A Turn of Page

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

2012-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

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...

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

2012-03-03T00:27:00.001-08:00

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?

Hunger Games Read-A-Thon!!

2012-03-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

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!

Feature & Follow Friday #3

2012-03-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

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!

Goodbye, Summer!

2011-08-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, where has the time gone?! It feels like just yesterday I was updating here regularly, enjoying my summer reading, and then... nothing. For those who have been looking for something here, I apologize for the disappearing act! But, in my defense, my thesis and master's comprehensive exams (which I passed!!) sort of crept up on me and everything else fell by the wayside. I spent the whole summer studying and writing, and everything else sort of took a hit. Including this blog, which had at the early part of the summer truly been my refuge.

All that said, it would be a bit hard to update at the moment because I haven't had much time to read anything you would be interested in hearing about. I will be posting a review for the classic Gothic novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, but it will probably be done in parts. There's no way I can talk about a 700 pages novel of that caliber in one sitting. So, look for that in the near future.

Oh, I'm also reading the Twilight Saga this summer, as master's thesis research, and you can believe I have something to say about that. I'll probably be posting a review for Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, soon, as well. I cannot believe I didn't read these books before, but let me say, there are moments I really felt let down. I'll get to that in the reviews, which might also come in parts, because I have quite a lot to say, and that series is a lot of pages.

For now, I'm on the lookout for anything and everything having to do with the Hunger Games movie, as I adored that series. I may also look for a moment or two to re-read it, but there're so many great books on my reading list that I'm not sure where the time would come from. Otherwise, I'm working on a great romance novel, review forthcoming.

Finally, a new semester is about to begin Monday and with it comes a totally new experience for me. My first semester as GTA, rather than just GA begins, and that "T" in GTA means I'll be teaching. While I taught basic writing last semester, this semester I'm jumping into Introduction to College Composition with two sections and 50 students! It's going to be a blast, and while I'm a little bit scared, I'm also really thrilled to be getting this opportunity. So, my chances to read might be limited by the overabundance of grading that comes along with having 50 students!

I'll be sure to update this blog at every opportunity. Thanks for hanging in there with me, hiatus and all!!

Review: Notorious

2011-06-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Author: Nicola Cornick {site}
Genre: Historical, Romance
Format: Kindle
Published: 19 July 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley
Series: Yes

Review:

When I reached the end of this book, I couldn't help but smile and to say I enjoyed it would be something of an understatement. As a fan of regency romance, I enjoy a well told story that brings the period to life. Cornick certainly succeeds on that stage, this story's quite well told. I will admit to some small degree of discomfort reading this book as it's the fourth book in a series, the first three of which I've not had a chance to read yet. I didn't know when I started it that I was reading out of order, which is generally an issue for me. This series, however, includes a number of stand alone novels revolving around the same family/group. After reading this novel, I'll definitely be seeking out the first three.

Truly, there was very little about Notorious that I didn't like. The characters, James Devlin--or "Dev"--and Susanna Burney are very likable personalities. Dev is dead sexy, as the male lead of a romance should be, and Susanna is enormously sympathetic. As a couple, they've got sparks and I loved their chemistry from the start. The secondary characters are sweet and terrible, at intervals, and you feel as sorry for some of them as you dislike others. Overall, the people in this book, including Lord Alex and his lovely bride, stars of the first novel in the series, are well devised and unique. Of course, some of them should be, she's been writing about them for four books now.

The plot was well played and quite interesting. I felt the turmoil the characters were feeling, and Susanna's situation is a unique one. I don't think I've come upon anything quite like it. There are moments when I felt an immense sympathy for her, and others when I adored her fire. The one thing I will say that I didn't much care for was the stuff about the children, but even that was sparse enough that it didn't detract from the plot much at all. It was just sprinkled in there, without getting in the way, though children in a romance novel aren't my ideal reading and do nothing to feed my enjoyment. Cornic does it well, however, leading to a situation that is sympathetic without being distracting.

Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis: {via amazon}

When the ton's most notorious heartbreaker…

Dangerously seductive and sinfully beautiful, Susanna Burney is society's most sought after matchbreaker. Paid by wealthy parents to part unsuitable couples, she's never yet failed to accomplish her mission of diverting a groom-to-be. Until her final assignment brings her face-to-face with the man who'd once taught her an intimate lesson in heartache….

Meets London's most disreputable rake…

James Devlin has everything he's always wanted: a title, a rich fiancée and a place in society. But the woman who's just met his eyes across a crowded ballroom threatens it all. Not because she'd once claimed his heart, or that every sinuous swirl of her ball gown takes his breath away. But because the secrets she carries could cost him everything. To put the past to rest once and for all, Dev just might have to play Susanna at her own wicked game….

Let the seduction begin!

**Review copy acquired free from Harlequin at NetGalley. The review copy was Kindle format and, as an eARC, is subject to change before publication.**

WWW Wednesday: No. 2

2011-06-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am having an amazingly slow week. Everything seems to be coming along just after I'd like it to be. Blog posts at mid-afternoon, rather than mid-morning, for example! So, I thought a meme might be a fun way to spend the afternoon, and as always MizB at Should Be Reading has one to offer. So, here's my contribution to WWW Wednesday...

What are you currently reading?

My current read is The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (published in 1794). Okay, I wouldn't say I'm currently reading it, more like I just moved it to the top of my to-be-read pile and will start it this afternoon. It's one of the books upon which I intend to base my thesis, so I need to get after it! Today's as good a day as any.

Also...

I'm also going to start reading The Harlot by Saskia Walker, for those times when I really need a break from the dense academic reading involved in digesting something like Udolpho. Besides, I love the cover!

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Kasey Michaels' The Taming of the Rake. I really quite liked it, the review is coming soon. I will say, if you really enjoy regency, and you've read and enjoyed Kasey Michaels novels, you'll like this book. The expected publication date for this book is July 26th, but you can read an excerpt at Kasey Michaels' website if you're interested.

What do you think you'll read next?

Next up is definitely Clermont by Regina Maria Roche (published 1798). One of the horrid novels suggested by Isabella Thorpe in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, Clermont is both one of the classical gothic novels, and was written by a contemporary of Ann Radcliffe, the first female Gothic. If you hadn't guessed already, this book is also on of the novels for my thesis.

Also...

I don't normally read contemporary romance--I normally stick to regency romance--but I couldn't resist this one. I love, love, love the cover! So, on the weight of the cover and the description on NetGalley, I'm going to give this one a go. This is going to be my reading vacation from Clermont, should I need one. Sometimes, I just need a fun read to break away with.

All right, so there it is. Better late than never, I suppose. I really need to step it up. I don't know what's going on this week, but maybe next week will be better. No, next week will be better since I'm going to a book signing! For now, adieu!

Teaser Tuesday: No. 6

2011-06-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

It's summer and I'm participating in the 2011 Summer Romance Challenge, so like last week, this week's teaser will be coming from a romance novel! I'm currently reading The Taming of the Rake* by Kasey Michaels and I'm enjoying it. I've not had as much time to read lately as usual, or at least not my usual reading, as I'm embarking this week on researching and writing my thesis introduction, as well as studying for my comprehensive exams. Ah grad school, can't even escape it in the summer! So, without further ado...

"I'll take that as a yes," Beau said, looking longingly at the wine decanter. "How long before he misses you and comes racing hotfoot over here, brandishing a pistol, and demanding I present myself?"

Chelsea glanced assessingly at the mantel clock. "We should probably be going."

*Expected publication date for this novel is July 26th. This tiny excerpt comes from the eARC and is subject to change before publication. Review forthcoming.

On My Wishlist: No. 5

2011-06-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

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...

A Cute Little Book for Girls Who Game

2011-06-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

While out and about with my husband today, we dropped into the Hastings. For those who might not know, a Hastings is a media store--books, movies, music, etc. It's not exactly a book store, but it suffices in the absence of one. While we were there, we wandered over to the gaming books and while my husband browsed books for Dungeons & Dragons, and World of Darkness, I happened upon this...

Given that I've been a gamer for upwards of 12 years, a beginner's guide isn't really something I need anymore, but this book is so cute that I couldn't resist! It's a short guide for girls who game, particularly those who play Dungeons & Dragons, as it was published by Wizards of the Coast, the producers of D&D. The inside is white, black, and pink and has little tidbits of advice for girls playing in a world ruled by boys. This picture really doesn't do the cover justice, but it's the best one I could find. If you're a girl who games, you might find this cute little book to be worth a look!

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday - June 3

2011-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and that means blog hops! Until now, I've only been participating in Follow Friday, but seeing the Book Blogger Hop buttons all over the web has inspired me to join the fun! Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books and is a way to meet new people and get to know everyone a bit better. Just go to her site, get the button, answer the question, and put your info in the linky, easy as that!

This week's question: Share your favorite post from the last month and tell us why it’s close to your heart!

I think my favorite post from May was my Reflection: YA Lit post. I enjoyed discussing the evolution of YA lit, which has become something quite close to my heart as I read a heck of a lot of YA lit now a days, even though I'm in my early thirties. If you haven't read it, go check it out and tell me what you think, I'm quite proud of it!

Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee's View, as most of you know. The object is to follow the weekly blogger, answer the weekly question, and link up with others through the linky on Parajunkee's site.

This week's featured blogger is Amy from Backseat Reader. Go, check her out and say hello!

This week's question: What are you doing to prepare for an upcoming zombie apocalypse and/or the return of Mel Gibson to the silver screen? (Both of which could be terrifying.)

Let's see, to prepare for the zombie apocalypse I'm stocking up on Twinkies! I have it on good authority (does Woody Harrelson count as "good authority"?) that Twinkies can survive anything, and really, who can resist that spongy golden cake and cream filling? So, yes, Twinkies. Oh, and I've just learned from this week's featured blogger, Amy, that the CDC has guidelines, so I'm taking them under advisement... but definitely Twinkies.
As for Mel Gibson... there is no way to prepare for that. There just isn't. I think I'd prefer the zombies!

This week's questions were particularly fun and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's responses. Have a lovely Friday!

Review: Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess

2011-06-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Author: Christine Merrill {site}
Genre: Regency Romance
Format: Kindle
Published: 1 July 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley
Series: No

Synopsis: {via harlequin}

Daphne Collingham is masquerading as a governess in Lord Timothy Colton's home— determined to discover if he is responsible for her beloved cousin's death. She's prepared to uncover secrets and scandal, but the biggest revelation is the way she feels under the lord's dark gaze….

Lord Colton is suspicious of the alluring new governess—and with the furor surrounding him he must control his passion. But a man has his limits, and the delectable Miss Collingham is pure temptation….

Review:

I'm a sucker for regency romance, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I love the title, which speaks quite well to what happens to be happening in the book... perhaps a little too well. I was also drawn in by the cover, which is quite lovely. I'm a sucker for a good cover and Harlequin seems to know exactly what they're doing with their quite compelling covers! I mean, who wouldn't want to go to work for him?! The story, however, didn't completely draw me in for quite a long time. So, here's what I liked and what I didn't so much like.

The Pros:

Lord Timothy Colton. When I couldn't connect with this book at first, I kept reading because I could connect with him. I really liked him. I'm a sucker for the brooding, dark, tormented soul male leads and he's got those things. He's also got quite a good reason to be so moody, yet he's more than he seems at first and I liked that. He has depth and is charming despite himself. Some of the gestures he makes in the book, I won't say what they are and give them away, are really sweet and thoughtful. He's a man women want, certainly.

The resolution. I thought the book worked itself out well. The end was appropriate without going overboard. All of the loose ends were tied up neatly and this story worked out just the way I like my regency romance to work out. It fit the formula, which is exactly what I want in a regency romance. Go away from the formula too much and you've jumped the rails on regency.

The Cons:

The pacing. This story was quite awkwardly paced. It dragged on and on until anything of consequence happened. Once she finally got to something really interesting, I was about about 50%. A book needs to take off much quicker than that to keep me reading, yet I stuck with this one for reasons stated above. Once things started happening, and the book picked up, they kept moving at a reasonable pace and kept my interest. I only wish that it could have done so since the beginning.

The frame. By this, I mean I didn't much care for the way Daphne found her way into the household. There was too much time being a governess and not enough time working out the mystery. For me, a governess tale can be a governess tale without spending 50% of the book talking about children studying. This book did just that, it talked overly much about children studying and how bad a governess Daphne is. I don't see that it was all that significant, except where little Sophie is concerned. Also, when you spend too much time talking about children in a romance novel, it sort of shatters the sexy factor. I'm sorry, but it does!

The Verdict:

It was okay. Not fantastic, not horrible... just okay. By the end, I was smiling, but I spent a lot of time wondering when this story was going to go somewhere and doing so got my mind to wandering away from what was happening in the book, which for a long time was nothing. The characters were all unique and Merrill clearly has a strong voice. Unfortunately, the use of too many coordinating conjunctions (and, but) at the beginning of sentences was distracting at best. Sometimes, it's fine to start a sentence with and, but it shouldn't be done regularly, as it's a way to produce emphasis. Emphasis too frequently emphasized fails to be emphasis anymore. It quite bothered the English major in me.

Rating: 3/5

Summer Reading Challenge 2011

2011-06-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I've been reading quite a lot of romance lately, so when I saw that one of my favorite blogs, Book Chick City, was hosing a Summer Romance challenge, I couldn't resist signing-up. If you're looking for a new challenge, go check it out and sign-up. The goal is to read 8 books over the summer, or 16, if you're looking for a challenge!

I've just gotten a whole bunch of Galley's from Harlequin at NetGalley (Thanks Lisa!), so this challenge's perfect. Here's my summer romance challenge reading list, in no particular order:

~~Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess~~ ~~by Christine Merrill~~
The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels
The Harlot by Saskia Walker
Collide by Megan Hart
Tell Me More by Janet Mullany
Notorious by Nicola Cornick
Seduction and Scandal by Charlotte Featherstone
By His Majesty's Grace by Jennifer Blake

Wow, I just noticed that most of them are regency romance. I do so love a good regency romance!! Anyhow, once the books are read, I'll post reviews. Oh and did I mention there're prizes? You can post your reviews at Book Chick City's site for a chance to win prizes. Looking forward to seeing your list of summer romance reads!

Cover Love: May

2011-06-01T20:23:00.001-07:00

As much as I love covers, I couldn't resist this. Cover Love is a monthly meme hosted by Sarah at I'm Loving Books. It's easy to play along, just go to her site, grab the button, make a post discussing your favorite covers from the previous month, then link your post to her site with the linky. Simple as that.

Easily my first and favorite pick of May's covers is Kady Cross's The Girl in the Steel Corset. I loved it from the moment I saw it. Love at first sight, really! It's so beautiful and elegant, and speaks to the book perfectly--which I enjoyed by the way. The girl is quite pretty and it's easy to imagine Finley looking like that. The dress and the way it spreads to the bottom of the page is just fantastic, and I love the peek at the steel corset at her back. Perfect! I even like the faint gears in the backdrop. Lovely!

Check out my review!

This cover for Colleen Gleason's The Vampire Narcise is not only one of my favorites from the books I reviewed during May, it's one of my favorites period. I love it. I think it's probably the cover with the elegant floral swirls that got me. The woman on the cover is remarkably beautiful and very much the way Narcise might appear. Anyhow, the story was fantastic and I loved it. Next to Dimitri, it was my favorite of the trilogy and worth a read.

Check out my review!

This cover is so pretty, how could you not love it?! I really enjoyed the book and feel like the cover did a quite adequate job of representing what happens within. Most of all, I really like the greenery, the girl's gown and sandals, and the typography. The greek look to the letters is a lovely touch. Overall, it has a very mythic feel. If I wrote a book playing on a greek myth, I would love for it to have this cover! It's beautiful without being distracting or overwhelming, as some cover's can be.

Check out my review!

So now that you've seen mine, go get the button and show us what your favorite covers were from May!!

Teaser Tuesday: No. 5

2011-05-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week, without shame, I bring you a teaser from a romance novel. I think you'll come to see that I am an absolute sucker for regency romance. I can't resist it. If it even hints at regency romance, I'm on it. That said, this is a recent passion of mine, so I'm far from an expert. So, without further ado, here's my teaser this week. And yes, yes I did pick this one because I love the cover! Look at that man, he's quite dashing...

'Miss Collins.' He did not move. And although she had not through him a particularly large man, he seemed to fill the stairwell in front of her, blocking her progress. 'What a surprise to find you creeping about the house so late at night.'

So far, I'm enjoying the book okay. Lots and lots of sentences start with coordinating conjunctions and it distracts me. Small things, but there you have it. This teaser comes from the Kindle edition, from NetGalley, location 613-19. Now, I'm off to say hello to some of my blogging friends and then get back to the book!

Musing Mondays: No. 1

2011-05-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Musing Mondays is one of the awesome weekly events hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Go, check out her blog and participate in the weekly fun.

Wow, it's late. I meant to get to this all day, but other things kept coming up. It's nearly time for Teaser Tuesday and here I am writing a post for Musing Mondays. I suppose as long as it's still Monday, it still counts! :) So, without further adieu, here's this week's topic: Describe the last time you were stumped for something to read, and you took measures to remedy that — either by going to the bookstore, the library, or shopping elsewhere. What book did you choose? Did it get you out of your slump?

I would say that I go through a small slump every single time I finish a really good book. If it's been a trilogy or series, the slump is somewhat greater. While I always get over them and find something new to read, it usually involves sacrificing a book to my malaise before it ends. Here's what I mean: When I finished, say, the Hunger Games series, I had to read a book to get over the feeling of loss I suffered at the end of Mockingjay. This involved understanding that I wouldn't enjoy said book as much as I maybe could because it followed, and therefore stood in the shadow, of something amazing. In the case of the Hunger Games, I followed it up with The Girl in the Steel Corset and, as a result, I didn't quite find the fulfillment I might have.

Otherwise, when I'm trying to overcome a slump, I do one of three things: read book blogs, browse Amazon, or haunt GoodReads. It might also be any combination of the three. I'm not very particular, I just need to be inspired to overcome it. Looking at book covers, reading reviews, and buffing up my wishlist is a good medicine for what ails me. I don't spend much time at the library because the one where I live is tiny and filled with old books. They don't have much of anything, which is very disappointing. I enjoy going to B&N or Half-Price Books, but there isn't one in the town where I live, so I have to be happy with Hastings, which is not the same thing by far.

So there you have it! I hope to get around and see some of the other answers to this week's query. I hope you've had an amazing, productive Monday. Oh, before I go, I should add that I would have a review coming because I just finished Nicola Cornick's Notorious but the review won't come for a few weeks because the book's not out until mid-July. So, I'm reading Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess instead. Review forthcoming. Good night!

On My Wishlist: No. 4

2011-05-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

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!

This week, there's a series on my wishlist. I usually pick three books I can't wait for, and put them here, but there's not normally a theme. This week, a theme! These books look so good and their covers are so beautiful. I cannot believe I haven't had the opportunity to get them sooner.

So simply and yet, hauntingly beautiful. I love it. I'm a sucker for a good cover and this whole series, so far, has remarkably beautiful covers. This book's been out since September 2010 and has, somehow, slipped my attention. The only thing better than a good cover is a great story, so I'm looking forward to getting my paws on this one.

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

I actually saw this one before Fallen, wanted to get it, but realized it's the second in a series. I can't read a series out of order, it's not in me, so I went looking for Fallen. Now, I want both of them!

Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students -Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous. What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

Bet you weren't surprised to see this one! It won't be out until June, so I've got a small wait, but I'm thinking that gives me more than enough time to get the first two and read them before this one hits shelves.

"Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever."

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

I hope you're having a good Saturday. I'm off to check out some other wishlists and then I'm going to snuggle down with my Kindle and work on my current read, Notorious by Nicola Cornick!

Armchair BEA: Day 5

2011-05-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of Armchair BEA. It's been a blast, even though I didn't get around to meeting as many people as I would have liked. So then, onto the final topic, shall we?

Today's topic: Blogging about blogging!

There's so much to say about blogging, I'm not sure where to start. I haven't been book blogging for very long, but I have been personal blogging for about the last 8 years (wow, has it been that long?) and it's been an experience. I will say, book blogging is quite different than personal blogging. It has a structure, a built in topic, where personal blogging really doesn't, which makes this a totally unique experience. So, rather than rambling on and on, I'm going to address a few of the questions for today's topic at Armchair BEA.

How do you utilize social networking in relation to your blog? What may be the pros and cons of doing so?

Because I'm still feeling my way around, and it's been a somewhat slow process for me because this blog sat dormant for a long time over at WordPress before I moved it here and started to really engage with it, I don't use a lot of social networking so far. I don't have a facebook page for my blog, but may do so at some point in the future. I do have a twitter account for this blog (@aturnofpage) where I share my posts, books I'm reading, etc. Oh, and I'm on GoodReads and would love to connect with other book bloggers there. I would love to hear any suggestions for social networking others have!

Share some of your favorite blogging technical tips.

This is a hard one for me. I feel like, technically speaking, that reviews should be kept to a manageable read. Here's the problem, I don't feel like I keep mine manageable. They're very long, but it's something I'm working on and have tried to account for with sub-headers. They're still really, really long and it's something I need to work on. Concise isn't my best talent by far. One of my professors told me I write really long, beautiful sentences, but I really should try to be more concise. It's never a skill I've mastered. On the HTML, technical side, I can't share anything because, well, I'm not terribly adept. I do okay, but most of it goes well over my head. Oh, I should add that I installed the LinkWithin widget to this blog on the suggestion of another blogger's post for todays Armchair BEA, so I've already learned something new!

Create a "rule list" of things you should and shouldn't be doing on a book blog.

Hmm... okay, one rule: Write what you're passionate about. We all blog because we love books. We're passionate about lit, or we wouldn't have gone to the trouble to start a blog to talk about it. So, carry that passion forward in every entry. I really try to make my reviews, for example, as meaningful as I can... which is why they're so long. I love blogging, I love reading, this blog is the natural evolution of those passions.

What are your tips for balance life and blogging?

I am 100% the wrong person to ask about this. I'm a graduate student, I work teaching classes, and I have a husband, which means there are a lot of people/things vying for my attention and I'm not terribly good at keeping all the ball in the air. I blog when I have time, to let down from the stress, in between classes, assignments, spending time with my husband, grading papers... the list goes on. I do it when I have time and something to say. Right now, I'm on summer break, and while I should be studying for the comps and working on my master's thesis, I still have more time right now than usual. When school starts back in August, we'll see.

What genre do you blog about and why?

I try not to restrict it to any one particular genre because I love all books. There're some genre's I don't read (memoir, western, Christian romance, technical, etc), so I don't talk about them. For the most part, what you'll find here is YA, romance, paranormal, historical, fantasy, dystopia, mythological, and horror. I love romance novels, for many reasons, so I'll probably start a feature for "Steamy page turners" which I'll label with some sort of banner or button so they're distinguishable as 18+.

How do you keep your blog fresh and interesting to your readers & yourself?

This is another thing I'm still working on. I do a lot of memes and hops, which are fun but I think I need more than that. I do reviews, and have been doing "reflection" posts where I talk about different things (so far I've done the evolution of YA and The Hunger Games casting), which I might make a weekly feature. Otherwise, I may try a contest here and there, but I don't know, they seem like a lot to coordinate. I welcome suggestions from others about how I might achieve this!

There are quite a few book blogging events out there. Which are your favorites and why? How do they affect your blog directly?

I do a lot of weekly meme's and hops, including:

On My Wishlist (Saturday)
In My Mailbox
Teaser Tuesday
WWW Wednesdays
Follow Friday

I think, however, that I'm going to have to narrow it down to only a few of them, maybe three, I just can't decide which three. Probably On My Wishlist, Teaser Tuesday, and Follow Friday. That opens the week for reflection posts and reviews. I just don't get enough books to do In My Mailbox regularly.

So there you have it. I had a really good time doing Armchair BEA. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by and said hello!

Review: The Goddess Test

2011-05-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Author: Aimee Carter {site}
Genre: YA, Romance, Mythology
Format: Kindle
Published: 19 April 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley
Series: Yes (trilogy)

Synopsis: {via amazon}

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Review:

I should preface this review with the admission that I'm a huge Greek Mythology fan. I've been reading and enjoying it for quite a few years, and studying Classical Greek literature while in college only strengthened my adoration for all things Greek! Truth be told, it's not the only mythology I enjoy, I also really like Norse, but the Greeks are my favorite by far. So, when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to have it. Not wanted it, but had to have it.

The Characters:

Now that I'm done with it, I'm happy to say that it doesn't disappoint. The characters are all quite believable and the main character, Kate, is quite sympathetic. Given that the book is about Kate undertaking the seven tests to become an immortal, the first person narration was not only appropriate but very well done. Other than Kate, my favorite character was Henry, by far. I tend to fall for the dark, brooding, tortured soul male leads and Henry's got that. He's a good character, he comes across dark and filled with pain and loneliness--he also comes across as someone not quite connected to life, which is appropriate considering that he, well, Hades. How could I not fall for that?!

Ava and James were also really good characters, though they weren't as present as either Kate or Henry. Considering it was Kate and Henry's story, though, I didn't expect them to be. Ava could be quite annoying and impish at times, but by the end of the book it becomes clear why she behaves the way she does (let's just say it's not out of character for her to behave like this). James starts out a cheerful guy and, over the course of the story, evolves into something much more serious.

The Plot:

The plot was well paced and quite sad at parts. Any story that involves a teenager whose mother is dying of cancer is bound to have it's heartbreaking moments. I felt like Carter dealt with the emotion in this story in such a way that it's accessible to readers. There was never a moment I thought I might cry, or was so touched I had to put the book done, but the emotion is still there. I think, for me, the problem is that I tend to be very skeptical of emotional elements, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. This book really spans the spectrum of emotion with everything from pain to passion, loss to love. I really enjoyed that aspect.

The tests were well placed and when you learn what they are, you start to see not only how she's done on some of them that have passed, but also the traps laid ahead of her. The "bad guy" who really isn't a bad guy, so much as someone driven by selfish motivations, wasn't too apparent and it took me a while to figure out who it was. As a matter of fact, I figured it out only shortly before the book spills it. I tend to catch these things, so I was pleasantly surprised. By the end of the book, when you get to the legend that says who each god is, I had it pretty much figured out. They're quite well portrayed, I must say, each with the characteristics appropriate to his or her god or goddess.

The Verdict:

In all, I'd say this book holds up to its promise. As the first book by a debut author, The Goddess Test is a winner. If you're considering it and you enjoy YA, romance, and mythology I'd say this book is for you. While it got some mixed reviews, I think Carter made a good start with this trilogy. I'm definitely waiting for the next two books, which are slated for February 2012 and November 2012.

Rating: 4.5/5

Armchair BEA: Day 4

2011-05-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I just realized that I skipped right over Armchair BEA day three. No idea where the day went--it's not as though I didn't blog, I just managed to miss the Armchair BEA. But, today I'm back on track today and ready to discuss blogging relationships.

Today's Topic: Relationship you’ve formed with a particular publisher, author, blogger, or bookstore.

I've been contemplating what I'd say here, over the last hour. I'm really new to blogging (the year my blog sat dormant over on WordPress not withstanding), so I haven't formed a lot of relationships with publishers, bookstores, etc. That doesn't mean I don't have anything to say here, I'm quite talkative, you'd have to search long and hard to find a topic I didn't have something to say about!

There have been several blogs that have been quite inspirational or helpful to my starting this blog. I think this was actually part of yesterday's topic, but I managed to miss it, so I'm putting it here instead. Anyhow, I would have to say that the one blog that had the most influence over my decision to start blogging was Parajunkee's View. Her Blogging101 Series has been more helpful to me than anything I've read on blogging so far and I've been able to use many of her tips and suggestions along the way. Without them, I would have been quite lost. Also, she introduced me to NetGalley (via her Blogging101 stuff) and for that I'll be forever in her debt.

Since I started blogging, I've met a lot of amazing bloggers... too many to name here. I think the community, as a whole, is the most inclusive and helpful blogging community on the web. It helps that we all share a mutual love of books and reading, and without the book blogosphere, there's no way I would have met so many great people who share one of my greatest passions, books!

I don't think I can end this post without mentioning NetGalley. Of all of the things I love about book blogging, NetGalley is at the top of the list--Who doesn't love them?! I adore them, their service is amazing. They've shared so many amazing books with me, many of which I have yet to get around to reviewing. Harlequin, in particular, is my favorite publisher on NetGalley. I've had the opportunity to communicate with Lisa at Harlequin, through NetGalley (and I follow her on Twitter), and she's been very nice! They've been so gracious about approving me for Galley's. Thank you, NetGalley!

I hope everyone's having a nice Thursday! If you're here from Armchair BEA, say hello, I don't bite! I enjoy meeting new people, and saying hello to those I already know.

Reflection: Hunger Games Casting

2011-05-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, like everyone else who has read this series, I'm madly in love with all things Hunger Games! That means the books, the swag (I am dying to have a Mockingjay pin), and, perhaps most of all, the movie. I am dying to see it. I can't wait until 2012... I want it now! For the time being, we all have to sit tight and wait for pictures and trailers to be released, now that casting seems to be done. Ah yes, casting. The only definitive thing I think can be said about the casting is that it's not uniformly appreciated. Everyone has an opinion about it, including me, and since it has come up a few times, I thought I'd share my thoughts.

This Entertainment Weekly cover is what dragged me into the fan frenzy. I was resisting, I was trying to ignore all the talk about the movie because once I'm in, I'm in full-on fangirl mode. I saw a few of the casting choices and, honestly, I wasn't terribly pleased, which only helped me to ignore all the talk. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, I thought, really? She's so beautiful, so blonde, so... everything Katniss isn't. Not that she's not attractive, but she's not glamorous. Jennifer Lawrence is glamorous! Bleh.

Then this cover came out and I swooned. Almost literally, swooned. I love it, I think they really captured the essence of who Katniss is. She looks just like that in my mind and seeing it on paper (well, the screen, really) I was completely drawn in. After that, it was almost impossible not to give in to my feelings about the rest of the casting, particularly that of Peeta and Gale. If you read my reviews, you know I loved them, and the whole love triangle thing. I live for love triangles! So, when I saw the casting for Peeta and Gale, I had seriously mixed feelings.

First, Peeta. There's no doubt that Josh Hutcherson is quite good looking. He's adorable, really, and every time I see his smile I just want to hug him. That reaction, I think, is why he was chosen for this role. It took me a while to realize that he was the bad vamp kid in the Cirque du Freak movie. But, his appearance is all wrong for Peeta as far as coloring. He's dark, both hair and eyes, but I'm trying to reserve serious judgement because I didn't think Jennifer Lawrence could pull of Katniss, either, and look how wrong I was on that call. I'm sure he'll make a great Peeta and, best of all, he can actually act. It's going to take monumental acting talent to pull off Peeta convincingly, especially considering that Peeta is so charismatic. I think he can do it and I don't think you have to strain your brain to guess which "team" I'm on here. I loved Peeta from the first, loved him, and I always rooted for him and Katniss. Always.

As for Gale, well, Liam Hemsworth is just gorgeous! Look at his eyes, he's crazy good looking (never mind that his older brother is Thor!). I have zero problems with this casting. He looks just like I'd imagine Gale to look and I'm sure he'll pull it off. I've never seen him in anything, but even if he's a terrible actor it doesn't really matter all that much because Gale strikes me as the strong silent type. Still, I'm sure he'll be great. I have tremendous confidence in the pick.

As for all the others, I really like the rest of the casting, particularly Haymitch, Prim, and Rue. I think they really did a good job capturing the essence of all of the characters. I'll be interested to see how the movie comes together. More than the casting, I'm concerned about the script. It's going to take a genius script to do this book justice. I hope Hollywood's doesn't extend to casting and make-up and stop short of the script. If so, this will be the biggest disappointment ever. Until we know for sure, here's hoping that our faith is not misplaced.

Quick update to what I've said here. Check out this pic I found on HungerGamesMovie.org a few minutes ago. It's a fan-made pic of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta...

Goodbye doubt! If I had it before (and I did, really), this seals the deal. I know it's not official, but it helps to see what he may look like as a blond. Love it!

Jacqueline Carey Book Signing

2011-05-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on Facebook and thought I'd pass it along to anyone who might in the Metroplex (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX). Jacqueline Carey, one of my very favorite authors, will be doing a book signing for her new book, Naamah's Blessing, at 7 p.m. on June 15th. The signing will be at the Barnes & Noble in Frisco, TX.

While that's about 2 1/2 hours north of us, we're going. I can't miss this. I adore her work and she seems like such a lovely person! Here's a link to the Facebook RSPV page for anyone who might be interested in attending. If you're in the area and thinking about going, I hope to see you there!

Teaser Tuesday: No. 4

2011-05-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here we are again at Tuesday! This week, my Book is The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter and I'm really enjoying it so far. I started it last night and should finish it this afternoon, or tomorrow morning. A review should follow shortly after, but for now, here's my spoiler...

I shrank back from the intensity of his voice. He really did believe what he was saying. "It's impossible," I said softly. "Isn't it?"

"But it is happening, so maybe it is time for you to reevaluate what is possible and whats not."

So there you have it. I know it's more than two sentences, but I couldn't resist! I'm really enjoying this book so far, despite its having received some poor reviews. Isn't the cover beautiful?! I just love it. Anyhow, I hope you're having a great Teaser Tuesday and, if you're participating in Armchair BEA, a good time with that, too!

Armchair BEA: Day 2

2011-05-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hi there! It's day two of Armchair BEA and I had a good time stopping by and saying hello to some of my friends yesterday. I didn't get around to as many as I would have liked, this is a way to say hello to friends and make new ones, after all. Today, I hope will be better and I'll get around to say hello to more bloggers. Thanks to everyone who stopped in for a visit yesterday, it was nice to see you.

Today's topic Best of 2011 asks that we share our favorite books of the year, so far. Here're mine!

So far this year, these six have been my favorites. That said, I've recently gotten a whole lot of books from NetGalley (currently reading The Goddess Test), so who knows. I would really have liked to add The Girl with the Steel Corset to that list, but I felt like it was good, but not good enough--If you're interested, check out my review. As a matter of fact, I've reviewed all of these books, here're the links...

Right now, it's a short list. I've read a lot over the first four months or so of the year, but most of it was for school and nothing I'd qualify as a fav. Mostly, just American Southern novels (Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, etc) and critical composition pedagogy. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite the thing I'd put here. So, since school's been out over the last few weeks, and I've had time, I've been devouring books left and right. The Vampire stories, I read during the semester, I read the other three last week.

I was going to list some upcoming books I'm interested in, but I think I'll leave it at this. I'm certain my lists of favorites will grow as I read books like Die for Me, Enclave, and Divergent. For now, I'm off to say hello to others who're Armchairing this week. Cheers!

Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset

2011-05-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Author: Kady Cross {site}
Genre: Steampunk, Historical, YA
Format: Kindle
Published: 5/24/11 (Kindle 6/1/2011)
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley

Synopsis: {via amazon}

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch…

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

Review:

I've said so before, but I was dying to have this book. When it was approved on NetGalley, I was so remarkably happy. I think the cover's the most beautiful I've seen, and that's saying a lot because book covers are getting so much better than they have ever been. I started it the day I finished Mockingjay, that was my biggest mistake I think. If I'd started this book to follow any other book, I'd probably have felt better about it overall, but following something as amazing as the Hunger Games series and this book just came across as so-so. That's not to say that I didn't like it, and the more I read the more it grew on me, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

The Setting:

So lets start with the things I did like, because I hate to start on a negative note. The steampunk elements of this book were very good. Kady Cross clearly has a great grasp on what steampunk should be, and what it should not. Her "technology" was believable and fantastic all at once. I loved the veolcycles, the aether engine, the handheld telegraph machines. I particularly loved Emily's cat. The steampunk elements blended perfectly with the setting and were effortless. Rather than being distracting, they were a perfect fit. These things made this book a perfect steampunk setting. Very well done.

Also, the supernatural elements of this story were quite good. The Aether and Organites were somewhat like magic, which made a good match and juxtaposition with the steampunk technological elements. Cross does a good job blending the two into a setting that works so well it's almost too good to be true. Very fulfilling setting.

The Characters:

I liked Finley, particularly because of her strength. The whole good girl/bad girl thing was well done, and Finley was well portrayed and believable. I adored Griffin King, the Duke of Greythorne. He has to go on my ever growing list of adored male leads (may just have to make a list, now that I think about it!) for his charming wit and good nature, and he's not too bad to "look at" either. Emily and Sam were both very believable, very lovable characters. Jasper was okay, but I was bothered by the somewhat cliché aspect of Jasper being an American cowboy in London. That said, Jasper was a good, solid character who did his best to defy his place as a cliché.

Finally, Jack Dandy, so bad he's good. I can see why Finley's attracted to him and his nick name for her ("Treasure") is perfect! I loved everything about him, including his Cockney accent, which in his case is less a cliché, than Jasper being a cowboy. Between Griffin and Jack, I can see Finley's issue. They're each a representation of one side of her. I love them both, but wonder what will happen when she evolves as a character and grows into herself... will she still like either of them? I think so, but we'll see.

The Classics:

I love, love the classical story references in this book. It alludes to Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre directly. There is also reference to the Gothic, which was quite popular (even amongst women) during the time this book was set. It makes a rather short references to the "horrid novels," but one that made an impression on me. For those who may not know, the horrid novels are stories recommended for Gothic readers by the Goth-crazed Isabella Thorpe, the protagonist of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. This really made this book for me, particularly because I love the Classic Gothic tales.

The Plot:

This is where things start to get a little bit fuzzy for me. Overall, I liked the plot okay, but I felt like it was a little bit too obvious. There was never a moment when this book surprised me, in any way. As a matter of fact, there were moments when the characters were missing things they shouldn't have been and I was yelling at them to see what was so clear to me. It wasn't as though these are things I could see, but the characters wouldn't, they should have been able to deduce what was happening from the clues, but they weren't. It was quite maddening, to be honest with you.

Also, there were many places when the plots forward momentum relied on too concidental incidents. I won't say what they are because that would constitute spoilers, but there're several places where things happen that are too coincidental. The plot couldn't have proceeded without them, or at least not in any way I could have seen, but it looked very much like the author was in the same boat. Like she had written herself into a corner she couldn't escape without making things too easy for Finley, Griffin, and crew.

The Verdict:

All in all, I liked this book okay. Not nearly as much as I thought I would, but enough that I would recommend it to steampunk and YA fans. Also, as the first book of a series, I liked it enough to read the second book and the short novella, too--I find I'm actually looking forward to the next book! It wasn't the kind of book that stick with you, or makes you feel deeply, but it was fun reading and I enjoyed my time reading it. It was good steampunk and anyone who appreciates the genre would appreciate it.

Trailer:

I liked the book trailer almost as much as I liked the cover. Harlequin should really be proud of themselves for this trailer, it's beautiful and fits the novel well. Bravo!

Rating: 3.5/5 (I liked it!)

Armchair BEA: Day 1

2011-05-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hi there! This is my first post for Armchair BEA and I'm so excited to be participating--I just decided today that I would! For those who may not know about Armchair BEA, click her for more information. If you're visiting me from the Armchair BEA site, welcome! It's always nice to meet new people, and say hello again to those I already know.

Today's topic is: Who are you, and how do you Armchair?

My name is Kristyn, I'm a graduate student studying English at Tarleton State University, in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere Texas. I also earned my BA in English with a minor in history from TSU in December 2009, so Tarleton feels like home to me (I've been attending since 2004 and now, as a graduate assistant, I work there and teach classes). Let's see, I've been married for 11 1/2 years to my husband Matt, the most fantastic guy! Here we are just a few weeks ago...

Believe it or not, Matt and I met online in August 1998, before internet dating sites were a big, safe thing. We met randomly, on ICQ, a chat protocol that was once quite popular but has since fallen from favor amongst internet crowds. With ICQ, you can set the program to randomly search for people who are open to random chatting. I struck up a conversation and, in February 2000, we were married! We've been together ever since.

We don't have any kids, but are the parents of two sweet, cuddly little fur babies (read: evil furry demons) we love unconditionally...

This is Anakin, he's a shih-tzu. He just turned 6 years old on May 12th! He's naughty, terribly high maintenance, but is the most lovable little critter you have ever met. Oh, about the name... Matt wanted to name him "Darth Vader," but who could really name a shih-tzu Darth Vader? So, we compromised on Anakin. :)

Galileo loves it when we get packages from Amazon! He's a 7 1/2 year old tabby cat and though you can't tell from this picture, needs to go on a diet. He's somewhere around 20 lbs, about the same size as Anakin. Pardon the slightly possessed look in his eyes, he hates having his picture taken!

A few random facts about me...

I'm a gamer--both table top RPG & MMORPG.
Half of my master's thesis will involve using Alan Ball's True Blood, the first four books of the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris, The Twilight Series, and the Twilight movies. I am so excited. Clearly, I love the Gothic!
I grew up in Southern California & will move home next year.
I've been a blogger since May 2003 when I started my first personal blog. Now, I personal blog at Pretty Pessimist.
I enjoy sewing, though I'm still a beginner and am not terribly adept. Lately, I've been obsessed with making these little bags...

Maybe not the best picture ever, but it's an Origami drawstring bag. It has little pockets on the outside. I have yet to perfect it, but I'm working on it. I use mine for dice and will probably soon try to make on with slightly larger dimensions to fit my Kindle--ooh, a fun day project!

As for how I armchair, I must admit, I don't even own an armchair. Therefore, I "armchair" from my sofa and my desk. I do most of my reading on Kindle now, snuggled up on the sofa. My favorite reading is paranormal, romance, YA, and steampunk. I also love the classics and am about to start reading Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho and Regina Maria Roche's Clermont, which I will likely be talking about as I'm reading them. My favorites are Dracula, Jane Eyre, and anything by Jane Austen, but particularly Pride and Prejudice. Ooh, speaking of, check out this amazing Christmas present my husband got me this last year...

It's Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, but rather than starring Elizabeth Bennett, it stars yours truly! He got it from a company called U Star Novels who specialize in remaking your favorite novel with you as the star. Best Christmas present ever!

Alright, it seems like I've gone on enough for one day. I hope that you've gotten a better feel for who I am from this post, as I think that's the whole idea. I'll be around to check out some of your Armchair BEA posts, can't wait to get to know some of you better!

Reflection: YA Lit

2011-05-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

I should start with an admission, to give this post a little bit of context. So here goes: I have been trying to resist reading YA since I was in my mid-twenties. There you go. The thing is, when I was a kid, YA lit was simple and easy. It was for children, to inspire them read, and while some of it was good, it was also often formulaic and highly simplistic. We read things like the Fear Street Series by R.L. Stein, and they were awesome, but they were clearly for teenagers. Before that, it was Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. Young Adult was for, well, young adults... for teenagers.

Heck, I read many of the Fear Street novels, but I did so when I was of the appropriate age to fit into their target audience, while I was still young enough to enjoy them for what they were, without my mind wrapping around the obviousness of many of the plots and destroying my suspension of disbelief. I could do it then. Now, as an English grad student, I'm trained to see what's going on in the book, which renders much of the YA from my youth completely unreadable. Wow, okay, that makes me sound like a lit snob, doesn't it? It wasn't meant that way. I enjoyed them then, I probably still would, but for the nostalgia, not the story.

Many of my friends in high school, for lack of YA reading with depth, turned to the books like Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I never did read it, fairly certain my mother would have sent me back to the library to put the book back where I got it. My friends all seemed to love them, but that series was far from the YA lit of R.L Stein and Carolyn Keene. Still, without much interesting reading appropriate to a 15 year old, they went right to the "adult-ish" books. I still haven't read Flowers in the Attic but I'm going to have to put that series on my reading list.

Then, when I was in my twenties, something happened. Well, a few things, really. The first, I became a much more avid reader. I consumed books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The second, I found Harry Potter. Not at first, of course, in fact I was able to reject Harry Potter for years. But eventually, I was convinced to read them by friends who were adamant fans. My gal pal, Amanda, lent me the first three books in the series and I tore through them. From that point on, I was hooked. I devoured the rest of the series, waited patiently for the 7th book, and when it came out, I did the same. I laughed, cried, and began to realize that YA lit was not only for children. Rather, some of the themes were so adult, I wondered how any child, with their limited life experience, could understand them.

Still, I wasn't completely sold on the whole YA thing. I wondered if Harry Potter wasn't simply an exception, rather than a rule. It was fantastic, no doubt, I don't think anyone would argue with that (though I have a professor who hates it). Then, Twilight came out and I rejected that, too, but somewhere along the way I began to realize, much to my surprise, that YA lit had evolved. From simplistic plots for children, to something that all ages could enjoy, YA lit had grown up. It was defined not by its unwillingness to address the hard themes, but such elements as the lack of graphic sex. It addressed issues through teenage protagonists, but that didn't make it a genre strictly for children.

These days, with YA lit having evolved so thoroughly, I have abandoned any qualms I had about reading it. In fact, I embrace it, as do many adults around the book blogosphere, I've noticed. Now, I look for titles I want to read, without regard for their labels, but for their stories--I recently finished, and loved, the Hunger Games trilogy, a quite heavy YA lit trilogy and am currently reading The Girl in the Steel Corset. Now that I'm in my early thirties, I've finally come to terms with YA lit, but it's been a winding road. Sometimes, that's okay. Sometimes, it's not just the journey that matters, but the destination, too.

On My Wishlist: No. 3

2011-05-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

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!

So, I must say, I had a particularly hard time narrowing it down this week. There are so many amazing books I am absolutely dying to have! If I put all of them here, this post would be entirely too long to keep even my attention. So, I've chosen three, secure in the knowledge that I'll have something to post here next Saturday, and the next for that matter. Here're my picks this week...

This book is so beautiful, how could I not want it? I still think The Girl in the Steel Corset has the best cover I've seen, but this one is so lovely. The book sounds terribly interesting and, though I've never read anything remotely resembling time travel, it seems to me that it must be a genre that's difficult to do well.

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

This one's been going around and everyone seems to love it. I've even heard bloggers say it's their favorite of the year so far. It sounds intreaguing, and I'm dying to have it, but I've so many books I want to read alread (so many NetGalley's that'll expire) that I'm waiting to get it until I have time to read it.

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

An anthology... of Steampunk romance! Who could resist that? Not me, that's certain. I love steampunk, love it. This book is on my must have list. This collections has some amazing names, like Ann Aguirre and Kiersten White. I think I'll be getting this one before the other two because stories are quicker to digest than a whole novel.

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!
This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White.

I hope you're having a great Saturday. I can't wait to take a peek at everyone's wishlist. Cheers!

Review: Mockingjay

2011-05-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Author: Suzanne Collins {site}
Genre: Dystopian, YA
Format: Kindle
Published: 24 August 2010
Disclosure: Purchased at Amazon for Kindle.

Synopsis: {via goodreads}

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

Review:

**Could include spoilers from this point on**

I really enjoyed Mockingjay, but not as much as I thought I would after the previous two books. It was substantially slower than The Hunger Games and even Catching Fire, but what I did like about it was the scope and the resolution. The scope of this book is ramped so far up from where we began in The Hunger Games it's almost unimaginable. It's not two kids from 12 going to the games anymore, it's a war. Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch and the crew are back, but not in the way anyone expects and there're moments when you worry, or wonder, what might happen next. It's a good book, nearly as good as it's predecessors, but quite different overall.

The Story:

The plot of this book was obvious from the first pages. If you've read the other two, and you really must to get what's going on in any meaningful way, then the plot of this book will come as no surprise. The way the characters behave, after all they've been through, is likewise no surprise. That's something I really enjoyed about this book overall. Collins keeps pace with what she's been doing all along, making this book the natural progression of events. Things occur just as you would expect them to, Katniss behaves just as you would expect her to, and the plot pushes forward.

The Characters:

The characters that change most throughout, I think, are Peeta and Gale. I keep coming back to them because they're two of my favorites. Initially, I loved them because of the love triangle aspect, and while I still do, there's so much more to them now. Peeta is missing in the beginning of this book, for reasons I'll not spell out (to avoid as many spoilers as possible) and for me, he was sorely missed. He's one of my favorites, and when he shows back up, it's with a vengeance... but he's different. It made me sad, really, that he was so... un-Peeta-like, but it did make sense. Of Gale, on the other hand, we get to experience two sides of him we haven't completely seen before: his emotional side and his vengeful side. Now, we have seen them, but this book gives us more, more, more of that. Ultimately, both of them are a little more ragged and worse for the wear in the book, but they're still amazing characters.

Katniss doesn't change so much as grow and evolve. Good characters should and she's a good character. I could feel what she was going through, how she was going through it, and my heart went out to her on several occasions. Okay, more than several, but I'll get to that. We also see more of Primrose in this book and she's much more grown-up than she was before. She gives amazing advice, seems to be flourishing in District 13 where they're going to train her to be a doctor, and she puts up a much braver face than I think I could have at any age. Haymitch is still Haymitch, really.

The Feeling:

This book was heartbreaking. Not from the very beginning, but as it draws to a close, it becomes so much more difficult. There are things early on, like Peeta, that make it hard, but as the book, and with it the series, draws to a close, the book becomes very emotional. Things happened, people were lost, and I cried. It's been so long since a book has elicited this sort of response from me, I almost forgot it was possible to cry over a book. This one reminded me that it is possible to connect with characters, a plot, a world in a meaningful way. Even the Epilogue made me cry. I felt like such a basket case when this book ended.

The Verdict:

Again, I enjoyed it but maybe not as much as those that came before it. I was, however, very happy with both the resolution and how that resolution came about. The way she ends up, and with whom, work and make sense. It's a natural progression to the end of Katniss's story and I liked it. I also liked the feeling, and emotion this book elicited, and the plot and scope. I didn't so much enjoy the pace, the loss of some amazing characters, and the fact that some of the characters didn't get a resolution the way they should have. However, this was Katniss's story, and the story of Panem, and on both of those counts, the resolutions were agreeable.

Overall, this series was fantastic. The best I've read in a while. I highly, highly recommend it to everyone. If you enjoy Dystopian and YA fiction, you'll love it. If you enjoy an emotionally charged read, however disturbing, you'll love it. I did.

Rating:
Book: 4/5

Series: 5/5

Check out my reviews for the other two books in Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games Trilogy:

Follow Friday: No. 2

2011-05-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, I love Follow Friday, but I never seem to catch it early enough! It's only Thursday night and there're already tons of bloggers joining in the fun. This week's featured blogger at Parajunkee's View is Ninja Girl Reads! Now, onto this week's question.

It's circle time. Time for us to open up and share. Can you tell us FIVE quirky habits or things about you? We all have them...

If I could only have one gadget, it would be my Kindle, hands down. I don't know what I'd do without it.
I make lists for everything. I even make lists of lists!
My husband and I wage an epic daily battle over the air conditioner. He's always hot, I'm always cold. We've been doing this for... oh... about the last 12 years.
I move my head slowly, from side to side when I type (or so my husband says).
I have to sleep with one foot exposed and my head covered up.

There you have it! Now, I'm off to bed, see you all in the morning... Happy Follow Friday!!

Teaser Tuesday: No. 3

2011-05-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This last weekend, I've absolutely been devouring the Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. I'm on Mockingjay right now and made the mistake of reading some spoilers on a wiki, so it's coming along slower than the others because I somehow have less impetus to find out what comes next. Also, I think this one is coming slower because it's the last book in a trilogy, which I always regret. I miss a trilogy when it's over. It's like a series, but ends too soon. So, this week's teaser is from Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (11%, Location 570-80).

I want to glare at them, but I feel it would be a mistake to turn my attention from Coin. I can see her tallying the cost of my ultimatum, weighing it against my possible worth.

If you've read the series, do let me know what you thought of it. I've reviewed both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, and will get up a review for this one as soon as I'm done with it. I hope you're having a great Teaser Tuesday. Please take a moment to say hello, I always enjoy meeting new people and saying hello to those I already know!

Review: Catching Fire

2011-05-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Author: Suzanne Collins {site}
Genre: Dystopian, YA
Format: Kindle
Published: 1 September 2009
Disclosure: Purchased at Amazon for Kindle.

Synopsis: {via goodreads}

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.

Review:

**Could include spoilers from this point on**

Katniss and Peeta are back in the spotlight in Catching Fire, dragged into something they could never have forseen, nor planned for. A rebellion... and Katniss is unwittingly its symbol. Unfortunately, this means death for everyone Katniss and Peeta love. The book unfolds as they go on their victory tour and we learn about the Quarter Quell, an event that happens every 25 years. This time the Quarter Quell means breaking all the rules of the Hunger Games and Katniss and Peeta are tossed right into the middle of it.

While we learn a great deal about Panem, and it's people, and start to feel for some of the people who live in the Capitol, this book doesn't have the breakneck pace that The Hunger Games had. It's slower, and more cereberal, but because of this we get to see how Katniss's brain really works, when she has time to think about things completely. We also get a sense that she might be more scarred than she's willing to let on. When the announcement of the Quarter Quell comes, her reaction clues us in on the psychological trauma she's truly feeling about her time in the Arena. I felt for her, my heart went out to her, but it also went out to Peeta, who picked himself--and Katniss and Haymitch--up by the bootstraps.

The characters, in Catching Fire, have matured, even little Prim who we can't help but feel sorry for in her immediate loss of innocence through the games and the events thereafter. We feel even more conflicted, right along side Katniss, about Peeta and Gale, particularly because Gale plays a bigger part in this book. Only slightly, but he does. There're also new characters, like Finnick, who I couldn't help but fall for and President Snow, who, while he isn't exactly new, is more present in this book and more hate-able.

Overall, I enjoyed the pace of this book, though there were moments when I longed for the action that made The Hunger Games so amazing. I was, however, shocked by the ending, but I also felt it was a little bit too abrupt. Cliffhangers are fine, but this one felt a bit like the rest of the book was just missing. It was too abrupt for my liking. Luckily, I had Mockingjay on my Kindle and was able to start it right away, but had I been reading these books when they were new and the final chapter wasn't yet released, I'd probably have been quite upset at how abruptly the book finishes. I was also fairly upset about the turn of events where Peeta was concerned, right at the end... I nearly cried, then I got upset, and waited for something more to be said about it but the book ended. I hope Mockingjay is quick to pick up on that one, because at this point I'm reading it for Peeta, which I think was probably the intention.

Rating: 4.5/5

I am going to have to make half stars, I think. I'm still not entirely sure how I might go about that. But there you have it.

Also, check out my review for The Hunger Games.

In My Mailbox: No. 2

2011-05-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

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 spent the morning writing my review for The Hunger Games, reading Catching Fire, and contemplating whether or not I'd do IMM this week. I didn't really have much to talk about, so I was going to pass. That's when I checked my mailbox ten minutes ago and saw that Harlequin (and a few others, but mostly Harlequin) on NetGalley had fulfilled my fondest wishes, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join in the fun. So, better late than never!

As I said, all of my books this week come from NetGalley, my absolute favorite site on the web! Here they are...

The Girl in the Steel Corset

I have absolutely never been happier to receive a book on NetGalley than I was to receive this one--okay, maybe Colleen Gleason's Dracule series, but truly, that's it. I've talked about how much I love both the cover and Steampunk before, so it should come as no surprise that I literally squealed with glee when I saw that I had been granted this book. I cannot wait to read it, but it'll have to sit for the time being while I finish the Hunger Games trilogy.

Spellbound

Another beautiful cover, another interesting synopsis. This is another book that's been circulating and getting good reviews and I can't wait to read it. It's going on my Kindle and at the rate I'm devouring books these days, it shouldn't be long before I get to it. I think, right now, this one should come right after The Girl in the Steel Corset in my reading list.

The Goddess Test

This is another I've had my eye on. I love the whole Greek gods thing this book has going on and, honestly, it's another beautiful cover. I'm a sucker for a nice cover! As I enjoy stories about the Greek gods, or that touch on the Greeks, and romances, I think its book will be right up my alley. Like the two above it, I was so pleased to able to get it on NetGalley this weekend!

The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale

Another steampunk!! I don't think this on is YA, like those above, but I cannot wait to jump in. I'm always just so excited when I'm able to get a book I really, truly, desperately want. Like Steel Corset this book is one I've truly been wanting. Now, it's on my kindle and my only regret is that I can't read everything I want all at once!

I got a few others, too, but they don't really fit the YA theme this post seems to have taken on. So, rather than sharing their covers, I'll just offer a short list of books I'll be adding to my reading this week, along with those featured above...

Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess by Christine Merrill
Seduction and Scandal by Charlotte Featherstone
By His Majesty's Grace by Jennifer Blake
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy

So, there you have it. Look for the reviews for these books in the weeks ahead. I can hardly wait to read and relate my feelings about them to you! I hope everyone had a good IMM this week.

Review: The Hunger Games

2011-05-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Author: Suzanne Collins {site}
Genre: Dystopian, YA
Format: Kindle
Published: 2008
Disclosure: Purchased at Amazon for Kindle.

Synopsis: {via goodreads}

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review:

This book got so many good reviews, I couldn't ignore it anymore. For a long time, I tried resisting YA lit, but it's just so impossible. YA has so many amazing titles. This one is no exception, it was amazing. Disturbing, but amazing. As the beginning of a trilogy, this book does not disappoint. It does what the first book in a trilogy should do, make you want more. It's so fantastic, I spend a whole day reading it (from about 10%) and when it was over, I went to Amazon and bought the other two books in the trilogy and immediately started reading Catching Fire when it was delivered to my Kindle. It was that good. I've not done that in a very long time and I would venture to say that this book, The Hunger Games, is the best book I've read for leisure in a very long time. Okay, okay, so, enough gushing.

The crew:

The characters, I loved them. They're so believable, you can't help but love them--Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Primrose & Rue, Thresh, Cinna & Portia, even Effie and Haymitch! Katniss Everdeen, the narrator, is a wonderful character. You don't always like her, or her choices, and there are moments when you'll want to scream at her to open her eyes and see what's right in front of her face. The fact that she doesn't always see what's right there, or the subtext going on between the other characters, is what makes her believable. It's what makes her human and likable. She has emotions and you see them clearly in her reactions to what's happening. Suzanne Collins is so good she makes the reader able to see things through Katniss's eyes, and from Katniss's perspective, that Katniss herself is missing. It takes one very capable author, with a clear understanding of what she's doing, to pull that off.

The other characters are all fantastic too, but I think I want to talk about Gale and Peeta here. In her interactions and relationships with Gale and Peeta, you can see that Katniss is very much a sixteen year old girls. She misses things, she makes assumptions that someone with more years wouldn't make, she suffers a great deal of conflict where these two guys are concerned. You can't help but root for her, and for them, even though she can't end up with both of them. You feel her attraction to Gale, even if she denies that there's anything romantic between them. You feel her conflict about Peeta, the boy with the bread. I admit, though, that I love a good love triangle! This is a good love triangle. Both Peeta and Gale are desirable, in different ways, and in her feelings about them, the reader is almost as torn as Katniss herself.

The Story:

Okay, this is where the disturbing comes in. This story is dark. It's not for the faint of heart. It's about children (ages 12-18) killing one another. They're doing it for survival, and for the entertainment of the people in the Capitol of Panem. This is not a feel good, happy-go-lucky book. It's a live or die book. There are some reviewers on Goodreads who took strenuous objection to the whole kids killing kids thing, and while it's very poignant, I agree that it's difficult to stomach. What I don't agree with is that this book should be skipped. This book is great, the setting is dark, but that's what makes it good literature. It has a point. The setting is very well thought out, the actions and reactions are very clear and often unsettling. You see why they're doing it, how it's received in the Districts, and the difference between the people dying to survive in the Districts from those in the Capitol, where there's wealth. This is dystopian and dystopian is not always pretty. As a matter of fact, it's never pretty. That's what makes dystopian what it is. It always has a point. Always. I suppose it comes down to this: If you can't stomach kids killing kids, don't read it. Otherwise, try.

The Verdict:

I loved it and recommend it to anyone. Not just anyone who enjoys dystopian, but to everyone. I don't generally read dystopian and I loved this book. If you've been on the fence, and think you can deal with the unsettling themes, go get it. You won't regret it.

Rating:

WWW Wednesday: No. 1

2011-05-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

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 mine...

What are you currently reading?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I'm really enjoy it, but I've not had much time to read of late as it's the last week of the semester. I have both work (as a GA/Tutor) and class stuff to take care of. As soon as things die down a little bit, I intend to finish it. My last final for the semester's tonight, so tomorrow should be a better day!

What did you recently finish reading?

The Vampire Narcise by Colleen Gleason. I could not have loved this book more. Truly, I couldn't have. My biggest regret is that I'm done with it and that it's the last book in a trilogy, which could easily have been a series. I loved the characters, the story, the whole thing was fantastic. I highly recommend it. If you're interested in reading more, check out my review.

What do you think you'll read next?

With any luck, I'll be reading The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross next. I am dying to read it for several reasons. The first, I'm a sucker for a good cover and this one's the best! I adore it!! The second, I love steampunk. I requested it on NetGalley and if they approve my request, it's up next. If not, I'll be reading the next book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

So there you have it!! If you're stopping by, please take a moment to say hello. I always enjoy meeting new people. I look forward to seeing everyone elses!

Teaser Tuesday: No. 2

2011-05-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I finished The Vampire Narcise a few days ago, posted my review, and am onto other things. After Narcise, I knew I couldn't just pick up another vampire novel and offer it fair treatment, so instead, I'm reading The Hunter Games by Suzanne Collins. I'm only about 10% on so far, but I'm enjoying it. I'm also finding it terribly difficult to believe this is YA. It's so... dark... and not in the Harry Potter starts out cute and gets darker kind of way. It's dark from the start. I'm sure I'll finish it soon and post a review, but until them, here's my teaser!

The pair last year were two kids from the Seam who'd never, not one day of their lives, had enough to eat. And when they did have food, table manners were surely the last thing on their minds.

You know the kicker is that I don't generally read dystopian. I don't know that it's because I don't enjoy it, I just don't often get around to it. If this is representative of that genre, then I might like to read some more. I'd love some suggestions!

Review: The Vampire Narcise

2011-05-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Author: Colleen Gleason {site}
Genre: Supernatural, Dark Fantasy, Historical Romance
Format: Adobe Digital Editions
Published: 24 May 2011
Disclosure: Received for review via NetGalley

Synopsis: {via amazon

Skilled in the seduction of men, both mortal and immortal, Narcise Moldavi is the greatest weapon in her twisted brother's war among the Dracule. Until she falls for Giordan Cale.

Her first searing encounter with Giordan brands them with a passionate love. But Giordan's vow to help Narcise escape her brother's rule is followed by a betrayal more agonizing than sunlight.

Wounded but determined, Narcise ensnares vampire hunter Chas Woodmore in her quest for revenge and to reclaim her life. He wants her, worships her, will kill for her. And the Dracule never forget a wrong – nor do they forgive.

Review:

Full disclosure, just right off, I loved this book! By the end, I loved it almost as much as I'd loved The Vampire Dimitri... almost. It's well written, better than the other two, I'd say, and the story is well developed. Considering, that their story is partly told, from other points of view, before the book even begins because it's a trilogy, it could not have been better. I would say, however, that even if you've not read the first two books, you could read this one (or any of them, really) as stand alones, and you wouldn't be confused. You would miss the beauty of seeing it from other perspectives, and you would certainly miss the well-roundedness of the whole saga, but you would understand what was going on.

As for the characters, I began this book somewhat skeptical. Narcise, Cale, and Chas are all somewhat marginal characters in the other books. They're there, they're mentioned, they even make appearances, but I wasn't certain I'd care about them one way or the other. Now that I've read it, I freely admit that I could not have been more wrong. I love them all. First Narcise, despite having the whole "she's the most beautiful woman on the planet" stereotype going on, she's remarkably strong. She also has flaws, which is important because she could so easily have fallen into the Mary Sue category. As is, she's a great character and I really liked her.

I liked Giordan Cale better than Chas Woodmore, but I felt bad for both of them to varying degrees throughout. This isn't to say that I didn't like Chas, I did, but I loved Cale! Cale is so remarkable, he's strong and handsome, he has a heart. The men in this story are the kind of men women want in a historical paranormal romance. They're perfect. They're not Dimitri (who is near the top of my fictional boyfriend list!!), but I loved Giordan Cale nearly as much, and that's saying something.

By the end of the story, I was happy that I had the whole story, but sad that it was over. I now when I really, really enjoyed a book because when it's over, I instantly mourn for having gotten to the end. That's how I felt about this book, but it might also be that it's the last book in the trilogy. It's the last one, there're no more, which I really regret. She could easily have made this a whole series and I'd have read every one of them. Pretty strong end for a trilogy that began with a book I didn't initially enjoy.

Rating:

Check out my Review for the other two novels in the series:

On My Wishlist: No. 2

2011-05-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

Good evening. It's late Friday night/early Saturday morning and I can't sleep. Its been a long day, but I've stayed up late and finished reading the last half of The Vampire Narcise (review forthcoming!). I couldn't put it down and now that I'm done I'm too wide awake to sleep. So, instead of sleeping, I thought I'd wind down with a Saturday meme, "On My Wishlist" hosted by Book Chick City!

First up, The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross. I downloaded the Finley Jayne novella (The Strange Case of Finley Jayne*) for my Kindle when it was free on Amazon, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I love steam punk but, quite frankly, this book had me from the cover. I adore it! Adore it!!

Synopsis {GoodReads}

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch…

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

The other two books I'm dying to read are Divergent by Victoria Roth and Enclave by Ann Aguirre. Both of them are floating around the book blogosphere lately, both of them look fascinating, and both of them have been getting amazing reviews. I cannot wait to read them!

Synopsis {GoodReads}

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Synopsis {GoodReads}

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

So there you have it!! If you've taken the time to stop by for the meme, please take a moment to say hello so I can find you!

*Quick Update: I just realized the prequel novella to The Girl in the Steel Corset, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, is still free to download on Amazon. If you're interested just click the title to go to Amazon and download it. Enjoy!

Follow Friday: No. 1

2011-05-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hi there. This is my first Follow Friday (hosted by the awesome, Parajunkee!) and I've been waiting all week for it to get here! I'm having a good time clicking around, seeing other people's blogs and, most of all, their answers to the weekly question. So, with that said, here goes:

First things first, this week's featured blogger is Al from Magnet 4 Books. Her blog is really neat, so go check her out and don't forget to follow her blog!

What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

For me, this answer is twofold, so here goes...

On any given day, I would most like to be Elizabeth Bennett from my favorite book of all time, Pride and Prejudice. She's smart, strong, and full of sass! It stands to reason, then, that I would most like to date Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! Truly, he's a good portion of the reason I'd want to be her!!

Right now, I would also love to be Narcise Moldavi from The Vampire Narcise and date the amazingly hot Giordan Cale! I'm enjoying the book more than I thought I would, so they're my current fictional crush. I adore them!

So there you have it! Happy Follow Friday to everyone. If you've stopped by, say hello. I love to meet new people and would love to make new book blog friends!

Teaser Tuesday: No. 1

2011-05-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm reading several books right now, but the one I'm most enthralled by is Colleen Gleason's The Vampire Narcise. I received it from NetGalley a few weeks ago and am reading it on Kindle. I knew I just had to read it after reading it's two predecessors, The Vampire Voss and The Vampire Dimitri! So far, I'm enjoying it better than I did Voss but not as well as Dimitri. I've learned, though, not to make judgments until the end, since if I'd done that with Voss I'd never have finished it.

Remnants of dreams. As she stared into soft candlelight, a bitter laugh formed in the back of her throat, startling her with its ferocity, and she pressed her lips together.

Trust me, Narcise.

If you enjoy historical, romance, and vampire novels you'll likely enjoy this series. I highly recommend it! Enjoy!

Free Kindle Finds: No. 1

2011-05-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

Since investing in the Kindle several months back, one of my favorite pastimes (when I'm not doing homework or reading) is to hunt around on Amazon for free books. They have a promotional offers page, where many of the books are either free or very cheap, along with Top 100 Free books lists. I've found a lot of really neat books and thought I'd start passing them along, so others might find them, too!

So here's what I got this week:

A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

When a dressmaker who values beauty tangles with a liveryman who condemns vanity, the sparks begin to fly!

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with the new dressmaker in Coventry, Texas. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothes, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.

Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner, while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?

When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to consequences neither could have foreseen--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

***

I also downloaded:

Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf

Making Waves: A Novel by Lorna Seilstad

Complete Without Kids by Ellen L. Walker

***

I'm not entirely sure how long Amazon makes these books available for free, so go get them while you can! Enjoy!

In My Mailbox

2011-05-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

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 opened my mailbox this week to some lovely surprises. I'm not accustomed to getting surprise gifts in the mail, but this week I received two books and a necklace, so I thought I'd share them with you! If you're one of the lovely people who sent me one of these items, thank you!

Early in the week I received a package that had in it, not a book, but a necklace. I didn't remember signing up to win it, though I might have and I was fairly intreagued that it had come from someone named Kersten Hamilton, since both my first and last names are very, very similar to hers. I did some looking around and learned that the necklace was handmade to Hamilton's book Tyger, Tyger. Receiving it intrigued me enough to track down and buy the book, which is going on my review list (as soon as I get it moved to this blog, that is).

Lovely, isn't it?! Thank you, Kersten!

The day after the necklace arrived, I received another package, and this time there was a book inside! I actually knew this one was coming because I had agreed to review it. The book was The Civilized World by Susi Wyss. I've recieved several eBooks for review, either by authors, publishing companies, or through my beloved NetGalley, but this is the first physical book I've received. Seeing how I'm new to this whole book blogging gig (or relatively new, since this is a restart), I've been thrilled to receive every one!

The book is quite pretty and very nicely bound. I cannot wait for the Spring semester to close, my classes to be over, my students to scurry off to their summer breaks, so that I can devote more time to reading all of these books I've been recieving (if I own you a review, it's coming soon, I promise).

Late in the week, I received the third and final package. I could feel that it was another book and when my husband handed me the package he gave me the strangest look. He's been giving me such a hard time (in a good way, of course) about all of the books and things I've been getting in the mail of late. This one came from London, England--I've never received Royal Mail, before, so I kept the envelope--from Savita Kalhan. The book enclosed was The Long Weekend and not only did she send me her book, which looks fantastic, she also signed it!

Like the other, this book is going on my list for review. I can't wait to read it. It's not a terribly long read, so it shouldn't take me long. Also, I love, love the cover!!

Thanks again to those who sent me these lovely gifts, I look forward to reading them!!

Moving Day!

2011-04-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the mess. I'm in the process of moving my blog from WordPress to Blogger--something I never thought I would say, especially since I left blogger 7 years ago for WordPress. While I'm just redirecting on the technical side because it's easier than changing my whole domain name, I'm still having to move my content, which takes time. I appreciate your patience as I get things moved.

Thanks!!

Review: The Vampire Dimitri

2011-04-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Author: Colleen Gleason {site}
Genre: Supernatural, Dark Fantasy, Historical Romance
Format: Adobe Digital Editions
Published: 26 April 2011
Disclosure: Received for review via NetGalley

Synopsis: {via amazon}

Dimitri, also known as the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed—and bewitched—the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day.

Miss Woodmore's family has a rather…complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women's intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except passion.

In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitri come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation and fiercest desire.

Review:

I could literally go on and on, gushing about how much I loved this book. I read The Vampire Voss in February, I even ended up enjoying it (thought I didn’t initially), but The Vampire Dimitri is so much better than it’s predecessor. Dimitri and Maia are much more likable characters than Voss and Angelica — truly it was Dimitri’s character that kept me reading Voss, I’d likely have quit at the start were it not for him. Truly, I have a thing for dark, brooding characters. Quick witted, rakish character’s are okay, but I enjoy the dark ones so much more. Dimitri is just that, he’s dark and self loathing, and one cannot help but love him for it.

I also love Maia, who unlike her sister Angelica, is not a giggling daisy of a girl. Rather, she is strong willed, opinionated, and has strength of conviction. She and Dimitri make a perfect couple. They’re both cerebral and love one another a little bit too much for their own good. I did enjoy the cameo’s by both Voss and Angelica in this novel, however. I also enjoyed seeing Chas (the Woodmore brother) and Narcise, his vampire lover. It made a nice set up for the final book in the trilogy, The Vampire Narcise — which I have recently gotten from NetGalley!!

This book was so good, in fact, that I read the entire thing in one night. I rarely do that, I’m entirely too busy to keep glued to a book for more than a few hours at a time, but this book swallowed me up whole and refused to let me go until it was finished, likely a reaction to my anticipation. So, if you love historical fiction, vampire stories, and romance novels, this book is an absolute must! This series is an absolute must. It’s certainly takes a new spin on an old formula.

Available for {paperback | kindle}

Rating:

Review: New World Orders

2011-04-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Author: Edward G. Talbot {site}
Genre: Dystopian, Political Intrigue, Suspense
Format: Kindle (.mobi)
Published: 15 February 2011
Disclosure: Received from the Author (review copy)

Synopsis: {via author's site}

In the nineteen-sixties, a group of wealthy men concludes that it's already too late to stop global warming from destroying the planet. But they have a plan to save themselves.

Twenty years later, Jack Crowley and Jim Patterson stumble onto the conspiracy, and every answer they find is accompanied by more questions - and more deaths.

Jack is a former idealist, turned cynical by his years working as a New York tabloid editor. But his enthusiasm returns as he looks into the work of a NASA scientist who tells Jack about cover-ups at the space agency. Jim is a detective with little patience for conspiracy nuts. But he hates loose ends, and is unable to let go of the inconsistencies in another suspicious NASA death. Soon, his investigation leads him to Jack, and they join forces.

As Jack and Jim dig deeper, they are targeted by the type of killers that don't usually miss. From Washington to Las Vegas to the Middle East, they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers in a race to expose the truth, and maybe, just maybe, save the world.

Review:

I won't lie, New World Orders is not my usual reading. I'm somewhat stuck in the paranormal, paranormal romance, romantic comedy-type reading rut, but when offered the chance to read this book I jumped at the opportunity for three reasons: the synopsis was interesting, the author was very nice, and it had gotten some good reviews by people I respect -- like James Melzer. There was simply no way I could pass, after all, what was the worst that could happen, I could dislike it? Now that I'm done, I'm terribly glad that I stepped outside of my usual reading milieu; I don't think I could have enjoyed this book more.

It's very much a "what happens when political intrigue (and a "bad guy" that's quite likable, I think) meets ecological crisis." The plot's premise was interesting and well formulated, with no plot holes or loose ends. The characters are very well fleshed out, and quite unique, and I enjoyed seeing some rather famous personalities along the way (I won't say who, I'd hate to ruin the surprise!). The setting is well developed and quite easy to imagine, and the book's pace is almost break-neck. It moves quite quickly, but the pace has a way of sucking you in. It certainly kept me turning the page -- I lost a heck of a lot of sleep on this book!

One of the most impressive things, however, was how theatrical this book was. I could imagine the whole thing, playing out in my mind in perfect detail, like a movie plays out on the screen. It's that visually stimulating. The writing is so crisp and well edited, and the e-book is so well formated, that no distraction from the story occurs along the way. The prose flow naturally, from one point to the next, in a very clear and followable way.

New World Orders is a must read, I highly recommend it to all readers, and at only .99¢ it's an absolute steal!

Rating:

Available for {kindle | nook | smashwords}

On My Wishlist: Gleason, Pierce, & Roth

2011-02-26T04:28:00.000-08:00

Because this is a new (or re-newed) blog, I've not had the opportunity to participate in any book meme's though there are dozens of them floating around the book blogosphere -- all of which sound interesting! Unfortunately, without a ton of time, I (regrettably) have to pick and chose. I'm a recent fan of Book Chick City, so when I saw her meme today, I thought I'd jump in.

"On My Wishlist" is a weekly book meme from Book Chick City that runs on Saturdays. Go and check her out, and sign up if you have a book blog! If you're here from her site, welcome and thank you for stopping in.

Without further adieu, here's my wishlist for the week...

~~~

The Vampire Dimitri (Colleen Gleason)

I desperately, desperately want to read this book! I just finished reading and reviewing it's predecessor, The Vampire Voss, which I got through NetGalley and I enjoyed it. From the very start, Dimitri has been my favorite character. I've recently applied for this book at NetGalley and am crossing my fingers I'm approved. Otherwise, I'll have to wait for it to come out on April or May... which seems like an eternity!

The Vampire Dimitri is the second novel in Colleen Gleason's Regency Draculia Series. Other novels include The Vampire Voss (Draculia #1 - Release March 2011) and The Vampire Narcise (Draculia #3 - Release June 2011).

From GoodReads:

Dimitri, the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed – and bewitched – the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day.

Miss Woodmore's family has a rather...complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women's intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability, and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except for passion.

In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitir come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation, and fiercest desire.

~~~

666 Park Avenue (Gabriella Pierce)

I've wanted to read this book since hearing about it a month or two back. I was actually going to buy it for my Kindle, but decided against it when I learned that it was more expensive than the paperback (which sparked a discussion about how much e-books should cost). The cover is so eye catching, I just love it.

From GoodReads:

What if your mother-in-law turned out to be an evil, cold-blooded witch . . . literally?

Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, fledgling architect Jane Boyle has been living a fairy tale. When he proposes with a stunning diamond to seal the deal, Jane can't believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job to make a new start with Malcolm in New York.

But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan's most feared and revered families, Jane's fairy tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world—and herself—is upended. Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them.

I simply can't resist books that sound like this much fun! I must admit, I got this book as an e-Arc via NetGalley, but haven't read it yet. It's not available for Kindle on NetGalley, which is my preference, so I'm debating whether to read it or just buy the book. It's still up the in the air at this point, but I may start it on my computer and if I'm really enjoying it, buy the (overpriced) e-book for Kindle.

~~~

So Shelly (Ty Roth)

I knew I wanted to read this book ever since I saw the cover. Yes, that's shallow, but the cover is just so beautiful! It helps that the story is interesting, too, centered around Keats, Byron, and Shelly. I entered to win this book at A Fantatic's Book Blog and I actually won it! So, now I'm just waiting for it to come in the mail. I cannot wait to get it!

From GoodReads:

Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

Sounds good to me. The book's gotten mixed reviews on GoodReads, but I'm reserving judgement until I can read it myself. I'm sure I'll enjoy it! It should actually be here any day now... I'm checking my mailbox everyday.

~~~

There you have it, my wishlist for the week. I'm hoping to get these three books soon and get them read. Reviews forthcoming, stay tuned!

Review: The Vampire Voss

2011-02-25T04:47:00.000-08:00

Author: Colleen Gleason {site}
Genre: Supernatural, Dark Fantasy, Historical Romance
Format: Kindle (.mobi)
Published: March 2011
Disclosure: Received via e-ARC through NetGalley

Synopsis: {via amazon}

Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule—a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls—the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral…until Angelica.

Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger—for her body and her blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him—to protect her.

Now Voss must battle his very nature to be with Angelica…but this vampire never backs down from a fight.

Review:

I've read a ton of vampire novels. You might say that I'm a vampire novel junkie. I love the Gothic, and vampires are a natural extension of the gothic -- heck, I'm doing my Master's thesis over the Gothic. So when I started this book, with a terrible feeling, I nearly put it down again. The problem? I didn't like it from the start. I didn't like Voss, at all, which made bearing him difficult. I didn't particularly like the Woodmore sisters, or Voss's vampire buddies, Brickbank and Eddersley, I didn't like any of them... except Dimitri. I loved him from the word go, which is what kept me reading. It certainly wasn't Voss.

At least that's the way it began. I grumpily picked up my Kindle and kept reading, I made it my bedtime task to read a few "pages" (percent?) and try to get it read. That's when something happened... I actually started to like the book. Somewhere along the line, Voss's character grew on me, Angelica grew on me, they all grew on me. Don't get me wrong, I still love Dimitri above all else, he's an amazing character and I cannot wait for The Vampire Dimitri to hit shelves. Voss started, along the way, to become a sympathetic character, I began to connect with his emotional journey and the darkness under his rake-like shell. He became something more than a completely self-interested monster, he became a man I actually rooted for! I wanted him to succeed, I wanted Angelica to want him. I, quite frankly, couldn't stop turning the pages.

Of course, this is a review, so I'm not going to spill the ending. I'll just say this, I was very satisfied with how the novel ended.

Okay, now that I've spoken about my likes, I must say that there are things I didn't like, too. Mostly, those things go to formatting. Since the book's not out yet, and I'm not sure it'll be available for Kindle at all, I'm certain they'll fix the formatting. One thing I hope they make certain to fix is how the book goes from one point of view to another without warning. No space, no astrisks, nothing... it just hops from one to the next and you're left trying to shift back and forth, it's almost dizzying. Also, I found that the character names were quite distracting. I never want to feel like the names in a supernatural novel are silly, it breaks suspension of disbelief in a major way. I shouldn't be rolling my eyes at the names.

All in all, I really ended up enjoying this novel. I've already said that I love the Gothic, and vampires, but as a huge fan of historical romance, this book really pulled me in. Not from the start, but it did eventually keep me turning the page because I had to find out what happened next, and no so much because I was determined to finish the novel. Ultimately, I do recommend it to anyone who enjoys it's genres. It turns out to be a pretty good novel, well worth the read. Definitely a good start to a new series.

Rating:

Available for {paperback | kindle (??)}

On my Kindle: What's Next!!

2011-02-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

As a graduate student, working as a graduate assistant, my time for reading has to be carefully managed. Otherwise, I get nothing read, except the books for class. As an avid reader, that's just acceptable. I have to be able to read for fun, too, else I go a little crazy! This is where my beloved Kindle comes in... I cannot believe there was life before Kindle. How did I carry all those books around?!

With that in mind, here's what I have lined up for the next feel reads...

Currently Reading

Colleen Gleason's The Vampire Voss is my current read, and I must say, it's taking me a while to warm up to it. It's a vampire story, as the name suggests, and while I normally fall in love with vampire tales, I'm really struggling to connect to this book. I'm trying, however, to reserve judgment until I've gotten it finished. So far, it makes really great bedtime reading (especially thanks to my Kindle's lighted cover). It shouldn't be long until I have it finished and reviewed. The one thing I know, without a doubt, is that I will be picking up the next book in the series The Vampire Dimitri when it comes out. Voss is okay, but I am absolutely in love with Dimitri!!

The Vampire Voss is set to release March 22, 2011. I'm not certain what formats will be available, but I'll keep you posted.

Disclaimer: This book was made available to me via e-ARC through NetGalley.

Up Next

I've recieved several review requests lately (thank you!) and have queued up those novels for my next reads in the order that I received them. So, those up next include:

- New World Orders by Edward G. Talbot is next in line and I cannot wait to read it!
- My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond
- The Summoner by Layton Green

Graciously, all of these books have been made available to me by the authors, for review, and I'm truly looking forward to reading each one (in the next few weeks, I promise!!).

So what about you? I'd be interested to hear what others are reading!

Review: The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock

2011-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

Author: Jennifer Hudock {site | twitter | amazon | facebook}
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Format: Kindle (.mobi)
Published: January 2011
Disclosure: Purchased

Synopsis: {via amazon}

Beyond the Goblin Market lies the remains of a lost and broken kingdom divided by war. The war has been over for centuries, but the kingdoms still stand apart, overrun by a creeping goblin darkness known as the Darknjan Wald. It has been written that only one holds the power to destroy that darkness and reunite the kingdoms, but she has no memory of her former life.

Meredith Drexler must save her sister, Christina, from the wicked goblin king, Kothar, who has kidnapped the girl in order to convince Meredith to uphold an ancient commitment Meredith doesn't remember making. Sent Upland disguised as a human child, she has no recollection of her former faerie life, or her uncle's promised marriage betrothal to Kothar.

When she ventures back Underground in search of Christina, every step Meredith takes brings memories of her forgotten past back to the surface. As the pressures of her former life entangle with her quest to save her kidnapped sister, Meredith's predetermined fate is revealed. Will she embrace it, or walk away forever from a life she barely remembers as her own?

Review:

There was a time, not all that long ago, that I swore I would never read another self-published book. I was scarred by a certain, frightfully disappointing novel for which I had gotten my hopes way, way up. Well, that was then and this is now, and I have to tell you, I'm not only starting to come around, I'm there. I've learned that not all indie authors are careless, lackluster editors with a novel and a dream, some of them are rather amazingly talented authors who simply want to share their work without jumping through the fiery hoops that accompany traditional publishing.

One such author/editor is Jennifer Hudock, author of Goblin Market. I first encountered this dark fantasy, the first book in her "Into the Green" series, when she began podcasting it in the summer of 2009. I was instantly taken with the story, eagerly awaiting each episode, and trust me when I say that I was never disappointed. In the intervening year and a half, Jennifer has edited the Goblin Market, releasing it in e-book format last month. No surprise, I scooped up a copy the first weekend it was available and set to getting reacquainted with Meridith's journey into the Darknjan Wald, where she risks all to save her sister, Christina, from the goblin king, Kothar.

Inspired by Christina Rosetti's poem by the same name, and by the film Labyrinth (Henson/LucasArts 1986), Hudock's Goblin Market is a completely engrossing. Her characters are well developed and sympathetic, including Kothar, who I loved despite myself. Though it's abundantly clear that he's the villain, I couldn't help but sympathize with where he was coming from. After all, who doesn't want a villain driven by unrequited love? And I, in turn, fell in love with him, flaws and all. Otherwise, the dark and fantastic settings, from the English countryside to the dangerous Darknjan Wald, are rich and vivid in detail. The book is at times humorous, at others remarkably dark, our heroine persevering dispite the many deadly challenges presented along the way. There're many twists, accompanied by some terribly sad moments, neither of which I'm going to share here -- you'll just have to read the book!

I'm sure, then, that it will come as no surprise that I highly, highly recommend this book. Jennifer does fantasy as a genre, as well as her influences, immense justice with this work. I simply cannot say enough good about this debut novel and I cannot wait for the follow-up, Jack in the Green. Goblin Market is so reasonably priced, at $0.99, that it's definitely a steal. It's well worth ten times as much! Now go, buy the book, what're you waiting for?!

Rating:

Available for {kindle | pdf | nook | paperback (limited)} at {amazon | smashwords | author | barnes & noble}

*Cover by Jennifer Hudock

Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

2011-02-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

Author: Gail Carriger {site | twitter | amazon | facebook}
Genre: Steampunk, Historical, Romance, Supernatural
Format: Kindle (.mobi)
Publisher: Orbit/Hachette Book Group
Published: October 2009

Disclosure: Purchased

Synopsis: {via amazon}

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Review:

Above all, this book is absolutely hilarious! Alexia Tarabotti is a half-Italian spinster with no prospects, and no soul, but she's more than willing to accept both circumstances with, if not cheer, grace. I knew when I purchased the book that it was reputedly funny, but I didn't expect this level of quirk. I've honestly never read anything quite like it, which is, I suspect, why Gail Carriger's books are so popular. Her style is unique and easy to follow, her characters develop at a natural pace as the story unfolds, and no ends are left loose. They mystery, one that Alexia is not all together unprepared to solve, and which she certainly does not solve alone, is fun and unpredictable.

Soulless is a steampunk, historical romance, heavily invested in the supernatural. All of the primary characters are supernaturals, or preternatural, of some sort with very few exceptions. Supernaturals include a hearty mix of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and, of course, the soulless. While the novel is very funny, the level of quirky comedy interferes with the other plot elements, making it hard to immerse in every aspect of the plot. I find it a tad difficult to go from laughing out loud to being touched by romantic moments, the gears just don't shift that swiftly, especially when the romance is infused with comedy. I suspect, however, that this is intentional on the part of Ms. Carriger, so the novel's not taken too seriously at any point. Even when the characters are in danger, they're quite amusing, especially amusing is Alexia's insistence on manners at the strangest moments.

The one thing I was a bit put off by was the fact that in the story/setting there are less female supernaturals/preternatural than there are male because women have less soul than men -- content of soul affects the ability to survive the metamorphosis. As the novel was written by a woman, I'm not precisely offended by it, but it didn't slip my notice. It could be that Carriger is making a comedic statement about the male/female dynamic, or it could just be the case that I'm over-thinking it entirely! Either way, this one small thing was certainly not enough to keep me from loving the book, nor from buying the next book in the series!

I highly recommend Gail Carriger's Soulless to readers who enjoy historical romance, steampunk, and the supernatural. While the novel borders on chick lit, I feel like men could enjoy it just the same! Tiny little warning, this novel does include adult content, and though said adult content is fairly subdued, this book is probably not for children.

Rating:

Available formats: {paperback | kindle | nookbook}

Web for Book Lovers: NetGalley.com

2011-02-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

While reading the fantastic Book Blogging 101 content at Parajunkee's View this weekend (she offers a good deal of truly inspired advice), I was fortunate enough to learn about NetGalley and wanted to pass the information along to anyone who, like me, was completely unaware of the fact that it existed at all. If you love to read, and are dying to get your paws on some ARC's, this is definitely the website for you!

So what is it?

NetGalley is a website dedicated to connecting publishers, and books, with readers. It's that simple. They supply electronic ARC's to readers interested in reviewing them, but reviews are not actually required. The books are all electronic, some of which are available for Kindle. There are a huge number of books obtainable, from self-help to science fiction and romance. There's certainly something there for everyone!

How does it work?

Simply go to NetGalley's website and sign up. It's completely free. Once you're all signed up, you'll want to fill out your profile information, telling publishers what your interests are. Be sure to check out their quick start guide for information about how to get going. The quick start guide also has some great information about filling out your profile, setting up your Kindle, and requesting galleys.

Free, e-ARC's... What's the catch?

You'll love this, are you ready for it... there really isn't one! Once you request a book, NetGalley sends your request to the publisher and it's either accepted or rejected. NetGalley will suggest, if your request is denied, that you update your profile (sound advice, that). However, some of the available titles are auto-accept, making them available to be read whenever you're ready.

Oh, one more thing, the books available through NetGalley are only available for a reading period of 60 days. Two months is generally more than enough time to get a book read, but should it not be, you can go back to NetGalley and re-download the book again for another 60 day reading period. The only exception to this rule is that a book becomes unavailable for download when the publisher archives the book.

What will I need?

A computer and Adobe's Digital Editions Software, which is completely free. The software is something akin to Kindle for Computer, allowing you to read books that are formated for it. If, by chance, you want to read your books on the go, many are available in Kindle format. You can also download the books to any mobile device compatible with Adobe's software, including the iPhone.

Well...

What're you waiting for? Go check out NetGalley and enjoy their offerings. I've just started using their site, but have gotten three books so far, all of which I will be reviewing -- both here and on NetGalley-- just as soon as I get them read. Good luck and, if you're in a huge hurry, you can thank me later! ;)

Image via NetGalley

e-Books: What Would You Pay?

2011-02-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

I took a short, informal poll on twitter this morning regarding the cost of e-books, and the responses I got were interesting. You see, I was looking to buy a book (666 Park Avenue by Gabriella Pierce) when I realized that the Kindle e-book was a dollar and a half more expensive than the paperback. While part of the reason to have gotten a Kindle was to slow the build-up of books around my already helplessly overcrowded little house, I have a problem paying more for an e-book than for a paperback. There's nothing physical to drive up the cost, so a physical book should always be more expensive, in my opinion, than an e-book which is formated and transmitted electronically. I understand that a great deal of work went into producing the book, and I wouldn't have had a problem if they were the same price, or if the e-book was only slightly cheaper. I just don't want to pay more for pixels than for paperbacks.

So what did my twitter pals say?

Well, the responses were mixed.

While some said they would never pay more for an e-book than for paperbacks, others said they didn't count cost in the benefits/drawbacks of the e-reader. I even got one response that said it's situational and depended upon how much she needed the book. The more urgently she needed the book, the more likely she would be to pay more for an e-book. One pal, who I've known for quite some time, had no opinion but to agree that the book I was looking at sounded amazing and that he would have to read it!

So what about you? Would you pay more for an e-book than for a paperback? Does cost factor into your decision to buy an e-book? Do you think e-books are the devil's spawn sent as the harbinger of the destruction of all of book-kind? Drop me a comment and let me know what you think, I'm really interested, especially since my little twitter poll yielded such mixed results.

Image via TNW

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

2011-02-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

Last year, I signed up Book Chick City's Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge and though I didn't do very well, I'm signing up again in hopes that this year will be different. I finished about half of the books I put on my list last year, which isn't bad considering all I have going on. That said, I'm sure this year will go better and to make that happen, I'm going to share books with the other challenge I'm also doing!

So what am I reading? Here's my list...

- Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger
- Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger
- Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger
- Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate #4) by Gail Carriger
- Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
- Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
- The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
- Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
- Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke
- Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory

As I said, about half of these books are on my 2011 Busy Bookworm Reading Challenge list, also. You can find this list, along with the other, on my Reading Challenges page, if you're interested. So, now that you know what I'm reading, why don't you hop on over to Book Chick City and sign up for the challenge yourself? So it's already February, consider it an additional challenge!

As I finish the books for this challenge, and the other, I'll be doing reviews, so check back! Happy Reading!

E-Books & the Environment

2011-02-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been conscious of my impact on the environment -- I even sent McDonald's a letter, when I was 8 years old, asking them to stop using Styrofoam. While I'm not one of those people who believe that humans are the cause of global warming, or that we're destroying the planet, I do believe that we should all make an attempt to keep our planet clean. We live here, we use the earth's resources, and we should try to be as careful with those resources as possible. That's where I come in on the environment, so when I bought my Kindle earlier this month (well, actually it was in mid-January), a consideration for me was certainly the environmental impact of an e-reader over traditional print media.

By way of full disclosure, I should tell you, I love books. This isn't a secret. Anyone who knows me knows that I love everything about books, the scent, the feel; I love books so much that I use to be an avid opponent of e-publishing in all forms. Naïvely, I believed that e-books were destroying the tactile experiences I associated with my beloved books. I've since come to my senses and have very strong opinions about the future of publishing and how e-publishing comes into that future. I have friends who self-publish, or publish with small press, in e-book format for all e-readers, including the Amazon Kindle. All that said, I'm keenly aware that books, that tactile experience I love so much, is made of paper and that paper is trees. Paper means that somewhere, trees were cut down, and there're few things I dislike more than the wanton destruction of nature for my personal enjoyment. Of course, paper's not the only problem, but also the fact that for every book I held in my hand, transportation burned fuel to get it to me. Buying books online, something we're all guilty of, is no better. The mail brings us those books at a price to the environment. So we didn't drive to Barnes & Noble, or Hastings, to get that book, someone had to drive it to us or we wouldn't have it.

When we think, then, about our carbon footprint, we usually take into account the things we do in our direct, everyday lives that consume resources. What we fail to consider, in most cases, are the things others do on our behalf that likewise consumes resources. Books, though we may love them, increase our carbon footprint. Of this, I'm aware. So, when I realized I could buy books with one click, that they would arrive at my Kindle in a matter of seconds, and that I could read them without the expenditure of natural resources, I really liked that idea. Not to mention, I tend toward terrible impatience. I want books when I buy them, not in two or three days, but now. I know, patience is a virtue, but one I've never managed to master.

Now before I sound more like a raving tree hugger (not that there's anything wrong with raving tree huggers), I should say that the environment is not the only reason I bought the Kindle. It is a reason, but not the reason. Still, the environment is a big thing for me and my awareness of it where books are concerned is not to be understated. I'm also aware that environmental resources are consumed in the creation and distribution of the Kindle and other e-readers, they're not without their own environmental impact, but I would argue that it's much smaller than that of traditional print media.

Interestingly, recent studies show that e-readers might not be more efficient than books, but there's a catch. According to EcoLibris, the New York Times published a story in December 2009 that suggests that e-readers are only more ecologically friendly if you read more than 40 books per year. Not everyone reads at a rate that's high enough to make any sort of dent in the environment by reading traditional print media. To that, I would argue that those books are being published anyway, whether an individual consumer reads 10 books or 100 books per year, they'll sell to someone, so the impact is made. In other words, the focus should be on the publishing industry, not the individual. If, however, more people began to read via e-reader, then less books would be published and distributed, decreasing consumption considerably.

Of course, I don't believe books should be put out of print. Far from it, after all, I love books. I just feel like more awareness should be brought not only to the environmental ramifications of traditional print practices, but also to the changes occurring in the publishing industry. Oh, and did I mention that e-books are cheaper than print books? So much so, in fact, that thousands of classics are completely free. I'm all about saving green while saving green!!

Since getting my Kindle a few weeks ago, I've ordered upwards of a dozen books and downloaded another dozen or so free books. I read well over 40 books a year (when time permits), so it's more then economical for me to have bought it, especially since the Kindle wins the eco-friendly e-book reading race, with Sony close behind, for their immense battery life. I love my Kindle and the fact that it makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing by the environment is an added bonus that helps that 8 year old girl in me, the one who sent a letter to a franchise to protest their packaging, sleep better at night.

EcoLibris: http://www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.asp

At Journey's End & Goblin Market

2011-01-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

As an author, I'm always interested in meeting other authors. It's amazing to see the process of others and has been a definite learning experience. It has also been incredibly encouraging, even inspiring, to be surrounded by others who love words as much as I do. I have friends who write, Phoena for example, who is a writing machine. I'm so incredibly inspired by her eternal optimism about writing!! Over the last few years, Twitter has also been enormously helpful in connecting with other authors; I've met some of the most amazing people via Twitter!

Two of those amazing people, Michele Bekemeyer and Jennifer Hudock, have just this week published their novels! I'm so thrilled for the both of them and if I said I'm not inspired by their successes, I'd be lying.

Michele Bekemeyer's novel, At Journey's End, is the second novel in her "Scandal's of the Heart" series. Both At Journey's End, and her first novel Trapping a Duchess, are beautifully written regency romance! I've had the opportunity to read both novels, and I cannot wait for the next to be released, I'm dying to know what she has in store!! I highly recommend both novels, which are available in both print and e-book through Republica Press, Michele's website, or from Amazon.com.

At Journey's End synopsis, from Michele's website:

Alexandra Wolter is beautiful, intelligent, wealthy…and ruined. She’s spent the last two years abroad, making peace with her fate while searching for happiness on distant shores. When an unexpected revelation changes her plans for the future, she finds the man who stole her innocence at the helm of her self-discovery. Returning to England may mark the end of her travels, but her journey has only just beginning.

Charles Devon has spent years regretting the way he treated Alexandra. When fate gives him a second chance, he is all too willing to take it. But Alexandra isn’t the timid girl she was before she left. Altering her perceptions is hard enough, but when danger threatens, he is faced with the most difficult task of his life: Saving her.

The first novel in the series, Trapping a Duchess, is also available in print, e-book, and podcast via Podiobooks.

Jennifer Hudock's novel, Goblin Market, is a wonderful dark fantasy inspired by Christina Rossetti's poem by the same name. In 2009, Jennifer began podcasting Goblin Market, and has this week released her debut novel as an e-book on both Smashwords and Amazon. I cannot wait to get my paws on it for my Kindle -- I've had the chance to hear it via podcast and I loved it!! Jennifer has also written and released several short story collections, with another on the way, so check out her Amazon page when you head that way to get Goblin Market, she's truly talented!

Goblin Market synopsis, from Jennifer's website:

Meredith Drexler has been the sole caretaker for her young sister Christina ever since their father went away. Sacrificing her life and her freedom to ensure Christina has a better life, Merry’s only escape from the monotony of every day life is her daydreams. When Christina arrives home late one evening speaking in delirious riddles, Meredith discovers her sister has been poisoned by Goblin fruit obtained in the Goblin Market.

She must travel to the heart of the Goblin Kingdom to retrieve the antidote to save her sister’s life, but at a price no sister should ever have to pay. Along the way, Meredith falls in love with the forest god who names himself her consort, and discovers a strange truth about her past and her identity.

Currently, Jennifer is working on the sequel, Jack in the Green, and like Michele's next book, I simply cannot wait to find out what Jennifer has in store!

So, now that you know, go get them! They're both talented ladies, with great novels, and you'll enjoy them, I promise!!

I'm back!

2011-01-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Holy moly, I cannot believe it's been nearly a year since I've written here. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, I tend to start blogs, get busy, and push them to the back burner. Well, with a new year comes a new dedication to some of those projects I've pushed to the back burner, this blog included. I'll be back to blogging here soon and I cannot wait!

Happy reading in 2011! See you soon!

A Case for e-Publishing

2010-04-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

I wrote yesterday about my love of books, bookstores, and the tactile experience of reading. The theme was concern with what electronic media is doing to books and bookstores, but there're two sides to every story. This isn't a fairytale where electronic publishing is the villain, locking books away in the tower. This is war, an epic battle traditional print media and new and upcoming authors. Unfortunately, the battle between authors and publishing big-wigs is laying to waste books, bookstores, and publishing houses at every turn -- HarperStudios, a HarperCollins Imprint, is closing its doors this summer. The saddest part is, if traditional publishers could just let go their outdated superiority and lend a helping hand to new authors, if they could open themselves up to authorial success, rather than rejecting them out of turn, the casualties could be reduced.

Honestly, I don't object entirely to electronic media. I only feel a sadness at the perceived loss of something I love, print books. The fact of the matter is, e-publishing is making it easier for new voices in the industry to bring their work to wider audiences, without running the mind-boggling, hair pulling, gauntlet of disappointment that comes with trying to navigate traditional print publishers who, set in their ways, often reject new voices out of hand. Does this mean I want to lose books? Absolutely not, but e-publishing is making short stories and poetry collections more accessible to wider audiences at reasonable prices, something I can absolutely get behind. It's allowing new authors to take control of their careers, to sell and promote their own work, and to rise (or fall) by their own efforts. Who wouldn't support that?

My friend, Jennifer Hudock of The Inner Bean, published a great article on traditional print media and e-publishing that you have to read. As someone who's out there, trying to sell her work (which is excellent by the way), she's found her way to e-publishing for e-readers through both Amazon and Smashwords. So, hop over take a peek at her perspective and while you're there, check out her work. And when you're done, see if you don't agree that sometimes we have to put aside our fear of losing something we love, like I'm trying to do with print books, and embrace something new. Sometimes, e-publishing is, in fact, a good thing!

How Do You Buy Books?

2010-04-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

While in Waco recently, my husband and I managed to make time to go to Barnes and Noble. You see, we live in a small town, where we have no real bookstores to speak of, so going to Barnes and Noble is a novelty we don't often indulge. I spent time weaving up and down the long aisles of books, looking for historical fiction when I realized, of a sudden, that there was no historical fiction section. If I was going to find a book, I was going to have to search through hundreds of books in the "Fiction" section. What a pain! Yet, I found the experience exhilirating!

As I searched down the aisles, caressing the spines of every book on the third shelf up from the floor, I found something great! I found The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox, a historical fiction, and when I pulled it from the shelf I felt as though I'd found a buried treasure. I read the back cover, showed it to my husband, who was at this point following me around like a puppy, and when we agreed that it sounded like something I'd be interested in reading, I went back to searching around. Unfortunately, by that time it was time to go. We had plans with friends, plans for which we were already late because I was taking too long. I did manage to squeeze in a little extra time, he didn't give me too much trouble as I searched around in the bargain books section for anything that might strike my fancy -- I did fine one, The Gemstone Handbook, which I now wish I'd gotten as I feel like it could be a fantastic resource.

Anyway, as we were walking out the door, I found the book I'd been looking for sitting on a table with other new releases. When I pointed it out to my husband, he offered to get it for me, but I rejected it in a huff of annoyance that he was dragging me out of my beloved Barnes and Noble. Next time, I'm going to try to get to Books A Million. But, being in a bookstore at all, rather than just Hastings, which is all we have here, has gotten me to thinking about how we as a society buy books. Given that we do live in a small town, I buy a lot of books online, usually from Amazon. I research books by their ratings and on GoodReads and see what others thing before I put out the $15 for a new book, but this isn't how it's always been. What happened to the days when we just went to Barnes and Noble and picked up books off the shelf? What happened to picking the books we buy by what sounds interesting and giving it an honest shot, regardless of what other people think?

We're losing the tactile experience of literature. Slowly, we're losing the physicality related with books, the sensual experience of satin pages beneath our fingers, the inviting scent of a new book, the crispness of a spine that resists giving beneath the grasp of an exuberant reader. I love everything about books, and yet it's all being lost. The e-book is replacing actual books, e-readers are replacing bookshelves, and online book clearinghouses, like Amazon, are slowly draining the life out of brick and mortar bookstores. And we can argue that e-books are better for the environment, or that they're more convenient, but they're stealing away the experience of the book and it makes me a little sad. There are future generations, people 100 years from now, who may only be able to find books in used bookstores and antique shops.

Still, for people in rural areas, websites like Amazon make literature accessible and for that I can't complain, especially since I'm one of those people a lot of the time. Just today I had to make myself go into town to Hastings to look for a book I've been wanting, rather than ordering it on Amazon, which was my first inclination. For now, people continue to buy books, despite such inventions as the Kindle and the Nook (which I checked out at Barnes and Noble and was not impressed with) and it seems that book lovers and academics are winning out, despite ridiculous claims that books are an outdated technology.

So tell me, how do you buy your books?

Literature through Time: Valuing the Classics?

2010-03-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

As I prepare to write my Master's Thesis, I've begun to question literature in a new way. I have my BA in English, and I read a heck of a lot to get there, but this is a whole new experience for me. I've started to understand literature in the sense and scope of time, rather than just the intellectual understanding that classics are such because they're old. This, of course, has me thinking about the value of classical literature to modern audiences. More specifically, do classical tragedies, allegories, parodies and the like have any substantial meaning to modern audiences?

In other words, do they translate? And, if they do, then how? If not, then how will our literature affect or translate to future generations?

Personally, I think something is lost, there's no way we can truly put ourselves in the shoes of those who first saw the work. We can understand their societies from am intellectual distance, but there's no way we can experience them. In that vein, though, modern readers and scholars are able to extract from classical works their larger meanings and themes and apply them to modern society in creative ways. We understand their themes and purposes, but we do so in a way that's unique and different from audiences contemporaneous with the work. We get something completely different form it, on a personal and social level, than did the first audiences. Yet, in this way, we are able to understand literature in a way that it's first audiences could not, we can understand the work's affect on the ages, something contemporary audiences could never have foreseen or understood.

Through classics, modern readers are able to touch a time in history they couldn't otherwise know. The lengths of our imaginations are extended to the written word and we are able to vicariously live through the works of Euripides or Jane Austen. Classical literature is a sort of time machine through which we are able to live the lives of Helen of Troy, Beowulf, and Don Quixote. There's a magic in that that I hope will extend from our modern authors to future generations in a meaningful way.

So let me ask you, what do you think of classical literature? Does it have value to modern audiences?

Free Books

2010-03-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to California for my spring break and had a really nice time, but I didn't manage to get a thing read. I have reading for my grad classes, and books for the two challenges I joined, but I didn't think I could cart them to California without a hassle, let alone have time to actually read them. What I did manage to get, though, were three new books! One in California and two by mail while I was away, the best part being that I got them all for free! As a book junkie, any book I can get my paws on for free is fine by me.

My sister gave me her copy of The Spark by Chris Downie. The author is also the founder of SparkPeople, a website that's helped millions of people around the world meet their weight loss goals in a healthy way. I love SparkPeople, though I've fallen off the wagon more times than I can count. Every time I do, I cancel my account with SparkPeople, and every time I decide to give it another try, I resubscribe. I'm hoping that being able to read the book will help to motivate me to change my life.

When I got home, yesterday, there was a package from the UK in the mail. I knew it was a book the second my husband pulled the envelope out of the mailbox, but I had no idea what it was. The book is Random by Craig Robertson and came by way of Royal Mail from Simon & Schuster UK, enclosed with a note that said, simply, "with compliments." I must tell you, I am so thrilled to get this book because it's the first ARC I've ever received. I got it when I signed up for the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge at Book Chick City and plan to push it to the top of my casual reading list.

The third book came today. It's called Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman, about a woman who gives her child up to an Amish couple and then wants to reconnect with her after 17 years. I ordered the book from BookSneeze, but realized today that the book is Christian Romance, which isn't something I normally read. I'm going to read it, and do the review, which is the terms by which I came by the book in the first place, but I'm also going to watch BookSneeze for anything that's not strictly Christian, as I don't like to delve into religion. If it turns out BookSneeze is a religious program, I'll likely cancel, even though they give out free books.

So, there you have it. I also signed up for the Library Thing Early Reviewers program and have signed up to receive some ARCs. Crossing my fingers I'm lucky enough to win one. There are a few on the list that I've requested that I really would love to have. Until then, I have Broken to keep me company.

Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge 2010

2010-03-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

Though it's starting to get a bit late in the year, but I'm always looking for new reading challenges that might interest me. Last night, I found one and signed-up straight away! It's called the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge and is being hosted by Book Chick City. I signed up last night and for me this is a way to explore new lit that I'd probably not have chosen otherwise. I enjoy thriller and suspense, even horror, but when presented with two choices, I almost always choose fantasy, classics, or historical fiction. I've taken this as an opportunity to invest myself in dabbling in thriller/suspense and I'm really looking forward to it because reading challenges help to motivate me, in a whole new way, to do some thing I already love.

My list (so far):

The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)

The Rule of Four (Caldwell & Thomason)

Shutter Island (Dennis Lehane)

A Reliable Wife (Robert Goolrick)

The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)

The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón)

Under the Dome (Stephen King)

The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield)

The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)

The Rules:

Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010

Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010

Add the button to your sidebar

Write about the challenge, with a link back, so others can join

That's it. Simple right? When you sign up, use the Mr. Linky on the site to add yourself then send the girl hosting the challenge your name, address, URL, and participant list number and she'll send it along to Simon & Schuster UK, who will send you a shiny new ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of one of two novels. It is starting to get late in the year, so I'm a little unsure whether the ARC's are still available, but I sent my information along anyway and am waiting to hear back from Book Chick City. My fingers are crossed!

Now, go and sign up and join me in this challenge. Happy Reading!!

Penguin's Got You Covered

2010-03-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

It may come as no surprise, if you're an avid reader and book lover, that Penguin Classics is responsible for some of the most beautiful book covers on the market over the last few years. I am absolutely in love with many of the Deluxe Edition covers, particularly those designed by Cuban artist Ruben Toledo, which include Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, and Wuthering Heights.

Aren't they stunning? I love the surreal feeling of these covers. So much so, in fact, that I recently purchased this edition of Wuthering Heights and let me tell you, the cover is more breathtaking than this image can express. I've been taken with it since the first time I saw it and I'll likely buy a used copy of the book, with a different cover, when it comes time to read it because I'm not certain I can bring myself to mar this one--I'm not particularly gentle with books, you see.

Recently, it would appear that Penguin's at it again, producing yet another round of stylish covers. Teaming up with (RED), the yet to be released (RED) Series covers are as stunning as they are human issues conscious. The idea, of course, is to produce beautiful covers that bring the classics to modern audiences while benefiting (RED)'s partners, such as The Global Fund, in the fight against AIDS. The covers aren't available yet, but according to RobAroundBooks' Cover Love column, the first eight books will be available May 20th. Sadly, I have a sneaking suspicion that that is a European release date, and so can't promise that they'll be available in bookstores in the US on that date.

Of the covers, all of which are typographically interesting, my absolute favorite's have to be Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, and not just because I love that book --and I do, by the way, love that book-- and Emile Zola's Thérèse Raquin. Both covers are eye-catching, while being relevant to the work they represent.

With The House of Mirth and Thérèse Raquin, the other six titles available in the first release will be Anna Karenina, Dracula, Great Expectations, Notes from Underground, The Secret Agent, and The Turn of the Screw. Though the covers have fallen under scrutiny by Forbes as pretentious, I feel that they may have missed the irony in some of the cover designs -- they point, for example, to The House of Mirth cover's girlish fonts as a negative, when in fact it is Lily Bart's value as a woman of beauty, and her unwillingness to settle because of it, that leads to the novel's tragedy.

Ultimately, these covers will likely have the effect of bringing younger audiences to these classical novels, while supporting a very real threat in the world in a fresh new way. You simply can't miss with that combination and I applaud Penguin's efforts in this endeavor. I can't wait to get my paws on this edition!

A Book with Character

2010-03-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time two years ago, for a Woman's Lit Genre Studies class. I loved the class and I loved the book, and since then, I've not been able to get enough of either Austen, or Pride and Prejudice! When we discussed the book in class, my professor drew us a short example character map to show how the character's interact and since then, I've always been fascinated with the interconnection the character's share. So, while surfing around the net looking to feed my Pride and Prejudice obsession, I found this awesome character map and thought I'd share for the benefit of my fellow Austen fans.

[via]

If you've not read Pride and Prejudice, I highly recommend it. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition has a beautiful new edition, but I've always preferred the Norton Critical Pride and Prejudice for it's annotations and footnotes, as well as critical essays.

Next up on my reading list Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

Bound By Honor

2010-03-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Edited and cross posted from my personal blog, Pretty Pessimist.

I sat down to read Colette Gale's Bound by Honor last night and couldn't put it down. I read the first 190 pages before 1 a.m. rolled around and I had to go to bed. The first thing I did when I climbed out of bed this morning, after getting cleaned up, was to pick up the book and finish reading it. I absolutely loved this book!

So, onto the review, shall we?

From Amazon:

"Maid Marian, now Lady of [Morlaix], is sent to the court of Prince John-not to take part in the debauchery of his Court of Pleasure, but to spy on him for his mother. Little does she know that her secret mission will thrust her into a whirlwind of intrigue, terror, and carnal temptations.

At court, Marian is torn between her duty to the queen and her desire for two men: one, the mysterious highwayman the peasants call Robin Hood, and the other, the dark, cold Sheriff of Nottingham. Given an impossible choice, she must submit to the carnality of Prince John's court in order to fulfill her duty and maintain her honor. But in the end, there is only one man for whom she will risk her life and give her heart."

My Review:

From the very beginning, I felt like I was reading historical romance. Gale has excellent historical voice, while leaving enough room for modern understanding. The familiarity of the characters renders this novel comfortable, and Gale expertly takes an original turn on the whole story that left me extremely satisfied. The subtitle, "An Erotic Novel of Maid Marian" is very much the truth. This is Marian's story, not Robins of Locksley's and not William de Wendeval's (Sheriff of Nottingham). There is no mistaking this novel, however, this book is very much erotica. There is explicit sex involved and if that's not your thing, this is not your book. For those who enjoy it, or are at the very least not offended by it, Gale has sensuality down to an art.

The narration is third person and jumps around frequently -- following Marian, Robin, Will, and Alys. Still, it's extremely easy to follow and lends a multi-dimensionality the story couldn't have had, had it followed Marian alone. It allows us to understand all of the characters and how they feel, which is important to how the story turns out in the end. Had readers not been able to see things from more than Marian's perspective, the way things unfold simply wouldn't have worked as well as it does.

I simply cannot say enough good about this novel. I found myself smiling like an idiot more often than not, and when I closed the back cover, the smile didn't go away. I love that this story isn't traditional, that it's not predictable, and that the characters are original despite their historical relevance. Unfortunately, to say too much more would utterly and completely give the story away which is simply not something I would want to do. I recommend this book, but only to adults, and only those who don't get insulted by erotica. While the book is technically considered historical fiction, it skirts all the way to the brink of what's allowable as romance.

When I bought this book, I also got Master: An Erotic Novel of The Count of Monte Cristo by Colette Gale and after reading Bound by Honor: An Erotic Novel of Maid Marian, I simply cannot wait to pick that one up and see what Gale does with it, too!! If I like it, I'll be getting her first historical romance, Unmasked: An Erotic Novel of The Phantom of the Opera.

Bathory: Memoir of a Countess

2010-03-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Edited and cross posted from my personal blog, Pretty Pessimist.

Rather than doing homework last night, I decided to curl up with a book and while the night away. Very irresponsible! I could have been writing my Gatsby paper, which is due tonight, or reading Euripides' Helen for Thursday's class, but I couldn't bring myself to do either, preferring instead to escape the chores ahead of me with A. Mordeaux's Bathory: Memoir of a Countess. I read the entire thing, all 232 pages, in about four hours.

At this point, I'd like to preface my review by saying that ever since I discovered and ordered the book on Amazon, I've been very eagerly awaiting its arrival. When I got half of my shipment from Amazon early and this book wasn't in it, I was really disappointed, and when it finally did come, I could hardly contain my excitement. I was able to put off reading it in favor of finishing Kushiel's Avatar, Sappho, and Gatsby, but only barely. I've been looking for a good book about the Blood Countess and this one seemed like it might be just what I'd sought after, so I was eager to devour it.

I've never been so disappointed by a book in my entire life.

From Amazon:

"The legend of Elizabeth Bathory has captivated generations, but her true persona eludes many. She has been called the most renowned serial killer of her time, accused of torturing and murdering more than 600 people. Conflicted, wanton, and sadistic in nature, was Elizabeth the result of generations of inbreeding? Was she a twisted byproduct of an archaic environment? Or was she merely a victim of a political conspiracy? Travel back in time and explore her story, told in her own voice, and discover the many facets of Countess Elizabeth Bathory."

This is the product description, not a review, but it helps to put things into perspective. Elisabeth Bathory was a murderess of the highest caliber, believed to have bathed regularly in the blood of both servant and aristocratic virgins to sustain her youth. She wasn't just a killer, she was a sadistic torturer, as well. This is not a sympathetic character, though she is a fascinating one. So, if anything good could be said about this book, it's only that the story is interesting, but is a story not of the authors devising. History gives us this character and her tale.

**Includes spoilers beyond this point**

My Review:

I say then, without reserve, that this is the single worst book I've ever read. I do mean that, the absolute worst. Though the character is historical and her story is fascinating, the book is utter garbage. The prose are stiff and at times difficult to follow, just a lot of sentences haphazardly forced together. The story unfolds in jagged fits and spurts of time. There is absolutely no continuity. The historical details are poorly researched, the character is poorly rendered, and the ending is ridiculous. Dialogue is both modern and unbelievable, and there is not a single moment when the characters are speaking that I didn't want them to just stop (the book is most certainly not written in "her voice" as the product detail suggests). It was horribly, horribly distracting and stole away any credibility and suspension of disbelief this book could have had.

The character recognizes herself as depressed (the historically accurate term is melancholia), her husband calls her stressed, and she gets what they recognize as influenza (which didn't become a medical term for more than 100 years after this book is set). If I had a dime for every time this book said castle, I would have made up the cost of the book. I actually laughed out loud at the term "castle management." This is historical fiction and shouldn't sound like the characters are going to stay at a cheap motel.

In the midst of all of that, the book depicts in horrible, and horribly written, detail scenes of graphic torture and depraved sexuality. I'm not one to be insulted by sex, nor am I such a prude that I can't accept torture in it's historical context (we are talking about Hungary in the fifteen- and sixteen-hundreds after all), but the book went over the line. If the author wanted to write bad BDSM, they should have done so and left history out of it. There is heterosexual sex, homosexual sex, child molestation and torture, rape, murder, mutilation and all manners of horrors. Innocent bystanders are tortured and killed to no purpose, which doesn't fit with Elisabeth Bathory's profile. I don't have a weak stomach for these things, but this book made me nauseous.

As if all that weren't enough, the book has so many loose threads, we could weave a cloak! Characters are introduced and then disappear. Children are had and the disappear until the author needs them later. The only mention of her any of her children being married is that of Elisabeth's middle daughter, Katalin, though her other children are apparently wed as well. Her son and one of her sons-in-law come to her aid, for no reason at all, while her other son-in-law is apparently, and for no apparent reason, conspiring against her. Her cousin puts her under house arrest for 3 years, is cruel to her, won't even give her water to bathe with, and yet in the end, this same cousin simply lets her go with a bag of money and tells her to go somewhere and disappear, with no explanation of why. A young woman is lead into her chambers as she leaves them, and we are left to assume that that woman will serve as a stand-in corpse for Elisabeth, because history says that Elisabeth dies under house arrest.

Though there are many gaps in the record of Elizabeth Bathory, some historical facts are known beyond question. That she dies under house arrest is one of those fact and yet the author screws that up, too. In the Author's notes, in the end of the book, Mordeaux attempts to explain away their poorly constructed story and admits to doing most of their research on the internet. Okay, I research using the internet from time to time, but I also use databases which are unquestionably useful resources. Oh, and Mordeaux's website links to Wikipedia, the internet's most notoriously unscrupulous source, where anyone can write anything.

After reading this ridiculous book, cover to cover mind you, I did some digging around to find out about the author and publisher. The book is, not surprisingly, self-published and after this I will never buy another self-published book again as long as I live. This accounts for the fact that this book has almost no editing. Many sentences are run together in such a way that they're almost indecipherable, punctuation is wrong in more places than I can count, it is more than clear that no fact checking occurred, words are misspelled, and the author often uses the wrong word entirely (ie. Mordeaux says boar when they mean bore). Where was the editor?! I would be humiliated to put my name on this if I were Mordeaux, yet they don't have to be humiliated because they take no credit for their work.

If I've learned anything, it's that authors unwilling to put a face with the name have zero credibility. This author's website is thin on information and has no author bio. I don't even know if the perpetrator of this heinous crime against the English language is a man or a woman. The icing on the cake is that the author is trying to make money, on their website, by selling t-shirts and mugs and bumperstickers with their brand on it. Credibility first, then t-shirts and mugs, otherwise you just look like a shyster.

I do not recommend buying this book.

What a disappointment.

Kushiel's Avatar

2010-03-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

Edited and cross posted from my personal blog, Pretty Pessimist.

I spent the afternoon reading the last 200 or so pages of Kushiel's Avatar, the first book on my Busy Bookworm Challenge list for the year. I know, I know, I'm just now finishing the first book! Shame on me!! In my defense, I can say only that it's 750 pages and not a particularly quick read, and also that it's not the only book I've finished this month (as in, January, not February, not yet!). I also read The Great Gatsby and The Complete Poems of Sappho.

Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey is Book 3 of the Kushiel's Legacy series, preceded by Kushiel's Dart and Kushiel's Chosen, in that order. For this reason, this review will be extremely thin on specifics, so as not to include spoilers that might ruin the books, Avatar included.

From Amazon:

"Terre d'Ange's inhabitants are the descendants of angels, a race of breathtaking beauty whose highest law is Love as Thou Wilt. Extraordinarily skilled as a courtesan as well as in diplomacy and espionage, Phèdre nó Delaunay has risen to be a queen's companion and peer of the realm.... Peace and her life were bought with the sacrifice of her friend Hyacinthe, who assumed an ancient, eternal contract as apprentice to the master of straights. Phèdre [then] vowed to free him, and has finally discovered how. She must speak the true name of God, which will banish the embittered angel Rahab, who controls Hyacinthe's fate. To discover the true name, Phèdre journeys to distant lands and dangerous places.... For Phèdre is the only living anguisette, chosen by the god Kushiel to experience pain and pleasure as one, and to maintain divine balance in the world. At the hands of the insane warlord[...], Phèdre learns what true horror is, nearly losing her soul to keep the covenant with Kushiel. As her spirit and strength drain away, the love of her life, Josceline the Cassiline warrior priest, must stand by. Carey's lush, sensuous prose again makes her heroine's story a savory feast for mind and heart."

My Review:

I chose this particular summary from Amazon, by way of Book List, because this one sums it all up without giving away too much. A huge number of people who read this book enjoyed it, myself among them, though there are some reviewers (on Amazon, not professional reviewers) would have potential readers believe it's filled with depravity when it certainly isn't. There is sex, and if that offends then this book (indeed, series) is not for you, and there is some element of torture but there isn't anything too horrible or graphic that it can't be taken in context. I was certainly moved by the horror at times, but only when it was appropriate and not overly taken aback. Amazon's review calls this adult fantasy, which for me summons up images of romance, and though it's not exactly that, this book was certainly not written for children.

The story is very tightly woven, with no discernible loose ends to be tied up. Carey is meticulous in making sure that every thread is secured and follows through in a way that leaves readers satisfied. Further, as the last book in the first trilogy of a series, it ties up not only it's own loose ends, but all of the loose ends left as plot threads from the two previous books in the series. I was left only with the grim satisfaction that always finds me at the conclusion of a really satisfying book/series.

It's also of note, where this book and series are concerned, that the characters mature in such a way as to be believable and sympathetic. I can see, quite clearly, every single character and how they interact. The cast is somewhat large, but they're vivid, each with his or her own personality and style. And, so as not to get lost, there's a "Dramatis Personae" in the beginning of the books that helps to keep everyone in perspective. Although, it's really difficult for me to say that having read about half of the "Wheel of Time" where there are droves and droves of characters to be followed.

Anyhow, after a bit of a lull where the second book in the series is concerned, this book reignites the spark kindled by Kushiel's Dart (Book 1) and has left me wanting more. Thankfully, there's more to be had since there's a second trilogy in the series! Still, If I had to say anything was amiss with this book, I would say that at times it can be a bit melodramatic and that the story takes us so far away and to so many places it's sometimes hard to know how they've gotten to where they are. She follows the characters on their long trek across the world and, much to my chagrin, all the way back. I felt a bit like she could have skipped the details, either coming or going, and not lost anything but pages for the mercy. Ultimately, almost every scene added to the story in some meaningful way, making the excess in description tolerable and at times charming, especially with the inclusion of one Imriel de la Courcel, a Prince of the Blood, and a fantastically energetic young character.

Imriel is of particular note because, as it turns out, he is the narrator of the second trilogy of the Kushiel's Legacy series. Imriel, having grown by then to young adulthood, narrates books 4-6. Of this, I was particularly wary as when I get attached to a narrator, I want to keep them! I wasn't sure how I would feel about the change, from Phèdre to Imriel, but having finished Avatar, I feel like I'm going to really enjoy the next 3 books. I'm even wondering why I ever doubted it at all! Besides, who can really resist a name like Imriel?!

So, there you have it and though I think this goes without saying, I highly recommend this series to everyone over the age of 18! I loved it, it's one of the most beautifully written trilogies I've read in a very long time. Jacqueline Carey is amazing in her ability to form prose that make your heart ache for their beauty! To say she's eloquent seems an injustice, but will have to do. I simply cannot wait to start the next book, and perhaps the next after that!

Welcome to 'A Turn of Page'...

2010-03-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'm glad you stopped by!

I always have trouble with inaugural blog posts, sad but true. Starting a new essay or paper never phases me, starting a short story or even a novel has never been this much trouble, but blogging gets me every time! I suppose what comes now is a little bit about myself, the blog, and why I decided to open it in the first place, so here goes.

My name is Kristyn and I'm a bibliophile -- I love books! I live in a tiny little town in central Texas, where there's nothing to do and no distractions, and where reading is my singular getaway from the monotony of small town living. My husband, Matt, and I moved here in the summer of 2004 to attend a small local university, from which I graduated in December 2009 with my BA in English. I'm currently working toward my MA in English at the same university, while working as a freelance writer. If you're interested in knowing more about me, see this blog's about page, or find me at Pretty Pessimist, my personal blog.

The blog is, not surprisingly, about books! As someone who appreciates literature, this blog will be my place to discuss everything literary. Book reviews will abound, but so too will information about book genres, book releases... well, pretty much anything and everything bookish! After giving this project a good deal of thought, I finally decided to open this blog because books are important to me and I want to share that with you. Simple as that. Until now, my book reviews have been appearing at my personal blog, but I feel like this is a subject deserving a blog unto itself. So was born 'A Turn of Page.'

I hope you'll stay a while, enjoy what I have to offer, and come back again!

Never too busy for a book...

2010-01-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

Cross posted with Pretty Pessimist.

I signed up for the 2010 Busy Bookworm Challenge and I think you should too!!

You may have noticed the button on my sidebar, it's been there for a few days now. I came across this challenge last year, about October, and though I felt at that point that I couldn't manage to make it work for the lateness of the year, I made sure to bookmark the page so I could find it again at the beginning of this year. I'm busy, we all are, but I really feel like this is a good way to keep reading for pleasure in the mix when things get tough. So, if you're an avid reader with a busy schedule, it might be for you, too.

I'm adding this to my new year's resolutions... It's just too much fun not too!! Of course, a whole week in the new year is gone, so I'd better get reading if I hope to make it work. Here's my list for 2010:

Kushiel's Avatar (Kushiel's Legacy, Book 3) by Jacqueline Carey [Review]

Kushiel's Scion (Kushiel's Legacy, Book 4) by Jacqueline Carey

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Bound by Honor by Colette Gale [Review]

Master by Colette Gale

Taboo by Jess Michaels

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Bathory: Memoir of a Countess by A. Mordeaux [Review]

The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Poison Study (The Study Series, Book 1) by Maria V. Snyder

For now, I'm just going to start out with 12 books, but am certain I'll add more later as I inevitably come upon books that I just have to read. The list will likely not go over 24 books in all and though one book a month seems like a very conservative estimate, with everything else I have going on this year, it might also be more realistic than two or three a month that I would like to read. The books on the list represent a wide variety of genres, which should keep me entertained. They're also in no particular order, though I will start with Kushiel's Avatar because I've recently begun reading it.

Finally, the challenge is not just to read the book, but to write a review about it once I've finished. So, throughout the year, I'll be writing reviews for the books currently on the list, and those I add to the list. I'm looking forward to getting started and will be posting a link to this entry on the sidebar with the badge so that it's easy to find, since I'll be making additions to, and striking books from, the list throughout the year!

If you're interested in participating, I encourage you to click the link at the top of this post, or the badge on the sidebar, and sign up for the challenge yourself. More information is available at the Busy Bookworm Challenge page, complete with rules and web-badges. Please let me know if you decide to sign up. Also, I'm always on the lookout for more great books, so if you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to suggest them to me!!

Happy reading!