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.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Book Review: A Game of Thrones

Book: A Game of Thrones (Song of Ice and Fire #1)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Page Count:
Favorite Character: Uh, erm, uh... Tyrion, we're going with- Oh or Daenerys.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

Review:
It took me a while to get through this book just because of the sheer amount of information you get while reading it. So much happens in this book and it's told perfectly, there is just so much plot all of time, it never gets lost because of a subplot, they're all main plots. And I loved that. George R.R. Martin doesn't give you any detail you don't need or want to know. He doesn't have this beautiful writing style, by any means, but his writing is perfect for a story of this size.

I think the reason I loved it so much is because of the different perspective we get. There are so many of them and the story really doesn't truly have one main character, just because they all get equal time, really.  I loved all of these characters, too, you can't help it. I think it's because they just seem so real. Anyway, to the point, characters were amazing and were more real then I expected.

The world building. Just, the world building. This doesn't feel like a world that starts when you open the book, I feel like it just keeps going even when you're not there. It's a very lived in world, I feel like is the best way to say it. It feels like these characters just could be off living in Winterfell or Kings Landing. So, to sum it up, I was extremely impressed with the world building and how lived in that world felt, I don't feel like I've ever experienced anything really like it.

Also, not everything in this book is black and white, it's very grey. It's not just good verse evil, it's much more then that, and sometimes you don't really know who is good and who is evil. And I love that. I love not really knowing if I should love this character or that character as much as I do, but still loving them anyway. It's a place that not a lot of book go, that grey area of good and evil. I think because it's grey and unknown, but it truly is a wonderful way to read about these characters.

Anyway, though, I really did enjoy this book and I can't wait to read the next one. To sum up what I thought: the plot was amazing and intricate, characters were amazing, and the world felt very lived in. I feel like this is a series that is just crazy, really, some of the plot lines that it follows are just creepy or amazing or both. However, I'd recommend this to anyone, unless you don't like fantasy, and don't be daunted too much by the sheer mass of this book, it's worth it.

Book Review: The Iron Duke

Book:  The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1)
Author: Meljean Brook
Genre: Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Steampunk
Rating: 3/5
Page count: 308 (Paperback)
Favorite character: Mina, definitely. (Of course, loves Yasmeen is also awesome and kick-ass).

Plot: (from Goodreads)

First in an all-new series where seductive danger and steampunk adventure abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas.

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.


Review:
Overall, this book was okay. Entertaining with some characters that I really like, but I did have some problems with it. I felt like the backstory of the world just didn't feel right to me, the way it was shown to us. It kind of felt like you just got this info dump really early, first few chapters, and then that was pretty much that. And it was just weird, it didn't feel right.

And then, of course, is the Iron Duke. I had some problems with him in general that I'm not going to get into since I'm not going to say anything even a little spoiler-y here. But he was just a little bit too much in every way and I just wasn't that fond of him, especially for about the first 40-50% of the book.

(This is, obviously, not a YA book, but I feel like I should tell you anyway, just in case).

You can find the author through her website, that's a link directly to her series page for this series, as well as guides to this world (which I wish I'd known about while reading). Also, at the top of the page in that link, there's a link to a Steampunk guide, if you are unsure about what exactly that entails.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Book Review: The Throne of Fire

Book: The Throne of Fire (The Kane Chronicles #2)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy (Myth), Adventure (MG)
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 452 (Hardcover)
Favorite Character: Besides Sadie and Carter, who I love, I'd have to say, book specific, it had to be Bes. He was... interesting.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.


Review:
It took me forever to get around to reading this one, even though I was dying to as soon as I finished the first one. I love this series and I love Rick Riordan's series in general, pretty much just all of them, so I may be a bit biased but I really just like the writing in these books and they way it's done. Anyway, though, this book picks up a little bit after the first one and it's just this epic adventure, as is the case when you are magicians and the gods are trying to end the world.

I really love the characters in this series, especially Sally and Carter. They're just so smart and snarky and it's just so funny, sometimes, to read things from their pespective where as, if it wasn't, it might not of been as funny. This isn't exactly a light hearted series, with the gods and all of the stuff that comes with that, but it's definitely funny and just smart.

If you like mythology or middle-grade adventures, then this is definitely the one for you. Here's a link to the authors series page for this one, and from there you can investigate his other series (because they are amazing).  The third book in this series came out a little while ago and I hope to read it soon, but it's also the final book in the series and that makes me a little sad.

WWW Wednesday (6)

I haven't done one of these in a while! This is weird but I like it. The reason I haven't done one of these in a while is because (1) i was away with no internet and (2) I wasn't reading. But now here is everything I am currently reading, want to read, and might read next since my last WWW Wednesday. Warning: will be a long post.
(You should all know by now that WWW Wednesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, as you can see in that little picture over there).


Currently-Reading:
I'm about 50% through Enders Game and Fahrenheit 451 and hope to finish both soon, this month at the very least.

Read:
Soulless, The Manga Vol. 1 by Gail Carriger (author) (5/5)
This is, obviously, the Manga version of the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger and is amazing, I really enjoyed seeing this book in a different media. I love this series and think that Alexia is kick-ass and one of my favorite heroins for sure. I'd recommend reading the books first, because I feel like you get more from them. (Maybe 16+, because this is not a YA book, but I'm sure you all know your limits).

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Well (The Land of Stories #1) by Chris Colfer (3/5)
This is the fabulous Chris Colfer's debut middle grade book that continues the fairy tale stories that we all know and love, or hate, through these two twins who make their way into the fairy tale world. I really liked this book, the writing felt a little weird at times, but it is a debut and I still really liked where he took it, so I'd recommend it. My full review here.

A Mutiny in Time (The Infinity Ring #1) by James Dashner (5/5)
This is a book about two best friends who somehow stumble upon a device that, with some help, can travel in time and, of course, shenanigans and adventure go from there. I'm really excited about this series and can't wait to see what happens next. This is a middle-grade, also, and an extremely well written one for that. Full review for this one will be posted closer to the release date.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor (5/5)
Why did no one force me to read this sooner? I'm sure you all heard the buzz about this one when it first came out last year and it definitely lived up to it, an amazing read and anyone who hasn't read this one should, though I imagine most of you have, I'm probably the last person to. This is YA and was a debut last year. My review can be found here.

God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire #1) by Kate Locke (5/5)
I raved about this one already on twitter and in my review, but I'll do it here, too. I adored this book, loved it to pieces. It's so different from other books I've read, definitely different then other Steampunk. I'm not going to tell you anything about it, just go ahead and jump in. The history that's incorporated is one of my favorite parts about this series. This one isn't YA or middle-grade either, so keep that in mind.

Grim by Anna Waggener (4/5)
This is a debut about a women, Erika, who dies and then ends up kind of trapped in limbo. She has three kids and she doesn't want to leave them and this book is amazing and tragic and a beautifully written YA debut. I hope to post my full review very soon, probably this week or next.

Desperate Duchesses (Desperate Duchesses #1) by Eloisa James (3/5)
This is NOT my normal book, as I'm sure you've noticed, but it was for a book club I'm part of and I did end up really enjoying it. Sometimes it's nice to read something that doesn't have a dark undertone and is just fluff, like brain candy. This was my first historical romance, and I think the reason I enjoyed it as much as I did, is because Eloisa James' writing is just so very good, I enjoyed it at least. (Definitely not YA, also).

The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brook (3/5)
This was an interesting book. This one was also Steampunk, but completely different then God Save the Queen. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed the second one, but I'll probably post a full review on this one to explain why.

Heart of Steel (Iron Seas #2) by Meljean Brook (4/5)
It says this on and Iron Duke are part of the same series, but they are about two different couples. They're in the same world and know each other and everything, but completely different perspectives. I enjoyed this one so very much, maybe because the main guy of the story was so much... better. Both of these, by the way, aren't YA but they are good Steampunk (and romance) books





Kushiel's Dark by Jacqueline Carey (5/5)
I adored this book. It was long and filled with intricate politics, but it also had an amazing plot and amazing (and heartbreaking) characters. This is definitely not a book everyone will enjoy, I have no doubts of that, but it's beautifully written and I really did enjoy it.






Might Read Next:
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
I really need to start this one. It's for a book club and it's gigantic. It looks really good, though. It just may take me a while to get through.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

July TBR

Now, I don't normally do TBR posts, but I do make lists and try to stick to them. Sometimes I really well and sometimes I fail miserably. However, I'd like to get into the swing of posting them up so that you may tease me when I fail, because that's just how that works. Now, normally this would be posted right after the wrap-up, but I just thought of doing this 'officially' so here it is now. Obviously, I've already read a lot of these books, and I'll label them if I have.

For July:


  • Desperate Duchesses (Desperate Duchesses #1) by Eloisa James (finished)
  • God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire #1) by Kate Locke (finished)
  • Grim by Anna Waggener (finished)
  • The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brooke (finished)
  • Heart of Steel (Iron Seas #2) by Meljean Brooke (finished)
  • Nine Rules to Break When Romances a Rake by Sarah MacLean
  • Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (About 60% done)
  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (about 50% done)
  • Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
I've already read so many books this month catching up on my 100 book challenge after being away for BEA and then VidCon. And I want to read many more. I've been reading Kushiel's Dart for what feels like a very long time, but it is 900 pages so I guess that shouldn't be surprising. There are a lot of books listed up there, but I might end up adding/subtracting some. It all depends on my mood, normally.

The romance books you see above are not my normal cup of tea, but they're for an online book club I'm part of (check out my post about online book clubs if you're curious.) And so far, I'm liking them. I haven't started the Sarah MacLean, but Eloisa James' writing was surprisingly very good. (Also, did you know romance is the number 1 best selling fiction genre? So why are people so embarrassed that they read it? Maybe because of how awful the covers are, because some are just truly awful. I'm sorry, but they are). 

Book Review: Grim

Book: Grim
Author: Anna Waggener
Genre: Fantasy (Paranormal, Mythology) (YA)
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 320 (Hardcover)
Favorite Character: Probably Jeremiah, I'm a sucker for angels. (I also really enjoyed most of the brothers)

Plot: (From Goodreads)

A fantastic debut from the winner of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards novel contest.

When Erika wakes up after a horrific car crash, she finds herself somewhere between earth and heaven, between life and death. She doesn't want to accept help from Jeremiah, who she's not sure she can trust, even as she finds herself drawn to him, following him into a grim city of souls. She's not sure who wants to help her and who wants to hurt her. And she's desperate to get back to her children.

Shawn's never thought about having to shoulder the responsibility of caring for his young sister Megan and his reckless older sister. And he never imagined that the three of them would find themselves in a haunted wood, sometimes chased, sometimes assisted, never sure where they're headed.

With Grim, the terrifically talented Anna Waggener delves into the place where myth becomes reality, where family can distort you as easily as it cares for you, where death and eternity meet.



Review:
I speed through this book faster then I expected. I didn't know much about it when I picked it up besides the fact that it was about angels, a debut, and the cover was gorgeous (and it actually ended up being relevant to the story, which I love when that happens). But I ended up really enjoying this one.

This is a book that was just so intriguing in the way it was written. It wasn't just focused on one person and it wasn't focused on just the 'main' time period either. There were pages in the middle of chapters that were black with white writing and they were flashbacks, so it speak, and so very interesting. So the writing, the way it was written, was one reason this book got such a good rating for me.

Also, I enjoyed the characters and the plot, the idea of the whole world and how it worked, and the underlying darkness of it all. This isn't a lighthearted read but I don't think it really could of been. I'm not going to say anymore as to not give anything away. It really good, though, even if it had me tearing up a bit in places. You should check this one out, though, because this is Anna's first book and it's quite a stunning first book at that.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Online Book Clubs and some other things

I've never been part of a 'real life' book club or group before, but I've learned I really kind of enjoy the two online ones I've kind of been taking part in. I joined them both a couple months ago, but I haven't really gotten into reading the books until this month (time always seems to be an issue). Now, the two groups I'm part of are Sword and Laser and Vaginal Fantasy (I'll explain that name in a paragraph). Also, any links to anything will be at the bottom and if I miss something just tell me in comments.

First, Sword and Laser. This is a SciFi and Fantasy group that has been going now for quite a long time, I'm a bit late to the game, so to speak. But I really like the two people who run it, Veronica and Tom, and they're just so intelligent in talking about the books and it's just a really awesome group. And who doesn't love some SciFi and Fantasy, right?

Now, Vaginal Fantasy. This is a group recently started by Felicia Day and it's basically reading romance, or books with romance (and smut) but with plot. And I've surprisingly liked quite a few of the books they've done. They did, for example, Soulless by Gail Carriger which I read late last year and loved. This group, obviously, gets quite a lot of backlash for the name, but I find it fitting and a bit hilarious. (If you want to know why she picked it, you can check out the first G+ hangout, she talks about it in the beginning. Basically, she's been using the phrase for years).

Now, to the blog. I feel like I write a lot of posts about this blog, but I just haven't found my rhythm yet. Or I do and then it gets all jumbled from some time away at conventions, the only real time I travel. Now, this week, to get me back into thing, I'm going to be posting at least 1 post everyday this week, Monday to Sunday, and they won't all be reviews, but I love to write those other posts just as much, so I hope you like them to. (Tell me below what you'd like to see more of, less of, see at all. Go for it).

And then, after this week of crazy, I will hopefully go to the normal schedule I had, which was a little lenient to begin with. Reviews on Monday, maybe nothing Tuesday, every other Wednesday a WWW Wednesday post, probably nothing thursday, review Friday, nothing Saturday, and a book haul or something Sunday. I might end up posting on the 'nothing' days if I there are a lot of books coming out I read and want to tell you about so you can check them out, too. For instance, this week I was playing catch-up with my 100 book challenge and I've read a lot of books this past week or so.

Now I'm going to end this fairly long post with a goodbye and best wishes. And that I hope you will enjoy my week of posts and my plans for the future. Any comments, suggestions, random facts, please leave in the comment sections.


Link:
Sword and Laser
Goodreads
Website
First video episode (I think this is the first one, at least).

Vaginal Fantasy
Goodreads
Website 
Felicia's YouTube (where the G+ hangouts are posted)

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

June Wrap-Up

I did not read almost any books this month. I went to two conventions (BEA and VidCon). I just go back from VidCon, actually, and am already missing all of my friends. I did read 4 books, though, and let me tell me tell you about them.

Soulless: Vol. 1 by Gail Carriger (5/5)
This is the graphic novel adaptation of Soulless, as you can tell, and I believe they're doing all 5 books in this series. I'm a sucker for graphic novels and I love it when they do this, it's so interesting to see what they keep and what they take out.

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Well by Chris Colfer (4/5)
This was a cute and fun book and I really liked it for that. You can see my full review here.

A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1) by James Dashner (5/5)
I adored this book. I'll be posting a full review closer to the release day, but definitely be looking forward to this series.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (5/5)
This book has just been sitting on my shelf for way too long and I finally just caved and read it and it as amazing. I'm sure you've all read this book, though, and don't need me to tell you that.

And now I get to play catch up. I'm currently 4 books behind, so it's good I'm going to probably be sleeping and relaxing for a while.