Thursday, December 13, 2012

Audio Review: Dead Air

Doctor Who: Dead Air
Title: Dead Air
Author: James Goss
Narrator: David Tennant
Genre: SciFi/Fantasy, Adventure, TV tie-in
Rating:5/5
Favorite Character: Probably, besides the Doctor, it would have to be Layla. I mean, the whole radio crew is fantastic, but I think Layla is my favorite
Publication Date: May 11th, 2010

Plot Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
At the bottom of the sea, in the wreck of a floating radio station, a lost recording has been discovered. After careful restoration, it is played for the first time to reveal something incredible. It is the voice of the Doctor, broadcasting from Radio Bravo in 1966. He has travelled to Earth in search of the Hush a terrible weapon that kills, silences and devours anything that makes noise

Review:
I really liked this Doctor Who audiobook. I've been listening to a lot of them and none of them really stuck with me, this one, though, for some reason did. Maybe because it's just done really well. It's a great use of having David Tennant narrate it since it's suppose to be a lost recording found and it's suppose to be the (10th) Doctor speaking to us anyway, I just thought it was a nice touch.

Also, I really liked the story and something I didn't see coming and it really did surprise me and I love when something surprises me. I also felt that the Doctor didn't fall out of characters, sometimes with books based on TV shows it can feel like the character isn't themselves or that they don't feel right for whatever reason (one of my problems with many of the audiobooks I've listen to).

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

WWW Wednesday (11)

And it is that time of the week again. I was going to start with these every other week, like I was doing them before, but I kind of really enjoy doing them. I like seeing what other people are reading and sharing what I'm reading. WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and it's asked you answer there three questions:



  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you'll read next?



Currently-Reading:
So, so many things. Why do I read so many books at once? But, in all seriousness, I am trying to get through quite a few books currently. So many. Recently, however, I started Treasure Island and am a good 1/3 through it, probably, and it's pretty good so far, I'm liking it. I alo found my copy of Throne of Glass that I started a long time ago and then couldn't find to finish.

Read:
How They Met, and other stories by David Levithan (5/5)
So very, very good. I've loved everything I have read by David and I expect to continue to.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (5/5)
I loved this one. I don't know why it took me so long to read, but it was just fantastic.

Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels Trilogy #1) by Anne Bishop (4/5)
I've been reading this one for what feels like forever and I was finally able to just sit down and finish it while I had a cold and it was pretty good, actually. I didn't really know what to think of this one, but I ended up really liking it.

Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine #1) by Lilith Saintcrow (5/5)
I'm going to be posting a full review of this very soon and I'll add it to this most when I do, however, I really did enjoy this book. There were a couple things that just annoyed me, but I'm good at just kind of accepting (ignoring) things like that. Technically finished it really, really early Wednesday morning, but - I don't count it as the next day until I've slept.


Want To Read:
Too many books to read. There are currently over 900 books on my to-read list on Goodreads and I'm sure that there are thousands more I simply just don't know about yet.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Book Review: Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #1)
Title: Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1)
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Mystery
Rating: 4/5
Favorite Character: Jean Claude, definitely. I try not to say the main character everytime because if I liked the book then it's probably a good chance I liked the main character (I did like Anita by the way), but I found Jean Claude every interesting.
Publication Date: 1993 (first published)

Plot: (From Goodreads)
"My name is Anita Blake. Vampires call me "The Executioner". What I call them isn't repeatable.

Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I've seen their victims. I carry the scars...

But now a serial killer is murdering vampires—and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer... "

"In a world where vampires, zombies and werewolves have been declared legal citizens of the United States, Anita Blake is an "animator" - a profession that involves raising the dead for mourning relatives. But Anita is also known as a fearsome hunter of criminal vampires, and she's often employed to investigate cases that are far too much for conventional police. But as Anita gains the attention of the vampire masters of her hometown of St Louis, she also risks revealing an intriguing secret about herself - the source of her unusual strength and power.



Review:
This book was pretty good. I've heard that later in the series things get a little... weird, but I was willing to read the first couple. And this one as not half bad, I was actually kind of surprised about it, actually. I really liked the characters and what was happening. I also really liked the fact that she wasn't someone that was working with the police department, at least, that wasn't her main gig, because I have read that again and again and it's good to see something a little different.

I think the characters and Anita's backstory were my favorite parts of this. I like that she had this horrifying thing that had happened to her and yet she was still doing what she knew she was good at. I just like things like that. The characters, though, were very interesting. Aren't people around vampires always a little interesting?

Overall, it was pretty good. I mean, I don't really know what I was expecting but it wasn't what I read. It had much more to it then I thought it would. I'll probably end up reading the next couple, as I said, I've been told it's not really worth reading beyond like the 4th one, but if you've read this series, I'd be happy to hear your opinion on it!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Book and Audio Review: World War Z

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Title: World War Z
Author: Max Brooks
Genre: Horror, SciFi/Fantasy, Post/Apocalyptic. War
Rating: 5/5
Favorite Character: Probably the guy that is bringing us the story, our main narrator. Though, I did really enjoy some of the people he talked to, too.
Publication Date: October 16th, 2007

Plot Synopsis: (From Goodreads)

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. "World War Z" is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, "By excluding the human factor, aren't we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn't the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as 'the living dead'?"

Review: 
I really, really liked this book. I think that since normally dystopian and apocalyptic books, this is only the ones I've read, tend to just focus on one people, but I just feel like it tends to zero in on one person (or just the US). I don't know why, because it was so much more interesting to read it from all these different perspectives, all these different people who lived around the world and their different experiences

I think the best part was defnitely that it wasn't America-centric. It's pretty well divided, I think, between a bunch of countries. And I really enjoyed that, I also really enjoyed that it wasn't just what happened after everyone excepted it. I also really liked these zombies and how they worked and that was heavily investigated as people just really needed to know, to survive. And it's interesting how much you don't think about all the problems if something can only be killed with destroying the brain.

The way it was written was also, surprising, when I first started it. In the form of interviews, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The different voices are very distinct, even just in writing, and the interviews are separated, so it was so interesting to learn about these specific people, what they faced, and then the overall outbreak. This book is, truly, incredible, and I'd highly, highly recommend it. (Also get the unabridged audiobook, the full thing, because it's incredible).

Audiobook specific:
I actually reading physically more. This has nothing to do audiobooks, it's just how I am. However - this audiobook was incredible - the way it was done, with different people, and how it wasn't dramatized (that can be annoying), it just had different people as the different voices. It was incredibly fantastic to listen to and I highly, highly recommend you check it out. If you're an audiobook fan or not, and I don't listen to a lot of them (my attention tends to wander), but this one had my attention.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

WWW Wednesday (10)

This is one of my favorite memes to do and to read. I have no idea why, I just find it kind of fun to share what I'm reading and to see what everyone else is reading. So, without any more of my rambling, here we go. WWW Wednesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and she asks that you answer these three questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you'll read next?

  • Currently-Reading:
    I am currently-reading so many books, so many. But, mainly, Mort by Terry Pratchett (book 4 in the Discworld series) and for some reason I'm just having a hard time staying into it. It's good just... weird.

    Read:
    1776: A Story in Tweets by Maureen Johnson (5/5)
    I am including this just because I loved it so much. I got it through donating to the HPA for equality for the win and I'm kind of excited about it. It was really hilarious.

    Doctor Who: Ring of Steel by Stephen Cole (3/5)
    This was good. I've listened to many Doctor Who audiobooks lately I don't even know what to do with them. None of them seem really amazing, but this might because of the audiobook form. I just have such a problem getting really into the story even in the narrator is Matt Smith or Arthur Darvill (this one is narrated by Arthur, by the way. They're both really good at it, I'm just apparently bad at getting into Audiobooks sometimes).

    World War Z by Max Brooks (5/5)
    I have a book review coming out for this tomorrow (Thursday) so I don't want to say too much, but it was really, really good. I'm not going to tell you to read it, because I don't really like that, but if it's in your TBR I'd definitely say it's worth it.

    Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid #1) by Richelle Meade (5/5)
    I wasn't sure how I was going to feel going into this. I kept picturing the main girl from Lost Girl, which is actually not a bad thing at all, and I really, really liked this one. I actually didn't expected to, but it was well written, witty, and had me guessing (which I wasn't expecting). I'll be posting a full review of this soon.

    Jack the Ripper: Hell Blade, Vol 1 by Je-Tae Yoo (2/5)
    The only reason I gave it two instead of one star is because I wasn't exepecting the ending and it made everything more more sense (kind of). This sounds like an amazing idea is theory, but I was really underwhelmed by it. I noticed too many places where details could of been but weren't and the pentical wasn't inverted, and it annoyed me too much.

    Want to Read Next:
    So many books. I have so many books on be to-read list on Goodreads and some that I own I haven't even added to that list! This is definitely not a bad thing, just there are so many books! I did a December TBR, though, which lists what I basically want to read for the month.

    Monday, December 3, 2012

    I apologize (again) and December TBR

    And I am once again apologizing about not posting. I'm just not very good at posting regularly, apparently, I was getting better at it. It's not even lack of ideas or lack of stuff to share, I just forget. November is just the most crazy month and this past one was even crazier then normal. November for me in NaNoWriMo and since I barely had time to sleep, I had even less time to blog. November is National Novel Writing Month. Well, it is for me, anyway.  For those of you scratching your head in confusion, NaNoWriMo is a month long writing project where you try to write a novel or 50,000 (50k) words in a month. It's insane and awful and my favorite month of the year.
    And I devote any free time I'm not going school work to writing. And it definitely paid off this year. I overachieved last year, aimed for more then 50k, and this year my goal was 150k and I blew past that and ended up over 220,000 thousands words. So my not blogging showed, I just wish that I had remembered to schedule some posts.

    Now onto my December TBR, I'm not even going to bother to do a November wrap-up because I read1 short thing and listened to an audiobook so it's not even worth the words. However, I now have 11 books I need to read to reach my goal of 100 books. And that's doable for me if I just focus on reading, which I really want to do having not gotten any reading done in November.

    So there a couple books for some book clubs and such. There are also a couple books that I'm in the middle of.

    Book Clubs:
    • Succubus Blues(Georgia Kincaid #1) by Richelle Meade
    • Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken

    And one of my book clubs is reading the Hobbit. I kind of want to read The Lord of the Rings before it, yes I saw the movies but I still want to read the books, and the Hobbit is coming out very soon. So I don't know if that will happen, but I'm hoping.

    Currently-Reading (and would like to finish this month):
    • World War Z by Max Brooks - This books is so very good, the only reason I didn't finish it during November was because of NaNoWriMo.
    • How They Met and other stories by David Levithan - I cannot tell you when I started this book, I could look it up on goodreads but that's not the point, it's so good, too, I just need to get to it.
    • Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - I have an ARC of this and I started reading it in like late June/early July and then I haven't picked it up again. I don't know why, either, it was fantastic and I'm about 1/2 way I think.
    • Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - This one has been just a slow read for me, but I'm like to finish it by the end of the year, at least. It's good it's just something about it is making it hard for me.
    • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I actually need to finish this for school, I'm at the third part, I have to do school stuffs for it. So, basically, I need to finish this one, there's no question about that.
    I'm currently-reading a lot of books on Goodreads, I always am, but those are ones I'd like to finish. I would also like to pick up some new ones the second omnibus of The Walking Dead, for example. Also, I'm in a classics mood, so that's a good thing. Hopefully I can get some reading done for school and be ahead instead of behind, I hate being behind in anything.

    I am hoping you all take my apologizes for being such a bad blogger in November and maybe now that I have a desktop, I'll be able to get more on top of everything. Hopefully. I love blogging and reading and I really am hoping I can make extra time for it. I hope your days/weeks/months were well and, hopefully, I'll be posting again very soon.

    Wednesday, November 7, 2012

    WWW Wednesday (9)

    And here we are again for another WWW Wednesday, my favorite meme. (I have given up explaining why I don't post here as much as I really wish I could, school and life have been crazy, and with NaNoWriMo having started Novemeber first, I've barely had time to sleep).

    So WWW Wednesday is hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and she asks that you answer 3 questions:
    • What are you currently reading?
    • What did you recently finish reading?
    • What do you think you'll read next?

    Currently-Reading:
    Still way too many things, as always.

    Read: (I'm doing since my last WWW Wednesday post, there'a lot because I listened to a bunch of Doctor Who audio books so I'm going to just list them this time, adding a link to a review if I have one up).

    • This Books Is Not Good For You (Secret #3) by Pseudonymous Bosch (5/5)
    • This Isn't What It Looks Like (Secret #4) by Pseudonymous Bosch (5/5)
    • The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2) by Terry Pratchett (5/5)
    • Preludes and Nocturnes (Sandman Vol 1) by Neil Gaiman (author) (5/5)
    • Equal Rites (Discworld #3) by Terry Pratchett (5/5)
    • Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (4/5)
    • Doctor Who: Dead Air (audio) by James Goss (5/5)
    • Doctor Who: The Last Voyage (audio) by Dan Abnett (4/5)
    • Spiderwick Vol 1 (audio) by Holly Black
    • Doctor Who: The Hounds of Artemis (audio) by James Goss (3/5)
    • Doctor Who: The Jade Pyramid (audio) by Martin Day (3/5)
    • Solid (Solid #1) by Shelly Workinger
    • Doctor Who: The Empty House (audio) bySimon Guerrier (5/5)
    • Doctor Who: The Day of the Troll (audio) by Simon Messingham (4/5)
    • Doctor Who: The Forever Trap (audio) by Dan Abnett (5/5)
    • Doctor Who: The Runaway Train (audio) by Oli Smith (4/5)

    First, to address how I rated the audio books, mostly on the actual story. I mean, the narration was really good in all of them, the weird voices in Spiderwick had me almost wanting to tune out or skip those parts, they were just so gratting sometimes. I don't know why.

    The Doctor Who ones rated 5/5 were my favorites, they were good for different reasons. For example, The Empty House was so short, but I actually really liked the story that happened in that time, it was really interesting.

    Also, Sandman comic, I've started reading the 2nd, but it's been put on hold for now. And people say that the 1st one isn't the strongest, but I still loved it. A lot. I thought it was fantastic and original and creepy and I truly loved it, I wish I could give it more then 5/5.

    To-Read Next:
    I have a reading pile that could probably wrap around the world and I tend to go by mood, trying not to promise to read too many books (school not counting) because reading for me is something I love to do and I can't force myself to read. I have done it, though, when I'm in a slump and I have reading to get done, and I feel like I've been in a 3 month slump and that's what I've kind of been doing.

    Anyway, I've been really dying to read Paradise Lost, if you're wondering about classics, and I have some books to work to for school it would be good to do, too.

    Also, during Novemember, I tend not to get any reading done. I wish too and I hope for it, but it's so busy I never really get around to it. So what are YOU reading is the real question? Any books that you've read lately that I need to read immediately, I'd love to hear about them!

    I hope your week is lovely and hopefully I'll see you here before December. If you're doing NaNoWriMo, too, I wish you the best of luck. (If you want to check out my progress, my writing blog resides here).

    Friday, October 26, 2012

    Book Review: Solid

    Book: Solid (Solid #1)
    Author: Shelly Workinger
    Genre: SciFi/Fantasy, Dystopian, Supernatural, Paranormal Romance
    Rating: 4/5
    Favorite Character: The main girl, Clio, is probably my favorite (even if I have never seen that spelling before. I do still find new ways people have decided to spell my name, though).

    Plot: (From Goodreads)

    Clio Kaid may be 17 and just beginning the last summer before her senior year, but her life is anything but typical.

    She's just discovered she was genetically altered before birth and is now headed to a top-secret Army campus to explore the surprising results of the experiment.

    Follow Clio and the other teens as they develop fantastic super-abilities, forge new friendships, and find love as they search for answers.


    Review:
    When I was first introduced to the idea of this book, I found myself immediately interested. Science interests me more that I care to admit, but DNA is one of my favorite things. This book is pretty short, but it has a lot going on. The characters were probably my favorite part of it.

    Overall, I'd say it was good, maybe even really good. I liked the writing, it wasn't perfect, at times it felt a little... clunky, but I was able to look past that, it didn't pull me out of the story any. I didn't have many problems with the book overall.

    And I found the story and characters interesting overall. I love trying to figure out something before the characters  it's a weakness. To wrap up this review before I get with the rambling, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who likes some YA SciFi/Fantasy with some mystery in it. If you've read Solid, what did you think of it?

    The second book in this series is Settling; the third and final book is Sound which comes out the 1st of November.

    Disclaimer: I did recieve a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

    Wednesday, October 3, 2012

    Banned Book Week: 2012 (Very short ramblings)

    Banned book week started on the 30th of September and will run until the 6th of October. If you're looking for more information about how that works and what books are banned and such, you can go to this website. This post, is about the books that are banned.

    I love banned books, really. I haven't read as many as I would of liked. I'm going on a bit of trip that is not that far from home (my mom has some classes shes taking, it involved jewlery stuff and fire), besides that I'm stuck in a hotel room for a week. So I decided that instead of doing ALL school work, all the time, I could also read a lot.

    I packed some banned comic books, specifically a couple books from Sandman by Neil Gaiman that I hope to start this week. I haven't read any of them yet and I haven't read much about the series, besides the fact that I know that it's banned.

    On the topic of other banned books, though. I did just recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which was an amazing book, completely stunning, and I'd suggest that if you haven't read it yet, you definitely should check it out. There are more, of course, isn't there always? Looking for Alaska by John Green (I cried so damn hard, it's a great book).

    This was just a short post, I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that it's banned book week, though, I'm sure everyone has already posted or said something about it. Also, before November, I'm going to make a post about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month - 50k, 30 days) with everything: my goals, ideas, writing blog. Everything. (If you have anything you want me to include, feel free to leave a comment letting me know!)

    Monday, October 1, 2012

    September Wrap-Up/ October TBR

    I read more books this month then last, but really nothing of what I said I was going to read. So that's good. I'm just going to list them. I want to put up reviews for all, so I'll leave my thoughts for that. Anyway, these are what I read in September:


    • Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton (4/5)
    • The Name of this Book is a Secret (Secret #1) by Pseudonymous Bosch (5/5)
    • If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (Secret #2) by Pseudonymous Bosch (5/5)
    • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (5/5)
    • Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Vol 1 (Comic/Graphic Novel/Thing) (4/5)
    • This Book Is Not Good For You (Secret #3) by Pseudonymous Bosch (5/5)
    • This Isn't What It Looks Like (Secret #4) by Pseudonymous Bosch (5/5)
    • The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2) by Terry Pratchett
    I love the Secret series, I read like the 1st 10 pages or so of the fifth and last book and I just don't want it to end. On the other end, Discworld is even more fantastic, and I doubt I'll be running out very soon, there are just so many books in that series! I'm excited, though.


    For October, my only goal is to read a lot. I need to get really ahead of my goal in preparation for November, where I'll be taking part in NaNoWriMo and will barely have time for sleeping and eating, forget reading (maybe a couple books, if I cut out all internet-y things).

    Wednesday, September 19, 2012

    WWW Wednesday (8)

    Hello blog, I have missed you! School started and everything went a little haywire, but I am back now (hopefully). I'm not taking an extreme number of classes but I am taking the SATs pretty soon and an AP class (AP Lit, of course) and getting prepared to apply to college, so everything is a bit stressful. 

    I haven't done a WWW Wednesday in much too long and I have missed it so! Now, I am going to tell you what I have read since the last time we did one of these, but that's not as many books as I would like. This is hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and she asks that you answer 3 questions:
    • What are you currently reading?
    • What did you recently finish reading?
    • What do you think you'll read next?


    Currently-Reading:
    Probably too many books, as always.

    Recently Finished:
    I actually read a couple things I am only going to mention in passing. I read a couple books that might not count as full books to some people but I counted them and I kind of want to review ones picture book or not. A friend of mine may or may not of had a birthday party that included reading things outloud like picture books and the like (be jealous). I read The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The Wolves in the Walls, and Evelyn, Evelyn which goes with the CD released by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. All of these were fantastic. And then, I forced myself out of the biggest reading slump that's ever happened to me...

    Ill Wind (Weather Warden #1) by Rachel Caine (4/5 stars)
    This book was much better then expected, just ignore the crushed velvet and everything will be fine. In all seriousness, though, I did like this book much more then I expected. There were some turns I didn't expect, and don't really feel were explained enough but I've given up on it and just accepted it, also, Djinn, how can you go wrong with them.







    The Color of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett (5/5 stars)
    I just posted my full review of it here so I don't think I can say much more. To sum it up this is a fantastic first book in the series and it was hilarious and I can't wait to read more.

    Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Huunter #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton (4/5 stars)
    I've heard so many good things about this book so I didn't really know what to expect but it was pretty good, there were even parts I really liked. It was a short, cute read.J









    The Name of this Book is Secret (Secret #1) by Pseudonomous Bosch (5/5)
    This series is fantastic, so very hilarious and so good. I loved the characters, the writing, and the plot. It was just so much fun to read! I definitely recommend this series. It's middle-grade, yes, but it's very, very good. 



    If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (Secret #2) by Pseudonomous Bosch (5/5)
    This one was almost better then the first one because we already knew the main cast of characters and I love that. So excited to read the rest of this series.






    A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner (3/5 stars)
    You know how I mentioned that AP Lit course? Both this and the next one are apart of that. This is a short kind of creepy story, but I liked it plenty.








    The Perks of Being a Wallflower (5/5 stars)
    If I could give this one 6/5 stars, I would. This book is fantastic and I loved it. I tweeted and posted on Goodreads the moment I realized that I truly loved this book. And I really did, I really loved some parts of this, well, really I loved this whole book. And the movie is coming out like next week and I am so glad to have read this before seeing it because this book is perfect. I have a lot of feelings about this boom, okay?







    Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Vol1 by Laurell K. Hamilton and Others (4/5)
    I really like comic book/graphic novel/whatever versions of books, it's intereting to see the story in a new media and I've never regretted reading one. It's so interesting to see what someone else thinks the characters look like, compared to what you visualized. This one was pretty good, too, going to pick up vol. 2 probably very soon (I got it for $5 at Newberry Comics. Bam).





    Want To Read Next:
    I'm currently-reading too many things to have listed up there but I'd also really like to read ThebDiviners by Libba Bray and many, many other books. Hopefully, I'll have the time eventually. 

    Thursday, September 6, 2012

    Book Review: The Name of This Book is Secret

    Book: The Name of This Book is Secret (Secret #1)
    Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
    Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Humor (MG)
    Rating: 5/5
    Favorite Character: Cass. First, that's my favorite girl name ever (I also really like Anastatia. I love names that are slightly older, long, but can be shortened into cute nicknames). Also, Cass is really awesome with her survivalist stuff.

    Plot: (From Goodreads)

    This is the story about a secret. but it also contains a secret story.

    When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician's diary and the hunt for immortality.

    Filled with word games, anagrams, and featuring a mysterious narrator, this is a book that won't stay secret for long.

    Review:
    This book was adorable, I think it's the best word for it overall. I mean, 11 years olds going on adventures is always fun, especially where there's a lot of hilarious narration thrown in. The whole thing is, is that this is a true story and to protect the innocent, the author changes their names and everything and then makes comments about this and that (how he can be bribed with good quality dark chocolate). And it had me giggling through most of it.

    And it isn't just funny, it also has an original interesting story in it. I loved the overall plot of this book and how things were revealed and everything. It was just really, very well done. And done in an hilarious manor. Also, Cass and Max-Ernest are great partners, excuse me, collaborators. And there are footnotes at random parts of the books that are just perfect.

    This is a funny, silly book, but it does have some real mythology and stuff that I loved. This is something I'd recommend to someone who loves a good middle-grade adventure book, because that's what it is and it's really well done. The characters are lovable, the story is original, and the writing is very good and funny. All those things added it up for me giving it 5/5 stars and even reading some little snippets out loud to my mom that had her laughing, too. (I just really like when a book makes me laugh out loud. It's harder to make me cry, but I love laughing because of a book. I definitely enjoy it more, that is, if it's suppose to be funny).

    (Also, this isn't important to the story, well, it kind of is. The chapters have illustrations and some of them are just great, just perfect. As you can tell, I really just loved this book, I really can't actually think of anything bad to say. All of the secondary characters felt real and I loved all of their little quirks and everything).

    Tuesday, September 4, 2012

    Out Today (09-04-12)

    So I thought I should start spreading the word about books I'm really excited for when they come out, even if I can't post a review of it as of yet for whatever reason. So there aren't all the books that came out today, but these are a few I'm excited for.

    Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
    It's Melissa Marr! Of course I can't wait to read this book. I don't know why I haven't yet, it's right next to me, I've just been in such an awful slump. Anyway, this one sounds amazing and the book trailer makes it sound even better because it looks amazing.

    Origin by Jessica Khoury
    I'm pretty sure this a debut and the cover was what originally drew me to it, it's just so dramatic, but I'm also just really excited for this. It sounds really good, can't wait to read it.

    And, on the first, another book came out that I've been dying to read.

    The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
    It sounds so good and the cover makes me think it's has a bit of Steampunk, which I love. So excited for it!

    It seems that I'm excited for a lot of things, but can you blame me? They all sounds just so very good. Hopefully I can get back in the swing of reading, but now school has started up again and I've got a lot to do. A lot of reading for school, too.

    I hope that your summers were good and full of fun and everything. It's not quite fall yet, but with the start of school, it always feels like it is anyway. Have a fun the rest of the week and hopefully I'll be better at posting here, normally I'm good at getting stuff done when I have a lot of stuff to be doing. For some reason, that works best for me. (NaNoWriMo-style).

    Saturday, September 1, 2012

    August Wrap-Up/September TBR

    It was very empty month this month, on the reading and blogging front, at least. I was at LeakyCon and  then I had LeakyFlu and needed to sleep for like 2 weeks to fully recover. Anyway, I apologize, I meant to schedule posts so this didn't happen and it just didn't really work out well. Anyway, I only read 5 books this month. One was a picture book, but it was by Neil Gaiman and amazing, so here's the list.

    Books:
    The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman (author) (5/5)
    I really enjoyed this. A lot. It was kind of awesome, you should probably check it out, it's creepy but just creepy enough.

    Evelyn, Evelyn by Amanda Palmer and others (5/5)
    This is kind of a companion to the album Evelyn, Evelyn which is all by (sung, lyrics, other) by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley and it's amazing. So amazing. I loved everything.

    30-Second Mythology by Robert A. Segal (5/5)
    It's a basic explanation of classical mythology, meaning just Greek and Roman, and it's really good. It has a short explanation of each thing (god, hero, other) and it was really good.

    Ill Wind (Weather Warden #1) by Rachel Caine (4/5)
    This was for a book club and was surprisingly good, if you ignore the crushed velvet, which I did. (It was just a purple outfit, no crushed velvet at all).

    The Color of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett (5/5)
    I decided to just go for it, just jump into this series, and oh my god it was amazing. I was so confused, really, the whole book, but I loved it. I got the world and the characters, but the way things happened made no sense. I loved it.

    And now, since there weren't many books I read last month, I thought I'd add the books I might be reading to this list. As you can tell, it never really works out the way I want it to. I read by mood and, lately, I've been in an awful reading slump and now I'm sick and have a crap load of school work I should be doing right now. However, not counting book club books, there are the books I'd like to read this month:

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
    I started this one is August and the movie is coming out at the end of the month and I want to have read the book before seeing the movie.

    Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
    This is technically for a book club, but also now for school. (John told us to read the rest by Tuesday! Oh god, can I do it?)

    And whatever else might come my way. Hopefully much more then I read in August.

    Saturday, August 25, 2012

    Book Review: A Mutiny In Time (Infinity Ring #1)

    Book: A Mutiny In Time (Infinity Ring #1)
    Author: James Dashner
    Genre: Adventure, Time Travel (Middle Grade) 
    Rating: 5/5
    Page Count: 192 (Hardcover)
    Favorite Character: I really like both of the main characters in this book, Dak and Sera. But apart from them I also really enjoy Gloria, who is not in this book very long
    Release Date: August 28th, 2012 (Scholastic)

    Plot: (From Goodreads)

    Scholastic's next multi-platform mega-event begins here! History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right!

    When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!



    Review:
    I first heard about this at BEA, which is where I got my hands on a copy, and it sounded amazing. And it definitely lived up to what I thought it was going to be. I was surprised, really, by how much i enjoyed this book. And I'm so excited to see where the rest of the story goes.

    But this is an original plot and the writing was fantastic, the description of some places making me feel like I was there, and I was glad I was able to read this one a little early so I could try and spread the word about this series because I think it's going to be a fantastic one.


    Wednesday, August 8, 2012

    Waiting on Wednesday (2)

    Well, WAIT NO LONGER. I should probably explain myself better then that, huh? Well, I was pining for this book, Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear, and then I started talking to the author and I ended up with a copy (signed!) at BEA. And while my crazy life hasn't allowed me to read it yet, which is why I am still waiting for it, you can read it now! It officially comes out today.

    And I would totally be doing more to help promote it today, if I could. The problem is that starting at 9am, I will be in the airport and then flying to Chicago, for LeakyCon. Which is awesome, of course, I do love me some LeakyCon, but because of it I've been stressing out which means less reading and then less blogging. Also, I've just been in a huge reading slump.

    Anyway, Innocent Darkness is what we're here to talk about, my friends, so let's do that.

    Goodreads summary:

    Wish. Love. Desire. Live.

    Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.

    Doesn't that sound just so very good? I can't wait! Maybe I can read it on the plane. Anyway, and here is the cover, which is completely gorgeous and drool worthy!








    If you want to possibly be entered for a chance to win some prizes, there's an online release party going on here and you can RSVP for a chance to win some cooltastic prizes.

    Thursday, August 2, 2012

    August TBR

    So I did this last month, a little late, and this month I'm doing it again and I'm going to split it into 3 parts, because I want it to be all organized and stuff.

    This is what I want to read this month, first we have the 'for fun' reads, the ones I just want to read because they are there:
    Social and Cultural Anthropology by John Monaghan and Peter Just
    The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

    Book club(s):
    Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (Sword and Laser)
    Master of None by Sonya Bateman (VFH)
    Ill Wind by Rachel Caine (VFH)

    For Review:
    Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
    AngelFall by Susan Ee
    Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver
    Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
    False Memory by Dan Krokos

    And I'm really hoping to read MORE then this, even though this is quite a bit. Though, I did read 12 books last month, maybe I can keep up with myself and read about that this month. Though, I do leave for Chicago for LeakyCon in 6 days, so maybe not. But I can try!

    If you have any questions about the books I'm planning to read or the book clubs I'm part of please feel free to leave a comment with it.

    Wednesday, August 1, 2012

    July Wrap-Up

    And once again it's been longer then I intended in between posting, well, posts. However, it's the end of the month so it's now time to tell you what I've read this month. Warning: it was a lot, much more then I normally do. I hope I can keep it up, at least a little.

    And last month I added little reviews, but since I've done WWW Wednesdays (6) (7) and if I've posted a review that will be linked, too. I've already said most of what I wanted to say and both and I'd just be repeating myself here.

    All of the books from July:

    God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire #1) by Kate Locke
    (review) 5/5

    Grim by Anna Waggener
    (review) 4/5

    Desperate Duchesses (Desperate Duchesses #1) by Eloisa James 3/5
    Note: No review and I don't think I'll be doing a written review unless you would like me to, when I finish the series, I'll probably end up doing a series review

    The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brook
    (review) 3/5

    Heart of Steel (Iron Seas #2) by Meljean Brook
    (review) 4/5

    Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre Trilogy #1) by Jacqueline Carey (5/5)

    Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love by Numbers #1) by Sarah MacLean
    Note: Probably no review of this one, either, unless anyone would like me to, just leave a note in the comments (that goes fo any of these books)

    Life, the Universe, and Everything (Hitchhiker's Guide #3) by Douglas Adams (5/5)

    Angels' Blood (Guild Hunters #1) by Nalini Singh (4/5)

    The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan (5/5)
    I don't have a review of this up right now, but I'm hoping to post one.

    An Affair Before Christmas (Desperate Duchesses #2) by Eloisa James (4/5)

    Monument 14 by Emmy laybourne (2.5/5)
    I'm not planning to post a review of this one, just because I don't really have anything to say.

    And here we go with my August TBR, the first time I've actually consciously planned this one. I didn't quite read everything I wanted to read in July, even though I did read a lot so I'm not exactly upset about it. I've been thinking about doing themed months, but also reading other things in between. If you have a wrap-up/TBR then please link me in the comments, I'd love to see it (video and blog posts are both awesome).

    Tuesday, July 31, 2012

    Book Review: Pride and Prejudice

    Book: Pride and Prejudice
    Author: Jane Austen
    Genre: Romance, European Literature(British)
    Rating: 5/5
    Page Count: 334 (Mass Market Paperback)
    Favorite Character: Definitely Elizabeth, I just adored her. (I mean Darcy is obviously amazing as are most of the characters, but...)

    Plot: (From Goodreads)
    When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships,gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.
    (This is from the Penguin classic page, which is also where the cover came from, because both things on the mass market left much to be desired).

    Review:
    I wasn't sure if I liked this book and at first, I didn't. It starts off pretty slow, but takes off quickly. I adored this book, as you can tell from my 5/5 rating, but I really didn't think I would. I've not read many classics, and this was my first Austen, so I just didn't know what to expect.

    Jane Austen has this way of writing that, for a women of her time, I just didn't expect. She's smart and funny and it shines through the characters. Elizabeth is an amazing main character because she isn't going to marry because of duty, she wants to, if she has to, marry for love.

    If you haven't read Pride and Prejudice, what are you doing with your life? And if you didn't like it, if you did read it, I'd really like to know why, because I honestly don't see how you could outright not like it.

    (Also, there's a thing happening on YouTube that is P&P turned modern and as if Elizabeth was vlogging (video blogging) through the whole thing. It's called The Lizzie Bennet diaries and it's amazing so far, completely. You should check it out. First episode here).


    Wednesday, July 25, 2012

    WWW Wednesday (7)

    And here we are again, for one of my favorite memes. I don't just love doing my own, I love reading others (so if you do one, leave me a comment with the link). Also, those that aren't labeled with YA or MG are, obviously, not Young Adult or Middle-Grade. This is hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and she asks that you answer 3 questions:


    • what are you currently reading?
    • What did you recently finish reading?
    • What do you think you'll read next?
    Currently-Reading:
    AngelFall by Susan Ee(about 35%) and Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop (25%, about, no real idea) and I'm really enjoying both of them. I just started AngelFall and I'm really loving it, and for some reason it's taking me forever to get through Daughter of the Blood, no idea why.

    Read:
    Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love By Numbers #1) by Sarah MacLean (4/5)
    Very cute and it's very well written, for it's genre. I think that my opinion of these kind of novels is so low, that they all surprise me a bit. It might be because of the awesome covers, but this one was enjoyable.

    Angel's Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh (4/5)
    This one was different. I haven't read a lot of angel books, although I do own quite a few so I guess I mean to, but I really enjoyed this one. 

    Life, the Universe, and Everything (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #3) by Douglas Adams (5/5)
    So very, very good. I am loving this series so far. It's hilarious and engaging and one of my favorite series.

    The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan (5/5)
    This book was amazing. It's set up like a dictionary with a new word on each phrase and then a drabble of sorts based on the word, and some of them were adorable or heartbreaking or cute. This whole book was so well written, and I can't wait to read his next book.

    An Affair Before Christmas (Desperate Duchesses #2) by Eloisa James (3/5)
    This one was really cute and well written, as I'm slowly coming to expect from this author. But something just didn't feel right about how it happened, which is why the rating isn't higher. I'm really enjoying this series so far, though.

    Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne (2.5/5)
    Something about this book just annoyed me, though out the whole thing. I think the main reason, without any spoilers, is that I felt like it didn't cover a long enough period, that everything happened to quickly. Besides that there we other parts that annoyed me, like that we didn't get a more specific date or an even partial history of how the world reached where it was. This just was not my kind of book, apparently.




    Might Read Next:
    I just picked up a middle-grade series I'm really looking forward to. The first book is called The Name of this Book is a Secret and it sounds really adorable, as do the rest of the books.

    Also, normally I have the pictures in 'medium' but this time they are 'small' because it looked like I had so little say about all of the books, even though that wasn't quite to case, and there are just quite a few of them.

    Monday, July 23, 2012

    Book Review: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    Book: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1)
    Author: Douglas Adams
    Genre: Humor, Adventure, SciFi/Fantasy
    Rating: 5/5
    Page Count: 216 (Paperback - 2005)
    Favorite Character: Ford. I just... I mean, I adore all four of them, but he just makes the least sense out of all of them, so it seemed like the best choice. Ooh. Or Marvin, I adore Marvin.

    Plot: (From Goodreads)

    Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

    Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.


    Review:
    I refuse to think that this is a book that you can review in a normal way because it's just too different to do that. You can't say 'well the pacing was good', because there wasn't really any pacing. This is a book that you just have to shrug and go along for the ride to enjoy it, if you're trying to figure out whats happening, you'll probably not enjoy it at all and get a headache.

    The Hitchhiker's Guide started with us on earth with Arthur Dent, who at first I was unsure of and then realized he was the best main character, and the earth is about to be destroyed. And, of course, adventure and hijinks ensue. This book is hilarious and engaging and the characters, the four main ones and the others we meet, are all amazing.

    If you're looking for a fun, nonsense (in the best way) read then this is definitely one to check out.


    Sunday, July 22, 2012

    Book Haul (1)

    I've done book hauls before, always IMM FORM, but not for a while. I'm not going to tell you all of the things that I between the last one and this one, just the mini shopping spree I went on yesterday (and the eBooks I got these past couple weeks). I haven't really bought any book in about a month, which is a long time for me, so when I went, there was a lot I wanted. And a lot of books that just came out and I wanted to read so bad and now I have. Yay!

    Barnes and Noble:
    Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
    Endlessly by Kiersten White
    In Honor by Jessi Kirby
    Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
    Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
    Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield
    Secret Letters by Leah Scheier
    Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

    and a couple more that were impulse buys and I'm not so sure about but then they wouldn't of been impulse buys! I'm sure that after I read them I'll put a review up here anyway. Also, I meant to do and Friday Favorites and I totally forgot that yesterday was Friday. I really need to figure out a better system somehow. Maybe I should just somehow buy a better memory, that would be cool.

    Blog Posts from this week:
    Book Review: The Gunslinger
    Waiting on Wednesday (1) (Paper Valentine) 

    Wednesday, July 18, 2012

    Waiting on Wednesday (1)

    Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine. And it's where people share their most anticipated reads that are still to be released.


    One book I'm really looking forward to is Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff, because it sounds amazing and the cover is gorgeous. I have yet to read her first two books, so that should keep me satisfied until this one comes out in January of 2013.

    From Goodreads:
    PAPER VALENTINE, in which a girl haunted by the troubled ghost of her best friend finds herself sucked into a darkly mesmerizing string of murders, in which a serial killer who leaves a paper-heart 'valentine' on his victims' bodies draws ever closer.

    And here is the said gorgeous cover. For some reason, I just really adore it.

    Do you do a Waiting on Wednesday or any other meme of he day? Let me know! I'd love it see it.

    Monday, July 16, 2012

    Book Review: The Gunslinger

    Book: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)
    Author: Stephen King
    Genre: Fantasy, Horror, SciFi, Western
    Rating: 5/5
    Page Count: 300 (Mass Market Paper back - revised and expanded)
    Favorite Character: Definitely Roland.


    Plot: (from Goodreads)
    In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.



    Review:
    I just started this series, so I have not been waiting decades for this story to be finished (I haven't even started the second one yet and, actually, I wasn't born when this came out), but I would of waited. This book is just so different then other things I have read. Between the world and the characters, the history behind it, and the plot, it's just completely seperate. I don't even know what to call this at all. As you can see from what I classified it under the 'genre' it's a very different novel.

    And I think this is one of those few books where you really have to read the series in it's entirety to understand what the hell is going on. But I loved it, truly, I did. It was quite the adventure and the writing was as good as ever and the plot was good and the characters were amazing. Everything about this book was very good, very interesting, and very confusing. I don't think really anything, at least anything big, is really uncovered in this book.

    I'm not going to say anything else, though, you should check this one out for yourself. Unless you don't like horror or Stephen King, then this one probably isn't for you.

    (The funny thing is that this cover, the crow, reminds me of The Stand. I guess 'funny' isn't the right word, but maybe it is).

    Sunday, July 15, 2012

    The Week of Blog-y Goodness

    This is the last day of my week of posting at least 1 post a day. And it's been really fun, actually. I mean, I suspected it may be, because I do love reading and blogging (or else I wouldn't have started this), but it had been a long time since I had put myself fully into that. I had this idea quite suddenly, but I'm glad I did. Between the 4th and yesterday I've read 9 books, this is making me quite happy on the whole. And among those, some that were different then normal and some I'd been meaning to read or finish reading for a while.

     I feel like that I've not been letting myself read enough between Cons and then having to sleep (after a convention, I must sleep at least 16 hours. Then, hope I don't get whatever cold is part of it that time). And before that school was getting in the way, even though I had to do reading for school. And it was nice just to read for an extended period of time, being able to finish books in one sitting without even really moving from my spot and being able to fully soak up the book.

     This is feeling a little sappy now so I'm going to go and read more. But I hope to continue posting her frequently, probably not as frequently as this past week, but I've been thinking of other little features I could try. And I might do a post featuring my favorite book bloggers, especially ones who I feel don't get enough attention. Though, they're all bigger then me, but I don't do this for people to follow me. If I did, I would of given up pretty quickly. Now, let's stop talking about all of that nonsence and have some fun, in a way that involves books, that is.

     I hope the rest of your summer is amazing and I hope that you like this blog, because that's all I can really hope. Isn't it? Also, if you missed anything, here's a list of the posts I did this week (including what else I'll be posting today):

    Online Book Clubs and some other things
    Book Review: Grim
    Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
    July TBR
    WWW Wednesday (6)
    Book Review: The Throne of Fire
    Book Review: The Iron Duke
    Book Review: A Game of Thrones
    Friday Favorites (1) (NEW!)
    Book Review: Good Omens
    Book Review: Heart of Steel

    Saturday, July 14, 2012

    Book Review: Heart of Steel

    Book: Heart of Steel (Iron Seas #2)
    Author: Meljean Brook
    Genre: SciFi  (Steampunk), Romance, Fantasy
    Rating: 4/5
    Page Count: 311 (Paperback)
    Favorite Character: Yasmeen. I completely adored her in The Iron Duke, too, and I was so glad that this one was about her. (And I can't deny that Archimedes was pretty amazing, too).

    Plot: (From Goodreads)

    The Iron Duke introduced the gritty, alluring adventure of the Iron Seas. Now, Meljean Brook returns to the world where nanotech fuses with Victorian sensibilities—and steam.

    As the mercenary captain of Lady Corsair, Yasmeen has learned to keep her heart as cold as steel, her only loyalty bound to her ship and her crew. So when a man who once tried to seize her airship returns from the dead, Yasmeen will be damned if she gives him another opportunity to take control.

    Treasure hunter Archimedes Fox isn't interested in Lady Corsair—he wants her coldhearted captain and the valuable da Vinci sketch she stole from him. To reclaim it, Archimedes is determined to seduce the stubborn woman who once tossed him to a ravenous pack of zombies, but she's no easy conquest.

    When da Vinci's sketch attracts a dangerous amount of attention, Yasmeen and Archimedes journey to Horde-occupied Morocco—and straight into their enemy's hands. But as they fight to save themselves and a city on the brink of rebellion, the greatest peril Yasmeen faces is from the man who seeks to melt her icy heart.


    Review:
    I really enjoyed this book, especially considering that awful cover. Yasmeen and Archimedes peaked my intrest in the Iron Duke and I was so glad to learn that this one was about the two of them. I immediately wanted them to get together when she threw him off his ship. That's probably weird, but I had a feeling it would happen eventually.

    This book is their story and how it evolves and changes and what changes it. Also, there's a lot of zombies, and I love me some zombies. There's not much more to say about this one without giving too much away. I feel like the plot gives a surprisingly amount a way and I'm glad I didn't read it before hand.

    Anyway, try not to let that cover set you off from it. (Seriously, though. What is with that trend among these kinds of books? I don't mean to fixate on it, but it's been annoying me, not just with this book, either).

    Book Review: Good Omens

    Book: Good Omens: The Nice & Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
    Author(s): Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
    Genre: Fantasy, SciFi, Humor (Urban Fantasy, Supernatural, Comedy)
    Rating: 5/5
    Page Count: 384 (Paperback)
    Favorite Character: Oh god. Mmmh. I'm going to go with two and them being Crowley and Aziraphale. Adored them and their odd friendship.

    Plot: (from Goodreads)
    From two delightful imaginations comes a comic masterpiece in which the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride motorcycles, the hound of the devil chases sticks, and the end of the world is subject to Murphys Law.

    Review:
    This is an amazing book and I really could not tell what part was written by which author (some parts, however, I could guess whose idea they were. And was normally right. Example, the maggots were Neil's idea). Anyway, though, this book is fantastic, I really do not think it could of been any better. It has an amazing cast of characters and an epic plot if ever I've read one. Between the Them and the Horsemen on motocycles, it was amazing.

    Some of the scenes had be laughing, other biting my nails (not quite literally on the latter), and it was just amazing. If you haven't read this one, yet, I'd recommend doing so as soon as you can. I waited to write this review until a while after I had read it and yet I still am fangirling over it whenever I think about, it just perfection in book form. Satanic nuns, the horsemen I mentioned, the Crowley/Aziraphale bromance (I really don't like that word, but it describes these two well), and the prophecies, and just everything in this book is amazing.

    Before, I fangirl too much more, I'm just going to say that I'm sure that you know at least of these two authors. I haven't, yet, read any of Terry Pratchett's other work, but I hope to very soon. I've read a lot of Neil's, though, and everything I've read has been amazing.

    And there's a Foreword and them on each other and those were even more hilarious and made me worry about my copy. Apparently, they have signed books that have been extremely damaged and been told that friends kept stealing their copy. My copy will be kept safe... hopefully.

    Friday, July 13, 2012

    Friday Favorites (1)

    This is something new I want to try. I've been trying to think of something to do that was my own since BEA and I think this is my best idea and it just hit me. This is going to be a thing that I may do ever week, every other week, depending on whats going on. However, it's going to be all about my favorite things that week. Not just books but YouTubers/videos or music or whatever else I'm currently obsessing over. It'll be a bit like those "*insert month* favorite videos, but a little more frequent and blog form.

    BOOK(S):
    My favorite book this week was probably Kushiel's Dart. It was just so complex and I really enjoyed it and I didn't expect to.

    MUSIC:
    I have become addicted to Rent, a little late to the game. Well, more like addicted to one song. Can you guess which one? Here it is on the YouTubes. I listen to a lot of music, though, probably too much. Pretty much constantly, I am listening to some kind of music.

    VIDEO(S):
    I haven't been rewatching many videos this week as I've been reading almost non-stop but there is one music video that someone just released. Check it out here. This girl has an amazing voice and is adorable, there's no other word for it, and this video is heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time.

    YOUTUBER(S):
    Oh so very many. Well there's Rosi, who is one of my role models. I'm sure you've probably heard of the VlogBrothers. I watch CTFxC, daily vlogs. There's so many more, but there's some. I also watch quite a few BookTubers. OH! And if you're a Pride and Prejudice fan, then you should check out the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, it's a webshow created by Hank Green of the VlogBrothers and it's P&P modernized with only 3 sisters, but it's amazing so far.

    MOVIE/TV:
    I have too many overall favorite TV shows to tell you. But I've been randomly watching an episode of Buffy or Charmed or Supernatural when I've got the time. Also, Rent. I do need to finish some series, though, I should do that soon. And I'm sure there are tons that I should watch. Eureka! Yes, that, Eureka is ending so very soon, it's a quirky show on SyFy and this is their last season, and I'm not emotionally prepared for it to be over. But then Warehouse 13 comes back and I've been dying to know what happens next.

    FAN FICTION:
    I haven't read any this week, which isn't normal. I have a couple Supernatural (Destiel) open that I've been dying to read, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. If you want to suggest any to me.... (I also ship Gabe/Sam. Shhh).

    OTHER:
    And I just want to say thank you for not just giving up on me when it was a little rocky with posts. Hopefully I will be back and awesome forever. I'm going to be at LeakyCon in August, but I hope to plan some posts for that time so that the blog isn't empty for a week or more.

    And tell me what you think of this new idea, these posts. Too much? Fun? Any opinions, go for it, I'd love to hear it. These are kind of fun to do, though, and I love hearing my current obsessions with people.