my reading challenge. (Which i currently am behind on, 131/200)

4. The cover of a series you love do not match. How do you cope?

Just fine actually. I don’t really care if my covers don’t match. I mostly shop based on price.

5. Everyone and their mother loves a book that you do not. Who do you bond with over your shared feelings?

That I why I love platforms like this because you can almost always find someone who agrees with you.

6. You’re reading a book in public and you start crying, How do you deal?

I usually just cry it out. I’m one of those people when once something gets me started I have a hard time stopping.

7. The sequel to a book you love just came out but you’ve forgotten a lot of what happens. Are you going to reread it?

Yes, almost always.

8. You don’t want anyone borrowing your books, how do you politely say no when someone asks?

I am all about the direct approach and I just let them know as politely as possible that I don’t let my books leave my house.

9. You have picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over this reading slump?

I can get myself out of slumps by rereading a fun light favorite of mine.

10. There are so many books coming out that you are dying to read, how many do you end up buying?

On average I only buy 5-7 brand new books a year. Most of the other books I read are from discount sites or thrift stores.

11. After you purchase all the books you are dying to read, how long do they sit on you’re shelves before you get to them?

Who knows. Depends on how long I have been looking forward to them.

That is it for now! I think I’m going to start dedicating Mondays to book tags and start being more on top of my blog posts.

Keep Reading on!

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Friday Favorites: Rereads!

Today I thought I would share with you my top 3 favorite places to escape to and read. For the most part I’m perfectly happy sitting in my spot on the couch next to my boyfriend while he plays video games. But on occasion I feel the need to get out of my house and find somewhere to sit and enjoy the outside world while enjoying a made up world. Being somewhere different just heightens my reading experience. So here are my top 3 favorite places to sit, relax, and enjoy a bookish adventure.

1. The Library- Now I know it seems cliche to go to the library and read a book but honestly I love it. Being surrounded by other people who are taking pleasure in the wonderful world of books. sitting and hearing the shuffling of the pages is so satisfying. I don’t go there often but when its a rainy day and I want to get out of the house I go to the library and can sit in front of the floor to ceiling windows and enjoy my favorite weather.
2. My Local Bagel Place- mmmm bagels, whats not to love. Bagels are just a bonus thought, what I really love is sitting on the patio and reading in the fresh air and people watching. I love going on a cool saturday morning and eating my breakfast while enjoying my latest read.
3. The Top of a Mountain- Sounds odd right? I honestly love hiking it is one of the great joys in my life. But why not take a book with me and join up two of my favorite hobbies. I pack my bag with water, snacks, and a great book and take them on my hike. once I reach the end point (Sunset Mountain in Stokes State Forest is my favorite) I crack open my book and have a snack and hang out for an hour or two before making my way back home. I get some exercise for my body and my brain. I’ve tried reading and hiking at the same time but I recommend an audiobook instead so you can pay attention to the footing.

There you have it. My top 3 favorite places to take a book when I need a change of scenery. Let me know your favorite spots to take your books.

Keep On Reading!!!

How I Track My Reading

Ever since I was young I’ve kept track of all the books I read. I always kept a spiral notebook filled with all the books I have finished. I was obsessed with the read around the room competition (if you read enough books to go all around the classroom you got a free pizza) that our classroom had. With my first iPhone came the ability to keep track of my reading in an even better and more in depth.

In the last few years I have discovered three amazing apps that have helped me so much.

1. Goodreads- I use it for keeping track of books I have read, books I want to read and my yearly challenge.
2. Bookly- I use this app for keeping track of the hours I read, the pages I read and my notes on books I’m reading.
3. Libib- I keep track of all the books I own in my personal library.

As much as I enjoy the technology that I have at my fingers I have this need to have a physical copy of my readings. In the last year I have been inspired to make a Reading Bullet Journal. I love flipping through the pages of my notebook and seeing my reading accomplishments in fun colors and neat boxes.

I hope you all enjoy!

Keep Reading On!!!

26 Random Bookish Facts about ME!

1. Favorite genre is Romantic Suspense
2. I prefer buying books over borrowing from the library
3. I almost always buy books that are on sale
4. I can’t read with music on
5. But can read with the TV on
6. I collect different editions of Harry Potter
7. My first and only tattoo is a stack of books with a tea cup on top, it is on my wrist
8. I prefer Paperbacks over Hardcover
9. The book I have owned the longest is The Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, and it was a present from my mom when I was 10
10. The author I own the most books from( not a series) is Sarah Dessen
11. I shop for books mostly on Bookoutlet.com
12. The only genre I don’t really read is historical fiction
13. I have mastered the ability to read any where any time with as much noise as there is i can still concentrate
14. I prefer series over standalone
15. I have a number of series i reread every year, including Harry Potter and Percy Jackson
16. My favorite place to read is outside on a nice cool day with a blanket
17. I only recently got into YA novels in the last few years
18. When i was fifteen i had an obsession with romance novels and read only them the entire year.
19. I am not super obsessed with how my books look and am guilty of dog earring and cracking spines
20. I am the only one in my family apart from my sister (who only reads classics) to have a serious interest in reading as a hobby
21. I always have a book on me no matter what in case i have a few minutes where i can break it out and sneak in a few pages.
22. I often wait until a whole series is out before buying it
23. I prefer physical books over ebooks
24. I still love twilight and have read it many times since it came out
25. There is only one person i trust to borrow my books
26. I am a tight budget book shopper and often shop at thrift stores and flea markets