the bursting book shelf

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme by The Artsy Reader This week's prompt is Popular Books that Lived Up to the Hype. I have so many books I could probably make this list 100s of books long 1. The Fault in Our Stars I read this book a few years ago when it first came out. Is it overhyped at this point? Probably. Do I love it? YES. 2. The Martian I can't even count how many times I've reread this book. It's become one of my go to reread/slump breaker books. 3. Ready Player One I've only read this once, but it's so, so good y'all. 4. Anna and the French Kiss I actually love this book. Another one of those books that I seem to come back to over and over and over.  5. Graceling   This one had a lot of hype a few years ago. If you like fantasy at all, give it a shot! 6. Big Little Lies The book was amazing, and the show definitely does it justice. It's a perfect beach read! 7. Shatter Me I got this book as an ARC a few years back, before the hype even started. ...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by  Tynga's Reviews  and  Reading Reality . It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week. Do you ever order books and then realize they might not arrive before you head out of town? Cause I did that this week. I'm heading out of town and it wasn't until two days after I ordered a new set of books that I realized the expected delivery date was after  I leave town. Luckily, the postal service came through for me and got the package here the day before I leave. So, what was the in the package? It was a bit of a Sarah J Maas week. I ordered a hardcover set of the Court of Thorns and Roses series, the book in the Throne of Glass series, and then Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.  I'm super excited about reading these books and letting you guys know what I think!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post prompt created by  That Artsy Reader Girl . This week's prompt is books with sensory memories. I really related to this topic as I tend to remember exactly where I was when I first read my favorite books! The Martian I first read this book in my third year of university. It had been a long time since I had read a good book and I can still remember staying up well past midnight just to finish the book. Ready Player One I read this book this year for the first time. I was on holiday in Mexico and I remember just forgetting the world around me as I got into the world of the Oasis. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone I first read this book with my dad as a kid. I can remember begging to stay up later to read just one more chapter  in Harry's story. The Fault in Our Stars This was the first John Green book I ever read. I read it all in one sitting and sat against my bedroom door so no one would come in while I finished the book.

I'll be honest with you guys, the reason I bought this book was because it was three dollars at my favorite book store. I was also a little curious after seeing one episode of the TV show (would highly recommend you don't waste your time with the TV show) whether I would enjoy the book more.  Finish Reading >>>>

Title:  Austenland Author:  Shannon Hale Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing PLC  Release:  May 29, 2007 Pages:  197 Synopsis: Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined. Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. D...

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at  Breaking The Spine ! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. This week the book I can't seem to get out of my head is A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi. I adored her Shatter Me series and can't wait to read a new contemporary book by her! This book comes out on October 16th of this year! Finish Reading >>>>

Title:  Just Jilted Author:  Cindi Madsen Publisher:  Entangled: Select  Release:  July 22, 2014 Pages:  350 Synopsis: Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. In fact, as one of Las Vegas’s premier wedding planners, she’s built a whole career around romance. Which is why her own wedding has to be nothing short of perfect. And then her fiancé jilts her. While she’s waiting in her wedding dress. On a cruise ship already out at sea. Once back on dry land, Dakota tries to pour her heart into her business and weekly wedding advice column, Get Ready to Wed. But how can the heartbroken celebrate others’ true love? When she reconnects with her childhood best friend, surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West, Dakota wonders if maybe she can fall back in love with being in love. But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance, and suddenly Dakota questions if she’ll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way d...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by  Tynga's Reviews  and  Reading Reality . It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week. I went to the used book store and ended up picking up a few real gems. I got Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Girl on the Train, Hidden Figures, and The Zookeepers Wife.  I've always been a fan of NASA (I even have a super cool NASA t-shirt), and after seeing Hidden Figures, I've been trying to hunt down a copy of the book.   I saw the trailer for The Zookeepers Wife (is there any role Jessica Chastain can't take on?). Similarly, I saw the trailers for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl as well as The Zookeepers Wife   and decided that this time, I would read the book before seeing the movie .

Title:  Can You Keep a Secret?  Author:  Sophie Kinsella Publisher:  Dial Press  Release:  March 1, 2003 Pages:  368 Synopsis: Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company's elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her... Review: Sophie Kinsella is a massive name in the romantic comedy book genre: she's sold millions of books and her lighthearted novels make for great b...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post prompt created by  That Artsy Reader Girl . The topic this week is Best Books I've Read in 2018 (So Far)! This week, I'm just going to be highlighting seven books instead of ten. Why? The books I've read this year have been very hit or miss (mostly misses, honestly). So, without further adieu, here are the top ten books I've read this year (in no particular order): 1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 2. The Martian by Andy Weir 3. Turtles All The Way Down by John Green 4. Walt Disney: An American Original  5. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 6. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling 7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Title:  I've Got Your Number  Author:  Sophie Kinsella Publisher:  The Dial Press  Release:  February 14, 2012 Pages:  433 Synopsis: I've lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!! :) A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be! Except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal li...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality . It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week. This week has been an exceptional week for me! I got a ton of books I've been super excited about for a while!  The week started on a good note - half of a book order that I've been waiting for from Amazon showed up! The first half of my order had Anna and the French Kiss and Less by Andrew Sean Greer. I have previously read Anna and the French Kiss (and reviewed it ) but my copy went missing in my last move.  I also swung by a bookstore (because when is getting just two books enough?). I picked up a biography I've been eyeing for a long time (Walt Disney: An American Original). I also picked up a book I've heard a ton of hype about (The Hate U Give) because I found it at a great price. Finally, my w...

Title:  Ready Player One  Author:  Ernest Cline Publisher:  Broadway Books  Release:  August 16, 2011 Pages:  374 THANKS TO WONDERKIND PR FOR THE REVIEW COPY. Synopsis: In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. Review: Have you ever read a book just for the hype? I'll admit, I was hardcore jumping on the bandwagon when I decided to read th...

Hello everyone! It's been six years since I've posted to this blog. I won't bore you with what I've been up to in those years (I have read loads of books), but here I am again. My life has calmed down considerably since I quit blogging and reviewing, so I have decided to reopen The Bursting Bookshelf on a trial basis. I can't wait to reconnect with some of my old readers and meet some new ones too.  Hello again and happy reading! PS - pardon if the layout changes much during this time. I'm experimenting with a revamp.