Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wordless Wednesday No. 1

Thanks to a really rough week, I'm still reading the same things I was last Wednesday. On a good note, I did get The Girl in the Clockwork Collar  from Harlequin on NetGalley--along with a whole bunch of others, thank you, Harlequin!! So this week, rather than WWW Wednesday, I'm going to take part in Wordless Wednesday (I know, this post isn't wordless) instead!

Here's my image (taken with iPhone 3GS & instagr.am)...

Gothic source books for my MA Thesis
Have a lovely Wednesday! See you soon. :)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

WWW Wednesday: No. 3


WWW Wednesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to play along, just answer three simple questions...

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

 Here's what I've got going on right now...


Much Ado About RoguesWhat are you currently reading?
Kasey Michaels' Much Ado About Rogues. I just started it, but it's great so far. Not much to report yet, other than I'm a little on the fence about the cover. I love the colors, they're beautiful. The male model is gorgeous, the dress she's wearing is gorgeous, but the woman wearing the dress doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of it. She's pretty, but out of place with him. I don't know, maybe I'm being picky. I read the first book in this series The Taming of the Rake, and I loved it (I also just realized that I never got around to posting a review for it). I'm hoping to love this one just as much.
Goddess InterruptedWhat did you recently finish reading?
I just finished Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter, thanks to the wonderful people at NetGalley. I absolutely loved it. Mythology is definitely my thing and I think Carter did a great job with this book. I enjoyed it more than I did The Goddess Test and I cannot wait for the last book in the series. If you've got this book, but haven't read it, do so. If you haven't got it, get it!
Clockwork Collar
What do you think you'll read next?
Fingers crossed, hoping and praying that it's Kady Cross's The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. I really enjoyed the first book, so I requested this one on NetGalley and am waiting anxiously to find out whether or not I'm approved. Not only can I not wait to see Finley and Griffin again, but the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous! Just when I thought they couldn't top The Girl in the Steel Corset, they've just about done it. The clockwork collar is a steampunk dream! Cross your fingers for me!!

I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to and I hope that if you drop in you'll leave me a comment so I can come and visit you, too!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Review: Goddess Interrupted

Goddess Interrupted Author: Aimee Carter {site}
Genre: YA, Romance, Mythology
Format: Kindle
Published: 27 March 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley
Series: Yes

{Check out my review for The Goddess Test }

Synopsis:  {via author's site}
Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.
Review:

I said so the first time, and I'm going to say it again, I absolutely love Greek Mythology. Even if I'd given the first book a poor review, I'd still have been terribly tempted to read this one in hopes that it redeems itself. Fortunately, I really enjoyed The Goddess Test, the first book in this series, so that wasn't an issue. When I received this book from NetGalley, I couldn't wait to get to reading it. Unfortunately, grading and thesis had to come first. Last night, I had the opportunity to sit down and start this book, which I just finished about a half an hour ago. I absolutely loved it. I simply cannot wait for book three, and I'll probably hunt down the novella, The Goddess Hunt, too.

Above all else, this book evoked a good deal of emotion in me. Maybe I'm just in a crying frame of mind today, but this book made me cry. Not a little bit, not here or there, but quite a bit. Maybe that's crazy, but I couldn't seem to help myself.

The Characters:

I really liked Kate Winters the first time around and this time was no different. I still really, really like her. As a heroine, she's strong and intelligent, which are traits I really love in a central female character. Most of all, she was incredibly sympathetic to me. Her struggles with love, with Henry, really got under my skin and reached me. Genuinely, I adore her! Henry is still Henry, still cool and aloof, but you really come to understand him better in this book. He becomes as sympathetic as he can possibly be, given his character, and that's something I really enjoyed about it. He may be the God of the Underworld, but we come to see that he does have feelings and why he feels the way he does.

The villains are pretty interesting, too, as villains go. Calliope (Hera) was down right vicious and she never strayed from her conviction. As villains go, I like her! Cronus, Calliope's "daddy" is downright bad, but what's good about him is it's easy to see his motivations. He's not complex, but he has goals and they're impossible to misunderstand.

Seeing Persephone was really interresting, overall, and understanding more about her relationships with her mother, Henry, Kate, Ava, and even Adonis play out was well done. Otherwise, there is one twist I didn't see coming, that made me shake my head in... I don't know, disappointment. I was, though, surprised and I think you will be too. One character development I absolutely couldn't have foreseen. That's all I'm saying about that!

The Plot:

Though there were moments when the plot was pretty transparent, like Kate's excitement at going home and how that whole thing pans out, the plot was pretty solid for the most part. I really liked seeing Persephone and how she played into the plot. I also really enjoyed seeing how this book will work right into the next. The cliffhanger plot was well done, as cliffhanger plots go. I think they're a little bit cruel, considering how long it takes to get a book published, but if an author's going to do them, they should do them well and this one was done well.

Like the first book, there were moments when the plot can be a little bit sad. Kate's relationship with Henry, her desire to help even though she's ultimately helpless, her relationship with her mother and Persephone, and her relationship the the villain, Calliope (Hera) are all very solid parts of this story. All of the loose ends tie up, except for the cliffhanger, of course, and the plot is nicely paced. Overall, wonderful work!

Otherwise, the only issue I have with this book (and one I had with the last, as well) is that Henry's language is so stiff--not exactly a plot problem, but it fits here okay anyhow. He speaks like he's been alive for eons, which is fine, but all of the other gods use such relaxed speech that it's awkward. If all of the gods used stiff language with absolutely no contractions, then it might be okay. As is, Henry's the only one and it's distracting. 

The Verdict:

Rating: 5/5
I loved every second of this book, even the ones that made me cry. I'd read it again and I cannot wait for the next book to arrive. The mythology was very good, though naming Hera Calliope was, to me, a little bit awkward. I don't imagine her like that, like a Calliope, and since Calliope was a real mythological figure, it's a little bit confusing at first. Above all, though, this book was fantastic!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Book Tagged

I've been graciously tagged by Maria at A Night's Dream of Books for a new meme, a fun new way for book bloggers to get to know one another. The best part, it's really easy to take part and is a great way to make friends around the book blogosphere. So here're the really simple rules, really quickly:
1) Post the rules.
2) Answer the questions by tagger & make your own questions for your the bloggers you've tagged.
3) Tag 10 people and link them in your post.
4) Let the people you've tagged know you've tagged them.
The people I'm tagging for this meme include:
 1) Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books (tag-back!)
 2) Sarah @ Workaday Reads
 3) Lisa @ Lost in Literature
 4) Tiffany @ Book Cover Justice
 5) Danielle @ Mercurial Musings
 6) Marian @ A Sunny Disposition
 7) Kary @ The Once and Future Librarian
 8) Tara @ Hobbitsies
 9) Grace @ Livre D'Amour
10) Jodi @ Ocean in a Cup (not precisely a book blog!)

First, Maria's questions:

1.) What's your favorite book meme and/or blog hop? You can name more than one.

This is a tough one, there are so many I love! I think, though, that On My Wishlist, hosted by Book Chick City tops the list, WWW Wednesday, hosted by Should be Reading, and Feature and Follow Friday, hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read are my absolute favorites. I'm always on the look out for new memes and hops, but so far these are the ones I really enjoy the most.

2.) Would you ever like to reach more than 1,000 followers? Why or why not?

I don't know, really. I blog because I really enjoy it, and thought I'd love to reach a large audience, I don't think it would influence my content. I post about the books I love, I read for fun and to relax, and my reviews are always honest. So, I suppose if I could get to 1,000 followers who really wanted to interact and with whom I could interact, then sure! For me, it's much more important to build relationships than to find followers.

3.) When you first started blogging, did you simply follow the steps at Blogger (or some other platform), read a book/books about blogging, or visit blog instruction websites? Did you do all three? Please name any books or sites you've used.

I've been personal blogging since 2003, so blogging really is one of my favorite hobbies. When I first started blogging, my very first platform was Blogger. So, when I decided to start this blog, I started it as a self-hosted Wordpress blog. I decided, pretty quickly though, that Blogger was a much better platform for this particular type of blog, so I moved it over. Overall, I've never been big on instructional websites for bloggers, mostly because I believe blogging is a platform for personal self-expression, but I did get some really good tips about book blogging from Parajunkee's Book Blogging 101 series when I was just starting out.

4.) Have you ever read a book that you felt should never make it to the movie screen? Name the book, and why you feel this way. If you haven't read such a book, then give the title of a book whose synopsis you've read on Goodreads or Amazon. If you can't come up with any book, just skip this question.

The only book I've read that I've read that I absolutely hated was Bathory: Memoir of  Countess. It was absolutely horrible. I'm really interested in Bathory, so when I saw this book I thought it was a sure hit, but when I started reading it I realized it was just the opposite. It's also the only really bad book review I've ever written. So, yeah, this book would make a horrible movie, though there are some pretty good movies out there about Bathory.

Otherwise, I'm not sure that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series would make a good movie, simply because it's so, so long and so filled with characters, it would be impossible to follow. That said, I really love Robert Jordan (R.I.P).

5.) Do you enjoy participating in blog tours? Why or why not?

I never have done a blog tour, but I wouldn't be opposed to doing so. I just haven't found the right one, and honestly it was a long time before I understood exactly what went on during blog tours. I also have no idea where to sign up.

6.) If you like romance novels, do you prefer realistic human men, or paranormal/fantasy ones? Please explain your choice. If you don't like romance novels, feel free to skip this question.

I like both, actually. It depends entirely upon the kind of romance I'm reading. Regency romance, which is my favorite, has to be human men. Of course, it always is so that's fine. For more contemporary romance, I like a mix. I like my romantic male lead to be a vampire, a werewolf, a Greek god, just as much as I like the humans.

7.) Some readers think that the romance genre is "trashy reading". Do you agree? Why or why not?

This might not be a fair question, I mean, I have a degree in English. Ha!  No, but in all seriousness, I really, really enjoy romance novels, but that wasn't always the case. There was a time when I thought they were trashy, but then I read Bound By Honor by Collette Gale (which is actually historical storybook erotica/romance). After that I started to get into regency romance, and I've never looked back. It's really my guilty pleasure. I love them, no shame at all. So no, I don't think they're trashy reading. I tend to believe that everyone needs a break from the serious stuff, and that some reading is just fun. That's romance for me, it's just a way for me to kick back and really relax.

8.) Have you ever read a book that you think you could have written much better? Which book is it? Name one thing you would change about this book -- whether it's the overall plot, the ending, a character's personality, or anything else you can think of.

I don't think so, no. I'm pretty liberal about what I enjoy and other writer's style. Okay, wait, I think I could have done Bathory: Memoir of a Countess much more justice than did the writer. Otherwise, not at all.

9.) What would cause you to stop reading a book in disgust?

If I didn't stop reading Bathory (and I didn't, I finished the whole thing in one afternoon), then I can't think of anything. I have a pretty strong stomach for violence, blood and gore, for horror, etc. I think maybe any kind violence against children or animals would do it for me. I can't tolerate people hurting the innocent. Otherwise, I'm open to almost anything... which doesn't necessarily mean I'll like it, it just means I'm willing to tolerate almost anything.

10.) What personality traits make it easy for you to like a specific character in a novel?

I really admire a strong central heroine. I love books that have female characters who can stand up for themselves, who have a central identity not dictated to them by the men in their lives, and I like for my heroine to be smart and self-aware. For male characters, I like what every woman likes, sexy! No, seriously though, I want a male character who respects women and who knows who he is.  I tend to like characters who are a little bit older, maybe late teens and up. I tend to turn away from characters who are too young or naive, which is tricky because I really enjoy YA lit.

Alright, now onto my questions:

1.) Do you prefer book series or stand alone novels? Why?
2.) How much time do you spend reading per week & what are your other hobbies?
3.) Do you write in addition to being a book blogger? If so, what genre do you write?
4.) What is your favorite movie based on a book? Why?
5.) What is your least favorite movie based on a book? Why?
6.) Name one book you simply couldn't put down and explain why.
7.) If you were going to recommend one book, what would it be and why?
8.) Do you have a Kindle or the like? Do you read e-books? Why or why not?
9.) What is the first book you remember reading?
10.) Are you more likely to read a bad book with a good cover, or a good book with a bad cover? Also, does a cover affect how you feel about a book, whether good or bad?


There you have it!  I just wanted to say that this meme is open to everyone and that I hope you'll participate. If you haven't been tagged above, but still want to participate, please leave me a comment and let me know, so I can add your tag above. I'm looking forward to reading your responses!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Re-run: On My Wishlist #5 (Sarah MacLean)

The following is a On My Wishlist re-run--originally posted on June 3, 2011. I decided to post it again because, well, these books are still at the top of my wishlist. One of these days, I'll get them. I think I might actually buy the first one today, because I've been waiting forever!


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. Post the books you're dying to have but haven't gotten yet, head over to Book Chick City, add your name to the linky and you're off!

There are so many books on my wishlist, it's not funny. If I managed to have them all, my TBR list would be even more unmanageable than it is right now. Last week, I had a series on my wishlist. This week, another series! Since I'm a sucker for a good romance, particular regency, here's this week's On My Wishlist...

9rulestobreak


ten-ways-adored-mm-c1


Elevenscandals


I saw these three books on I'm Loving Books and Sarah seemed to enjoy them, so I put them on my wishlist. I love the titles and the covers, and the plots seem like something right up my alley.  I'm going to be looking to get them in the next few weeks for my Kindle. Can't wait to read them!

So tell me, what's on your wishlist?!

Blog Makeover & In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is a weekly book meme hosted by The Story Siren. It posts on Sundays, so go check out her blog and join in the fun if you're not already!

I got a ton of books this week that I can't wait to jump into, but before I get to those, I wanted to find out what y'all think about my new theme? It's my first attempt at design with scrapbook kits. I think it came out really well, I'm really happy with it. I hope you are too!  Alright, now onto the books. All of the books below come from NetGalley, my favorite site on the web. I don't know what I'd do without them!

Goddess Interrupted

I loved the first book, The Goddess Test, so when I saw this book on NetGalley I knew I had to request it. Aimee Carter hit a home run with her debut novel, and I'm sure this one will be great, too. Thanks to the lovely people at Harlequin, I was able to get it for my Kindle. I haven't started reading it yet, but I can't wait to dig in. I've been waiting what feels like an eternity!

Much Ado About Rogues

Blackthorn Brothers, *swoon,* I love them!  I read the first book and loved it, missed the second book, but just got this one this week. I can't wait to read it. If you know how it goes, don't tell me! Considering my love for regency romance, this book was a given. Kasey Michaels can write on heck of a fantastic story. Once I finish Goddess Interrupted, this book is next on my list.

The Peculiars

Isn't the cover beautiful?! I got this book this week on NetGalley, thanks to the wonderful folks at ABRAMS. I'm really looking forward to it, it's third in line on my must-read-right-now-list. I suppose I'm just a sucker for YA, which is really a really weird juxtaposition with my obsession with regency romance. Anyhow, I figure any novel with a cover this beautiful must be fantastic. Have you read it? If so, let me know what you thought.

I got three or four other books, also from NetGalley, but the ones listed above are the books I'm most excited to read. So what did you get this week?

Friday, March 2, 2012

Hunger Games Read-A-Thon!!

Just like everyone else around the blogosphere, book or otherwise, I'm looking forward to March 23rd with an unrivaled giddiness. In fact, I can't think of a time when I was this giddy about anything and I can't imagine being this giddy again, except maybe when the next movie comes out. I am, of course, talking about the release of The Hunger Games movie. I simply cannot wait.

So, to celebrate the coming movie, I'm re-reading The Hunger Games (aloud to my husband who hasn't read it) and remembering all the reasons I loved the book the first time. It's just so amazing. I see myself going the Thursday night, at midnight, showing. Waiting for Friday just won't be an option. But, since I'm re-reading it, I thought I'd join in on The Hunger Games Read-A-Thon hosted by Smitten Over Books and Breathing Books.

I'm a little late, since sign-ups have been happening since February 1st, but since the read-a-thon didn't actually start until February 23rd, I'm not that late. The first discussion post happened on February 28th, so I'll be posting that very soon. If you're dying for The Hunger Games, like I am, go sign up and take part in the fun!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Feature & Follow Friday #3

I'm back! It's been forever since I've written here, and let me tell you, things have been crazy hectic over the last few months! I've been working on my thesis, teaching Composition and Research at my university (so much grading!), attending tons of meetings, and trying to make time for friends and family. But, I've missed blogging and I've missed reading all the book blogs out there. So, what better way to make a comeback than with a blog hop?!

Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read every Friday. This week's featured blogs are: Murcurial Musings (Parajunkee) & Owl Tell You About It (Alison). I hope you'll stop by and say hello, if you haven't already.

Okay, here's this week's question: What book would you love to see made into a movie or television show and do you have actors/actresses in mind to play the main characters?

This is really tough, actually, because I feel like they rarely get books right in translation to film. I enjoyed Twilight okay, and I liked Harry Potter, but neither of them got it completely right. I am dying to see Hunger Games, but who isn't? So, I think right now the answer to this is that I'd like to see any regency romance turned into a film. I love period pieces, I love romance, and I know this is a really weird choice, but I'd love it! Of course, I may be the only one, so the chances are slim... but hey, a girl can dream!

As for actors, I'd really like to see Gerard Butler as the leading man. I adore him and I think he's got just the right look to play a rakish high society rogue. Female characters are where I really struggle. The truth is,I have no idea about this one. But definitely Gerard Butler for the male lead.

Another series I'd love to see turned into movies would have to be Colleen Gleason's Ordo Dracul series. The Vampire Dimitri was fantastic, I absolutely loved it! Oh, and maybe The Goddess Test, too, I really liked that one and can't wait to read Goddess Interrupted. But again, no idea for the actors and actresses.

Well, there you have it. I hope you'll take a minute to say hello and leave a link so I can return the favor. See you for next week's hop!