Can't Wait September: Vampires, Fangirls, and Assassins, Oh My!

Hello all! I'm starting a new feature on Life in the Pages called "Can't Wait," in which I start off each new month with a list of upcoming releases I'm most excited to read. I've cheated a little bit on this first post (the first two books came out Tuesday) but since their release is so late in the month I've decided to include them. So, without further ado, here are the new releases I'm most excited to read this September:

• Black Spring by Alison Croggon (August 27, 2013 - Candlewick Press)

• The summary on Goodreads claims this book is "[i]nspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights," which immediately made me want to run out and get a copy. Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite classic books and the idea of a story that combines it with a fantasy element is too good to pass up! 

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• Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (August 27, 2013 - Bloomsbury USA Childrens)

• The sequel to Throne of Glass has been number one on my wanted list since I finished the first book in July. I'm SO happy that the release date is finally here! Now I just have to wait a few more days for some birthday gift cards so I can add this one to my shelf ;)

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• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (September 3, 2013 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

What can I say? I'm a sucker for all things vampire-related. And after reading a short excerpt of The Coldest Girl, I can't wait to see how this story unfolds.

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• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (September 10, 2013 - St. Martin's Press)

• I have been excited all year for Fangirl. As a self-confessed fangirl of many YA series, I cannot wait to read a book in which the main character is involved in fandom. 

Now it's your turn - what books are you looking forward to reading in September? Feel free to answer in the comments or link back with your own post!

Friday Fun: A Book Survey

Kelly at The Broke and the Bookish posted a short book survey earlier today and invited others to join in on the fun, so I'm doing just that! Feel free to comment with your own answers or a link to your blog post.

1. The book I'm currently reading:
I'm actually reading two books at the moment: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (a re-read). I'm reading Monsters as part of the #readchaos project started by prettybooks on tumblr and I am so glad I decided to do it; the Chaos Walking trilogy is amazing!

2. The last book I finished:
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness. I can't even. Please just go and read this series if you haven't already.

3. The next book I want to read:
Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn. This has been on my to-read shelf for a while and I finally got a copy from the library.

4. The last book I bought:
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Ever since reading The Handmaid's Tale, I've been wanting to read more of Atwood's work. Oryx and Crake sounds like it'll be a sufficiently creepy dystopian/sci-fi tale.

5. The last book I was given:
I don't really receive books too often - if anything I usually get a bookstore gift card so I can pick out whatever I want. I think the last book I received as a gift was The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier

Hi there! Welcome to Life in the Pages! My name is Alex and I originally started book blogging earlier this year on tumblr. Much as I love tumblr, I wanted to create a more "official" blog where I could create my own content and write more detailed posts. Life in the Pages is primarily a YA blog, though every now and then I might blog about adult contemporary fiction as well. I hope you enjoy! :)

To start things off I've decided to participate in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly book meme created by The Broke and the Bookish (be sure to check out their blog!). This week's topic: "Things That Make Your Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier." So, in no particular order, here is my list:

1. Goodreads/Goodreads mobile app
It's thanks to Goodreads that I currently have a to-read list that is approximately 500 books long and growing. And since I've download the app to my iPod, I've made it a habit to have it open whenever I'm at the library or bookstore so I can scroll through my to-read list and see what to look for. And if I happen across another book I'm interested in, I can just snap a picture of the barcode and the book is instantly added to my list.

2. Libraries
Free books. What more can I say?

3. E-book previews
Although I don't have many full-length books on my e-reader, I do have quite the collection of free previews. I like being able to read the first ten or so pages to get a feel for the book and see if it's something I'm interested in reading.

4. Tumblr/Other book blogs
Book blogs are my favorite kind of blogs (obviously). They're the perfect resource for reviews, lists of upcoming releases, fun book surveys, and other awesome bookish goodness.

5. Booktubers
I. Love. Booktube. If I'm not reading, I'm usually on YouTube watching Katytastic or booksandquills or one of the many other fantastic booktubers out there. I especially love watching book tag videos --because, I don't know about you, but I love survey/quiz-type things -- and bookshelf tour videos, which always inspire me to rearrange my own shelves. I almost always come away from book tube videos with even more books to add to my to-read list.

6. Fanmixes/Author playlists
When I read, it's like I'm seeing a movie play out in my mind. So when I throw music into the mix, it only makes my reading experience even more epic. I'm constantly scouring author websites, tumblr, and 8tracks looking for playlists to listen to while I read.

7. NetGalley
NetGalley is an awesome resource for book bloggers, librarians, and other "professional readers" to request advanced reader copies of upcoming books. The ARCs are in e-book format and, if your request is approved, are available for immediate download to whatever device you prefer. Although you're not guaranteed an ARC just by requesting one, every now again you'll get lucky. In early July, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Samantha Shannon's The Bone Season from NetGalley (and you can read my review here). I had requested it, totally not expecting to get a copy at all since it is such an anticipated book, and when my request was approved I could hardly believe it! I was so excited!

8. Bookmarks
Because really - where would we be without them? One of my biggest reading pet peeves is having to stop reading only to find that I don't have anything to save my place (ain't no way I'm dog-earing that page!).

Okay, so I didn't quite make it to ten. I'll try to do better next week. ;)