Friday, January 31, 2014

Cover Characteristics - January 31, 2014


Cover Characteristics is hosted at  Sugar and Snark.  Here are the guidelines for how it works if you want to join in:

Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite covers with that characteristic. If you want to join in and share your 5 favorite covers with the weeks particular characteristic, then just make a post, grab the meme picture (or make your own) and leave your URL in Linky (so we can visit).
You don’t even need to participate, just stopping by and saying hi would be great! Don’t forget to stop by the other participants!

This week's characteristic is:  Ethnic/POC Characters

This one seemed a little harder this week, there don't seem to be as many of these types of covers, at least not on my list of books I've read.  But here are the ones I ended up with.

5.

Gotta show some love for one of my favorite tv shows.

4.  

A classic story, with its classic cover.

3.  

One of my favorite book series.

2.


 
 
I just love the covers on this series.  Can't wait to see what the next book will look like!

And my favorite is:
1.
 

    And I just love how different this cover is, you don't see covers like this very often.  At least not in the YA world.

And those are my picks for the week.  Have you read these?  Would you agree with my choices?  Remember if you decide to make your own post about this to go link up at the Sugar and Snark site posted at the beginning of this.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Review: Docket No. 76 by Arita M. L. Bohannan

I received a copy of this book from the author, well her husband actually, who I was friends with in college, in exchange for an honest review.  This is her first published novel, I'm not sure if she's written much in the past or this was her first attempt.  While it isn't the type of book I really read these days, as you know my blog followers, I mostly read YA lately.  But it wasn't a bad read at all.  It was a quick read, it flowed pretty naturally.  For a first time book I was pretty impressed!  Something I do complain about a lot is when the conversation and writing in the story sounds like someone is trying to write a formal paper for an English class in school.  This one didn't start out like that at all!  There were a few times towards the end that I kind of noticed it, and I notice that because it makes it not roll smoothly in my head as I'm reading it.  Does that make sense?  But it didn't do that at all until the very end, and so I was really into it and enjoying it by then, enough that I could ignore it in order to find out how it was going to end.

The main character is an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans named Sandra Morgan.  But the story actually starts with the aftermath of the crime.  A young girl named Dori has been found by a family friend with duct tape on her wrists and she is bleeding and passed out.  This family friend is named Lee Lawson.  He is a well respected man in the town, but the fact that he is found holding the little girl, he is immediately the first suspect.  At least to the lead detective on the case, Detective Curtis, he is the first suspect.  But he rules him out after speaking with him, and even after meeting with the parents and seeing how they react to him.  Soon someone else is caught, a man named Gurganus.  His DNA is on the duct tape, and there are even fingerprints found.  When Sandra goes to the first hearing, and sees Gurganus for the first time, it brings back immediately what happened to her as a child, in such a personal way, because Gurganus is the man that assaulted her.  Only he got away with it, because she was too scared to speak at the trial when she was supposed to be testifying.  But she was a little girl, so while anyone would understand, she blames herself, especially knowing now that he has probably continued doing this to other little girls, including Dori. So we get to go through the case with them, and see how the judge will rule.  And based on that ruling, how will the rest of Sandra's life, as well as Dori's life, be affected?

I could totally see this as an episode of some tv court drama.  It was a pretty quick case in a way, with the amount of what happened in the book, so it would definitely fit on an hour long show I would think.  I think the descriptive language used in the book was great, you knew exactly what people looked like, and you could tell the author really knows New Orleans by the way she described it.  I did have a few times that it made me smile as I was reading. The character Lee Lawson, well his last name is that of one of the author and her husband's friends, a guy that I also know.  And the way he was described in the story fit a lot of the same characteristics as the actual person.  So it was fun to see some of the personal things in the story as well.

If you're looking for a quick lawyer type of story, this will be a good read for you.  If you want to buy it, you can get it from Barnes and Noble HERE.  And this also again inspires me to get going on my novel and get it done!!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday - Paranoia (The Night Walkers #2) by J.R. Johansson

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  This week I've chosen the sequel to a book that I just read this past month, a book that I'd won last year, and then really enjoyed once I finally got around to reading it.  And it had kind of a cliffhanger ending.  Here is the summary from Goodreads.com:

In the aftermath of the events that nearly killed him, Parker Chipp is trying to learn to cope better with life as a Watcher. And it seems to be working...until he wakes up in jail with a hangover and 12 hours of missing time. Darkness has somehow taken control and Parker doesn't have a clue how to stop him. He finds an unlikely ally in Jack, the mysterious guy in the motorcycle jacket who offers to help Parker master his abilities as a Watcher. But even as they practice, the darkness inside Parker is getting more and more powerful, taking over Parker’s body and doing everything he can to destroy Parker's life.

When Jack reveals that there is another kind of Night Walker, known as a Taker, Parker starts to wonder if the strange things happening in Oakville are more than just a coincidence. After all, people are more than just sleepwalking. They're emptying their savings accounts with no memory of doing so, wandering into strange parts of town and disappearing, they're even killing other people--all in their sleep. If Parker wants to find out what's happening or have any hope of seeing his father again, he’ll have to defy Jack and put his own life in danger...because the more he learns about these other Night Walkers, the more certain he becomes that his life isn't the only one that could be lost.

So that is my pick for the week.  Have you started this series yet?  What book are you waiting on this week?

Monday, January 27, 2014

Review: And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

First of all, thanks to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  I just finished reading it the day before it was published, also the day it would expire.  It was a quick read.  At first I was worried that it was going to suffer in comparison to another school shooting book, The Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  But as I really got to reading it, I began to see how it was its own type of story, and truly, it wasn't really a school shooting story, although that is kind of what it is made out to be in the blurb on Goodreads.  

This story is told as we follow Emily Beam.  Her boyfriend is the one who brought the gun to school.  Only he ended up only shooting himself, and no one other than Emily ever had the gun pointed at them.  Emily had been pregnant, and while she knew she didn't want to have a baby at her age, Paul was excited and happy about it.  They'd said they loved each other, but with this hanging over her head, Emily now wasn't sure about what the future would bring.  Her parents took her away to Boston after all the tragedy, and she got into a boarding school.  The town is where Emily Dickinson was from, and like Dickinson, Emily Beam is also a poet.  And that is the one thing that really made this book its own story, in such an original and unique way.  We get to read the poems all through the story, and they paint such a vivid picture of Emily's feelings, the things that happened before the story started, and how her world is changing.  I could totally see, as a former teacher, how this could be used in a classroom.

As I said before, I was afraid I'd be disappointed as I began, but turned out it was a really great story, and the prose portion was just such an extra perk, making the story even more complete and real.  There is one quote I loved, it is Emily's roommate and friend K.T. who is talking to Emily about God, or really about whether things make you a bad person.
 "If God made us in His image, then maybe we have a right to play God when we can't find Him anywhere.  But we will find Him, eventually."
That is just so deep, and really made me think.  Hope you feel that way as well!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday Post #4 and Stacking the Shelves January 26, 2014


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted  @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Last Week on My Blog:

Looks like I made my goal of making sure I had two book reviews this week.  One is starting a series that I could use for my Prequel and Sequel Challenge, and the other is one for finishing a series, even though I wasn't blogging to review the first two in the series, so can't get full points for it.  Now something that won't actually appear on my blog, is a DNF.  I received the ARC of the 2nd book in the Patrick Carman Pulse series, so I checked out the first one to read.  I got about 100 pages in, and found it just wasn't for me.  Which is sad because I normally like Patrick Carman a lot.  But, I have so many other things to read, that I will pass on it for now.  It also means I'll be posting it on YA Book Exchange probably, and hoping that I can make a trade next time where I don't get the book stolen.  I may have to start having books sent to my work place so I know they will be safe.

This Week on My Blog:
  • Review of And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
  • A Tuesday Meme (not sure which one yet)
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Review of:  either Light by Michael Grant or else a book by a friend's wife called:  Docket No. 76
  • Friday Meme (not sure which one yet)
  • Stacking the Shelves
The reviews will depend on what books arrive this week, and there may be one less of the memes, just depends how busy the week is.  I'm happy if I blog 6 out of 7 days, as long as 2 are reviews.


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a way for us to share the new books we have collected.   Quite a bit this week!

E-galleys from Edelweiss:

Very excited for this sequel to The Lost Sun, even though not sure I like this cover much.

E-galleys from Netgalley:








I love the cover of Insanity, so spooky looking! And the 2nd one just sounds interesting as someone like me who wants to be able to run sometime.

E-novellas Purchased:







I'm really excited to read Dorothy Must Die, so when I saw this prequel, No Place Like Oz, cheap for my Nook, I had to buy it.  And then, as I said earlier, I'm normally a fan of Patrick Carman, so when I saw this prequel also available for cheap for my Nook, I bought it.

E-book Purchased:


Another really cheap e-book I found for my Nook.  And the first page even had the use of a term I've only heard my friend Kim say before, so I knew I had to buy it for cheap.

So, what are your plans for the week?  And what fun things did you add to your shelves?

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Review: Pandemic (Infected #3) by Scott Sigler (Prequel/Sequel Challenge)

First, thanks to Crown Publishing and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this.  And extra thanks to whatever kept it from expiring on the date I had written, January 21st, since I wasn't able to get all the way through it until the 24th.  I was a little daunted at first because it was over 400 pages, and it had been awhile, since 2009, that I'd read the 2nd book in the series.  I am pleased to say that the way they did the kind of "review" mixed in at the beginning of the story was perfect for reminding me pretty much of all of it.  Not only that, the author's writing once again captured and pulled me right into the story.  And that many pages?  You might think it would be a ton of description and character building, boring stuff, and you'd be wrong.  Yes, all that description and character building is there, it is just done in such a way that it happens during exciting, edge of the seat action scenes.  I feel like this series is one that could make a few good movies, or even better, a tv series on the SyFy channel.

I'll try not to give too many spoilers out, but there are a few of course since this is the final book in a trilogy.  In the first two books, there was an alien virus/organism that was causing people to die, or even to change in ways that they would cause others to catch the same thing and then change to pass it on, or again, die.  The alien organism was sent by a society that sent them out to get rid of other life forms that might one day come back and kill them or cause them harm.  It sent several different parts, and each one could learn from the losses of the one before if something happened, as had happened in the last two books.  It got so bad in the last one that the government nuked Detroit to end it.  Which did mostly end it, other than one last part from the original machine which sunk to the bottom of Lake Michigan.  The government is searching for any last bits that may have made it out of the blast.  And they've found one.  They take all the precautions they think are necessary to try to safely get it into a submarine, and then back to a lab to test it/destroy it if needed.  Unfortunately, something goes wrong on the sub, it is obvious somehow the people get infected.  Clarence Otto, and Margaret Montoya, experts and heroes from last books, are called back in to try to stop it, and determine what is going on.  What they find is a much evolved organism, some of the ways it has changed they won't even notice, until it may be too late, and someone very important is infected.

And it's not just the alien organism they must deal with now, it seems another country has their eyes on getting ahold of this alien technology and using it for themselves.  Not realizing just how bad it can be for them if they don't follow all the protocols that even our heroes are using, at times unsuccessfully.

Such a great way that it all plays out, to the point that I was just figuring there was no way left to save the human race.  But the scientists must determine if there is any way to use the aliens' own technology against them in order to save ourselves.

Again, a great conclusion to the story, so glad I got to read it!  For my 2014 Prequel and Sequel Challenge, I will be able to count this as 2 points.  Unfortunately, since I didn't review the first two anywhere that I can find at the moment, I can't get the 10 points for completing the series.  Hopefully I will soon get my MySpace blogs sent to me from the past, and it will be there I hope.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Cover Characteristic - January 24, 2014


Well, I decided I was in the mood to try a new Friday meme this week, and I found Cover Characteristics at Sugar and Snark, and thought it sounded like fun!  Here are the guidelines for how it works if you want to join in:

Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite covers with that characteristic. If you want to join in and share your 5 favorite covers with the weeks particular characteristic, then just make a post, grab the meme picture (or make your own) and leave your URL in Linky (so we can visit).
You don’t even need to participate, just stopping by and saying hi would be great! Don’t forget to stop by the other participants!

This week's characteristic is:     Trees
 Here are my top 5 favorite covers with trees:
5.
  Just a little blast from the past.  I love how the tree branches form a heart themselves.

4.

In this one, I just love how spooky the trees look in the background.

3.

Now this is one that I haven't read yet.  But something about the cover has really just drawn me in, and makes me want to read it.

2.  
  

On this one, I just love the flowers really, and the trees make a really nice background.

And my Number 1 Favorite Cover with Trees is:
 
 
Actually all of the books in this series have really good covers with trees, but there is something about the color of this one, and everything about it that really draws me in.

So what do you think of my choices?  Do you have 5 covers with trees that you really like?  You can make your own post and then link it up with Sugar and Snark in the link above.




 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Review: Die for Me (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum

This is one that I believe I got a free copy of at the Romantic Times Convention here in Kansas City in May 2013.  I know, I know, I'm way behind on this series, but it was one I kept meaning to pick up, and never did.  It was definitely a good story.  I've seen several comparisons to Twilight, but again, it isn't quite the same to me, I don't see the similarities really, other than the guy being basically immortal and the girl a regular human.
In this story we have Katie and her older sister Georgia, who have moved to Paris to live with their grandparents after their parents' death.  They know the city well, as they've visited their grandparents there many times in the past.  But while Georgia is out dancing and meeting people, Katie is still not quite over her parents' deaths.  She does begin to get out and go to the museums, and even to sit in little cafes and read.  There are these very attractive boys that she keeps seeing at the cafe, and then later at a museum.  And then on a night when she is out walking with her sister, Katie sees something strange.  The one that she found really cute, felt maybe a connection with, is talking to a girl on a bridge, what looks like trying to stop her from jumping.  And when she jumps, he jumps in after her!  At the same time she sees what looks like a sword fight going on down near the bottom of the bridge.  Very weird, but no idea what is going on.  Another day at the cafe, a sign begins to fall on Katie, but she is motioned over by a girl right before it happens, basically saving her life.  Turns out there is something more about this group of people Katie keeps seeing.  The cute boy is named Vincent, and he has to give in and tell her what he is when she sees more craziness, sees him and the other guy trying to save this man in the subway.  And while they save him, Vincent's friend is struck by the train.  Now Katie doesn't know how she can be in love with Vincent, after losing her parents, she's not sure how she can be with someone that leads such a risky life, and has death as close at hand as Vincent and his friends do every day.
In case you haven't read it yet, I'll stop there.  Just know that there are also a group of bad guys, that have the same characteristics as Vincent and his friends.  A great read, I like that Katie, while yes she has the insta-love thing going on, she does have to stop and think if she could be with him with all that is going on in his life.  And even at the end, she says she still has that in the back of her head.
Now I must read on!  And I may add this to my Prequel and Sequel challenge if I can get all the books read this year.  One last thing, here is a picture of me with the author at the RT Convention.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday - The One Where I Whine About Possible Lost Mail


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  This week I'm stepping out of the normal box for this meme.  I'm very sad at the moment, as it seems two books that I traded for on YA Book Exchange may not be making it to me.  And I'm not blaming the people I traded with at all.  I'm thinking maybe someone is stealing packages from my front step or maybe the mailbox.  So, I know that my fellow bloggers and book lovers will understand my sadness as I share below the books that I was supposed to receive, and haven't.


I had exchanged one of my books for an ARC of The 5th Wave.  I'd even decided to forgo my decision to not trade with someone out of the country again after how long it took last time.  Almost 4 months last time!  It's been that long again, and it still hasn't arrived.  Now, it's coming from Sri Lanka, and with the holidays during the 4 months this time, I have hope that maybe it is still floating around somewhere on its way.  But I'm beginning to wonder after the book below fiasco, if maybe this one isn't coming either.


This is another ARC that I traded for.  And I sent a book that I would have kept, but since it wasn't autographed and I didn't have the others in the series I went ahead and made the trade.  This one came from Ohio, and I live in Missouri.  And it had a tracking number, that I started keeping track of towards the end of last week.  So I was happy to see that it was supposed to be delivered on Saturday, but when I got home from running errands, it was nowhere to be found.  My mom said that one time she'd seen a tracking number say delivered, but then it didn't actually arrive till the next day.  Well, with Saturday, that meant it wouldn't come the next day, Sunday, and then Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so I had to wait till Tuesday.  And then, still no package.  Today I decided if it wasn't there when I got home, I wasn't even going to go inside my house, I'd drive straight to the post office and see what I could find out.  They were pretty nice about it, went and checked by my address, then the tracking number, and finally they took my name and phone number, and said they'd check with my carrier and see if they could remember anything, like where they'd put it, etc.  So, I'm still hoping that maybe it will be found, maybe in the truck underneath something?

Thinking about it being stolen, I would think that anyone around here who took it, wouldn't be too excited about books, and I just wish they'd bring it back.  I wouldn't care as long as I just got my books.  So that's my sob story for my WOW this week.  Sorry mine is such a downer, just knew I could rely on my fellow book lovers to understand.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Teaser Tuesday - January 21, 2014


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.(The button for this was so tiny I wanted to make my own, so you can see my attempt above!) 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!
My Teaser:

"She wasn't contagious.  Her infection gave her that knowledge.  No tongue triangles, no blisters with dandelion seeds, nothing that could reveal her true nature.  That made perfect sense:  if she showed these telltale symptoms, the humans would kill her.  Not being contagious was actually a form of camouflage."

~ p.  214, Pandemic (Infected #3) by Scot Sigler

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Stacking the Shelves - January 19th, 2014


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a way for us to share the new books we have collected. I actually had hoped to have one more book to share, but it didn't come even though the tracking website said it was delivered yesterday.  And now of course I'll have to wait till Tuesday because tomorrow I'm sure there is no mail since it is MLK Jr. Day.  But I do have a few to share this week.

Books purchased:


I've been wanting this book since I first picked it up and read what it was about.  I even read the beginning on my Nook "in store for free" at work one day.  I was waiting for paperback, and so now that it is out, I decided to buy it.

E-books purchased:


I own the first two in actual physical copies, but I saw this on sale for like $2.99 and couldn't resist purchasing it for my Nook.  I can use it for the Prequel and Sequel Challenge I'm doing this year.

E-galleys:


I finally got approved for this from Netgalley.  Can't wait to read it!!

So what books will you be adding to your bookshelves this week?


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Review: Beta by Rachel Cohn

So I finally got around to reading this ARC that I got at BEA 2012.  And now, I'm really hoping that when I go to BEA this summer, maybe I'll get the sequel?  Because this book totally left on a major cliffhanger!!

This is a story about a futuristic Earth.  The whole world has been changed due to what they call the "Water Wars".  My guess is that they ran out of water?  Not sure, I would like some more information about that.  But then that's always me in these kind of stories.  Our main character is a clone.  She is named Elysia, and is told that she is a "Beta" as they are trying to clone teenagers.  Up until this point it has only been supposedly older clones, and they have pretty much almost all been servants.  Either made to do the kind of work that is looked down upon, working in stores, construction, gardening, maids, etc.  Some even are more of "consorts" or even almost prostitutes.  Elysia, our main character, the clone, has just "emerged," and is working at a store, when a wealthy woman who is shopping there decides she wants to buy her.  The woman gets her way, and takes her home as a companion.  She tells Elysia to call her mother.  She is to replace her daughter who has gone away to college.  Now Elysia pretty much does what she is supposed to, learns what her new family wants from her, and does that.  Her new "father" is the governor, but that is what he wants her to call him, and he is not that happy that his wife brought her home.  But the younger brother is glad to have her to help him train for going to the military.  And the younger girl Liesl is very happy to have a new big sister.

Now Elysia is having some things happen that aren't supposed to be happening to clones, she seems to have memories from her "first" the person she was cloned from.  Not only that, but she enjoys the taste of food, something that clones are not supposed to do, enjoy things.  She soon learns that these things would make people think she is a defect, and she could be sent back to the lab where she came from and tortured or destroyed.  And she soon develops a bit of a crush on one of her brother Isaiah's friends.  And he seems to be interested in her as well.

I won't go into a lot more of the story.  Just know that of course there are other things going on in the world.  People who feel this is slavery and unfair to the clones and want to fight for their rights.  Astrid, the daughter that Elysia is kind of replacing, was one of them.  There is talk of an Insurrection, the clones fighting back.  Elysia comes upon two clones having sex, something that they shouldn't want to do or enjoy on their own.  She also wonders if she will find this "golden god" from her First's memories, and she does.

As I said, a MAJOR cliffhanger at the end.  After a really big event happens.  To me it was worth some of the issues I had with parts of the story.  So it was a quick, easy read, and now I'm waiting for the next in the series!  As I said, I'm hoping to get a copy of it at BEA this summer!

And here I am with the author two years ago at BEA!!


Friday, January 17, 2014

The Friday 56 #6


 I'm going to participate once again in Friday 56, sponsored by Freda's Voice.  Here are the rules:


Rules:

 *Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

 

 

""Then why call her Dementia?"

"Datacheck the word.  Then the name will make sense once you meet her." 

  • Dementia [di-MEN-sha]:  Mental deterioration of organic or functional origin.
     

  I cannot imagine how this word could be personified in a real human girl, and I cannot wait to find out."

 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Review: More Than Good Enough by Crissa-Jean Chappell

First, thanks to Flux Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  I have been a fan of this author since I got to read a copy of her first YA book, Total Constant Order.  I think I got an ARC of that too, can't remember for sure, because it was before I was blogging here.  The second book, Narc, was one that I got at BEA 2012, when I got to meet the author.  Which was really cool.  Now this one, while I think the storyline was pretty good, I had some issues.  One, I kind of wanted a bit more at the beginning.  I felt like I walked into a movie 20 minutes late, and while there were recaps, I felt like there was more that I missed.  And then the other issue has to do with the formatting I had with this Kindle e-galley, and nothing to do with the actual story, so I'll stop with that.

The main character is Trenton, and he is half Native American, Miccosukee to be exact.  His mother is actually from England.  His parents have been divorced for a long time, his father has just been released from prison, and starts out moving back in with his mother.  This doesn't work really well.  You see Trent had been attending a special school for music, but lately he's been slacking, and is now failing.  So he gets kicked out, and has to attend the public school.  Not only that, but his mom sends him to live with his father, who is now living on the reservation.  Life isn't great for Trent there.  He feels left out, as he doesn't understand their language.  And now, his father who has been absent for most of his life is really seeming to be on his case all the time.  And not just that, his dad is a drunk.  And is really getting to be hard to take.  So Trent has found that at his new school, the girl he grew up with as a best friend is there.  And she has grown up nicely.  Trent immediately seeks Pippa out, and tries to get her back as a friend, and maybe more.  But there are all kinds of things in the way.  Pippa's past experiences with boys, as well as the other people in her school.  Trent is dealing with his father, and then he is drinking, and doing drugs.  Plus his mother has a boyfriend that he doesn't like, and he feels abandoned by her.

I think the story is really the way a teen would think and act.  I just don't know if it is the way the e-galley was formatted that made it hard for me in some parts to not feel like I was missing something, but I just wanted a bit more at the beginning I think.  The end was great, I love how that went, good, but really a learning experience, and of course, always things to work on.  A great realistic fiction, and I am still a big Crissa-Jean Chappell fan, as you can tell from this picture with her back at BEA 2012.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday - The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting. For my first WOW post of 2014, I've chosen to highlight "the one" book (that already has a cover to share) that I'm most looking forward to this year, the one that I just don't know if I can wait until May to read.  But even if I got an e-galley of it to read somehow, I would still have to go out and buy it for the cover.  Here is the information from Goodreads.com:

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.


I don't normally include the little part at the end of the blurbs, but I just love the ending sentence, I can't wait to "sigh over the electrifying fairy tale long after the page is turned."  I love the cover, it's so beautiful.  How about you?  Have you read this series?  Are you as anxious as I am to read this conclusion?  If this isn't your series, what are you waiting for this week?

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

I've had this sitting on my TBR shelf since the summer of 2012 when I attended BEA and received an ARC of it.  I really didn't know much about it, and that's part of why it sat for so long.  When I did see reviews of it, I knew I needed to read it.  But then, I think the sheer size of it kept me from picking it up until now.  I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads, although actually it'd be more like a 4.5.  My only complaint is probably at the very end.  Or maybe the length.  I feel that everything tied together really well until we get to the end, and the problem is basically solved, for this instance at least.  And then the story goes on to basically set up a sequel.  But the little stories that set up for that were really kind of confusing.  All I know for sure, is that something big is still out there, and a storm is coming.  So, not sure when a sequel comes out, but maybe I'll be able to get an ARC of it when I go to BEA this coming summer.

The blurb on Goodreads talks about one main character, Evie.  And yes, she really is the central character, but there are so many more side stories, almost more than is even let on in what few names are brought up in that blurb.  Evie has been sent to New York City to live with her Uncle Will after something disgraces her in the small town she is from.  Evie has this ability to see things about people by just touching something that belongs to them.  And when she lets out information about a certain engaged guy having a possible pregnancy with someone other than his fiancee, she is then sent away.  Which actually, is fine by Evie.  She can't wait to get to NYC and really be a part of the scene.  Evie is kind of a flapper in a way.  She's got her hair short, she speaks the lingo, and enjoys her drinks, even in this age of prohibition.  When she gets to NYC, she finds out that her Uncle's museum is one that is not that big, it is a museum of the occult and other supernatural things.  And when strange murders begin taking place in the city, the police come to him for help with the strange symbols and way the bodies are found.  Without even thinking, Evie touches a piece of the victim's clothing and finds that maybe she can help with her ability.  At first however she doesn't say anything to her Uncle, not knowing how he will take it.

There is one person who knows about Evie's ability, her friend Mabel, who lives in her Uncle's building and has been her pen pal.  Evie is so glad to have a friend, and takes Mabel under her wing, getting her out and about in the city, as well as trying to help her get matched up with Evie's Uncle Will's assistant Jericho, who Mabel has a bit of a crush on.  We learn that Jericho has a secret as well, although we're not quite told what it is until a big moment towards the very end of the story.

Then there is the glamorous chorus girl Theta, who works at the Ziegfeld Follies, and her "brother" Henry, who also live in the same building.  Mabel introduces Evie to them, and soon they all become friends.  Theta and Henry have their own secrets, ones that we don't really learn much about until towards the end as well.

Another big character that we spend time with is a boy named Memphis.  Memphis used to be a healer, we don't know exactly what changed, other than it had something to do with when his mother died.  And now his younger brother Isaiah seems to have an ability, and Memphis is helping, along with another woman in the neighborhood, his brother to hone the skills.

One other main character/storyline I will mention is Sam, a con artist that Evie meets when she first gets to NYC, arriving in Grand Central Station.  He also has a past, and a bit of an ability, and his storyline is one that will lead us on in the sequel I guess.

Okay, the reason I complained about the length, this was a very detailed story.  Not that this is a bad thing, just that there was a lot to take in, so it took a while to read it all.  Again, not a bad thing.  Although I can see how this could have been split into two or maybe three books the way many teen books are today.  Again, that doesn't need to be done, look at books like Twilight and Harry Potter, both very long books.  And Harry Potter is definitely as in depth as this book is.  I can see that The Diviners is a book I could read a second, third, or more times, and probably pick up something I missed each time.  A great story, just know that you'll need to set the time to read it, and be prepared to give it your full attention.  Unlike some stories this in depth I wasn't ever confused about who I was reading about, although once or twice I did go back a few pages, or to a different section with that character to try to remember exactly what I'd read about that situation the day before.

The bad guy was evil, and there was no cop out, in my opinion, it was done very well.  I also really enjoyed reading about places I may have been in NYC, and also places I might now want to visit next time I go.

Monday, January 13, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - January 13th, 2014



This weekly meme is sponsored by Book Journey, and we talk about things we read last week, and our plans for what we'll read this coming week. 

Last Week:

Well, I did well with one of my New Year's resolutions to try to have at least 2 book reviews a week, because I had 3 last week:

And then I blogged almost every day last week by filling in with some memes:

The Clear Your Shelves Giveaway also ended on Friday, the 10th, so I've still got to go into the Rafflecopter and pick the winner.  Will probably do that today some time.

This Week:
One reason I'm doing this post today instead of a review like I'd hoped, is because the current book I'm reading is over 500 pages, and while it's really getting good, it has a lot of great detail, and so I'm making sure that I read as close as I can.  I'm hoping to finish it tonight to review tomorrow, it is The Diviners by Libba Bray.  I will probably participate in Waiting on Wednesday, and then hopefully, depending on the length of the next book I read, will either have a review on Thursday or Friday.  I'm thinking I will be reading an e-galley by Scott Sigler next called Pandemic, the third in the Infected series, which I've enjoyed the first two from that series.    I will of course have a Stacking the Shelves, either Saturday or Sunday, and not sure what book I will read after Pandemic.  Possibly Pulse, by Patrick Carman, so that I can be ready to read the ARC of it that I won from Epic Reads.

And plans can always change.  My step-dad will be having surgery on Thursday night, and then my last day at the bookstore for awhile, since I'm going to seasonal help, will be on Saturday.  So, how have you done with your resolutions so far?  And do you have any exciting plans for the upcoming week?